Chapter 222 - Inauspicious Meeting with a Sheep

After sending Hu Shaomeng away, Jiang Wang once again convened everyone and announced that the mine operation would be postponed for half a year, until the vein was completely exhausted.As an envoy of the Zhong Xuan Family, he had essentially become the immediate superior of these people.

Besides Manager Hu, who showed obvious delight, the other two Transcendent Cultivators had very indifferent reactions.

Zhang Hai was clearly a bit uneasy, probably due to his concern about his own medicinal pills and Jiang Wang’s authority, so he did not dare to suggest leaving for the time being.

Xiang Qian still had the same moribund look as always.

To tell the truth, Jiang Wang didn’t want either of these two men.

But since he had no one else under his command, he had to reluctantly make do with them for now.

Just as Zhongxuan Sheng had said, every person has their use and value.

More valuable Transcendent Cultivators would not come to work in such a mine.

After the two Transcendent Cultivators left one after another, only Manager Hu and the maid, Xiao Xiao, remained in the room.

Jiang Wang was about to instruct Manager Hu when suddenly the maid Xiao Xiao spoke up, “Master, there’s something I don’t know if you still remember?

There is a problem with that jar of tiger bone wine in your room.”

Jiang Wang glanced at her, “Did you write that note?”

Xiao Xiao’s heart tightened and she lowered her head, “Yes.

I…

learned some writing when I was young.”

“How did you know there was something wrong with the wine?” Jiang Wang asked.

“I just know what Ge Heng is like.

You’ve offended him, and he’d definitely attempt to harm you,” she replied.

At this moment, Manager Hu knelt on the ground with a thud, “Emissary, sir, there was no poison in the wine, no poison.

The poisoned wine was switched out!”

That did clear up some confusion, although the answer wasn’t of much value anymore.

“There’s no need to kneel.” Jiang Wang extended his hand to help him up, “What exactly happened?

Tell me about it.”

“Sir, Ge…

that bastard Ge Heng has a petty mind.

He wanted to teach you a lesson by poisoning the wine and forcing me to bring it to you.

I didn’t dare to not deliver it nor to speak up!”

Manager Hu, incessantly wiping sweat from his forehead, spoke with fear and apprehension, “All I could do was secretly switch it out.

When he asked, I just said you might not drink.”

As he was speaking, he attempted to kneel again.

Jiang Wang waved his hand, preventing him from kneeling, “You switched out the poisoned wine, what crime is there in that?

I should be thanking you for your care.”

“I wouldn’t dare, I wouldn’t dare at all.”

Watching the old man’s servile manner, Jiang Wang sighed inwardly.

He didn’t insist on Manager Hu maintaining a normal attitude toward him after learning of his identity; that was indeed unrealistic.

“Don’t overthink things.

You will still manage the affairs in the mine.

Continue as before and maintain the status quo,” he instructed directly, “I will only control the direction, not the specific affairs.

Do you understand?”

Feeling reassured, Manager Hu’s footing grew steadier, “Understood, understood.”

“Oh, and one more thing,” Jiang Wang remembered something, “Are you truly Hu Shaomeng’s clan uncle by blood?”

“There is no falsehood in that,” Manager Hu said somewhat awkwardly, “but ever since he was little, he was distant from us.

I claimed a connection because I was afraid the cultivator lords would look down on me…”

“I understand,” Jiang Wang replied, offering a knowing smile before departing with Xiao Xiao.

The old man proved to be quite interesting; though accustomed to bowing and scraping due to life’s pressures, deep down he was someone who valued his self-respect and dignity.

One should never underestimate any person with independent thought.

Jiang Wang reminded himself of this.

For example, the poisoned wine—if Xiao Xiao had not warned him, and Manager Hu had not switched it out, the outcome might have been very different.

Walking through the mine, Jiang Wang asked offhandedly, “Do you hate him?”

Xiao Xiao didn’t dare to conceal her feelings and spoke frankly, “He was the one who recruited me to come here.”

Jiang Wang wasn’t particularly bothered by such leveraging of circumstances.

It is only natural for people to have give and take.

However, it made him even more aware that everyone has their own demands, even if her current status was just that of a mere maid.

“Xie Hao didn’t leave; he was murdered by Hu Shaomeng,” Jiang Wang continued, “Perhaps, everything he said to you was sincere.”

Walking behind him, Xiao Xiao remained silent for a moment before finally speaking, “Strangely enough, I once wished for his death—the more miserable, the better.

But when he actually died, I realized…

I would rather he had lied to me, that he was simply a despicable and unfeeling person—as long as he was alive and well.”

She didn’t show much sadness, just a sense of bewilderment, “Master, you are a Transcendent being, what do you think—why do people feel this way?”

“People are just like that,” Jiang Wang said.

Ge Heng was dead.

He was beaten to death by the enraged miners.

No one remembered who threw the first punch, but after a long beating, Ge Heng lay motionless on the ground.

The crowd dispersed.

Xiaocui’s body was buried by the people.

The miners, being skilled at digging, chose a place with nice scenery.

Whereas Ge Heng’s body just lay there in the courtyard, utterly alone.

Some suggested throwing it into the furnace to burn, but no one was willing to lift his body, so the matter was dropped.

Dealing with Ge Heng’s death wasn’t difficult.

Firstly, his crimes were clear-cut, secondly, he died due to public outrage, and thirdly, this place was under the jurisdiction of Green Sheep Town, where the case would stop at the precinct chief Hu You.

After reporting to Jia City, they generally wouldn’t make things difficult.

By this time, everyone had dispersed, and only Shuanzi stood outside the courtyard, lost in thought.

Jiang Wang walked over and casually threw a ball of flame flower, turning Ge Heng’s body into ashes.

Having left Ge Heng here, he had already anticipated this scene and wasn’t surprised.

Burning the body was simply to avoid the risk of an epidemic or something similar.

“By the way,” he said to Shuanzi, “On the day Hu Shaomeng killed Xie Hao, what did you see?

Tell me everything you know without fear; I assure you of your safety.”

The sea of flowers wasn’t specifically a Dao Technique for interrogation; Jiang Wang had previously only used its hallucinogenic effects for a bit of guidance.

Now that he had established his authority, it was better to be straightforward.

Shuanzi wouldn’t dare to hide anything anymore.

By asking this question, Jiang Wang mainly wanted to understand Hu Shaomeng’s combat methods in advance, to prepare a counterstrategy.

He didn’t expect Shuanzi to hesitate then say, “I didn’t see Hu Shaomeng kill Xie Hao.”

It was at this moment that Jiang Wang realized he might have misunderstood.

“Then who did you see him kill?”

Jiang Wang asked eagerly, and Shuanzi, extremely nervous, swallowed and said hesitantly, “A, a miner.

Just with one slap, his head was gone.

I was squatting there for convenience at the time and didn’t dare make a sound.”

“Was it the miner who saw the sheep in the mine?” Jiang Wang asked.

“I don’t know, there are a lot of people in the mine, people come and go all the time.

I don’t recognize him.”

Although Shuanzi couldn’t confirm it, Jiang Wang was already certain in his heart.

Because the two incidents were too coincidental.

However, Hu Shaomeng, being a disciple of a reputable sect, wouldn’t blatantly kill people everywhere.

There must be a reason for the murder.

Only…

A worker saw a sheep in the mine pit under mysterious circumstances.

And Hu Shaomeng killed him.

What does this imply?

Sheep, sheep.

Jiang Wang vaguely caught onto something.

Green Sheep Town!

“Xiaoxiao, you go back first.

I’m going to take a look in the mine shaft,”

Jiang Wang hurriedly dropped a line and then turned toward the mine.

With his status, naturally, nobody stopped him.

The miners were curious why he would enter the shaft in person, but they didn’t dare to ask.

With years of excavation, the mine had become crisscrossed with tunnels, almost hollowing out the belly of the mountain.

Inside the cave, it was pitch-dark, growing darker the further in one went.

Although the Zhong Xuan Family was wealthy, they didn’t go so far as to equip miners with bright lanterns.

In the mine, they mostly used oil lamps for lighting.

Of course, for Jiang Wang, a single flame flower sufficed.

The deeper he went, the deeper and quieter it became.

His footsteps echoed hollowly on the ground.

Jiang Wang wasn’t sure what he was looking for; he was just going through the motions of searching.

He knew that this information would surely reach Hu Shaomeng’s ears.

He was waiting for a possible clue.

Or rather, Hu Shaomeng’s reaction.