819 - I Am This Murim’s Crazy B*tch

Qing feigned excitement with a playful demeanor. "Wow, a secret passage! How can one resist? Where could it possibly lead? Alright, everyone, it’s a man's duty to dig in when he sees a hole. So, who amongst you is man enough to venture into this unknown path first?" The miners all turned their eyes away. Some lowered their gazes, while others awkwardly looked around, avoiding Qing's gaze. Qing waved her finger around, pointing at random. “No volunteers? Well then, guess who's the lucky one? Ta-da, you're the chosen one.” “Me, me? But you said a man, and I'm not exactly...” “Ah, but a woman can do everything a man can! In fact, great endeavors are often led by women. Aren't all men born of women? So, don’t hold back. Come on.” Qing tapped the entrance of the vertical tunnel twice with the tip of her sword. The woman she pointed out shivered and hunched her shoulders, startled. “Don’t worry. We’re all going in together. What can’t be achieved when everyone is united?” Qing stepped forward lightly. She shifted her weight forward and simultaneously pushed off the ground with her toes. It took just the blink of an eye to leap the span of one section. Whoosh, as the wind brushed past, and as Qing's gaze met the astonished expression of the woman up close, she reached for the woman’s hair. With an iron grip, she grabbed it, while the woman let out a high-pitched scream and clawed at Qing's forearm in an uproar. It was a futile struggle indeed. How could nails scratch the invincible flesh honed by the Lesser Demon Technique, which even a sword couldn't penetrate? “Let go, let go! Please, sir, let go, let me go!” “Wow, you seem overjoyed. Indeed. Exploring a cave is a journey to an uncharted new world, planting humanity's first flag wherever your feet may land.” “Please, please, I was wrong, I was wrong, please!” The woman, her hair seized, rubbed her hands together pleadingly as she whimpered. But Qing pretended not to hear. It was then. “Wait!” Isn't "wait" an informal way to speak? Well, if one is in a hurry, there's no choice but to understand, given my generous heart. Qing turned her head to find an elderly man among the workers, someone whom they would call an old man in Qing's hometown, staring at her with trembling eyes. “What is it?” “Sir, that girl is innocent. She only cooked and did laundry. Please have mercy on her.” The old man spoke respectfully, with humble words. But his face, contorted with his trembling voice, was filled with frustration, anger, and humiliation. However, to Qing? It was rather amusing. N2Q1UkN6Sk9iTEJZNGlLdU5pL0JqbVRTblUvTy9LYjBkU08zbzJ1Si9qZTNKWSt2SUxZVUp5TzNxd3Q3enZaVg “She’s innocent because she was just cooking and doing laundry?” “Sir, she doesn’t even know what’s happening here. She just stepped up because they said they needed people, yet she hasn't set foot inside the mine-” “Old man!” “You!” “Shut your mouth!” Before the old man could finish, shouts erupted from everywhere around. Some shouts were filled with concern, while others brimmed with rage. That was only natural. Hadn’t the old man said it? That the woman was innocent and didn’t know anything about what was happening here. Conversely, that meant someone here was not innocent, someone already knew what was going on here. Going further. There were more than a few who had been watching, waiting for the worst-case scenario but were now silencing the old man for revealing their true identities. Perhaps they had agreed that even if the worst happened, they would either hide their true selves and die while blending in as mere miners, or plead innocence and try to survive. Whether coerced, brainwashed, or they had agreed among themselves, it was a consensus. Thus, the old man’s implication was this. “Reveal everything, point out whom you need to kill, and spare the innocents?” “““”----!!”””” In response, murmurs of revolt and cries of betrayal and duty echoed from all around. Of course- “Argh!!!” “Aieee!!!” The sudden demonstration of Qing’s formidable power quickly silenced the commotion. Faced with the sight of workers clutching their heads and writhing painfully on the ground, everyone swallowed nervously, falling silent. “Talking adults shouldn’t be interrupted by unruly, uneducated behavior. Now, old man?” “Sir, there are innocents here, who've never wielded a weapon or even touched so much as a stick. We, having already drawn blood, plead for mercy for those ignorant young ones and the completely unknowing women.” It was a gallant decision, even in its own way. Rather than keeping secrets and being slaughtered, he wanted to save the woman and children (or rather, teenagers). Qing rubbed the lower part of her mask. Pretending to ponder over the proposal, her actual thoughts were more tangential, like, this silk is unexpectedly lush to the touch… After idly savoring the silk's smoothness, Qing finally tossed a word. “Alright. Spit it out.” “First, send off the women and children, and then I’ll tell you everything.” “Well, I’m someone who keeps my promises, come what may. Trust me.” “But-” “Once they’re out? How safe is outside? Do you think we’re just five people here? Or do you want one of us to escort them out?” The old man's expression darkened. As Qing pointed out, if they had truly known the extent of the situation, would they have attacked with only five people? To subdue and gather so many compatriots, would a mere five individuals have sufficed? At least three are assumed to be martial artists of the Pinnacle Realm, radiating sword qi. Pinnacle Realm martial artists are the utmost power cherished by any sect, implying that they likely brought along at least a battle unit. Who could imagine they actually launched their strike with just this few? "And what if you still can't trust it? Honestly, do I really need to find out what you Blood Cult rats have been up to? I could just kill you all and be done with it." This was no mere threat but a statement of intent. After all, it was obvious these were mere rank-and-file members who hadn’t even learned competent martial arts, with the best among them likely being Second Tier at most. From the start, why bring someone who knows how to fight just to swing a pickaxe in a mine? Even if they spill everything they know, it doesn’t seem like much valuable information would emerge. Moreover, even if they disclose everything, there's no guarantee it's the truth. Then why bother engaging in conversation? Just in case there's something useful. "Alright... I'll tell you everything. We are..." The elderly man began to speak calmly. They were just simple laborers mobilized from the villages of the Blood Cult. They were not part of the organizational structure of the so-called 'high and mighty' Blood Cult leaders. They were simply low-level members of the Blood Cult. They only came to the mine under orders from their superiors, usually mining coal, and occasionally killing any Zhongyuan people who wandered in, tossing them into the hole afterward. "What about those manufacturing the toxin? Surely someone must have checked how well it was coming along, right?" "Well, the supervisors don't really announce their visits to lowly folks like us." "So, what do you know, then?" As expected. The information was hardly enriching. From the start, there were no competent martial artists among them, and they were taking turns standing guard rather haphazardly. They were merely laborers drawn from the Blood Cult villages, not even part of the main branch. They didn’t even seem to grasp the idea that piling corpses was for manufacturing the toxin. Whether the toxin production was the act of a sub-division under the Blood Cult or how many supervisors were involved, or if there was a remedy for it, or if such vile antics were occurring in other mines as well. Qing let out a deep sigh. Perhaps because they were nameless minor members of the Blood Cult, even their deceptions were appallingly shallow. Because initially, those who noisily protested the elder's intent to surrender, best described as the Blood Cult fanatics, had now fallen silent. Why? At first, they were loud and furious, fearing the elder might truly open his mouth and reveal something they needed to hide. And now, knowing the information he disclosed had no real substance. They realized there was no genuine intention to divulge crucial information, so they stopped interrupting and sealed their lips. "Sigh. Just wasted time here. It's already dawn. Alright, each one of you, climb down the ladder. Proceed." "You, Sir! What about our deal...?" "Ah, you need to listen till the end. First, get down. And once you're there, pick out the innocent ones you spoke of and send them up." "But-" "No buts. So, the women only did cooking and laundry, knowing nothing? Now, they need to understand. Whether I spare them or not depends on knowing what went on in here. They’ll have to see for themselves who you've been feeding and clothing." The elder opened his mouth to object but, in the end, merely dropped his head. He could sense the fierce intent and the unmistakably embedded anger in Qing's voice. It was a stern warning to heed words while they were still issued verbally, a last ultimatum that she wouldn't say it again. Qing clapped her hands to draw everyone's attention. "Alright, let me tell you what's going to happen next. Once all those you wish to save are up, we'll remove the ropes and set the mine ablaze." Once the coal seam catches fire, it would be nearly impossible to extinguish it manually. However, once the mine collapses under the heat and blocks oxygen, the fire will naturally go out. Yet, the underground cavity located deep below should be safe amidst the chaos. The heat rises upward, so it won’t reach the deep natural cave below, ensuring the toxin production area remains intact despite the mine's collapse. Hence, these bottom-of-the-barrel Blood Cult members should be safe, albeit with no way out. "I'm curious to see how long you can endure. I noticed the water's quite deep down there; you know that groundwater is relatively pure, right? So, there’s drinking water, the air flows from somewhere, so hold on with hope as much as you can. Who knows? Maybe your Blood Cult might just dig out the collapsed mine to save you." It was an unspeakably horrific plan for live burial. There’s air and water; being underground, the temperature should be tolerable, and if they find food, they might sustain themselves. What to eat? There's a pile of rotting corpses, isn't there? Or perhaps they might draw lots and eat each other? Wow, the thought alone quickens the heart. A fittingly grim finale for such scum. The eyes of the Blood Cult followers quivered. Yet even knowing their doom was foreseeable, they could do nothing but enter the depths obediently. Because they needed to save those they wanted to save. Even among those here, there must be someone they'd wish to spare. "Alright, old man. Who should go down first? Those to be spared first, those to die last. Start your underground exploration." The elderly man's gaze shifted to Qing. The woman whose hair Qing had seized was the first. She muffled her sobs as she cautiously lowered herself into the gaping hole on the mine's floor. The additional terms are defined to create consistency within the narrative, reflecting familiar themes of secrecy, deception, and exploration of power dynamics. They capture not only meaning but also emotions and inherent energy critical to storytelling. Qing watched the woman disappear from sight, then spoke again. "Next. Just a heads-up, better hurry. Not sure how many this rope ladder can hold—too many at once might snap it." And so, the miners began to descend one by one into the hole below, vanishing from view. Midway through, piercing screams echoed. Then the guttural sound of retching, the deep, vast noise of disgorging contents from the very depths within, started to arise from the depths below. Even if they were merely the scum of the Blood Cult, it must have been a breathtaking sight worthy of their hundredfold fear. A hill of corpses stacked high, each body vividly showcasing the various stages of human decomposition as if neatly categorized for teaching. Hmm, it would be quite amusing if the rope ladder were to snap right about now. The remaining people would be forced to jump. Those deemed ‘innocent’ who were supposed to return later wouldn’t have a way back, and Qing would have a plausible reason for breaking her promise. Sadly, though, the rope ladder was very sturdily made, a masterpiece in its own right. “The promise—” “I’ll keep it, so don’t worry. The old man’s the last one, right? Once everyone’s down, send them back up immediately. But don’t get greedy and try to save one more beyond your means. I could change my mind, you know what I mean?” “…I understand.” Eventually, the elderly man vanished from view. In the now empty tunnel. As Qing glanced at the gaping hole in the floor, the ominous color of a truly unprecedented grim determination flickered quietly in her eyes.