These workers were unwilling to work in the mines before simply because they had suffered too much in the mines and developed an instinctive resistance to them.

But now they see that the villagers are not at all averse to working in the mountains, and even vie to go. They gradually realize that the mines here are different from the mines they used to work in.

Moreover, Jiang Tangtang and Lu Shiyan are both very kind people. They rescued them, and if the two of them need them to work on the mountain, they will go.

Driven by this sense of gratitude, many people changed their minds and said they wanted to go to the mountains to work.

Jiang Tangtang said, "There's no rush. You all should eat something and rest first. Think about the work in the mountains more carefully. Don't make any hasty decisions just because you're thanking me."

After we've eaten, I'll have Village Chief Song give you all a walk around the village and explain the rules of the valley.

Whether you're working in the mountains or farming in the valleys, you should make the rules clear beforehand to avoid problems later.

As they were talking, Su had already arranged for someone to prepare the meal, and Jiang Tangtang invited everyone to eat.

Everyone fled in a hurry, without taking anything with them, including bowls and chopsticks.

Jiang Tangtang used her spatial ability to bring back daily necessities such as bowls and chopsticks and put them in the cave.

These things just haven't found a suitable opportunity to be discovered yet, so they borrowed bowls and chopsticks from the villagers for the rescued workers to use.

The workers looked at the mixed grain porridge in their bowls in disbelief.

Is this really for them to eat?

This is a thick, mixed grain porridge without any wild vegetables. They couldn't remember the last time they smelled such a fragrant aroma of mixed grains.

Back when they lived in the mines, the cooks there not only added wild vegetables and tree leaves to their porridge, but also often fed them spoiled or rotten food.

A bowl of clean porridge like this has become a luxury for many people.

Many people burst into tears upon seeing the porridge in their bowls.

Seeing everyone weeping, Jiang Tangtang didn't stop them. These captured miners were truly suffering terribly.

Let them vent!

After everyone had eaten, Village Chief Song led them to the valley to look at the wasteland and homesteads.

The wasteland near the earthen fortress has already been designated.

This time, they brought more than two hundred people to the valley. There were so many that the wasteland next to the earthen village was not enough to divide them up, so they had to find new wasteland to divide.

Fortunately, the valley is large enough to accommodate even a few hundred more families.

As Village Chief Song showed them the wasteland, he explained the allocation of the wasteland and the rules of the valley.

After handing the workers over to Village Chief Song, Jiang Tangtang wrote a letter and asked Bai Diao to deliver it to Lu Shiyan.

Both white and black eagles are very intelligent; they can locate people by their scent. Therefore, even if she didn't know Lu Shiyan's exact location, she could still deliver the letter.

Watching the white eagle's figure disappear into the sky, Jiang Tangtang pressed her chest.

Logically speaking, given Lu Shiyan's skills, she should have felt quite at ease. But for some reason, she felt inexplicably uneasy.

Lu Shiyan, whom Jiang Tangtang was worried about, had indeed run into trouble.

With Yan Mulin's directions, he quickly found the families of those craftsmen.

But when they were escaping with their families, an accident occurred.

They were incredibly unlucky; while escaping the village, they encountered Prince Rui's carriage.

Prince Rui realized almost immediately that something had happened at the mine.

"Take him down."

At his command, the guards quickly surrounded Lu Shiyan.

The guards that Prince Rui brought were no match for Lu Shiyan. Lu Shiyan quickly broke through the encirclement and headed straight for Prince Rui.

"Protect the Prince!" The head guard's eyes widened in fury, never expecting that this man who had appeared out of nowhere would be so powerful.

The accompanying guards, as well as Prince Rui's personal bodyguards, all went to stop Lu Shiyan.

But Lu Shiyan was just too fast.

In the blink of an eye, he grabbed Prince Rui and held a large knife to his neck.

Time seemed to freeze at that moment.

All the guards, including several of Prince Rui's secret guards, remained in the same positions as before, either blocking or attacking Lu Shiyan.

Prince Rui was covered in a cold sweat.

The head guard, Yin Chang'an, was also covered in cold sweat. His lips trembled as he said, "Release our prince, and I'll take these people with me."

Prince Rui stared blankly, stammering, "You...you release me, you...whatever you want...I will grant you."

Lu Shiyan's lips curled into a smile. "Have your men prepare twenty carriages and deliver them to me within fifteen minutes. If they're late, I'll—"

He didn't say the rest, but he tightened his grip on the knife slightly.

Instantly, screams and howls erupted from the scene.

Prince Rui had originally intended to ask Lu Shiyan where he could get so many carriages in such a short time, and wanted to discuss the terms with him.

But the sharp pain in his neck made him hesitate. He angrily rebuked the accompanying guards, "Why aren't you going? Do you want to kill me?"