Legendary Son-in-Law: The Man with Poison Talismans

Just then, a cold wind blew out of the cave, carrying a damp, musty smell and a faint sulfurous odor, which mixed with the miasma in the valley, making people feel very uncomfortable.

Lin Mu stood outside the cave entrance, preparing to observe, but the group of Imperial Guards did not stop and led the prisoners inside with torches. The torchlight flickered a few times at the cave entrance before being swallowed by the darkness, leaving only the stone walls of the cave entrance and those dark red runes.

Lin Mu stood outside the cave entrance, wondering, "Why did they bring prisoners here? Are they here for forced mining?"

He shook his head, didn't think much of it, and followed them inside.

Upon entering the mining area, the scene before him stunned him for a moment.

The entire Fengmo mining area was bustling with activity, with miners everywhere.

Chapter 93 Observations in the Mining Area

Torches were planted on both sides of the cave walls, and a large brazier was placed in the open space in the middle, illuminating the entire mine.

Then came the clanging of pickaxes, echoing through the cave and making our ears ring.

The miners, both men and women, were dressed in drab gray cloth clothes and wore black iron shackles on their hands. They wielded pickaxes, chiseling away at the rock face, sending fragments of stone flying and dust dancing in the torchlight.

Many of them showed signs of demonic transformation, with small bumps on their heads, some even sprouting short horns, and their skin covered with gray-black scales.

It seems that Fengmo Valley is not a place where people can stay for long. Staying there for too long will either turn you into a monster or a creature that is neither human nor ghost.

Only at the entrance to the Sealed Demon Valley in the Woma Forest is the demonic energy not strong, and the guards have not been corrupted by demons.

Standing beside the miners were many Imperial Guards, dressed in neat armor, holding whips in their hands, their cold gazes sweeping over them. Anyone who slacked off would be lashed out with a cracking sound that echoed crisply in the cave. The person being whipped would groan, grit their teeth, and continue digging.

Lin Mu remained calm and observed as he walked, his eyes darting left and right beneath his straw hat.

He noticed that many of them were similar to normal people, with intact skin and no horns on their heads, but their eyes carried an indescribable weariness and numbness, as if all their edges had been worn away by life here.

Regardless of the type, upon seeing adventurers who came here to hunt for treasure and level up, they would instinctively turn their heads away, not wanting others to see their faces.

At this moment, Lin Mu noticed an old man with gray hair squatting in the corner, a pickaxe at his feet, his hands holding his head, his shoulders shaking as if he were crying or panting.

His hair was a mess, with gray strands sticking to his forehead, his face was covered in wrinkles and grime, and the shackles on his hands were worn shiny.

A young Imperial Guard walked over and poked his shoulder with his whip: "Get up, keep digging."

The old man raised his head, his eyes red and brimming with tears. His voice was so hoarse it was almost inaudible: "Sir, I'll just rest for a little while, just a little while... My back hurts so much I can't stand up anymore."

The guard glanced at him expressionlessly, then poked him again, and struck the old man's shoulder twice with his whip, making a dull sound: "Get up. If you rest any longer, all your work points for today will be deducted."

The old man's lips trembled twice, and he didn't say anything more. He slowly stood up, leaning against the wall, his legs shaking. He picked up the pickaxe and began to chisel at the stone wall again and again, each chisel seemingly using all his strength.

Not far away, a few people were huddled in front of a wooden board nailed to the wall. A crumpled piece of paper was pasted on the board, the writing on it blurred by mineral dust, but each person's name and work points could still be made out.

A thin, middle-aged miner pointed to a line of words on a piece of paper, then turned to the Imperial Guard leaning against the wall and said, “Sir, I would like to request two days of leave in advance to go back to the city and see my children. Could you please make a note of this?”

The guard leaned lazily against the wall, a small notebook in his hand, and asked without looking up, "Two days off, sixty work points deducted, do you want to switch?"

The miner nodded repeatedly, his face wrinkled and his smile bittersweet: "Change, change, change."

Jinwuwei made two marks in his notebook, took a wooden tag off his waist and threw it to him: "Don't lose it. Remember to bring the tag with you when you're on your day off. They'll check it when you leave the mine."

He paused, then added, "Don't even think about escaping. This mining area is surrounded by Imperial Guards, and there are patrol teams outside. Anyone caught will get an extra ten years in prison. Your family members won't be able to escape either; they'll all have to come in with you to mine. In the end, the whole family will be reunited in the mine."

The miner took the wooden plaque, holding it in both hands as if it were a precious treasure, carefully tucking it into his clothes, and bowing his head, repeatedly replying, "No, no."

A young female miner squeezed through the crowd, her voice timid, as if afraid of being overheard: "Sir, I'd like to change my clothes... This one I'm wearing is tattered beyond recognition, it's showing everywhere..."

As she spoke, she tugged at her sleeve, and sure enough, there were several tears on it, revealing glimpses of the white skin on her arm.

The guard glanced at her, not bothering to look away, his gaze sweeping over her before turning to the next page. Pointing to the numbers in the notebook, he said, "A set of miner's clothes is thirty work points. Is that enough?"

The female miner looked down and flipped through her work point book, biting her lip and remaining silent, her fingers gently stroking the pages, a hint of disappointment flashing in her eyes.

Jinwuwei ignored her and turned to talk to the person next to him.

Lin Mu continued to walk and observe.

In the corner, a middle-aged man dressed in gray cloth was squatting on the ground, sharpening a pickaxe. His movements were unhurried, grinding it slowly and steadily, making a rustling sound.

He wore the same black iron shackles as the miners next to him, with iron rings binding his wrists and ankles, but his demeanor was clearly different. He stood up straight, his eyes were calm, and he didn't look like he was serving time here, but rather like he was doing some great work.

A young miner leaned over and whispered, as if afraid of being overheard by the guards: "Old Zhao, I heard you're getting out of prison next month?"

The middle-aged man grunted in response, but his hands didn't stop working; the pickaxe on the whetstone had already been polished to a gleaming shine.

The young miner then asked, "What do you plan to do after you get out of prison?"

The middle-aged man looked up at him, his gaze carrying an indescribable quality, a mixture of relief and bewilderment.

He lowered his head and continued sharpening the pickaxe. His voice was not loud, but it was very clear: "The higher-ups said that if you perform well, you can first work as a foreman in the mining area. If you do well, you can be promoted and eventually stay in the Jinwu Guard as a subordinate."

The young miner's eyes lit up. He lowered his voice, his tone filled with envy and anticipation: "Then does that mean we won't have to wear this thing anymore?" He shook the shackles on his wrists, the iron rings clinking together with a crisp sound.

Lin Mu felt a sudden chill run down his spine upon seeing this scene.

These people really are convicts. No wonder there seem to be many more people trying to seal the demons. It feels like even their families have been implicated.

He suddenly remembered the pancake stall on the street corner. The woman there was covered up tightly and spoke very carefully. She was probably a miner's family member. She was covered up so tightly that she might have tattoos on her face and was afraid of being embarrassed if they were exposed.

He recalled the glimpse of his cheap father-in-law, Qin Zhengchuan, that he had seen when a flash of white light appeared on the second floor of the Woma Temple, and hoped that he had safely left that place of trouble.

Then he thought of himself. If he had been arrested that day, would he have ended up the same way?

He was starting to regret it; he should have gone to Bai Ri Men, there were just too many Imperial Guards there.

But then I thought, "It's darkest under the lamp," and maybe they didn't expect me to come in.

He lowered his head, pulled his straw hat down even further, quickened his pace, crossed the mining area, and hurried toward the fork in the road.

Along the way, he found many zombie corpses scattered on the ground, some of which were still emitting blue smoke. It should have been cleared away by the Imperial Guards in advance to ensure that the miners would not be disturbed by monsters while they were mining.

The mining area was much larger than he had imagined; it must have been hollowed out by long-term mining, and the terrain was very different from the map in the game.

Some walls have tunnels leading deeper into the mine. They look dark from afar, but the sounds coming from inside are quite loud: the clanging of pickaxes, the shouts of the guards, and the coughs of the miners all mixed together. It seems there are quite a few miners inside, and the space is not small.

Lin Mu followed a few scattered adventurers through the bustling mining area, then through a heavy wooden door, and arrived at the crossroads.

The moment the door closed, the clanging, whipping, and pleas behind him were instantly shut out, leaving only the sound of his own footsteps and the crackling of the burning torch.

The surroundings suddenly became much quieter.

Chapter 94 Fork in the Road

When they reached the fork in the road, the passage narrowed, with rough stone walls on both sides. Water droplets occasionally seeped from the stone walls, shimmering faintly in the firelight.

Occasionally, you can see a few people in gear fighting zombies or heading deeper into the area, while others are heading back to the mining area, presumably to rest.

Lin Mu and the skeleton, carrying torches, didn't linger and continued deeper into the area.

If you encounter zombies blocking your way, just shoot them down; the same goes for everyone else.

The path was narrow and there were no forks, so everyone had to fight their way through.

Just then, a group of people came from the depths of the crossroads. They also had insignia embroidered on their chests, but most of them had gray insignia. They were vaguely led by one of the Golden Guards, who had a golden-edged orange-red phoenix embroidered on his chest.

They looked like they had just cleared out a wave of monsters from deep within the mine and were preparing to return to the mining area to rest. Lin Mu and the other adventurers stepped aside to make way for them, and only continued walking in after they had gone some distance.

The initial part of the journey was smooth, with scattered zombie corpses on the ground, some still emitting wisps of smoke, indicating they had just been killed.

After walking a while longer, they came across a group of adventurers luring monsters far ahead and engaging in a fierce battle.

Their tactics are very steady; they lure one enemy at a time and attack it one at a time, without rushing or being hasty.

Lin Mu glanced at it, then led the skeleton around it and continued forward.

As they passed by the group, a heavily armored warrior led a zombie over and yelled "Hey!"

Offensive sword techniques.

Suddenly, Shura's axe blade glowed white, and he cleaved the zombie that his teammate had poisoned.

-69.

The skeleton paused, tilted its head, and stared intently at the warrior's axe for a full three seconds.

Another zombie nearby seized the opportunity to grab the skeleton, its claws slicing across the skeleton's robe. The skeleton didn't budge, and not even a number appeared above its head.

Someone in that group saw this scene and their eyes widened in disbelief. To withstand a zombie's attack without losing any health, how high must this person's defense be?

The group looked at each other, their movements slowing down slightly.

Lin Mu ignored it, patted the skeleton and continued walking forward, soon shaking off the zombie.

After walking for a while, the passage ahead became even narrower, completely blocked by a group of people and monsters.

Seven or eight people were blocking a group of zombies. There were quite a few monsters, but they were all crowded in the narrow passage and couldn't get through. The firelight made their shadows flicker.

A soldier got grabbed by a zombie, cursing and retreating to drink medicine, muttering, "This damn place is too crowded, I can't even move around and assassinate anyone."

With his path blocked, Lin Mu had no choice but to stop. Looking back, he saw three zombies still following him, swaying back and forth.

Two of them stood upright and walked, their arms swinging stiffly back and forth, like puppets being pushed around.

The other one lay on the ground, on all fours, crawling along the ground like a gecko. Its grayish-white skin rubbed against the gravel, making a rustling sound, and it was actually faster than the one that was standing.

Lin Mu didn't let the skeleton use its flying axe technique; it was too conspicuous, and it was better to keep it hidden in front of people.

He had the skeleton disguise itself as a warrior, wielding an axe and hacking at the enemy in close combat, since zombies don't do much damage to skeletons anyway.

He then took out some medicine powder, applied red poison to the three zombies, and then used an invisibility spell to stand still in place.

The crawling zombie was the fastest, rushing towards the skeleton first, its grayish-white claws reaching for the skeleton's shinbone.

The skeleton neither dodged nor evaded, taking the hit head-on, -1. It took another hit, missed. It took yet another hit, getting hit but taking no damage.

The three zombies' attacks mostly failed to break through the skeleton's defenses, occasionally triggering the attack limit to deal single-digit damage, which wasn't even enough for the skeleton's automatic regeneration.

The skeleton's axe swung down one after another, and with the added damage from the red poison, each axe strike dealt around 150 damage. Occasionally, one axe strike would also inflict green poison on the zombie.

Make the zombie jump with a "-1-1" sound above its head.

The crawling zombie was the first to fall, followed by two standing zombies.

At this moment, under Lin Mu's command, the skeletons were learning to block and dodge while slashing.

The zombie's claws swiped at it, and it dodged to the side; the zombie opened its mouth to bite, and it swung its axe directly at the gluttonous zombie's stinking mouth.

-178!

Occasionally, when a shout of "Hey!" came from the group ahead, the skeleton would stop what it was doing, tilt its head, and look back, giving the zombies a chance to scratch it a few times.