Starting as pearl divers, they have endless jobs.

Chapter 190 Exploring the Patterns, Punishment!!

Then Chen Ye selected a few other decent cultivators from outside and took them out with him.

Back in the stone hall where the management center was located, Senior Brother Zhou was still drinking tea.

When he saw Chen Ye return with a group of people, he merely raised his eyelids, showing no surprise.

"Have you chosen?"

"I've made my choice." Chen Ye nodded. "Thank you, Senior Brother Zhou. The 300 contribution points I owe will be deducted from my share next month."

"No rush, no rush," Senior Brother Zhou said with a smile. "Junior Brother Lin is a straightforward person, and I trust him."

He said he wasn't in a hurry, but his expression clearly said, "You'd better not try to renege on your promise."

Chen Ye knew perfectly well what was going on, and after feigning politeness for a while, he left with his men.

On the ship heading back.

The burly man who was leading the shouting and cursing was named Shi Hu. At this moment, he was sitting cross-legged at the bow of the boat with his eyes closed, seemingly practicing his internal energy.

The taciturn middle-aged man in the middle is called Uncle Yan. He leans against the gunwale, his gaze fixed on the distant water, his eyes deep and unfathomable, as if he is lost in thought.

The tall and fit woman's name is Qin Qing.

She stood at the stern of the ship, her high ponytail swaying in the wind, the hatred in her eyes almost tangible.

Master and so many fellow disciples died in battle, and now they, the prisoners, are reduced to tools of the enemy, forced to live a wretched existence!
This humiliation was worse than death.

The remaining seven or eight cultivators were randomly selected by Chen Ye from the outskirts of the prison camp. Most of them were at the Qi Nourishing Realm. Although they were not as good as Qin Qing and the others, they were still strong and capable among the weak.

These people were huddled in the corner of the cabin, looking at the three menacing martial artists and then at the expressionless Chen Ye. They were all silent and trembling, not daring to even breathe loudly.

The atmosphere on the ship was terribly oppressive.

Chen Ye didn't care about this at all and sailed back to Black Stone Beach.

When the pearl divers on the island saw Chen Ye's ship return, they instinctively gathered around.

When they saw the dozen or so unfamiliar faces on the ship, they were all stunned.

Chen Ye brought the boat to shore and then jumped off.

"Get off the boat," he said coldly to the people on board.

The seven or eight cultivators hurriedly scrambled off the boat, standing timidly in a row.

Qin Qing, Shi Hu, and Yan Bo were the last to disembark. Although they were not in shackles, Chen Ye knew that the Blood Lotus Sect's restrictions were far more secure than any shackles.

"From today onwards, they are pearl divers here, just like you," Chen Ye announced to all the pearl divers.

The veteran pearl divers looked at each other, the atmosphere somewhat awkward.

Chen Ye ignored their ulterior motives and focused his gaze on Qin Qing, Shi Hu, and Yan Bo.

“I know you are resentful and hate the Blood Lotus Sect.”

"However, it was the Blood Lotus Sect that captured you, and it was also the Blood Lotus Sect that imprisoned you in the prison camp. If I hadn't singled you out today, your fate would have been to have all your will and dignity slowly worn away in that dark and sunless dungeon, eventually turning you into a walking corpse, or being disposed of like garbage in some unnoticed conflict."

Chen Ye's words were blunt and cruel, like a knife, brutally dissecting the reality they were unwilling to face.

Shi Hu and Yan Bo stiffened slightly, a hint of hesitation flashing in their eyes.

They were all tough guys, unafraid of death, but they feared the despair of having their dignity utterly crushed.

They had experienced this feeling deeply during their time in the prison camp.

Qin Qing suddenly sneered, "So we should thank you? Thank you for taking us from one hell to another? Thank you for turning us from prisoners waiting to die into slaves who would work for you?"

Her voice was cold, carrying an unyielding stubbornness.

The air around seemed to freeze.

The old pearl divers all lowered their heads, not daring to look at Chen Ye's face.

They knew all too well how Manager Lin was capable, so this new woman was probably in for a lot of trouble.

Even Shi Hu and Yan Bo showed a hint of worry on their faces.

Although they also disliked Chen Ye, they knew even better that in the current situation where they were at the mercy of others, resisting would only lead to bad results.

As expected, Chen Ye did not hesitate at all and directly activated his authority to unleash the restriction that the Blood Lotus Sect had placed on Qin Qing.

"Ahhh!"

Qin Qing let out a scream of extreme pain.

Her strong and powerful body trembled violently, and she went limp as if all her bones had been removed, then began to convulse violently.

It was not just physical pain, but a burning and tearing sensation that came from the depths of the soul!
She felt as if her bones, meridians, and even soul were being brutally ground and torn apart by an invisible hand!
This kind of pain is even a hundred times more terrifying than the restraints and punishments suffered in prison!
"Junior Sister!" Shi Hu's eyes were bloodshot as he roared and charged forward.

"Shi Hu, don't move!" Uncle Yan grabbed him, his face extremely solemn.

He could see clearly that Chen Ye's face hadn't shown the slightest emotional fluctuation from beginning to end. Moreover, since their lives and fortunes were now in Chen Ye's hands, if they dared to show any dissatisfaction at this moment, none of the three of them would have a good outcome.

The other pearl divers on the island lowered their heads, their bodies trembling involuntarily.

This scene is all too familiar.

Just like when they first met this forest steward.

This man will never reason with you, and any attempt to challenge his authority will only result in merciless punishment.

Looking down at Qin Qing, who was struggling in pain on the ground, Chen Ye calmly asked, "Have you thought about how you're going to talk to me from now on?"

As Chen Ye finished speaking, the excruciating pain that had penetrated to the bone receded like a tide.

Qin Qing collapsed to the ground, her body drenched in cold sweat. The look in her eyes as she looked at Chen Ye was no longer one of contempt, but one of deep fear.

"I...I understand!" Qin Qing said tremblingly, trying to get up but finding his whole body sore and weak, he couldn't do it at all.

"Junior Sister!" Shi Hu was about to step forward.

"Stop." Chen Ye's gaze swept coldly over him. His voice wasn't loud, but it made Shi Hu's body stiffen abruptly, and he froze on the spot.

"Let her stand up on her own!"

Shi Hu dared not move, while Qin Qing gritted his teeth and got up from the ground.

Then Chen Ye slowly said, "I don't waste time with nonsense. There's only one rule: complete the mission."

“As long as you can complete the tasks I assign you and behave yourselves, I guarantee you will survive, and even survive better than in the prison camp, just like them.” Chen Ye pointed to the old pearl divers next to him.

Although the old pearl divers were still numb, they at least still had a bit of the life force of living people, unlike the walking corpses in the prison camp.

“But if anyone dares to play tricks, or tests my patience like she did just now…” Chen Ye paused, then said coldly, “I wouldn’t mind sending you on your way myself.”

"You should know that since I paid a price to get you out, you are now my private property. Whether you are tools or livestock is irrelevant. What I need is your value, not your temper."

"Understand?"

He asked the last three words casually.

But all the new prisoners, including Shi Hu, felt a chill rise from the bottom of their hearts.

“I…I understand,” a low-level cultivator replied, trembling.

With the first, there is the second and the third.

Soon, everyone except Qin Qing lowered their heads.

Chen Ye's gaze then turned to Qin Qing, "And you?"

Qin Qing raised her head and looked at Chen Ye with a complicated expression.

"It seems you still don't understand." Chen Ye raised his hand again, expressionless.

"I understand!"

Qin Qing practically screamed those words, her body trembling violently with fear.

She was really scared.

She never wanted to experience that kind of soul-crushing pain again.

Chen Ye then looked at Shi Hu and Yan Bo.

"Where are you two?"

Although Shi Hu was furious, at Yan Bo's prompting, they all said in unison, "Understood!"

"Very good." Chen Ye nodded in satisfaction, then said to a scarred man among the old pearl divers who looked rather composed, "Zhang Wu, take them to arrange their accommodations and explain the rules here to them."

This man named Zhang Wu was the most prestigious among the old pearl divers after Man Shan's death, and he was also quite steady in his work, so Chen Ye entrusted this matter to him.

"Yes, Steward Lin," Zhang Wu replied quickly, bowing.

"Everyone, assemble promptly at dawn tomorrow to begin work." After saying this, Chen Ye ignored everyone and turned to walk towards his own stone house in the center of the island.

The tense atmosphere on the dock only eased slightly after his figure completely disappeared from the stone house entrance.

"Junior sister, how are you?" Shi Hu rushed over and helped Qin Qing up from the ground.

Qin Qing's face remained pale. She shook her head without speaking, only her eyes flashing with hatred.

“This…this brother,” Zhang Wu walked over, his attitude somewhat cautious, “Manager Lin asked me to take you to your lodgings.”

Shi Hu was in no mood to answer that, but Uncle Yan nodded and said, "Then I'll have to trouble you, brother."

The storm subsided.

Inside the stone house, Chen Ye sat cross-legged, his divine sense like an invisible spider web, covering the entire island and allowing him to see everything happening outside clearly.

This burly man named Shi Hu is brave but reckless, and not worth worrying about.

Although this woman named Qin Qing is quite talented, she is arrogant and unpredictable, and needs to be disciplined more often.

On the contrary, this Uncle Yan, who seems taciturn, is actually shrewd and calculating, and is the most difficult of the three to deal with.

However, Chen Ye was not worried.

Because he holds the power of life and death over these people, they will naturally know how to be in awe unless they are fools.

Chen Ye will not make any changes simply because he sympathizes with these people's plight.

After all, Chen Ye is currently under observation, so if he were to act differently at this time, wouldn't he be asking for trouble?

"We still need to find a way to solve the problem of the black mill!" This thought flashed through Chen Ye's mind, and then he recalled the scene he saw in the Eye of Destiny that day.

Those countless intertwined and twisted black lines of calamity, that pure, rule-based obliteration...

This thing cannot be fought with brute force.

There are only two ways to break this.

First, he needs to find the core tribulation line that constitutes it and sever it, but this requires extremely strong power, which is simply a pipe dream for him with his current cultivation level.

The second is to find its patterns and then avoid them.

Chen Ye opened his eyes and took out a thick stack of work logs from his storage bag.

He found this on Central Stone Island, which records various events that have occurred in this area over the past few hundred years.

Chen Ye believed that such a terrifying evil spirit as the Black Water Mill could not possibly exist without any pattern.

If you search carefully, you can always find some clues.

So Chen Ye began to carefully flip through the pages one by one.

The next day at 5:00 AM.

Before dawn, a thick fog enveloped the entire Black Stone Beach.

All the pearl divers, including the newcomers, had gathered at the dock.

After a night of rest, Qin Qing and the other two had returned to normal, but their gazes toward Chen Ye had become quite complicated.

"These are the supplies you'll need for going into the water." Chen Ye took out supplies from his storage bag and began distributing them.

As before, it was still a high-grade Yin-dispelling talisman and some basic pills.

When Qin Qing and the other two received the supplies that far exceeded their expectations, a hint of surprise flashed in their eyes.

They had heard rumors while they were in prison that these supervising disciples often embezzled supplies, but they were surprised to find that things were not as they seemed when they got out.

At least the supplies distributed by Chen Ye were quite plentiful.

"I gave you these things so you could collect more beads," Chen Ye said coldly, seemingly seeing through their thoughts.

“I paid a price to get you out here, so you have to create enough value for me. If your output is not as good as that of ordinary pearl divers, then your value to me is the same as theirs.”

His words were so straightforward that there was no attempt to conceal them.

I give you the best, so you have to do the hardest and most dangerous work to create the greatest profit for me.

Fair, yet cruel.

Qin Qing and the other two fell silent. Chen Ye waved his hand and said, "If you understand, then get in the water and get to work."

Pearl divers boarded small boats one after another and rowed into the fog-shrouded lake.

Shi Hu, Qin Qing, and Yan Bo were on a boat. They were martial arts practitioners with strong bodies and vigorous blood and energy. Their resistance to the cold and damp energy underwater far exceeded that of ordinary people, making them the best candidates for deep-water operations.

"Senior brother, what exactly does this Lin guy want?" After the boat had traveled some distance, Qin Qing finally couldn't help but ask. "A slap followed by a sweet treat? But this sweet treat is a bit too much."

"Hmph, who cares what he's up to!" Shi Hu snorted. "Isn't he just treating us like cattle and horses? The better the supplies he gives us, the longer we can stay underwater and collect more pearls. In the end, it's all for him!"

“That’s not how you say it,” Uncle Yan, who had been silent all along, suddenly spoke up.

He gazed at the blurry figure on the distant dock, his eyes deep and unfathomable. "I don't think things are that simple. Don't you think he's different from all the Blood Lotus Sect disciples we've met before?"

"What's the difference? They're all a bunch of inhuman bastards!" Shi Hu spat.

“No.” Uncle Yan shook his head. “Those people used to torture us for their own amusement, to vent their twisted psychology, but did you notice his expression yesterday?”

Qin Qing and Shi Hu were both stunned.

Yesterday, Qin Qing was in unbearable pain, Shi Hu's eyes were bloodshot, and everyone around was silent. But this man surnamed Lin didn't show a single extra expression on his face from beginning to end.

There was no pleasure, no cruelty, no anger, nothing at all.

It was as if he was just tightening a loose screw.

“He wasn’t enjoying the torment; he was just solving the problem,” Uncle Yan said slowly. “In his eyes, your defiance was a problem, so he solved it in the most direct and effective way.”

“Now he needs us to go to the deep waters to harvest pearls, so he’s giving us the best supplies to ensure that our tools can work properly, or even exceed expectations.”

"Tools..." Qin Qing chewed on the word, feeling a chill in his heart, yet he also felt that Uncle Yan's words were extremely apt.

Yes, they are just tools.

"Don't think too much about it." Uncle Yan sighed. "At least it's better to be a valuable tool than a piece of trash that can be discarded at any time. Let's survive first and think about other things later. Let's go into the water and show him the skills of our Ironclad Sect, and let him see just how worthwhile this deal really is."

Without another word, the three prepared themselves and jumped into the icy lake with a splash.

……

At Shenshi (3-5 PM), the afterglow of the setting sun spilled onto the lake, and the boats that had set sail returned to Heishitan one after another.

One by one, the pearl divers dragged their weary bodies and handed over their day's harvest.

Chen Ye remained seated in his usual spot, counting the spirit pearls with a blank expression.

When Shi Hu, Qin Qing, and Yan Bo walked over, almost everyone's eyes were drawn to them.

Shi Hu placed a bulging leather bag on the table.

"Manager Lin, this is our haul for today," Shi Hu said in a deep voice.

Chen Ye raised his eyelids and poured out the spirit pearls from the bag.

For a moment, the table glittered with pearls.

There were more than ten seventh-grade spirit beads! There was even a sixth-grade spirit bead that emitted a faint blue light!
"hiss--"

The pearl divers around them all gasped in shock.

These three people alone were worth more than a dozen of them on the first day!
Is this the power of a high-level martial artist? It's terrifying!

Chen Ye's face remained expressionless. He simply stretched out his fingers and slowly counted the spirit beads one by one.

"One sixth-grade spirit pearl and seventeen seventh-grade spirit pearls."

He announced the number, then looked up at the three of them, "The quota is five seventh-grade spirit beads per person. You have exceeded the quota, very good."

After saying that, he wrote it down on the roster, then waved his hand, indicating that they could leave.

Shi Hu, Qin Qing, and Yan Bo all breathed a sigh of relief.

Anyway, I've finally got my job done today!

Over the next few days, the Black Stone Beach island entered a peculiar period of calm.

They set sail at dawn and returned at dusk, handing over the spirit pearl before disbanding for rest.

Chen Ye's management style is extremely simple and brutal. He only cares about the results and doesn't care about the process. As long as you can hand in the quota of spirit pearls, he won't give you a second glance.

On this day, Chen Ye finally found some useful information from various records.

(End of this chapter)