Jiang Chen and the others departed, and the miners slowly gathered.
Listening to Ge Heng's screams behind them, Zhang Hai's eyelids twitched uncontrollably.
Even Xiang Qian, who usually wore an expression of utter indifference, grew somewhat tense.
No matter what, watching an extraordinary cultivator being stripped of his cultivation right before your eyes was bound to stir one's emotions.
Only Hu Shaomeng controlled his expression perfectly, betraying nothing.
...
It was the same meeting room as before, but this time the one seated in the main position was Jiang Chen.
The hierarchy had been reversed.
Shuanzi and Xiaoxiao had followed along as well. After brewing tea for everyone, they stood by in the room, awaiting orders.
"Have a seat," Jiang Chen said lightly, then glanced at Steward Hu. "You too, old man."
"Oh, oh!" It took Steward Hu quite a while to come back to his senses. He sat down gingerly, perching on only half of the chair.
Hu Shaomeng glanced at the other two extraordinary cultivators, then was the first to sit down, his posture relaxed.
Xiang Qian collapsed into his chair like a lump of soft mud the moment he touched it. Zhang Hai, on the other hand, sat ramrod straight, his expression tense.
But Jiang Chen's next question nearly made them jump out of their seats.
"Tell me—how did Xie Hao die?"
The Hu family mine had originally been guarded by four extraordinary cultivators. The one who had left was named Xie Hao.
He was also the former owner of the small courtyard where Jiang Chen was now staying.
The moment these words dropped, everyone was stunned.
Xiaoxiao bit down hard on her lower lip to keep herself from making a sound.
According to the mine's official account, Xie Hao had been so frightened during an encounter over half a year ago that he had left without a word.
That seemed perfectly reasonable.
But they couldn't explain one thing.
If the mine was truly so dangerous, then why would someone like Ge Heng—a man with perverse desires and a love of luxury—still be content to stay? Or someone like Zhang Hai, who was obsessed with alchemy and harbored delusions of reaching the summit in a single leap?
One and a half Dao Essence Stones a month—who could that possibly motivate to take risks? A cultivator like Xiang Qian, who seemed indifferent to life itself, might not care much about danger, but he didn't care much about Dao Essence Stones either.
When Hu Shaomeng suddenly returned and announced the mine would be shut down, only Ge Heng had asked why it was being done ahead of schedule. No one else had objected.
It showed they had already reached a tacit understanding long ago.
And that tacit understanding was precisely the problem.
Ignoring the exchanged glances among the group, Jiang Chen spoke directly: "Do not attempt to deceive me."
"I trust everyone is well aware of the purpose of my visit. Though the Chongxuan family is vast and powerful and can afford to lose a Heavenly Azure Stone vein, that does not mean the Chongxuan family will tolerate being fooled and deceived."
"Please remember—for the Chongxuan family, a Heavenly Azure Stone vein is not important. Not being made a fool of, however, is very important."
Jiang Chen's gaze swept across the extraordinary cultivators. "So—who wants to speak first?"
He had already demonstrated his strength, and the Chongxuan family's influence went without saying. His gaze, though calm, pressed upon each of them with the weight of a thousand jun.
"Emissary." Hu Shaomeng forced a smile, striving to maintain his composure. "The situation with this matter is actually..."
"You needn't speak yet." Jiang Chen raised his palm, cutting him off.
He turned his palm toward Zhang Hai in a gesture of invitation. "Zhang Hai, you go first."
"Ah? Ah." Zhang Hai was suddenly called upon and jolted visibly. "This..."
He didn't need to look to know that Hu Shaomeng's gaze was now fixed squarely on him.
"No rush. Take your time. Think about Ge Heng."
Since he had decided to keep Ge Heng around, he might as well use him as a target—an act of killing the chicken to scare the monkey, applying pressure on the remaining few.
This was based on an absolute advantage in strength.
Even if every extraordinary cultivator here rushed him simultaneously, Jiang Chen was more than capable of crushing them all.
Though Hu Shaomeng was also at the Heaven-Piercing realm, within the same realm there existed a chasm. Jiang Chen was confident he could suppress this man.
And the pretense of letting them speak freely, only to silence Hu Shaomeng when he tried and turn instead to Zhang Hai—it was merely a small trick to consolidate authority and control the situation.
He had not been very familiar with these tactics before, but after spending time with Chongxuan Sheng, he had gradually come to understand.
The reason he chose Zhang Hai as the breakthrough point was that, in Jiang Chen's view, among the extraordinary cultivators present, this man had the weakest character.
He had pinned his fantasies of reaching the summit on pills. Yet he showed no real effort to achieve it, only token, trivial expenditures.
He idled away his days at the mine, scraping together one and a half Dao Essence Stones a month to feed into his alchemy furnace. Furnace after furnace, day after day. That obsession was less a goal and more an escape—a form of self-hypnosis.
He appeared to have firm ambitions and pursuits, but in truth, he was less clear-eyed than Xiang Qian, who had given up on himself entirely.
Someone like this, no matter how they might behave on the surface, was fundamentally a weak person.
Jiang Chen spoke in an unhurried manner: "I am, by nature, a merciful person. But when working for the Chongxuan family, I sometimes cannot afford to be soft. After all, I eat their rice and must serve them faithfully. Don't you think?"
"Y-yes."
Zhang Hai hung his head, his expression torn with struggle.
But everyone could see that he wouldn't be able to hold out much longer.
"Then I'll just say it outright—I killed Xie Hao!" Hu Shaomeng suddenly spoke up.
Jiang Chen regarded him quietly for a moment, then turned his head. "Everyone else, leave."
The others filed out, and the room was empty in short order, leaving only Jiang Chen and Hu Shaomeng.
One sat in the seat of honor, the other on the right at the lower end.
Each harboring different thoughts, they faced each other across the distance.
"I have been waiting for you to tell me yourself."
Jiang Chen spoke first. "You know, I could have separated you all and questioned you one by one. Someone would inevitably crack under the pressure. But I didn't want to create the atmosphere of an interrogation—to treat you like a criminal."
"The Hu family, after all, has been managing the Chongxuan family's affairs in this region for a long time, and our cooperation has endured for many years. Despite what has happened with the vein, I still hold expectations for you."
He looked directly at Hu Shaomeng. "So—is there anything you'd like to tell me?"
"I appreciate the Emissary's understanding." Hu Shaomeng gave a bitter smile, then said, "My killing of Xie Hao was a matter of necessity. He was entrusted with guarding the mine, but rather than fulfilling his duty, he helped outsiders steal Heavenly Azure Cloud Stones."
"The Emissary should know how rare Heavenly Azure Cloud Stones are—their output is extremely limited. A vein of this size produced at most six stones in its best year. Yet Xie Hao alone stole a full thirteen! As for the other cultivators' laziness, you've seen it for yourself—they're utterly useless. Xie Hao exploited my absence to use his unique Dao art and strip-mine the vein, causing the Heavenly Azure Stone deposits to be exhausted prematurely. By the time I discovered it, it was already too late."
"Everything I've said here is backed by evidence, and every stone our Hu mine has used is recorded clearly in the accounts. The Emissary may verify this at any time. My concealment of the matter before was out of fear of punishment—I didn't dare face it. But tell me, did he deserve to die?"
Hu Shaomeng spoke in great detail and with apparent sincerity. Having said all this, he seemed to exhale with relief. "Of course, you are now the one in full authority here, Emissary. If the Chongxuan family has any judgment to pass, Shao Meng will bear full responsibility for my actions. I accept whatever comes."
The account books he referred to were in Steward Hu's possession. Jiang Chen had already gone through them secretly, and naturally, there was nothing wrong with them.
Or rather—even if there were problems, they would not be easily spotted.
At this, Jiang Chen remained noncommittal and simply asked: "Who is the outsider you're referring to?"
His decision to reveal his identity outright had another crucial reason beyond keeping Ge Heng at the mine.
When Hu Shaomeng returned, he had immediately closed the mine and dismissed the extraordinary cultivators. And in Jiacheng, Xi Zichu had guessed who he was at first glance—there was little point in hiding his identity anymore.
On the contrary, he needed to display his status as the Chongxuan family's emissary to command the situation with composure. Once again, turning the passive into the active.
Hu Shaomeng hesitated, then said: "Based on what I've gathered, it should be the Xi family of Jiacheng. But I cannot be entirely certain."
"Evidence?"
"I only pieced it together afterward. Before Xie Hao came to the mine, he had worked for the Xi family. Moreover, Heavenly Azure Cloud Stones have circulated through the Xi family's channels."
"The leads are quite clear. Why can't you be certain?"
Hu Shaomeng smiled bitterly. "The entire Jiacheng belongs to the Xi family. I have no choice but to be cautious."
Could it truly be the Xi family acting behind Xi Zichu's back?
The Xi family, which controlled Jiacheng, could not tolerate another power holding sway over the Green Ox Town under their jurisdiction. After Xi Zichu gained the support of Eastern King Valley and obtained the resolve to stand against the Chongxuan family, had they finally grown impatient?
It seemed plausible on the surface, but it didn't hold up under scrutiny.
A roundabout approach—exhausting the vein to make the Chongxuan family voluntarily withdraw from Green Ram Town—would indeed be a move that avoided direct confrontation and could be carried out under the table.
But was it truly worth the Chongxuan family's displeasure?
Seeing that Jiang Chen was silent for a moment, Hu Shaomeng asked again: "The Heavenly Azure Stone vein is exhausted—that is now an established fact. We can the responsibility at our leisure, but keeping so many people here is simply a waste. In the Emissary's view, shouldn't we close the mine first?"
This suggestion was also quite reasonable.
But Jiang Chen refused without hesitation. "Isn't there still half a year's yield? Closing the mine now—where would those miners go to find work on such short notice?"
"Even if there's still half a year's yield, Heavenly Azure Cloud Stones can no longer be produced. This place holds no value for the Chongxuan family." Hu Shaomeng's face showed difficulty, but he pressed on. "However, the Emissary has full authority here. Whatever you decide is fine."
"Then you'll listen to me."
"Of course the Emissary has the final say. Additionally, conditions here are quite harsh. After the Emissary finishes investigating the leads, why not return with me to Green Ox Town? It would allow me to play the part of a proper host."
"No need. For cultivators like us—where is there that isn't a place for cultivation?"
"You truly are an exemplar for the rest of us, Emissary. But..." Hu Shaomeng continued, "This place is remote, after all. If anything were to happen in Jiacheng, I'm afraid word wouldn't reach the mine in time."
"But that's what you're for, isn't it?" Jiang Chen casually lifted his teacup. "Why don't you head back first and rest? And keep an eye on developments in Jiacheng for me while you're at it."
Hu Shaomeng's expression betrayed nothing. He simply said: "Very well, very well. Then I shall take my leave."
"No need to see me out."
Watching Hu Shaomeng's retreating figure, Jiang Chen fell into thought.
So eager for me to leave the mine, are you?