In the mine, the old woman cried out, "My twenty-third grandson? I have twenty-three grandsons already?"
Zhang Chen stammered and said in a small voice, "Grandma, Seventh Uncle had another child a while back. You now have eight sons and thirty-six grandsons."
At this, he fought to suppress the panic welling up inside him. He carefully crawled forward on his knees, assuming a posture of childlike affection as he faced the old woman. "Grandma, I was worried about you... AARGH!"
The words had barely left his mouth when he cried out in pain.
A wildly growing vine had shot out of nowhere and lashed across Zhang Chen's back, sending him sprawling. The sharp CRACK of breaking bones echoed through the air.
If a Silver Flood Dragon hadn't flown by at that exact moment and severed the vine, Zhang Chen would have suffered more than just broken bones.
He would have been whipped to death on the spot!
But even so, the blow left Zhang Chen grievously wounded on the ground, unable to rise.
