Chapter 631: The Ins and Outs

Translator: Henyee Translations Editor: Henyee Translations

Chu Qingzhi took a stroll around the ore pile, noting that almost every piece bore fresh scratches, a clear sign they had been recently dumped here.

Her gaze flitted to the Golden Feathered Phoenix, wondering, was Jinghong buried beneath this heap of ore?

Stepping back, she prepared to clear the stones and rescue Tang Jinghong when footsteps echoed from the mine’s entrance.

Turning, she spotted a boy of six or seven years old.

Upon seeing Chu Qingzhi, the boy shivered, quickly hiding behind a large rock nearby, too scared to move or even breathe.

Chu Qingzhi, however, had no time to spare for the child. After a brief glance, she focused back on the task, her hands forming seals, ready to dismantle the ore pile.

But just as her hand seal was about to take shape, a group flew in.

Wen Shaoyuan bowed in surprise. “Miss Chu.”

With no choice, Chu Qingzhi halted her hand seal, “What brings you here?”

“We followed the General’s marks to this place,” Wen Shaoyuan explained, looking around puzzled, “Miss Chu, have you seen the General?”

“I’ll tell you in a bit,” Chu Qingzhi said, “Turn around, everyone!”

Wen Shaoyuan was very clear about Chu Qingzhi’s ability. Without any hesitation, he immediately made a hand gesture and everyone turned around. Moreover, they were disciplined and no one was curious enough to peek.

Chu Qingzhi then used a spell to destroy the ore pile and, delving her divine sense underground, quickly located Tang Jinghong lying in a coffin, trying to pry it open with a dagger.

With another spell, she brought the coffin to the surface. A casual flick of her hand, and the coffin lid was sent flying off as if struck by immense force, landing aside.

Tang Jinghong, watching his coffin lid fly away, slowly sat up in confusion…

“Qingzhi!”

The moment he saw Chu Qingzhi, a wave of indescribable joy and excitement surged within him.

At that moment, Chu Qingzhi was almost deified in his heart. Without any prior knowledge, she had managed to find him precisely.

Chu Qingzhi stepped forward, offering her hand, “Are you alright?”

Grasping her hand, Tang Jinghong climbed out of the coffin, his gaze filled with admiration, “I’m fine, thankfully you arrived in time.”

She had him sit on a nearby rock to rest, “What happened?”

After dispatching Wen Shaoyuan and the others with their tasks, and once they’d left, Tang Jinghong began to explain the situation.

A month ago, Ren Buqing discovered a group smuggling ironware.

As everyone knows, the production and sale of ironware are strictly controlled by the court; smuggling it is absolutely forbidden.

This smuggling ring was backed by a mysterious and powerful force, cunning and formidable. Failure was not an option, as capturing them again would be incredibly difficult. Thus, Ren Buqing sought Tang Jinghong’s help.

Tang Jinghong did not refuse and set up defenses, ready to strike soon.

However, he did not expect the smuggling gang to be even more powerful than he had imagined. Moreover, all of them were ruthless and crazy.

During the skirmish, they continuously threatened the lives of civilians.

To capture Tang Jinghong, they even threw a child off a cliff.

What they didn’t expect was for Tang Jinghong to dive off the cliff to save the child.

At that time, after Tang Jinghong caught the child, he fell into the water and was swept into the underground river before rushing into the lake.

Unexpectedly, the village nearby turned out to be the smugglers’ stronghold.

Just as he surfaced, the child was snatched away, and he was forced into a coffin and buried alive near the mine.

As she spoke, Chu Qingzhi saw that Tang Jinghong’s face had turned pale. She hurriedly took his pulse and frowned. “Are you injured?”

Suddenly, Tang Jinghong remembered, “My back hurts a bit.” He recalled how a tree had scraped his back as he caught the child off the cliff.

“Don’t move, let me check on you,” Chu Qingzhi said as she moved behind Tang Jinghong. Without even needing to touch his clothes, she could see the wound.

Just below the shoulder blade, three inches down, the fabric was torn, revealing a gash about three fingers wide. The wound, raw and bloody, filled with shredded flesh, looked painfully severe at a glance.

Chu Qingzhi, with a tone full of concern, offered, “Let me heal it for you.”

Hovering her palm over the wound, spiritual energy flowed from her hand, enveloping the injury in a radiant light.

Tang Jinghong soon felt the pain subside, replaced by a tickling sensation as if a feather brushed against his skin, “Without you, I’d be nursing this wound for a while. Qingzhi, thank you.”

Chu Qingzhi remained silent. After healing the wound, she gently leaned on his shoulder and asked with a smile, “Just a verbal thank you for healing such a serious injury?”

Tang Jinghong turned slightly towards her, “Whatever you want, it’s yours!”

Chu Qingzhi chuckled, “It’s been a while since you’ve cooked for me.”

Tang Jinghong reflected on his recent neglect, “I’ll cook for you tomorrow. What would you like to eat? Oh, and I mentioned taking you somewhere. Can you make some time?”

Chu Qingzhi, curious, replied, “I’m free in the afternoon.”

“Then I’ll take you in the afternoon.”

“Okay.”

The little boy, who had been hiding behind the large rock, noticed Chu Qingzhi’s diverted attention and attempted to sneak away. However, just as he moved, Chu Qingzhi’s voice stopped him, “Come out!”

Her voice seemed to hold a magical power, compelling the boy to slowly emerge from behind the rock.

Swallowing nervously and with fear in his voice, he stammered, “What… what do you want?”

Tang Jinghong looked at the boy, “How did you end up here?”

With a voice as faint as a mosquito’s, the boy trembled, “Those people knocked me out and threw me in the mine…”

Tang Jinghong felt lucky that the boy was only knocked out and not killed. “Do you still remember where your house is?”

The boy, recalling Tang Jinghong catching him as he fell off the cliff, gathered his courage, “If you can take me back to where I was captured, I can find my way home.”

“We’ll take you back in a bit.”

Chu Qingzhi and Tang Jinghong, accompanied by the boy, headed towards the village.

Wen Shaoyuan and his men were cleaning up the area. The village, scene of a fierce battle, reeked of blood.

The boy hid behind Tang Jinghong, too scared to look around.

Suddenly, a group charged at Chu Qingzhi and Tang Jinghong, yelling, “Kill!”

Chu Qingzhi raised her hand, flinging a handful of leaves at the attackers. The leaves sliced through the assailants’ throats like sharp blades, dropping them instantly!

The boy touched his neck, then looked at Chu Qingzhi in awe.

When the subordinates who had rushed over to protect the two of them saw this scene, they knew that they weren’t needed at all.

After cleaning up for over an hour, the smuggling ring entrenched in the village was completely eradicated, and thousands of pounds of crude iron along with three thousand pounds of refined iron were seized. It was a shocking haul.

In a dark room, a figure in black entered, bowing to a man standing by the window, “Master, the village has been taken down by Tang Jinghong and his men!”

The man turned, a dagger plunging into the heart of the figure in black, “If the village is lost, why did you come back?”

The figure clutched the dagger as blood gushed out, slowly collapsing.

The man pulled a handkerchief from his sleeve to wipe his hands, then discarded it and left the room.

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