No matter if they truly came to suppress the rebellion or not, at least they were here with that purpose.
The moment they saw a group rushing out from inside the cave, they immediately drew their weapons with a clatter.
The people emerging from inside the cave saw those from outside draw their weapons and quickly picked up anything they could for defense.
The nervousness on the faces of the miners was clear; they didn’t know what was happening.
The ones outside shouted, "Drop your weapons!" Their companions threatened in unison.
The ones inside shouted back, "What do you want?"
As the crowd parted, Shen Youkun strode forward, pointing angrily at the incoming group.
"What do you want? Are you tired of living?"
Even though he had lost his cultivation and faced the glittering weapons, his defiant nature remained unchanged.
It showed how he didn’t take these natives seriously, unlike the Big Boss of Eastern Nine Plains who didn't spoil him, making him a bit fearful.
Seeing Shen Youkun, the group outside lowered their sharp weapons; the leader asked in surprise, "Mr. Shen, are you alright?"
"What could possibly happen to me? Why are you not standing guard outside and have come running inside?" Shen Youkun scolded them.
He had been counting on this group to stop the escapees.
With both sides confronting each other like this, the situation was clear, and Shen Youkun was furious, cursing loudly, "A bunch of idiots!"
Confirming there was no danger, Qi Ziru was also carried forward.
His calm voice, in contrast to Shen Youkun's agitation, asked, "Was there only one person who got out?"
He wanted to make sure.
If it truly was just one person daringly tricking everyone, then he had to admit respect for such bravery.
"Yes, just one person."
"We only saw one person."
"No, not quite. There was a miner not far from the exit who seemed seriously injured, perhaps pretending."
"Right, if the miners' rebellion was fake, the injured one might be fake too," added a guard who had been stationed at the cave entrance.
"That miner was the tallest among them, a big guy, very noticeable. I remember him going in and out a few times."
Hearing this, Shen Youkun suddenly muttered to himself, "The big guy, two people..."
The image of almost colliding with a tall man at the cave entrance flashed in his mind.
He slapped himself hard, angrily, "It's them, Uncle, it's..."
Qi Ziru interrupted firmly, "Silence, first seal off the cave entrance."
Shen Youkun hastily said, "Uncle, I know who it is, it's..."
Qi Ziru's voice turned stern, "I told you to be quiet!"
"...," Shen Youkun immediately fell silent.
His uncle was truly angry, so he obediently shut his mouth.
Under Qi Ziru's command, the group swiftly rushed out of the mine.
By the time they emerged, dusk had already fallen, and there wasn't a shadow to be seen.
Qi Ziru didn't allow them to scatter in search; he openly suggested that who could guarantee the culprit hadn't deliberately misled them and was still hiding inside the cave? Or mixed among them in the chaos?
After counting heads, they found five overseers missing.
Qi Ziru did not lift the masks of those disguised to inspect.
There were individuals among them who made a living off their notoriety, not wanting to reveal their faces in public, content with Shen Youkun knowing who they were.
But that wasn’t Qi Ziru’s reason for not checking further.
Neither did he let those initially hidden guards return to their positions.
Instead, he instructed most to stay at the entrance and funnel all manpower into the excavation team, urging them to dig out the remaining bones in the mine as quickly as possible.
He took the suggestion of two overseers to heart, deciding not to haul away the soil and rocks, but instead dump them into nearby pits, with speed as the priority.
After setting all this in motion, Qi Ziru slowly got up from his chair, raising a hand to stop the sedan bearers that wanted to accompany him, and took a leisurely walk in the mountain valley, leaving only Shen Youkun by his side.
Shen Youkun was visibly tense, glancing around nervously.
Knowing who was causing trouble and now being without the protection of the group, he did fear the perpetrator might suddenly reappear.
When they were alone, Qi Ziru halted, glanced at his nephew, then gazed at the darkening sky, "Don’t be nervous. The culprit has what they wanted and is fleeing for their life."
Hearing this comforted Shen Youkun.
He looked back at the cave entrance, pondering his uncle's intentions—if the culprit had really fled, why did he say they might be hiding inside and seal off the entrance?
Qi Ziru's voice dispelled his thoughts, "Did the Big Boss visit?"
Shen Youkun gathered himself, "Indeed, 'Si Chun' and 'Wu Jinliang' visited. With the guard's reminder at the entrance, I realized Wu Jinliang must have met me face-to-face back then. I was so focused on finding you that I overlooked it."
Qi Ziru clicked his tongue in admiration, "So it was really them! Just two of them, daring to infiltrate our ranks so boldly, treating us like nothing, a truly audacious move! They toyed with us and took the treasure as if retrieving something from a pocket. No wonder you preferred to pay them off to leave rather than face them head-on. It seems you had learned from experience, but you didn’t mention it beforehand. Had I known we’d be dealing with such capable individuals, how could I have let you handle this alone? How could he have easily succeeded?"
Shen Youkun muttered guiltily, "I suspected it was them in the mine and wanted to tell you, but you scolded me then and wouldn’t allow it."
He implied that sometimes when he wanted to speak, he was stopped, and at other times, when he didn't wish to speak, he was blamed for not having said anything.
Qi Ziru, still a little vexed, restrained himself.
"Fool! You've spoken too much already. With clever minds, a bit of discretion, and what you've shared, others can figure out who snatched the treasure. Until we capture them, the identity of those who took the treasure must remain confidential; only our forces can pursue them. Otherwise, how would we explain to the family? Do you wish to attract other forces into our treasure hunt? None of those who heard you today can be left alive!"
Seeing Shen Youkun's muted, reticent face, Qi Ziru resumed pacing and mused darkly, "What is that purple sparkling nebula? Does the family know or not?"
He was contemplating whether, in the event that the culprits slipped through, he should conceal it from the family since the related witnesses would need to be silenced post-event.
Humans are prone to selfish considerations.
He feared the family's discontent would follow should they learn of any mishap, perhaps leading to unintended consequences for him.
Given that the family’s item was found, he wished to avoid complications.
Externally showcasing confidence before his nephew, inside, he was troubled by the cunning displayed by the Big Boss, gnawing slightly at his assurance...
Meanwhile, Shi Chun and Wu Jinliang hurriedly reached a hillside spot and removed a large stone to reveal two bundles of clothes.
These two, being representatives of the Eastern Nine Plains, always dressed properly when venturing out.
From the pit, they also retrieved two weapons: one big and one small blade.
The smaller one was more typical in size for a sword, merely appearing smaller next to the massive blade beside it, the latter resting in a sheath wrapped in cloth strips.
The giant blade, lacking a sheath, was as black as coal, nearly half a zhang long, nearly a foot wide, with a jaw-thick back.
A heavy, good whetted tool that could be hefted onto Wu Jinliang's shoulder with ease.
This hefty blade held no renowned origin—it was personally forged at a smith's forge, taking advantage of a "use what you want" promise.
The sizable creation, though unwieldy, proved advantageous in battle, becoming his weapon of choice over time.
Normally, if wanting to appear dignified, Shi Chun would let Wu Jinliang carry the weapons.
At this moment, however, with their lives at stake, such considerations held no sway.
Replacing the stone as a cover, they swiftly resumed their flight.
Their escape maintained a focus on staying low, seeking out low ground like ravines, avoiding high terrain where detection was easy.
Only occasionally, wishing to check if they were being pursued, would they climb nearby peaks for a backward glance.
During another such climb midway, Shi Chun, after peeking back with no apparent pursuit, suddenly placed a hand on Wu Jinliang's shoulder, and both halted partway up the mound.
About to ask why, Wu Jinliang was interrupted by Shi Chun, who was already scanning their surroundings warily, "Something’s wrong!"
He crouched again, pressing into the mountain's peak for another watchful look back.
Wu Jinliang, crouching beside, asked the already known question, "What’s wrong?"
Shi Chun replied gravely, "Too quiet. No sign of anyone chasing us this whole way; it feels abnormal that we’ve escaped so easily."