"When was that? I really need to think about it..."

The simple man didn't notice that he had said so much while Zhang Yiyi clearly didn't take his advice to heart. Instead, she was focused on the casual remark he had made. However, being straightforward, he began to recall seriously when she asked.

"I remember now; it started about half a year ago. Yes, that's right. It was half a year ago when the Bai family explicitly stated that they would only recruit ordinary rouge cultivators for mining in the Black Marsh from now on. They also increased the pay and commissions significantly."

After a moment, the simple man replied earnestly, "That's correct. I've been paying attention to this matter, so I specifically checked a lot of information. I hope to gather as many Liuyun Kou as possible this time to earn more commission and safely return to treat my brother's illness."

After a pause, he scratched his head and added, "You and my brother look quite similar—oh, not in appearance exactly, but the feeling is quite alike. You're both fair and delicate, just like a little girl. But he hates it when I describe him like that; he gets mad every time. I didn't mean anything by it; I just thought of him when I saw you and didn't want you to go and lose your life for nothing."

Hearing this, Zhang Yiyi felt a bit complicated.

If it was half a year ago, then the timing was rather subtle.

It's important to note that the few disciples from her sect had gone missing around that same time, and she didn't know whether the Bai family had changed their policies before or after those incidents.

If the Bai family had already decided to stop recruiting disciples from the sect before those accidents, then the disappearance of the three disciples from her sect might not be related to the Black Marsh after all.

Zhang Yiyi suddenly felt that her investigative methods were overly rigid and singular. Her lack of experience made her somewhat hesitant in her actions, even fixing her thoughts.

Listening to this man's words today felt like a breakthrough. It seemed that she would need to learn from these experiences going forward.

However, there was no need to give up on this trip to the Black Marsh. Regardless of whether the disappearance of the sect's disciples was related to this place, she had come this far. She needed to go in and see for herself to feel reassured.

"My name is Han Lin. May I ask how to address you, big brother?"

After a moment, Zhang Yiyi quickly regained her focus and softly inquired about the simple man's situation. "What illness does your brother have? Will the spirit stones you earn this time be enough for his treatment?"

"My name is Shi Feng. My brother's name is Shi Li. His illness isn't very serious, but to cure it, we need a specific spirit herb. If luck is on our side and I can gather some more spirit stones, we might be able to do it. By the way, Little Brother Han, are you still planning to continue mining in the Black Marsh?"

Shi Feng was quite strong, and compared to him, Zhang Yiyi's slender physique made her seem particularly frail, which put her in the category of someone who needed extra care.

After briefly introducing himself, Shi Feng didn't give up on persuading Zhang Yiyi to leave.

As for his brother's illness, there was no need to elaborate for this young man; he thought it unnecessary to dwell on it.

Zhang Yiyi felt quite moved by Shi Feng's concern for her safety, especially since there were not many pure-hearted individuals like him in the cultivation world.

"Big Brother Shi, I will definitely be careful."

Everyone had their reasons for needing to go, and Zhang Yiyi was no exception.

She also couldn't go into detail with Shi Feng, so she simply expressed that she had to go. Otherwise, it would be awkward to keep being persuaded by him along the way.

Shi Feng paused for a moment, then realized Zhang Yiyi was determined to go, so he didn't insist any further.

"Alright then, since you're set on going, try to stay close to me once we're inside. We can look out for each other."

He was worried that Zhang Yiyi would feel uncomfortable asking for help, so he framed it as a mutual concern.

In Shi Feng's eyes, Zhang Yiyi's cultivation level was still lacking, and her naïve demeanor showed that she had not experienced much in the world. If she encountered any danger in the Black Marsh, she would likely be among the first to suffer misfortune.

While he couldn't protect her throughout, he would do his best to look out for her since she bore a striking resemblance to his brother.

"...Oh, alright then, thank you, Big Brother Shi."

Zhang Yiyi felt that her luck was improving. How else could she have met such a kind-hearted person so easily?

As Shi Feng had mentioned, the Bai family's leading member indeed confirmed once more to all the temporary recruits whether they were sure about entering the Black Marsh before officially stepping in.

The leader of the Bai family this time was a late-stage Golden Core cultivator, who appeared to be quite experienced, as he was very familiar with the statements.

He reiterated that the dangers inside the Black Marsh had increased compared to the past. Once they entered, they were responsible for their own lives. If anyone wanted to back out, they could return the ten spirit stones the Bai family had paid in advance without any hardship from them.

Zhang Yiyi quietly watched the Bai family's evasive emphasis, but she couldn't fault them for it.

Living in the cultivation world was fraught with risks. Although the Bai family didn't disclose every detail of the situation, they weren't entirely concealing the dangers either; at least on the surface, it could be said they were being reasonably transparent.

After all, there were plenty of sordid and malicious things in this world, and human lives were often worth the least.

Indeed, despite the risks being clear, almost no one who had signed up chose to withdraw.

Compared to other tasks, the rewards and commissions for mining for the Bai family were incredibly attractive. For ordinary scattered cultivators who were short on resources, it was considered one of the quickest ways to earn money.

Moreover, whether in Jiagu Guan City or elsewhere, every task carried its risks; it wasn't guaranteed that doing something else would be completely safe.

Because of this, even though the Bai family repeatedly emphasized the associated dangers, new cultivators continued to sign up in waves.

Not to mention, Jiagu Guan City was traditionally a gathering place for scattered cultivators from all over, and among such a large base, a small number of casualties were unlikely to make much of a splash.

Once they officially entered the Black Marsh, Zhang Yiyi immediately felt a unique sense of pressure.

According to Shi Feng's quiet explanation, this kind of pressure was even stronger in the Black Marsh under normal circumstances, nearly preventing cultivators like them from entering.

Because of this, the Bai family could only bring people in to mine for the Liuyun Kou about half the time each month.

As they approached the outer edge of the Liuyun Kou vein, this pressure reached its peak, making even breathing a strenuous effort.

More importantly, Zhang Yiyi indeed saw at a glance the huge mutated ants, mentioned by Zhu Qing, surrounding the edge of the mineral vein in layers