Starting from the imperial palace guards, his clones spread all over the world.

Chapter 723 Two Children
"Sis! Lower the rope a little more! I can't reach it!"

A childish yet urgent voice faintly emanated from the bottomless, dark crack beneath A Luo's feet.

This place extends deep underground; it's a fissure beneath a fissure.

The omnipresent darkness was as thick as ink, and the icy chill was like countless fine needles, piercing through the thin clothes and drilling straight into the bones.

If you strain your neck to look up, you can still see a small patch of night sky peeking through the entrance to the crack high above, with the cold moon hanging high and casting a few pale moonlight.

A-Luo's small hands, covered with frostbite and small wounds, gripped the rough hemp rope tightly. With all her might, she carefully lowered the rope little by little.

One end of the rope was firmly tied to a protruding, cold, hard rock beside her, in a knot she had learned from her father; the other end dangled into the narrower, deeper crevice at her feet.

"Brother! Are you...are you almost at the bottom?"

A-Luo couldn't help but shout downwards, her voice trembling noticeably with fear and cold:
"It's too dark! I...I can't see you at all!"

She was only eight years old.

At this age, one should be enjoying the company of their parents, carefree and without worries.

Yet at this moment, she finds herself alone in this eerie and terrifying underground, bearing a burden far beyond her years.

The boundless darkness seemed to writhe around her as if it were alive, and every shadow seemed to harbor a menacing demon.

Only the distant, cold moonlight overhead offered her a faint sense of security, preventing her from completely collapsing.

But more than her fear of the darkness, she was afraid something would happen to her younger brother.

The crevice beneath her feet was far too narrow, barely wide enough for her younger brother's small body to pass through. She tried several times but couldn't squeeze through. Otherwise, she would never have let her young brother risk his life alone.

Time seemed to stretch out countless times in this deathly silence and darkness, each second feeling like being tortured on scalding hot coals.

A Luo listened intently, and apart from her own heavy, tense breathing and the pounding of her heart, there was only a suffocating silence all around her.

"Brother! Ah Shi! Can you hear me? Answer me!"

She screamed at the crack again, her voice now trembling with sobs.

no respond.

Only her own voice echoed and reverberated among the rock walls, growing fainter and fainter until it finally vanished without a trace.

A wave of immense panic washed over A-Luo like an icy tide.

She could almost see her brother slipping and falling in the darkness, or being dragged away by something terrifying... She dared not think any further.

"Waaah... Ah Shi... don't scare your sister..."

She finally couldn't hold on any longer, squatting on the edge of the cold crack, burying her face in her knees, her thin shoulders heaving violently, her suppressed sobs sounding particularly desolate in the darkness.

Just when her heart was about to sink to the bottom—

"Sis! I got it! Quick, pull me up!"

The familiar and urgent voice of his younger brother, Ashi, came from the depths of the crack like heavenly music!

A Luo suddenly raised her head, tears still on her face, but the despair in her eyes had been replaced by immense joy.

She hastily wiped her face with her dirty sleeve, ignoring the pain from the rope chafing her palms, and immediately used all her strength, alternating arms, to pull the rope upwards with all her might.

The rope was heavy, and her small body was almost pulled down, but she gritted her teeth, braced her feet on the ground, and slowly and laboriously pulled the rope back.

Finally, she dragged a small figure, covered in wet mud and dust and looking like a mud monkey, out of the gaping, dark maw of the crack.

It was a boy who looked only four or five years old, thin and bony, who was her younger brother, Ashi.

Seeing her younger brother safe and sound, A-Luo's pent-up worry instantly turned into a surge of fearful anger.

"Ah Shi! You bastard!"

"I called you so many times, why didn't you answer?! Were you trying to scare your sister to death?!"

Enraged, she raised her hand and slapped Ah Shi's mud-covered little bottom.

But when the slap landed, A-Luo couldn't bear to use force, only slapping A-Shi's buttocks until a small cloud of dust "poof" rose up.

Ah Shi, however, didn't care at all. Instead, he grinned and revealed a tired but excited smile.

He carefully took something out of his pocket, held it in both hands, and presented it to his sister like a treasure.

Surprisingly, it was a rock the size of a fist!

Its entire body has a jade-like color, and what's even more strange is that it emits a soft and clear, greenish fluorescence!
The light wasn't dazzling, but it was enough to dispel a small patch of darkness, clearly illuminating two small faces covered in dirt, yet glowing with excitement and surprise.

A-Luo took the heavy stone, feeling its cool, smooth texture.

She carefully stroked the surface of the stone, observing its texture by the faint green light.

"This isn't the fluorite we usually dig up..."

A Luo's voice was uncertain and trembled slightly:
"It's heavier, cooler, and has a different light... I don't know what kind of mineral it is."

But she quickly hardened her tone, her eyes shining with hope:
"But it can definitely be used to make a very valuable luminous pearl! It must be very valuable!"

"That's wonderful! Father... Father's illness can be cured! We have the money to hire a doctor!"

Tears of joy instantly welled up in her eyes.

A Luo and A Shi are one of the millions of ordinary miner families in Yumen Mountain.

They were born and raised in the mining area. From the time they could remember, they were accompanied by the sound of chisels and hammers, the whips of the overseers, and the mine dust that could never be washed away.

Since their mother passed away from tuberculosis two years ago, they have been left to rely on their father for support.

Whenever their father went down into the mine, their two small figures would follow behind, carrying rubble in baskets taller than themselves, and rummaging through the piles of waste rock with their tender little hands to find any tiny, insignificant pieces of jade that might have been missed.

They have long been indispensable little helpers to their father, supporting this precarious family with their meager strength.

something unexpected may happen any time.

Just two days ago, a small-scale collapse occurred deep inside the mine, and my father's leg was crushed by a rolling boulder.

When people pulled him from under the rocks, his right leg was twisted and deformed, and he had fallen into a coma due to blood loss and excruciating pain.

The only doctor in the mine who knew a little about medicine came to see him and coldly uttered only one sentence:

"Ten taels of silver, not a penny less."

"If you can't come up with the money, then prepare for your funeral."

Without their father's protection, the two young children became easy targets for bullying in the dog-eat-dog world of the mining area.

Even if they were lucky enough to find some low-quality jade in the abandoned mine, it would be immediately snatched away by other envious miners or patrolling guards, leaving them no room for argument.

Here, might and power are the law, and no one will stand up for two helpless children.

With nowhere else to turn, the siblings could only pin their hopes on a slim chance of luck.

They traversed mountains and valleys, far from densely populated mining areas, searching in remote wilderness for any overlooked or undiscovered veins or rare minerals, hoping to find them to bring back and exchange for money to save their lives.

The emperor does not bear the painstaking people.

During a search, they unexpectedly discovered this fissure in the ground that had recently opened up due to an earthquake.

Taking advantage of his small stature, Ah Shi brought back this strange, glowing stone on his first adventure down there.

This is their second time here.

The last time I painstakingly brought back ore, before I could even warm it up, it was stolen by the guards at the entrance of the mine after they searched me, and I even got kicked a few times.

This time, they brought the longest rope they could find and, with a do-or-die determination, ventured once again into this dangerous underground world.

Fortunately, they succeeded once again!

"Brother, you're injured!"

Using the fluorescence of the ore, A Luo could finally see that A Shi's clothes on his elbows and knees were worn through, and his exposed skin was covered with crisscrossing abrasions. Many of the wounds were still oozing blood, mixed with mud, which looked shocking.

"Does it hurt?!"

A-Luo's voice trembled with heartache. She quickly squatted down, puffed out her cheeks, and carefully blew on her brother's wound, trying to coagulate the blood.

This was the only way she could think of to relieve the pain and help stop the bleeding.

Ah Shi stubbornly turned his body to the side, trying to cover his wound, and said in a deliberately casual tone:
"Sis, it doesn't hurt! Really!"

"When we get back, I'll grab a handful of ashes from the stove and cover it up, and the bleeding will stop immediately!"

But his movements were too large, aggravating his wound, and he gasped in pain, his face contorting in pain.

Seeing her four-year-old brother, who had to be so precocious and strong in order to save their father, A-Luo felt a lump in her throat and her heart ached so much that she almost burst into tears.

"Brother, don't move, let your sister take a good look at you..."

She quickly placed the glowing ore in her hand gently on the ground beside her, wanting to carefully examine her brother's injuries.

However, just as the ore left her palm and touched the ground—

That faint, green light actually illuminated clearly a pair of feet that were originally in darkness!

Those were feet wearing black leather boots made of high-quality materials and with exquisite workmanship!

The boots were spotless, completely out of place in this dirty, rough underground environment!

A-Luo was horrified, her heart leaping into her throat!
She abruptly raised her head and looked up along the feet—

Under the dim green light, a figure appeared silently in the darkness, like a ghost, and quietly looked down at them!

"what--!!!"

Extreme fear caused A-Luo to let out a short, sharp scream.

Like a cat whose tail has been stepped on, he suddenly shrank back and fell hard onto the cold, hard ground, trembling all over as if being shaken by the wind.

at this time.

The person in the darkness slowly bent down, extended a hand with distinct knuckles, and calmly picked up the glowing ore from the ground.

The light from the ore moved upwards, gradually illuminating the figure of the person who had arrived.

He was a young man with an extremely ordinary face, the kind of face that would disappear instantly in a crowd. Neither his facial features nor his physique were particularly distinctive.

However, the clothes he wore were made of the finest brocade and leather, tailored to fit perfectly, and shimmered softly in the dim green light, a stark contrast to the tattered, dirty, and barely covering burlap sacks worn by the siblings.

Most importantly, his clothes were impeccably clean, completely untouched by the dust and mud of the mining area.

The person who came was Liang Jin.

Seeing that it was a person and not a ghost, and that they were dressed in fine clothes, A-Luo felt a little more at ease, but her fear did not lessen—in the mining area, the better dressed a person was, the greater their power was often, and the more likely they were to bring trouble and danger.

She quickly pulled Ah Shi, who was also trembling with fear and trying to hide behind her, into her arms and pleaded in a trembling voice, choked with sobs:

"Ore...ore...here you go! Sir, please take it!"

"Please... have mercy, don't hit us!"

"We were wrong! We shouldn't have come here! We... we can kowtow to you, sir! Please, have mercy on us!"

As she spoke, A-Luo hurriedly pressed A-Shi down, about to kneel down and kowtow to Liang Jin.

Their movements were practiced; clearly, in the mining area, kneeling and begging for mercy was commonplace for survival.

However, neither of their foreheads touched the cold ground.

A gentle yet irresistible invisible force steadily supported them, preventing them from completing the kowtow no matter how hard they tried. They were even slowly lifted up by this force and stood up straight again.

This terrified the siblings even more!
This...this is something no ordinary person could do!

Is the person in front of me a human... or a monster or ghost from the mountain legends?
The two were so frightened that they hugged each other and burst into tears. The scalding tears washed away the mud on their faces, leaving two clear white streaks.

Looking at the two terrified children, who resembled frightened little animals, Liang Jin spoke indifferently:
"I never make things difficult for young children without reason."

"You two don't need to be so afraid."

After saying that, he stopped looking at them, took the fluorescent mineral in his hand, walked to the narrow crack that Ah Shi had climbed out of, and stared intently into the bottomless darkness below.

Below was pitch black, as if it connected to the Netherworld.

"This is the thing you brought up from down here?"

Liang Jin weighed the heavy ore in his hand, which radiated a strong energy fluctuation, and asked.

He was certain that this was indeed spirit ore.

Most importantly, this ore is of exceptionally high quality!
The richness and purity of the "spiritual energy" contained within far surpassed any piece he had seen in the mine before.

Especially when he holds it in his hand, he can clearly feel the powerful and ancient energy contained within, like a dormant volcano.

The source of this ore happened to be in a mysterious area that his "Fire Eye" ability could not penetrate.

Faced with Liang Jin's calm yet undeniably pressure-filled questioning, the siblings could only sob and nod vigorously, not daring to utter a single word.

Liang Jin continued to press:

"Besides this kind of stone, what else is there below?"

Hiding behind his sister, only half his head showing, Ashi answered timidly and haltingly: "There are... there are many more big rocks! They're all dark... some, some even reflect light..."

"And...there's water! A tiny bit of water, and it's ice cold..."

"And... sharp stones that will prick your hands... and many... many strange things, I... I can't describe them..."

He tried his best to gesture and describe it, but he was too young, his vocabulary was limited, and his logic was confused, so he was unable to clearly express the specific situation underground.

After listening for a few minutes, Liang Jin realized that he wouldn't get any constructive information out of this four-year-old child.

To truly understand the situation below, you'll ultimately have to go down and investigate for yourself.

He assessed the risks.

The fact that even a four-year-old child could go down and return safely shows that the path below, at least in the part that A-Shi had traversed, was not fatally dangerous.

However, this does not mean absolute safety; the unknown always comes with risks.

Liang Jin turned his gaze to the two children who were still trembling:
"Take me down there to have a look."

"When I get back, I can give you whatever you want."

Upon hearing this, A-Luo hurriedly pleaded:

"Grandpa, it's not that we're unwilling... it's just that the crack is too narrow. Even I can't squeeze in. Only someone as small as Ah Shi can barely manage to get in."

"You, you're so tall, you definitely can't get down!"

"Take this ore if you like it, please, have mercy and let us go! We promise we'll never come back!"

Liang Jin ignored her pleas.

He walked straight to the edge of the crack, stretched out his right palm, and seemingly casually pressed it onto the hard rock wall next to the crack.

The next moment, the vast internal energy he had gathered in his palm surged into it.

"Boom!"

A deep, resounding thud echoed from the ground!
It sounded as if some enormous creature was roaring underground.

At the edge of the narrow crack, large amounts of rocks and sand seemed to be crushed and collapsed by an invisible force, pouring down into the depths of the crack with a crash!

Amidst the billowing smoke and dust, the narrow crack that was originally only wide enough for a child to pass through was instantly widened and deepened, forming a rough yet spacious passage that could accommodate two or three people walking side by side!

The two children were stunned by this scene, forgetting even to cry, and were left with only boundless awe and fear.

This is simply beyond human capability!

"Let's go."

Without another word, Liang Jin flicked his sleeve, and a gentle yet irresistible internal force, like an invisible rope, instantly wrapped around A Luo and A Shi's bodies.

Before they could even cry out in surprise, Liang Jin led them and leaped into the newly opened passage.

Since he was going down there, he naturally wouldn't just bring Ah Shi, who knew the way.

When he came down, he noticed that the rope at the top of the crevice did not go all the way to the bottom; there was a long distance that needed to be climbed by hand.

Climbing in such a deserted and dangerous place late at night is something only a clueless kid like this would do.

If they're not careful, these two children could lose their lives underground.

Children's behavior is unpredictable, and he didn't want any unnecessary tragedy to happen because of his negligence.

Since I've already gotten involved, I might as well protect them.

The weightlessness brought on by the rapid descent caused A-Luo and A-Shi to scream in terror, their voices being drawn out and distorted in the narrow passage.

The fall lasted for several breaths, but for the two children it felt like an eternity.

Finally, with a gentle lift, the three landed steadily at the bottom of the crack.

Liang Jin released the two children, looked around, and discovered that there was a hidden world at the bottom of the crack.

This appears to be a vast karst cave system formed by an underground river eroding and flowing over millions of years, with a space far more expansive than one might imagine.

The cave ceiling is towering, with some sections over ten feet high and others reaching several feet high, resembling a huge underground palace.

The surrounding area is filled with strangely shaped rocks, stalagmites, stone curtains, and stone flowers, all standing silently in the darkness, telling the story of the passage of time.

Today, the once turbulent underground river has almost dried up, with only a small stream remaining at the lowest point of the land, like a silver ribbon, making a faint gurgling sound in the darkness.

The cave walls were smooth and damp, with cold water droplets constantly dripping from the ceiling, making a "drip, drip" sound, which added to the serene atmosphere.

Most strikingly, deep within the largest branch of the cave, a faint, eerie green light emanated, mirroring the glow of the ore in Liang Jin's hand.

Liang Jin pointed to the cave that emitted a faint glow and confirmed with the still-shaken A Shi:

"Is it over there?"

Ashi's face turned pale, his teeth chattered uncontrollably, and he nodded forcefully.

This was not only due to fear, but also because of the unbearable cold.

The surface of the ground is already bitterly cold on winter nights in the Western Desert, and these deep underground caves are even more like ice cellars, where your breath turns to frost.

The tattered shirt that Ashi was wearing was completely ineffective against the cold. The skin exposed at his elbows and knees was already blue and purple from the cold, and the wounds were even more gruesome. The blood had congealed into a dark purple color, and the flesh at the edges of the wounds was turned outwards, like several frozen little mouths.

A-Luo, standing nearby, was in no better condition. She was covered in dirt and shivering, yet she was still trying her best to rub A-Shi's palms with her equally cold little hands, attempting to give him a little warmth.

Upon seeing this, Liang frowned almost imperceptibly.

With a thought, two sets of thick adult clothing appeared out of thin air on the ground.

That was something he had stored in his inventory for use when his clothes tore in his "Hundred Evils Body" state, so naturally there wasn't a size suitable for a child.

"Put them on."

He gave the order succinctly.

Then he took out a torch, rubbed it between his fingers, and a flame leaped up, quickly igniting the grease-soaked cloth.

"call--"

The warm and bright orange flames instantly dispelled a large area of ​​darkness and cold, and also illuminated the two children's hesitant and uncertain figures who dared not approach.

Liang Jin could already see in the dark, and he lit the torch mainly to provide light and warmth for the two vulnerable children, to prevent them from falling or suffering hypothermia because they couldn't see the way in the dark.

A-Luo and A-Shi looked at the warm-looking clothes on the ground, then at Liang Jin, their eyes filled with fear, and hesitated to move.

Liang Jin had neither the patience nor the interest to slowly appease them. His voice deepened, carrying an undeniable authority:
"If you don't wear them, I'll beat you up."

This statement is indeed simple and effective.

A-Luo was startled and hurriedly pleaded:
"Grandpa, please don't hit us! We'll put it on! We'll put it on right now!"

The two hurriedly picked up the clothes that were too big for them and awkwardly put them on.

Their trousers were so long they dragged on the ground, and their sleeves were so long they could be used as water sleeves, but they had their own way of dealing with the poor children. They carefully rolled up the excessively long parts layer by layer and then tightened them with strips of cloth. Although it looked out of place, it was enough to wrap their bodies up completely and keep them from the biting cold.

With the protection of thick clothing, the siblings' trembling bodies gradually calmed down.

However, instead of joy, their faces showed a deeper fear and unease.

A-Luo carefully stroked the soft, smooth fur on her body, her voice trembling with tears, almost kneeling down again:

"Sir...this...this is a fur coat, very expensive...we...we can't afford it..."

"Please let us take them off... If... if they get dirty or torn... even if we sell ourselves... we can't afford to pay for them..."

Many people freeze to death in the mining area every winter, so warm clothing is very precious.

Even a tattered cotton-padded jacket can become an heirloom.

A-Luo had also heard that if you were short of money in the city, you could even take your tattered cotton-padded coat to a pawnshop to exchange for cash.

Fur coats, on the other hand, were treasures that only mine owners were entitled to possess; they were symbols of status and wealth.

Wearing it now, A-Luo felt as if she were wearing a red-hot iron, feeling extremely uncomfortable. She didn't even dare to take big steps, for fear of defiling this treasure.

Liang Jin snorted coldly, his tone tinged with impatience:
"I'm letting you wear these clothes because they're for you. Even if they get dirty or torn, they're still yours."

His cold gaze swept over the two of them:
"I don't like talkative kids, understand?"

The two siblings fell silent the moment he glanced at them, nodding vigorously and keeping their mouths shut, not daring to utter another word.

Looking at their little faces, which were purple from the cold and their lips were chapped, Liang Jin hesitated for a moment before taking out a few pieces of delicate pastries wrapped in oil paper from his inventory.

"have eaten."

He handed it over, his tone still devoid of warmth.

The two children hesitantly took the pastries, carefully sniffed them, and then looked at each other, as if trying to determine whether the temptingly sweet treat was edible.

Suddenly, A-Shi's eyes lit up, and he lowered his voice, excitedly saying to his sister:

"Sister! It's mung bean cake! It really is mung bean cake!"

"I...I secretly saw the mine owner's wife eating something like this last time!"

Upon hearing this, A Luo's eyes also lit up with disbelief.

She raised her head, looking at Liang Jin with a mixture of longing and fear. Her lips moved, as if she wanted to ask but dared not.

Liang Jin gave her a cold look, and she immediately lowered her head, carefully pinched off a tiny crumb of cake with her fingernail, and put it in her mouth to taste.

The next moment, her eyes widened instantly!
"It's...it's sweet! So sweet!"

Her voice was full of surprise, as if she had discovered some incredible treasure.

Immediately afterwards, Ashi couldn't resist taking a small bite as well.

That one bite felt like opening the floodgates of desire.

Extreme hunger and the delicious taste they had never experienced before combined made it impossible for them to maintain their composure.

The two of them didn't care about their image and started wolfing down the food, their cheeks bulging.

They were so hungry.

In the mining area, families like theirs were lucky to barely have enough to eat; sweetness and pastries were things they only knew in dreams and in conversations with others.

The sweet taste exploded on their taste buds, bringing them a blissful feeling that almost made them dizzy.

They ate too quickly and both of them choked, stretching their necks and turning red in the face. Fortunately, Liang Jin handed them a water pouch in time, which helped them catch their breath.

Even so, after quickly swallowing most of the pastries, the siblings, without prior arrangement, secretly stuffed the last remaining mung bean cakes into the lining of their fur coats and hid them close to their skin.

Liang Jin saw all of this, but did not point it out.

He wouldn't bother with such petty thoughts of a poor child.

"Now that you've eaten and drunk your fill, let's go."

He picked up the burning torch and led the way toward the largest cavern, which emitted a ghostly green light.

The two children seemed to have lessened their fear of Liang Jin at this moment.

At least, this "terrible" old man gave them warm clothes and good food.

They glanced at each other, stood properly, and took small steps, closely following Liang Jin's tall figure, not daring to stray even a step away.

Liang Jin held up a torch, its orange light dancing in the dark cave, stretching and distorting the shadows of the three men, projecting them onto the bizarre rock walls.

As he walked, he keenly observed his surroundings.

He hadn't walked far when he paused slightly, his brow furrowing.

Besides the smooth marks left by the water flow, some extremely unusual, deep, and huge scratches appeared on the rock walls of this cave!

These scratches are rough, sharp, and have jagged edges. They could not possibly have been formed by natural water flow. Instead, they seem to have been torn and carved out of this hard rock layer by some huge and powerful creature with its hard claws or body!

A strange sense of vigilance rose in Liang Jin's heart.

He came down to investigate, not to confront the legendary divine tortoise head-on.

The reason he dared to come down was mainly because he had previously confirmed through "Fire Eye" that A Shi had entered that mysterious area and returned safely, indicating that the path itself was not very dangerous.

But what if some unknown, dangerous creature is lurking inside...?

Liang Jin secretly increased his vigilance, ready to deal with any emergencies. If things went wrong, he would immediately take the two children and evacuate.

The three continued deeper into the enormous cave, and the eerie green light ahead grew brighter and brighter, making it almost impossible to see the path without torches.

Ah Shi then spoke softly, with a hint of relief as if he had completed a task:
"Grandpa, we're almost there. The glowing rock is just ahead."

Liang Jin glanced at him, said nothing, but gripped the ore in his hand tightly and continued to move forward steadily.

After the three of them rounded a huge, screen-like stalactite column—

The view before me suddenly opened up!
The eerie green light suddenly became incredibly intense, almost filling the entire field of vision!
Liang Jin finally saw clearly what was happening before him, something unbelievable.

At this moment, a look of deep surprise appeared on his face, and he even subconsciously whispered:
"How...how could this be?!"

(End of this chapter)