Amnesty? Heaven pardons, I do not. Kill!

Before long, the depths of Ding Mine Pit were packed with people.

They first pulled out Wang Ji, then Liu Kuan.

Only after confirming that neither of them was breathing did anyone dig Qin Yao, a mine slave, out of the pile of rubble.

In truth, if Little Liuzi, who had come over to watch the spectacle, had not recognized Qin Yao from the half of his face left exposed...

The time it took to dig him out would probably have been delayed even longer!

Seeing Qin Yao limp as mud, Little Liuzi's eyes instantly reddened. "Brother Qin, wake up! Brother Qin!"

It had to be said that with the "Minor Mastery Acting" skill, Qin Yao could handle the situation before him with complete composure.

The only pitiful thing was that Little Liuzi was genuinely heartbroken. His gut-wrenching cries rang through the mine tunnel, exceptionally moving.

"Enough, stop howling!"

"In this mining disaster, even someone as formidable as Steward Wang failed to escape. Let alone a mere mine slave like him..."

Just then, Little Liuzi, who had pressed his ear to Qin Yao's chest and listened for a while, suddenly sprang to his feet. "He—he still has a heartbeat!

"Brother Qin still has a heartbeat! He's still alive!"

"How is that possible?"

One of the overseers frowned, crouching down to take Qin Yao's pulse.

As long as one was a martial artist, there was basically no one who did not know how to take a pulse.

After all, it was by the advantage of their own "martial veins" that they had entered the gates of martial arts.

"Oh? He really does have a pulse. This kid's got a tough life!"

"Then hurry up and wake Brother Qin!"

Little Liuzi said anxiously.

"Don't touch him. Stand back!"

"Huh? But..."

"Before the superior arrives, no one is allowed to act rashly. Otherwise, there's only one word for you: death!"

Wang Ji, Lord Wang of Ding Mine Pit, was dead. This was no small matter.

Though there were many overseers present, none dared make a decision on their own. They were all waiting for their superior to arrive.

As for the mine slaves who learned of Wang Ji's death, they found the whole affair utterly surreal.

Who could have imagined that the great figure who had covered the skies with one hand in Ding Mine Pit would simply die like this?

There had been plenty of mining accidents, large and small, in the past, but the ones who died had always been mine slaves. At most, the overseers suffered a few superficial wounds.

About half an incense stick later.

A burly figure, built like a bear, arrived at last.

This middle-aged male cultivator, who still wore no shirt despite the late-autumn weather, baring his chest and back with thick hair all over his body, was the chief of Iron Mountain Mining Area: Xiong Youcai.

"The mine owner has arrived!"

Upon seeing him, the overseers hurriedly clasped their fists and bowed. "Your subordinates pay respects to the mine owner!"

The chief of Iron Mountain Mining Area, also known as the mine owner, could be said to be the highest authority in these mountains.

At the sixth layer of the Body Tempering Realm, Xiong Youcai possessed overwhelmingly superior strength, whether facing the stewards of the various mining areas or the overseers of the different pits.

That was precisely why he was the true king of Iron Mountain Mining Area, whose word was law!

Even the village chief and headman of Tang Family Village could only bow and scrape, currying favor when they met him.

At that moment, Xiong Youcai said nothing. His cold gaze swept across the three dust-covered men who had just been pulled out, and he lightly crooked a finger.

The coroner who had been following close behind him hurried forward and began examining the bodies.

This man had originally served under the headman at the village office.

But now that he was working for Xiong Youcai, he was even more attentive than he had ever been while serving the village chief!

A full quarter of an hour later, he finally rose and reported, "Lord Xiong, Steward Wang and his brother-in-law both died when falling rocks struck their heads and broke their cervical vertebrae. They met with an unfortunate end."

Speaking of which, Wang Ji was considered a man of some standing in Tang Village.

His good-for-nothing brother-in-law, Liu Kuan, had been mocked behind his back more than once for taking over a piece of "damaged goods" known to everyone, but he had indeed climbed up a high branch.

It was hardly strange that the coroner knew these two.

"As for the young man over there, although he was struck on the crown of the head and knocked unconscious, the injury was not fatal," the coroner added.

"Then wake him up."

Xiong Youcai said in a gruff voice, "I want to ask him exactly what happened!"

"Yes..."

Very soon, a basin of cold water was poured over his head. Qin Yao slowly came to. "Is this the underworld?"

He sat up, feigning grogginess, rubbed his head, then looked around. "Eh? This underworld doesn't seem all that different from the place where I mined!"

" Ding! Skill 'Acting' proficiency +2 "

When his gaze landed on Xiong Youcai, he froze. "What a mighty man! Could Your Excellency be one of the Ox-Headed and Horse-Faced guardians?"

"No, that doesn't seem right. Could you be King Yama?!"

Hearing this dazed youth call him "King Yama," Xiong Youcai's originally dark expression brightened by several degrees.

As far as he was concerned, this lowly mine slave had never seen him before and surely did not know his identity.

And yet, the moment he opened his eyes, he had called him "King Yama"...

Didn't that prove that he, Xiong Youcai, was mighty and imposing, his heroic bearing overwhelming, like a god or a saint?!

Thus, Xiong Youcai's habitually cold gaze grew somewhat gentler as he looked at Qin Yao, who was still pretending to be confused. "I am not King Yama, and you are not dead yet.

"Tell me. What exactly happened?"

"Oh... this is what happened."

Qin Yao laid out the story he had prepared long ago in full.

He first said that he had accidentally dug up a small piece of Doghead Gold and asked Supervisor Li to report it.

Li Gang had then tried to claim it for himself and forced him to reveal where he had found it.

After that, Li Gang had grabbed an iron pick and started digging himself.

Before he had dug for long, most of the rock wall had collapsed, crushing him to death.

Later, Li Gang's death had drawn the attention of the steward, Wang Ji.

After learning of the Doghead Gold from Qin Yao, Wang Ji had likewise been overcome by greed, forcing Qin Yao to tell him where the gold vein was.

Wang Ji then took Liu Kuan with him, and the two wildly swung their iron picks.

Qin Yao, meanwhile, had been ordered to hold a torch and serve as a "human torch stand" deep inside this mine pit, where no torch brackets had yet been driven into the rock walls.

Who could have expected that, as they dug, this place would collapse as well.

Wang Ji and Liu Kuan had been crushed to death on the spot, while Qin Yao had briefly believed he was done for too...

After hearing Qin Yao's account, together with the valuables found on Wang Ji and Liu Kuan's bodies, the mine owner, Xiong Youcai, immediately made his ruling: Li Gang, Wang Ji, and Liu Kuan had all died in a mining accident!

Qin Yao had survived the disaster, and before his conviction, he had been a scholar with academic honors, thus meeting the conditions for this general amnesty.

Finding the youth fairly pleasing to the eye, Xiong Youcai declared on the spot that the pardon would take effect. Qin Yao could pack up and go home.

It was already late today. Tomorrow morning, he was to report to the village office.

Qin Yao was overjoyed and thanked him again and again!

He could finally cast off his identity as a "mine slave" openly and legitimately!

This was undoubtedly far more reliable than the "plum tree dies in the peach tree's stead" scheme he had planned before.

At the same time, in Red River County, thousands of miles away.

Qin Main Clan, Clan Chief's Residence.

A beautiful young woman, slender and graceful, yet with a hidden viciousness in her brows, swept the tea set from the table and smashed it onto the floor with a crash.

"That old hag, honestly! If she wanted to celebrate her birthday, then celebrate it—why grant amnesty to scholars?!"

This young woman was none other than the eldest young lady of the Qin residence, Qin Yuwei, who had stolen Qin Yao's academic honors and framed him for cheating.

"Yuwei, watch your words!"

Her grandfather, Qin Yongnian, frowned as he rebuked her.

Qin Yuwei snorted. "Hmph, so what if there's a general amnesty? Heaven may pardon him, but I won't! Kill him all the same!"

"Originally, I planned to wait another month or two, until attention on Qin Yao, that 'Provincial Examination Champion,' had died down before making my move and eliminating him forever.

"But now, it seems... we can't wait that long!"

After hesitating briefly, Qin Yongnian finally nodded, a fierce glint flashing in his eyes. "Fine. It'll save us the trouble of having that whole family grease the soles of their feet and slip away somewhere else."