Mountains and giant beasts, cabins in the woods

After half a month, Liu Xingmo finally adapted to working in the mine.

This is the day we finish work.

The workers, covered in dust and dirt, filed out of the small hole, holding hands and queuing up.

The last one to emerge was the team leader, who used the spirit stone lamp in his hand to illuminate everyone's faces and confirm that everyone was safe.

"Alright, let's go!"

At a command, everyone cheered and rushed toward the sleeping turtle in the darkness, putting the ore they were carrying into the minecart it was pulling.

Immediately afterwards, the team happily set off to go home.

A shirtless burly man and a stout woman, their faces smudged with soot, were chatting arm in arm.

"Someone struck gold today, a piece of silver ore!" An older woman glanced sideways at a hunchbacked man.

"Where was it dug? I'll go check that area tomorrow!" A young man said, wiping the sweat from his chest and back with a dirty towel.

"Don't bother going. Old Zhao already searched the place thoroughly, and there wasn't even a scrap left," said the man with half-gray hair.

"This turtle is surprisingly obedient. Having it has saved us so much trouble!" The woman looked back and said, "I wonder whose turtle it is, and how long we can borrow it."

"Hey!" the young man chuckled. "You've only been with our team for a couple of days, so you probably don't know. This turtle belongs to my family."

"Yours?" The woman looked at her suspiciously. "If you're so capable, why are you working in a mine? Doesn't anyone want you in the mines?"

"It's about making money, it's not shameful." Liu Xingmo waved his hand. "Besides, there's no work to do in the dead of winter."

The white-haired man interjected, "Wow, you have no idea, just ten days ago, this young man was a fresh-faced, handsome young man!"

"No wonder, I was wondering why you looked unfamiliar; you don't seem to live in the cave regularly." The older woman carefully examined Liu Xingmo, whose face was covered in soot. "You're quite handsome. Young man, do you have a girlfriend? I can introduce you to one!"

"He's got a wife! A second-tier weapon refiner!" The man recalled Su Mali, whom he had met before. "That woman is quite pretty, but her face is too thin; she doesn't look lucky."

……

As they left the mine, everyone exchanged their catch for money and then went their separate ways.

Liu Xingmo himself didn't earn much, but Bao Hei earned a lot. As the animal pulling the mining cart, it earned 70 coins a day. This is the income level of a second-tier powerhouse.

Liu Xingmo rode Bao Hei down the streets in the mine pit all the way to the river.

He plunged into the hot spring, the warm water submerging his head, relaxing his tense muscles and washing away the sweat and odor from his body.

Liu Xingmo waded through the water, poked his head out of the river, and couldn't help but shout, "These damn miners, they can't keep doing this! They're either digging tunnels or swinging picks, working themselves to the bone all day, and they're barely making any money!"

Baohei, who also jumped into the river, looked at its owner with deep empathy, conveying its desire to protest, strike, and rest.

"well--!"

Liu Xingmo sighed, took off the towel from his neck, and vigorously rubbed it in the water, the black and gray mud and sand drifting away with the water.

I wiped my whole body with a towel, and the tattered cloth was covered in dust from the ground again.

Liu Xingmo scrubbed his whole body clean, then took off all his clothes and washed them all in the hot spring river.

The locals in the mine do this, since the river is pitch black and you can't see anything anyway.

Only those who come from outside to join in the fun will waste money to go to that large public bathhouse and bathe in the magnificent white marble pool.

Liu Xingmo has already integrated into the local community.

"Splash!" A figure jumped into the river and started taking a bath.

Her soaked clothes clung to her slender shoulders and collarbones, and her smooth hair was glistening with water droplets.

The distinctive cinnabar mole at the corner of her eye was none other than Liu San Niang.

Liu Xingmo put on his clothes in the water, and said rudely, "Why did you come down here?"

"What, do you own this river?" Liu Sanniang scooped up a handful of water and splashed it on her face. "I can do whatever I want with it!"

"Then take your time washing, goodbye." Liu Xingmo turned and walked away.

"Wait! Let your turtle hold them off for me. This wretched place is full of a bunch of stinking men who've never seen a woman before, always trying to peep at me while I'm bathing!" Liu San Niang cursed. "Hmph! They'll never guess I'm going into the river at this time."

"My Baohei isn't yours, goodbye." Liu Xingmo finished dressing, climbed onto the turtle's back, and swam towards the shore.

"Hmph, so clueless about romance!" Liu San Niang sighed, then with a call, two large, mottled snakes emerged from the riverbed and surrounded her fair body.

Once ashore, Liu Xingmo couldn't help but say, "You're only at the third rank, how come you're always fooling around? Look, no one even wants to call you instructor anymore."

"What do you know, young man? This shabby village is shallow and teeming with turtles, and there are mountains everywhere. You can't just find a backer whenever you want."

Liu San Niang leaned against the large snake, wiping her arms with her thin red dress.

The mine was pitch black, with only distant lights casting a faint blush on the woman's face.

Liu San Niang couldn't help but glare at the young man on the shore: "I have my own plans for what I'm going to do. But you! All I've seen these past few days is you joking around with a bunch of stinking rats. When are you finally going to write your book, my dear storyteller?"

Liu Xingmo was baffled: "What are you talking about? You're not at work right now, why are you writing a book?"

Liu San Niang was stunned, then exclaimed, "No way? You scoundrel, you're not going to wait until the last two days to start writing, are you?"

"The last two days? Humph!" Liu Xingmo couldn't help but laugh. "I always write books in the last few hours before the deadline. Sometimes there isn't enough time, and I have to publish the newspaper late."

"You've betrayed all your readers! What if you can't finish writing it?" Liu San Niang pointed her slender index finger at the riverbank and cursed, "Irresponsible scoundrel!"

"It's alright, it's standard procedure. I've been doing this for years, and I've gotten through it all, haven't I?" Liu Xingmo rode the old turtle away from the hot spring.

Liu San Niang's shouting came from behind: "Hey, don't run! You dog, you can write one a day, right? Stop right there!"

Liu Xingmo ignored her and climbed up the slope back to his home.

Pushing open the door, Sumali was conducting experiments amidst the cluttered alchemy equipment.

Various odds and ends were piled on the table, and test tubes were bubbling with strange colors.

"Ah~! Mary~!" Liu Xingmo couldn't help but imitate Liu San Niang's tone, saying in an affected voice, "I can't do this anymore~"

"Hmm? Are you hurt?" Su Mali put down her work and quickly walked to her husband's side.

"No, but I've been busy for so long and haven't found any gold or silver mines. Every day it's just rocks and broken rocks!" Liu Xingmo took off his wet clothes and hung them on the clothes rack.

"Then I have good news for you. The construction of the alchemy ritual is complete, and we will soon be able to use the Philosopher's Stone."

"You mean rainbow coral?"