With the help of Zheng He and Zhu Qing, Zhang Yiyi's response to the Bai family's interrogation was much more effective. Without their support, she, as an unknown rogue cultivator, would have only been able to argue without much power, likely needing to reveal all her hidden cards. But now, with their presence, her words carried much more weight.

Zheng He and Zhu Qing had escalated the issue in the Bai family's Liuyun mine area to a matter concerning the reputation and survival of the entire Jiagu Guan City. They even suggested that the Bai family might harbor dangerous ambitions, turning the situation into a grave accusation.

Caught off guard by such a serious charge, the Bai family's Golden Core cultivators were thrown into disarray, unable to focus on any other matters, let alone thinking about causing trouble for Zhang Yiyi and Shi Feng.

"Young City Lord, Master Zhu, please don't misunderstand! Our Bai family would never use cultivators to feed the mutated ants here! That's absolutely impossible! Even though we hold the mining rights, the Bai family has nothing to do with those mutated ants!" The Bai family's Golden Core cultivators quickly tried to explain. "We reported the appearance of the mutated ants to the City Lord's Mansion early on, and several other families have also sent people to confirm the situation. As for why their numbers increased so drastically in just half a month, we are only just now learning about it ourselves."

Before the explanation could continue, Zheng He cut him off, "What the Bai family needs to do now is immediately report this matter, halt the mining operation, and thoroughly investigate the situation to eliminate any dangers. If any further recklessness results in harm, it will no longer be just the mine's profits at stake, but whether other families can still trust the Bai family enough to let them stay here."

This wasn't just an idle threat from Zheng He. The matter of the mutated ants had clearly become too big to cover up, and regardless of how the situation unfolded, the Bai family would have to give a satisfactory explanation. Otherwise, the other families would not be pacified. The Bai family was in trouble, and Zheng He would not allow them to shift the blame onto Zhang Yiyi.

"Don't worry, Brother Han," Zhu Qing chimed in, adding pressure on behalf of the Zhu family.

"You were nearly killed by the Bai family, but rest assured, they will be held accountable. We won't let the deaths of those who never made it out go unpunished."

Seeing that both Zheng He and Zhu Qing were shielding Zhang Yiyi and Shi Feng, the Bai family knew they couldn't do anything rash to them.

"Rest assured, Young City Lord, Master Zhu. The Bai family will fully investigate this matter and provide a proper explanation. We will cease all mining operations until the ant problem is completely resolved. However, please do not hastily convict the Bai family before the investigation is complete. Our reputation is at stake too," said the leading Bai family Golden Core cultivator, firmly defending the Bai family's honor.

Seeing Zheng He nod in response, the Bai family cultivator then stopped them as they were preparing to leave. "We still need to conduct a routine check to ensure that no Liuyun ore was taken."

Zhang Yiyi and Shi Feng readily agreed, allowing the Bai family to inspect them. After a thorough check, no Liuyun ore was found, proving their innocence. However, the Bai family was still puzzled about how these two managed to survive while everyone else perished.

The Bai family asked if they could buy Zhang Yiyi's memory stone that contained a recording of the ant horde. She tossed it over without hesitation, but Zhu Qing made a snide comment about the price, pressuring the Bai family into promising additional compensation.

When questioned about how they survived, Zhang Yiyi explained that after entering the mine, they were soon surrounded by the mutated ants. Fortunately, Shi Feng had prepared well and quickly realized something was wrong, leading them to retreat immediately. They barely managed to survive by using valuable items given to them by Zheng He and Zhu Qing.

Her vague explanation left the Bai family disappointed, but they didn't press further, knowing that pushing more would only worsen their situation.

In front of Zheng He and the others, a Golden Core cultivator from the Bai family directly handed over one hundred spirit stones to Zhang Yiyi, essentially purchasing the memory stone that recorded the true situation within the mining area.

One hundred spirit stones is not a large sum, but not a small one either—it all depends on how you look at it. After all, if you were just buying an empty memory stone, one hundred spirit stones would be more than enough. But the key isn't the memory stone itself—it's the crucial intelligence it holds about the recorded scenes.

"Tsk tsk, the memory stone that my little brother Han risked his life to bring out, with such important information inside, is only worth a hundred low-grade spirit stones!" Zhu Qing mocked, sneering in disdain. "The Bai family is really generous. Aren't they afraid of being laughed at?"

Hearing this, the Golden Core cultivator from the Bai family flushed with embarrassment.

"Young Master Zhu misunderstands. These hundred spirit stones are merely the cost of purchasing Brother Han's memory stone. As for the information it contains, once the Bai family resolves the issues in the mining area based on this intelligence, Brother Han will certainly be rewarded further for his contributions."

The Bai family cultivator tried to recover from the situation, though inwardly, he cursed Zhu Qing for stirring up trouble. If not for these meddling heirs suddenly showing up today, they wouldn't be in such a passive position. Who knows what punishment awaits them once they return, and yet they have to plaster a smile on their faces for now.

"Oh, is that so? Well, I and the Young Lord of the city heard you loud and clear. Just make sure the Bai family doesn't forget these words when the time comes," Zhu Qing said, his tone laced with mockery, but he didn't push further. He waved to Zheng He and Zhang Yiyi, "Boss, little brother Han, let's head back!"

Seeing this, the group prepared to leave, but they were blocked again by the Golden Core cultivator from the Bai family.

"Please, wait a moment, I—"

"You've got to be kidding! What do you want now? Are you playing with us?" Zhu Qing erupted in anger, kicking the Golden Core cultivator. Enough was enough—being stopped repeatedly, what did they think they were doing? Did they really think they were pushovers?

"Master Zhu, please calm down. I—" The man didn't dare dodge and took the kick, but he still refused to move aside. After all, if he didn't clarify some things now, he wouldn't be able to face the Bai family upon his return. He'd meet an even worse fate.

Judging from the expressions of Zheng He and Zhu Qing, once they returned, they'd surely keep a close eye on the two survivors. It would be difficult to question them again later.

"Brother Zhu, let's wait a bit longer. I think he's trying to ask how we managed to survive in the mining area these past few days," Zhang Yiyi spoke up, stepping forward to prevent Zhu Qing or Zheng He from speaking for her this time. She voiced what the Golden Core cultivator of the Bai family wanted to know.

"Let them speak clearly before we leave. That way, the Bai family won't come up with more excuses and reasons to bother us later," Zheng He said, his face impassive. While it seemed like he was talking to Zhu Qing, his words were directed at the Bai family, warning them to settle everything in one go. If they dared trouble Zhang Yiyi again, he wouldn't be so forgiving.

"Please rest assured, Young Lord. We merely wish to clarify what Brother Han mentioned earlier so we can report back to the Bai family more accurately. We mean no harm." The Golden Core cultivator didn't dare make any promises on behalf of the entire Bai family, but he expressed their position as courteously as possible.

As for whether the higher-ups of the Bai family would send people to question Zhang Yiyi and Shi Feng about the mining area later, that wasn't something he could control.

Zheng He saw through his words, his expression darkening as he cast a cold glance at the man. Heh, it seemed he'd have to keep a close eye on her once they returned. Otherwise, who knew what the Bai family might do to this girl?

"It's actually quite simple. Shortly after entering, we were quickly surrounded by swarms of mutated ants. There were too many of them to kill," Zhang Yiyi began to explain briefly, turning to the Bai family. "At that time, I happened to be with Brother Shi. He had made ample preparations before this trip, and he immediately sensed something was wrong. He grabbed me, and we ran back at full speed."

She paused for a moment, sighing before continuing, "Unfortunately, even though we hadn't ventured in too deeply and immediately headed for the mine's exit, we were still quickly surrounded by the overwhelming numbers of mutated ants. The only saving grace was that I had quite a few valuable items that Brother Zheng and Brother Zhu had given me over the past few days. It was only by using up all those items that we managed to hold out for so many days and finally blasted a bloody path out."

Her explanation mixed truth and lies—while it seemed detailed, she hadn't actually revealed anything of real value. Essentially, she implied that they survived because they had more treasures and were willing to use them, coupled with Shi Feng's vigilance, which gave them an early advantage.

The Bai family members were left at a loss for words. Though they hadn't expected much useful information, they couldn't help but feel disappointed after hearing her explanation.

Zhu Qing, however, looked pained and immediately turned to Zhang Yiyi, saying, "Oh no, you used up all those treasures? I told you not to go, but you wouldn't listen! Look at how much you've lost on this trip. That day, Boss gave you nearly half a bag of valuable items—things that are hard for me to get even one of!"