Under One Person: The Puppet Immortal in the Tang Sect

Birds circled overhead, guiding the way; occasionally, civets and rabbits ran alongside him beneath the trees; and even a few venomous snakes docilely coiled around Cui Ming's arm, acting as sentries.

These animals are not very intelligent and are easily influenced by Cui Ming, instinctively becoming close to him without attacking him.

Cui Ming, on the other hand, can sense dangers and abnormal situations ahead by observing their behavior.

He even tried using subtle mental fluctuations to guide various birds to fly in specific directions for high-altitude reconnaissance.

Although precise command is not yet possible, the Tang Clan's observation techniques allow them to obtain general visual information.

With the company and assistance of these natural allies, Cui Ming's travel efficiency not only did not decrease, but became safer and smoother.

He seemed to have merged directly into the mountains and forests, becoming a part of nature. His traces could be cleared by these allies, who could also use them to avoid unnecessary contact.

In this era, relying on the mountains for sustenance is not just a simple matter of four words, especially for some special individuals.

He is currently on a mission and needs to avoid revealing information as much as possible.

Traveling swiftly for three days, accompanied by a hundred beasts, Cui Ming took this opportunity to perceive this world.

Although he was close to his destination, he did not directly enter the abandoned mine area.

Instead, they settled in a dense forest dozens of miles away from the mine.

During his journey these past few days, he did not simply bury himself in his studies.

The birds and beasts that were attracted to him and circled around him became his best information gatherers.

He controlled the birds to fly to the surrounding villages and perch on the eaves of various houses;

Countless rats scurried into the rooms, gathering information and uncovering secrets.

After summarizing and synthesizing the images and scattered information they provided,

Cui Ming pieced together these scattered pieces of information, gradually outlining the cause and effect of that abandoned mine.

About five or six years ago, a group of merchants speaking with accents from other places came to the villages and towns near the mine.

They claimed with certainty that they had discovered a rich mine hidden in the nearby mountains through some secret method, and were willing to pay a large sum of money to cooperate with the largest local landowner for its development.

The landlord, moved by the offer of real money, readily agreed.

Soon, the mine was built in full swing.

At first, everything went smoothly.

The establishment of the mine did bring considerable benefits to the isolated village, and the landlords made a fortune every day, enjoying unparalleled wealth.

However, this good fortune didn't last long...

Less than a year later, misfortune quietly descended.

The landlord's family first contracted a strange disease, becoming weak all over and coughing up blood incessantly.

The doctors who came were all helpless, and soon they all died tragically.

Soon after, the miners began to show similar symptoms and fell ill one after another.

This disease is extremely virulent; anyone infected will die within seven or eight days, or even as few as two or three. Given the limited medical resources in villages and towns, there is simply no time to treat them, and they die suddenly.

When the frightened villagers remembered to look for the merchants, they found that the group had already disappeared without a trace, as if they had vanished into thin air.

As a result, rumors began to circulate.

It eventually became this way of saying it.

The landlord's family's greed in mining angered the mountain god, who then cast a curse to punish the landlord's family and even implicated innocent miners.

From then on, the mine was regarded as an ominous place and was quickly abandoned.

Villagers in nearby towns and villages are terrified of the mine and sternly warn their children not to go near it.

Occasionally, some reckless madmen or outsiders would break in, but they would never return, adding to the terror of the mine.

"Strange illness? Violent death? Disappearance of merchants?"

Cui Ming hid in the shade of the tree canopy, gazing coldly at the abandoned mine shrouded in a light mountain mist.

As a soul from the information explosion era, he naturally wouldn't believe in any nonsense about mountain god curses.

The whole process sounds more like a meticulously planned conspiracy.

The identities of that so-called traveling merchants are highly suspicious.

And that strange disease that causes rapid death is all too easy to find in this world teeming with supernatural beings.

Considering the modus operandi of the Japanese devils during this era...

This seemingly abandoned mine may be hiding more than just a Japanese stronghold underground; it could be a true hell on earth.

He gently stroked a bright green venomous snake on his arm; the snake docilely flicked its tongue.

Through these few days of practice, he has become skilled at guiding these animals to perform more complex actions.

He subtly stirred his consciousness, emanating a peaceful aura while simultaneously transmitting a wisp of his spiritual intent.

In an instant, dozens of birds of various kinds that were roosting nearby took flight, splitting into several groups and flying off in different directions from the mine.

Countless rats darted out of the shadows of the dense forest and headed toward the mine.

Meanwhile, Cui Ming continued to remain hidden in the dense forest, remotely receiving and processing the footage shared by the small animals through his techniques.

The area around the mine was eerily quiet, with dilapidated wooden derricks lying askew on the ground.

Most of the surface buildings around the mine have collapsed and are in a dilapidated state.

Under the watchful eyes of these small animals, this so-called dead land revealed something unusual everywhere.

There are obvious signs of deliberate concealment in some areas; the sound of wind can even be heard inside the mine, which means there is even more space inside.

Most importantly, information from several venomous snakes indicates that there are several hidden entrances around the mine, and that human pheromones remain inside.

"Sure enough, there are ghosts."

Cui Ming sneered inwardly.

This so-called haunting is nothing but a fabrication.

The purpose was to drive away the surrounding villagers in order to cover up the true secret of the mine.

Those vanished merchants were either Japanese in disguise or their henchmen.

Cui Ming did not act rashly, because all of this was just his speculation. He needed more detailed information, which required more in-depth investigation.

It seemed his preparations were insufficient, and Cui Ming struggled to suppress the murderous intent surging within him.

Chapter 20 Unveiling the Secret

In order to obtain more detailed information, Cui Mingzheng was preparing to control animals to enter the mine.

These animals collectively began to resist, and no matter how Cui Ming tried to soothe them or enhance Dan Shi's affinity to lure them, it had little effect.

Birds dared not land, beasts dared not advance, and snakes, insects, rats, and ants remained entrenched in place, wary of the direction of the mine, constantly conveying warnings and fear to Cui Ming.

This is not simply aversion, but rather these animals' sensitivity to unknown dangers stemming from their survival instincts.

In their eyes, it seemed as if some terrifying thing was lurking deep within the dark mine.

What exactly is inside?

Cui Ming frowned, his doubts and vigilance reaching their peak.

The animals' terrified reaction is more reliable than any test; there's definitely something deadly inside.

This mine is much more than just a base.

Since living things are unwilling to go in, then use dead things.

He manipulated the mechanical arm to retrieve several Shadow Spider puppets.

After numerous improvements, these puppets became more sophisticated in structure, moved almost silently, and were reduced in weight by more than half.

After a series of twists and a few buzzing sounds, the pouches that the puppet originally used to hold venom or miniature bombs were removed and replaced with a few small animals that he had calmed down.

Cui Ming wanted to use these experiments to see the impact of the mine on living organisms.

These little guys seemed to know where they were going next, and they were all trembling inside the puppets, but under Cui Ming's reassurance, they did not resist fiercely.

"Let's go and see what kind of den of dragons and tigers this is."

With a thought, Cui Ming sent several Shadow Spiders, each carrying a small passenger, flying like black ghosts close to the ground towards several hidden entrances to the mine.

Just as he was fully focused on controlling the Shadow Spider, the small emerald green snake that had been wrapped around his left arm had quietly disappeared without him noticing.

In a short while, the Shadow Spider successfully infiltrated the mine through the entrance it had previously discovered.

Through the shared view, the terrain inside the mine gradually became clear in Cui Ming's mind.

The entrance passage was narrow and damp, filled with simple trigger traps.

Tripwires, pitfalls, falling rocks...

Dealing with ordinary people might not be a problem, but for Cui Ming, who belongs to the Tang Clan assassins, it's nothing.

The small animals, who were initially a little scared, seemed to feel safer inside the puppet's belly and settled down.

On the walls around the passage, strange talismans began to appear, emitting a strange fluctuation.

Through observation, Cui Ming discovered that these talismans served a protective and insulating purpose.

As you continue deeper into the area, the number of talismans on the walls gradually increases.

Not far ahead, underground, three more ninjas were lurking, lying motionless like stone statues.

But they still need to breathe, and the slightest movement will be detected by the lurking spider's keen senses.

Strangely...

These ninjas were not equipped with traditional ninja attire, but rather with bulky, tan-colored protective suits.

"Isolation talismans...protective suits..."

Cui Ming's suspicions became clearer, and a chill crept into his heart.

Cui Ming silently noted down the locations where these ninjas were hiding, and then controlled the Shadow Spider to continue deeper into the territory.

The interior structure of the mine is much more complex than I imagined, with interconnected passageways.