Immortals and Demons Forever

Chapter 36: He Took the Bait

That day, Cao Shang did not show up. Su Mu and the others weren’t in a hurry; if three days passed without a response, then there would be a problem. Since they’d devised and executed this plan, they were betting that someone as cunning and sly as Cao Shang would lose his composure and walk right into the trap. Many smart people are like that—they analyze others’ situations with great clarity, but when it comes to their own affairs, they lose the composure they usually maintain. This is probably what they mean by “the bystander sees things more clearly.” Su Mu had nothing to do while staying in the Heavy Industry Zone, and the day seemed to drag on a bit. Since he wasn’t restricted, he slipped out to wander around and take a look. Apart from the few people he’d befriended in the Heavy Industry Zone, the only person he was on good terms with here was Old Blackhead. With that in mind, he made his way to where he’d been working before. He walked over to take a look, but Old Blackhead wasn’t there. What’s going on? Could he have been transferred somewhere else again? After all, he was just an old miner who worked diligently; his family was poor, and he was working so hard just to support them—it wasn’t easy. It was because of Su Mu’s arrival that he’d been dragged into this; whenever the Supervision Team went after Su Mu, they’d drag him into it as well. Come to think of it, he was the most innocent of them all. “Where’s Old Blackhead? Why isn’t he here? Is he off today?” Su Mu asked one of the miners working there. “Oh, it’s the young master from Lingxiao Sect! Don’t you know yet? Old Blackhead’s already gone!” The speaker was Dapeng. Old Blackhead had asked him about Su Mu when he was transferred here, so Su Mu had a vague memory of him and recognized him at a glance. “Gone? He’s not working here anymore?” “No, Old Blackhead had a tuberculosis relapse. He died suddenly—he’s passed away.” “What did you say?!” “It was so sudden. But Old Blackhead’s cough had been getting worse and worse these past few years, and his health was declining day by day. Ah, life is truly unpredictable.” He’s dead?! A flood of thoughts rushed through Su Mu’s mind. When he’d left the Heavy Industry Zone, Old Blackhead had been in pretty good shape—there hadn’t been any serious issues at all. Something’s wrong—something’s very wrong! “Did he suddenly have a seizure while he was working? Did any of you see it happen?” “No one did. The Supervision Team notified us. We heard Old Blackhead had been transferred back from the Heavy Machinery Zone, but he was called away on an urgent matter partway through, and then…” Su Mu turned and walked away, his expression darkening. He was definitely killed by the Supervision Team. They called Old Blackhead away—obviously to pry information out of him about themselves. But what could Old Blackhead possibly know? He knew nothing at all. Given the nature of Song Dachui and his crew, he was bound to be beaten. If it had been an outer-sect disciple, taking a few blows wouldn’t have been a big deal, but he was just an elderly miner with no cultivation whatsoever—how could he possibly withstand it? And just like that, he was beaten to death! That’s definitely what happened! Su Mu rushed out of the mine shaft in one breath, returned to camp, and headed straight for Song Dachui’s quarters. As he drew closer to the three-story stone building, Su Mu was seething with murderous intent. The rage burning inside him was so intense that if he didn’t vent it, he feared he’d go mad from bottling it up. Should he just storm in and start a fight? He knew he was acting a bit impulsively right now and could choose not to fight, but he at least wanted to see this Song Dachui—the man who was determined to bring him down—face to face. He hadn’t even met him in person yet. He’d just treat this as an uninvited visit! Su Mu strode forward with long, confident strides when suddenly the door of the stone building swung open, and a tall, thin man with a hooked nose stepped out briskly. Cao Shang！ Although Su Mu had never met him before, he’d heard descriptions of the man’s appearance from his companions, so he recognized him easily. The rush of blood to his head instantly subsided. Was he here to negotiate with Zhong Da? Su Mu had a strong hunch that this was the case, so he immediately hid behind a wall and quietly peeked out to observe. Cao Shang was alone; he was clearly leaving the camp to head for the mine. This man was the mastermind of the Supervision Team; he was very particular about cleanliness and never went down into the mine unless it was absolutely necessary. Su Mu immediately realized that if he rashly stormed into Song Dachui’s home, it might well derail the rest of the plan. He absolutely had to avenge Old Blackhead’s death, but he couldn’t act impulsively now—if he jeopardized the bigger picture, all the effort from last night would be for nothing. With that in mind, he quietly backed away and followed him all the way until Cao Shang left the camp and was indeed heading for the mine. Overjoyed, he strolled back to his quarters in the camp—that dilapidated, musty room. Inside, everything was just as he’d left it. Just as he was about to head out— “You little brat, do you think you’re too good for this? How many times have I told you? You’re supposed to hand over five Source Stones to me every day. Everyone in this area knows the damn rule—are you the only one who doesn’t?” A rough, gruff voice erupted in a loud tirade. Su Mu naturally heard it; it sounded like it wasn’t very far away. “Screw him! People like that won’t learn their lesson unless you teach them a lesson!” “You’d better crawl back to that moldy doghouse, you new kid. You know you’ve got to pay your respects and suck up to the Supervision Team—but don’t think you can mess with us senior disciples who’ve been here longer than you, got it?” It sounded like three or four people were beating up one guy. Su Mu didn’t want to get involved, but the guy getting beaten up was a newcomer—one of the nine who’d arrived in the same batch as him. Su Mu stepped outside to see who was getting beaten up. If they were the kind who looked like trouble, he wouldn’t get involved; otherwise, he’d lend a hand if he could. These guys were bullying the newcomer like that, acting all high and mighty as if they were senior members—but Su Mu was a newcomer himself. What kind of skill is it to bully the weak and fear the strong? He’d heard from Zhong Da about some of the unwritten rules here. New outer-sect disciples were assigned to different places; the lucky ones just had to work hard and diligently, while the unlucky ones ended up in places with bullies. Though they weren’t like Zhong Da—who supervised without doing any work himself—they could still bully the newcomers. The newcomers had to hand over a few of the Source Stones they mined, so the bullies could do less work. Such despicable practices were all too common here. Those who were once bullied, after enduring for years and becoming “veterans,” would follow suit when newcomers arrived. As a result, this bad habit has persisted, and the Supervision Team turns a blind eye to it. Those who dare to act like bullies aren’t stupid; they know how to curry favor with the Supervision Team so they can do as they please.