The iron wheels of the mine cart shrieked against the magnetic rails as Shen Xitang’s silver hairpin jammed tight into the brake gears.
Xiao Jingming lay with his back against the cart bed, his unbandaged wound weeping blood with every jolt, staining the Xuanji Manual tucked beneath him a dark brown.
"The southeast corner... there's a ventilation duct..." He gasped, pointing toward the ceiling of the mine, where fractured veins of magnetic ore shimmered with an eerie indigo under the glow of his fire-starter.
Chapter 56