Chapter 14: The Ten-dollar Grudge
Fengshan Street originally had no name.
A miners' village in the mountains shouldn't have a name.
The reason why it is called Fengshan Street is probably because the mine is called Fengshan Mine.
The seven mines controlled by Ruyifang support hundreds of workers and their families who make a living from mining.
As a result, this desolate mountain village became prosperous.
Although the Fengshan Mine is not large and its ore output is not large, it occupies a very important position in Ruyifang's business.
This is because this mine is close to a branch of the Fengming Kingdom's earth veins, which contains associated spiritual minerals.
Spiritual stones can be mined from all seven mines.
As for the Lingshi, just by hearing the name, you can tell that it is definitely not for ordinary people to use.
It is a material.
A material used by immortal monks to make tools.
Maybe it is not rare in the world of cultivation, but it is very rare in the mortal world.
The largest local sect, the Mo Shuang Mountain Gate, which is famous for its weapon making, is just two or three hundred miles south of Fengshan Mine. It is a real place for immortals to practice, and it is not something that ordinary people can covet.
The royal family of Fengming Kingdom also had some complicated relationship with that sect, which was why they were able to preserve the last few pieces of territory during the disputes with other countries in the past few years.
The spiritual stones dug out from the Fengshan Mine are mostly supplied to the immortals of Mo Shuang Mountain, as well as some small sects and independent cultivators in the local area.
Digging spiritual stones is definitely different from digging ordinary ores.
This material is difficult to mine. It is impossible for mortal miners to find it, let alone take some. However, Ruyifang has secret methods that can detect spiritual mines, and secret techniques that can train strong miners.
This is a unique skill.
Therefore, this job related to immortals was naturally monopolized by the mortal world's Chamber of Commerce, Ruyifang.
In the entire Fengming Kingdom, three or four mines that can produce spiritual ores, including the Fengshan Mine, are controlled by them. They make a lot of money from them and also bribe the court officials.
Over time, the Fengshan Mine, which was supposed to be managed by the Fengming Kingdom's court, became the private property of Ruyifang.
It's like a tiger's whisker, unable to move at all.
"Master Bao is the second young master of Ruyifang. He has been doted on since he was young and is proficient in everything. The head manager, that is, his brother, is in his prime and does not expect him to inherit the family business. He only hopes that he can carry on the bloodline.
So Bao Ye acts more casually. "
After climbing out of Mine No. 7 and walking towards the village on Fengshan Street in the distance, Skinny Monkey explained these things to Jiang Xia when he asked.
"What a casual one."
Jiang Xia was carrying a pulse rifle and wearing a sci-fi thermal imaging tights as he walked in the dark. The lines around the clothes glowed faintly, illuminating the way ahead.
As he walked, he said to the skinny monkey:
"You are a talent to be able to talk about taking human life so lightly and elegantly. Since the manager called you to do the work, I guess you are also a lackey of Ruyifang?"
"How can a lowly person like me be so lucky as to be favored by Ruyifang?"
Skinny Monkey was scared before.
However, as I followed Jiang Xia all the way here, and saw that this scholar who had turned into a fierce bandit was actually very easy to talk to, chatting and laughing with him all the way, the nervousness in my heart dissipated a little.
Hearing Jiang Xia's teasing, he smiled bitterly and said:
"In Fengming Country, there are many people who want to be Ruyifang's lackeys. I have no talent, no ability, I am ugly, and I am weak, so I can't fight.
He just relied on his cleverness and his crude gambling skills to make a living in Fengshan Street.
I'm not afraid of being laughed at by you, the king.
I've been hanging around here for several years, but I haven't even got an official position in Ruyifang. The same goes for the people who traveled with me. They are called hangers-on of Ruyifang here, but in reality they are just people who are ordered around.
Even the seven stewards look down on us, so we have nothing but a worthless life, so we’ll just die.”
"Yeah?"
Jiang Xia listened to his miserable words but didn't take them seriously.
How can a bad person say that he is a bad person?
He is complaining only to gain sympathy. How can he be a good person if he can hang out with those people who take human lives lightly?
He didn't care what Skinny Monkey said.
Then he said:
"I killed your friend, don't you hate me?"
"Where are the friends?"
The skinny monkey immediately cried out in injustice, as if complaining:
"Those guys usually rely on their strong bodies to bully, ridicule and blackmail me. I didn't want to come tonight, but they dragged me and I couldn't refuse.
My king, I am not a person who does all kinds of bad things like them.
If you don't believe me, just go and ask on the street. Although I, Liu Laosi, am a poor man with no special abilities and a greedy heart for money and goods, I have never done anything evil that would kill anyone.
My king, have you forgotten that when you first came to Fengshan Street, you had no money, and it was I who found a way for you, acted as a guarantor, and borrowed ten taels of silver from Manager Huang on credit?"
"Ah? That's true. It turned out to be you."
Jiang Xia has been trapped in Jiang Shusheng's consciousness for more than three years, and he also remembers these things.
However, the sour scholar's previous memories were still lost deep in his mind, like a tangled mess, and he did not examine them carefully.
But the skinny monkey said that he used his connections to give Jiang Shusheng the money on credit, and it was because of that ten dollars that all the bad things happened later. Thinking of this, Jiang Xia cursed him as a waste in his heart again.
The skinny Liu Laosi originally wanted to make some connections and escape.
Seeing Jiang Xia's indifferent expression, he felt sad. He was afraid that after tonight, he would be in trouble.
He brought this bandit with him to find trouble with Manager Huang. Once Manager Huang got into trouble, the bandit was very skilled and would not be afraid of Ruyifang causing trouble for him. However, he was a man as lowly as dust and was afraid that it would be difficult for him to survive in Fengshan Street.
Thinking of this, tears were almost in his eyes.
But I didn't dare cry out loud.
He was afraid that he would anger the bandit, so he would stab him with a hidden weapon and send him to death.
The two of them walked like this, and in the dead of night, they finally arrived at Fengshan Street.
It is called a street, but in fact it is like a village or town, with several intersecting streets arranged in a crisscross pattern. It is late at night and naturally no one is walking around.
There was also a night watchman on the street who was probably drunk and was staggering. Jiang Xia rushed up to him with a sword step and punched on the back of the head. His eyes rolled up and he fell into Jiang Xia's arms.
He dragged the drunkard to a corner and threw him away. He then looked at Liu Laosi behind him. The latter shrank his head, found a piece of black cloth, and pretended to cover his face.
It seems that by pretending to be deceiving, he can get rid of suspicion.
"There!"
Liu Laosi pointed to a small house not far away and said to Jiang Xia:
“Butler Huang is right there.
The old bastard just married a concubine last month. I heard that she was a commoner girl who was forcibly abducted. She was only 18 years old, in the prime of her life, but she ended up marrying a rotten old man.
That person is awful, and he just likes this disgusting tune."
As he spoke, Liu Laosi's voice became gnashed with teeth, not knowing whether it was out of envy or jealousy.
"Stay here."
Jiang Xia pulled up the hood of his thermal imaging suit and put the goggles on his face, like a gangster.
He turned around and said something to Liu Laosi, then ignored him, turned around, climbed up the wall, and swiftly flipped into the yard.
He didn't care whether Liu Laosi would run away or not.
He even hoped the guy would run.
That gave him a reason to kill the guy.
I have just observed that although this world is full of gods and ghosts, and there are also immortals and monks, but in this remote area of Fengshan Street, it is certain that you will not meet those people.
And considering the fighting power of Ruyifang's thugs, he adjusted the pulse rifle in his hand to the continuous fire mode, plus the three 20-round energy magazines on his body.
There are also four plasma grenades tied to the belt, which are enough to massacre the entire village.
Of course, that's the worst-case scenario.
He had no grudges against the people of Fengshan Street. He came here tonight only to "repay his debt" and did not want to make too big a fuss.
But if they don't know what's good for them, then there's nothing we can do.
Seeing Jiang Xia jump into the yard and leave him alone, Liu Laosi was stunned.
This gangster...
Just leave it like that?
He was so excited that he ran away.
My first reaction was to run as fast as possible, run back to my shack, take the little money I had saved, and leave. The farther I ran, the better.
But after running a few steps, Liu Laosi stopped again.
He squatted there, not knowing what he was thinking, but some amazing train of thought appeared in his mind.
He remembered that Jiang Shusheng was so weak before and everyone could bully him, but after returning from outside the domain, he killed four people in a row as if he was slaughtering a chicken, without even blinking an eye.
It seems like a different person.
Now he comes back alone, looking for his enemy, showing great courage and can be called a hero.
Just like what is said in the opera, it is so satisfying to take revenge and it is so majestic.
Liu Laosi blinked his eyes and felt a surge of envy in his heart.
He looked around again, feeling hesitant, and recalled the stories in picture books he had heard when he visited the brothels in Fengming County.
What does it mean that clouds come from the dragon and wind comes from the tiger?
Stories like "One hero brings three helpers" and "Follow a wise leader" etc.
Then he thought about how he had been hanging around Fengshan Street for so many years, but was still of the lowest class. He had already spent half of his life, but had accomplished nothing. If he continued like this, what would happen?
As he was thinking about this, his thoughts started turning around again, and somehow he thought of that old man, Manager Huang.
What can that old man do?
He can't do anything!
He can't even do a clear accounting, yet he still needs to hire an accountant. Isn't it because his family has been servants of Ruyifang for three generations that he has the good fortune to be the manager of Fengshan Street?
The old man is so old that he doesn’t even know if he can do the job, and he can still marry a concubine…
Tsk tsk.
I am much better than him!
Why can't I be the one living in a big house and sleeping with concubines?
Liu Laosi rolled his eyes, looked back at the quiet Huang family house behind him, and thought of the scene when he had just secretly watched Jiang Xia and the strangely dressed little girl getting along.
Being so good to children...
This bandit is probably not a bad guy, right?
I brought him to Manager Huang today, which completely cut off my chance of reconciliation with Ruyifang. Such a powerful person would not care about the life of a lowly person like me.
Even if I surrender later and Bao Ye and the others spare me, Manager Huang's family will definitely not let me go. I have no power to help them, so how can I escape?
Death is both ahead and behind, but is a man as lowly as dust so willing to die?
of course not!
Even ants try to survive.
How about...
Why not give it a try?
Liu Laosi gritted his teeth and stopped running. His legs were trembling a little, but he still gritted his teeth and went back to the door of Huang's house, hid there, and looked around.
Jiang Xia was unaware of his complex and twisted psychological activities.
Jiang Xia is still busy "repaying the money" at this moment.
"boom"
The torn purse was thrown into the lighted room, smashed onto the bluestone floor, and shattered into pieces. The bright yellow copper coins were scattered everywhere in the dim candlelight.
In front of Jiang Xia, Manager Huang, who was dragged off the bed in a single layer of clothing, was shivering and slumped on the ground.
The old man in thin clothes was so frightened that he couldn't speak.
Behind him, on the bed, a thin, petite, pretty girl was covering her body with a quilt, with a look of fear on her face.
She looked at her "husband", and then at the night visitor who was dressed strangely and holding a strange weapon in his hand.
She could probably guess that her "husband" was in trouble today.
But besides the fear in my heart, there is another kind of emotion.
OK.
God, after all, he still has eyes.
"Look, here are the ten taels of silver I borrowed from you, not a penny less."
Jiang Xia pulled out a pistol from his waist, flicked his wrist, ejected the magazine, took out the bullets one by one, and put them back in, then said to the limp old man in front of him:
"Manager Huang, please count them."
Jiang Xia was wearing a mask, so Manager Huang couldn't see his face clearly, but when he heard these words, the old man immediately understood who this debt collector was!
He was shocked and his face turned pale, his eyes widened.
he……
This sour scholar actually survived to come back!
"I remember clearly that you said before that if I could come back, the ten taels of silver I owed you from Ruyifang would be written off. This is not acceptable."
Jiang Xia put the cold muzzle of the gun against the old man's forehead.
He whispered:
"I have returned the money to you. I don't owe you anything anymore. The accounts between Ruyifang and Jiang Shusheng have been settled. Now, let's settle the accounts between you and me."
“You, you are…”
The old man was struck by lightning. He raised his hand tremblingly and was about to speak.
"boom"
The flying bullet, with a burst of anger, ended the questioning before it even began.
The exploded flesh and blood were scattered all over the ground, causing the girl lying on the bed and Liu Laosi who was guarding outside the door to tremble with fear at the same time.
Jiang Xia didn't show any extra expression.
He looked at the headless corpse at his feet and the ten-string copper coin stained with blood. He wiped the blood splattered on his hood and whispered:
"As for me, am I not the evil spirit in his body?"
"That loser tried to reason with you, but I didn't have the chance to teach him what it means to convince others with reason. Forget it, it doesn't matter."
"Now that the grudge is settled, that piece of trash can rest in peace."
