As Shi Chun made his way through the crowd, he gave Wu Jinliang a meaningful look, then slipped away on his own.
Wu Jinliang, not too far behind, gradually moved to the edge of the crowd, pretending to adjust an oil lamp as he made his exit.
Once out of sight, he quickly darted after Shi Chun, who he soon found leaned against the cave wall, catching his breath.
“What's going on?” Wu Jinliang asked, noticing something was off.
Shi Chun shook his head, feeling a bit disoriented. “Messed up. We gotta leave before Shen Youkun arrives and discovers us. I’m still recovering, you need to carry me for a bit.”
Wu Jinliang, surprised, asked, “Did someone attack you?” But he didn’t wait for an answer, instead hoisting Shi Chun onto his back and speeding off.
“It wasn’t that. I’ll explain later. Move quickly and be careful of Shen Youkun. He should be here by now,” Shi Chun advised.
Just as anticipated, Shen Youkun managed to catch up despite the depth and winding paths of the mine.
Realizing the situation, Wu Jinliang quickly turned back, heading for a fork in the tunnels and ducking into a side passage to evade detection.
Not long after, a group rushed past, with sedan chair bearers carrying Qi Ziru and Shen Youkun being borne along.
It was a difficult journey through the uneven ground without the help of other cultivators.
After the group had passed, Wu Jinliang swiftly emerged, continuing their escape with Shi Chun on his back.
Shi Chun whispered, “We don’t have much time; you need to run full speed.”
Wu Jinliang nodded and broke into a sprint through the tunnels, with Shi Chun extinguishing the oil lamps as they passed by.
Meanwhile, outside the mine and oblivious to the plan, Shen Youkun and his group had reached the end of the mine tunnel and saw a gigantic, terrifying serpent skull resting on a dragon bone, the third eye socket on the skull conspicuously empty.
However, there was no sign of the purple sparkling nebula they had expected.
Shen Youkun turned to the overseer in disbelief.
The man insisted, “It was just here, floating above like a big table. Everyone saw it.”
Qi Ziru, on the other hand, trusted that the overseer wouldn’t lie.
From his position on the sedan chair, Qi Ziru glanced back at the corpse of another overseer.
Finally, Shen Youkun's attention returned to the lone deceased overseer.
He quickly examined the body to confirm its identity as someone he had personally brought.
Only then did he realize they were the only ones who had come this far, noticing that the group hadn’t followed them.
Shen Youkun, seething with fury, screamed, “Get over here!”
His voice echoed throughout the cavernous mines.
Eventually, several overseers approached, albeit cautiously, wary of Shen Youkun, who had just killed one of their own.
Mistakenly thinking they understood the situation—the disappearance of the purple sparkling nebula—they were shocked when Shen Youkun demanded, “Who did this? Tell me who killed him!”
The overseers were perplexed and hesitant, one finally asking, “Wasn’t it... sir?”
“Don’t be absurd!” Shen Youkun yelled, his temper flaring further.
Qi Ziru, in support, added, “The blood has stopped flowing, and the pool on the floor is no longer spreading.”
With that clarification, the overseers realized the murder had occurred before Shen Youkun’s arrival.
“Don’t tell me you don’t know who the murderer is!” Shen Youkun roared again.
The overseers exchanged worried glances.
One ventured cautiously, “Maybe it was that person who brought the message... He was alone with the leader here.”
“What message bringer are you talking about?” Shen Youkun demanded, confused and irate.
Qi Ziru gestured for the overseers to calm down, urging them to explain the events leading up to this moment.
After they detailed everything, Shen Youkun's anger knew no bounds. “You’ve been tricked! Get people to chase after them!”
Qi Ziru interjected, suggesting, “If they aren’t caught outside the mine, seal it off.” The overseers hesitated, unsure whose command to follow, until Shen Youkun nodded reluctantly in agreement with Qi Ziru.
No choice but to yield, the overseers rushed out to pursue.
Once they left, Shen Youkun wanted explanations, but was instead berated by Qi Ziru, “I told you to watch over the scene personally. Why did you leave?”
Shen Youkun withheld a retort, unable to explain that his uncle’s unexpected visit took precedence.
With Qi Ziru uninterested in further discussion, he indicated it was time to leave, but not without another look at the ominous serpent skull. “They sure dug up something extraordinary.”
As they neared the exit, Shi Chun, having extinguished all the way back, stopped his antics. “I’m almost recovered,” he assured Wu Jinliang, hopping down to walk on his own and double-checking his condition.
Wu Jinliang asked, “What happened? Why would we be exposed?”
“I’ll explain later. Just get ready to fight our way out!” Shi Chun instructed.
“Uh, shouldn’t we try to sneak out instead?” Wu Jinliang suggested, concerned.
“No time. We’ve got to go.” With grim determination, Shi Chun wiped some dirt from his wounded arm, exposing blood and painting a gruesome picture.
He then presented his bloodied arm to Wu Jinliang without another word.
Wu Jinliang understood immediately, smearing the blood on his own face. “If we reveal ourselves, our identities won’t stay hidden,” he noted. “Especially since we saw Shen Youkun’s secret.”
“Stirred the grass, awoke the snake. We have no choice,” Shi Chun sighed, applying some blood to his own face and sprinting towards the mine exit.
Wu Jinliang followed closely behind.
As they neared the cave entrance, Shi Chun glanced back, signaling Wu Jinliang to play dead.
He then burst out of the darkened tunnel, feigning severe injury and collapse upon hitting the light.
“What's happening?” one of the guards asked as he helped Shi Chun up.
Shi Chun urgently shouted, loud enough to echo, “Help! Mr. Shen is in danger. Hurry, rescue him!”
This shout drew attention from nearby hilltops, figures appearing and peering down towards the mine.
“What happened?” the guard pressed.
Shi Chun issued another plea. “We found great treasure within—a mutiny! The situation is dire. Save Mr. Shen before it’s too late!”
Hearing of treasure roused the guardsmen’s interests, and seeing the commotion, others descended from the hills.
“Never mind me. Go help him now,” Shi Chun urged as he collapsed dramatically.
The guards hesitated, but upon seeing their fellows rush in, followed quickly behind.
More people flooded the cave, reassured by the appearance of the other guards that all was well.
With the hills empty, Shi Chun called back into the tunnel, “Jinliang, are you still alive?”
Wu Jinliang, emerging from within, continued the act, “How’s it out there?”
“Let’s go!” Shi Chun sprang to action, with Wu Jinliang close behind, racing away from the scene.
As darkness filled the mine, it obstructed those in pursuit who lacked sufficient light, and they struggled, relying on small flames to illuminate their paths.
By the time Shen Youkun and Qi Ziru caught up, they found themselves amid the chaos of confused figures, the mishaps compounding further as waves of reinforcements poured in from outside, adding to the confusion.