Chapter 107, Volume III: The Mithril Mine

Tiger Girl’s eyes widened as she put her hands on her hips and pouted, "Humph! Don’t even think about using the 'escape by nature’s call' trick on me. Fine, I won’t hold that against you anymore. Tell me, what was that you gave me to drink? Why did my wounds heal so quickly after I had it?"

Yu Mu, relieved that he had dodged the question he feared most, stopped and replied, "It was just a spirit fruit I accidentally plucked on a mountain. I didn’t expect it to be so effective."

Tiger Girl didn’t believe him for a second. She pointed at his nose and said, "A pack of lies, you big swindler! You’d just feed someone a spirit fruit you 'accidentally' found? You don’t have a single honest word in you—full of secrets, yet you hide them all from me. Big liar, a complete and total big liar. Humph!"

Yu Mu felt like his head was about to explode. Dead pervert, stinky lecher, big lustful bear, little brother, pet, stingy ghost, big liar—as long as he was around her, he would be assigned countless new identities every single day.

He had no choice but to change the subject: "How are your wounds now?"

"Mostly healed. I’ll be completely recovered in a few days. But... if you gave me another spirit fruit, I might be as good as new by tonight," Tiger Girl said, her eyes rolling with a sly glint.

Yu Mu couldn't be bothered with her unreasonable demands and said, "Since you’re mostly healed, let’s get moving. We can recover on the road; it won't delay us."

"Moving? Where to?" Tiger Girl stared at him with wide, confused eyes, blinking rhythmically.

"Going forward, of course," Yu Mu replied as if it were obvious.

"Are you crazy? We beat the Gold and Silver Stronghold into such a state; it’s the perfect opportunity to raid the place and seize their treasures! And you want to leave? Did a donkey kick you in the head?"

Hearing this, Yu Mu finally snapped, "You’re the one who’s a donkey! A stubborn, mule-headed donkey! Look at the mess we’re in; you’re still thinking about robbery? You really never change."

*Slap!*

"Who gave you the confidence to talk to me like that? Are you trying to rebel? Let me ask you: are you even a man? You were ambushed, nearly died at their hands, and even had your spirit weapon stolen. And you’re just going to let it go? You’re such a coward—a spineless, pathetic coward."

*Swish!*

Yu Mu pulled out a precious blade and handed it to her. "Take this. It matches your elemental affinity perfectly, much better than that broken spear. Consider it compensation. How about that? Is that enough?"

Tiger Girl snatched the blade. "This only covers the loss of the spear. Who’s going to compensate me for my injuries? Besides, in my life, I’m the one who robs others; no one dares to rob me. I won’t let this go until I’ve settled the score."

"You..." Yu Mu was choked with anger and walked off to the side to sulk.

"You idiot, listen to me," Tiger Girl said, trying to talk some sense into him. "They have two dead and one injured, and they lost a spirit weapon. We, on the other hand, haven’t lost anything—in fact, we’ve gained a spirit weapon. In terms of sheer strength, we now have the upper hand."

"Humph! Don’t forget, both of us are still injured."

"Injured? They’re injured too! Didn’t they fall for your trap? Otherwise, they wouldn’t have let us get away so easily."

"Then... what about those minions? They aren't ordinary thugs. If those archers fired in unison, even my hat wouldn’t be able to stop them."

"We won't tackle them head-on this time. If they can ambush us, we can ambush them too. I have a plan..." Tiger Girl’s eyes darted around as she whispered into his ear.

Late that night, near the forest by the Gold and Silver Stronghold mines.

"They’ve actually set up a defensive array here. That’s a bit of a headache," Tiger Girl muttered while observing the situation.

Yu Mu, who hadn't wanted to come, immediately said, "Let’s just go back, then."

"Shut your mouth. Coming to a mountain of treasure and leaving empty-handed is not my style. Wait here, let me think of a way to lure those 'males' out."

With that, Tiger Girl slipped out of the forest and crept toward the mine entrance.

It didn’t take long for her to return. "There are over two hundred people guarding this place, and they’re all quite capable. It seems the ones who ambushed us during the day were just cannon fodder; the real elites are all here."

"What do we do now?" Yu Mu was ready to retreat again.

"To lure those 'males' out without being swarmed by the minions, we have to enter the mine and use the terrain to pick them off one by one."

"What if they don’t fall for it?"

"Don't worry, this mine is their lifeblood. The moment we go in, they’ll definitely come inside to wipe us out to prevent us from causing any damage."

"If we get trapped inside, won't we be like turtles in a jar?"

"You're the turtle," Tiger Girl rolled her eyes at him. "Do you think you grew those claws for nothing? Have you ever seen a cave that could trap a demon with claws?"

"Er..." Yu Mu had no rebuttal.

"Remember, leave the 'males' to me; you just handle the little minions. And make sure you don't get separated from me, or I won't be able to protect you."

"Fine! But I have one request."

"Speak."

"Can we stop calling them 'males'? Call them kings, chiefs, or bosses—anything but 'males.' It sounds so awkward."

"No!"

"Why!"

"Because I want to!"

"Er..."

*Clang, clang, clang...*

"Intruders in the mine! Come quickly!"

In the quiet mountains, gongs suddenly erupted, and shouts filled the air.

The moment the two triggered the array, they alerted the guards. Yu Mu certainly couldn't have broken the formation, but the person who set it up was weaker than Tiger Girl. After a barrage of attacks, she managed to shatter the array by brute force.

Taking advantage of the enemy's sudden panic, Yu Mu followed Tiger Girl as they fought their way into the mine.

"Ah! It’s actually Mithril ore!" Tiger Girl exclaimed as she saw the surrounding rocks.

"What is Mithril?" It was the first time Yu Mu had heard the name.

"Idiot, you’ve never heard of Mithril? It’s an essential material for forging magical artifacts. The Dao inscriptions within an artifact must be infused with Mithril to transmit energy and ultimately manifest Daoist arts."

"Then what about my staff...?"

Tiger Girl glared at him. "Innate magical artifacts are the exception, of course. Some rare celestial treasures also possess innate Dao inscriptions and don’t need it to conduct spiritual power. But aside from those, all other artifacts require it. This stuff is incredibly expensive!"

As she spoke, little stars began to dance in her eyes.

"Hey, wake up! Those 'males' are probably already here." Yu Mu snapped her out of her trance.

Tiger Girl tilted her head to listen. Sure enough, it had gone quiet outside, and a faint light was beginning to shine into the tunnel entrance.

"Prepare for an ambush!"

The mine had been excavated for years, making it very wide with many branching paths. Without knowing the layout, it was like entering a maze.

The two found a side tunnel and hid, waiting for the enemy to enter. The cramped terrain was indeed advantageous for their "few against many" strategy.

Tiger Girl clutched the Immortal-Binding Net, ready to throw it at any moment. The blade was light-aspected and glowed, so she could only use it once the fight started.

"They're here!" Both felt a jolt.

Footsteps echoed from not far ahead. Just then, the Immortal-Binding Net in Tiger Girl's hand began to vibrate on its own, as if it were trying to fly away.

They were both baffled. Tiger Girl suddenly looked alarmed. "Oh no, the Great Chief of Magu Ridge is here."

"Ah!" Yu Mu was shocked.

At that moment, a group of people appeared in the tunnel. Not only were the four 'males' of the Gold and Silver Stronghold there, but also the group from Seven Star Ridge. Leading them was the disguised Nascent Soul expert, holding his Fire Cloud Spear.

There was also the second-in-command from Magu Ridge, accompanied by someone who looked just like him. There was no need to ask—it had to be his older brother, the Great Chief, and the true owner of the Immortal-Binding Net.

As soon as Tiger Girl saw him, she hurriedly tucked the net away, but the man laughed out loud. "Too late! I already know where you are. Thinking you can escape? Keep dreaming!"

Seeing the sheer force of the enemy, they knew an ambush was impossible, and they feared they wouldn't even have time to flee. Without hesitation, they turned and bolted deeper into the cave.

"We’ll split up! They’ll definitely chase after me. Find your own way out, and don’t wait for me outside—I have my own ways of shaking them off."

As they reached a fork in the path, Tiger Girl didn't wait for a reply and shoved him into another tunnel. Only after Yu Mu had disappeared into the darkness did she lead the pursuers further inside.