Shan Lanlan stepped forward, sidled up to Yan Chunyu, and whispered,

"Yes, President. I don’t think we can finish this task anytime soon. It’s already dark, so why don’t we handle it first thing in the morning?"

Yan Chunyu was rather speechless.

Although she had personally selected every member of her Jade Heart Association,

each one had their flaws, to a greater or lesser degree.

Perhaps every person who walked the path of Cultivation had some issues deep down.

This Shan Lanlan, for instance, was a bit too energetic. Sometimes, it was truly unbearable.

"Fine. But at the banquet, you must explain this entire matter clearly!"

"Of course, of course! This way, everyone, please!"

...

A short distance from the mining area, a magnificent mansion that could only be described as a small palace appeared before Jiang Xu.

Stunned, Jiang Xu glanced back and saw the temporary shacks and worksheds within the mining area.

The contrast between the two gave rise to a sense of silent absurdity in Jiang Xu’s heart.

"Well now, this mansion of yours is certainly big enough!"

It was the first time Zong Ziqi had spoken the entire way.

Yang Shu didn’t seem to register the comment at first. A second later, it sank in, and he said with an awkward laugh,

"This Senior Brother may not be aware, but this mansion was built from the very beginning to entertain distinguished guests such as yourselves. That’s why it was made a bit on the larger side. Otherwise, I would have just lived in a workshed myself.

We who follow the path of Cultivation should have clear hearts and few desires in order to walk farther. Logically speaking, it’s best to have the sky as our blanket and the ground as our bed!"

Zong Ziqi laughed.

"So what you’re saying is, it’s our fault you built such a massive mansion, and that’s preventing you from wholeheartedly pursuing the Dao.

Ha, so I guess we should apologize to you? So sorry for getting in the way of your pursuit of the Golden Core Dao!"

Yang Shu’s expression turned serious as he said,

"Not at all! How could I possibly let you apologize to me? This is all simply what I ought to do!"

Jiang Xu silently rolled his eyes off to the side.

’Looks like you really can’t judge a book by its cover,’

he thought. ’This man looks so bold and heroic, so why does he talk and act like this?’

...

The interior of the small palace was just as luxurious. Eight or nine mortal maids, all without a shred of Cultivation, had already prepared the evening banquet and were standing respectfully to the side, awaiting orders.

"I didn’t expect you to have servant girls here."

Zong Ziqi raised an eyebrow.

"But of course. You may not be aware, but while our miners here are all Cultivators, they don’t have enough Spirit Stones to purchase Spirit Rice and Grain Avoidance Pills. They can only eat mortal food.

And how would a bunch of coarse men like us know how to cook? Our only option was to recruit a group of mortals to come here.

Unexpectedly, when these mortals heard they’d be working for an Immortal Family, they all fought to be the first in line. Many were so desperate they threatened to kill themselves if they weren’t chosen.

I’m a soft-hearted person; I can’t bear to see people in such a state. Naturally, my heart softened, and I agreed to take on a few more than planned. At least this way, I’ve given them a chance to earn good money."

Jiang Xu looked over at the maids and noticed that their clothing, grooming, and even their general disposition were all a cut above the average person.

They were certainly in far better shape than the Cultivators who worked in the mines.

Although Yang Shu was probably exaggerating, the reality of the situation likely wasn’t far from what he described.

Jiang Xu sighed to himself.

’It just goes to show, in a society with such low productivity, it’s nearly impossible for the poor and downtrodden to change their lives, unless they can latch onto someone powerful.’

Everyone took their seats.

Jiang Xu used the Spiritual Eye Technique to inspect the food before him, but a careful examination revealed nothing out of the ordinary.

However, he was surprised to discover the meal radiating a faint Spiritual Qi. It didn’t seem to be a mortal creation.

Just then, Yang Shu, having taken the host’s seat, saw the astonishment in everyone’s eyes as they looked at the food. He laughed heartily and said,

"So, what do you think? Not a bad banquet I’ve prepared, eh? This is Tier One Spiritual Food I bought specially from the Spiritual Food Shop in the Marketplace. It cost me a hefty sum of Spirit Stones, I’ll have you know!

But as long as all of you are satisfied, then my Spirit Stones weren’t spent in vain!"

Spiritual Food was one of the Hundred Skills of Cultivation.

A Spiritual Food Master of a high Realm could even have a status comparable to an Alchemist of the same level.

A country bumpkin like Jiang Xu had, of course, never encountered such a thing.

However, he reined in his curiosity and quietly observed the others.

With her high status and vast wealth, Yan Chunyu was naturally unfazed by the Spiritual Food before her.

She asked bluntly, 𝓯𝓻𝓮𝙚𝙬𝓮𝙗𝒏𝙤𝒗𝙚𝙡.𝒄𝒐𝓶

"Steward Yang, can you now tell us the full story behind this incident?"

Yang Shu’s smile vanished. His expression turned serious as he said,

"It all started seven days ago."

"That day, I went to the mining area as usual to supervise its operations."

"Before work began, I always did a headcount of our Sect Disciples, but I discovered that three of them were missing."

"Of course, I didn’t realize the gravity of the situation at first. I just assumed they might have overslept or gotten the time wrong, so I didn’t think much of it. Nothing major ever happens in the mining area, so I figured it was fine if they were a little late."

"But they still hadn’t appeared by noon. That’s when I found it strange, as nothing like this had ever happened before. So, I went to look for them."

"I couldn’t find them in the disciples’ living quarters. I then searched the mine tunnels, but still no luck. Finally, I scoured the entire mining area and its surroundings three times, even having the other disciples join the search, but there was still no trace of those three."

"It was then that I got a bad feeling something was wrong, so I immediately reported it to the Sect and requested assistance."

After listening to the story, Yan Chunyu, Zong Ziqi, and Jiang Xu all felt something was off, though they couldn’t put their finger on it. They furrowed their brows, lost in thought.

Only Shan Lanlan had started eating, and after the first bite, she couldn’t stop.

As for Ding Shiping, his face remained expressionless, like a mask, making it impossible to know what he was thinking.

"Were there no warning signs before the three of them disappeared? Did they just vanish for no reason at all?"

Yan Chunyu asked after a moment of thought.

"Warning signs?"

Yang Shu looked troubled upon hearing her question. He racked his brain for a good while before finally saying,

"Among the three who went missing, there was one named Jiang Zhuo. Not long after arriving at the mining area, he broke through to the Qi Cultivation Fourth Layer, reaching the Qi Cultivation Middle Stage. He had met the Sect’s requirements and was actually eligible to return.

However, it seems there was some kind of snag. Perhaps he offended someone in the Sect, because he was never able to go back.

Sometimes, when he was bored and drinking with a few others in the mining area, he seemed... he seemed to have said something about how the Profound Origin Sect was no good, how the hierarchy was too oppressive, and how it couldn’t compare to the Celestial Blade Sect."

"The Celestial Blade Sect?"

Yan Chunyu murmured the name, lost in thought.

"You’ve been in charge of this mining area for a long time, after all. So, Steward Yang, in your estimation, do you think those disciples met with foul play, or did something else happen to them?"