With the joint efforts of everyone, a winding underground tunnel dozens of meters long was quickly excavated. Although it twisted and turned, thanks to their sensitivity to the fire attribute, the general direction was correct.
Finally, in the afternoon, the cave was completely opened, and a scorching wave of heat blasted outward.
Caught off guard, ninety percent of the mercenaries were sent choking and coughing, a few even knocked unconscious on the spot. For a moment, the scene descended into chaos.
The cavern opened into a world of magma. The fire energy, accumulated and sealed for many years, had filled the air with a potent fire poison. Those with a fire affinity or considerable strength could resist it, but the strongest mercenaries present were merely Dou Shis, completely unable to withstand the poisonous assault.
After leaving Qing Lin to wait outside, Chen Guan activated his Dou Qi to isolate himself from the heat and walked into the cave to investigate. The rich fire energy made his Qi Method begin to operate unconsciously.
If the harmful fire poison could be filtered out, this would be an excellent place to practice a fire-attribute Qi Method.
Closing his eyes, Chen Guan carefully released his spiritual perception to explore. He could clearly feel the pressure increasing the deeper he probed into the magma. The intense heat felt as if it could burn his very soul.
At the same time, he also detected an active and violent energy hidden within the magma. It gave him some pressure but posed no real danger.
If I'm not mistaken, that should be the Two-Headed Flame Spirit Serpent.
After retracting his perception, Chen Guan confirmed that this was the location of the Green Lotus Core Flame.
"Let them leave and stay in the City Lord's Mansion for three days. We won't need them anymore."
Chen Guan took out two bottles of first-grade detoxification pills and the 'Supplementary Gold Card' from his storage ring, handing them to Wang Yan. Three days was enough time for him to take the Green Lotus Core Flame and find a safe, hidden place.
The two brothers nodded. Together with General Huang, they helped carry the many mercenaries who were in poor condition out of the cave.
Only after all the mercenaries were brought out and given a detoxification pill did Wang Yan stand on high ground and shout.
"My young master has said that this mission ends here. But for your health, he will allow you to recuperate in the City Lord's Mansion for seven days. You don't have to do anything, and you can still get paid in gold coins every day. Do you understand?"
"Can we not go to the City Lord's Mansion?" a slow-witted mercenary muttered.
"What do you think?" Wang Yan responded coldly.
The brothers had been following Chen Guan since he left the Imperial Capital. They knew very well how much energy their young master had put into this matter. Although they didn't know what specific opportunity lay within the magma, they could tell it was immensely important.
In order to ensure the news isn't leaked, Wang Yan thought, I would understand if the young master were cruel enough to kill all of them.
Instead, they were being treated to food and drink, and paid 'lost work wages.' For someone to still question the arrangement was, in Wang Yan's opinion, ungrateful.
Are you forcing me to be the villain?
Fortunately, most of the mercenaries understood their situation clearly and expressed their willingness to cooperate. They had no power to resist, and while they were curious about the treasures below, they were also powerless to obtain them.
General Huang personally led the group back to the City Lord's Mansion, leaving only four or five soldiers to guard the entrance of the cave. In just a moment, less than ten people remained.
When Chen Guan emerged from the cave and learned that the old general had left, he was at a loss whether to laugh or cry.
This is too considerate. He didn't have to do that. I'm not a tyrant.
I had originally wanted to ask the old general to help me deal with the Two-Headed Flame Spirit Serpent. Now I can only rely on myself.
It was already late, so Chen Guan was not in a hurry to act. He first adjusted his condition to its peak, and more importantly, suppressed his restless heart. The more critical the moment, the more he needed to stay calm to avoid unnecessary complications.
The Wang brothers followed suit, practicing their breathing exercises seriously. Although their young master might not need them, it was always right to be prepared.
In the night, the bonfire flickered. Everyone else was as motionless as a statue. Only Qing Lin squatted beside the fire, drawing circles in the dirt out of boredom, eventually dozing off without even realizing it.
When she woke up, it was already late.
She felt unusually warm. Reaching out, she realized someone had placed a fur coat over her. Next to her, the young master and the two tall and short uncles were chatting in low voices. The atmosphere was so harmonious they seemed like old friends reminiscing, not at all like a master and his servants.
As expected, the young master is so gentle to everyone. If such a good young master saw the scales on my body, he wouldn't dislike me, right?
The simple girl felt a surge of pride, her trust in Chen Guan reaching a new level.
"Master."
She got up, folded the fur coat, and handed it to him. The girl was radiant, her face rosy in the firelight, delicate and cute like a porcelain doll—a world away from her appearance just ten days ago.
Chen Guan was chatting with the two brothers. He took the fur coat and put it into his ring.
"Did you get enough sleep?"
The little girl nodded with a red face, feeling a little embarrassed. She had chosen to stay, but she couldn't hold on until the end, which made her feel like she was holding the team back.
"Come on, let's go underground and find you a little toy."
After giving a bottle of medicine to the soldiers standing by the campfire, Chen Guan took the two brothers and Qing Lin into the underground cave.
With three people helping to resist the heat and the detoxification pills she had taken, the little girl was unaffected, aside from feeling a little stuffy.
The reason Chen Guan had agreed to let her stay was because of her Jade-Snake Three-Flower Pupils. Once activated, she could control the Flame Spirit Serpent. With the feedback from the serpent, Qing Lin would be able to advance to the Dou Zhe realm at an extremely fast rate.
Common sense only applied to ordinary people. Those with special physiques could not be judged by normal standards. The Woeful Poison Body was like this, and so were the Jade-Snake Three-Flower Pupils.
"Master, there seems to be something down there."
As soon as they reached the magma cavern, Qing Lin felt something unusual and whispered uncertainly. This innate sensitivity to snake-like beasts was evident. Even the two Dou Ling-level brothers nearby hadn't noticed it yet, only becoming alert after hearing her words.
"Don't worry, it's just a Flame Spirit Serpent. It poses no threat to us. The only problem is that it can move freely in the magma. If we fail to catch it once and it escapes, it will be very difficult to find it again."
The two brothers felt a little relieved, but they did not completely let down their guard. They protected the boy on his left and right, their eyes scanning the magma below. Unfortunately, they did not have Chen Guan's outrageous soul perception. With the magma blocking the way and the serpent not revealing itself, they were completely unaware of its presence.
The little girl's mind was not so complicated. She asked when she didn't understand.
"Master, how do we catch it?"
Chen Guan gave a wicked smile and waved his hand. More than a dozen puppets materialized behind him, their oppressive aura stunning the other three into silence.
"It's simple. We just give it a righteous group fight."
***
(End of Chapter)
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