“What are we to do if the mines run out of spirit stones and other raw materials? Our entire economy will collapse and everyone in the village will be forced to move!”

These cries come from an eldery man sitting in the section to the left of Bei Xing. His face is wrinkled and long white hairs dangle from his chin to his chest. Just by looking at his appearance and hunched back one can tell that he’s spent many years working in the mine.

Since it’s founding Luse Village had relied on harvesting spirit stones and other materials from within the mine. Spirit stones are extremely useful items for cultivators of the mystic arts that collect qi from the natural environment. Cultivators can use them to aid in their advancement into higher realms and even as a core component for many crafting recipes. This means even a small village like Luse could profit from them by selling them off to merchants and representatives from big sects.

A younger, but still middle aged man replies back to the elderly gentleman.

“Old man you have no reason to be so worried about the current situation of the mines, you barely have a year left before you drop dead!”

Hearing such disrespect to the elderly causes Lao Xing to jolt out of his seat and smack his hands on the table in front of him.

“Enough Yao Zhan! Disrespecting your senior at a public event? What is wrong with you, did your parents not raise you any better?”

Lao Xing’s voice carries the weight of thunder which causes Yao Zhan to retreat back into his seat. Such a reaction from Lao Xing is rare so this was the best option for him.

“Senior Pao, I apologize on behalf of Yao Zhan.”

Lao Xing nods to the elderly man who smiles and attempts a bow in return despite his horrible back pain.

“Worry not Lord Lao, he’s just as worried as I am about the current problem at hand. The village mines have kept us on our feet for countless generations. Without them I fear for the well-being of the younger generation.”

“Indeed it is a dire problem senior. That is why I called you all here today, so that we can come up with a solution rather than bicker like children.”

Having noticed his son now Lao Xing walks around the table and begins slowly going down the aisle of the town center which splits the two seating sections apart. As he walks he continues addressing the villagers.

“It is my duty as your Noble Lord to make sure this village lives on, and in order for me to do that job I need you all to be on your best behavior. If we are to come up with an answer to our problems then it must be together as one, not divided as many.”

Hearing these words come from Lao Xing causes the adults that are standing to sit down and relax their hearts a little.

Lao Xing’s ability to relax the village commoners and put their minds at ease in such crucial times is what makes him such a great Noble Lord. Many would even say he is befitting to be an emperor, but he laughs off such remarks saying that the job of an emperor is much too difficult for even him.

With each step taken Lao Xing speaks on as he approaches his son.

“Many of you have children who are being raised in this village; just as you were and your parents were before you. In order to keep that cycle going we must act now and act fast in order to save the village before our mines dry out.”

After a few more steps Lao Xing reaches his son and sets his hand on his shoulder to acknowledge him. He then turns around once more and says to the villagers...

“Therefore, until we have an answer as to how we will fix the problem involving the mines I will be closing them off.”

Gasps of shock and anger can be heard from both sections of seating. Never in the more than 200 year history of Luse Village had the mines ever been shut down.

Suddenly a slender man rockets out of his seat and speaks to Lao Xing.

“Lord Lao, I believe I speak for everyone here when I say that closing the mines goes against our way of life. Our village has lived off the mines since it was founded and closing them would be a disgrace to our ancestors.”

Despite having such heart-felt feelings about the mine this young man still speaks softly and honorably to Lao Xing’s idea, displaying his respect for the Noble Lord.

“Young man this is not up for debate. The village depot and the mine storage house have plenty of reserves saved up to last us half a year in the market. Even then it will not take us that long to come up with a solution.”

The atmosphere of the room was slowly thinning, before Lao Xing began speaking it was dense and full of emotion. Simply entering the town center could cause a youth to fall ill due to the intensity of it. But the more he spoke the more the adults in the room calmed their nerves, making Lao Xing look like a legendary beast tamer that could relax the mightiest of demon beasts.

Bei Xing makes a mental note of his father’s actions.

“My father is definitely an intelligent man. The way he speaks to the villagers is so soothing that it even relaxes me, such social skills are hard to come by for political figures! Hopefully one day I can reach the same level as him!”

Satisfied with the reaction of the people Lao Xing returns to his chair on the other side of the building and sits down promptly.

“Now that we will be closing the mines we can talk about fixing the problem itself. Does anyone have any ideas that they would like to share?”

Such democractic behavior from a Noble Lord is rare seeing as how many use their position to benefit their own needs, but Lao Xing is much different. He cares about the villagers and honestly wishes for their best interests.

Not a moment is spared and a large man slowly rises out of his seat. The man’s frame is gargantuan and he stands at an astonishing 2 meters tall. He alone takes up two seats!

“My name is Jin Zhung, as most of you know I oversee operations in the mines. In my opinion our only two options are to abandon the mines and look for new work or continue digging deeper in the hopes of finding anything of value.”

Jin Zhung’s deep voice and obvious experience in the subject makes people nod in agreement. After all, who else in the village would have more knowledge about the mine than him?

“Junior it is not wise to continue wasting our efforts digging deeper into the mines.”

Lao Xing’s reply is quick and calculated, but not in a disrespectful manner.

“Several parties have already attempted to explore the depths of the mine and none have been successful. In fact 5 young men have been injured during these expeditions! I understand your reliance on the mine but I do not want our decisions to lead to more injuries or even deaths amongst your mining teams.”

Jin Zhung slowly lowers his head and understands what his Noble Lord means. It wasn’t a matter of unwillingness to venture deeper into the mines, but rather an issue of safety.

Bei Xing is now leaning against a pillar near the door and jumps up after hearing this exchange between his father and the miner.

“Father I have an idea!”

Bei Xing’s voice echoes throughout the room and all eyes turn to him.

“What is it Xinger?”

Bei Xing pauses for a moment and takes several steps forward in preparation to speak before the adults.

“This may sound crazy, but my knowledge of the mines is more complete than senior Jin Zhung’s. I do not say this to sound arrogant or rude, but in my free time I explore the depths of the mine for fun. Thus I know about secret passages and caverns that most others do not. I propose letting me lead an expedition into the mine in order to find more resources within it.”

The words coming out of Bei Xing’s mouth cause the adults in the room, including his father Lao Xing to raise their eyebrows in confusion.

How could this 12 year old boy know more about the mine than his senior who has worked there for more than a decade now?

“Son are you telling me that instead of studying you have been going into the mines against my will?”

Bei Xing’s eyes bust open and he rubs his forehead, making him look more guilty.

“Yes father, but there isn’t any reason to be mad over such trivial matters. My knowledge of the mines could be useful to solving the village’s problems!”

Lao Xing leans back in his chair and contemplates the words of his son for a few moments. If his son was telling the truth then his knowledge could prove vital in finding new veins of resources within the mines. Plus his son was now a genius who had cultivated his martial arts to the Apprentice Realm 3rd Layer in a month! This in itself was a feat because Luse Village was home to no martial artists above this level, even in the older generation. Perhaps trusting in his son would be beneficial for everyone.

After thinking on his son’s words Lao Xing opens his mouth once more.

“Even if what you say is true then it still is much too dangerous for someone at your level to venture that deep in the mines. You are not experienced enough nor strong enough to lead such a venture, and no one in the mining team is above the 3rd Layer of the Apprentice Realm so it still poses a great risk.”

Bei Xing chuckles briefly after hearing this from his father. He had yet to mention that he had advanced to the 4th Layer already and was close to reaching the 5th.

“Father such issues are not a concern, just recently I advanced to the Apprentice Realm 4th Layer and made good progress toward the 5th. Therefore, by your standards I should be strong enough to carry out this task.”

As if they weren’t already stunned, everyone in the room immediately begins whispering after hearing Bei Xing speak. Was it possible for this boy who was a cripple little over a month ago to progress this much in such little time? Even the former village genius Duan Xing was still months away from advancing into the next layer of cultivation.

Lao Xing lets out a cough to loosen his throat.

“Ahem, Xinger is this true? Have you really advanced again already?”

“Yes father, I would never lie to you about such things.”

Being a 12 year old in the Apprentice Realm 4th Layer is a feat no one had ever heard of. Hence why should Lao Xing not let his son prove himself by leading the expedition? At this young age he was already stronger than anyone else in the village. Luse Village is home to few cultivators of the mystic arts, all of which are martial artists. However even Bei Xing’s seniors had now been overtaken in cultivation level. Combine his strength and supposed knowledge of the mine and it would be totally unreasonable of Lao Xing not to approve of his son’s idea.

“Jin Zhung…”

The mining leader immediately snaps his head over to the Noble Lord.

“Yes Lord Lao?”

“If what my son says is true do you have the confidence to assist him in leading the expedition as his advisor?”

Jin Zhung bows out of respect for Lao Xing.

“It would be my pleasure to help the young master in leading the expedition.”

“Alright then I only have one more question, are you also confident in the mining team’s ability to carry it out? It will be more dangerous than past attempts.”

With a look of determination Jin Zhung places one fist over his chest.

“I swear by my name that my men will carry out this expedition without a single hitch. In order to raise the odds of success I will lead a smaller team of my best workers alongside the young master. That way we can get in and out faster with lower risk of injury.”

Content with these words Lao Xing nods to Jin Zhung and he sits down right away.

“Xinger, I am placing my faith in you. The fate of the entire village rests in your hands now. Tomorrow morning you will lead an expedition into the lower levels of the mine in order to look for more resources. Jin Zhung and his best miners will accompany you to make sure there are no issues in the process.”

Bei Xing bows to his father as the edges of his mouth raise into a delighted smile.

“Thank you for this opportunity father! I will not let you down!”

“I know you won’t son, I believe in you.”

Lao Xing then stands to his feet and grabs the small wooden gavel on the table. He pounds it on a round coaster several times, catching everyone’s attention.

“Now that we have established a plan for exploring the mines I will send the town guard to organize the mine storage house and village depot in preparation for the temporary closing. You are all dismissed to carry on with your daily routines!”

Just like that the meeting came to an end. The large mass of people sitting on both sides of the town center begin walking out of the building in small groups to chat about the events that had unfolded today. Amongst them is the man Bei Xing wanted to find before coming to the meeting, Papa Fan.

“Papa Fan! Papa Fan!”

Bei Xing shouts to the man and grabs his attention.

Papa Fan then slips through the crowd and appears before Bei Xing.

“Hey there Xing Gongzi! What can I do for you?”

Papa Fan is a highly respected figure in Luse Village. Despite being only a baker his influence reaches everyone, and many see him as a grandpa-like figure. Hence why people call him Papa Fan. He’s somewhat round and wears basic white and black cloth for clothing. His grey hair and thick moustache show that he is aging, yet despite this his spirit is still quite young.

“I stopped by the bakery earlier and Wu Fan told me that you were here. Originally my plan was to get some of your bread bites, but Wu Fan ate all of them!”

Papa Fan lets out a joyful laugh.

“Silly girl, she’s always pulling some sort of stunt like that. Here’s what I’ll do for you Gongzi, since you’re helping the village out by going on this expedition I’ll prepare a whole batch of bread bites for you to take with you tomorrow!”

Bei Xing’s spirit leaves his body with the thought of receiving an entire batch of bread bites for himself, and for free at that!

“Thank you Papa Fan! I appreciate your kindness!”

Bei Xing gives a half bow to his elder out of respect before taking off.

“I should get going now, father will want to discuss the details of tomorrow’s expedition!”

“Run along then Gongzi, and feel free to stop by the White Loaf any time you want.”

In a flash Bei Xing is out of site due to the crowds still leaving the town center. After a few minutes the entire building is emptied out aside from Lao Xing, Bei Xing, and Jin Zhung who stand together at the table where Lao Xing was sitting during the meeting.

“Now that it is just us we should discuss the details for tomorrow in order to prepare.”

Both Bei Xing and Jin Zhung nod in agreement before grabbing chairs and sitting at the table across from Lao Xing to discuss their plans.

Chapter End.

Author's Note:

[1] Adding -er to the end of someone's name is a parent's way to address their children or close nephews and nieces.

[2] Gongzi is a term meaning young man or gentleman. It's most often used to address the son of a noble, royalty, or respected figure.