Chapter Four: Wei Xiao in a Panic

Liu Li stumbled and fell into a muddy pit, his official hat askew, and his carefully trimmed goatee smeared with mud. Struggling to lift his head, he saw a jet-black warhorse exhaling steam from its nostrils. Mounted atop was a man clad in dark lightweight armor, a sword at his waist gleaming coldly in the sunset.

Behind him stood hundreds of elite soldiers, all watching the scene with fierce intent.

“General Wei...?” Huang Bai’s knees buckled, nearly collapsing to the ground.

Wei Xiao dismounted with a heavy thud on the muddy ground. His gaze swept the area like a blade. “What’s the situation in the shaft?”

Li Leqi, as if seeing a savior, hurried forward without formalities. “General, the princess and twenty-seven miners are trapped underground. The main mining tunnel is blocked by a landslide. Other details are unknown for now.”

Wei Xiao nodded and turned toward Liu Li, who was just climbing out of the pit. “You said you wanted to use vine nets to stabilize the mountain face?”

Wiping his face, Liu Li forced an air of confidence. “Exactly! It’s the most reliable method...”

“Nonsense!” Wei Xiao’s sharp shout pierced the air, making everyone’s eardrums ache. “By the time your vine nets are woven, they’ll all be drowned corpses!”

Striding to the landslide, he scooped up a handful of soil and rubbed it between his fingers. “The soil is loose. Digging straight through will cause a secondary collapse. Manager Li, bring me the mine map!”

Liu Li, humiliated like never before, stomped his feet in frustration. “Wei Xiao, you are the commander of the Western Capital’s main camp. Leaving without permission, I will report your dereliction of duty to His Majesty. Although the silver mine is under the princess’s jurisdiction, it still falls under my Ministry of Works. You have no authority here!”

“Guards, escort Lord Liu for some tea.”

Two burly personal guards stepped forward and half-dragged Liu Li away. Huang Bai smiled awkwardly alongside.

Wei Xiao spread out the mine map and ran his finger along several thin lines. “The ventilation shafts are here, here, and here.” He looked up at the miners. “Divide into three teams. One continues clearing the main entrance. The other two will dig down these two ventilation shafts. Use wooden stakes for temporary supports and reinforce every ten feet.”

“But the shafts are too narrow...” Li Leqi began, only to be cut off by Wei Xiao.

“The shafts are four feet in diameter, enough for one person.” Wei Xiao removed his sword and tossed it to a guard. “Prepare ropes and mining picks.”

Huang Bai gasped. “General, you intend to go down yourself?”

Wei Xiao sneered, “Or does Lord Huang want to?”

Turning to Li Leqi, he said, “Prepare torches, rations, and clean water wrapped in oilcloth. Find two miners familiar with the underground layout to accompany me.”

Huang Bai wisely kept silent, regretting not going down with Liu Li earlier.

As the sun sank, torches flared simultaneously at the three rescue points. Wei Xiao’s waist was wrapped with rope as he was the first to slide into a shaft. The damp walls were slippery, loose rocks constantly falling and clinking against his helmet. After descending about a hundred feet, he stepped onto a horizontal tunnel.

“General!” Two miners slid down after him, holding torches close. “This is a branch of Mine No. 3. About a hundred feet east is the main tunnel.”

Wei Xiao nodded. “Mark the spot and scout ahead.”

Underground, Shen Jifeng carried a lantern and was accompanied by Skinny Monkey, navigating the tunnel. The water level rose, nearly reaching their thighs. Suddenly, faint tapping sounds came from ahead.

“Someone’s there!” Skinny Monkey’s eyes lit up. “Might be Brother Dazhu and the others!”

They followed the sound, turning a corner past a collapsed mine wall, and finally found Qin Dazhu and other miners on a slightly elevated platform. They were tapping the rock wall with shovels, trying to signal.

“Princess!” Qin Dazhu was both surprised and delighted to see Shen Jifeng. “What are you doing down here?”

“The princess and I came to rescue you, but a collapse blocked the entrance. We have to hurry and dig through.”

Shen Jifeng hurried over to check their condition. “How are you all? Anyone injured?”

Qin Dazhu shook his head. “Shaft No. 6 is flooded. We broke through the rock wall to escape to this abandoned passage.” He paused, his voice heavy. “But Old Zhao... was buried in the landslide over there. We dug for hours but couldn’t save him...”

Shen Jifeng followed his gaze to a pile of rubble blocking one side of the tunnel, with a hand faintly visible. Her heart sank but she quickly regained composure. “Now’s not the time to grieve. The water is still rising; we must find a way out quickly.”

“But the roads ahead and behind are blocked,” a miner said hopelessly. “We can’t get out!”

“Uncle Li is up top trying to dig through the entrance. We still have many people. If we all work together, we’ll get out.” Shen Jifeng helped an old miner lying on the ground to his feet.

The old miner pushed her away, pointing a finger at her nose. “It’s all your fault. I told you women shouldn’t come to the mine, but you wouldn’t listen, going down again and again. Now you’ve angered the mountain spirit, and we’re trapped.”

Skinny Monkey snapped, “Don’t talk nonsense!”

The old miner limped forward. “Am I wrong? Mining’s always been men’s work. Women bring bad luck! If you hadn’t insisted on producing silver in three months, forcing everyone to work day and night, how would we be stuck here waiting to die?”

Shen Jifeng gently held back Skinny Monkey, who wanted to argue, and calmly faced the old miner. “You don’t have to follow me. The rest, if you want to live, come with me. If not, suit yourself.”

Skinny Monkey and Qin Dazhu followed closely behind Shen Jifeng. After a moment’s hesitation, the others followed as well. The old miner grumbled but limped along at the rear.

“Isn’t this the way back to the entrance?” Skinny Monkey was the first to notice they were taking another path.

Shen Jifeng drew a map on the ground with her dagger. “To get back to the entrance, we’d have to clear three landslides. We have no rice or provisions, our strength won’t last, and water could break through anytime.”

“Here.” She pointed to a thin line. “This is the eastern shaft. There’s a drainage tunnel here. If we dig out from here, we’ll see daylight.”

“But the shaft is tall and narrow. Even if we dig through, we can’t climb out.” Qin Dazhu looked worried.

“I said, the people above will do everything to rescue us. If they understand the mine map, they’ll send help here.”

“Then what are we waiting for? Let’s get to work.” Skinny Monkey was the first to support Shen Jifeng’s plan.

The surface rescue effort lasted three days and nights. Wei Xiao descended and ascended the shaft seven times, his eyes dark with fatigue, his clothes covered in mud. In the early hours of the fourth day, a guard came running urgently.

“General! The western shaft is dug through, but it’s filled with water. No one can pass!”

Wei Xiao’s strength was not yet at its limit, but the tension stretched to a breaking point. Used to the blood and death of battlefields, he never thought he could still feel such fear.

Afraid to see what he might find, and afraid not to see it.

“How long until the eastern shaft is dug through?”

“About two days more,” the guard dared not meet his general’s gaze.

“Shorten it by half a day. If not done, bring your head!”