HLnovel Chapter 457 I thought it was some kind of treasure!
Chapter 457 I thought it was some kind of treasure!
The group nodded in unison and split up, walking into two different passages.
Because the situation ahead was unknown, Lu Yangyang did not walk very fast, in case something unexpected happened in the darkness.
After walking for about fifteen minutes, Lu Yangyang began to see a hollow in front of her. She signaled the people behind her to slow down, and when they slowly approached and held out their torches, they could see clearly that it was a naturally formed cave in the mountain, with the ground about ten feet above the entrance.
Nevertheless, a rope ladder was still hanging at the entrance of the cave. Lu Yangyang, holding a torch in one hand, climbed down the ladder first, and the two people behind her followed her down after seeing her land.
Just then, Lu Yangyang suddenly heard a familiar voice with remarkable clarity.
It's Xu Lang.
Xu Lang exclaimed in surprise, "My God!"
The sound echoed in the cave, and Lu Yangyang immediately realized that the two passages they had just passed through could actually lead to this cave. Based on their speed of progress, they would be approaching the cave around the same time, which meant that Luo Jing and Xu Lang were not far away!
However, there was an echo in the cave, and Lu Yangyang couldn't immediately tell which direction the sound was coming from, so she could only shout back.
"Xu Lang!"
Xu Lang soon heard her voice. Not long after, Xu Lang and Luo Jing suddenly pushed aside the rocks that were disguised as cave entrances and poked their heads out from a cave entrance about a few feet away from them.
Xu Lang, holding a torch, shouted to Lu Yangyang, "Yangyang, come quick!"
Lu Yangyang quickly led her people over.
The entrance to the cave was only about half a person's height, and Lu Yangyang easily jumped up. She quickly asked him, "What did you find?"
Xu Lang didn't have time to explain, and pointed into the passageway to her: "You'll see when you come and take a look!"
Lu Yangyang quickly followed. Not far from the cave entrance, there was a room about the same size as the secret room where the girls were imprisoned. Several boxes were piled up in the room. Luo Jing opened one of the boxes and was frowning as he bent down to look at something.
An unpleasant smell permeated the air.
Lu Yangyang strode over, looked at the contents of the box, and exclaimed in shock, "Cinnabar ore?"
Luo Jing and Xu Lang turned to look at her together.
Xu Lang said in disbelief, "Looking at these red stones, I thought they were some kind of treasure, but they're all... poison!"
He quickly took a step back and covered his mouth and nose.
Lu Yangyang took out a piece of cinnabar ore from the box and examined it closely by the torch. "It is indeed cinnabar ore. I was wondering how so many elixirs could be made. It turns out there really is a cinnabar mine hidden in this mountain range. If I'm not mistaken, most of the villagers who were forcibly conscripted for labor and couldn't return were probably sent to mine."
Xu Lang's voice trembled: "You, you, you, why don't you put it down first?"
Lu Yangyang: "...This cinnabar ore is just a raw material, and it is also a kind of Chinese medicine. As long as the dosage is appropriate, it can also detoxify, calm the mind and improve eyesight. However, if you take too much, you will definitely be poisoned, because after it is refined, it becomes mercury, which can be used to preserve corpses."
Xu Lang rubbed the goosebumps on his arms vigorously. "Let's not tell ghost stories in a place like this, shall we?"
Lu Yangyang: "..."
“Find someone to go back and have Lord Ling send people to move all of these back. If I’m not mistaken, there must be a cinnabar mine in this mountain range, but judging from the amount sent here, it shouldn’t be here. No wonder they had to dig a hole in the mountain; this is the real shady stuff,” Lu Yangyang said.
Suddenly, she remembered something and quickly asked Xu Lang, "Did the adults tell you what Jue County used to be called?"
Before Xu Lang could speak, one of the constables interrupted, "Dan County, the magistrate told us about Yuzhou before he came."
That's it then. Lu Yangyang had heard Lü Yao mention it to her before, but she didn't pay much attention to it at the time. After all, it was just a county name, and even if she heard it, she wouldn't know where it came from.
Dan County, this place probably had abandoned cinnabar mines in the past, or cinnabar was discovered here, hence the name. However, judging from the fact that it was not recorded later, not many people should know its origin. Otherwise, if the imperial court knew that there were cinnabar mines here, it would definitely send people to supervise them, and would never have allowed those Taoist priests to use it for alchemy and profit.
The reason why Danxian County gradually became a dead county must be that after those people discovered the cinnabar mine, they used this name to obscure the previous name and prevent people from making any associations.
Xu Lang pointed directly at the constable: "Alright, you're the one. Go and report to the magistrate."
Then he pointed to another person, "You stay here and keep watch."
After saying that, she asked Lu Yangyang uncertainly, "Should we wait? There are only a few of us, will that be enough?"
"Rescuing people is the priority. We'll act according to the situation," Lu Yangyang said. Then she instructed the two who stayed behind, "Remember to tell the adults about this and have them send someone to keep an eye out. Let's go see if there are any other exits. I suspect they may have dug a series of interconnected passages in this mountain range. Only in this way can they do it without anyone noticing and without worrying about being discovered."
Luo Jing was shocked: "If that's the case, how much manpower would that require?"
"That's why so many people didn't go back, and that's why we have to keep conscripting laborers. The number of young people in Yuzhou is definitely more than that, but no one has reported it." Lu Yangyang frowned. She also wanted to know who was behind this and what their motives were to do something so outrageous.
Luo Jing clenched his fists, his face grim.
Whenever he thought about how a famous general like Duke Rong, who was dedicated to protecting the country, did not have a good end, while so many corrupt and greedy parasites were living carefree lives, he hated that God could not open his eyes and strike down those scumbags.
"There's no time to lose, let's go save them first," Lu Yangyang said.
Having uncovered the secrets of the mountain passage, they could no longer waste time here. They had to try their best to rescue Xiu Niang before she was sent to the Celestial Palace tomorrow.
The group nodded, leaving the messenger behind to report back. They left the secret room and went to the natural cave they had just discovered. They searched around the cave for a while and found a new passage. Following the passage, they arrived at another mountain peak. Surprisingly, iron chains had been built between the mountains.
Lu Yangyang exclaimed in surprise, "I understand! If we follow the mountain, we can get to Yuming Mountain faster! This is the passage they use to transport ore!"