I Have a Sword

As soon as Zhu Tao finished speaking, angry curses came from a lady outside.

Zhu Tao quickly ran out.

Inside the hut, Ye Guan stared at the potato in his hand. It was not very big, but he knew that it was likely very precious in this place.

Ye Guan didn't eat it right away. Instead, he closed his eyes and inwardly muttered, "Master Pagoda, is Plain-Skirt Aunt hoping that I change this place?"

Little Pagoda responded, "I can only say that things aren't as simple as you think. After all, it's your aunt who asked you to do this. You need to be prepared for what's ahead."

Ye Guan nodded. He knew that Plain-Skirt Destiny would not send him to do something simple. Unlike the last time, he could not afford to be overconfident this time. He had to proceed carefully, step by step, cautiously.

After all, he was no longer in the Guanxuan Universe.

Just then, his stomach growled.

Ye Guan snapped out of his thoughts and peeled the potato. He didn't finish it all and left half of it behind. He tucked the remaining potato away and closed his eyes again, eventually drifting to sleep.

In the following days, he barely avoided starvation, mainly due to Zhu Tao's surreptitious help. After five days, his injuries had mostly healed.

Once healed, Ye Guan left the dark, damp hut and stepped outside. He wanted to breathe in some fresh air, but as soon as he stepped out, a strong, pungent, fishy odor struck him.

Ye Guan looked around. There were thousands of huts around, and they were all clustered close together. The area's sanitation was incredibly poor, and to make matters worse, it had rained yesterday.

Water and trash were everywhere, and the air was thick with a mixture of foul smells.

Ye Guan frowned. The living conditions were shockingly bad, and even a healthy individual would fall sick here, not to mention the vulnerable people who had been living here for quite some time now.

He walked on for a long time, eventually leaving the area.

Upon walking outside the living quarters, he froze in shock. It was worse!

The land outside the living quarters was pitch-black and was emitting a smell even more pungent than the smell around the living quarters.

The sky was a dark red, and the was corrosive. The living quarters were a lot better than the world outside.

Ye Guan murmured, "Master Pagoda, this is a planet on the brink of destruction."

Little Pagoda replied, "No one can change this place except for Little White."

Ye Guan fell silent. A planet on the verge of annihilation…

As Ye Guan fell deep in thought, Zhu Tao and others came back carrying hoes and sacks.

A lady in her forties was behind Zhu Tao. She was tanned and was clad in rough, worn-out hemp pants with a hue that could no longer be seen.

Ye Guan recognized her—she was Zhu Tao's wife, Aunt Jiang.

Zhu Tao broke out into a smile and waved at Ye Guan.

On the other hand, Aunt Jiang's face immediately turned serious upon seeing him.

Ye Guan walked over and smiled.

"Brother Tao, let me help you carry that," he said as he casually took the sack from Zhu Tao.

Zhu Tao initially wanted to refuse, but Ye Guan had already slung the sack over his shoulder. Although his cultivation base was sealed, he still had a considerable amount of strength.

Zhu Tao felt a little embarrassed.

Aunt Jiang asked, "Oh, you're healed?"

Ye Guan looked at her and smiled. "Thanks to Brother Tao and Aunt Jiang for taking care of me these past few days. Once I get back on my feet, I'll definitely repay you."

Zhu Tao grinned. "Repay us? It's a small—"

Before he could finish, Aunt Jiang cut in, "Don't talk about repayment. Boy, I'm a straightforward person, so I'll say it directly. You've been eating and drinking at our place for free all this time. I won't hold it against you, but you can't be a freeloader anymore. You either leave or go work in the mines for food."

Zhu Tao glanced at Aunt Jiang, signaling her to soften her tone of voice, but Aunt Jiang glared back at him. "What, did some dirt get in your eyes?"

Zhu Tao froze.

Ye Guan suddenly burst out into laughter. "Aunt Jiang, Brother Tao, I want to go work in the mines with you."

"Can your body even handle it? Don't say I didn't warn you," Aunt Jiang responded, glancing at Ye Guan.

"Let's see."

Aunt Jiang snorted and went silent.

Soon, they returned to the hut.

Zhu Tao and Aunt Jiang had only two huts.

Just as Ye Guan was about to return to his hut, Aunt Jiang suddenly said, "Boy, your room is where our Little Xing lives. She's coming back in a few days, so you'll need to find another place to stay. Understood?"

"Got it," Ye Guan nodded as Aunt Jiang turned and left.

Zhu Tao smiled at Ye Guan before turning and heading back inside with Aunt Jiang.

Ye Guan sat on the bed in his room, thinking about his plan. For now, he just needed to survive for a month. Once his cultivation base was unsealed, he could surely accomplish quite a bit, even if it was only for a short period of time.

At that moment, Zhu Tao suddenly walked in, holding a bowl of rice porridge. He placed it in front of Ye Guan and smiled. "Little Brother Ye, here, have some porridge to fill your stomach."

"Brother Tao, are you going to the mines this afternoon?"

Zhu Tao nodded.

"I'll come with you."

Zhu Tao hesitated for a moment. "Your injuries…"

"I'm fine now," Ye Guan said with a smile and stretched his limbs to demonstrate.

Zhu Tao thought for a moment and nodded. "Alright. I'll call you when it's time."

Zhu Tao put the bowl down and left.

Ye Guan picked up the bowl of porridge and wolfed it down.

Half an hour later, Zhu Tao's voice rang from outside. "Little Brother Ye…"

Ye Guan quickly jumped out of bed and went outside. Zhu Tao and Aunt Jiang were already carrying sacks and hoes; Zhu Tao was holding an extra hoe for Ye Guan.

Ye Guan walked up to them, and Zhu Tao handed him a hoe. "Let's go."

Soon, the three of them arrived at the mine.

It was noon, and the sun was at its harshest. Within minutes, Ye Guan's skin began to peel. Although he felt some discomfort, he was able to push through.

During their conversation, Ye Guan learned that mine crystals had different grades—inferior, superior, and premium mine crystals.

Inferior mine crystals were common and had little value, mostly used for personal consumption. Superior mine crystals could be exchanged for the world's common currency—spiritual crystals.

However, it would take a hundred superior mine crystals to trade for one spiritual crystal. Premium mine crystals were the most valuable, and ten premium mine crystals could be exchanged for one spiritual crystal.

Zhu Tao and Aunt Jiang's daily haul was about thirty superior mine crystals.

Their monthly income was between five to six spiritual crystals, but it was actually supposed to be ten. Unfortunately, they had to pay a ten percent tax to the group that was controlling the mines.

Despite that, they could earn up to ten spiritual crystals in a month if they somehow found premium mine crystals or goods in the trash piles. Of course, this was a rare occurrence.

Ye Guan also learned that Zhu Tao and Aunt Jiang had a daughter, Zhu Xingran, who was seventeen and studying at the Temple Academy in Annan City, hundreds of kilometers away.

Although the top and elite cultivators had since left long ago, some smaller forces remained. The Temple Academy was one of the most powerful organizations on this Abandoned Continent, and it was said that those wishing to leave the continent had only two choices—the Temple Academy or the Heavenly Capital.

Zhu Tao and Aunt Jiang were extremely proud of their daughter, as she was one of the two people from the Refugee District who managed to get accepted into the Temple Academy.

The tuition fees were high—seventy spiritual crystals for just six months.

Thus, Aunt Jiang and Zhu Tao had been living an extremely frugal life, and they dared not take a day off.

Despite the hardships, they seemed happy.

Most parents were willing to endure any hardship for their children's success.

Just then, Zhu Tao walked up to Ye Guan. He wiped the sweat from his face and smiled. "Little Brother Ye, are you doing okay?"

Ye Guan smiled. "I'm fine."

His endurance and ability to endure hardship were second to none here; he was a cultivator, after all.

Zhu Tao nodded. "Good. Keep going."

With that, he left to continue mining.

Ye Guan smiled and did the same.

When evening finally arrived, Ye Guan tallied his loot and realized that he had mined five superior mine crystals and over sixty inferior ones.

Zhu Tao walked over and glanced at Ye Guan's haul. "That's enough."

Ye Guan smiled. "It's not much."

Zhu Tao shook his head. "For your first time, that's actually great. Once you get the hang of it, you'll be able to mine more."

When they left the mine, Ye Guan had to hand over one superior mine and six inferior ones as tax. He was greatly displeased because the rules stated that he only needed to give half a superior mine, but the people in charge here insisted on rounding up to one superior mine crystal for any amount less than ten.

He felt the pinch, but there was nothing he could do about it.

Back at the house, Ye Guan gave his earnings to Zhu Tao and Aunt Jiang. However, Zhu Tao stubbornly refused to accept them. In the end, Ye Guan had no choice but to leave them in the house.

For the next ten days, Ye Guan continued mining with Zhu Tao and his wife. His luck wasn't bad, and he found quite a few premium mine crystals. With Zhu Tao's help, he exchanged them for three spiritual crystals.

Now, Ye Guan was ready to leave this place. He planned to head to Annan City to learn more about the Abandoned Continent.

He asked Zhu Tao about how to get to Annan City and found that there were two ways to get there—follow the caravan of the mine owner or wait for their daughter to come back and travel with her.

Ye Guan had no choice but to wait.

A few days later, Zhu Tao and Aunt Jiang didn't go mining. Instead, they woke up early, packed up a large bundle of things, and prepared to leave.

Before they left, Zhu Tao called Ye Guan over. It turned out that their daughter, Zhu Xingran, had returned, and they were going to deliver her tuition fees and supplies to her.

When Ye Guan asked why Zhu Xingran wasn't coming back home, the two fell silent.

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