Mineral Vein

Only Wang Xiaoma remained. He jumped over the fence and ran several hundred meters in blind panic before his legs gave out and he collapsed to the ground.

Wang Yu approached slowly, expressionless.

"N-No, my big brother, he... he's a martial artist too. If you do anything to me, he... he definitely won't let you off."

Wang Xiaoma spoke in a fluster.

It sounded like a threat, but also like incoherent babbling born of panic.

Wang Yu narrowed his eyes, reached out, grabbed Wang Xiaoma by the collar, and effortlessly lifted him up.

He raised his hand and drove a heavy punch into Wang Xiaoma's abdomen, nearly making him vomit on the spot.

Wang Xiaoma curled up in agony, unable to utter another word.

Wang Yu carried him one-handed and dragged him back to Meng Lao Er's courtyard.

"Uncle Meng, if this guy was behind everything, we might as well kill him and bury him outside town. That'll settle it once and for all, so he won't come back to take revenge on you later."

The burning agony in Wang Xiaoma's abdomen had only just eased a little when he heard Wang Yu's voice.

They were actually discussing killing him and burying the body. This time, he was completely terrified.

"Th-That wouldn't be good, would it? This is Island Town, after all. If we're found out, we'll all be finished."

That was Meng Lao Er's voice. Honest and kind-hearted, he still seemed hesitant, unable to do such a thing.

"What's so bad about it? Have you forgotten what he wanted to do to your family before? As long as we keep our hands clean, out here in the wilds, a death or two is as common as eating and drinking. Besides, scum like this deserves to die."

Wang Xiaoma trembled all over as he listened, nearly wetting himself from fright. Not a trace of his earlier swagger remained. Before Wang Yu could make a move, he immediately began begging for mercy.

Wang Yu looked at him coldly, lifted his foot, and stomped down hard on Wang Xiaoma's waist, nearly crushing his spine.

In truth, he was only trying to frighten the man, making the interrogation to come easier.

"Name?" Wang Yu asked after Wang Xiaoma had finished writhing in pain.

"I-I'm Wang Xiaoma..."

After such torment, Wang Xiaoma had long since lost any will to resist. Faced with Wang Yu's questioning, he spilled everything.

Before long, Wang Yu had learned the background of this group.

They were vagrants around Nan Shan Ling, commonly known as hoodlums and thugs.

Usually, they merely extorted ordinary people for money and snatched a little loose change.

Wang Xiaoma was the leader of these hoodlums. He had an older brother named Wang Feng.

In his early years, Wang Feng had spent some time scraping by in other island towns. When he eventually returned, he had somehow become a genuine martial artist.

The reason they had forcibly tried to seize Meng Lao Er's house and land this time was also at Wang Feng's instigation.

"What cultivation does your brother have?" Wang Yu continued questioning him.

"Body... Body Tempering Second Layer..." Wang Xiaoma answered, shrinking back fearfully.

"Why does he want to seize this land?"

Wang Xiaoma hesitated upon hearing the question. Only when Wang Yu's expression turned fierce again did he hurry to answer.

"I-I only heard my big brother say it himself. There's a mineral vein underground here.

He said it was extremely valuable and told us not to spread the word. We were to occupy this land first."

Wang Yu and Meng Lao Er exchanged a glance. Both their expressions changed when they heard about the mineral vein. Meng Lao Er's breathing became much more hurried, his heart pounding wildly.

They had both worked as miners before, so they naturally understood the value hidden behind a mineral vein.

No matter what kind of vein it was, discovering one was no different from finding a treasure trove.

"Where is the mineral vein?!" Wang Yu asked coldly.

Wang Xiaoma pulled a miserable face and trembled as he said, "I really don't know. Big brother, sir, please let me go."

Wang Yu ignored his pleas and gave him another beating, only stopping after confirming that he truly knew nothing.

"Xiaoyu!" Meng Lao Er did not know what to do for a moment.

The news that there was a mineral vein beneath his own land was simply too shocking for him.

Even Wang Yu had not expected this to be the reason. It was beyond his expectations.

"Uncle Meng, don't rush. We need to confirm this first," Wang Yu said.

Without finding the mineral vein, it was also possible that Wang Xiaoma's elder brother had made the whole thing up out of thin air. Only seeing signs of the vein with their own eyes could prove anything.

Then, Wang Yu and Meng Lao Er simply used thick ropes to tie up all the hooligans.

To ensure that Wang Xiaoma was telling the truth, Wang Yu separately interrogated the other hoodlums as well.

What they said basically matched Wang Xiaoma's account. Only regarding the mineral vein and Wang Feng's cultivation and strength did they know nothing.

"But how did that Wang Feng know there was a mineral vein here?" Meng Lao Er asked with a frown.

Wang Yu looked around and said, "This plot isn't that large. Uncle Meng, let's search for it."

"Alright!"

Meng Lao Er first had his wife take their youngest son away. Then the two began turning over every inch of the land, inside and out.

Before long, Meng Lao Er discovered something unusual in the backyard field he had just reclaimed.

"Xiaoyu!"

Hearing the call, Wang Yu immediately headed to the backyard.

A stretch of Meng Lao Er's backyard consisted of farmland he had reclaimed himself, originally intended for growing fruits and vegetables.

The field extended all the way to the foot of a low hill, bordering a steep slope.

At that moment, Meng Lao Er kept staring intently at that slope.

"Xiaoyu, smell it. Isn't there some kind of scent?" Meng Lao Er said quickly, touching the steep slope.

Hearing this, Wang Yu leaned closer.

At Body Tempering Second Layer, every aspect of his body had undergone two transformations, and his sense of smell had become especially sharper.

He immediately caught the peculiar scent wafting out—a smell like earth mixed with copper rust.

"Yes!" Wang Yu's heart stirred.

He had smelled that scent countless times while working in the mines!

"I smelled it a few days ago when I was turning the soil. At first, I thought it was just some lingering effect from spending too long in the mine pits.

But now, it seems there really might be a mineral vein here!"

Meng Lao Er felt his entire body heat up. He touched and tapped at the steep slope, then suddenly raised his iron hoe and struck one corner of it hard.

Clang!

Several pieces of broken stone cracked and fell away, exposing the surface of the rock within.

Amid the blue-gray color ran faint streaks of purple.

"This is..." Meng Lao Er rubbed those purple streaks with his fingers, then held them beneath his nose and sniffed.

"Purple Coal Ore!" Meng Lao Er had far more mining experience than Wang Yu and recognized the ore at a glance.

"Judging by this low hill, even if there is a Purple Coal Vein here, it should be limited in size. I don't know how much it can yield."

After a simple inspection, Meng Lao Er said solemnly.

His emotions were extremely complicated.

He was excited and ecstatic, yet also deeply worried.

He was thrilled that there truly was a mineral vein in his land, but worried because whether it would bring him fortune or disaster remained unknown.

Already, people were coveting this mineral vein and had even gone so far as to force his family of three into submission for it.

And once news of the vein leaked out and became known to more people,

there was no guarantee that no one would throw caution to the wind and harm his family for this mineral vein.

This mineral vein was too hot to handle.

"Xiaoyu, y-you tell me... what should I do..." After letting his thoughts run wild for a long while, Meng Lao Er instinctively turned to Wang Yu.

Just now, Wang Yu had easily dealt with the entire group of hoodlums alone. The formidable fighting power he displayed gave Meng Lao Er a great deal of security.

Wang Yu naturally understood that this was no small matter. The appearance of the mineral vein had long gone beyond the scope of the commission.

"Uncle Meng, you understand as well. Without someone powerful to protect you, I'm afraid you won't be able to keep this mineral vein. At the same time, you won't be able to keep it hidden for long," Wang Yu said.

"I know that." Meng Lao Er sighed repeatedly.

Even if he wanted to mine it in secret, the disturbance would not be small. On top of that, there was a powerful martial artist like Wang Yu's equal watching from outside like a tiger eyeing its prey.

It was too dangerous!

To have a treasure mountain before him yet be unable to claim it for himself—the feeling was unbearably painful.

"Then the only option is to hand the mineral vein over to the government. You should be able to exchange it for some money, which is better than coming away empty-handed," Wang Yu suggested.

But in truth, the reward and subsidy offered by the government would certainly not be much. It depended entirely on the conscience of the local officials and could not compare remotely to the value of a mineral vein.

Meng Lao Er clenched the hoe in his hand and stared at the pale purple patterns on the rock before him, unable to make a decision for a long time.

Everyone had desires. With such immense wealth placed before them, how many could remain rational and cast it aside?

Especially poor families like Meng Lao Er's.