The Elixir is for You, The Poison is for Me

#597 - quarry

According to a bandit who used to work in that quarry, the stone produced there was of very good quality. Before the banditry became rampant, it was always in high demand, even being sold to several neighboring states. Read М

But later, when the banditry broke out, like many other businesses, fewer people bought stones, and quarrying naturally became unsustainable.

So, the quarry owner sent his wife, children, and elderly parents to the south to take refuge, while he himself wanted to wait and see. But this waiting and seeing led to trouble.

The quarry workers had long been dissatisfied with the dangerous and arduous work, toiling from morning till night for meager rewards. Previously, they were wary of the county's local militia and the strict laws of the Chen Dynasty, so they could only grumble a few words and couldn't do anything.

But now, with the world on the verge of chaos, they had fewer concerns.

This book is first published on the entire network by 𝕥 𝕨 𝕜 𝕒 𝕟 . 𝕔 𝕠 𝕞

So, one of the ringleaders, named Chen San, gathered a group of quarry workers and, taking advantage of the quarry owner's inspection, swarmed him and tied him up.

These people originally didn't want to cause any deaths; they just wanted to squeeze some money out of the quarry owner. However, they didn't expect that the latter had hired a group of skilled镖师 (bodyguards/escorts) who, while escorting his family to the south, also took away most of his family fortune.

Now, he had very little money left, mostly illiquid assets.

Such as houses and quarries. In fact, after observing for some time, he had sensed an ominous atmosphere and finally decided to go south to reunite with his wife and daughters.

This time, he came to close the quarry and dismiss the quarry workers.

"This man is decisive and ruthless, possessing some qualities of a枭雄 (a ruthless and ambitious leader)," Lu Jing said. "So, is the quarry now occupied by his men?"

"No," the bandit shook his head. "Less than a month after killing the quarry owner, Chen San also died. It is said that he was killed by a subordinate while he was sleeping due to unequal distribution of spoils."

Lu Jing was stunned. After all, he felt that Chen San's story had a sense of a hero rising from humble beginnings. This man was ruthless, black-hearted, and capable of gathering people, which was perfect for such a chaotic world. But he died before making a name for himself.

But then he thought that there should be many people like Chen San, and only those who survived would have their stories made into tales by storytellers and spread among the people.

And those who died would naturally be forgotten.

Lu Jing drifted off for a moment, but quickly pulled his thoughts back and continued to ask, "Then who is their leader now?"

"This… I don't know," the bandit said. "I worked in that quarry for a while, but I left very early. I heard these things from others."

At this time, Ge Ping interjected, "The quarry is now occupied not by Chen San's group, but by a guy who calls himself Golden Light Taoist."

"Taoist?"

"Yes, that's what those guys say. During the previous drought, there were many similar Taoists who were very active, preaching and recruiting believers everywhere. The government arrested some of them, but later, with too many things to deal with, they became too lazy to care."

"After all, most of them are just swindlers who cheat people out of money and sex, relying on some tricks of pretending to be gods and ghosts to deceive ignorant villagers, which is not very harmful. However, this Golden Light Taoist is said to have some real skills."

"What skills?"

"It is said that he can… bring the dead back to life, using his divine powers to recall the soul of the deceased to the body when the person has just died and the primordial spirit has not yet dissipated."

Lu Jing raised his eyebrows. "Does Chief Ge also believe in this kind of superstitious stuff?"

"Of course, I don't believe it, but many people believe in him and respect him like a god. So, he has gathered many people under him during this time and occupied that quarry."

"You said they are not far from you. Why didn't you mention them when you told me about the nearby forces before?"

"Because that group has been very quiet since occupying the quarry. Many people have forgotten their existence. I only remembered them when Grandmaster Lu mentioned the quarry.", Ge Ping said.

"Haven't they come out to rob for so long? What do so many people eat?" Lu Jing asked curiously.

"Among the believers of the Golden Light Taoist, there are landlords, merchants, and even wealthy people. Their daily food and expenses are donated by these rich believers."

"Moreover, his believers include not only rich people but also martial arts experts. It is even said that some officials in the county town are secretly believing in the Golden Light Taoist. Therefore, the government has not harassed the quarry side even after sending troops several times."

Ge Ping paused and then said, "I plan to send Yu Zhen to have a good talk with them to see if we can persuade them to let our people go in and mine some stone, or they can send people to help us mine, and we can exchange it for food or other things, uh…"

Seeing that he was hesitant at the end, Lu Jing took the initiative to ask, "Is there any problem?"

"In this world, eating enough is more important than anything else. Food is the most precious thing. On the contrary, stone is no longer selling well. Otherwise, the original owner of the quarry would not have wanted to close it down."

"Logically speaking, we are using valuable millet and wheat to exchange for their worthless stones. Most people would not refuse this deal, but the key is that Golden Light Taoist… is not an ordinary person. Our Green Dragon Stronghold has been his neighbor for so long, but I can't see through what he wants."

"So, I'm not sure if they will accept our proposal."

"Is that so?" Lu Jing touched his chin. "Then why don't I take a trip myself? After hearing you describe him as so magical, I also want to see this Golden Light Taoist who can bring the dead back to life."

Lu Jing regarded this place as his ginseng cultivation base, so he naturally planned to manage it well.

Although according to Ge Ping, this Golden Light Taoist had been quite honest since becoming his neighbor, basically not causing any trouble, just staying quietly in his small area.

However, Lu Jing found it difficult to ignore this kind of guy with unknown origins and full of incitement.

Who knows when his territory will be crowded with people, and whether that good neighbor will suddenly come over to preach and recruit people. Lu Jing didn't want his hometown to be stolen, so it was better to get rid of this hidden danger as soon as possible.