Chương 266: Hu Zi

The Xuanwu Mine. Facing the begging and groveling of the mine slave who failed to complete his quota, Qin Jin showed absolutely no pity or hesitation as he swung his butcher's knife. Instantly, strands of black Qi swirled around him, wailing frantically like a horde of vengeful ghosts. The sight was incredibly bizarre and chilling. Slash, slash... slash!

"... Ahhhhhh!" The saber danced, and a rain of blood erupted in the air. Accompanied by the unlucky prisoner's continuous, tragic wails, the flesh and skin on his body evaporated inch by inch. In the end, only a brightly colored, crimson skeleton remained. The eyes in the skull spun wildly a few more times, and its mouth clattered a few times before it finally died. What terrifying, horrifying saber technique!

Observing all this through the little bird, Song Que felt wave after wave of chilling shivers run down his spine. The mine slaves here, however, seemed accustomed to this sight. Aside from a small number whose eyes flashed with a hint of unbearable pity, the vast majority remained silent, their eyes dull and devoid of any emotion as they stared blankly in that direction.

"Remember this well! Failing to complete your task results in this outcome!" Dropping a cold remark, Qin Jin finally looked satisfied. He sheathed his pitch-black saber—which remained smooth and untainted by a single drop of blood despite having just killed someone—and turned to leave. The corpse on the ground was immediately cleared away by guards stepping forward. The mine slaves also quickly put the matter out of their minds, falling into orderly, long lines to prepare for their meal distribution.

At this moment, Song Que felt he had grasped a bit of the underlying system here. The way these people lined up to get food was quite particular. Those standing at the very front of the lines were uniformly 2nd Tier martial artists with profound cultivation. These people had their legs specially reinforced with an extra layer of iron shackles, trailing a massive metal ball the size of Xiong Ba's Heavenly King Hammer. They had to walk and move while lifting it with one hand.

According to Yang Mi, that person named Hu Zi was a 6th Grade martial artist, and an extremely strong one at that. If he was here, he must definitely be among those standing at the very front. Master Song secretly kept a close eye on the fifteen people leading the long lines. Carefully observing and eliminating them one by one, he finally seemed to spot a somewhat familiar face. It was a very young man.

Even though a long burn scar had been seared onto his head, covering half of his forehead, one could still discern a somewhat handsome appearance from his facial features, matching the description perfectly. Furthermore, this person's demeanor, gait, and actions bore a striking resemblance to Qin Wu and his men—an aura forged from long periods in a military camp. Song Que felt 80-90% certain this was Hu Zi. The little bird immediately flapped its wings and flew closer to observe.

This young man didn't mingle with the other prisoners. After receiving his portion of food, he carried it to an isolated, secluded corner to eat. The people around him gathered in groups of three or five, but no one dared to approach him. Even the guards treated these experts far more courteously; they didn't casually whip and beat them for the slightest provocation like they did the other mine slaves out there.

Carefully cross-referencing a few distinguishing features on this person with Yang Mi's description, Song Que finally felt his heart settle. Taking advantage of the fact that no one was paying attention to this side, the little bird lightly flew down, extending its small legs, and hopped toward the young man....... The young man was indeed Yang Yixing's adopted son, Hu Zi. While he was eating his meal numbly, a fist-sized forest bird suddenly flew over from nowhere.

Showing no fear of strangers, it hopped and bounded joyfully toward him. Hu Zi was surprised. One must know that people like him, who fought on the battlefield year-round, were constantly cloaked in a thick layer of murderous intent. Ordinary animals were extremely sensitive and would flee long before coming close after sensing the danger. This was the first time he had seen a little bird acting like a suicidal daredevil. If you spot this tale on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.

His curiosity piqued, Hu Zi suppressed the urge to slap the little bird to death to improve his meal. Observing carefully, he noticed it was holding something in its beak—it looked very much like a slip of paper. His expression turned grave. Casually scanning his surroundings without drawing attention, he stealthily reached out, took the small piece of paper, and opened it. Seeing the few lines of text written on it, this iron-blooded young man almost lost his composure and wept.

"All generals of Jiannan bow in submission, You alone guard the pass with a sword of frost." These were verses written specifically for his adopted father, Yang Yixing, by an old friend. Only the close-knit members of the family knew of them. Although he didn't know which strange and wondrous person capable of commanding a bird to deliver a letter was behind this, they must undoubtedly be connected to his two sworn sisters. Of the entire Yang family, only the three of them were left.

For days, Hu Zi's heart had been tormented by endless anxiety and worry. Now, receiving news of Yang Mi and Yang Zi, he was overjoyed beyond words. Suppressing his emotions, and seeing that no one had noticed, he used a small twig to prick himself until he bled, then wrote two lines of text on the paper.

"Leading troops with brilliance, leaving a lasting name, Loyal, courageous, and unyielding, guarding the border domain." From a distance, Song Que saw this guy write those verses and instantly felt completely reassured. He had found the right person without a doubt! He didn't hesitate anymore, controlling the little bird to leave. Watching the little ball of feathers fly off with the letter, disappearing without a trace into the mountain forest, Hu Zi's mind was in turmoil.

With so many thoughts and emotions finding no release, he lost all appetite. He hastily swallowed a few mouthfuls of food, then found a quiet spot to sit and wait. Unfortunately, after a long while, the little bird didn't return. Under the constant urging of the guards, Hu Zi had no choice but to regretfully return to the barracks to rest. The night passed just like that. Amidst his anticipation, that wondrous person didn't seek him out again under the cover of darkness. This left Hu Zi incredibly anxious.

Fortunately, early the next morning, when he was receiving his first steamed bun of the day and his mood had begun to turn restless, the little bird secretly found him again. Quickly reading the few lines of text on the letter, a sharp glint flashed in Hu Zi's eyes. Suppressing his excitement, he shoved the small piece of paper into his mouth along with the steamed bun, chewing and swallowing it all.

Having done this, he acted as if nothing had happened, continuing to follow the crowd down into the mineshaft to work......... Three days passed by peacefully just like that. Today, the setting sun was gradually descending. As usual, Li Si led a few of his subordinates to nearby villages to purchase a batch of fresh meat, fish, and vegetables, bringing them back to the Xuanwu Mine to cook for his brothers. This was his daily duty.

Naturally, the meals for those tasked with guarding this place couldn't be compared to the slop given to the mine slaves. Lord Qin Jin demanded that their food be diverse and fresh every day. He didn't demand rare mountain delicacies, but at the very least, it had to be delicious; working in this miserable place was exhausting enough.

"Old Li, what are you feeding us today?" There was no entertainment here. Occasionally, if they were lucky enough to capture a few women, they would be played to death in rotation very quickly. The daily pleasures of these God-Slaying Sect members likely consisted of only two things: gambling and savoring Si Brother's cooking.

"Today, I'll definitely broaden your horizons!" Facing the incoming question, Li Si cheerfully patted his chest in pride.

"Really?!" The surrounding people's eyes lit up, and they gathered around curiously.

"Step aside, step aside! No crowding! If you knock everything over, don't even think about eating." Using his authority as the 'head chef' to scold the crowd back, Brother Si began to methodically instruct his subordinates to prepare the food for the brothers here. These guards stationed at the entrance were the first to eat, at the same time as the mine slaves. After them came the brothers stationed inside the valley, and finally, Lord Qin received his own separate portion last.

Right now, Qin Jin was busy patrolling the mines to tally the harvest and conveniently looking for anyone who hadn't completed their quota to use as a human dummy for practicing his saber techniques. It would take at least another half hour before he returned. That amount of time was plenty. Li Si... no, he should be called Song Si! The real Li Si had died around noon. Taking advantage of the man going to the latrine alone, Song Que secretly butchered him, seized his body, and took his place.

Utilizing the past three days, combined with the three days prior—six days in total—he had thoroughly grasped the routines of everyone at Mount Xuanwu down to the smallest detail. Only then did he dare to hatch a grand plan, codenamed Prison Break Part 1. Having instructed Hu Zi to create a secret compartment known only to him, Song Que had used the sparrow every day to drop off pills, tonics, and tools that could help him pick his locks.

He told him to try his best to nourish his body and wait for the signal to act immediately. Fortunately, what he lacked the least in his spatial inventory were highly nourishing items. In just three short days, Hu Zi's complexion had improved significantly, and his strength had secretly recovered to about seventy or eighty percent. That was enough. Today was the opportunity. Song Que's current task was to create a disturbance so that this guy could find a way to escape amidst the chaos.

This all relied on Brother Song's culinary skills. At this moment, following Li Si's signal, a few of his subordinates quickly pushed forward a large cauldron. As the lid was lifted, an incredibly rich, pungent aroma wafted out. The guards, like starving ghosts who hadn't seen food in ages, had their eyes turn green with greed as they frantically inhaled the scent.

"Smells amazing! So fragrant! Brother Li, what kind of soup is this?" Using a ladle to smack away the hand of a guy trying to sneakily scoop a bowl of soup, Brother Si was extremely satisfied with the crowd's reaction. This was his exclusive, secret recipe for 'Wild Vegetable and Fish Soup' that he had pondered over for a long time. Even the kitchen helpers hadn't tasted it yet. He guaranteed they would never forget this taste for the rest of their lives!

"No crowding! Everyone only gets one bowl! We still have to save some for the brothers on the next shift!" Instructing his subordinates to distribute the food to these starving refugees, Li Si prepared two separate portions himself and personally carried them to a far corner for the two brothers standing guard outside Qin Jin's residence. Master Song was coming!