Chapter 1206: Trouble at the Mine

Jiang Lishui whispered, "The Situ family has operated here for many years and is very popular. With bumper harvests in the past two years, they likely aren't short on food for now. As for his army, in my opinion, it's considerably better than Peng Kingdom's regular forces."

"In fact, a month ago, Bixia's army invaded. I heard that a village to the east was completely plundered. Not only chickens, ducks, cattle, and sheep, but even all the villagers, regardless of age or gender, were taken."

Hearing this, He Lingchuan raised an eyebrow: "Kidnapping people?"Kidnapping people is not uncommon in war; people are also a resource. But why would Bixia do this?

Dong Rui pointed east: "Was that the deserted village we passed earlier?"From the ruins, it certainly looked like the village had been attacked suddenly."Yes, yes, that was Cotton Village, not far from Jishi Village."

"Within two days, Bixia also came to plunder Jishi Village." Speaking of it, Jiang Lishui still had lingering fears. "Fortunately, we were prepared. We organized the miners to counterattack from within the mine tunnels, holding them off for most of the day. Then the Situ army arrived after hearing the news and repelled the Bixia people."

Bixia dared to attack the property of the Yangshan Merchant Guild! Dong Rui swore. If the Bixia people had succeeded, Yangshan Merchant Guild's first mine in Flash Gold Plain would have failed before it even got off the ground.

"We sent money and food to the Situ army as a token of gratitude, so our relationship is quite good now." Rolled Stone Mine now relies on the Situ army for protection; the two sides are mutually dependent.

He Lingchuan nodded. Entering the scene amidst chaos made it easy to forge connections with local powers. As long as the Situ family could hold out, Ding Zuodong and Jiang Lishui's prior arrangements would soon bear fruit.

"Yangshan's power will soon extend here," he reassured Jiang Lishui. "Then, no matter who approaches you, they will have to be reasonable. This process won't even take half a year."

Jiang Lishui was overjoyed: "That's wonderful! Island Master is brilliant."In troubled times, force is the basis of self-preservation. If the Yangshan Islands' guard team could be stationed here to protect the merchant caravan and the mine's safety, he wouldn't have anything to fear! He was truly determined to secure this golden opportunity.

"Continue telling me about the troubles here."

Jiang Lishui quickly composed himself: "After we completed the formalities, we recruited people from sixty *li* away to start mining. The initial investment exceeded a thousand *liang*, and progress was relatively smooth. Tools arrived, mine shafts were cleared, people went down, and the extracted ore was sorted and processed. We also added two workshops and assembled several sets of equipment. After nearly two months of work, including repelling a Bixia invasion, everything finally got on track, and Rolled Stone Valley Mine could begin normal production."

Rolled Stone Valley produced high-quality ore, but it had been abandoned for several years. Many sections of the mine shafts had collapsed, making cleanup arduous. The food, clothing, and housing for hundreds of miners were all expenses.

"Then, at this point, the mine became haunted!"Dong Rui grabbed a handful of peanuts and began cracking them with the two monkeys: "Tell me more, tell me more."

Jiang Lishui didn't know who this person was, but since he could casually be by the Island Master's side, he must be an important figure. "About thirteen days ago, two miners went down into the pit and never returned. The next day, their companions found them in the pit; they were long dead, with no injuries on their bodies, but they looked emaciated, their faces were blue, and their flesh was somewhat shriveled."

It sounds like a fox demon at work.

"Two days later, three more people died mysteriously. This time, they weren't in the mine shaft but died in their own rooms." Jiang Lishui shook his head. "Someone had even greeted them that evening and seen them go into their rooms. But the next morning, none of them came out."

"Did they die in their sleep?""Yes."

Jiang Lishui continued, "A few days ago, general laborers we hired went into the forest to cut wood and make charcoal, while their companion went to the river to fetch water. Suddenly, it grew dark, and their companion didn't return for a long time. He rushed to the river and saw one laborer floating face down in the water, and another crouching motionless on the bank."

"There was fog by the river that day, and he thought he saw a strange, small mass of mist condense on the laborer's back. He tried to get a closer look, but the mass of mist stirred, forming a ghostly face that lunged at him." Jiang Lishui swallowed. "The laborer was terrified and returned to Jishi Village screaming."

He sighed: "First, the Bixia people attacked, and now we have ghosts eating people. The miners are all terrified; dozens left that very day, and the rest dare not go near the water or down into the mine pits. Ah, this is truly difficult..." The mine couldn't stop, or he wouldn't be able to supply the Yangshan Islands. These past few days, Jiang Lishui was so anxious his lips were almost blistering.

He Lingchuan asked him, "What measures have you taken?" The people he sent shouldn't just wait for death."I had people set up barriers in Jishi Village and the other villages where the miners live," Jiang Lishui said. "So, no one has died recently, but there are traces of the formations being touched, and this isn't a long-term solution... Two guards, who possess some supernatural abilities, went into the mine shafts but didn't find anything."

"So these ghosts have been here, but they couldn't enter the villages?"Jiang Lishui coughed: "After the incidents, old Mrs. Li, who cooks for us in the village, said that the Heavenly Venerable sent subordinates to collect people. We asked why, and it turned out these things also happened over twenty years ago. The villagers built a temple and offered incense to the 'Heavenly Venerable,' and then it stopped coming."

Heavenly Venerable? That title made He Lingchuan's heart stir.

Dong Rui, intrigued, asked, "Why has the Heavenly Venerable returned?"

"Old Mrs. Li said that all the villagers had fled, and we didn't make offerings when we arrived, which only angered the Heavenly Venerable." Jiang Lishui pointed north: "About sixty to seventy *li* north from here is the Howling Forest. Outsiders are warned to stay away, and it's said the Heavenly Venerable resides there."

Oh, the Howling Forest again? He Lingchuan raised an eyebrow."The Howling Forest, huh? What a coincidence, isn't it?" Dong Rui slapped him on the back: "You have a destiny with the Ghost King."

He Lingchuan hadn't even sought trouble with it yet, and it was already disrupting Yangshan's operations. Dong Rui then chuckled, "So why don't you just continue making offerings?"

"We did make offerings. We started after the first deaths." Jiang Lishui was also pragmatic, believing it was best to settle matters peacefully. "But it was useless. Even though we offered sacrificial animals, miners kept disappearing one after another. And we heard from the patrols that deaths weren't limited to just this area; over a hundred people in surrounding villages and towns were also devoured by ghosts."

So, this wasn't an issue solely caused by Jishi Village. It seemed the Heavenly Venerable was quite enraged. Dong Rui rubbed his chin: "Where is old Mrs. Li?""After this, we didn't dare let her cook for us anymore, and she was quite displeased." Jiang Lishui stood up. "Island Master, please follow me."

February 1st, a new month begins.