The knocking sound coming from the depths of the cave was similar to the sound of a hammer falling.
Not only Yun Que heard it, but also several other people heard it.
Several people turned their attention to Yi Hongwen, who was the last to follow.
"Is there anyone else coming?" Mu Qingyao asked.
Yi Hongwen kept shaking his head, indicating that he didn't know why there was a noise inside.
He had never walked that road before.
Ding-ding-ding-ding.
The knocking sound became a little clearer.
"The sound of iron."
Yun Que quickly identified the source of the sound. There was a blacksmith shop next door to his house and he was very familiar with the sound.
Everyone became more and more confused.
How could anyone be forging iron in a mine that was just sealed off?
Several people focused their attention on Yun Que, waiting for his orders. No matter this time in the mine or the last trip to the Wushan Mountains, Mu Qingyao and Zhou Yuanliang had already unknowingly regarded Yun Que as their captain.
Not to mention the remaining Luo Xiaoyu, she would definitely not go west if Yun Que asked him to go east.
"Go and take a look, the sound is not far away."
Yun Que turned into the mine tunnel on the right first, followed closely by Mu Qingyao.
Yi Hongwen didn't want to join in the fun. He was frightened by the tree demon and planned to leave first. However, when he saw Zhou Yuanliang's flying sword, he had to follow him with a grimace.
Within a quarter of an hour, everyone suddenly became enlightened.
Deep in the cave is a recently mined mine, which is extremely spacious and contains a large amount of ore that has not yet been transported away.
At the bottom of the mine, many torches were lit, making the surrounding area as bright as day.
Dozens of sturdy figures were busy.
The fire was bright, the hammers were flying, and white smoke was rising from time to time. These people were actually making weapons in the mine!
On one side of the pit bottom, there are hundreds of long knives piled up, with blood grooves on the sides of the blades.
Barbarian weapons!
Take a closer look at these craftsmen. They are dressed roughly and have totem-like marks engraved on their exposed arms.
Barbarian!!
When they saw a group of barbarians forging weapons in the mine, Mu Qingyao and others were stunned.
Even Yunque was surprised.
The charges against the Mu family were obviously unfounded. The emperor just found an excuse to perform the surgery in order to forge the Emperor's Sword. Why did barbarians really appear in the Mu family's mines?
Could it be that the Mu family really colluded with the barbarians?
When this question appeared in Yun Que's mind, Mu Qingyao's shoulders suddenly trembled.
She stared intently at a thin man wearing a blue brocade robe deep in the mine.
This man is not dressed as a barbarian, but is dressed in a noble manner. He is talking to an old man with a long beard, holding his hands behind his back, and laughing from time to time.
"Uncle..."
Mu Qingyao whispered a title that she least wanted to say.
The man in blue robe at the bottom of the pit is none other than Mu Qingzhou’s cousin, Mu Qingyao’s uncle, Mu Wan!
Mu Wan has a very important position in the Mu family, and is responsible for the transportation business. All the ore transportation matters in the mines are under his control, and he can be called Mu Qingzhou's right-hand man. I didn't expect that such a core figure in the Mu family would collude with the barbarians.
Thinking of her father who was in jail, Mu Qingyao clenched her fists fiercely with hatred.
A fish spoils a pot of soup. Years of accumulation of the Mu family are ruined in the hands of such a traitor!
Yi Hongwen also saw Mu Wan at the bottom of the pit at this time. He was surprised and said: "That's not..."
Before he could finish speaking, Zhou Yuanliang covered his mouth.
The chatter and laughter at the bottom of the pit stopped for a while, but soon resumed. Mu Wan was chatting and laughing and boasting, while the long-bearded old man opposite him mostly just smiled and listened, and occasionally said a word or two.
At this time, the long-bearded old man seemed to notice something and glanced at the entrance of the mine above his head.
Yun Que and others had already retracted their bodies and hid in the darkness.
The long-bearded old man didn't notice anything unusual, and he averted his eyes and continued chatting with Mu Wan, but the corner of his smiling mouth became weird, and there seemed to be a bit of mockery in his smile.
Ding-ding-ding-ding.
The sound of forging was endless, and a group of strong barbarian men were busy in an orderly manner in the mine.
These barbarians can forge swords very quickly and with amazing strength, and they can swing hammers much more frequently than ordinary blacksmiths.
Although the forged swords are not very sophisticated, they are large in quantity. If they are made at this rate, a barbarian army can be armed in just a few days.
The barbarians rely on strength to charge on the battlefield. As long as the sword is still sharp, they can move forward indomitably.
It doesn't matter if the weapon is blunt, their natural strength is enough to chop a blunt knife into the enemy's body.
Hearing the sound of barbarians striking iron, Yun Que frowned.
Without fighting, he could tell from the sounds that the barbarians in the pit had amazing strength, which was close to Hu Tieshan's strength in blacksmithing.
He is not an ordinary barbarian, he is definitely an elite among the barbarians, even a blood barbarian!
Especially the old man with a long beard, giving people a sinister and sinister feeling.
In the silence, Mu Qingyao cast a questioning look, while Zhou Yuanliang and Luo Xiaoyu were also waiting for Yun Que's decision.
Yun Que pondered for a while and waved his hand towards the outside of the mine.
Signaling everyone to leave.
Now is not the best time.
Without knowing the true strength of your opponent, it is easy to get into danger if you act rashly.
Especially since there is a tree demon in another passage, no one can guarantee whether the tree demon will go crazy after discovering that the Qianye Sword is missing.
The situation is complex and dangerous. The best way is to retreat first and then make plans.
Several people slowly backed away and moved away from where they were.
Then he turned around and headed towards the mine exit.
Although Yi Hongwen was full of questions, he was speechless and his mouth was always covered by Zhou Yuanliang.
Zhou Yuanliang didn't let go until he was far away.
"Isn't that Mu Wan just now? It turns out he was colluding with the barbarians! Cousin Qingyao, why didn't you take action? If you catch him, the Mu family will be saved!" Yi Hongwen finally regained his breath and asked hurriedly.
Mu Qingyao ignored him and hurried on her way, thinking about what she should do after leaving, whether to go back to the Sword Palace for help or report to the Emperor.
Zhou Yuanliang patted Yi Hongwen on the shoulder and said sympathetically: "You should worry about yourself. Children should not talk too much about adult matters. Remember to take off your pants when you poop or pee in the future."
Yi Hongwen was speechless and his face turned red.
"You still do it? Aren't you afraid that the tree demon will eat you whole!" Luo Xiaoyu imitated the tiger's appearance and threatened.
Yi Hongwen had never seen the terrifying form of the tree demon, but Luo Xiaoyu had seen it before. It was a seventh-level demon beast, a terrifying big demon monster.
Yun Que walked at the front, his eyes stern.
The plan to retreat temporarily is indeed based on fear of the tree demon, but there is one more thing.
Guards outside the mine.
How come there are traces of barbarians in the mine where Piaomiao Pavilion is stationed?
This is something Yun Que cannot understand.
Dryads can escape through the ground, so appearing deep in the mines is unexpected but reasonable. But the barbarians don't know how to dig holes, so how did they get in?
There are many weeds at the entrance of the backup passage, and there are no traces of large numbers of people entering or exiting.
If you want to enter the mine, the only way is through the main entrance of the mine guarded by Piaomiao Pavilion.
While thinking about it, Yun Que suddenly heard a noise coming from behind him.
"Hi! His! My hand!"
Yi Hongwen suddenly shouted, shocking everyone to stop.
"What's the ghost's name? You've attracted some barbarians to look good on you!" Zhou Yuanliang cursed.
"I don't want to scream, but it hurts!" Yi Hongwen raised his hand with a grimace and said, "Something is biting me!"
When he raised his right hand, everyone saw a palm-sized scorpion hanging on his finger.
The whole hand turned blue-purple at a speed visible to the naked eye!