Eternal Life as False Emperor

Zheng Yi laughed heartily, "Don’t worry, Elder Chen, I’ve got it under control."

The old man was worried that his youthful bravado would flare up if that guy named Zhao Qing insulted him, leading to a fight.

In the end, no matter who won or lost, it would be him who would suffer.

When the two of them arrived at the village entrance with tools in hand, around twenty people were already waiting there.

The ages ranged from over forty to possibly just seventeen or eighteen.

Yet, whether old or young, all had dark skin and thin bodies.

Moreover, Zheng Yi noticed that every single one of them was a cultivator, without exception.

The more powerful ones were like Elder Chen, with a strength level of about middle-stage Qi Cultivation.

The weakest among them were still genuine cultivators in the Qi Cultivation Stage.

In other words, anyone from here placed in the Great Yu Immortal Dynasty would be considered quite formidable.

But in this Cangyan Realm, they were just a group of miners struggling to get enough to eat.

The people looked at Elder Chen with expressions of sympathy.

Although their lives weren’t great either, at least the strong laborers in their families were around, and no matter how tough things were, they could barely manage.

But in Elder Chen’s family, only he and his grandson were left. Despite this, the tasks the Zhao Family imposed didn’t lessen in the slightest due to their hardship, almost pushing them to their limits.

A man in his forties stepped forward, "Uncle Chen... who’s this young brother?"

Zheng Yi’s appearance clearly showed he hadn’t done much hard labor before, making him stand out among them like a crane among chickens.

Elder Chen told the villagers the identity they had agreed upon earlier.

Though surprised, the others didn’t say much.

In a small village like this, everyone knew each other well. How could someone suddenly appear as a distant relative that no one had seen before?

However, they didn’t inquire further, instead greeting Zheng Yi warmly, as if they were quite familiar.

The man who had approached earlier, named Zhou Shitou, though unassuming in appearance, was the village chief of Riverbend Village.

"Xiaozhou, your uncle’s family’s situation doesn’t need much elaboration, whether they survive this winter depends on you."

"Don’t worry, we won’t stand idly by. Whenever we’re free, we’ll come to lend a hand."

An annoying voice rang out, "Didn’t you see everyone waiting for you? Lingering around, don’t you want to work?"

With that, Zhao Qing kicked a young man to the ground.

The villagers of Riverbend Village were already quite frail, but compared to the young man in front of them, it was like night and day.

As the youth struggled to stand, his arms trembled uncontrollably.

His patched-up clothes hung on him like they were hanging on a clothesline.

His eyes were sunken, and his face was so gaunt it was practically just skin.

"S-sorry, Steward Qing, I’ll work hard," the young man managed to get up, hurrying to apologize to Zhao Qing despite just being kicked.

Zhao Qing sneered disdainfully, "If it weren’t for your father being a scholar and working for the Zhao Family for a few years, trash like you would’ve been fed to the dogs long ago."

"If you dare waste my time again, I’ll break your legs."

As he spoke, Zhao Qing’s gaze landed on Zheng Yi.

It was hard not to notice him among the weary, timid villagers.

Standing there, like a sharp sword, poised and outstanding, Zheng Yi was strikingly noticeable.

"Who are you, and why have I never seen you before?" Zhao Qing asked coldly, eyes dark and brooding.

Mr. Chen quickly smiled apologetically, "Steward Qing, this is my nephew Yuanfang. He’s visiting relatives today."

"He heard about the mining accident last time, and since our task might not be completed, he’s here to help."

"Oh?" Zhao Qing’s eyes shifted, "Kid, is what Old Chen said true?"

Zheng Yi calmed himself, respectfully addressing Zhao Qing, "Sorry for the trouble, Steward Qing."

Though suspicious of Zheng Yi’s origins, to Zhao Qing, having an extra person to work was always good.

As for whether this guy had other intentions, there was no need to worry.

In the entire Cangyan Realm, no one dared challenge the Zhao Family.

"You, I don’t care why you’re here. But you’d better work hard, or I’ll be merciless if I catch you slacking."

Zheng Yi didn’t wait long with the villagers before a line of carts stopped at the village entrance.

The horses pulling the carts were not ordinary; they were clearly a type of spirit beast.

Two horses pulled a dozen large carts, looking like a train from afar.

"Don’t waste time; hurry up and get on the cart," Zhao Qing urged everyone to board eagerly, not waiting for the carts to stop.

Along the way, the cart stopped twice, picking up more people each time.

Each cart essentially carried the villagers from one village.

After boarding all the villagers, the cart’s speed gradually increased.

Even though the roads were dirt paths and not in great condition, the ride wasn’t particularly bumpy, probably due to some magic being used.

After running for about the time it takes to drink a cup of tea, the cart entered a massive pit mine.

This pit mine was hundreds of meters high, like an ancient beast with its bloody mouth wide open.

The sunlight was replaced by an unknown type of stone.

These stones emitted an orange glow, not as bright as sunlight but bright enough to light up the pitch-black pit mine.

The previously overbearing Zhao Qing seemed like a different person now.

He jogged to a slightly chubby middle-aged man, "Steward, I’ve brought all the country bumpkins."

The middle-aged man nodded slightly, put down his tea cup, and said, "The Fire Rock Pit Five needs people today. Send them there."

Just as Zhao Qing was about to leave, the middle-aged man added casually, "By the way, last I checked, your task completion wasn’t ideal this year."

"Keep an eye on those country bumpkins; don’t let them slack off. If the task isn’t completed, it’ll be hard for me to explain to the masters."

"You can go now."

With a single, simple sentence, Zhao Qing broke into a cold sweat, gritting his teeth, "Don’t worry, Steward, if they don’t complete the task, I won’t spare them."

Having been scolded, Zhao Qing looked at everyone with disdain.

On the way to the mine, several people got inexplicably scolded.

"Xiaozheng, just follow me later," Elder Chen whispered to Zheng Yi.

After entering the pit mine, they quickly chose a place to start digging.

"Xiaozheng, Fire Rock Ore isn’t hard to find," Old Chen said, pointing at the glowing stones around them.

"These glowing rocks are Fire Rock Ore, but due to low quality, they’re only used for lighting."

"Don’t push yourself too hard, just start by digging a little."

In the pit mine, up close to the Fire Rock Ore, Zheng Yi could clearly sense the surge of fire spiritual power within it.

Even those stones deemed useless by Elder Chen, only good as lighting tools, contained immense fire spiritual qi.

The Azure Moon Flame Emperor likely reached the Enlightenment Stage with the help of these Fire Rock Ores.

Even through the rock, Zheng Yi could clearly feel the varying sizes of fire energy within.

He randomly chose a spot and struck with his pickaxe.

With a crisp clang, the powerful recoil made Zheng Yi’s hands numb.

Old Chen quickly said, "Look at my old mind, forgetting to tell you something so important."

"Though Fire Rock Ore is everywhere, the surrounding rock is extremely hard, making it nearly impossible to break through with brute force."

"So, you must do it like this..."

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