บท 35: Clues of the Overseer

The two of them continued on their way and arrived at the sect's horse ranch located at the foot of the mountain.

After presenting their identity cards, they each paid two contribution points and rented two Red Blood Treasure Steeds before heading in the direction of Chuanjiang City.

The Red Blood Treasure Steeds were tall and majestic, belonging to exotic beasts, capable of covering a thousand miles in a day.

Chuanjiang City was only four hundred miles away from the Great Luo Sect's headquarters.

They traveled without stopping along the way.

In the afternoon of that day, the two of them arrived not far from the mining area outside Chuanjiang City.

After showing their identity cards, someone immediately went inside to inform.

Before long, the person in charge of the mining area personally came out to greet them.

"Haha! Welcome, Your Excellencies!" This was a middle-aged man with a prosperous face, slightly chubby in stature. He quickly approached them, smiling ingratiatingly.

"Your Excellencies, the roads inside are not very easy to travel. Would you like to leave your horses here?"

Jiang Heng and his companion dismounted.

The middle-aged man immediately called two people and solemnly instructed them to take care of the horses before once again putting on a smile.

As he led the two inside, he said, "Your Excellencies, I am the mine owner of this mining area, named Gu Chengping. May I ask how Your Excellencies would like to be addressed?"

"I am called Jiang Heng."

"I am called Mi Wenjie."

"Lord Jiang, Lord Mi, I presume you've had a tiring journey by boat and carriage. I have already ordered food and drinks to be prepared to welcome you and help you refresh yourselves."

Jiang Heng raised his hand to decline. "No need, just tell us about the situation of the incident."

Blood Replenishing Pills were the best food for cultivators, so Jiang Heng had long stopped eating ordinary meals, given the high impurity content.

Gu Chengping glanced at the two of them, his gaze falling on Mi Wenjie.

As the person in charge of the Great Luo Sect's subordinate industries, he could naturally discern their identities from their attire.

Jiang Heng, dressed in a green martial attire, was an outer disciple.

The two of them continued on their way and arrived at the sect's horse ranch located at the foot of the mountain.

After presenting their identity cards, they each paid two contribution points and rented two Red Blood Treasure Steeds before heading in the direction of Chuanjiang City.

The Red Blood Treasure Steeds were tall and majestic, belonging to exotic beasts, capable of traveling a thousand miles in a day.

Chuanjiang City was only four hundred miles away from the Dalu Sect's headquarters.

They continued to ride without stopping.

In the afternoon of that day, the two of them arrived not far from the mining area outside Chuanjiang City.

After showing their identity cards, someone immediately went inside to inform others.

Before long, the person in charge of the mining area personally came out to greet them.

"Ha-ha! Welcome, two esteemed guests!"

This was a middle-aged man with a prosperous appearance, slightly short and chubby. He walked over quickly with a pleasing smile.

"Two esteemed guests, the road inside is not very good. Would you like to leave your horses here?"

Jiang Heng and the other person dismounted.

The middle-aged man immediately called over two people and solemnly instructed them to take the horses away before putting on a smiling face again.

While leading the two of them inside, he said, "Two esteemed guests, I am the mine owner here, named Gu Chengping. May I know how to address you?"

"I'm Jiang Heng."

"I'm Mi Wenjie."

"Lord Jiang, Lord Mi, you must have had a tiring journey. I've already had food and drinks prepared to welcome you and refresh you."

Jiang Heng raised his hand to decline.

"No need, just tell us about the situation."

The Blood Qi Pill was the best food, so Jiang Heng hadn't eaten ordinary meals for a long time, considering the excessive impurities.

Gu Chengping looked at the two of them, his gaze landing on Mi Wenjie.

As the person in charge of the Dalu Sect's subsidiary industries, he could naturally discern their respective identities from their uniforms.

Jiang Heng, dressed in a green martial attire, was an outer disciple.

Mi Wenjie, dressed in blue martial attire, was an inner disciple.

Generally, if both of them were present, the opinion of the inner disciple would prevail.

So, for this mission, the leader should be Mi Wenjie.

"For this mission, Senior Brother Jiang will lead, and we'll follow his lead," Mi Wenjie said with a forced smile.

Gu Chengping was initially surprised but quickly responded, saying, "Alright, then, Lord Jiang, let's go to my study."

The three of them changed direction and soon arrived at Gu Chengping's study.

They took their seats.

Gu Chengping handed them a document and also provided relevant information about the incident.

"The red iron we extract from our mine has a high value, and we send a shipment to the Weaponry Hall fifty miles away every week, with a total value of around two hundred thousand taels of silver."

"So, I suspect that some organization targeted us, learned our route, and set up an ambush to steal the entire shipment."

Jiang Heng and Mi Wenjie had seen some related information about the mission within the sect, but it wasn't as detailed as this.

The current information provided a clear account of the time, place, and circumstances of the incident.

The ambush occurred three days ago. Three sect disciples who were guarding the caravan as usual were suddenly ambushed on a mountain road. None of them survived, and the cargo disappeared without a trace.

"Have there been any large-scale transactions of red iron in nearby cities recently?"

Although it was unlikely that the thieves would sell the stolen goods so quickly, Jiang Heng asked instinctively.

Gu Chengping shook his head. "No, it's apparent that they were well-prepared. After the robbery, they immediately hid the loot, and all individuals involved vanished."

"Near the mountain road where the ambush occurred, there's a vast mountain. I suspect they might have temporarily hidden it there. So, I sent dozens of people to search the mountain, but it's extensive, with complex terrain, and so far, we haven't found any useful clues."

Jiang Heng pondered for a moment and then asked, "How many wagons were in the transport convoy?"

Gu Chengping was momentarily puzzled but answered, "Ten wagons."

"And how heavy are they? Would they leave distinct marks on the ground?"

"Each wagon weighs about eight thousand catties, but that mountain road is an important trade route with frequent merchant traffic. Even if there were marks, they could easily be obscured by other tracks."

Jiang Heng thought for a moment.

Currently, they had no useful clues from the available information. There seemed to be no direction for further investigation.

Jiang Heng gave up thinking about it and looked at Mi Wenjie, calmly asking, "Mi Junior Brother, what do you think about this?"

Mi Wenjie glanced at Jiang Heng and then at Gu Chengping.

"Summon the overseer," he said.

Gu Chengping immediately nodded and left.

Jiang Heng curiously asked, "What's an overseer?"

"With the sect's numerous industries, involving vast interests, even with the sect's strength, there are always those willing to take risks," Mi Wenjie explained. "So, in every major industry, there are both overseers and supervisors."

"They have different responsibilities."

"Overseers are responsible for protecting with force, while supervisors are responsible for keeping records, managing operations, and reporting regularly to the sect. Although supervisors only collect operational information from within the mine, you never know, they might discover some clues."

Soon, Gu Chengping returned with a middle-aged man in a Dalu Sect's green uniform.

"Two Senior Brothers!"

As an outer disciple, the middle-aged man was polite from the moment he entered.

The two of them nodded and gestured for Gu Chengping to leave.

After a brief mutual introduction, they got down to business.

"Brother Fang, have there been any unusual incidents in the mine recently?"

Brother Fang, the middle-aged man, spoke in a deep voice. "Yes."

"Three days ago in the evening, a small building within the mine was set on fire, and five miners were inside at the time, and they tragically died."

Jiang Heng and Mi Wenjie couldn't help but exchange glances.

Just a moment ago, they thought the case had no leads, but now, a clue had emerged.

The fire occurred exactly three days ago, the same day as the robbery.

If the two incidents were unrelated, it would be quite a coincidence.

Jiang Heng asked, "Do similar accidents happen frequently?"

Fang Xiong shook his head.

"Very rarely. Safety is highly emphasized within the mine, and there are usually no more than two fatalities in a year. Moreover, when accidents do happen, they usually occur within the mine, not outside."

"What happened to the bodies?"

"They've already been cremated."

"The deaths of these individuals are very likely related to the robbery. Why were they cremated so quickly?"

Jiang Heng frowned.

Fang Xiong quickly explained, "Senior Brother Jiang, the duties of the supervisors have clear guidelines. We're only responsible for recording various operational details within the industry. Without clear evidence of harming the sect's interests, we aren't allowed to interfere in any way."

"So, we only documented it and didn't take any action."

They proceeded to ask for more information, but apart from this accidental incident, there were no other abnormalities.