Chapter 73: Pressuring others with one's power

Jiang Wang and the others left, and the miners slowly gathered around.Listening to Ge Heng's screams behind him, Zhang Hai's eyelids twitched.

Even Xiang Qian, who was usually indifferent, became a bit nervous.

No matter what, it was hard not to be moved when witnessing a transcendent cultivator being defeated right in front of them.

Only Hu Shaomeng controlled his expression well, showing no emotions.

...

It was still the same meeting room as before, but this time Jiang Wang was sitting in the main seat.

The roles were reversed.

Shuanzi and Xiaoxiao followed and prepared tea for everyone, standing in the room waiting for instructions.

"Please have a seat," Jiang Wang said calmly, then looked at Hu Guanshi. "Old man, you can also sit."

"Oh, oh!" Hu Guanshi finally came back to his senses after a while and sat down awkwardly.

Hu Shaomeng glanced at the other two transcendent cultivators and was the first to sit down, sitting in a relaxed posture.

Xiang Qian leaned on the chair and slumped down like soft mud. Zhang Hai sat upright, looking nervous.

But Jiang Wang's next question almost made them jump up.

"Tell me, how did Xie Hao die?"

Before, there were four transcendent cultivators stationed at the Hu Family Mine, and the one who left was named Xie Hao.

He was also the previous owner of the small courtyard where Jiang Wang currently resided.

This question shocked everyone.

Xiaoxiao bit her lip suddenly, preventing herself from making any sound.

According to the explanation from the mine, Xie Hao was scared during a battle half a year ago and left without saying goodbye. This seemed reasonable.

But they couldn't explain one thing.

If the mine was so dangerous, how could people like Ge Heng, who had abnormal desires and sought enjoyment, or Zhang Hai, who was obsessed with alchemy and sought to ascend to the heavens, still stay here safely?

A Dao Yuan Stone every month and a half could motivate anyone to take risks. Xiang Qian, who seemed to have no interest in life, might not care about the danger, but he also didn't care about the Dao Yuan Stone.

Hu Shaomeng suddenly suggested closing the mine, and except for Ge Heng asking why it was happening earlier, no one else objected. Sᴇaʀᴄh the ɴovᴇlꜰirᴇ.nᴇt website on Gøøglᴇ to access chapters of nøvels early and in the highest quality.

This showed that they had reached an agreement beforehand.

This agreement was the problem.

Ignoring the eye contact between these few people, Jiang Wang directly said, "Don't try to deceive me."

"You all should know why I'm here. Although the Hu Family is a big family and doesn't care about the loss of a Tianqing Stone vein, it doesn't mean that the Hu Family can tolerate being fooled and deceived."

"Please remember, for the Hu Family, the Tianqing Stone vein is not important, but not being fooled is important."

Jiang Wang's gaze swept over the few transcendent cultivators. "So, who wants to speak first?"

At this point, he had already revealed his own strength, and there was no need to say much about the power of the Hu Family. Although his gaze was calm, it seemed to weigh heavily on each person.

"Emissary," Hu Shaomeng forced a smile and tried to maintain his composure. "The situation of this matter is actually..."

"You don't need to speak first," Jiang Wang raised his palm and interrupted him.

Turning his palm over, he made a gesture of invitation to Zhang Hai. "Zhang Hai, you go first."

"Ah? Ah." Zhang Hai was suddenly called upon and startled. "This..."

He didn't need to look to know that Hu Shaomeng's gaze must be fixed on him at this moment.

"No rush, take your time. Think about Ge Heng," Jiang Wang said. Since he had decided to keep Ge Heng, he might as well use him as an example to intimidate the others and suppress them.

This was based on absolute strength advantage.

Even if these transcendent cultivators in front of him attacked together, Jiang Wang was more than capable of crushing them.

Although Hu Shaomeng also had the cultivation of the Tongtian Realm, there was still a gap within the same realm. He was confident that he could suppress this person.

By pretending to let them speak freely and then stopping Hu Shaomeng from speaking and letting Zhang Hai speak first, it was just a small tactic to strengthen his authority and control the situation.

He wasn't very familiar with these aspects before, but after being in contact with Zhong Xuan Sheng for a long time, he gradually understood.

The reason why he chose Zhang Hai as a breakthrough was because, in Jiang Wang's opinion, among the transcendent cultivators present, this person had the weakest character.

He placed his delusions of ascending to the heavens in alchemy, but didn't seem to make much effort and only made insignificant contributions.

Living in the mine, spending his days relying on the meager monthly Dao Yuan Stone investment in alchemy, furnace after furnace, day after day. This kind of obsession seemed more like an escape, a self-hypnosis.

Although it seemed like he had firm goals and pursuits, he was actually worse off than Xiang Qian, who lived a clear life of self-abandonment.

No matter how he behaved on the surface, fundamentally, he was a weak person.

Jiang Wang said calmly, "I am a merciful person. But when I work for the Hu Family, sometimes I may not be able to be lenient. After all, I eat the lord's salary and do the lord's work. What do you think?"

"Yes...yes," Zhang Hai lowered his head, struggling with his expression.

But everyone could see that he couldn't remain silent for too long.

"I'll tell the truth. I killed Xie Hao!" Hu Shaomeng suddenly spoke up.

Jiang Wang looked at him quietly for a while before turning his head and saying, "Everyone else, leave."

The crowd filed out, and soon only Jiang Wang and Hu Shaomeng were left in the room.

One sitting at the head, the other sitting on the right side of the lower seat.

Each with different thoughts, facing each other from a distance.

"I've been waiting for you to tell me voluntarily," Jiang Wang spoke first. "As you know, I could have separated you and questioned each one of you, and someone would eventually succumb to the pressure. But I don't want to create an atmosphere of interrogation and treat you as a criminal."

"The Hu Family has been managing the affairs here on behalf of the Zhong Xuan Family for a long time, and despite the incident with the vein, I still have expectations for you."

He looked at Hu Shaomeng. "So, what do you want to tell me?"

"Thank you for understanding, emissary," Hu Shaomeng forced a bitter smile and then said, "I killed Xie Hao because I had no choice. He had the responsibility to guard the mine, but instead of being loyal, he helped outsiders steal the Tianqing Cloud Stone.""The envoy should know the rarity of the Heavenly Azure Stone, its production is very limited. Even in the best year, a mine of this size only produced six pieces. Yet, Xie Hao alone stole a whopping thirteen! You've seen how negligent the other Transcendent cultivators were, they were simply not up to the task. Xie Hao took advantage of my absence, used his unique Dao technique, and massively exploited the mine, leading to the premature exhaustion of the Heavenly Azure Stone vein. By the time I discovered it, it was already too late."

"Everything I've said, I have evidence for, and the stones used by my Hu's mine are all clearly recorded in the accounts. The envoy can check at any time. I previously concealed this matter, indeed out of fear of punishment, I dared not face it. But you tell me, should he be killed?"

Hu Shaomeng spoke very thoroughly and seemed sincere. After saying all this, he seemed relieved, "Of course, now you are fully in charge here. If you, representing the Zhongxuan family, have any decisions to make, I will accept them all."

The accounts he mentioned were with Hu's manager, which Jiang Wang had already secretly looked through, so naturally, there was no problem.

Or rather, even if there was a problem, it wouldn't be easily detected.

At this point, Jiang Wang remained noncommittal, only asking, "Who are the outsiders you mentioned?"

The reason he chose to reveal his identity directly was not only to keep Ge Heng on the spot, but also for a very important reason:

As soon as Hu Shaomeng returned, he closed the mine and drove away the Transcendent cultivators. In Jiacheng, the son of the Xi family, Xi Zichu, guessed who he was as soon as they met, so hiding his identity was no longer meaningful.

On the contrary, he needed to show his identity as the envoy of the Zhongxuan family to calmly control the situation and turn the passive into the active.

Hu Shaomeng hesitated for a moment and said, "From what I can see, it should be the Xi family in Jiacheng. But I can't be completely sure."

"Evidence?"

"I only found out after investigating later. Xie Hao had worked for the Xi family before coming to the mine. And Heavenly Azure Stones have been leaked through the Xi family's channels."

"The clues are very clear. Why do you say you can't be completely sure?"

Hu Shaomeng gave a bitter smile, "The whole of Jiacheng is surnamed Xi, I have to be cautious."

Could it really be that the Xi family did this behind Xi Zichu's back?

The Xi family, who controlled Jiacheng, could not tolerate Qingniu Town being controlled by other forces. After Xi Zichu received the support of Dongwang Valley, they finally couldn't hold back?

This seemed reasonable, but it didn't stand up to scrutiny.

By making the mine exhausted in a roundabout way, letting the Zhongxuan family automatically give up Qingyang Town here. It was indeed a method that didn't need to tear faces directly and could be carried out under the table.

But was it really worth it to make the Zhongxuan family dissatisfied?

Seeing that Jiang Wang didn't speak for a while, Hu Shaomeng asked again, "Now that the Heavenly Azure Stone vein is exhausted is a fact, we can slowly investigate the responsibility, but it's really a waste to keep so many people idle. In the envoy's opinion, should we close the mine first?"

This suggestion was also reasonable.

But Jiang Wang refused without hesitation, "Isn't there still half a year's production? If we close the mine now, where will the miners find work in the short term?"

"Although there is still half a year's production, the Heavenly Azure Stone can no longer be produced, this place is of no value to the Zhongxuan family." Hu Shaomeng looked troubled, but still said, "However, the envoy is fully in charge here, any decision is fine."

"Then listen to me."

"Of course, the envoy has the final say. Also, the conditions in the mine are harsh, after the envoy has finished investigating the clues, why not return to Qingniu Town with me, so I can show you some hospitality."

"No need. As cultivators, isn't it cultivation wherever we are?"

"The envoy is truly a role model for us. However..." Hu Shaomeng added, "This place is remote after all, in case there is any news from Jiacheng, I'm afraid we won't be able to know it in time at the mine."

"Don't we still have Young Master Hu?" Jiang Wang casually picked up the teacup, "Why don't you go back and rest first. And by the way, help me keep an eye on the movements in Jiacheng."

Hu Shaomeng didn't show any change in his expression, only saying, "Alright, alright. Then I'll take my leave first."

"No need to see you out."

Watching Hu Shaomeng's retreating figure, Jiang Wang was thoughtful.

He really wants me to leave the mining area, doesn't he?

Joyful text.