Chapter 16 : Chapter 16
Chapter 16 - Encounter with a Cave Spider
Lin Zhi touched his forehead. There was nothing unusual about it. After the talisman paper entered his body, it had vanished without a trace.
Under the little girl’s reluctant gaze, Lin Zhi returned to his room. After closing the doors and windows, he comfortably soaked in a hot bath. The exhaustion covering his body immediately faded by quite a bit.
Feeling refreshed, Lin Zhi took out the wine he had not finished earlier. Sitting on the bed, he drank while cultivating, feeling extremely content.
As for his current situation, Lin Zhi was not completely free of worry. However, he understood that instead of fretting excessively over things that had not yet happened, it was better to grasp the present.
Even now, Lin Zhi still did not have a clear concept of cultivation. On one hand, he had only just begun to experience this mysterious practice, making it feel like trying to see flowers through mist.
On the other hand, what Lin Hua had taught him earlier was merely the most basic method. Although its level was quite high, it could only help Lin Zhi better harmonize with Spiritual Power and strengthen his body. At present, Lin Zhi did not possess a Cultivation Technique capable of increasing his cultivation.
Therefore, in terms of strength, Lin Zhi was no different from an ordinary person. At most, his body was simply stronger and healthier.
Feeling that the injuries on his body were no longer a serious problem, Lin Zhi stopped cultivating. As if relieved of a heavy burden, he lay down on the bed and quickly fell into a deep sleep.
Although cultivators could remain energetic without sleeping, Lin Zhi clearly had not developed the habit of going without sleep. Now that he had a large bed, having a good rest was naturally more important.
Just as Lin Zhi was sleeping soundly, he vaguely heard some movement outside. The moment he opened his eyes, he heard a “knock, knock, knock” at the door.
Lin Zhi hurriedly got up, put on his shoes, and fumbled with the door lock before opening it.
“Sir, Elder Lie has summoned everyone to the entrance of the mine. This is the food Lady Meiyao prepared for you. After you finish eating, please head there as soon as possible.”
Looking up, Lin Zhi saw Xiaolan holding a plate of beast meat and a bowl of porridge made from mixed grains. She spoke to him softly.
Lin Zhi did not stand on ceremony. Like a whirlwind sweeping away fallen leaves, he finished the beast meat in just a couple of bites, then drank the entire bowl of porridge in one gulp. Afterward, he grabbed the equipment distributed yesterday and hurried out.
Around the mine entrance, a massive crowd had already gathered. Yet despite the sea of people, there was complete silence. The Elder Lie whom Lin Zhi had seen yesterday stood imposingly at the front, while Meiyao and several supervisors stood solemnly beside him.
Seeing that the time was nearly right, Elder Lie gently stroked his beard and rose into the air, floating above the crowd.
His deep voice rang out like the toll of a great bell.
“Today is everyone’s first day entering the mine. Each supervisor will follow the groups assigned yesterday. One group at a time will enter the mine.”
As soon as he finished speaking, the previously scattered crowd quickly formed into orderly lines and entered the mine pit in an organized manner.
“The Blackgold Mine is filled with dangers. The deeper you go, the richer the resources within.”
“But I suggest you do not venture too deep. If you truly encounter a demonic beast, you must focus on escaping with your life.”
While descending toward the mine entrance, Meiyao walked gracefully toward Lin Zhi and spoke softly to him.
After saying this, she quietly stood to the side, clearly waiting for everyone to enter the mine.
Lin Zhi had never expected Meiyao to show him such care. Not only had she provided him with food and comfortable lodging, but she had even personally reminded him of the dangers here.
What exactly was this woman plotting?
Lin Zhi pondered this silently.
At this moment, Lin Zhi had already stepped into the cave entrance. Several hundred people crowded inside at once, yet the area still appeared unusually spacious.
Looking deeper inside, Lin Zhi noticed a light formation array. Its range was quite wide, enough to accommodate hundreds of people.
He watched as the people ahead of him disappeared one after another into the light array, and he could not help revealing a look of astonishment.
With a hint of confusion, Lin Zhi stepped onto the light array as well. Instantly, a dazzling white light wrapped tightly around his body.
In the next moment, a powerful wave of dizziness rushed over him like a tide.
Just as the dizziness grew stronger and stronger, Lin Zhi suddenly felt a solid sensation beneath his feet. He knew that he had arrived at the destination.
“This is actually a teleportation array!”
He stood there for a moment. After the dizziness gradually faded, Lin Zhi began carefully observing his surroundings.
The interior of the pit was pitch-black. The only illumination came from the faint glow emitted by the stone in his hand. The mine pit was not large, and its surroundings were enclosed by stone walls mixed with clumps of soil.
There were only a few scattered people around. He did not see Old Master Ji Qingshan or Ji Xueyan. It seemed they had been separated during the teleportation.
So this was the Blackgold Mine pit?
It was vastly different from what Lin Zhi had imagined. For a brief moment, he even suspected that he had been teleported to the wrong place.
Just as Lin Zhi was looking around, a chilling “hiss… hiss…” sound suddenly came from ahead, sending a shiver down his spine.
Lin Zhi quickly raised the glowing stone in his hand and shone it toward the direction of the sound.
In an instant, the stone wall burst apart with a loud crash. A massive spider the size of an adult human broke through the earth.
In the blink of an eye, the spider pounced on the nearest person. Its silk shot out like a nimble serpent, wrapping around the man. Within moments, the man was tightly bound like a sealed cocoon.
Immediately afterward, the spider opened its hideous mouth, revealing a long feeding tube that pierced directly into the man’s body.
In a flash, the man’s flesh and blood were completely drained. His death was horrifying to behold, making Lin Zhi’s scalp tingle with terror.
Panicking, Lin Zhi grabbed the pickaxe in his hand. A spider of this size made him seem as insignificant as an ant.
Without thinking further, he quietly stepped backward, his eyes darting everywhere as he desperately searched for a way to escape.
After draining the man dry, the spider turned its greedy gaze toward the nearest target—Lin Zhi.
Lin Zhi’s heart skipped a beat. Cursing his terrible luck, he turned and sprinted away.
Seeing its “prey” fleeing in panic, the spider flew into a rage. It suddenly spat out more silk, which swept toward Lin Zhi like a vast net cast across the heavens.
As Lin Zhi ran for his life, he wildly swung the pickaxe in his hand, trying to block the incoming silk.
However, the silk was soft as cotton yet tough as steel. Lin Zhi’s efforts were like a mantis trying to stop a chariot—completely useless.
Soon, the silk wrapped around Lin Zhi’s feet like a parasite clinging to bone, pinning him firmly in place.
The silk rapidly spread upward from his feet, binding his arms. In the blink of an eye, Lin Zhi was about to be completely wrapped.
At this critical moment, just as disaster was about to strike—
Suddenly, a dazzling white light flashed, and a figure was teleported into the area.
The moment the figure saw the gruesome scene before them, they did not hesitate. Taking out a whip, the figure lashed it toward the spider with overwhelming force.
Wherever the whip’s shadow passed, the air exploded with a thunderous sonic boom.
BOOM!
The whip struck the spider’s head fiercely.
Green blood splattered everywhere like rain, filling the air with a thick, nauseating stench.
In pain, the spider violently flung Lin Zhi aside as if shocked by electricity. Countless strands of spider silk shot toward the figure from all directions like an inescapable net.
Yet the figure remained calm and composed. The long whip in their hand moved like a lively venomous snake, creating afterimages in the air as it knocked away every strand of silk flying toward them.
Another strike followed.
This time it was completely different.
The whip blazed like burning flames, covered in a fiery red aura. When it struck the spider’s body, a horrifying wound instantly appeared.
After only a few exchanges, the spider collapsed to the ground, its injuries too severe to continue. It no longer breathed.
The figure walked to Lin Zhi’s side and gently peeled away the spider silk binding his body.
Only then did Lin Zhi realize that his savior was actually the alluring and captivating Meiyao.
He opened his mouth, but the words caught in his throat. For a moment, he did not know what to say.
“I truly do not know whether to say your luck is good or bad. The moment you came in, you encountered a Cave Spider with a notorious reputation. Fortunately, I arrived in time.”
Meiyao spoke while slightly panting, her body trembling faintly.
She had originally planned to check on this little brother after arranging everyone else properly. Unexpectedly, the moment she arrived, she ran into Lin Zhi’s crisis.
“Um… thank you, big sister. I will never forget this life-saving grace.”
Regardless of what intentions this voluptuous woman might have toward him, the fact that she had saved his life was undeniably real. Therefore, Lin Zhi sincerely expressed his gratitude.
“Stop talking and leave quickly! That was only a newly born Cave Spider. If the others catch the scent and rush here, even I will have difficulty dealing with them.”
Meiyao said urgently. Her voice seemed to carry a trace of enchanting magic—seductive yet pleasing to the ear.