CHAPTER 33: CHAPTER 33: DARK CRYSTAL MINE AREA_1

However, despite all that, these miners still took delight in their job and never shied away from their laborious tasks.

All of them were peripheral members of Cultivating Families who didn’t have the Talent for cultivation. They were of low status, and there was no path to immortality for them.

If they worked as miners here long enough, Riverside Sect would provide them with some rewards. Although these rewards might not land them on the path of cultivation, at least what they earned would allow them to climb the social ladder once they returned to the secular world.

That’s why people like Shen Mo needed to only ensure the safety of these miners. They needn’t worry about anyone running away. After all, they were here by their own volition and not forced labor.

After showing their faces to these miners, they dismissed everyone, letting them continue to excavate inside the mine. The three of them, on the other hand, took up residence in the special cave mansion designated for overseeing the mining area.

The cave mansion here was quite large, covering more than ten acres. The environment was pleasant and the decor excellent. In fact, it was no less impressive than the cave mansions of the Inner Door disciples within the Sect. The only drawback was that there was no Spirit Vein to enhance it, thus they could not immerse themselves in an environment rich in Spiritual Qi all day. Consequently, to cultivate here wouldn’t be as effective as in an Inner Door cave mansion.

"For the next two months, this will be our place of rest and guard," Guo Zhao proposed after taking a look around. "Let’s make a meal first. After such a long journey, everyone is hungry."

Though they were Qi Gathering cultivators, they were not able to achieve Fasting completely, still requiring them to eat and drink. At this moment, after traveling such a distance, they were already ravenously hungry.

The cave mansion here also came with a kitchen. There were quite a lot of ingredients in it, none of which were leftovers from previous disciples who had guarded the place. Every few days, someone would deliver food supplies.

Shen Mo volunteered to be the cook and prepared an abundant feast. Aside from stir-fries, he remembered that he still had some Double-headed Silver Ring Python meat in his Universe Bag. So, he used some barbecue seasonings to prepare a barbecue feast.

"The aroma of Junior Brother Shen’s barbecue is absolutely mouthwatering," Guo Zhao couldn’t help but exclaim when the barbecued python meat was served.

"Indeed, it’s not bad," Chen Mengze couldn’t help but nod in approval.

"The flavor is extraordinary. It’s certainly worth the indulgence!"

They soon started eating. Once they tasted the flavor of the barbecue, they enjoyed their meal even more. Guo Zhao, on his own initiative, took out a few jars of wine from his Universe Bag, offering them to Shen Mo and Chen Mengze to drink to their heart’s content.

"I won’t drink. I’m going to patrol the mine area tonight." Chen Mengze declined the wine. However, Shen Mo readily accepted it.

GULP!

He took a big gulp and felt extremely comfortable. The wine Guo Zhao took out had a deep and lingering fragrance. It didn’t feel fiery or stinging when drinking, but rather a peculiar and mellow flavor with an infinitely lingering taste.

"[You’ve taken a sip of the Dark Blue Spiritual Wine, your cultivation has slightly increased.]"

Shen Mo was rather astonished when the message on his info panel popped up. This wine could even improve cultivation?

"Senior Brother Guo, is this wine a spiritual wine?"

"Yes, you’re correct." Guo Zhao affirmed with a nod, "This wine is brewed using top-grade dark blue spiritual rice. The brewing process is intricate, which is why it’s quite precious. Drinking it not only offers a sweet taste but also enhances one’s cultivation."

No wonder he comes from a prestigious Cultivating Family. They really do have such good stuff. When he heard this, he then realized how precious this wine was. He no longer gulped down the wine. Instead, he savored the flavor of the Dark Blue spiritual wine, letting the liquor linger on his tongue.

As the drinks kept coming, the more Shen Mo drank, the brighter his eyes shone. Drinking wine that could increase his cultivation seemed far more enticing than gulping down pills, didn’t it? Shen Mo was secretly envious in his heart.

In the future, once I am promoted to the Inner Door and have my own independent cave mansion, I also plan to grow some Spirit Fruit and spiritual rice, brew spiritual wine, and make spiritual tea for daily use. He was thinking to himself.

"You guys go ahead and eat, I’m full." After finishing her meal, Chen Mengze said, "I’m going to start the night patrol now." With that, she picked up her sword that was resting on the stone table and left the Guard Cave.

Seeing her leave, Guo Zhao finally cast aside his reservations. He picked up two jars of wine, moved closer, and started discussing topics he had long wanted to ask Shen Mo.

"Junior Brother Shen, are you and Junior Sister Chen close?"

"Quite close, I suppose." Shen Mo thought for a bit and replied earnestly, "We grew up together; she’s like a childhood playmate. Senior Sister Chen’s father treats me like a son. He even had intentions of matchmaking me with Senior Sister Chen."

Matchmake... Hearing this, Guo Zhao’s face changed abruptly, and he seemed a bit nervous.

"However, I don’t have any romantic feelings for Senior Sister Chen, and she feels the same way about me."

Shen Mo’s next sentence made him breathe a sigh of relief.

"That’s great, that’s great!" Guo Zhao was overjoyed, slapping Shen Mo’s shoulder vigorously to express his delight.

This Senior Brother Guo, he seems a bit naive... his emotions are all over his face. Shen Mo thought to himself. I don’t know if it’s because he cares too much and it’s clouding his judgment, or if he’s really that straightforward.

"Junior Brother Shen... let me tell you the truth." After hesitating for a moment, Guo Zhao gritted his teeth and said straight out, "What you may not know, is that... I’ve been secretly admiring and harboring feelings for Junior Sister Chen."

Shen Mo: "..."

Even a blind person could tell from your nervous expression. He secretly snarked in his heart, but still put on a shocked look on his face.

"Really?!"

"Since you have a close relationship with Senior Sister Chen but don’t have romantic feelings for her, I hope you can help me, Junior Brother Shen. If I manage to become Senior Sister Chen’s Dao companion, I will be faithful to her and never leave her."

"Help you? What should I do?"

"To be honest, this guarding mission in the mining area was an opportunity I specifically sought. I initially hoped to spend some alone time with Junior Sister Chen, to create an opportunity and deepen our relationship, but... I didn’t expect her to bring you along..."

"Senior Brother Guo, you can rest assured. During this period, I won’t interrupt you two. I’ll just stay in my room refining pills and forging equipment." He straightforwardly clarified his stance.

Chen Mengze hadn’t even consulted him and had directly dragged him along as a shield. He felt no obligation to act as the scapegoat in Chen Mengze’s plan, attracting trouble. Doing so would easily offend this well-connected Senior Brother Guo.

"That’s great, that’s great!" Seeing him so cooperative, Guo Zhao was overjoyed again. "Brother Shen, rest assured, if I succeed, I will surely thank you with a generous gift!"

Within a few short sentences, Guo Zhao became much warmer than before, his address changing from ’Junior Brother Shen’ to ’Brother Shen’.

A generous gift? Shen Mo’s interest was piqued. "Senior Brother Guo, what kind of generous gift are you referring to?"

"As long as Brother Shen is willing to cooperate, I am willing to give you a low-grade profound level Dragon Sparrow Sword that I personally forged as a reward."

A low-grade profound level Flying Sword? Upon hearing this, Shen Mo was delighted. This reward was quite substantial. If he were to buy a low-grade profound level weapon from the Market, it would cost at least eighty Spirit Stones. Indeed, that could be considered a generous gift. No wonder the young master of a prestigious family was so generous.

However, Shen Mo’s attention quickly shifted to another detail. "Personally forged? So Senior Brother Guo also knows Artifact Refining?"