Chapter 3: Into the Depths

The pre-dawn air was crisp and cold as nine figures gathered at the entrance to the newly discovered cave system. Uzun adjusted the straps of his pack, feeling the weight of the surveying equipment he had been assigned to carry. Coiled rope, measuring tools, marking stakes, and emergency supplies made his load considerably heavier than his usual mining gear, but the promise of double pay made the burden worthwhile.

The expedition team was a mix of experienced miners and hired protection. Besides Uzun, the survey crew consisted of five other workers: Old Han, a grizzled veteran who had been working the mines for over thirty years; Brothers Wei and Wei Jun, twins who specialized in tunnel stability assessment; Zhao Ming, a young man only a few years older than Uzun who had a reputation for fearlessness in dangerous situations; and Liu Feng, a methodical worker known for his careful attention to detail.

The three guards were a different breed entirely. Captain Gao was a former soldier who had served in the kingdom's border conflicts before settling in Qingshan Town. His weathered face bore several scars, and the way he carried his sword suggested he knew how to use it. The other two guards, Chen Lu and Wang Tie, were local men who had developed their combat skills through years of protecting merchant caravans from bandits and beasts.

"Remember," Foreman Chen Wei addressed the group one final time, "this is a survey mission, not a treasure hunt. Your job is to map the safe passages, test the air quality, and identify any immediate dangers. The actual excavation will come later, once we know what we're dealing with."

He paused, his eyes moving across each member of the team. "If you encounter anything you can't handle whether unstable rock, poisonous gas, or beasts." He looked at all of them "You retreat immediately. No amount of ore is worth losing lives over."

The entrance to the new cave system was a jagged opening in the mountainside, roughly twice the height of a man and wide enough for three people to walk abreast. It had been discovered when the excavation crews had broken through a particularly thin section of rock while extending Tunnel Twelve. The initial breach had revealed a vast darkness beyond, with air currents suggesting a much larger space than anyone had expected.

Captain Gao lit his torch from the oil lamp mounted beside the entrance, the flame casting dancing shadows across the rough stone walls. One by one, the other members of the expedition followed suit, until nine torches flickered in the morning air like a constellation of stars.

"Stay close," the captain instructed. "We go in together, we come out together. No one wanders off alone, no matter what you think you see."

The transition from daylight to the cave's interior was jarring. The morning sun, which had seemed pale and weak in the mountain air, suddenly felt like a blazing beacon as they stepped into the darkness. The light from their torches bounced off the walls and was quickly absorbed by the stark black, lightless interior. Within a dozen steps, the opening behind them had faded to a distant glow, and they were surrounded by a darkness so complete it seemed to have physical weight.

The first chamber was larger than any of them had expected. Their torchlight revealed a roughly circular space perhaps fifty feet across, with a ceiling that disappeared into shadows high above their heads. The walls were natural stone, carved by water and time into flowing, organic shapes that seemed almost alive in the flickering light.

"Look at the size of this place," Wei Jun whispered, his voice echoing strangely in the vast space. "It's like a cathedral."

Old Han was examining the walls with the practiced eye of someone who had spent decades underground. "Natural formation," he confirmed. "Water carved this out over thousands of years. See how smooth the walls are? This whole system was probably flooded at some point."

Liu Feng was already at work with his measuring tools, carefully pacing off distances and making notes on a piece of parchment. "Fifty-three feet east to west," he called out. "Forty-seven feet north to south. Ceiling height..." He held his torch as high as he could reach. "At least thirty feet, possibly more."

The air quality was surprisingly good. Captain Gao had brought a caged canary—a standard precaution for underground exploration and the small bird showed no signs of distress. The air was cool and slightly humid, with a faint mineral scent that spoke of deep earth and hidden waters.

"Three passages leading out," Chen Lu reported from his position near the far wall. "One to the northeast, one to the southeast, and one that heads almost due south. All of them look stable."

They spent nearly an hour in that first chamber, carefully documenting everything they found. Uzun's job was to carry equipment and assist with measurements, but he found himself fascinated by the cave's natural architecture. The walls showed clear evidence of water flow smooth channels carved into the stone, mineral deposits left behind by countless years of seepage, and formations that looked like frozen waterfalls made of rock.

The northeastern passage proved to be the most promising for their initial exploration. It was wide enough for two people to walk side by side, with a relatively level floor and stable-looking walls. The ceiling varied in height, sometimes dropping low enough that the taller members of the group had to duck, other times opening up into spaces that their torchlight couldn't fully illuminate.

"Water carved this too," Old Han observed as they made their way deeper into the mountain. "See how the floor slopes? This was probably a stream bed at some point. The water would have flowed from the deeper chambers toward the entrance."

The passage twisted and turned, following the natural contours of the rock. Every few dozen yards, Liu Feng would stop to take measurements and make notes, while the guards kept watch for any signs of danger. The walls showed increasing signs of mineral deposits—veins of quartz and other stones that caught their torchlight and threw it back in glittering reflections.

After perhaps two hundred yards, the passage opened into another chamber, this one even larger than the first. Their torches revealed a space that seemed to stretch beyond the reach of their light, with multiple levels connected by natural stone ramps and terraces.

"By the ancestors," Zhao Ming breathed. "This place is enormous."

Captain Gao held his torch high, trying to gauge the chamber's dimensions. "Has to be at least a hundred feet across. Maybe more. And look at those formations."

The chamber was filled with natural stone pillars with stalactites and stalagmites that had grown together over millennia to create columns that supported the vast ceiling. Some were as thin as a man's arm, others thick as ancient trees. The mineral deposits here were more extensive than anything they had seen in the entrance chamber, with veins of various stones running through the walls like frozen lightning.

"The air's still good," Wang Tie reported, checking the canary. "Whatever this place is, it's well-ventilated."

They spent another hour exploring the second chamber, discovering that it connected to at least four other passages. The complexity of the cave system was becoming apparent—this wasn't just a single large cavern, but an entire network of interconnected spaces that extended deep into the mountain.

"We could spend weeks mapping all of this," Liu Feng said, looking at his growing collection of notes and sketches. "The system is much more extensive than anyone imagined."

It was in the third chamber that they made their first significant discovery.

This space was smaller than the previous two, perhaps thirty feet across, but the walls were different. Instead of the smooth, water-carved stone they had seen elsewhere, these walls showed clear evidence of mineral veins—thick bands of various stones that ran through the rock like colorful ribbons.

"Look at this," Wei called out, holding his torch close to one of the walls. "Is that what I think it is?"

Old Han moved closer, his experienced eyes examining the exposed stone. His sharp intake of breath was audible in the quiet chamber. "Iron ore," he said slowly. "But not just iron. Look at those veins—that's copper, and that darker band might be silver."

"And this," Wei Jun added from another section of wall, his voice tight with excitement. "This looks like gemstone deposits. Raw, uncut, but definitely gemstone material."

The discovery sent a wave of excitement through the entire group. Captain Gao moved from wall to wall, his torch revealing vein after vein of mineral deposits. Some were clearly metallic ores like the iron, copper, and silver that Old Han had identified—but others showed the telltale crystalline structure of gemstone materials.

"This is incredible," Chen Lu said, his voice filled with awe. "I've never seen deposits this rich, not even in the stories the old miners tell."

Liu Feng was frantically making notes, trying to document the extent of what they were seeing. "The veins run through at least sixty percent of the visible wall surface," he reported. "And they appear to extend deeper into the rock. This isn't just surface deposits—this is a major find."

Uzun found himself caught up in the excitement despite his usual caution. The implications of such a discovery were staggering. Gemstone materials were the foundation of cultivation, and raw deposits like these were incredibly valuable. A find of this magnitude would transform Qingshan Town from a minor mining settlement into a major center of wealth and power.

"The clans are going to go mad for this," Zhao Ming said, grinning widely. "Discoveries like this would allow their families to live well for years in the good graces of the clans of the kingdom. Wealth would pour into the town as well."

Old Han nodded gravely. "This changes everything. The town council will need to inform the regional administrators, and they'll want to bring in gemstone cultivators to oversee the extraction. This is too valuable to trust to ordinary miners."

Even the guards were elated. Captain Gao's usual stern demeanor had given way to barely contained excitement. "My family has been struggling to make ends meet for years," he said quietly. "A discovery like this... the bonuses alone would set us up for life."

The mood in the chamber was jubilant as they continued their examination of the mineral deposits. Each new vein they discovered seemed richer than the last, and the sheer extent of the deposits suggested that the cave system contained wealth beyond their wildest dreams.

"Even a Tuza brat would benefit from this," Wei Jun said with a laugh, clapping Uzun on the shoulder. "The town's going to be so rich, there'll be enough work and prosperity for everyone."

It was the first time in years that anyone had included Uzun in their vision of a better future, and despite the casual reference to his heritage, he found himself smiling. The discovery represented hope—not just for the town, but for his own cultivation journey. With access to genuine gemstone materials, he might be able to refine his experimental techniques and make real progress on his unconventional path.

They spent the better part of two hours in the third chamber, carefully documenting the mineral deposits and taking small samples for later analysis. The complexity and richness of what they found exceeded everyone's expectations, and it became clear that they would need to return with larger teams and specialized equipment to properly assess the full extent of the discovery.

"We should continue mapping," Captain Gao finally said. "We need to understand the full scope of the cave system before we can plan the extraction operations."

The fourth chamber was even more spectacular than the third. Here, the mineral veins were so extensive that entire sections of the walls seemed to be made of raw gemstone material. The torchlight revealed deposits of what looked like quartz, amethyst, and other stones that Uzun couldn't identify but which clearly had significant value.

It was in this fourth chamber that they encountered their first real challenge. The main floor of the chamber was easily accessible, but high up on the walls, perhaps twenty feet above their heads, there were several narrow openings that appeared to lead to additional passages or chambers.

"We need to know what's up there," Captain Gao said, studying the openings with a tactical eye. "Those passages could lead to more deposits, or they could be potential escape routes if we ever need them."

The problem was access. The openings were too high to reach with their current equipment, and too narrow for the larger members of the team to navigate even if they could get up there.

"Uzun," Old Han called out. "You're the smallest and lightest. Think you could climb up there and take a look?"

Uzun studied the rock face, noting the handholds and footholds that the natural stone formations provided. It would be a challenging climb, but not impossible. "I can try," he said.

"Take this," Captain Gao handed him a coiled rope. "Tie it off up there if you can find a secure anchor point. That way the rest of us can follow if the passage looks promising."

The climb was more difficult than it had appeared from below. The handholds were often smaller than they looked, and the rock was sometimes loose or slippery with mineral deposits. But Uzun's work in the mines had given him experience with climbing in difficult conditions, and his recent cultivation success had improved his strength and coordination significantly.

After several minutes of careful climbing, he reached the first opening. It was indeed narrow—barely wide enough for his shoulders—but it appeared to extend back into the rock for some distance. He tied off the rope around a sturdy stone projection and called down to the others.

"It's a passage," he reported. "Narrow, but it looks like it goes back quite a way. I'm going to explore a little."

"Be careful," Captain Gao called back. "Don't go too far, and come back immediately if you see anything dangerous."

The narrow passage was unlike anything they had encountered in the main chambers. Where the larger spaces had been carved by water over millennia, this felt more like a natural crack in the rock that had been widened by geological forces. The walls were rough and uneven, and the ceiling was so low that Uzun had to crawl on his hands and knees for much of the way.

But as he moved deeper into the passage, his torch began to reveal something extraordinary. The walls here weren't just veined with mineral deposits—they were studded with actual gemstones. Raw, uncut stones protruded from the rock like frozen tears, catching his torchlight and throwing it back in brilliant flashes of color.

"This is incredible," he whispered to himself, carefully examining the stones embedded in the walls. Most were small, no larger than his thumbnail, but they were clearly genuine gemstone materials. He could see what looked like garnets, pieces of quartz in various colors, and other stones that he couldn't identify but which were obviously valuable.

As he picked through the gems, trying to understand the full extent of what he was seeing, his fingers closed around something different. Unlike the other stones, which were rough and clearly unworked, this one felt smooth and polished. He pulled it free from the rock and held it up to his torch.

It was unlike anything he had ever seen before. The stone was roughly the size of a chicken egg, with a shape that was naturally rounded but not perfectly spherical. It looked like some of the jade stones he had seen in the markets with that same cloudy, translucent quality—but instead of the traditional green color, this stone was a grayish-blue, like storm clouds reflected in deep water.

The surface was remarkably smooth, as if it had been polished by a master craftsman, but there were no tool marks or other signs of human work. This was a natural formation, shaped by forces that Uzun couldn't begin to understand.

As he held the strange stone, Uzun felt a faint resonance, similar to what he had experienced when he first saw the Kanzaki clan member in the town square. There was something about this stone that seemed to respond to his presence, a subtle warmth that had nothing to do with the heat from his torch.

He was still examining the mysterious grayish-blue jade when voices called up from the chamber below.

"Uzun!" It was Wei's voice, echoing strangely in the narrow passage. "Have you found anything up there?"

"Yes," Uzun called back, carefully pocketing the strange stone. "There are gemstones embedded in the walls. Lots of them. This passage is—"

His words were cut off by a different voice from below, sharp with alarm.

"What is that?" It was Captain Gao, and there was something in his tone that made Uzun's blood run cold.

"Weapons out!" the captain shouted, his voice echoing through the chamber with military authority.

The sounds that followed were unlike anything Uzun had ever heard. There were shouts of alarm, the ring of steel being drawn from sheaths, and then something else—a sound that was part shriek, part roar, and entirely inhuman.

Battle broke out in the chamber below with terrifying suddenness. Uzun could hear the clash of weapons, the grunts and cries of men fighting for their lives, and underneath it all, the horrible screeching calls of whatever creatures had attacked them.

"Run!" someone screamed. "Get out! Everyone get out!"

The sounds of combat were punctuated by screams of pain and the blood-curdling gurgles of men dying. Uzun pressed himself against the wall of the narrow passage, too terrified to move, too terrified to call out. His torch flickered in his trembling hand, casting wild shadows on the rough stone walls.

The battle seemed to last forever, but it was probably only minutes before the sounds began to change. The clash of weapons grew sporadic, then stopped entirely. The human voices became fewer and more desperate, until finally there were only the inhuman screeches of the beasts and the sound of running feet.

"Everyone run!" The voice was distant now, coming from the direction of the passage that led back toward the entrance. "Get to the surface! Get help!"

Uzun could hear the sound of fleeing men, their footsteps echoing through the cave system as they ran for their lives. But underneath those sounds, he could hear something else... a sickening crunching noise, like bones being broken, followed by wet, tearing sounds that made his stomach turn.

One of the others was being devoured.

Uzun wedged himself further back into the narrow passage, trying to make himself as small and invisible as possible. His torch was the only source of light in the absolute darkness, and he was terrified that the creatures below might see it and come looking for him.

As he pressed himself against the back wall of the passage, his movement dislodged a loose piece of rock. The stone fell, clattering down through the narrow opening and landing on the chamber floor below with a sound that seemed impossibly loud in the sudden silence.

Uzun held his breath, praying that the noise hadn't been noticed. For a few moments, there was nothing but silence. Then he heard something that made his blood freeze in his veins—the sound of claws scraping against stone, moving in his direction.

A clawed arm suddenly thrust into the narrow opening, reaching blindly for him. The appendage was unlike anything Uzun had ever seen it was covered in dark, chitinous plates and ending in talons that looked capable of tearing through stone. It swept back and forth, searching for prey, coming within inches of his face.

Uzun pressed himself further back, his heart pounding so hard he was certain the creature could hear it. The clawed arm withdrew for a moment, then thrust in again, this time reaching deeper into the passage. The creature was learning, adapting its approach.

In his desperation to escape the grasping claws, Uzun pushed himself backward with all his strength. The narrow passage seemed to extend further than he had initially thought, and he scrambled deeper into the darkness, his torch held out in front of him like a weapon.

But as he moved backward, the floor beneath him suddenly gave way.

What he had thought was solid stone was actually a thin layer of rock covering a much deeper opening. His weight was enough to break through the fragile barrier, and suddenly he was falling through empty air, his torch spinning away from his grasp.

The last thing he saw before the darkness consumed him was the flame of his torch going out, leaving him in absolute blackness. His consciousness faded as he fell, the mysterious grayish-blue jade stone still clutched in his hand.

Foreman Chen Wei paced nervously outside the cave entrance, checking the position of the sun for what felt like the hundredth time. The survey team had been underground for nearly six hours, and while that wasn't necessarily cause for alarm, something felt wrong. The air around the cave mouth seemed different somehow, charged with a tension that made his skin crawl.

When he finally saw figures emerging from the darkness, his relief quickly turned to horror. Only three men stumbled out of the cave entrance—three out of the nine who had gone in that morning. Two of them were miners from the survey crew, their faces pale with shock and their clothes torn and bloodied. The third was Chen Lu, one of the guards, and he was supporting one of the miners who appeared to be injured.

"What happened?" Chen Wei demanded, rushing to meet them. "Where are the others?"

"Dead," Chen Lu gasped, his voice hoarse from shouting. "All dead. We need gemstone cultivators. Something down there... something too formidable for us to deal with."

The injured miner—it was Zhao Ming, Chen Wei realized—looked up with haunted eyes. "Beasts," he whispered. "Came out of nowhere. Tore through us like we were children. Captain Gao... Old Han... they didn't stand a chance."

"And the Tuza boy?" Chen Wei asked, though he already knew the answer from their expressions.

"Gone," Chen Lu said flatly. "Uzun was up in the high passages when the attack started. We heard him fall, heard the creatures going after him. No one could have survived that."

Chen Wei felt a cold weight settle in his stomach. Nine men had gone into those caves, and only three had come out. It was a disaster of unprecedented proportions, and the implications were staggering. The mine would have to be shut down, at least temporarily. The families of the dead would need to be notified. The town council would demand answers he didn't have.

He was about to turn away, to begin the grim process of reporting the catastrophe, when Chen Lu grabbed his arm and whispered urgently in his ear.

"There's something else," the guard said, his voice so low that only Chen Wei could hear. "The gemstones. There's an immense amount of them down there. More wealth than this town has ever seen. The deposits are... they're beyond anything we imagined."

Chen Wei's eyes grew wide as the implications hit him. Despite the tragedy, despite the loss of life, the discovery could still transform Qingshan Town. But it would require resources far beyond what the local mine could provide. They would need cultivators, real ones, powerful enough to deal with whatever creatures had claimed the caves as their territory.

"The top clans," he said slowly. "The top clans of the town will need to be informed immediately."

As the three survivors were helped away to receive medical attention and give their full reports, Chen Wei stared at the dark mouth of the cave. Somewhere in those depths lay wealth beyond imagination, guarded by creatures that had proven capable of slaughtering experienced miners and guards with ease.

And somewhere in that same darkness, the body of a young Tuza orphan lay broken and forgotten, still clutching a mysterious stone that might have changed everything.