There was no need to wait for ten days. After only six days, Zhang Yiyi, Maoqiu, and Shi Feng cleared out all the Liuyun Kou in the mining area.

This success was largely due to the countless mutated ants inside, which for Zhang Yiyi, were the most effortless and efficient miners. Given this, after Zhang Yiyi took all the Liuyun Kou, she naturally didn't let Maoqiu exterminate all the mutated ants.

Of course, there were two other reasons that couldn't be ignored.

First, the mutated queen ant was formidable in its own right. With such a vast number of ant-beasts around, even with Maoqiu's help, wiping them all out wouldn't be an easy task. The queen had already developed intelligence, and while it submitted to Maoqiu due to bloodline suppression and dared not disobey its orders, if Maoqiu truly intended to kill her and all her descendants, even the strongest bloodline suppression couldn't overcome the instinct to survive. If they were pushed to the brink, both sides would suffer heavy losses.

Second, Zhang Yiyi wanted to leave the mutated ants as an obstacle for the Bai family. Otherwise, if the Bai family easily discovered that all the Liuyun Kou had disappeared, she and Shi Feng wouldn't be able to escape.

Thus, after they prepared everything, they deliberately caused a commotion and made a hasty escape from the mining area. When Zheng He and the others saw Zhang Yiyi, she appeared disheveled and in distress.

"Linlin, you're finally out!"

Seeing that Zhang Yiyi was indeed the one who emerged, Zheng He didn't have the patience to continue dealing with the Bai family and rushed over with joy, his anxiety finally easing.

No matter what happened to others, as long as Zhang Yiyi was safe, that was all that mattered. If not for Zhang Yiyi, the young master of Jiagu Guan City wouldn't have come to such a desolate Bai family mine in the first place.

"Brother Zheng, why are you here?"

Just after escaping, Zhang Yiyi was surprised to see Zheng He and couldn't help but wonder. "Han... Little Brother Han, and me too! I'm here!"

Zhu Qing, nearby, was equally excited and shouted to get her attention, nearly slipping up and calling her by her real name.

Fortunately, Zhu Qing remembered that Zhang Yiyi had entered the Black Marsh disguised as a male cultivator to mine with the Bai family.

Since they had found her and she was safe, there was no need to cause further trouble. It was best not to reveal Zhang Yiyi's true identity in front of the Bai family.

"Oh, Brother Zhu, you're here too! What's going on? Why did you all come here?"

Zhang Yiyi praised Zhu Qing in her heart for addressing her as "Little Brother Han" with such tact.

But what were these two powerful figures doing here? Could it be that they found out she had secretly signed up to come with the Bai family to the Black Marsh and came looking for her? "Why else would we be here? Of course, we're worried about your safety!" Zhu Qing quickly answered. "When the boss found out you had gone into the Black Marsh with the Bai family, he was so anxious he almost grabbed me and beat me up. He told you not to come, but you sneaked in any way!"

"..."

Zhang Yiyi was at a loss for words. She hadn't expected her random guess to be right—they had come because they were worried about her.

"Alright, stop listening to him. It's fine as long as you're safe."

Zheng He quickly pulled Zhu Qing aside, preventing him from saying more.

Now that Zhang Yiyi was safe, nothing else mattered, and there was no need to burden her with the trouble they had gone through to find her.

"We all know your abilities. No matter how dangerous the place, you wouldn't be in real trouble. I just wanted to take you to the auction for some experience, but I couldn't remember where you were staying, so when I heard from him that you might be here, I came over to wait for you."

Zheng He's reasoning was a bit forced, making Zhang Yiyi feel a little awkward, but she appreciated the thoughtfulness behind his concern.

"Thank you, Brother Zheng and Brother Zhu, for your concern. When we return, I'll invite you to my place for a visit so you know where to find me next time."

Zhang Yiyi said politely, mindful that it wasn't appropriate to discuss other matters in front of the Bai family.

"Great! Since everything's fine, let's head back now. We can rest a bit and still make it to the upcoming auction."

Zheng He pulled Zhang Yiyi along, ready to leave.

The Black Marsh was a dreadful place, and there was no need to stay any longer now that Zhang Yiyi was safe.

However, the Bai family couldn't just let Zheng He take her away. After all, regardless of her connection to Zheng He, Zhang Yiyi was still a temporary worker they had recruited for the mining job. They couldn't simply let her leave.

"Young Master, please wait a moment. Your friend must first hand over the Liuyun Kou he collected for the Bai family before he can leave."

The Bai family's Golden Core cultivator wasn't being unreasonable. If not for Zheng He, Zhang Yiyi would have had to wait until everyone had finished mining before she could leave.

Although Zheng He was displeased, the request was fair, so he couldn't refuse. After all, causing a conflict earlier was because he was anxious to find Zhang Yiyi. Now that she was safe, there was no point in preventing the Bai family from collecting their resources.

Glancing at Zhang Yiyi, who nodded to him reassuringly, he stepped aside, acknowledging the Bai family's request.

Seeing Zheng He back down, the Bai family's Golden Core cultivator relaxed, his attitude toward Zhang Yiyi and Shi Feng becoming more polite.

"You two can now hand over the Liuyun Kou you mined. Also, how are things in the mining area?" he asked, taking the opportunity to inquire about the situation inside.

Compared to before, this time it took longer for anyone to come out, and the day they entered, something had happened inside that caused even the outer areas of the mining zone to be disturbed by the mutated ants. Now that someone had finally emerged, the Bai family needed to know what was going on.

"We're sorry, but we barely made it out alive and didn't get a chance to mine anything. We have no Liuyun Kou to hand over."

Zhang Yiyi spoke seriously, "Moreover, aside from Shi Feng and me, everyone else was eaten by the mutated ants. No one else will come out alive."

"What? What did you say?"

The Bai family's Golden Core cultivator lost his composure, nearly stepping forward to grab Zhang Yiyi if not for Zheng He's sharp warning glance.

"Young Master, I was just momentarily anxious," the man quickly explained, before turning back to Zhang Yiyi and Shi Feng. "What happened? How could they all be dead?"

"Not all dead—Shi Feng and I survived," Shi Feng immediately corrected, though this only added to the Bai family's anger.

"Let me explain," Zhang Yiyi stepped forward. "From the moment we entered, swarms of mutated ants poured out, filling the entire space. It became a massive ant sea."

She took out a Recording Stone and played it for everyone to see. "There was no way to mine. The whole area has become an ant nest."

The sight of endless ants shocked everyone, even Zheng He, who realized how fortunate Zhang Yiyi and Shi Feng were to have escaped.

"It's impossible! How could there be so many mutated ants?"

The Bai family was stunned. They had been managing this mine and were well aware of the dangers and the general number of mutated ants. How had it become so infested in just two weeks?

"How could we know? You sent us to our deaths!" Zhang Yiyi quickly turned the blame on the Bai family. "You didn't care about our lives when you sent us in without warning us about this."

Zheng He chimed in, "The Bai family disregarded human lives by sending cultivators into a mine that had already been overrun by mutated ants. Did you think you could exploit scattered cultivators without consequences?"

Zhang Yiyi was surprised at how well Zheng He played along. Whether out of genuine concern or instinct, his support made the situation easier for her to handle.

The Bai family's Golden Core cultivator was now on the defensive.