Seeing this, the five people smiled coldly and split up in tacit understanding. They chose the mine wall next to Su Zhan and began digging in the same way.
Su Zhan was surrounded by them.
All his movements were under watch.
Su Zhan ignored them and continued digging, one strike at a time. The impure spirit stones hidden in the rock layer rolled down with each knock.
The five men chatted and laughed as they worked, discussing the supervisor, the brothel, and which female miner had a good figure… Their filthy words never ceased from beginning to end.
And so it went.
Su Zhan dug while they talked.
Wherever Su Zhan went, they followed and talked.
From the start of work in the morning to the end of the day, whether eating, drinking, relieving themselves, or doing anything else, they kept him within their sight at all times…
Fortunately, Su Zhan had reached the Second-Level Mortal Realm by now, so even if he didn't go to the toilet for a few days, it was no problem.
But even after work ended, the five still had no intention of dispersing or resting.
They continued to follow Su Zhan closely.
However, they did change shifts occasionally—sometimes leaving two people to rest or report the situation, while the remaining three kept watch. When the two returned, they would rotate again, ensuring that at least three people were always monitoring him.
Even when Su Zhan went into his small, shabby wooden hut to sleep, they arranged for two to follow him inside and three to guard outside.
They didn't give him the slightest chance!
In response, Su Zhan kept a serious face from start to finish, saying nothing and simply going about his tasks.
This continued until the third day.
Ding! Ding! Ding! …
Inside the mine, the five were still chatting and digging while surrounding Su Zhan.
"…Alas, my second brother hasn't been able to enjoy himself at the brothel these past two days—he's been suffering."
"That's right! I'm feeling pretty restless myself!"
"Thanks to this Brother Su, if he were willing to cooperate, would we need to be digging and watching people in this remote mine?"
"Boss, why don't we just use force, keep it from the higher-ups, and torture him to see if he still dares refusing to speak?"
"Hold on—since the higher-ups gave the order, we have to follow it… If it really doesn't work, then it won't be too late to act."
They didn't bother to hide their words and spoke openly in front of Su Zhan, without restraint.
This kind of threat wasn't new.
It was nothing more than an attempt to scare Su Zhan into confessing… But Su Zhan didn't react in the slightest, unmoved no matter what they said.
The five were puzzled.
Wasn't he just a mere Second-Level Mortal Realm cultivator?
If they wanted information, couldn't they just torture him?
What was the point of keeping eyes on him all the time?
They had even asked the bald man what secrets this Second-Level Mortal Realm could possibly have that warranted such close attention from Lord Zhou… The answer was that some of Su Zhan's actions seemed "too abnormal," so he might be carrying a treasure.
They immediately asked what was "abnormal."
The response? That he had advanced too quickly, and had oddly chosen Area 18 instead of the more favorable Area 9.
Upon hearing this, the five were speechless.
This was what they called abnormal?
Was Lord Zhou perhaps overthinking the matter?
But given Lord Zhou's strength and authority, they could only obey.
Yet after two or three days, not to mention finding any treasure, they hadn't even found a single suspicious hair on him.
It was obvious that their patience was running out.
In a few more days, if nothing turned up, they planned to use private punishment on Su Zhan—torturing and questioning him directly
If they got something out of it, great.
If not, they would confirm that he truly had nothing, end this ridiculous task, and return to their days of pleasure.
"Alright, I admit defeat—you win."
Suddenly, Su Zhan threw down his hoe. "You just want to know where my treasure is hidden, right? Fine, I'll tell you!"
"Oh my god! You really do have a treasure?!"
"Finally, you're willing to talk! If you'd been this cooperative earlier, things would've been much easier!"
"What did I say? Keep pressing him mentally and eventually, he'll break!"
"Come on, tell us! What's your treasure, and where is it hidden? As long as you tell us, we promise not to bother you again!"
"Brother, don't play games with us. Our patience is far less than that of the ones above… If you're telling the truth, we can still keep things peaceful. But if you lie to us, don't blame us for being ruthless."
The five were all obviously excited.
The boss tried to keep calm and issued another threat… But from the greed in his eyes, it was obvious they were already thinking about taking the treasure for themselves.
If it was truly valuable, they'd risk offending a Fourth-Level Mortal Realm cultivator to seize it!
"My treasure is here."
Su Zhan extended his right hand, palm open.
The five saw the mysterious, special Black Mark on his palm at once.
Although it was only a mark, they inexplicably felt that it was extraordinary.
"Huh?!"
"A mark?!"
"What kind of treasure is this?!"
"No wonder we couldn't find it—it was in your hand the whole time! Hand it over!"
Their eyes lit up instantly, their words dripping with greed.
"Don't rush," Su Zhan said with a faint smile. "This Black Mark isn't my only treasure. Look up and see for yourselves."
Subconsciously, the five looked up.
And in that instant, the greed on their faces froze, their impatient expressions twisting into fear.
"What… what are those black things?!"
Not far from them, a row of human-shaped figures—illusory and black—appeared silently, like shadowy Clones.
"Behind! There are more behind us!!"
Someone cried out.
Turning around, they saw another row of human-shaped black Clones there as well.
All had appeared without any summoning!
"What… what is this?!"
"Why do these ghostly things have no life aura at all… Hey, Mr. Su, what are you trying to do?! How did you make these things?!"
"Spiritual weapons… Damn! They're holding low-grade spiritual weapons! Are you kidding?!"
"Su Zhan, we have the Fourth-Level Mortal Realm boss of the punishment team behind us! If you dare attack us, you'll die!"
Four of the five were trembling with fear, panic written all over their faces.
They hurriedly drew their own weapons—each had a low-grade spiritual weapon, but compared to the sheer number of Clones, their equipment seemed pitiful.
They tried to threaten Su Zhan by mentioning the Fourth-Level Mortal Realm, but it did nothing to erase the fear in their hearts.
The black Clones were far too strange, completely beyond their understanding!
"What's there to be afraid of? Since these things were made by this brat, as long as we kill him, they'll disappear!"