Chapter 214 - Jia City
Chapter 214 of "Red Heart Patrols the Sky" starts revealing surprises: This is perfect weather for a murder.Natural rain would wash away many traces, and there... Read on!
This is perfect weather for a murder.Natural rain would wash away many traces, and there would be no need to leave behind any fluctuations from Dao Technique residues.
On such a day of pouring rain, Jiang Wang sat cross-legged alone, with a faint murderous intent stirring in his heart.
He neither constrained it nor resisted it.
Ever since the incident in Fenglin City, he had felt a strong impulse to kill.
But a gentleman keeps his weapon hidden and strikes only when the time is right.
Now was definitely not a good time to kill.
His main purpose in coming to Yang Country to deal with the azure stone mine was to lay low and concentrate on cultivation, to cash in on his potential as soon as possible, and turn all his recent gains into combat power.
However, this place was not as peaceful as he had imagined.
The ship wants to dock, but the wind and waves do not cease.
In the blessed land of Rotting Wood Mountain, the Discussion Platform roared into the Star River.
Without any false modesty, Jiang Wang could already be counted as a strong fighter in the Tongtian Environment.
Even in a place like the Taixu Illusion Realm, crowded with geniuses, he won more than lost.
After ten rounds of fighting, he lost only once.
He figured that after a few more rounds, he would be able to break into the top hundred and reveal his ranking.
The consumption of the Discussion Platform was borne by the loser.
In a Grade-7 Discussion Platform, each victory yielded forty points of merit.
Of course, once you lost, along with the merit consumed by the Grade-7 Discussion Platform and the merit lost, youâd have to suffer a total loss of eighty points of merit.
After the matched battles, Jiang Wang won a total of two hundred and eighty points of merit, which was quite a small benefit.
Now, his total merit points had once again broken through four thousand, reaching four thousand and eighty.
Of course, just like Zhongxuan Sheng, to disguise his identity, he didnât use any of his own three signature sword moves during the matched battles.
After all, after the Heavenly Abode Secret Land and the Lian Family Ancestral Worship Ceremony, he had already come into the view of many people, both openly and in secret.
Once the trump card is seen by others, itâs no longer a trump card.
Among the Dao Techniques that Jiang Wang currently mastered, whether it was Flame Flower, or Sea of Flowers, Thorn Crown, or Binding Tiger, none of them were proprietary secret techniques that would expose his identity.
The same went for the Purple Qi Eastward swordsmanship infused in every move.
This also constituted his current complete battle system.
With swordsmanship and fire-wood based Dao Techniques supporting each other, creating a three-way parallel.
If in the Youmai and Zhoutian Environments, before the Taixu Illusion Realm, reaching the top hundred was the limit.
In the Tongtian Environment, he wanted to try for the thrill of charging to the number one in matched battles.
Of course, this process would not be simple.
But it would certainly be interesting.
In the next few days, Jiang Wang stayed properly in the courtyard, only closing the door for cultivation every day.
He didnât want to seem eager about the mineâs affairs, strictly adhering to the duty of a stationed cultivator to mind his own business.
During this time, aside from Manager Hu finding an excuse to come over and have a look, nothing else happened, and everything was very quiet.
To outsiders, Dugu An integrated into the mineâs life very quickly.
On the fifth day, Jiang Wang found Manager Hu and expressed his desire to visit Jia City.
Transcendent cultivators in the mine had five days of monthly leave, free to go as they pleased.
As long as they didnât overlap with other cultivatorsâ rest time, ensuring there was always a transcendent cultivator guarding the mine was sufficient.
Other cultivators usually chose the end of the month, escorting the miners back to town before doing their own thing.
But Jiang Wang was new and wanted to go out, get some air, and see the sights of Jia City, which was quite normal.
Manager Hu would, of course, not refuse Jiang Wangâs reasonable request.
He did not have the courage to do so, but reminded Jiang Wang to come back early.
For this trip, Jiang Wang took his maid Xiao Xiao with him, and by the way, he borrowed the man in charge of driving from Manager Huâs side to help drive the carriage.
They did not stay in Qingyang Town, and headed straight to Jia City after leaving the mine.
No sooner had Jiang Wang left than Ge Heng came looking for Manager Hu.
âYou didnât send that jar of wine over?â
Ge Hengâs eyes were cold, making Manager Hu feel chilled to the bone.
He swore up and down.
âBy heaven and earth, I did deliver it!
âThen why is he still jumping around alive?â
âIâm just an ordinary person, how would I know anything about the affairs of you cultivators, sirs?
Could it be he noticed?â
âNonsense!
As long as you donât leak anything from your end, how could my Qingmu Immortal Gateâs secret technique be detected?â
âLord Ge, how could I dare to reveal your matters?
Isnât that right?â Manager Hu, wiping sweat, cautiously said, âMaybe he doesnât drink alcohol, yes?â
âNow that heâs gone, Iâll ask that girl, she wouldnât dare lie to me!â
âXiao Xiao also went to the city with Dugu AnâŚâ
âSheâs also quite favored?â Ge Heng suddenly burst out in a fury, âShe goes weak at the knees when she sees a young and handsome man, but she pretends to be a chaste and virtuous woman in front of me!â
Bang!
With one palm strike, the table in front of him instantly shattered, breaking into a pile of wood chips.
Manager Hu was startled, not daring to utter a word.
Just then, a voice came from outside the door: âOld Ge, what are you getting angry about this time?â
Ge Heng didnât want to reveal the fact that he had poisoned Jiang Wang, so he reined in his temper and said indifferently, âZhang Hai, why are you not in the courtyard taking good care of your alchemy, wandering around everywhere?â
âIâm here to ask old Hu to buy me some medicinal materials,â answered Zhang Hai casually, walking into the room.
Noticing the wood chips on the ground, he remarked, âOh, what a mess.â
âNo big deal, no big deal,â Manager Hu said with a forced smile.
âThis table just wasnât sturdy enough.â
Ge Heng didnât say much, just glanced at Zhang Hai nonchalantly and left.
Manager Hu heaved a sigh of relief.
Of the few cultivators that had been at the mine, Zhang Hai was the only one who could be considered normal.
Aside from unrealistically hoping to refine some divine elixir that could help him ascend to the Tongtian Environment in one step, he had no other issues.
He always only cared about his own potions and had invested all of his accumulated Path Origin Stones into alchemy.
The other two, one named Xiang Qian was always despairing and gloomy; how he ever became Transcendent was a mystery.
Then there was Ge Heng, who had a volatile temper and frequently resorted to beating and scolding others.
Sometimes Ge Heng went too far, and Xiang Qian was too apathetic to intervene, but Zhang Hai sometimes couldnât stand by and would let slip a few words.
Usually, Ge Heng would give Zhang Hai some face.
Overall, life at the mine was relatively calm, and the position of mine manager was considered a rather enviable job.
Having been there for so long, Manager Hu really didnât want to disturb this peacefulness.
Although the mine vein was about to be depleted soon, he hoped that everything would continue as is for the time being.
It was a matter of preserving his limited dignity and pride.
As the carriage rolled on, a fragrance of flowers filled the air.
Jiang Wang found an opportunity to deploy âSea of Flowersâ.
This Dao Technique was most suitable for group combat and, when fully unleashed, could create an impromptu battlefield.
Jiang Wang had made minor adjustments this time, using only a portion of its power to focus on its hallucinogenic effects, which he used to extract some information.
Against Transcendent cultivators, of course, it would not be effective, but for ordinary people, it was no issue.
âShuanzi, who do you fear most in the entire mine site?â
Shuanzi had been running errands for Manager Hu for many years and was very familiar with the Hu Clan Mine Site.
Jiang Wang had specifically asked him to temporarily act as a carriage driver so he could casually ask a few questions without attracting attention.
He deliberately chose an easy question first to confirm the effect of the Dao Technique.
For ordinary people, a Grade-7 Dao Technique was overwhelmingly powerful.
Without carefulness, it could easily cause irreversible damage.
As the carriage moved slowly, Shuanzi didnât overthink and instinctively replied, âYoung master.â
âYoung master?â Jiang Wang was taken aback, having assumed the answer would be the old man surnamed Ge.
âWhich young master?â
âThe son of the town guard, the young master of the Hu family, Hu Shaomeng.â
âWhy are you afraid of him?â
Shuanzi began to tremble, âI saw him kill someone!â
âYou saw him kill whom?â
âIâŚ
IâŚâ Shuanziâs expression suddenly became terrified, and he started to get agitated.
The ethereal flowers in mid-air wavered uncertainly, as if they might break free at any moment.
After all, âSea of Flowersâ was not a Dao Technique specifically designed for gathering intelligence, and it was not particularly superior in this respect.
This level of application was not enough to continue the interrogation.
But if he increased the intensity, he could very likely turn Shuanzi into an idiot.
For someone who had done him no wrong, Jiang Wang was not so ruthless as to resort to such measures.
He quickly changed the subject and soothed, âAlright, alright, letâs temporarily forget about this matter.â
He flicked the whip lightly, and the horse hooves clopped.
Rumbling, the wheels turned.
After a while, when Shuanzi had finally calmed down under the effect of the Dao Technique, Jiang Wang continued, âWhy did the Tianqing stone vein here get depleted so quickly?â
âI donât know.
But I heard the manager mention once, it seemed to be related to the Xi Family.â
The Xi Family was the clan of the City Lord of Jia City, and also the target Jiang Wang intended to learn about during his visit to the city.
In Jia Cityâs domain, no major event could occur without involving the Xi Family.
Shuanziâs vague answer unexpectedly aligned with Jiang Wangâs speculation.
As the manager of Hu Clan Mine Site, Manager Hu certainly knew something.
But if there really was an issue with the mine, Manager Hu himself would definitely be monitored in secret.
This was also the reason why Jiang Wang did not try to use Dao Technique to coax Manager Hu into speaking.
Now that he had obtained clues from Shuanzi, it was not a total loss.
And he also remembered a name, Hu Shaomeng.
As the son of Qingyang Town Guard Hu You, what role was the Hu Familyâs noble son playing in the events occurring at the mine site?
A seemingly straightforward event of a mine vein depletion, the closer one looked, the less straightforward it became.
With such secrecy and layers of cover, there must be some great surprise worthy of such concealment underneath.
Of course, it could also be a shock.
Jiang Wang casually dismissed the Dao Technique.
Shuanzi continued holding the reins, carefully driving the carriage.
He had just felt as if he had been momentarily absentminded.
Meanwhile, the maid Xiao Xiao sat in a corner of the carriage compartment, afraid of crowding Jiang Wang, practically curling into herself.
The reason Xiao Xiao came to Jia City this time was entirely at her own request.
Jiang Wang understood her fear of Old Ge and did not refuse her.
Under the influence of the Dao Technique, she had not heard any part of the two menâs conversation.
Staring at the embroidery on her shoes, she simply pricked up her ears, waiting for Jiang Wangâs orders at any moment.
Very much a maidâs duty.
It was easy to evoke pity.
But Jiang Wang had already closed his eyes again, continuing with his cultivation.
It was early summer.
A tranquil carriage, on a deserted official road, headed towards a tranquil city.