After a long pause, he spoke: "No reason. If you must ask, it's because you've committed so many evil things, and it's time to be dealt with. It's as simple as that, isn't it?"
Xia Ping gritted his teeth and asked, "Is the salt lake thing also fake? Is there no salt lake at all? Are you just trying to trick me into going up the mountain?"
Jiang Sheng smiled kindly and said softly, "It's not a lie, actually. There is a salt lake, but it's not here. You will never see it in your lifetime."
"I didn't lie to you. It's just that you have a bad fate. Who made you collude with bandits and harm the people? You should have died long ago."
He waved his hand and said gently, "Yang Er, kill him and burn him. The corpses here need to be handled properly. You can burn them as food."
Seeing the black-faced man approaching, Xia Ping knelt down and begged for mercy: "No, don't kill me, I can give you anything you want, including beautiful concubines, gold, silver, and jewelry."
"I also know where the mine is, as long as you let me go."
"Oh, mine? What mine?"
"Then are you willing to let me go?"
Jiang Sheng thought for a moment and nodded: "Okay, but you have to give me enough chips, otherwise it's impossible for me to let you go."
Xia Ping gritted his teeth and whispered, "Yes, it's an iron mine, but it's a little small. I originally thought of leaving it there. I didn't dare to report it or mine it, for fear of... exterminating my entire clan."
"So no one knows about this except you."
"Yes, only I and the housekeeper know about it, but you've already killed the housekeeper, so no one else knows about it. I'll take you to see it, and you'll let me go."
Jiang Sheng looked at him deeply and said lightly, "Okay, Yang Er, you stay and deal with the body, Yang San, you come with me. My Lord, please don't play tricks."
"No one will save you. I've kindly handed you over to Xia Ming at the prefectural governor's mansion. No one will look for you within a year or two, so don't worry."
Xia Ping: ...I hate it so much that I feel like gritting my teeth.
The three of them walked towards the mountains and it took them an hour.
"Why hasn't Lord Xia arrived yet? You're not just making this up to trick me into coming here, are you?"
"No, I didn't. How could I joke about my own life? We're almost there. I remember it was a place with only cliffs. I didn't lie to you."
Yang San jumped onto a tree and looked out. A voice came from the tree: "Master, there is indeed a cliff ahead."
"Well, let's keep going."
After walking for another stick of incense, the three of them finally arrived at their destination.
Jiang Sheng looked at the cave not far away, observed it carefully, and made sure there were no signs of animals living there before slowly walking in and looking at the traces of chiseling on the inside of the mountain wall.
He picked up a little piece and took a look at it. After confirming that it was iron ore, the corners of his mouth curled up slightly. It was indeed a little small, but as long as he had it, he couldn't let it go.
"Yeah, it's really good."
Xia Ping felt more at ease after hearing this and said, "Then you can let me go. Don't worry, I will never go against you."
"We'll go our separate ways from now on, and pretend we've never met..."
Before he could finish his words, he saw a flash of cold light. He felt a pain in his chest and looked down. A dagger was stuck in his chest and blood was flowing out.
Jiang Sheng turned around and looked at him indifferently: "In this world, only the words of the dead are the most trustworthy. Thank you for the iron ore, sir. Don't worry, I will bury you and let you rest in peace."
Xia Ping slowly fell to the ground, blood continuously flowing out of his mouth, and he said incoherently: "You, who are you?"
"As for me, it's okay for me, a dying man, to tell you, Jiang Sheng, the third son of the Jiang family."
"The Jiang family, it turns out they are from the Jiang family, you..."
The man died before he could finish his words. After Yang San made sure that he was no longer breathing, he slashed his throat again just in case, making sure that he was dead.
The body was placed in a pit and buried, and a blank tombstone was erected.
"Sir, we can go down the mountain now."
Jiang Sheng nodded and left quickly, looking calm as if nothing had happened. He took out a booklet and made notes on it, his brows curved and he looked in a good mood.
After going down the mountain, the group continued on their journey, but this time they had a carriage. Jiang Sheng sat in the carriage, and his life became even more enjoyable.
While chewing the dried meat, he praised: "That Xia Ming is very good. He is careful and meticulous in his work and has a pure heart. This dried meat is very good."
Yang Er twitched his lips, somewhat helplessly: "Sir, you have given him a great fortune. You gave him the prefectural government and power for nothing."
"Don't even mention preparing carriages, clothes, food, and silver. Even bowing to you is what he deserves. If he works hard as an official in the future, the position of prefect will be his."
"Ha, that's just his own ability."
Three days later, the carriage arrived in Tango.
Jiang Sheng casually found an excuse to look for relatives and moved directly into Dango Village. When he had nothing to do, he went to inquire about flammable soil, but every time he mentioned this, the villagers kept silent.
Under the big willow tree, everyone was chatting about family matters, and one of them mentioned using black soil for heating. The man was kicked before he realized what was happening.
There are strangers in the village, and some things cannot be told to others.
Heidan shook his head and smiled awkwardly: "Oh, I saw that the charcoal burned in the county town is also black. It would be great if we had charcoal fire too. We wouldn't have to worry about freezing to death in the winter."
Jiang Sheng smiled and pretended not to hear and asked casually.
"My dear uncles and aunties, although I didn't find my second uncle this time, I really like your place. The beautiful scenery makes it a perfect place to live. Can you buy a house here so I can build a house there?"
Upon hearing this, the old village chief looked at the mountain and hesitated. If the black soil was discovered, people from the imperial court would definitely come to grab it. How would they keep warm then?
He shook his head and refused: "Young man, you can't do that. Unless you are willing to marry into our Dango Village, you can't buy the mountain."
Upon hearing this, Yang Er and Yang San immediately looked over with cold eyes. Is this old man crazy? How could he let the third young master marry into his wife's family?
Jiang Sheng was also a little surprised. He didn't expect them to protect the black soil so much. It made him even more curious. If it could really burn at a high temperature, it would be much easier to smelt iron ore in the future.
"Well, Village Chief, I really like this mountain. If we plant fruit trees on the mountain in the future, the villagers can also go up the mountain to work, which will also be a stable source of income."
"During the busy farming season, you guys can take some time out to go to the mountains and help me pick fruits and make preserved fruits. That's extra money."
After hearing what he said, many people were moved.
The only secret on the mountain is the black soil, but the black soil can only be burned for warmth, it cannot bring them money or fill their stomachs.
Besides, it will be discovered sooner or later, and then everything will be gone. They are still the poorest village and can't make a living. What's the point of keeping the secret?
The village chief looked at their expressions and sighed inwardly: "Young man, you really want to plant fruit trees here and make preserved fruits in the future."
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