Apart from the two young misses at ho, nobody knew Li Qiuchen had a storage bracelet.
Even so, he hadn't been wearing the storage bracelet on his person.
The central hub of the great mine pit was an enormous space, and there were countless places to stash things inconspicuously.
Moreover, to avoid a repeat of the incident with Senior Sister Jiang Tingyue rewinding and playing back his actions, he had been performing for an audience the entire ti.
The cable snapping was because the cable had already had a corroded section. He had simply been the one to find it at the right mont.
Even the act of taking the young master's storage pouch had been done with enough subtlety that it would be invisible without fra-by-fra replay.
If the City God Office really did have technology like that, he would in fact have even more to say on the matter.
Before he had acted, the young master had stated outright, in his own words, that he intended to blow up the lift shaft and eliminate witnesses.
It was hardly reasonable to argue that even when soone was planning to kill you and destroy the evidence, you should still hold back, gather proof of their criminal intent, and appeal to an upright magistrate to seek justice and wait for them to confess in remorse.
Li Qiuchen had prepared thoroughly.
What surprised him was how perfectly the other side had cooperated.
Head Manager Feng was no Conan Edogawa. He had never suspected Li Qiuchen for a single mont throughout. He was simply making trouble for the sake of it.
He had barely spared a glance for Tang Xiaoxue and Hu Caiyi standing nearby.
And even his own son's fate seed to matter considerably less to him than the diamond sand.
Well, as they said, the dragon gives birth to dragons, the phoenix to phoenixes.
Only a father of this caliber could produce a son of that caliber.
After a rough rummage through the storage pouch and finding nothing but a handful of low-grade spirit stones, Head Manager Feng returned it with a cold expression and waved his escorts out of the way.
Ma Tiancheng let out a heavy snort and turned to leave.
He had decided he was going to have a serious word with the county magistrate when he got back.
"Pfft. Good grief, what an absolute fool. Walking around with that long face like the whole world owes him money."
Once out of the Mining District, Ma Tiancheng spat emphatically on the ground.
Li Qiuchen fully understood why his mood was poor.
Even a potted flower needed watering.
The county sheriff had brought his entire contingent to the Mining District and spent several days there giving the Golden Valley Trading Company every possible consideration.
And he had co away with nothing whatsoever to show for it, while having swallowed a stomach full of indignation.
Li Qiuchen quietly pressed a banknote into his hand and said in a low voice, "Officer, please don't let soone so unappreciative get to you. You've worked hard these past several days. The proper thing to do is go ho and rest properly."
Ma Tiancheng tucked the note into his pocket, and his expression settled sowhat. He waved a hand. "Don't worry about it. I've already got a clear picture of everything. None of this touches you children."
Li Qiuchen said quickly, "It had nothing to do with us to begin with. Who could have known they would co sneaking into Yun County looking for treasure without informing you? There is sothing I'd like to raise, if the Officer permits..."
"Go ahead."
"The look of that man doesn't sit right with . He's miserly, pigheaded, and he arrived with all those ard n and didn't even show the Officer the basic courtesy of respecting your authority. If all he wanted was to extract ore, that would be one thing. But I'm afraid a man like this is likely to stir up trouble without cause, and add considerable difficulties to the Officer's life going forward."
"He wouldn't dare!"
Ma Tiancheng's eyes went fierce, his temper flaring imdiately.
But thinking it over, he had to admit Li Qiuchen had a point.
"You don't need to concern yourself with this matter. I'll handle it."
Li Qiuchen of course had no desire to involve himself further, but he was soone who observed proper forms, and appearances needed to be maintained.
This included informing Ma Tiancheng of his plan to take Hu Caiyi to the Dragon Scale River for her illusory realm trial.
The last thing he wanted was for the Golden Valley Trading Company people to use his departure to accuse him of fleeing the scene of a cri.
Out of caution, Li Qiuchen took the trouble to make one more visit to the county school and gave Master Qin a brief account of his heroic and benevolent exploits.
Master Qin was broadly learned, and upon hearing that the Golden Valley Trading Company had been so fixated on the diamond sand, said, "Diamond sand, also called Separation Fire tal, is an excellent material for casting divine statues. The Golden Valley Trading Company... they wouldn't be in any position to seek favor with a newly elevated deity. More likely so royal or noble household has an elder with a coming birthday and wants to present a significant gift of filial devotion. Sothing of that nature."
"This Head Manager Feng is not soone I know personally, but I've encountered many such people over the years. Don't trouble yourself about him. Go and attend to your proper business... how did Tang Xiaoxue perform in this round of trials?"
"First Class Lower."
"Two first-class ratings?"
Master Qin's brow creased slightly. "I've taught Rakshasa ghost students before. None of them had talent like hers. I may have underestimated her."
"Perhaps she simply doesn't overthink things."
"It isn't a matter of not overthinking. This is called clarity of mind and original nature. We'll see her third-round results. With so luck, she may begin cultivating ahead of you. At that point you would have to address her as Senior Sister."
Could you please avoid picking at wounds that are already fresh?
Even though he understood Master Qin was trying to spur him on, Li Qiuchen was not pleased about it.
"Your student will strive diligently. Once Hu Caiyi's trial is complete, I will return and challenge the three first-class ratings again imdiately."
"Have you prepared spirit stones?"
"Already done."
Master Qin nodded, then added, "Yesterday, a boy nad Bai Ke passed an illusory realm trial by sitting it on soone else's behalf, and achieved a first-class rating."
A faint sweat appeared on Li Qiuchen's forehead.
That Bai Ke had been running trials for hire was understandable that the county school would know about it. But why was Master Qin telling him? All he had done was exchange a few words with the man. Did the master really concern himself with sothing that trivial?
Did he have an eye in the middle of his forehead?
"The illusory realm trials are not a casual matter, and students cannot be permitted to use such shortcuts. However, in consideration of his genuine desire to learn and his fundantally decent character, this matter will not be pursued this ti. Go and tell him to apply himself to his studies. He should sit the children's examination next year and enter through the proper gate."
Li Qiuchen laughed awkwardly. "Your student is indeed acquainted with him, but he never had schooling growing up and has no resources to speak of. Sitting the examination may present so difficulty."
Master Qin looked at Li Qiuchen for a long mont and said in a deliberate tone, "These minor matters, you go and resolve them."
"Your student..."
"One sheep is just as easy to herd as two. Do you find that difficult?"
"No."
Once those words were out, Li Qiuchen had no choice but to accept the arrangent quietly.
I'd like to file a complaint. Soone is cheating.
Yun County had no Conan Edogawa. But it did have an invisible net that covered everything.
Rewinding three days.
At that point Tang Xiaoxue had not yet completed her trial, and Li Qiuchen had concluded his transaction with Chen Baishan.
What Chen Baishan had extracted this ti was a spirit stone vein of quite impressive quality, bearing eighteen spirit crystals of various sizes and an intact spirit marrow core. The value was considerably more than a thousand taels.
Chen Baishan had hesitated, then put forward a price of three thousand taels.
Set out in a Treasure Pavilion display case, this would certainly fetch more than three thousand taels. Five thousand might not even cover it.
But Chen Baishan had no way to earn that kind of money. He was a miner, without access to the circles where soone could pay five thousand taels.
Li Qiuchen didn't bargain. He simply said he didn't have that much in cash on him, and asked them to pack it up and send it to the Tang household, where they could collect the paynt from the Tang household accounts on the strength of his letter and seal.
Sothing like this was too conspicuous to carry openly, so it was packaged up and mixed in with ordinary ore, filling out an entire crate.
In the course of this packing process, while everyone was occupied, Li Qiuchen slipped his storage bracelet into the crate as well.
To divert Chen Baishan's attention, he had specifically asked to et the child who was preparing to sit the inner hall examination the following year.
The child was a sturdy, bright-looking boy who had been studying since he was small, quick-minded and good at drawing inferences. Apart from the matter of tuition fees, getting into the inner hall shouldn't pose much difficulty.
Employers as straightforward as Li Qiuchen were not sothing Chen Baishan and his crew encountered often.
Money was never easy to co by at any ti.
The clients they usually dealt with dragged their feet whenever possible, nothing like Li Qiuchen's decisiveness.
At the ti, Li Qiuchen had exchanged only a few pleasantries with Chen Baishan, saying the boy had a sharp mind and good character, and that his future prospects were limitless. If he ran into anything he didn't understand at the inner hall, or found himself in any trouble, he was welco to co and find him.
Chen Baishan had been effusive in his gratitude.
Such a trivial and passing exchange.
After Master Qin said those words about one sheep being as easy to herd as two, Li Qiuchen broke into a cold sweat and felt a deep and thorough helplessness.
Just give up. What was the point.
With all your energy, why spend it prying into my personal affairs instead of focusing on educating your students?
"Once your student returns, I will make the arrangents."
"Off you go."
Master Qin said nothing more.
Coming out of the county school, Li Qiuchen climbed into the puttering fire-horse cart and set off out of the city toward the Dragon Scale River.
The scenery along the way was pleasant, but he had no mind to appreciate it.
This world genuinely had divine beings in it, governing their territories and knowing all things within them.
And there was the City God Office, known by na but never seen, seemingly absent yet sohow omnipresent.
The Internal Affairs Office, the garrison headquarters... those he wouldn't even think about. Li Qiuchen was nowhere near qualified to attract attention at those levels.
Doing anything improper really was extraordinarily difficult.
But why was it only this hard for him?
Look at the young master from the Golden Valley Trading Company, talking about killing witnesses as casually as deciding what to have for dinner.
Look at the mountain bandits, all of them steeped in every kind of evil, their hands covered in blood.
And the dicine Master remnants...
No, that line of thinking was wrong. None of them had co to good ends, either.
The words cause and effect surfaced suddenly in Li Qiuchen's mind.
Was it possible that this world contained a genuine system of cause and effect, one that couldn't be seen or touched but was nonetheless real?
After all, the existence of a Heavenly Court and divine beings in this world was established fact.
Of the three realms of heaven, earth, and man, the mortal world had been governed by humans since the beginning of the Human Emperor Era.
Then what was the purpose of the heavenly realm?
What order had the Heavenly Emperor established?
Senior Jiang Tingyue had said sothing once.
"The kingdom has its laws, and heaven has its rules. As a mountain god, I may not lightly intervene in mortal cause and effect."
At the ti Li Qiuchen had taken it as polite phrasing. Thinking back on it now, could it be that this mortal cause and effect was a genuine existing system rather than a re figure of speech?
It seed to be the only thing that could explain Master Qin's permissive attitude.
The young master's callous disregard for the miners' lives was the cause, and the Li Qiuchen, facing a death threat, retaliating against him was the effect.
Without concrete evidence of a cri, the laws of the kingdom would not be violated.
Conforming to the structure of cause and effect, the rules of heaven would not be violated either?
Taken that way, the logic was actually quite interesting.
For now, though, all of this was speculation on his part, and needed further confirmation.
[NEXT CHAPTER]
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