Seeing Qin Hui expertly take out healing medicine, Huang Qing's expression eased considerably.
After receiving the medicine, Huang Qing returned to her small room to apply it. She couldn't be bothered to waste time with Qin Hui here.
With Huang Qing gone, only Qin Hui and Jin Yan'er remained.
"Qin Hui, for this mine exploration, shouldn't I send more people down?"
Jin Yan'er asked worriedly. She had heard about the giant lizard, which could eat people.
"Don't worry, I can handle this. You just focus on the external mining,"
Qin Hui naturally understood Jin Yan'er's concerns but nodded kindly.
"Alright then. If anything happens, contact me promptly so I can send people to rescue you."
Jin Yan'er was still a bit worried. She had seen many trapped miners on television who never got out and ended up dead.
"Mm."
Seeing Jin Yan'er's insistence, Qin Hui could only nod.
"Oh, right. This is a protective charm left by our elders. Take it with you."
Jin Yan'er took off the jade pendant she wore around her neck and handed it to Qin Hui.
"You're giving this to me? What about you?"
Qin Hui asked very seriously.
Qin Hui knew Jin Yan'er liked him, but he felt he couldn't give her as much. Thus, he intended to refuse.
In Qin Hui's opinion, Jin Yan'er was too outstanding to waste her time on him.
As the saying goes, love debts are hard to repay, and Qin Hui didn't want to carry so many expectations.
"Qin Hui, please accept this. It's a token of my feelings."
Jin Yan'er directly stuffed the jade pendant into Qin Hui's hand and ran off before he could refuse.
Looking at Jin Yan'er's retreating back, Qin Hui's lips curved into a hint of helplessness.
He figured even if he wanted to refuse, he wouldn't have the chance.
To be honest, Qin Hui understood Jin Yan'er's feelings very well. He also liked the youthful vitality Jin Yan'er possessed.
"Never mind, we'll deal with things later."
Qin Hui's lips curved into a wry smile.
"Hmph, you fickle fellow."
Huang Qing, who had returned after applying the medicine, saw through Qin Hui's thoughts at a glance. She detested men who played the field.
"Heh, have you ever studied history? Do you know how many wives ancient emperors had?"
Qin Hui retorted directly.
Qin Hui didn't want to bicker with Huang Qing over such a trivial matter. However, since they were about to explore the mine together, it would be troublesome if there were any lingering resentment between them. That's why Qin Hui wanted to clarify this small issue with Huang Qing.
If this woman harbored a grudge and pushed him when he was in danger, he wouldn't even have a place to cry.
"You!"
Huang Qing was rendered speechless by Qin Hui's question. She had studied history, and ancient emperors had over three thousand wives. If anyone was fickle, it was the emperors.
"Don't judge others with your feudalistic mindset. It's the same for everything."
Qin Hui didn't forget to add his jab.
"I won't engage in your glib talk."
Huang Qing clearly didn't want to waste any more time on this issue.
"The medicine I gave you is only for one course of treatment. I have the remaining course. If you're disobedient, you won't get it."
Qin Hui smiled slightly, regaining his usual confidence.
"You!"
Huang Qing really wanted to curse him out at that moment, but for the sake of her illness, she forced herself to hold back.
Once both were fully prepared, they headed towards the previous cave.
In the past few days, the survey personnel had cleared everything inside the cave but couldn't find an exit. Perhaps for safety reasons, they hadn't continued their exploration.
Qin Hui and Huang Qing both donned heavy protective suits because of the potential for unexpected situations inside the cave, requiring them to be extremely cautious.
Initially, Huang Qing's expression was calm as she entered the cave. She had been here with her team a few days prior.
However, as they went deeper, Huang Qing's expression became fearful.
Although Huang Qing had a lot of courage, she was still a woman. When women are in a vulnerable state, they often seek more powerful allies.
Indeed, Huang Qing now followed closely behind Qin Hui. Wherever Qin Hui walked, she walked. When Qin Hui stopped to rest, Huang Qing also stopped.
"How much further do we have to go?"
Huang Qing sat beside Qin Hui and asked, a hint of fear in her voice.
The cave was pitch black, with only the strong beam of their flashlights piercing the darkness. More importantly, they had been walking for nearly four hours but still hadn't reached the end.
"If you're scared, you can turn back now. I won't stop you."
Qin Hui's expression was calm, even containing a hint of anticipation.
This was because the more mysterious the cave, the greater the treasure it hid.
"Who's scared? I'm not afraid at all."
Huang Qing would never admit to being scared. More importantly, she didn't dare to walk back alone.
Seeing Huang Qing's fearful expression, Qin Hui lost interest in teasing her. If he truly frightened her, he would gain another burden.
After a short rest, the two continued their journey forward.
Two hours later, the sound of dripping reached their ears. It was the sound of water droplets.
They looked up and saw that the path ahead had ended. It was a stagnant pool, and the water was dripping from the rocks above.
"Why is there no path?"
Huang Qing was somewhat disappointed, having expected some great secret.
Qin Hui found it somewhat strange. Logically, it shouldn't be like this. Qin Hui hadn't encountered anything unusual along the way.
Watching the water ripples in the pool, a thought suddenly crossed Qin Hui's mind.
Perhaps...
Perhaps there was a mystery within this pool. Besides that, Qin Hui couldn't think of any other unusual aspects.
Qin Hui slowly walked to the edge of the deep pool and tossed a stone into it. With a splash, the stone sank without a trace.
Clearly, the water in the pool was deeper than Qin Hui had imagined.
"Is there something wrong with this water?"
Huang Qing leaned closer and asked. After thinking it over, she realized this was the only place left unexplored.
"I'm not sure yet. How about this, I'll go down first. You wait here."
Qin Hui instructed.
"Ah, this... this isn't safe, is it?"
Who knew what lurked at the bottom of this deep pool? What if he couldn't resurface? He'd be dead.
"Just wait for me here. If you can't contact me, then something's wrong."
Qin Hui didn't waste any more words with Huang Qing. He took off his protective suit and, with a splash, jumped into the pool.
The moment Qin Hui entered the pool, he felt a bone-chilling cold. Moreover, there seemed to be a strange pulling force from below, dragging him down.
In a mere moment, Qin Hui seemed to have vanished into thin air, disappearing from Huang Qing's sight.