Martial Arts Longevity Begins with the Equipment Slot

Chapter 98 Setting up the mine, searching the mountains

"You mean, the Nine Black Wind Thieves might mobilize all of them?"

"Or will the Huang family hire other outside help?"

When Pei Shifeng spoke again, his tone had regained the crispness and decisiveness befitting a deputy commander.

"As a result, I need to readjust my original plans."

"The remnants of Black Wind Stronghold are still deep in the mine tunnels. Mei San Niang's injuries won't heal for three to five days, and Wang Kui is also dead."

"It takes them time to gather intelligence, so there won't be a large-scale counterattack in the short term."

"Now is the best time to return to the manor and report. If we wait another day, the main force of the Nine Thieves may get one step closer to attacking."

With that, he placed his riding whip across the front of the saddle and began to give orders.

"Chen Yu, you will lead Sun Feipeng and Xue Linglong's troops to stay behind and guard the Niutoushan Mine."

"The valley entrance, mine entrance, and ventilation shafts on the mountain must all be reinforced and fortified!"

"If Mei San Niang comes again, there's no need for a direct confrontation; just hold the stronghold and send signals."

Pei Shifeng paused, lowering his voice slightly.

"I personally led thirty light cavalry back to the mountain villa to report, and at the same time urged the transport of subsequent grain and supplies."

"Reinforcements will definitely arrive within ten days to half a month!"

After saying this, Sun Feipeng and Xue Linglong both turned their gazes to Chen Yu.

They heard it very clearly.

The deputy commander's original words were "Chen Yu led the two units of Sun Feipeng and Xue Linglong".

It's not about discussing or collaborating, but about "leading".

This means that in Pei Shifeng's plan, Chen Yu has been placed above them.

At least during his time stationed at Niutou Mountain, he was the de facto acting deputy commander-in-chief.

Sun Feipeng and Xue Linglong both understood Pei Shifeng's thoughts.

After winning this battle, Chen Yu proved with his solid military achievements that his personal martial prowess and battlefield judgment were superior to theirs.

Pei Shifeng wasn't worried that Sun Feipeng would feel uncomfortable.

Regardless of Xue Linglong's sweet words and ulterior motives.

He wanted everyone to see that Chen Yu was someone he had promoted and relied on.

A master of bone refinement who could kill Wang Kui and stand up to Mei San Niang.

It's worth it for him to leave a single square empty on his newly shuffled chessboard.

No sooner had Pei Shifeng given his order than Sun Feipeng couldn't help but speak up.

"Commander Chen, I am completely convinced today."

"If you need anything while you're staying behind, just say so. I, Old Sun, will not hesitate to give you instructions!"

His statement was straightforward and decisive, revealing no secrets whatsoever.

Seeing their commander in such a state, the squad leaders standing nearby also clasped their hands in greeting to Chen Yu.

"We will follow Commander Chen's arrangements!"

Sun Feipeng looked up at Chen Yu, grinned, and added in a low voice, "Brother Chen Yu, I'm not surprised that the Deputy Commander values ​​you. From now on, you charge ahead, and I, Old Sun, will protect your back without hesitation!"

Chen Yu nodded to him, acknowledging his gratitude.

Xue Linglong observed everything, her face always bearing a faint and appropriate smile.

She didn't shout her loyalty like Sun Feipeng did.

While Sun Feipeng was speaking, she had already carefully instructed several squad leaders to do their jobs.

The tasks of inventorying provisions, resettling wounded soldiers, registering captured goods, and deploying sentry posts were all sorted out and assigned to specific individuals.

After everything was arranged.

Xue Linglong walked up to Chen Yu and handed him a cup of freshly brewed tea with both hands.

"Commander Chen, the tea is freshly brewed, please drink it while it's hot."

"From now on, you can leave the allocation of supplies and the care of the wounded to me at Niutou Mountain. I'll assist you and won't let you worry about logistics at all!"

His voice was gentle and polite, his tone sincere and considerate, and every word seemed to come from the bottom of his heart.

Chen Yu took the tea, drank it all in one gulp, and then tossed the teacup back.

From a distance, Pei Shifeng took in everything.

He mounted his horse, and thirty light cavalrymen were already lined up.

The red-blooded horse's mane billowed like flames in the morning breeze.

"Chen Yu, I will definitely return with reinforcements within half a month. You'd better keep a close watch on Niutou Mountain."

"You've worked hard in this battle today! Leave the Nine-Leaf Fire Lotus matter to me. When we get back, I'll put the best credit on your name!"

'

"Yes, sir!"

Chen Yu clasped his hands in response.

Pei Shifeng gave the reins a tug, and the Crimson Horse let out a long neigh.

Thirty light cavalrymen galloped along the mine road towards the official road in the valley, their hooves thundering.

The black flag gradually disappeared into the dust and smoke in the morning breeze.

From morning till night, Chen Yu led his team to wipe out the remaining bandits.

During his travels, he gradually figured out the terrain of Niutou Mountain.

Niutou Mountain is not an isolated mountain, but a whole mountain range.

The main peak is in the center, with sheer cliffs on three sides.

A narrow stone ridge juts out from the southwest side, shaped like a hideous ghost face, which is known as the Ghost's Sorrow.

The Eagle Beak Cliff and Wild Wolf Gully on either side of Ghost's Sorrow each occupy a strategic and dangerous position.

Eagle Beak Cliff is a cliff that juts out horizontally from the mountainside.

The cliff face is uneven, resembling an eagle's beak with hooks, and there are piles of rocks at the bottom.

Wild Wolf Gully is a deep ravine formed by the confluence of three streams.

The bottom of the ditch is filled with half a person's depth of decaying leaves and silt all year round; when a person steps in, the mud can reach up to their knees.

Extending deeper into the mountain from these three outposts, the mine tunnels branch off like a spider web.

The underground river murmured and flowed at the bottom of the cave, leading to some bottomless crevice.

Such a mountain could easily hide a large group of people, and even a fire monkey.

The post-battle inventory took about half an hour.

Fang Dachuan led a team of sword guards to search the mine's side passages section by section.

Among the supplies abandoned by the remaining bandits, a locked wooden box was found.

Inside, there was only a roll of oilcloth wrapped tightly.

Fang Dachuan spread the tarpaulin on the stone platform.

Inside is a map.

There are several blood-soaked marks on the picture, but the ink lines are still clearly visible.

"Commander!"

Fang Dachuan, holding the map, strode quickly to the campfire.

Chen Yu took the map and unfolded it by the campfire to examine it.

The entire Niutoushan mining area was clearly marked by Heifengzhai.

This includes not only the main mining tunnel controlled by the Sword Casting Manor and the three old mining areas.

They even circled the four branch veins that they had not yet explored.

Besides these mineral veins, there are other things as well.

"A secret chamber, capable of housing fifty soldiers."

"The underground river is unfathomably deep, leading into the belly of Wangshan Mountain."

As he looked around, Chen Yu suddenly noticed something unusual.

A monkey head symbol was drawn directly below the Ghost's Sorrow.

Next to it, three words were heavily circled in vermilion ink: "Fire Monkey".

The red dotted line extends from the top of Ghost's Sorrow Cliff all the way to the depths of the mine, outlining an irregular area.

Sun Feipeng leaned over and took a look.

"Black Wind Stronghold is really something! The mineral reserves they've listed are even more detailed than those in the Thousand Mineral Hall's catalog."

"How long have they been squatting here? Half a year? A year?"

He pointed to the sign on the south side that read "Secret Room".

"This is the secret room we found! The accountant and the five henchmen were dragged out from here."

"I found it strange at the time. The door to the secret room was covered with a layer of mud, and it looked exactly like the stone wall if you didn't look closely! If one of the bandits hadn't been so scared that he wet his pants and forced the door open from the inside, I might not have noticed it."

As he spoke, he pointed to the dotted area next to the fire monkey symbol.

"What does this mean? They knew all along that the fire monkey was in the core of the mountain? They knew and still dared to go up there?"

"It's precisely because they know this that they try to get close to them."

"Perhaps the Nine-Leaf Fire Lotus is right there."

Xue Linglong put down her teacup and walked over to take a closer look.

Chen Yu raised his hand and vaguely pointed to the circles on the map.

"Regardless of whether Black Wind Village will return after this incident, we can at least prioritize deploying our defense zones along the transportation lines in these designated areas."

"Most importantly, with this map, we can roughly determine the range of the fire monkey's activities."

97

"Starting tomorrow morning, the two of you will lead the teams to search according to the map!"

"Yes, sir!"

Sun Feipeng and Xue Linglong clasped their hands in a fist salute.

Chen Yu closed the map and looked up at the mountain shadows that had sunk into the night outside the mine.

The day's search passed quickly.

In the evening, everyone gathered around the campfire to exchange information.

"Commander Sun."

Chen Yu placed the map on the stone platform.

"exist!"

Sun Feipeng was squatting by the campfire, eating dry rations.

Upon hearing roll call, he tucked his dry rations into his clothes and stood up, still with half a mouthful of unswallowed bread in his mouth.

"When you led your men to clear the mine tunnels, which level did you search the side passages to?"

"The main mine tunnel has been completely cleared from beginning to end, and the two branch tunnels to the east and west have also been thoroughly searched."

Sun Feipeng swallowed the biscuit and wiped his mouth with his sleeve.

"But there was a landslide at the end of a side road to the south, and it was completely blocked by rubble."

"The fork in the road to the north leads to an underground river. The sound of the water was terrifying. I threw a stone down to test the depth, but I didn't hear a sound for a long time. I didn't dare let anyone into that cave."

How high is the entrance to the underground river?

"It's about my height, and if it's wide, two people walking side by side would be cramped."

"The cave entrance was surrounded by slippery moss, and water droplets clung to the rocks. It was cold and damp, and the cave seemed bottomless."

Chen Yu marked the location Sun Feipeng mentioned on the mine map in his mind.

Then, his gaze turned to Xue Linglong.

Xue Linglong was standing by the campfire with a bowl of hot tea in her hand, and before he could speak, she took the initiative to start the conversation.

"Commander Chen, when I led you on patrol just now, on the two mountain ridges to the left and right of the valley entrance, you pointed to the ventilation shafts and said to keep a close watch on them."

"I took a long bamboo pole and probed it over; the ventilation shaft looked like it could only accommodate one person curled up."

"But the higher you go, the wider it gets, and there are two side passages hidden inside, all concealed in the crevices of rocks on the north side of the ridge."

"You can't see it unless you get very close. I cleared all the weeds around there, and while I was cleaning, I also felt a row of claw marks on the stone wall. They were charred black and didn't look new."

Chen Yu nodded slightly and began to assign detailed plans for the third day.

"Commander Sun, at daybreak, take your men, along with plenty of torches and powdered stones, and explore deeper into the underground river cave from its entrance."

"Remember, throw the torch in first, and wait for the smoke to dissipate before anyone enters."

"The stones along the underground river are slippery, so you have to tie hemp rope to the soles of your shoes. Every ten steps, you draw a number on the wall. When you encounter a fork in the road, leave two people to guard the entrance."

"Only explore one level, don't go too deep, figure out the direction and the flow of the underground river, then come back out."

Sun Feipeng rubbed his hands together, his face beaming with eager excitement.

"Commander Chen, don't worry, this kind of tunneling is my specialty! If we find that fire monkey's lair down there, I'll call you first!"

"Commander Xue."

Chen Yu then turned to Xue Linglong.

"As soon as it gets light, take your men to the rocky slope where the north ventilation shaft is located and mark the locations of those two branch ventilation shafts on the terrain map."

"Bring a long enough rope. If the side passage is too narrow to get in, hang a lantern down to check the airflow direction and depth."

"Extend the bell line you set up yesterday by half a circle. There's a grove of low pine trees over the rocky slope. That's where the fire monkeys came out last time. Extend it to the edge of the grove, leaving a gap on the western cliff edge."

As Xue Linglong listened, she took out paper and pen from her sleeve to take quick notes.

When she heard "leave an opening," she looked up at Chen Yu.

"Was this breach created to lure the fire monkeys in?"

"The fire monkey is very clever. It won't come if the bell rings everywhere. Leave an opening so that it thinks it has found a weakness."

""

Chen Yu drew an arc on the ground with a twig.

"Three tripwires were added inside the gap. Below the cliff on the west side is a deep ravine. Once it jumps into the ravine, it will basically have no way to climb back up the same way. Even if we can't catch it, we can take this opportunity to see its activity patterns."

Xue Linglong noted this down and nodded, saying, "Understood. I'll take people up there as soon as it's light."

Everything is arranged properly.

Chen Yu himself brought Fang Dachuan and Zhao Siping with him.

Before dawn, I climbed the cliff where the Fire Monkey left its last trace.

The clouds below the cliff dispersed halfway at sunrise, revealing several claw marks on the cliff face scorched by the high temperature.

One of them was a narrow weathered fissure, filled with a dark, murky substance that shimmered with a faint gray mist in the morning light.

Fang Dachuan climbed down and used the tip of his sword to pry the thing out.

It was a tangled mess of withered branches.

Mixed with animal bones, it formed the shape of a nest.

Chen Yu took the nesting material.

With a gentle tug at the fingertips, the gray mist quickly dissipated.

"It should be the old lair of the fire monkeys."

"Maybe it didn't leave, it just moved from the middle of the mountain to a higher place."

As the sun rose high again, the three groups of people returned to their camp one after another.

Sun Feipeng was soaked through.

The boots were still dripping water from the underground river, but his face was filled with the excitement of a bountiful harvest.

"The underground river leads directly beneath the main mine tunnel, where there's a natural cave, even larger than the one above!"

"The stone walls were covered with claw marks like those of fire monkeys, and there was a pile of gnawed animal bones and a collapsed old nest on the ground."

"It used to live here for quite a while, but it hasn't come back for the last three or four days."

Chen Yu took the few pieces of animal bones he handed over and examined them.

The broken bone was blackened by the high temperature, and the bone marrow had dried out completely.

"Commander Chen, everything is arranged according to plan."

Xue Linglong then spoke.

She spread out a densely drawn terrain map on the stone platform.

The key locations—ventilation openings, side passages, dwarf pine forests, bell lines, and cliff gaps—are all clearly marked.

"These are the two branch wind tunnels, both leading to the shallow stone cave on the north slope. Outside the cave is the edge of that dwarf pine forest."

Xue Linglong pointed to the two newly added small red circles and said.

"If the fire monkey comes from the north slope, the dwarf pine forest is its only way through."

"I also arranged bell lines along the way, and three thin steel wires were also strung inside the cliff gap on the west side."

Before she could finish speaking, Zhao Siping strode over from the valley entrance, wiping the sweat from his face.

"Commander, the woods outside the valley entrance have been searched as well!"

"The fire monkey stayed on the western ridge and left behind a charred rock."

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