Threat!

"Manager Wang, I just heard that the court has granted a special pardon to mine slaves who once held scholarly degrees."

Qin Yao, walking ahead to lead the way, perfectly put on a mix of restraint and excitement. Full of anticipation, he asked, "Once this matter is settled, does that mean I can...?"

"Shut up. Just lead the way properly!"

Wang Ji cut him off sharply.

Liu Kuan, Wang Ji's trusted subordinate at his side, took over with a sneer. "What? You heard 'special pardon' and got so excited you forgot yourself?

"Let me tell you—regardless of whether there's a pardon order from above, the authority over how it's carried out is still firmly clenched in Lord Wang's hand!

"Whether to let you report to the village yamen, and even when to let you go, are all matters Lord Wang can decide with a single word.

"You don't think about properly thanking Lord Wang for his care and cultivation during this time. All you think about is patting your backside and leaving?

"That's a bit too heartless, isn't it?"

Qin Yao sneered inwardly. Hehe, thank him? What exactly am I supposed to thank Wang Ji for?

Thank him for taking my grandfather's silver with one hand, then driving me out of the shack and forcing me down into the mine with the other?

If I hadn't been lucky enough to awaken the Grind Emperor System, I'd probably have long since left my bones buried in this mine!

Outwardly, however, Qin Yao merely gave a simple-minded chuckle.

Before long, the three of them entered the mine tunnel in single file.

The originally dim pit was now brightly lit by three torches.

After walking another hundred or so steps, Qin Yao pointed at a pile of rocks not far away. "Supervisor Li is buried beneath there."

Wang Ji silently walked over, first circling the rock pile and inspecting it thoroughly from top to bottom.

Then he thrust the top of his foot into a gap between the fallen rocks and lifted hard.

"Crash, crash..."

Rocks that each weighed hundreds, even thousands, of jin were kicked aside one by one with his foot.

As expected of a third-level Body Tempering martial artist!

At last, a grimy figure was revealed, the back of his head smashed open like a flower in bloom.

"Bring the torch closer!"

At Wang Ji's command, Liu Kuan hurriedly stepped forward with his torch, not forgetting to shout for Qin Yao to come over as well.

Qin Yao acted extremely obedient at that moment, fully committed to the persona of a meek little mine slave who swallowed every hardship thrown his way.

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Ding! Skill "Acting" proficiency +1

Using the torchlight brought close, Wang Ji examined the body with meticulous care.

He first confirmed the fatal wound at the back of Li Gang's head. Then, comparing it against the surrounding environment, he eliminated the possible causes of death one by one.

Once he was done, Wang Ji began searching the corpse!

He missed not a single inch from head to toe. In the end, he even casually pocketed the man's money pouch, weighing it in his hand as a satisfied curve rose at the corner of his mouth.

Then he turned to Liu Kuan. "Search Qin Yao. See whether our 'Jieyuan Scholar' has been up to any sneaky thieving. And check his martial veins while you're at it."

"Got it!"

Liu Kuan strutted about like he was wielding a feather as an imperial arrow, barking orders at Qin Yao while searching him from head to toe.

In the end, finding nothing at all, Liu Kuan could only curl his lip and shake his head.

Qin Yao secretly breathed a sigh of relief. Good thing I didn't keep Li Gang's money after killing him. Otherwise, this would've been hard to clean up...

At that moment, Wang Ji, having found nothing unusual on Li Gang's corpse, turned to question Qin Yao. "I heard from the mine slaves outside that Li Gang came deep into the mine because you discovered a large stretch of ore wall with exceptionally pure iron?"

As he spoke, Wang Ji pointed at the shattered ore scattered all over the ground and said coldly, "Don't tell me this is the 'exceptionally pure iron' ore wall you were talking about!"

"Huh?"

Qin Yao widened his eyes innocently. "I—I never told Supervisor Li anything about an 'ore wall with exceptionally pure iron.'"

"Oh?"

Wang Ji narrowed his eyes, and his scrutinizing gaze turned increasingly vicious. "Do I need to drag a few mine slaves over here and let you hear with your own ears what they have to say?"

"I really didn't say it! I really didn't!"

Qin Yao said anxiously, "When I told Supervisor Li I'd made a 'new discovery,' it was actually because I dug up a piece of Doghead Gold."

"What?!"

"Doghead Gold?!"

Wang Ji and Liu Kuan cried out almost in unison.

"You're not trying to fool me, are you?!"

Manager Wang seized Qin Yao by the collar and lifted him until his feet dangled in the air.

Qin Yao immediately put on an expression of struggling to breathe, his face turning pale as he said, "I—I wouldn't dare deceive you, Manager."

Ding! Skill "Acting" Proficiency +2

"Where is it?!"

Wang Ji asked again, his eyes plainly filled with urgency.

Qin Yao pointed at Li Gang's corpse. "After Supervisor Li snatched the gold away, he hesitated for a moment before stuffing it into his mouth. I have no idea why he wanted to eat that thing..."

"Oh?"

Hearing this, Wang Ji released him cleanly and decisively.

Qin Yao immediately landed hard on his backside. His dislocated hand instinctively braced against the ground, and the pain made him shriek and howl.

When he looked again, Wang Ji was already crouching before Li Gang's body, prying open the man's mouth with his left hand while reaching inside with his right and rummaging around.

Very quickly, he felt something hard beneath Li Gang's tongue.

He pulled it out and saw that it was precisely that thumb-pad-sized piece of Doghead Gold!

"Ha, it really is gold!"

A piece of genuine gold like this was no trivial sum even to Wang Ji, who was at the third level of the Body Tempering Realm.

Amid his delight, Manager Wang now completely believed Qin Yao's earlier account.

Then he heard the youth continue, "Supervisor Li asked me whether there was any more Doghead Gold like this.

"I told him honestly that there should be more about forty or fifty steps ahead.

"Based on my experience, the water content and sand content in this section of rock wall are both somewhat beyond reason. There was most likely other gold-bearing ore here as well.

"Then Foreman Li told me to lead the way.

"I said the ore here was loose, and forced excavation could very easily cause a collapse. It would be best to call more people over and make thorough preparations before digging.

"But he wouldn't listen. He insisted on forcing me to dig with him, and so..."

"I see."

Wang Ji nodded thoughtfully.

He could now fully understand why the mine slaves outside all said they had heard Supervisor Li mention "a mineral wall of highly pure iron discovered by Qin Yao," only for him to turn back and meet with disaster.

At that time, Li Gang had most likely harbored the same thoughts Wang Ji did now—they both wanted to secretly mine more Doghead Gold and claim it all for themselves.

Wang Ji rubbed the piece of Doghead Gold in his hand. After pondering for a moment, he narrowed his eyes and asked Qin Yao, "The place you mentioned, where more gold-bearing ore can be mined—is it here?"

"This was originally one such place, but Supervisor Li dug until it collapsed and still found nothing..."

Qin Yao said carefully, "Why don't we go a little farther ahead? There's another place there with an even greater possibility."

Wang Ji waved a large hand. "What are you standing around for, then? Lead the way!"

"Ah? But..."

Qin Yao said somewhat unwillingly, "I've already been specially pardoned. Strictly speaking, I'm no longer a mine slave, am I? Could we..."

Before he could finish, Wang Ji grabbed the youth by the throat and snarled, "Do exactly as I say!

"Or do you believe I can make you die in a mining accident just like Li Gang?!"