Headman Hu himself should have gone down into the mine several times, so how could he not know his map was wrong?0

Did he give us the wrong one on purpose?0

Just what is he playing at?0

Willow murmured, “I heard that reporting the mine trouble to Panlong City wasn’t Headman Hu’s idea at all. It was two merchants who spread the word first, and he had no choice but to file a report afterward. He’s said to be unhappy about them acting on their own.”0

A squadmate behind them suddenly spoke up, “Big Sister Willow’s right, this place smells bad. A bit fishy.”1

Someone else added, “And it’s kind of hot.”0

With no light from outside, the deeper you went into a mountain tunnel like this, the colder it should get. Some caves had cool air blowing year-round. The locals even sometimes used them as summer refuges, and after a while, you would need to put on a coat.0

But here, the farther they walked, the warmer it got. The air felt heavy and close. Beads of sweat formed on the tip of Willow’s nose, and the big men around her were starting to wipe their foreheads, too.0

Could there be heat coming from the ground below?0

Impossible. Digging a mine into a volcano would be begging everyone to die together. Panlong City would never have started operations...0