Chapter 593: This Is the Final Offer
Just under thirty *li* east of Puzhou City lay the prefectural boundary.
East of that boundary stretched the lands of the Hedong Circuit.
Li Daoxuan's Co-sensing first pinpointed Xiao Lake. A vast expanse of salt villages dotted the area, all under the firm control of Gao Family Village. Here, salt workers dug out salt ponds, drying the salt to produce a continuous supply for Puzhou City.
These salt artisans were all considered "skilled workers," earning three *liang* of silver per month from Gao Family Village. They were "their own people," almost every one of them wearing a cotton thread image of the Heavenly Lord embroidered over their heart.
Li Daoxuan's Co-sensing swept over them. With a quick glance, he knew Tie Niaofei wasn't among them. He continued moving east...
The scene before him darkened.
He found himself in a pitch-black ditch.
In the ditch lay a corpse, its chest embroidered with a cotton thread image of the Heavenly Lord.
Li Daoxuan was instantly furious. "Who? Who dares to kill my people?"
Li Daoxuan's vision spun, revealing several more identical bodies piled in the ditch. It seemed Tie Niaofei's men had suffered heavy losses, all of them left for dead here.
Forcing down his rage, he continued to shift his perspective.
Thousands of meters further east, he sensed another focal point and jumped forward once more.
Again, only darkness.
Clearly, he had jumped into a small, dark room. A flickering oil lamp in the corner cast faint light, allowing him to dimly make out his surroundings.
Li Daoxuan saw clearly now: this was a dungeon. His Co-sensing had landed on the cotton thread Heavenly Lord amulet on Tie Niaofei's chest. A strong scent of blood filled his nostrils; the amulet was already stained crimson.
Tie Niaofei was clearly gravely wounded, blood covered him. His hands were chained, and his body was curled up, sleeping on a pile of dry straw in a corner of the room.
Li Daoxuan surveyed his surroundings: the room's four walls were bare earth, windowless, clearly dug underground. This was a dungeon!
Tie Niaofei's men had been killed, and he himself captured.
Who was behind this?
Just as Li Daoxuan thought to gently rouse Tie Niaofei for answers, he suddenly heard footsteps. A creak echoed from the darkness ahead, a door opened, and a group of people entered.
The man in the lead wore official robes, appearing to be a court official, but Li Daoxuan had never seen him before and didn't recognize him.
Behind the official followed two men dressed as merchants, along with several guards.
The group entered the dungeon and stood before Tie Niaofei. Then, a guard stepped forward and threw a basin of water over him.
It was winter. The splash of water instantly shocked Tie Niaofei awake.
The cotton thread Heavenly Lord amulet was also soaked.
Tie Niaofei opened his eyes and, in a weak voice, said, "Heh... Master Salt Inspector... You again?"
Li Daoxuan understood now. The Salt Inspector! This court official before him was the Salt Inspector, and naturally, it could only be the Salt Inspector of the Hedong Circuit. There was no other possibility.
Why did this man strike against Tie Niaofei? Weren't they on good terms?
The Salt Inspector spoke in a low, stern voice: "Speak! Why did Huang Yunfa's salt certificates fall into your hands? Who killed Huang Yunfa?"
Tie Niaofei replied, "I've told you a thousand times! I killed Huang Yunfa, and I took his salt certificates. If you want the certificates, just name a price... there's no need... to be so suspicious..."
"Nonsense!" scoffed one of the merchants behind the Salt Inspector. "You? A petty salt smuggler with only a few dozen illicit vendors under your command? You couldn't even last for half an incense stick's time against our guards, and you expect us to believe you took down Huang Yunfa?"
Tie Niaofei glared at the man. "Zhai Tang, don't you underestimate me. If you hadn't ambushed me, my dozens of men would have wiped every last one of you out."
The moment Li Daoxuan heard the name Zhai Tang, his brow furrowed.
A Jin merchant!
Another Jin merchant, one of the eight great Jin merchants, as famous as Huang Yunfa.
At this point, Li Daoxuan could largely guess what had happened.
Last time, they had taken down Huang Yunfa, eliminating a traitor for the country. Tie Niaofei had then taken Huang Yunfa's salt certificates, using them to exchange for a large quantity of government salt, which was transported to Gao Family Village.
At the time, they had blamed Huang Yunfa's death on the vagrant rebels, and the matter had seemed settled. However, the enemy was smarter than they thought. It appeared they wanted to get to the bottom of Huang Yunfa's death, and by tracing the salt certificates, they had investigated and found Tie Niaofei.
Zhai Tang sneered, "Tie Niaofei, you have someone backing you, don't you? Who is supporting you in opposing us Jin merchants?"
Tie Niaofei scoffed, "I have no one behind me but God! The heavens watch over me. You Han traitors, who betray the Great Ming and supply war materials to the Manchus, your countless wicked deeds will surely lead to your own demise!"
Zhai Tang sneered, "Since when did a mere salt smuggler become a self-proclaimed man of righteousness? You're engaged in illicit activities, so don't try to portray yourself as a hero."
Tie Niaofei retorted, "I might not be a good man, but I'm not a traitor to the country!" With that, his gaze flicked to the Salt Inspector. "You bastard, you're an imperial official, yet you conspire with these Jin merchants! Bah! You're worse than a common salt smuggler. At least I only sell salt to the Great Ming. You dog of an official, you sell to the Manchus..."
The Salt Inspector kicked Tie Niaofei in the stomach.
Tie Niaofei's body coiled into a ball, clearly in excruciating pain, but he clenched his teeth, refusing to utter another word.
The Salt Inspector declared, "We won't get anything useful out of this fellow. Might as well kill him."
Zhai Tang shook his head. "Don't be so quick to kill him! We still haven't figured out why he killed Huang Yunfa. Though he claims it was to kill a traitor, who knows if that's truly his motive? He might have simply wanted to seize Huang Yunfa's salt certificates. If someone is targeting our Jin merchants' salt certificates, intending to steal them, then there will be further actions down the line."
The Salt Inspector spread his hands.
Zhai Tang continued, "Even if he says nothing, keeping him imprisoned here is still useful. If he has no one backing him, then let him rot in this cell until he dies. But if there *is* someone behind him, they will surely come looking for him, to rescue him, and then we will finally know who it is. Hmph, daring to cross us Jin merchants, they must be tired of living."
The Salt Inspector warned, "Just make sure you don't bring trouble upon me."
With that, he was the first to walk out.
Zhai Tang crouched before Tie Niaofei, a smile playing on his lips. "Tie Niaofei, our patience is wearing thin. Reveal who is backing you, and I will spare your life. This is my final offer. Decide carefully."
Tie Niaofei let out a weak, mocking laugh. "Zhai Tang, why don't *I* make *you* an offer? How do you want to die painlessly? If your price is reasonable, I might even agree to lessen your suffering."
Zhai Tang stood up abruptly.
Another merchant, who had remained silent until now, finally spoke: "Brother Zhai, let's go. Don't waste any more time on him."
Zhai Tang acknowledged, "Brother Tian is right." The two men then turned and left the dungeon.
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