"Besides, killing a Mining Cultivator could be very discreet."
"Their lives were so miserable, any pretext of earning Spirit Stones would lure them."
"The mines at night were quiet and deserted, perfect for murder."
"Disguise it as a disappearance afterward, and no one could find out—the perfect crime."
"Still, we were somewhat worried about being discovered."
"So we approached the families of the deceased Mining Cultivators, offering to help them claim compensation."
"First, to divert suspicion and reduce doubt—as we claimed compensation on behalf of Mining Cultivators, no one would suspect us of being the killers."
"Second, claiming the compensation allowed us to take a cut of the Spirit Stones."
"One dead Mining Cultivator could earn two shares of Spirit Stones..."
Old Yu listened with eyes blazing red, wishing he could devour Wang Lai alive.
Mo Hua's expression was icy to the extreme, "The five Mining Cultivators who disappeared before—they were also your work?"
Wang Lai hesitated for a moment, then nodded.
Mo Hua's gaze intensified, "Then how did they end up dead in the mine?"
Wang Lai's expression showed a trace of fear, "I... I don't know."
"I just killed them. But after I killed them, it seemed like there was some activity in the mine..."
"I thought of the rumors about the mineshaft and got scared, so I hid their bodies in a corner, covered them with rubble, and then planned to sneak the corpses out of the mineshaft when I had the chance."
Wang Lai swallowed hard, "But... but when I went back the next day, I found that the bodies of these five people... were gone..."
Mo Hua's eyes shone coldly, "You don't know about the Lu Family mine?"
These five corpses, they seemed to have been dragged into the mineshaft by something and then... eaten...
Wang Lai was perplexed, "What mineshaft?"
Mo Hua released his Divine Sense, peeking at the fluctuations in Wang Lai's Divine Sense, and found that he was not lying.
Wang Lai... really didn't know...
"How many years have you been in this trade?" Mo Hua asked again.
"Thirty or forty years..."
Mo Hua's face was expressionless, "So you've been killing Mining Cultivators for thirty or forty years, and you've been selling the remains of Mining Cultivators for that long?"
Wang Lai gulped, "Yes..."
Bai Zisheng couldn't help but say, "How about we just kill him..."
Wang Lai was horrified, "You promised to let me go."
Mo Hua's gaze slowly turned cold, his expression inscrutable, his thoughts unknown.
Chills ran down Wang Lai's spine.
At that moment, Mo Hua's expression suddenly showed shock as he looked towards the mineshaft behind him.
From within the mineshaft, the pervasive aura of death abruptly intensified.
It was as if something was gradually awakening.
Moisture condensed into droplets that fell with a rhythmic pitter-patter, the sound of water drops echoing eerily throughout the mineshaft.
From the surrounding stone walls, minute and peculiar noises emerged.
Mo Hua's expression changed drastically, and he hurriedly said:
"Run!"
Bai Zixi and Bai Zisheng also sensed the danger and nodded to each other.
Mo Hua glanced at Wang Er and Tang Wu, who were lying on the ground, and said to Old Yu, "Wake them up."
Old Yu looked panicked.
He, too, felt the abnormalities in the mineshaft.
It was the dead of night, the most dangerous time within the mineshaft.
Something unknown had come to life...
Old Yu's legs went weak as he staggeringly stood up, walked over to Wang Er and Tang Wu, and slapped both of them, "Get up quick!"
The two were only knocked unconscious, and having consumed Mo Hua's Pills, their injuries were healing. With Old Yu's slap and his cry, they gradually opened their eyes.
The scene before them seemed alien.
The thugs lay on the ground spitting blood, Wang Lai was miserably curled up in a corner.
In front of Wang Lai, stood three young Cultivators with an extraordinary bearing.
The two were stunned at first, "Old Yu... what is this...?"
Old Yu said, "Don't ask, just run for your life!"