Chapter 3: Working at the Mine to Earn Food

After walking 78 miles, Xu Lian arrived at the mine.

As he looked around, the entire area was crowded with people.

Although it was called a “mine,” it was actually a quarry. The workers were extracting stone to be used by wealthy families in the city to build houses or construct city walls.

A young man named Zhang Yuan looked at Xu Lian in surprise. “Brother Lian, your injuries have healed so quickly?”

“Almost completely healed,” Xu Lian replied, greeting him before walking over to register and sign in for work.

Zhang Yuan stood under a tree, his hands tucked into his sleeves. “The day before yesterday, you were hit by rocks falling from the mountain. I was shocked and thought you wouldn’t survive.”

As he watched Xu Lian sweating profusely while carrying stones and loading them onto carts, he chuckled and continued, “You stone carriers really have it tough. You only earn a pound and a half of food a day, and you face the danger of falling rocks. But I’m different. I’m a stone carrier. I wait for you to finish loading the carts, and then I’ll get close. After all, falling rocks can’t hit me, right?”

Zhang Yuan, who was a few years older than Xu Lian, had grown up with the “original” Xu Lian. Zhang Yuan was clever and good at dealing with the mine overseers, so he had bought a cart to transport the stones for the mine.

Hauling stones was easier than carrying them, and the pay was better. Zhang Yuan had already married three wives and lived a prosperous life.

“You’re right,” Xu Lian replied weakly. Still hungry and exhausted from the heavy work, he could only respond in a half-hearted way.

Zhang Yuan, not feeling any discomfort, said with a hint of indignation, “You’re only sixteen! You’re still in your prime, and it’s hard enough to take care of yourself. How could Aunt Wang and Sister Xiya have the heart to take you in to support the family? If you can’t take it, just tell me. I’ll bring Aunt Wang and Sister Xiya to my house. We could cut back a little, save some food, and take care of them. It wouldn’t be too hard.”

Xu Lian almost lost his temper. He really wanted to punch him in the face. How could he be so shameless?

Seeing that Xu Lian didn’t answer, Zhang Yuan asked, “So, what do you think?”

Xu Lian shook his head. “Thanks, but no need. I can manage.”

Zhang Yuan sighed. “Tch, you’re just being stubborn. I wonder how long you can keep it up for.”

Xu Lian didn’t want to talk to him anymore and silently went back to work.

There were hundreds of workers in the quarry, and about ten burly overseers with whips patrolled the area. If they saw anyone slacking off, they lashed out with their whips.

The miners had no choice but to endure it. They couldn’t complain, and if anyone refused to work, they could be fired at any time. After all, there were plenty of people willing to take their place. The mine was never short of workers.

Xu Lian kept working, using his peripheral vision to watch the overseers. When he saw one approaching, he worked even harder to avoid getting punished.

He was both hungry and tired, and time seemed to drag on like a snail crawling forward… a snail with broken legs.

Finally, lunch time came.

He was given two pieces of flatbread and a bowl of vegetable soup. It wasn’t even enough to fill him up halfway, but it was better than nothing. Xu Lian wolfed it down, savoring every bite as if it were the most delicious food he’d ever had.

After the meal, there was a short break, and the overseers began yelling at the miners to get back to work.

As he worked, Xu Lian suddenly felt a sharp pain at the top of his head.

“What’s going on?”

“Why do I feel like something dangerous is about to happen?”

He suddenly froze and looked around, but nothing seemed out of the ordinary.

Looking up at the mountain, the only possible danger he could think of was a potential landslide.

“Has the merging of the two souls made me more sensitive? Is this some kind of premonition of danger?”

Before he could think any further, he quickly ran away.

A loud rumbling sound followed, and as he looked up, he saw a massive amount of falling rocks descending!

They landed exactly where he had been standing just moments ago. Had he not run in time, he would have been crushed, his skull shattered by the rocks.

He broke into a cold sweat.

“Uncle Li went missing on his way home from the mine. The original Xu Lian took over his job and was crushed to death by the falling rocks. Now I almost died the same way. Once or twice might be a coincidence, but twice in a row? That’s no coincidence.”

Xu Lian looked at the mountain where the landslide had occurred.

There were dozens of stone carriers working on the mountain, but nothing seemed out of the ordinary.

“Who wants to harm me?”

“Why do they want to harm me?

“What could I possibly have that’s worth targeting?”

Xu Lian thought deeply.

If he didn’t solve this mystery, it would feel like a thorn in his side.

“The original Xu Lian grew up without parents and had a simple background. He didn’t have any enemies.”

“Since it’s not something related to the original Xu Lian, could it be tied to my arrival in this household?”

“As the saying goes, ‘Beauty brings trouble.’ Xiya is beautiful, and if a strong man entered the household, no one would dare cause trouble. But I’m just a sixteen-year-old boy. It’s hard not to attract the attention of those with ulterior motives.”

Xu Lian quickly pieced together his thoughts and suspected that the trouble was likely related to him joining the family.

“Could it be Zhang Yuan’s doing?”

Xu Lian thought for a moment, but quickly dismissed the idea.

Although Zhang Yuan did have some improper thoughts about Li Xiya, he was a weak character and most likely wouldn’t dare to take such drastic actions.

Of course, just because it was unlikely, it didn’t mean that it was impossible.

“The enemy is in the dark, and I’m in the light. This situation won’t work.”

“Even though I can sense danger in advance and avoid it once, I can’t rely on this forever. I have to concentrate on improving my strength. In this chaotic world, strength is the key.”

Xu Lian continued to work, keeping an eye out for any danger.

He had already earned one progression point, and all he needed was a piece of tough leather to advance to the Skin Refining Stage as a martial artist. If he reached the Skin Refining Stage, his safety would be significantly enhanced.

However, working in the mine only brought him one and a half of food a day, barely enough to survive. It was almost impossible for him to save any money. Even if he worked his whole life, he wouldn’t be able to afford a single piece of tough leather.

“Without the conditions, I’ll just have to create them…”

His gaze fell on a cart pulled by oxen, and an idea sparked in his mind.

The mine had many carts – horse-drawn, ox-drawn, and donkey-drawn – and getting a piece of ox skin wasn’t too difficult.

“Zhang Yuan, you’ve been eyeing my Xiya, and I’ve been eyeing your ox. That shouldn’t be too much to ask, right?”

Xu Lian noticed that the closest ox cart was Zhang Yuan’s. The others were farther away and harder to target.

So, he waited for Zhang Yuan to be distracted. He pulled out an old vine and quietly tied it around the ox’s legs.

“Brother Yuan, the cart is full. It’s time to go!”

Zhang Yuan, who was sitting under the tree with his hands tucked into his sleeves, got up and walked over. He jumped onto the ox cart, grabbed the reins, and cracked the whip across the ox’s back.

The ox, in pain, began to pull the cart full of stones up the hill.

The result was, as expected, disastrous.

The mountain road was already slightly sloped, and with the old vine wrapped around the ox’s legs, it tripped severely. Zhang Yuan, along with the cart and the stones, fell forward.

With a loud “thud,” they all tumbled down the slope!

Xu Lian lowered his head to work, he really couldn’t bear to watch… after all, they were brothers who had grown up together.