Chapter 10 Elder Ye Presents a Knife

The man surnamed Ye glanced at Boss Zhang and then asked Tian Lin, "Did you do that on purpose?"

Tian Lin retorted, "What do you mean 'on purpose'? Are you saying I deliberately started a quarrel?"

Being both angry and amused, the man surnamed Ye said, "Clever boy, you've hidden your intentions well! I was fooled this time, but if I don't flay you next time, how am I supposed to explain to my subordinates?"

"If you can't explain, then you should step aside."

Boss Zhang, smiling, stood in front of Tian Lin, shielding him and said to the man surnamed Ye, "If you're unwilling to step aside, then you might as well end it yourself."

At this point, tensions rose again; meanwhile, a man in black threw over a piece of green stone, saying, "What are you still standing around for? Hurry up and toss away the corpse!"

Boss Zhang gave Tian Lin a meaningful look, and Tian Lin threw down the broken carrying basket, grabbed the legs of the young man's corpse, and dragged it away.

At this moment, as Tian Lin passed by, most of the Mine Slaves hastened to avoid him.

They looked at Tian Lin's stern face and then at the young man—whose face was gone, leaving only half a scalp on his neck.

Following behind with the young man's head in hand, Boss Zhang and Tian Lin casually walked up the back hill.

Boss Zhang couldn't help but laugh, "You've hidden quite deeply, haven't you? And you said you hadn't learned any Inner Strength."

Tian Lin did not explain; he dragged the corpse to the cliff on the back hill and threw it directly off the precipice.

Just then, Boss Zhang threw the severed head upwards and then with a kick, sent it flying disappearing below the cliff.

Listening to Boss Zhang, "That Ye won't let this go without a fight; stick close to me these next few days."

Tian Lin nodded, "Lucky it was someone clumsy today, otherwise I would have really been in danger."

"I wanted to wait another half month until I was sure before making a move, but if we don't act now, both of us could be in danger."

Boss Zhang patted Tian Lin on the shoulder, "That man surnamed Ye won't last another few days; I'll figure a way to deal with him."

The two did not stay on the back hill for long and soon returned to the mine.

At this time, the person filling Tian Lin's basket with stones had changed; this new person grinned obsequiously at Tian Lin, filling his carrying basket with two chunks of stone.

This seemingly full basket had much space left unfilled at the bottom.

Tian Lin smiled at the man who, flattered, hurriedly nodded and bowed.

Just in that morning, Tian Lin had earned sixty counters, making many others envious.

"It'd be great if there were some meat."

After downing three bowls of porridge, Tian Lin felt full for the first time in many days.

"Yearning for some meat? Then let's work hard. If we combine our counters, perhaps we can compete for this month's reward, maybe even get to meet Master Shang."

Boss Zhang patted Tian Lin's shoulder, returned his bowl, and left.

In the afternoon, as usual, Tian Lin earned another sixty counters. While heading back to his room, he heard people discussing:

"From now on, better keep a distance from those surnamed Zhang and Tian to avoid trouble. Once they settle their dispute with the one surnamed Ye, we will know who to align with."

The voice was initially loud, but as Tian Lin entered the room, it gradually quieted down, eventually going silent.

Tian Lin swept a glance around the room; aside from a few old Mine Slaves who were not afraid of him, most turned their heads away, pretending to be busy.

When Boss Zhang walked in and saw Tian Lin meditating on his bed while everyone else was whispering, he sensed something unusual.

He soon understood and laughed, "We've been living here together for so long, let's not be strangers."

The people in the room just smiled without engaging in further conversation.

Seeing this, Boss Zhang shook his head and left the room.

Tian Lin took down the bamboo tube from his waist and openly poured the 'Soul Burying Pollen' given to him by the man surnamed Ye into the bamboo tube, mixing it with water.

No one knew what the white Medicine Powder was, nor did anyone come over to ask.

Under everyone's gaze, Tian Lin took a sip of the water.

The drug acted quickly inside him, prompting Tian Lin to guide the formation of Dantian Qi in his Dantian.

When Boss Zhang returned, Tian Lin had already emptied the bamboo tube of water.

Seeing Tian Lin meditating intensely, Boss Zhang did not disturb him.

That night, Tian Lin struggled to fall asleep until late; outside it was profoundly silent, but inside, snoring thundered.

A row of Mine Slaves, packed tightly front to back, slept unexpectedly soundly.

Tian Lin shook his head; previously, because of Boss Zhang, the people nearby deliberately left more space for him.

Even without Boss Zhang around this time, others still dared not come too close.

He did not know how long he had slept when the sound of someone breaking into the room erupted outside.

Having formed a conditioned reflex, the Mine Slaves inside could sit up no matter how deep their sleep at the sound of the door being kicked in.

A group of them hurried out, seizing bowls and lining up.

Stepping outside, Tian Lin immediately saw the man surnamed Ye watching him with a warning and threatening gaze.

Tian Lin didn't know how Boss Zhang planned to deal with the man surnamed Ye and simply met his challenger's gaze without engaging further.

He was somewhat concerned about Boss Zhang messing up; if Boss Zhang did not urgently eliminate the man surnamed Ye, Tian Lin's own situation could become quite perilous.

Given the current situation, Tian Lin had no regrets.

He did not kill anyone, but that didn't stop others from targeting him.

The best course of action, if Boss Zhang did not make a move, was for him to find a way to kill the man surnamed Ye first, to avoid being caught off guard later.

After breakfast, Tian Lin's basket was once again stuffed full.

The Mine Slave who had placed stones for Tian Lin said with a mournful face, "Brother Tian, don't get me wrong, I didn't want to target you, it's Boss Ye who forced me to do it."

Tian Lin didn't say anything, and still managed to earn sixty calculating chips that morning.

Boss Ye was somewhat surprised, and he found Tian Lin again and said, "You rascal, I didn't expect you to really have some skills. How about it, do you want to join us? I won't hold yesterday's incident against you."

Tian Lin responded noncommittally, "Let me think about it?"

Boss Ye was no fool, and he said, "Make your decision now, or else I guarantee you won't survive tomorrow."

Tian Lin frowned, thought for a moment, and said, "Alright, what do you want me to do?"

Boss Ye took out another small paper package from his sleeve:

"I'll tell you straight, this is Soul Burying Pollen, find a way to pour it into Mr. Zhang's bowl. Once he's dead, not only will our grudges be erased, but you can also start working for me."

"Alright!"

Tian Lin answered quickly, took the small paper package and said, "I'll poison him tonight."

Behind Tian Lin's back, Boss Ye warned in a low voice, "I advise you not to play tricks on me. Tomorrow morning, I want to see Zhang's corpse, otherwise, the next one to die will be you."

Tian Lin remained silent until after lunch when he returned to his room and poured the Soul Burying Pollen into the bamboo tube.

He found that the Soul Burying Pollen was somewhat easier to digest than consuming the Soul Burying Flower directly, but he didn't know how Boss Ye managed to turn the flowers into pollen, nor did he know if the other party would sell this proprietary technique.

After drinking some water, Big Zhang from outside walked in and asked, "What did Boss Ye say during the day?"

"He came to make peace with me, and I agreed."

Big Zhang smiled, patted Tian Lin on the shoulder, and said, "Wait until we settle this matter in a couple of days, then we'll make a move against him."

Tian Lin glanced at Big Zhang, knowing that he ventured into this mine for the sake of Immortal Techniques.

He had been anticipating Big Zhang's plan but never asked as Big Zhang never spoke of it.

Watching Big Zhang leave the room, Tian Lin began to meditate.

Tian Lin wasn't sure if it was an illusion, but Big Zhang hadn't had a drop of water or a bite of food all day.

It seemed like Big Zhang also didn't trust Boss Ye very much, fearing that the other party might poison him.

So, did Big Zhang trust him? Probably not, since Big Zhang rarely stayed alone with him these past few days.

Tian Lin practiced until midnight again and then fell asleep.

He noticed another issue - it seemed like Big Zhang was sleeping, but in reality, he was just pretending and actually staying vigilant with his eyes closed.

Tian Lin smiled, pleased with the current situation.

As long as Boss Ye did not die, Big Zhang would live in continuous unrest.

Not only was he afraid of Boss Ye poisoning him, but he also feared that Tian Lin, who had seemingly joined Boss Ye, might stab him in the middle of the night.

In the morning, everyone was once again awakened by the sound of doors breaking. Tian Lin sat up and yawned.

He watched as Big Zhang got up methodically and couldn't help but ask curiously and admirably, "You top-notch experts can go three days without sleep, food, or water, and not feel uncomfortable?"

Big Zhang's smile faltered, and seeing that Tian Lin had spoken openly, he also honestly said, "I can endure lack of sleep, but as for drinking water, I drank from the creek."

Tian Lin had been to the creek; the water quality there was poor.

The water flowed out from the mine and carried a metallic taste. Moreover, that place was used for bathing.

"Look out, by tomorrow, I'll slaughter Boss Ye."

After Big Zhang finished speaking, he left the room, and Tian Lin followed him out.

This time Boss Ye wasn't in line with the others; his gaze locking onto Tian Lin almost spitting fire.

Tian Lin had twice tricked him with two packets of Soul Burying Pollen, yet today, Big Zhang was still alive and well, which infuriated him.

"Good lad, are you taking me for a fool?"

Boss Ye couldn't confront Tian Lin directly in front of the men in black, so he came up close and hissed in Tian Lin's ear.

Tian Lin said, "Mr. Zhang saw us together yesterday, he no longer trusts me. These three days, he hasn't eaten a single meal, and he even drinks bath water from the creek."

Hearing this, Boss Ye frowned and looked at his assistant.

The assistant thought for a moment and then said, "Indeed, Mr. Zhang has been bathing alone these past two days and hasn't stayed with this rascal. Looks like he's suspicious of this kid too."

Boss Ye darkly stared at Tian Lin and said, "Then what use are you to me, you rascal?"

Boss Ye was very wary of Big Zhang; relying solely on fighting skills, he had no confidence in defeating Big Zhang.

He could only rely on despicable methods, after all, Big Zhang wasn't an Immortal Master, and there would always be times he let his guard down.

"Here's what we'll do; I won't sleep tonight, and when he falls asleep, I'll stab him."

Tian Lin planned to just make it through today, and tomorrow would be the time for Big Zhang to fulfill his promise.

Boss Ye looked at Tian Lin skeptically, but it was his assistant who said, "Boss, Mr. Zhang is tough to deal with, we can't risk our own lives. Since this kid is willing to try, let's give him another chance."

It was evident that Boss Ye's side was also quite intimidated by Big Zhang; both parties were wary of each other like hitting a wolf with a stick - afraid of both ends.

"Fine, I'll give you a knife. If I don't see Mr. Zhang's body tomorrow, you better cut off your head and bring it to me yourself."

After speaking, Boss Ye took out a dagger from his sleeve.

This dagger was slightly longer than ordinary ones, and the black scabbard was slightly peeled off.

But when Tian Lin pulled out part of the dagger, he saw the blade gleam with a chill, appearing incredibly sharp.

"This is the reward I received from Lord Shang, always treasured by my side. If you, lad, manage to handle Mr. Zhang, this knife is yours to keep!"

Tian Lin didn't believe Boss Ye was willing to give the dagger to him, but he believed that once Boss Ye died, he wouldn't need to return the knife.