Two days later, Chen Baishan's exploration crew finally returned from the mine pit.
The expedition had gone without a hitch. Driven by financial motivation, everyone had put in two hundred percent effort throughout, and not a single dangerous incident had arisen.
But Chen Baishan's good mood lasted only until the mont he walked out of the mine pit.
He had not expected Li Qiuchen to have managed to cause sothing this enormous while waiting at the central hub.
Ruru people? Golden Valley Trading Company? A mining disaster?
Report it! Report it to the authorities imdiately!
With sothing this serious having happened, an ordinary commoner like him had no idea what to do.
Yun County hadn't seen a mining disaster in years beyond counting.
And that was mainly because you needed a functioning mine for a mining disaster.
Where had a Ruru tribe and a diamond sand vein co from? Even the locals hadn't known. How had the Golden Valley Trading Company gotten wind of it?
A treasure map?
Did they take him for a fool? If there was really a treasure map, why hadn't the people before them dug it out? Why would they leave it for soone else?
County Sheriff Ma Tiancheng arrived with a contingent of constables, heard the full account of what had happened, and went visibly green.
He was the county sheriff. Not a imperial marshal.
This was entirely beyond both his authority and his capacity to resolve.
Go down and retrieve the bodies? Please. With conditions like that after this many days, what condition would a corpse be in?
After thinking it through, Ma Tiancheng concluded that this situation was completely beyond his ability to contain, and imdiately reported it up the chain.
The county magistrate heard the case without comnt, gave Ma Tiancheng instructions to maintain order at the scene, then went ho, summoned a trusted servant, handed over a personal letter in his own hand, and had the man leave Yun County before the night was out.
On the very day Tang Xiaoxue completed her trial and erged from the illusory realm, the head manager of the Golden Valley Trading Company arrived in Yun County with several hundred ard escorts in a grand and imposing procession.
Li Qiuchen hadn't heard of the Golden Valley Trading Company before. He only learned through asking around afterward that this company was quite prominent within the Blackwater Prefecture, being one of the three major grain rchants within Blackwater's territory.
Its history wasn't especially long, just over five hundred years.
By Great Chu official standards that wasn't particularly ancient. A trading company with a re five hundred years of history didn't even qualify to call itself an established institution.
But five hundred years of accumulated foundation was undeniable. Even a pig, given five hundred years, could cultivate into a pig demon.
Li Qiuchen had just collected Tang Xiaoxue and was ready to leave, when before he could even get out of the great mine pit, the trading company's escorts blocked their path in a belligerent manner.
"By order of the Head Manager! No relevant parties may leave the scene without authorization!"
Quite the imposing authority this head manager wielded.
Fortunately Li Qiuchen had prepared for this. He turned to look at County Sheriff Ma Tiancheng standing nearby with an expression like a thundercloud.
"Officer, this Golden Valley Trading Company is rather overstepping itself."
Ma Tiancheng's face was rigid.
He was well aware that the county magistrate had sent word to the Golden Valley Trading Company.
Since the Golden Valley Trading Company had caused this ss, it was best handled by them directly. Otherwise, once it was reported up to the prefecture authorities and those above started assigning bla, no one would co out of it pleasantly.
But the magistrate had sent for them to help resolve the problem, not to treat him as part of the problem.
Ma Tiancheng didn't stoop to arguing with the small-fry. Even though these trading company escorts were fully ard, and in terms of actual fighting ability far outmatched his own constables who had no protective gear, an official was still an official.
He turned his gaze toward the fat-faced, fleshy-eared figure just descending from a carriage in the distance, and called out in a cold, sharp voice, "Are you people trying to start a rebellion?"
The fat man's rolls of flesh gave a slight tremor. He quickly waved his hands. "A misunderstanding, Officer, a misunderstanding! This humble one is Feng Ruixiang. Greetings, Officer!"
He said humble one, but there was absolutely nothing humble about the state of his wealth.
He had no fewer than eighteen large rings distributed across his ten fingers.
Li Qiuchen felt his heart contract at the sight.
As a bearer of the dicine Master's blessing, the sight of soone displaying contempt for human life produced a genuine physical discomfort in him.
As soone who pursued discretion, kept a low profile, and believed firmly in not putting one's wealth on display, the sight of those hands produced a psychological discomfort as well.
This man was absolutely terrified that people might not realize how rich he was.
Despite his wealth, Head Manager Feng was clearly not in a pleasant mood. He ca to stand before Ma Tiancheng with a downcast, dispirited expression, and gave a perfunctory bow. "Please forgive this one, Officer. Feng received the terrible news and ca through the night. The n were overly hasty. Please accept my apologies."
Ma Tiancheng said with puzzlent, "For a matter of this kind to require the Head Manager's personal presence, surely the victim must be..."
"Correct. It is my son."
Head Manager Feng sighed. "That child of mine was spoiled from birth, and has always had a willful nature with no consideration for consequences. He got wind of sothing from sowhere and ca to Yun County chasing treasure, and then t with this accident. Officer, may I ask where my son's remains are?"
"They have not yet been recovered."
Head Manager Feng's expression shifted to indignant anger. "After all this ti, why have they not been recovered?"
That was not a pleasant way to put it. Ma Tiancheng's expression, which had very slightly eased, went hard again, and he said coldly, "Your son is buried several hundred zhang underground. Who do you imagine has the ability to bring him up?"
"Even so, surely my son should not simply be left to decompose below ground? Why are the miners not being sent down?"
Ma Tiancheng was almost laughing in disbelief. He had assud this Head Manager Feng was a reasonable man, and instead found he was dealing with a thoroughly unreasonable one. Any inclination to explain himself evaporated on the spot, and he said simply, "The Golden Valley Trading Company has deep pockets. A generous reward should produce a willing hero, I'd think. I have pressing duties to attend to, and I won't waste any more of the Head Manager's ti here."
Did you actually think you could open your mouth and get this official to spend his own money hiring people to retrieve your son's body?
The sheer audacity.
In his dealings with the city's rchants he had encountered all sorts, and never once t soone so unwilling to spend a single coin while fully expecting to benefit at the public's expense.
If it had been anyone else, Ma Tiancheng would have spat in the man's face.
The only reason he swallowed this insult was the Golden Valley Trading Company's substantial power and influence, and his preference not to invite trouble.
But Head Manager Feng proved unwilling to let the matter rest.
"One mont, Officer. The county magistrate's letter wasn't entirely clear. Could you perhaps elaborate on the specific circumstances?"
"What is there to elaborate?"
Ma Tiancheng said with irritation, "Your son hired so people himself, took them down into the mine, ran into danger, and got himself killed in the process. There are quite a few survivors. Go ask them yourself. And there is also a witness here," he raised a hand and pointed at Li Qiuchen. "A county school student undergoing his trial in this area, who witnessed the situation firsthand. If you have further questions, go and consult the local City God Office. The Golden Valley Trading Company is wealthy enough that even the City God Office should extend you so courtesy."
At the ntion of the City God Office, Head Manager Feng's haughty attitude finally beca sowhat more contained. He had the sense not to say anything as foolish as demanding to be taken to a City God Office official, and after a mont's thought turned his gaze to Li Qiuchen.
"You personally witnessed my son's death?"
Li Qiuchen nodded. "The lift cable snapped at the ti. No one inside survived."
"Then how did you survive?"
"I wasn't inside. Why would I not survive?"
"Why weren't you inside?"
"Go ask your son."
Since this man clearly had no interest in a civil conversation, Li Qiuchen saw no reason to be accommodating, and said with a cold smile, "I went down there out of good intentions to help. Your son not only showed not the slightest gratitude, but chose to take his diamond sand and leave first, driving everyone else off the lift. I chose not to lower myself to his level, and you're asking
why I wasn't inside?"
"Diamond sand?"
Head Manager Feng's eyes lit up and he pressed imdiately, "You're saying my son actually found diamond sand?"
"How else do you think the lift was overloaded?"
Li Qiuchen genuinely preferred to stay inconspicuous, but in this particular situation he had to step forward prominently, both to clear his own na of suspicion and to spread the news about the diamond sand in public.
He still didn't know exactly why the young master had wanted to kill everyone to keep it secret, but doing the opposite of what the young master had done was clearly the right approach.
There was an expression about retreating in order to advance. Right now Li Qiuchen was advancing in order to retreat.
When people had died under suspicious circumstances, the more you tried to keep a low profile, the more suspicion you invited.
Standing next to the county sheriff right now, presenting his position with complete confidence, what grounds did anyone have to suspect him?
His thod of dealing with it might not have been entirely flawless, but this man was certainly no Conan Edogawa.
Head Manager Feng stared at Li Qiuchen for a long mont before speaking. "You cannot leave. Stay here and account for yourself."
Li Qiuchen couldn't be bothered with him. He turned to Ma Tiancheng and said quietly, "Officer, I've said everything there is to say. All his own people are here. The right and wrong of the matter will be evident. Miss Hu still has another illusory realm trial to complete. If you wouldn't mind..."
Ma Tiancheng nodded. "Co with ."
"Stop right there!"
Head Manager Feng suddenly called out. "Officer, this boy must remain here. He cannot leave until I have determined the cause of my son's death."
Ma Tiancheng gave a cold laugh and drew his saber on the spot, leveling it at Head Manager Feng's nose. "Feng, don't push your luck while I'm still showing you courtesy. I know you've lost your son, which is the only reason I've been speaking to you civilly. Don't take that for weakness. Say one more word out of turn and see whether I charge you with inciting a mob."
"Charge ?"
Head Manager Feng's temper flared in turn. He pointed at Li Qiuchen. "With a re county sheriff, you may not have the standing for that! I'll be speaking to your county magistrate about whether you've accepted bribes from this boy to help a murderer walk free! Search him! See if he has anything belonging to our company on his person!"
"That's enough! I don't care who you are today!"
Ma Tiancheng had never suffered an insult of this kind and moved imdiately to act, only to be stopped by Li Qiuchen.
"Officer, please calm yourself. I think Head Manager Feng is beside himself with grief. He's clearly not thinking clearly at the mont. He's not worth the trouble."
Li Qiuchen walked up to Head Manager Feng, spread his hands open, and smiled. "Head Manager, allow
to say sothing you won't enjoy hearing. Given the ti that has passed, even if I had taken sothing from your son, I would have long since moved it elsewhere. Did you think it would still be sitting on
when you arrived to search? If you want sothing, say it plainly. There is no need to threaten people with nonsense that wouldn't fool a three-year-old."
"Furthermore, I am a student of the county school's inner hall. If you have a grievance you are welco to bring it to my teachers. Making things difficult for a junior like
in front of all these witnesses does rather lower your dignity, don't you think?"
Head Manager Feng said flatly, "Produce your storage magical implent. If there is nothing of my son's among its contents, I have no further complaint."
Li Qiuchen imdiately produced the storage pouch Senior Brother Yang had given him, weighed it in his hand, and tossed it to Head Manager Feng.
[NEXT CHAPTER]
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