Chapter 593: This Is the Last Offer |
Publish Time: 2026-06-23 08:26:42
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To the east of Puzhou City, less than thirty miles away, was the provincial border.
East of the provincial border was the territory of Hedong Road.
Li Daoxuan’s shared perception first jumped to Nitrifying Pond. Here was a large salt village, entirely under the control of Gaojia Village. Salt craftsmen excavated salt ponds and dried salt here, continuously sending the finished salt to Puzhou City.
These salt craftsmen were all “technical workers,” thus receiving a monthly wage of three taels of silver from Gaojia Village. They were all one of us; almost every one of them had a Cotton Thread Deity embroidered on their chest.
Li Daoxuan sensed onto them, quickly scanned, and knew that Iron Bird Flies was not here. So he continued eastwards…
He found himself in a pitch-dark ditch.
In the ditch lay a corpse with a Cotton Thread Deity embroidered on its chest.
Li Daoxuan was instantly furious: “Who? Killed one of my own followers?”
He looked carefully; this corpse seemed to be a subordinate of Iron Bird Flies. He had died from a knife wound to the neck, and his body had been thrown into the ditch.
Li Daoxuan’s view rotated, and he found several more similar corpses piled up in the ditch. It appeared that Iron Bird Flies’ subordinates had suffered heavy casualties; all of them had ended up here.
He forced down his anger and continued jumping via the medium.
Thousands of meters to the east, he sensed another medium. Li Daoxuan jumped forward again.
Once again, everything was dark.
Clearly, he had jumped into a small, dark room. In the corner, a small oil lamp flickered, allowing the surroundings to be faintly visible.
Li Daoxuan saw clearly that this was a dungeon. He sensed onto the Cotton Thread Deity on Iron Bird Flies’ chest… His nose smelled a strong scent of blood; the Cotton Thread Deity was stained red.
Iron Bird Flies was clearly seriously injured, covered in blood, his hands locked in chains; his body curled up on a pile of dry straw in the corner, asleep.
Li Daoxuan looked around: the walls of the room were earthen, and there were no windows; it was clearly dug underground. This was a dungeon!
Iron Bird Flies’ subordinates had been killed; he himself had been captured.
Who did this?
Li Daoxuan was about to gently wake Iron Bird Flies to ask, when suddenly he heard footsteps. Then came a creaking sound; from the darkness ahead, a door opened, and a group of people entered.
The leader wore official garments, appearing to be a court official. But Li Daoxuan had never seen him before and didn’t recognize him.
Behind this official followed two people dressed as merchants, and several guards.
The group entered the dungeon and stood before Iron Bird Flies. Then, a guard stepped forward and splashed a basin of water on Iron Bird Flies.
It was winter, and with this water splash, Iron Bird Flies was immediately jolted awake.
The Cotton Thread Deity was also splashed wet.
Iron Bird Flies opened his eyes and said in a weak voice, “Hey… Salt Tax Office… you’re here again?”
At that, Li Daoxuan understood: the Salt Tax Office! This court official before him was the Salt Tax Office, naturally of Hedong Road; there was no other.
Why did this person attack Iron Bird Flies? Wasn’t their relationship good?
The Salt Tax Office said sternly, “Speak! How did Huang Yunfa’s salt license fall into your hands? Who killed Huang Yunfa?”
Iron Bird Flies said, “I’ve told you ten thousand times, I killed Huang Yunfa, and I seized his salt license. If you want the salt license, just name a price… There’s no need… for all this suspicion…”
“Bullshit!” A merchant-dressed man behind the salt tax office sneered. “Based on what? You? A petty salt smuggler with just a few dozen men under you? You couldn’t even last half the time it took for an incense stick to burn against our guards. How could you possibly move against Huang Yunfa?”
Iron Bird Flies turned to the man. “Zhai Tang, don’t underestimate me. If you hadn’t ambushed me, my few dozen men could have slaughtered every last one of you.”
Li Daoxuan scowled the moment he heard the name Zhai Tang.
Shanxi merchants!
Shanxi merchants again, one of the Eight Great Shanxi Merchants, Huang Yunfa’s peer.
That instant, Li Daoxuan could pretty much piece together what had happened.
The last time, the group had gotten rid of Huang Yunfa, removing a traitor for the nation. Iron Bird Flies had taken Huang Yunfa’s salt license, used it to swap for a large quantity of official salt, and transported it all to Gaojia Village.
Back then, everyone pinned Huang Yunfa’s death on the roving bandits, and the matter seemed closed. But the enemy was smarter than expected. Those responsible for Huang Yunfa’s death were clearly out for an accounting. They must have followed the salt license trail back to Iron Bird Flies.
Zhai Tang sneered coldly. “Iron Bird Flies, you have someone backing you, don’t you? Who is it supporting you against us Shanxi merchants?”
Iron Bird Flies retorted, “There’s no one behind me. Only a god! There is a god above me, three feet over my head. You traitors, selling out the Great Ming, selling military supplies to the Jurchens – commit too many unrighteous acts, and you will inevitably self-destruct.”
Zhai Tang scoffed, “Since when did salt smugglers turn self-righteous? You’re engaged in illegal activities yourself; don’t play the hero.”
Iron Bird Flies shot back, “Though I’m no saint, I never sold out my country.” His gaze then shifted to the salt tax office official. “And this damned dog-fucker stands here as an official of the court! Yet he conspires and colludes with the Shanxi merchants. I spit on you. This damned dog is worse than a salt smuggler. At least I sell salt only to the Great Ming! This damned corrupt official sells it to the Jurchens…”
The salt tax office official kicked Iron Bird Flies fiercely in the stomach.
Iron Bird Flies’s body curled into a Sharp Knife Troop, writhing in obvious agony. But his teeth remained clenched tightly. He still didn’t intend to utter a single unnecessary word.
The salt tax office official stated coldly, “We’re getting nothing useful out of this guy. Might as well just kill him.”
Zhai Tang shook his head. “Don’t rush into killing him! We still haven’t clarified why he killed Huang Yunfa. Even though he claims it was to kill a traitor, who knows his real motive? Maybe he just wanted to snatch Huang Yunfa’s salt license? If someone has designs on our Shanxi merchants’ salt licenses and dares to seize them by force, there will likely be further moves.”
The salt tax office official shrugged.
Zhai Tang continued, “Even if he says nothing, just keeping him locked up here serves a purpose. If there’s truly no one behind him, lock him up until he rots. If there is someone behind him, that person will surely come looking for him, to rescue him. That’s when we’ll find out who’s backing him behind the scenes.” He snorted derisively. “Daring to move against us Shanxi merchants? Some people clearly crave death.”
The salt tax office official warned, “Just don’t bring me any trouble.”
With that, he led the way out.
Zhai Tang crouched down in front of Iron Bird Flies and smiled. “Iron Bird Flies, our patience has limits. Hand over the person backing you, and I’ll give you a way out alive. This is the final offer. Think carefully.”
Iron Bird Flies let out a low chuckle. “Zhai Tang, let me give you an offer instead. How would you like to die an easy death? Quote me a reasonable price, and I might just agree to make it less painful for you.”
Zhai Tang shot to his feet, bristling with anger.
Another merchant-dressed man who had remained silent until now finally spoke. “Brother Zhai, let’s go. Wasting time on him is pointless.”
Zhai Tang agreed, “Brother Tian is right.” The two of them turned and walked out of the prison cell.
«Chapter 592: Iron Bird Flies Goes Missing
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