Cannon Fodder Cultivation Guide

Chapter 112 - Dividing the Spoils and Finding Someone

After realizing that the other party was not asking for any mysterious object that could cause them to mutate or become stronger, but merely wanted the Liuyun Kou from this ore vein, the queen ant did not hesitate in the slightest. It immediately commanded its offspring to mine with full force.

It finally understood why a mere female Foundation Establishment cultivator could make it so uneasy after entering the mining area. The real reason for its fear was not the female cultivator herself but the ferocious beast with royal blood on her shoulder.

Even though the beast was just a cub and had not reached adulthood, its innate bloodline pressure and extraordinary talents were enough to inspire awe and submission in the queen ant!

Countless mutated ants obediently began mining Liuyun Kou for Zhang Yiyi and Maoqiu. The scene was so astonishing that it once again shattered Shi Feng's previous perceptions.

Zhang Yiyi, meanwhile, relaxed with Maoqiu in an area free from oppressive forces. They even roasted some delicious spirit beast meat while chatting, eating, and watching the Liuyun Kou being mined at an incredible speed—no need to supervise.

"Brother Shi, have some," Zhang Yiyi said as she handed some roasted spirit beast meat to Shi Feng. "When these Liuyun Kou are mined, take as much as you can carry, and I'll take care of the rest. No objections, right?"

Luckily, her storage ring, which had long since fused with her body, had a vast space. Otherwise, it would be heartbreaking not to be able to carry away all the Liuyun Kou that the mutated ant colony helped mine.

"Oh, alright! Of course, I have no objections. I'll gladly accept it thanks to your and Brother Han's good fortune. Thank you!" Shi Feng originally had no plans to take any Liuyun Kou because it was Zhang Yiyi and Maoqiu's effort. He saw no reason to demand their hard-earned spoils.

But he didn't expect Zhang Yiyi to be so generous, offering him as much as he could carry. Her magnanimity truly impressed him.

Shi Feng, not one to overthink, readily agreed. He had prepared enough storage bags for mining but wasn't greedy. He only planned to gather enough to exchange for the spirit medicine his younger brother needed. Everything else, of course, belonged to Zhang Yiyi and Maoqiu. He was just grateful—how could he have any objections?

However, he did wonder whether Brother Han's storage space was large enough to hold all the mined Liuyun Kou. And if they cleared out the entire vein, how would they explain it to the Bai family?

They couldn't possibly tell them that mutated ants did the mining, right? Since Brother Han had clearly stated that Maoqiu's special abilities couldn't be revealed, they had no way to explain how they managed to mine everything so quickly.

Shi Feng voiced his concerns to Zhang Yiyi.

Zhang Yiyi couldn't help but laugh at his honesty. "Brother Shi, you're too straightforward. After risking our lives to mine all this Liuyun Kou, do you really intend to hand it all over to the Bai family and just take a miner's share?"

"Uh? Isn't that what we're supposed to do?" Shi Feng asked, puzzled. "The Bai family is guarding the exit. They have a special tool to detect Liuyun Kou. Even if we stash some in our storage bags, they'll detect it."

Otherwise, why would the Bai family trust rogue cultivators to mine for them? The difficulty of hiding any Liuyun Kou was exactly why they could rest easy.

"Brother Shi, don't worry. Whether it's a tool or a spiritual treasure, nothing can detect it in my storage ring," Zhang Yiyi said confidently. "You can hand me your storage bag with the Liuyun Kou, and I'll keep it for you. Once we're safely outside, I'll return it to you."

If her storage ring couldn't block a detection tool, then the last remnant soul of the ancient god sleeping inside it wouldn't rest easy for millennia.

"That's good. At crucial moments, it seems we can always count on Brother Han!" Shi Feng was overjoyed to hear that Zhang Yiyi had a solution, and he quickly agreed.

Given the chance to actually keep the Liuyun Kou, who would settle for just being a miner and hauler?

Shi Feng didn't pry further into what special item Zhang Yiyi had that could hold so much Liuyun Kou undetected. That was her secret, and knowing too much wouldn't be beneficial.

Besides, Zhang Yiyi had been extremely generous to him. He wasn't the type to be greedy or ungrateful—he knew his limits and what questions were inappropriate to ask.

"This trip has been far too unusual. Aside from you and me, all the other cultivators have died. Precisely because of this, to avoid arousing the Bai family's suspicion and causing trouble, we can't hand over even a single bit of Liuyun Kou to them," Zhang Yiyi explained further.

"Otherwise, how would we explain it to the Bai family? Why did everyone else die, yet we not only survived but had time and energy to mine? The Bai family wouldn't believe us no matter how we explained. If we show any sign of something unusual, they might kill us to cover up the heavy death toll."

Zhang Yiyi wasn't just looking for an excuse to keep all the Liuyun Kou. The truth was, they had no reasonable explanation that the Bai family would accept.

They would need to prepare for a tough confrontation with the Bai family when they exited. It wouldn't be easy to get out unscathed.

"Brother Han, how do you think we should explain the situation to the Bai family when we get out?" Shi Feng asked, growing more serious.

He didn't want to survive the ant swarm only to be killed by the Bai family.

By now, he was fully reliant on Zhang Yiyi's judgment and believed she could handle even the most difficult situation.

Seeing this, Zhang Yiyi seized the moment to share her plan, making sure they were on the same page: "Brother Shi, here's what we'll do..."

While Zhang Yiyi, Shi Feng, and Maoqiu were leisurely chatting inside the mining area, waiting for the countless mutated ants to clear out the vein, things were getting noisy outside the mine.

"Young Lord, what brings you here?"

The Bai family's Golden Core cultivator guarding the area saw that the young lord Zheng He had come in person with a group of people. Not daring to be careless, he respectfully but cautiously greeted him.

"What brings me here? Do you think I've come to steal this worthless mine from you?"

Zheng He, anxious and impatient, was naturally in a foul mood. Seeing the Bai family guards rushing to meet him only worsened his temper.

"Of course not! I wouldn't dare," the Bai family Golden Core cultivator said hastily, wary of offending the city lord's son.

"Enough with the nonsense. It's been five or six days—why hasn't a single miner come out yet?"

Zheng He scanned the area but didn't see a trace of Zhang Yiyi.