HMHSE - 27

Everyone was mobilized again.

The mountain rocks were trampled by the relentless footsteps of soldiers, almost ground into dust. Countless branches obscuring the view were hacked away, and nearby peaks seemed nearly flattened by the search efforts.

Shen Rong stood silently beside the mining site, biting her lip. Her fingers occasionally pinched the delicate silk scarf draped over her arm, and her eyes remained fixed on the mining pit for a long while before slowly turning to look at the man beside her.

Shan Zong stood next to her, his black robes solemn, his eyes deep and shadowed, like storm clouds gathering on the horizon.

It had been some time since she last saw him, and now they met under such unexpected circumstances.

Suddenly, his gaze shifted, and he turned to look at her, his eyes resting on her face: “What? Are you worried?”

“No,” Shen Rong immediately denied.

She was merely thinking about the consequences. The Changsun family had come here to earn merit, so there could only be success, no failure. He wouldn’t understand.

Shan Zong knew she had a habit of being stubborn, even if she were truly worried, she wouldn’t admit it.

Shen Rong suddenly asked: “If they’re gone, what will happen to you and me?”

“What else can happen?” Shan Zong said coldly: “A group of convicts locked in the dungeon to fight each other to the death must have committed unforgivable, heinous crimes. If they vanish under our watch, we’ll both lose our heads.”

Shen Rong frowned at him. How could he speak of such a dire situation so lightly?

“Don’t even think about it,” she muttered softly. The people had to be found.

Shan Zong’s sharp ears caught her words, and he glanced at her once more.

He decided against saying anything further, fearing it might scare her.

Hu Eleven and Zhang Wei returned after completing another round of searching.

“Boss, still nothing,” Zhang Wei panted heavily.

Hu Eleven, who had been holding back until now, finally exploded with a curse: “Damn those bastards! They really managed to sneak away!”

Shan Zong fingered the hilt of his sword: “They couldn’t have escaped.” Suddenly, he turned and walked away. “Keep searching!”

Hu Eleven and Zhang Wei were momentarily stunned but quickly followed when they realized he was personally joining the search.

Shen Rong watched Shan Zong’s figure disappear into the distance, pondering his words. Slowly, their meaning dawned on her.

From the moment they entered the mountains, the prisoners had been subjected to grueling labor. Under close supervision, they were lucky to get two or three hours of sleep a night, with all their energy devoted to the work. With such an intense workload, the idea of them executing a seamless escape plan seemed far-fetched. Even if they had devised one, how could such a large group vanish without a trace right under the noses of soldiers spread across the mountain?

But when the news came, it was assumed they had fled, leading her to believe the same.

“Something’s off,” she thought, looking around.

If they couldn’t run, and escape was impossible, then there was only one possibility—

They must still be in the mountains.

She glanced once more at the depths of the mining pit and called out: “Dong Lai!”

Dong Lai hurried forward, already understanding her intent: “Does Young Mistress wish for me to investigate below?”

Shen Rong nodded.

The soldiers who had previously descended had checked multiple times. Below, there was only a short tunnel that had been excavated, along with a few abandoned picks and drills. Nothing else was found.

Based on this description, it certainly sounded like they had fled.

But Shen Rong was growing suspicious.

Dong Lai rolled up his sleeves and swiftly descended into the pit.

In the distance, Hu Eleven’s muffled curses echoed: “Damn it, did these monsters grow wings and fly away?”

Still, nothing was found.

Shen Rong remained calm, pacing near the mining site, lost in thought. She didn’t even notice when her robe snagged on the loose stones beneath her feet.

After waiting for an unknown amount of time, Dong Lai emerged.

He leapt up, his sleeves soaked halfway up.

As soon as Shen Rong saw him, she asked: “Water?”

Dong Lai confirmed, catching his breath: “There’s a pool of water at the bottom of the tunnel, but I don’t know where it came from.”

Zi Rui, standing nearby, glanced at the sky: “But it hasn’t rained. The weather has been clear for days.”

Indeed. Shen Rong lowered her eyes, deep in thought.

Currently, the mining operation employed the room-and-pillar method, carving tunnels into the mountain’s belly and supporting them with sturdy wooden pillars, creating underground chambers akin to subterranean rooms.

This section was no exception. The newly excavated portion was supported by wooden pillars, barely tall enough to crouch through. Since only this segment existed, it was effectively sealed.

If it hadn’t rained, how did water get in? And why was it pooled only at the bottom of the tunnel?

She asked: “Anything else?”

Dong Lai thought carefully: “Where the water pooled, there are signs of excavation, but it wasn’t broken through. I stepped on it, and it felt loose.”

Shen Rong pieced together the clues: water, movement.

Suddenly, something clicked in her mind. She looked up: “The map!”

Zi Rui sprang into action, running over and pulling out the map of the mine site from her sleeve, unfolding it before Shen Rong.

With one finger, Shen Rong traced along the mine site, slowly moving toward the eastern corner.

The eastern corner had a river.

She reached into her sleeve, retrieved the brocade pouch, and pulled out the scroll.

“The mountain’s terrain slopes northward and tilts eastward. After a hundred paces down the slope, there should be a river.”

She murmured these words twice, though the scroll’s language was obscure and difficult to decipher.

Perhaps she had underestimated this mountain. There was surely something extraordinary about it.

Neither Zi Rui nor Dong Lai dared disturb her. Finally, she abruptly said: “Bring the horses.”

…

Shan Zong spurred his horse onto a slope, scanning the surroundings. One hand remained on his sword, his thumb resting on the hilt.

Though his demeanor appeared casual, even somewhat indifferent, everyone knew this stance meant he was ready to strike at any moment.

If those men had truly escaped, retrieving them would mean certain death.

Hu Eleven, steeling himself, approached: “Boss, maybe we should issue a wanted poster across the entire province? We’ve checked the area below countless times. The mountain’s belly hasn’t been fully excavated, and there’s no route for them to escape. The only possibility is that they fled from above.”

While his words made sense, even Hu Eleven couldn’t reconcile it.

Under his and Zhang Wei’s vigilant watch, not even a fly could escape unnoticed, let alone such a large group emerging from the pit and fleeing the mountain.

But their disappearance was a fact. Both he and Zhang Wei would face military punishment unless they spared no effort to capture them. Otherwise, they’d have to offer their heads in penance.

Shan Zong said: “I told you, they couldn’t have escaped. If they intended to abandon those four hostages, they could have done so much earlier.”

Hu Eleven wondered how to proceed, scratching his head in frustration.

Beside him, Zhang Wei’s face was grim, his anxiety palpable.

Shan Zong surveyed the surroundings, about to move to the next peak, when suddenly a distant figure galloped through the forest, approaching like a swift breeze.

It was Shen Rong.

The mountain path was uneven, but she rode fast, her chest rising and falling slightly. After a moment’s pause, she looked at Shan Zong and said: “They’re still in the mountain.”

“What?” Hu Eleven wiped the sweat from his forehead, utterly confused. Interrupting, he blurted: “Still in the mountain? How is that possible? This mountain doesn’t eat people. How could it swallow them whole without a trace?”

Shen Rong scanned the area, her gaze sharpening. With a faint humph, she declared: “Even if it could eat people, it would have to spit them back out. I refuse to believe there’s a mountain bold enough to defy me!”

With that, she spurred her horse forward.

Hu Eleven and Zhang Wei exchanged bewildered glances, completely unsure of what she meant.

Shan Zong’s gaze followed her departure. Then, tightening the reins, he spurred his horse after her.

The horse ascended a high slope, and Shen Rong halted.

Shan Zong arrived on horseback, followed by a vast contingent of soldiers from the military post.

When he stopped, the soldiers behind him halted as well.

Then Shan Zong saw Shen Rong lower her head and retrieve a scroll from her sleeve.

He recognized it—the Book of Feminine Virtues .

Sitting atop her horse, Shen Rong carefully examined the scroll, then raised her head to survey the surrounding ridges.

Hu Eleven and Zhang Wei also followed, along with Zi Rui and Dong Lai from a distance.

Everyone was perplexed. Zhang Wei glanced at Hu Eleven, who was equally baffled.

What was Lady Jin doing, reading a book at a time like this?

Shen Rong was engrossed, her lips moving faintly as she scanned the ridges. Her dark, luminous eyes shimmered, reflecting light like pearls.

She was deducing their location.

Hu Eleven, growing increasingly anxious, almost couldn’t resist urging her. Just as he opened his mouth, a hand shot up ahead, silencing him instantly.

It was Shan Zong.

He had been watching her intently from atop his horse, his eyes never leaving her.

At this moment, Changsun Shen Rong was markedly different from her usual self, as if transformed. Her focus was solely on the book in her hands and the surrounding mountains, oblivious to everything else.

Finally, Shen Rong lowered the hand holding the book.

The descriptions of Wangji Mountain in the scroll were ambiguous, with many cryptic passages, some of which even she couldn’t fully understand.

That’s why she hadn’t anticipated finding gold here.

Now, however, she was certain—it was no ordinary place.

Given her understanding of the scroll, only useful information would be recorded. Therefore, the specific mention of the river in the eastern corner likely wasn’t just a simple geographical marker.

The tunnels hadn’t been fully excavated, yet water had already appeared—not from the sky, but likely from within the mountain itself.

Dong Lai had reported that the spot where they chiseled the pooling water had become loose. Perhaps the opposite was true.

There might be a hollow passage within the mountain, directly connected to the riverbank in the eastern corner, possibly somewhere beneath the mining site. Previously unexcavated, the stable airflow kept it silent and undisturbed.

But they had chiseled the wrong spot, disrupting the airflow and causing a sudden rush of water to surge upward, propelling through the hollow.

Once the surge subsided, even if the displaced rocks settled back, they would remain loose, leaving behind only a pool of water.

Such geothermal winds were extremely rare, typically found only in vast mountain ranges linked to underground rivers. She had only read about them in books, never encountered one in person.

Of course, she had never undertaken such a large-scale mining operation before.

Thus, they hadn’t escaped. On the contrary, they were likely trapped.

Shen Rong raised a hand, pointing to various mountains in the vicinity. Her eyes scanned the riverbank in the eastern corner, and after careful deliberation, her finger finally landed on a spot: “There.”

Shan Zong immediately asked: “What’s there?”

She replied: “The people are there.”

The scene fell silent, the air thick with unease. Such a bold claim seemed preposterous.

Shan Zong studied her for a moment, then abruptly drew his sword and spurred his horse toward the indicated direction.

Despite their confusion, Hu Eleven and Zhang Wei hastily led their men to follow.

The long, winding ridges of Wangji Mountain sloped downward, meeting the riverbank in the eastern corner.

Between the riverbank and the mountain range lay a sunken depression, several zhang in diameter, overgrown with weeds.

Such uneven terrain was common in the mountains, seemingly unremarkable.

Yet this was precisely where Shen Rong pointed.

Hu Eleven and Zhang Wei inspected the area repeatedly, then turned back to ask: “How could anyone possibly be here?”

Shan Zong swept his gaze across the surroundings. The weeds in one area were bent uniformly to one side, as if washed away, and beside it, the earthen cliffside revealed a fist-sized opening.

Leaping down from his horse, he strode forward with his sword, hacking away the weeds with a few strikes and kicking the opening.

A loud rumble erupted as the opening collapsed, revealing water flowing out—and even a gust of wind.

Hu Eleven and Zhang Wei rushed over, peering inside. Their eyes widened in astonishment.

Everyone assumed this side of the cliff was solid or perhaps contained a cave.

But inside, it resembled a massive jar filled with muddy marshland, similar to the quagmire they had previously used against the invaders beyond the passes.

Sharp rocks jutted out, and clinging tightly to them were people—like beasts or monsters. Chains entangled them, one pulling another. Some were half-submerged in mud, others clung above, resembling bats, lest they fall entirely.

Had they not been deliberately searching, it would have been nearly impossible to discern human forms.

Hu Eleven was speechless. Something must have happened in the tunnel, causing one of the group to be swept away. The others, either trying to rescue them or pulling each other, ended up falling here one after another.

But he couldn’t fathom how they ended up here. The tunnel appeared completely normal.

In that instant, light poured through the opening.

The person on the edge bared a mouthful of sharp teeth, hoarsely rasping with exhaustion: “You didn’t expect us to still be alive, did you, Shan?”

It was Unsinned Five.

Shan Zong stood at the opening, scanning the scene with a cold smirk, tapping the tip of his sword: “Consider yourselves lucky to live a few more days. Bring them out!”

Zhang Wei nudged the dazed Hu Eleven, snapping him out of his stupor. He quickly complied.

By the time Dong Lai arrived, the group was already being brought out one by one.

Soldiers fetched water from the eastern river, pouring it generously over them. Mud flowed everywhere.

Someone began checking their identification tags one by one.

Dong Lai unfolded the map of the mine site once more, showing it to them: “You chiseled the wrong spot. Look carefully next time, or you won’t be so fortunate.”

This was Shen Rong’s instruction.

The group remained silent, even their eerie sounds suppressed, unable to utter a word.

This sudden calamity had drained them of all strength. Whatever remnants remained were swept away by the biting cold wind. Now, perhaps only their eyes could still move.

…

When Shan Zong spurred his horse back, the mountain seemed slightly brighter.

The sun hung high in the sky, and time seemed to have slipped by unnoticed.

Midway through his ride, he stopped, changed direction, and headed toward where Shen Rong had been standing earlier.

She was still there, just finishing putting the scroll back into its brocade pouch and tucking it into her sleeve.

Shan Zong, carrying his sword, walked step by step to the base of the slope.

She turned her head and looked at him: “Did you find them?”

Shan Zong nodded: “Not a single one missing.” Then he asked: “How did you find them?”

Shen Rong exhaled softly, a smile spreading across her face. She glanced briefly at him and gazed distantly at Wangji Mountain: “I told you, no mountain dares defy me.”

The mountain wind howled past, swaying the surrounding tree shadows. She stood tall against the wind, her cloak billowing and her silk scarf fluttering like a dragon by her side.

Shan Zong had never seen her so spirited. The surrounding mountains seemed to embrace her, the rushing river bowing in submission.

A fleeting glimpse, dazzling as dew and lightning.

Hu Eleven finally finished his tasks and approached, seeing him standing at the foot of the slope. Unable to contain his curiosity, he quietly moved behind him and asked: “Boss, what are you looking at?”

Shan Zong murmured softly: “The sun.”

“The sun? What’s so fascinating about it?” Hu Eleven muttered, tilting his head to look, then quickly shielded his eyes: “Tsk, it’s blinding!”

The corner of Shan Zong’s mouth lifted slightly as he squinted at her figure: “Indeed.”

Too dazzling.