Chapter 229: The Origin of the Phoenix Bloodstone

The county governor looked at Lu Yang with gritted teeth, but he was helpless.

He was deeply reluctant to reveal this matter, but things had reached a point where he had no choice.

The head of the Mo family watched with a look of amusement, gloating.

The county governor let out a heavy sigh. “Please follow me, everyone.”

The group followed the county governor to the surface and headed straight for the mine.

“The mine collapse was a cover story; there’s more to it,” the county governor explained.

He led them expertly to the end of the mine tunnel, pressing a hidden mechanism on the wall. With a rumbling sound, a stone door opened, leading deeper into the mine.

This was a secret passage known to only a few, equipped with arrays to avoid detection by spiritual sense. If scanned, the arrays would display a simulated scene.

The head of the Mo family became serious. This matched the information he had gathered—there really was a secret passage.

The further they walked, the stronger the stench of blood became, as if a major massacre had occurred, with bodies piled high and blood drained.

When Lu Yang emerged into an open area, the smell of blood was overwhelming.

Fortunately, Lu Yang quickly adapted to the smell and could see the scene before him clearly.

In the center of the open area was a large pit, blood-red, with countless stones protruding from the blood lake, exceptionally bright, all of similar quality to the Phoenix Bloodstone Meng Jingzhou had bought.

A few people were moving around the edge of the pit, occasionally pouring blood into the blood lake.

“This... this is...”

The county governor explained helplessly, “This is how Phoenix Bloodstones are produced.”

“The Phoenix Bloodstone is fake?” Meng Jingzhou was shocked. Did he spend fifty thousand on a fake?

Li Haoran shook his head. “No, the blood in the pit is all phoenix blood. I’ve seen my teacher use it for crafting, but the quality my teacher used was higher.”

“County governor, who are these people?” A young man with red eyes and red feathers on his neck approached.

He frowned at the county governor, displeased with him bringing outsiders here.

The county governor sighed. “I had no choice. If I didn’t bring them, I’d be the one in trouble.”

The red-eyed youth was about to lose his temper. Bringing outsiders here meant exposure—how would he explain this to the clan leader?

“About seven hundred years later, Phoenix Bloodstones became scarcer and harder to mine. The county governor at the time saw that without Phoenix Bloodstones, the economic pillar of Luo Feng County would collapse, leading to the county’s downfall.”

“So, he secretly went to the phoenix clan, hoping to buy some phoenix blood to produce a new batch of Phoenix Bloodstones.”

“Initially, the phoenix clan refused. They were proud and untouchable, unwilling to sell their blood.”

“When the county governor presented the annual revenue from selling Phoenix Bloodstones and promised to give the phoenix clan a thirty percent profit share, their attitude changed immediately.”

Everyone looked at the only phoenix present, Jiang Shan.

Jiang Shan defended himself righteously, “Our phoenix clan has many members, and we need spirit stones for food, clothing, shelter, and transportation. What’s wrong with earning some money with our own abilities to support our families?”

It was the first time Lu Yang had heard selling blood described so elegantly.

Lu Yang recalled Li Haoran mentioning, “The phoenix clan is the proudest among the demon clans, and their blood is extremely precious. It is almost impossible for humans to obtain their blood.”

So much for being almost impossible.

The county governor glanced at Jiang Shan. “If your phoenix clan is so righteous, why do you insist on making the Phoenix Bloodstones look aged, ensuring no one can tell they were freshly made?”

Jiang Shan’s guilty gaze shifted away, unable to meet the county governor’s eyes.

“The phoenix clan agreed to sell phoenix blood on the condition that it must be kept secret and no one should be able to tell. That county governor then researched ways to quickly age the Phoenix Bloodstones.”

“Like this.”

The county governor picked up a stone from the blood pool, using a technique to make the originally bright Phoenix Bloodstone appear dull and ancient, as if it had aged for hundreds or thousands of years.

“Every few years, Luo Feng County receives a batch of blood from the phoenix clan, soaks the stones, and produces Phoenix Bloodstones.”

“This has continued for over three thousand years, a secret passed down between each county governor.”

“Later, something went wrong, and an unaged Phoenix Bloodstone was leaked. After several exchanges, it was bought by the eldest son of the Meng family.”

“If an experienced artifact refiner saw that Phoenix Bloodstone, they could guess that the current Phoenix Bloodstones produced in Luo Feng County are newly made, revealing the agreement between Luo Feng County and the phoenix clan.”

“If this matter gets exposed, it would be embarrassing for both Luo Feng County and the phoenix clan. That’s why I have always wanted to retrieve that Phoenix Bloodstone. As for this Mo fellow, he has the same idea.”

“But now that you all know the truth, retrieving it is pointless.”

(End of the chapter)