Tang Dynasty Demon Suppression Division

"Are you new here? Come with me."

Li Yuancai noticed that he was wearing a Taoist robe and must be the manager here, so he gave a vague reply and followed him.

He was secretly amazed. Judging from this, could it be that he had entered the time before the accident in the mine?

It must have been that the fragments of those vengeful spirits' memories were too powerful, pulling him into this long-gone era.

Having figured out his situation, he didn't act rashly. He took a pickaxe, mingled with the group of miners, and followed them deeper into the mine tunnel.

He needs to find out what exactly happened in the mine that led to the tragedy.

The miners' lives were arduous and monotonous. They started working before dawn every day, sweating profusely in the dimly lit mine tunnels, and could only rest when it got dark.

They ate coarse grains and salted vegetables, and drank cold water from mountain streams. The overseer monks, holding leather whips, patrolled the mine tunnels from time to time, and would scold or even whip anyone who showed the slightest dissatisfaction.

Li Yuan worked among the miners for half a day, and during his breaks, he listened intently to the casual conversations of the miners around him.

"Have you heard? Old Wang died last night." A miner with a full beard lowered his voice.

"Another death?" The young miner next to him turned pale. "Is this the fifth one this month?"

"That's right." Another older miner sighed and shook his head. "Everyone says this mine is dirty, full of filth. I was the one who buried Old Wang's body. He died a horrible death; his body was torn to shreds, like some wild animal had gnawed on him."

"I only peeked at it, and I almost threw up my dinner from the night before."

"Stop talking, stop talking..." The young miner waved his hands repeatedly, his face pale with fright.

"What are you all whispering about?" A foreman walked over, a leather whip in his hand, his stern gaze sweeping over the group. "If you've rested enough, get back to work! Today's tasks aren't finished yet!"

The miners quickly dispersed, picked up their tools again, and dared not utter another word.

Li Yuan mingled in the crowd, pretending to work while keeping an eye on his surroundings, but he didn't find any other clues.

As night fell, the miners dragged their weary bodies back to their campsite in the mine. It was dark and filthy, with thick layers of straw on the ground. Dozens of people huddled together, and the air was thick with the stench of sweat, making it nauseating.

Li Yuan found a corner to lie down in and, by the faint light from the fire on the cave wall, observed the miners around him.

Suddenly, he saw a young man in his early twenties, thin and handsome. He couldn't help but feel a pang of surprise, as the young man looked five or six parts similar to Amu.

Unlike the other miners who went straight to sleep, the young man leaned against the cave wall, holding a polished stone in his hand, lost in thought.

Li Yuan stood up, walked discreetly to the young man's side, sat down next to him, and whispered, "You're Amu's brother, right?"

The young man was startled and turned around, staring warily at Li Yuan: "Who are you? How do you know Amu?"

"My name is Li Yuan, I'm Amu's friend, and I just arrived today." Li Yuan said calmly, "I met Amu down the mountain, and he asked me to tell you that he misses you and wants you to go back soon."

The young man's eyes instantly reddened. He lowered his head, rubbed his eyes hard, and asked in a choked voice, "Amu... is he alright?"

"He's fine, he just waits for you at the foot of the mountain every day." Li Yuan looked at him, feeling a pang of pity. "And you? Are you alright here? I heard things have been unsettled at the mine lately, several people have died."

The young man was silent for a moment, looked around fearfully, and then lowered his voice: "Don't tell anyone what I'm telling you."

Li Yuan nodded solemnly.

"My name is Shi Tou. I had a friend named Zhang Daniu, who also died. One day, the foreman sent him to the new mining area, and he died. I secretly went over to see his body. His whole body was torn apart, as if he had been gnawed by some ferocious beast."

His voice trembled.

"I've worked in this mine for three years. I've seen collapses and roof falls, but the way that happened... is definitely not an accident you can encounter while mining."

"Did you talk to the overseer monk about it?" Li Yuan asked.

"We told them, but they said Da Niu accidentally fell into a deep ditch and died, and they forbade us to mention it again." Shi Tou clenched his fist. "But I know that's not true, and a few nights ago, I heard a voice."

What was that sound?

"It's coming from deep inside the mine." Stone's gaze unconsciously drifted to a side passage blocked by iron bars. "It sounds like the roar of some wild beast, it's chilling."

He turned to look at Li Yuan, his eyes filled with despair: "I don't want to stay here any longer. I want to go home, but those cultivators won't let us leave."

"They said that no one could leave until the work in the mine was finished."

"You said you worked there for three years, so you're not allowed to go back before that?"

"No, that's not it." Stone shook his head in confusion. "I used to be able to go home every three months, and I could quit if I didn't want to do it anymore."

"But recently, a lot more guards have been added, and they only allow entry, not exit." Stone hugged his arms tightly. "I'm worried that they're raising some kind of ferocious beast in the mine that will eat people."

Li Yuan looked at him silently, a complex emotion welling up inside him. He knew that the young man in front of him, along with everyone else in the entire mine, was dead.

They died in that catastrophe a thousand years ago, their souls bound in this space, repeating the same labors they did in life day after day, never to be freed.

He wanted to tell the young man the truth, but he knew that even if he did, the other person would not understand. It was just a memory of time and space, an echo of the past, and he could not change anything.

He could only pat Shi Tou on the shoulder and whisper, "It will be alright."

Shi Tou gave a wry smile and didn't reply.

As night deepened, the miners drifted off to sleep, their snores and teeth grinding filling the air. Li Yuan waited until everyone was sound asleep before quietly getting up, avoiding the night watchmen, and sneaking into the side passage blocked by iron bars.

Li Yuan concealed his presence and, using the interplay of light and shadow in the mine tunnels as cover, made his way deeper into the mine.

The further in you go, the lower the density of torches becomes, the dimmer the light gradually becomes, and a faint smell of blood, mixed with some indescribable stench, appears in the air.

He slowed his pace, turned a corner, and suddenly the view opened up before him. Li Yuan pressed himself against the shadow of the rock wall and peered out.

Ahead lay a vast space carved out by human hands, with several glowing moonstones embedded in the cave walls, illuminating the space as if it were daytime.

At the end of the space stood a huge bronze gate, about three zhang high and two zhang wide, covered with dense runes, exuding an indescribable evil and ferocity.

On either side of the bronze gate stood four cultivators, each with a long sword at their waist, their auras deep and composed, all clearly at the late stage of the Qi Refining Realm.

In front of the bronze gate, two patrol teams of ten men each were walking back and forth, heavily guarded, so that not even a fly could get through.

Li Yuan hid in the shadows and observed carefully for a moment. He sensed a fierce aura emanating from behind the bronze door.