Chapter 193: Through the mountain range.
The group continued west for two more days until they arrived at a small town next to a mountain range. It was mostly inhabited by miner families, who worked in the silver mines found deep in the mountains.
At first Lee found it surprising the elemental lord had his hideout here, but it turned out only to be a short stop.
Since he was the only one capable of moving freely, Lee was tasked to get enough provisions to last them for a couple of days as well as large stack of torches. After he brought everything under the cover of the night, the group didn’t even have a snack, but directly proceeded towards mountains.
This time it was obvious that Shade knew the area like the back of his hand. In the darkness he expertly guided them for several miles until they arrived at abandoned mine, and after they entered the tunnel, and walked for hundred or so yards, everyone finally could have their first decent meal in days.
While Shade and his bosses discussed whether they were finally safe from the Sect Master Wang’s spying skill, Lee pondered about the implications of the guy’s familiarity with the region. One could think this might’ve been a place where he had lived, but all discussions indicated it was not the case.
These people were far from being simple and apparently their goal was a larger city on the other side of the mountain range, further to the west. Unfortunately, the discussion didn’t last very long, and it was decided to finally get a good night’s sleep.
All four were exhausted and all four had difficulty to relax with their eyes closed – Lee, of course, for different reasons than his companions. In the end, they all passed out, except for Lee.
He wasn’t shackled and used the opportunity to cultivate while pretending to be asleep. It was much more effective to recover strength this way, and he meditated until Shade woke everyone up.
Inside the tunnel was dark and no one had a clue what time of the day it was, but it didn’t matter. Shade led the way deeper in the mountain, and after hundred or so yards, they arrived at the end of the tunnel.