Chapter 15 Really Digging?

Hu Ma's words startled everyone present.

This valley had just been through a major upheaval. Many bodies remained uncollected, and the ground was covered with layers of dead Gu worms. Even though they appeared lifeless, they were still unsettling to look at.

All of this was caused by people trying to open the mysterious mine and obtain what was inside...

But Hu Ma simply asked them to sit down and inquired about what had happened when Zhuang Erchang was mining previously. With Zhuang Erchang gone and his two apprentices dead, the miners had no leader, so they answered whatever he asked.

Zhou Datong, ever diligent, immediately fetched two shovels, spat into his palms, rubbed them together, and looked eager to try.

"Besides, having this spooky thing in the mine for too long will make everyone uneasy, right?"

"Moreover, now that this thing is here, who knows what other things might be attracted to it once word gets out, causing more trouble?"

It was said that these flesh-cutters claimed that Zhuang Erchang first surrounded the mine with red cloth to prevent ordinary miners from seeing the activity inside.

Hu Ma suddenly hardened his heart and completely retreated from the mine. He reached out his hand and whispered, "Quick, grab your weapons!"

Even Zhou Datong, Zhou Liang, Zhao Zhu, and the others remained silent for a while. Although they had been in the Blood Food Society for two years, they had actually been responsible for escorting shipments at the manor and did not know much about the mine. Now that they were closer, they inevitably felt fear.

Everyone then reacted, hurriedly grabbing their knives, guns, and forks, and clutching them tightly in their arms.

The wooden frame was pulled out, and dust filled the air. Looking inside, they saw a dark, bottomless black rock hole.

"Our valley has dead people and Gu worms. Let's clean it up first. After all, this is a Blood Food Mine, and there are already many spooky things. If we open this Blood Food Mine and evil energy comes out, and it gets on these dead people and Gu worms, that would be very troublesome."

With the decision made, and with a nagging suspicion in his heart, he immediately began preparations.

To the miners' surprise, Hu Ma and his people did not force any of them to go in. They became curious and followed along, watching from a distance.

"Hoo!"

Everyone had been tense all night. Even if they hadn't helped much, they were still highly stressed and their stomachs were empty. They had to have a good meal before opening the mine.

But none of them were particularly brilliant...

"Forget it, you all stay here and guard, I'll go!"

Mainly by following Hu Ma, they ate well, dressed well, and learned real skills. Hu Ma usually didn't take them on real adventures. In the hearts of the young men in the寨zi, it was as if they owed him an intangible debt.

"If he can solve it, then as an Entrusted Watchman, there's no reason I can't solve it."

When faced with danger, they were afraid, but they also intended to bite the bullet.

Just as everyone was itching to get started, Old Suanpan, who had been lost in thought, suddenly said, "What Shopkeeper Hu said is right, it's necessary to open it up and see, but we have to be fully prepared."

They were people with owners, and maybe someone would come to claim the bodies. Collecting them now would make it easier to talk later.

They vaguely heard "thump" and "thump" sounds inside, as if some heavy, barbaric force was hitting the stone walls, like a trapped beast trying to break free.

They exchanged glances and confirmed that it wasn't their imagination. There was something inside the mine, approaching step by step.

Hu Ma took off his outer robe and told them something. He then rushed to the entrance of the cave. Everyone was shocked and wanted to stop him, but he waved his hand, indicating that they didn't need to say anything. He entered this mine because he wanted to confirm a suspicion in his heart, so of course he had to go.

Everyone thought it made sense.

Hu Ma watched and felt it was bizarre. He felt that Old Suanpan knew a lot of things, and seemed to be using methods from all walks of life.

Even Xiao Hongtang reacted, remembering that when Hu Ma took her out earlier, he had told her to bring the red lantern. With a whoosh, she ran over, grabbed the red lantern hanging on the archway, and picked up the serrated knife, squeezing into the crowd.

However, seeing that Hu Ma had really torn off the red cloth, seemingly intending to dig out the things inside the mine, the flesh-cutters were all afraid, fearing that Hu Ma and his people would force them to enter the strange and unknown mine to explore the way.

"Moreover, he must have guessed what's inside this mine, knowing that he can't swallow it, and it's even difficult to transport it, so he simply passed the news to his master, which is tantamount to selling this treasure to Yiqian Sect..."

Everyone couldn't help but shudder in their hearts, looking at each other, feeling inexplicably uneasy.

The serrated knife was thrown to Hu Ma first, and then she stood on tiptoe and stuffed the red lantern's bamboo pole into Hu Ma's hand, but Hu Ma glanced at it and waved his hand:

"Get something useful!"

"..."

"Listen to Brother Ma."

Zhao Zhu immediately said, "You stay here and guard, I'll go."

(This section is garbled data and will be omitted)

Their hearts suddenly trembled, and a sense of inexplicable panic emerged from the bottom of their hearts. Many people subconsciously felt their legs weaken, and when they took a breath, they felt their bodies tremble violently.

They were each holding a large bowl, but they were not in the mood to eat. While they were struggling inwardly, Hu Ma really came over, startling a group of them to stand up quickly, their legs shaking.

Most of the bodies of the Wu people were gnawed by Gu worms, making them difficult to collect. Moreover, it was estimated that no one would come to collect them, and they had many worms on them, so no one dared to touch them. They were all piled together, prepared with enough dry firewood, and burned in a fire.

"That Zhuang surname mine head, is also not so honest."

Hu Ma listened carefully, and had a number. What Zhuang Erchang said at the beginning, was also half true and half false.

"There's something inside?"

However, regardless of whether Old Suanpan's arrangement was brilliant or not, it reassured everyone a lot. They exchanged glances, went straight up, tore off the red cloth outside the mine, and dismantled the wooden frame.

These dead people and Gu worms, even in normal times, would be difficult to guarantee not to cause evil incidents. Once they were contaminated with the evil energy in the Blood Food Mine, it would be even more unsafe. Cleaning them up was the only way to feel at ease.

The old miner who went in, came out with only half a person was true, his eldest apprentice wearing rune armor, drilled in, and when he came out, he became a bloody man, evil and strange, and finally drilled in again was also true, but Zhuang Erchang directly sealed the mine, was false.

"Hua!"

Feeling the pressure in the hearts of everyone around him, Hu Ma exhaled and whispered, "He said he didn't understand, but he actually saw what's inside this mine, he was just fooling us with words."

Of course, although Hu Ma had decided to open the mine, he was not careless. He listened to Old Suanpan's suggestion, not only cleaned up the corpses and Gu worms in the valley, but also set up an incense table, and placed steamed buns and fatty chicken as offerings.

But because of the patrols these days, Hu Ma also promised them that he would pay them wages. Now that the wages hadn't been calculated, they didn't dare to really run away.

So he hurriedly made arrangements, and even Old Suanpan persuaded himself to come over and direct the help.

He also took out ten jars from the warehouse, all covered with talismans written by Old Suanpan dipped in Tai Sui blood, messy and illegible, and then placed them in a semi-circle around the mine entrance, every three steps apart.

Incidents often happened in the Blood Food Mine, and coffins were always prepared. Zhuang Erchang's two apprentices, as well as the people who followed Entrusted Watchman Sun and the Yiqian Sect Dharma King, were collected one by one, and incense was burned for them.

Many people even exchanged glances, considering whether they could escape now that there were no Wu people outside.

So he hurriedly arranged things. Even Old Suanpan persuaded himself to come and help direct.

He also wrapped sharpened wood with hair cut from the heads of dead Wu people, divided them into seven parts, dug pits and buried them, aiming at the mine entrance.

"Don't worry..."

A cold, dark wind, accompanied by the fresh smell of blood, slowly came out from the depths of the mine.

But just as Hu Ma, in everyone's worried eyes, lifted his robe, tucked it into his waist, and hunched over, preparing to drill into the mine.

"..."

Zhou Liang said, "Yes, Zhu go!"

Xiao Hongtang was stunned for a moment, put the red lantern on the ground, opened her small basket, and took out a piece of Five Evil God Bone for him.

(End of chapter)