Chapter 75: Ore Mother

A faint, furtive whispering echoed directly into Wu Yuan’s ears, like a conspiracy of mice chattering in the dark.

“Great King,” the voice reported, hushed and precise. “The survivor was a lazy worker. He drew the ire of the other foremen and was exiled to the remote tunnels.”

“By sheer luck, he stumbled upon a rich vein of Purple Jade. But before he could claim credit, a rival gang of stronger rats beat him up and stole the spot.”

“That specific location was directly above the Earth Qi eruption point.”

“When the gas burst, the usurpers were instantly petrified. Not a single one escaped. The lazy exile survived solely because he had been kicked out minutes prior.”

The voice described the scene with such vivid, lifelike detail that Wu Yuan felt as if he were standing amidst the chaos himself.

“Excellent work,” Wu Yuan nodded, satisfied. “Go claim your reward.”

He severed the mental link with the Spirit Mulberry.

The “voice” belonged to a Scout Rat—one of many covert agents Wu Yuan had embedded within his own swarm.

While he possessed the power to control every rat on the mountain, micromanaging 1,000,000 subjects was a waste of mental energy. However, trusting them blindly was foolish.

Betrayal wasn’t always a choice; sometimes it was compelled by enemy techniques. And even without betrayal, there was the issue of stupidity. A stupid rat with a sudden “clever idea” could cause more damage than an invading army.

To counter this, Wu Yuan had established the secret police: a network of surveillance rats unknown to the general populace, reporting directly to the Spirit Mulberry. They were his eyes and ears, ensuring that no traitor, spy, or idiot went unnoticed.

“Time to inspect the damage,” Wu Yuan decided.

But first, safety.

He stood up, his expression serious. “Causality Pearl. Is there danger in searching for the Ore Mother?”

A moment of silence, then the text bloomed in his mind.

[White Intelligence: The Earth Qi in the Purple Jade vein has stabilized. No danger exists unless one penetrates deep into the bedrock fissures.]

Wu Yuan raised an eyebrow, a smirk playing on his lips.

“No danger unless I go deep?”

“That implies the danger is contained within the fissures. As long as I stay in the main tunnel, I can loot the place clean.”

“Just as I suspected.”

He walked to the entrance of the treehouse, placed his hands on his hips, and bellowed toward the mining tunnels.

“Little Yellow! Get the car! We’re going to the bamboo forest!”

Rustle. Rustle.

The sound of shifting earth approached rapidly, like thousands of sand grains rubbing together.

Boom!

The ground near the entrance exploded outward. A massive, armored head broke the surface, followed by a body that resembled a walking tank.

The Pangolin shook off the dust, its round eyes darting around until they landed on Wu Yuan.

“Boss! Get on!” it roared, its voice thick with excitement. “I take you! Fast!”

The creature’s sheer bulk was like a yellow wall blocking the sunlight. Wu Yuan frowned. He stepped forward and delivered a swift, annoyed kick to the beast’s flank.

“Pangolin! How many times have I told you? Don’t park in the doorway! You’re blocking traffic!”

“Oh!”

The Pangolin shuffled its massive rear end to the side, then turned back to Wu Yuan, practically vibrating with joy. It pointed a claw at its newly regrown armor scales.

“Boss! Look! Look!” It danced on its hind legs, waving its foreclaws like a child showing off a drawing. “Scales grow back! Beautiful scales! You can hit me again now!”

“Hit me! Hit me!”

Wu Yuan sighed, rubbing his temples. “Another broken subordinate. Masochism seems to be a prerequisite for my inner circle.”

Still, he understood the logic. For a Barbarian Beast, pain was progress. They didn’t cultivate Demon Power; they cultivated trauma. Every time their bones shattered and healed, they grew denser. Every time their scales were ripped off, they grew back harder.

For the Pangolin, life on Little Green Mountain was paradise. It got unlimited food, a safe place to sleep, and a boss who beat it regularly to help it level up. It was living the dream.

“My new armor is strong!” the Pangolin thought happily. “No work, just eating and getting beaten! Soon, I will be the Second King of this tunnel!”

Wu Yuan inspected the beast. The new scales were indeed thicker, etched with natural golden spirit patterns that hummed with defensive power.

“Barbarian Beasts really are absurd,” Wu Yuan admitted to himself. “Shattered bones, ruptured organs… they heal from everything. It’s almost heaven-defying.”

“Almost. Still not as good as me, though.”

Suddenly, a blur of yellow fur shot out of the ground.

“Boss!”

Little Yellow leaped into the air, landing nimbly in front of Wu Yuan.

“Boss! You were in secluded cultivation for so long! If I didn’t smell your stink, I would have thought you died in there!”

Wu Yuan’s face darkened. He snatched the hamster out of the air and began to aggressively knead it like a ball of dough.

“You brat! Is that how you talk to your Sect Leader? ‘Died’? I’ll show you dead!”

He stretched Little Yellow like a noodle, then squashed him into a pancake. The hamster struggled helplessly in his grip.

“Boss! Mercy! I was wrong! Let me go or I’ll… I’ll get angry!”

“Hah!” Wu Yuan scoffed, poking the hamster’s belly. “You’re all talk. You’re not even trying to escape. Look at that face—you’re enjoying the massage!”

Little Yellow froze, an awkward expression crossing his furry face.

“Boss,” he whispered conspiratorially. “See through, don’t say through. We can still be friends.”

The sight was comical—a tyrant bullying his mascot.

The Pangolin, watching the interaction with wide, curious eyes, decided to join the fun. It thrust its massive head forward, trying to nuzzle in.

“Hello!”

To Little Yellow, the sky suddenly went dark.

A head the size of a minivan eclipsed the sun. A mouth filled with jagged teeth opened wide enough to swallow him whole.

Little Yellow’s eyes bulged. All the blood drained from his face.

“AAAAHHH! MONSTER!”

Zip.

He wrenched himself free from Wu Yuan’s grip with hysterical strength, dove headfirst into the soil, and vanished instantly.

Rustle…

Silence returned to the clearing.

Wu Yuan blinked. “Megalophobia? I knew he was afraid of heights, but giant objects too?”

It made sense. If Little Yellow was a toddler, and Wu Yuan was an adult, then the Pangolin was a semi-truck. The scale difference was terrifying.

The Pangolin blinked its round eyes, looking confused.

“Boss,” it rumbled slowly. “Why did the little naked pangolin run away?”

Wu Yuan paused.