Chapter 274: Black Mountain

Chapter 274 Black Mountain

Facing Li Tiezhu’s accusation, soaked in blood and tears and mixed with overwhelming hatred, followed by violent coughing.

“Cough, cough, cough————”

Only when the intense coughing subsided slightly did Cheng Ge speak: “You’re right to curse.”

These four simple words made Li Tiezhu’s hatred-filled gaze pause for a moment.

Cheng Ge did not look away and continued: “For people like you to suffer so much, losing your home and family.

The court failed to oversee, the officials were incompetent, and some who wore official robes were doing monstrous things! This is not the world that civilized rule should allow!”

His tone rose abruptly, carrying an unyielding resolve: “That’s exactly why His Majesty secretly sent me here.

I am here to investigate these corrupt elements, to root out these pests, and to get justice for ordinary people like you who have suffered injustice and persecution!”

“Justice…” Li Tiezhu’s cracked lips moved as he repeated these two unfamiliar and heavy words.

His eyes held only utter disbelief and mockery, as if he was hearing the biggest joke ever.

Cheng Ge leaned in a little and spoke quietly: “I know you don’t believe me. Anyone who’s been through the hell you have would not easily trust any official again.

But I, Cheng Ge, stand here today not as the ‘worse than pigs and dogs’ official you think I am, but as the imperial censor personally sent by His Majesty, to ask you for evidence.

Only by getting solid proof can I go back to the capital, report, and request an imperial decree.

Only then can I lawfully and justly drag out those hidden parasites who drink human blood and eat human flesh, one by one, to be publicly executed and to comfort the souls of the wronged!”

His voice wasn’t loud, but every word carried immense weight, hitting Li Tiezhu’s deadened heart: “Li Tiezhu, you hate. I get it.

But hate won’t get you revenge, and dying even less! Are you okay with that?

You escaped, but there are thousands more like you at Luoying Ridge and elsewhere?!

Don’t you want revenge? Don’t you want to make those beasts pay for what they did?”

“Go home… revenge…” Li Tiezhu murmured.

His withered body started trembling uncontrollably, not from fear, but from the force of Cheng Ge’s words.

Cheng Ge didn’t push him. He just watched quietly, waiting for the outcome of his inner struggle.

After a long while, Li Tiezhu closed his eyes. His lips quivered as he spoke: “You... what... do you want to know?”

Cheng Ge steadied himself, knowing the critical moment had come.

He calmed his mind and asked directly, cutting to the chase: “Is there illegal iron ore mining at Luoying Ridge?”

Li Tiezhu was stunned for a moment, then nodded with difficulty, letting out a vague, raspy “Mm-hmm.”

Cheng Ge knew he had guessed right and pressed on, speaking slowly to give Li Tiezhu time to think and catch his breath.

“How were you brought in? Where did people like you come from? About how many?”

Li Tiezhu’s eyes flickered with pain as he recalled in fragments.

“Three years ago, I... I was knocked out while looking for work in town. When I woke up, I was in the mountains…”

He took a few ragged breaths. "Some of the people inside were captured like I was. Others were lured in from far away places, refugees promised high wages, but once they went in, they... they never came out..."

He tried to figure, "There were quite a few people. Just the mine shaft I was in had at least one or two hundred. It seemed like there were several more such mines?"

Cheng Ge's eyes grew solemn. The scale was way bigger than he'd figured. He continued to speak:

"Where'd they ship the iron they smelted? Did you ever hear or see anything?"

Li Tiezhu knitted his brow, as if trying to piece together useful bits from his jumbled, painful memories.

"They always shipped it out at night. The convoy was heavily guarded. We couldn't see, and we didn't dare to look..."

He paused, his breathing becoming rapid again, as if recalling something. "But I... I sort of overheard the guards bragging when they were drinking. They said that we weren't the only site working for them. Further south, there was an even bigger mine, called Heishui or... Heishan..."

Cheng Ge's heart skipped a beat. He had previously suspected that Luoying Ridge was not the only underground mine.

He forced down his excitement and kept asking carefully, not letting a single detail slip.

The shift change times of the guards, the layout inside the mine, what the foremen looked like, the approximate location of the smelting workshop...

Although Li Tiezhu was weak, driven by his will to survive and get revenge, he dug deep into his memory as hard as he could.

He told Cheng Ge everything he knew, bit by bit, like wringing out a sponge.

After listening to Li Tiezhu's halting, bloody account, the rundown room fell dead silent.

Only the occasional crackle of the oil lamp's flame broke the silence, casting flickering light across several grim, solemn faces.

The words "a living hell" echoed in everyone's mind at once.

Even imagining the horrors inside the Luoying Ridge mine sent chills down your spine.

Exploitation, enslavement, human life worth less than dirt—even today's ruthless factory owners would hang their heads in shame, admitting they still had a "conscience" by comparison.

Cheng Ge sat in the creaky old chair, his fingers absently tracing the rough wood of the backrest.

The leads from Li Tiezhu—especially the vague names "Heishui" or "Heishan"—were like a faint glimmer of light in a dark maze.

Salt and iron are the lifeblood of a nation: salt ties to livelihoods and taxes, iron to military power and the state's stability.

Private mining of iron on this scale hinted at ambitions far from small-time.

If it was for forging weapons and raising a private army... Cheng Ge didn't dare think further, a chill creeping from his feet to his scalp.

He took a deep breath, looked at Li Tiezhu—frail on the bed but with stubborn eyes—and softened his voice.

"What you've said is crucial. Rest easy and recover here; I'll have trustworthy people look after you.

Until those vermin are dealt with, your whereabouts stay secret. Be careful in everything."

A flicker of feeling crossed Li Tiezhu's clouded eyes as he nodded weakly.

Cheng Ge stood up slowly and walked with Jiyue and Wufeng into the outer room.

Lowering his voice, Cheng Ge spoke, "Wufeng, leave immediately and investigate the leads of Heishui and Heishan.

Focus on checking south of Wei County for any abandoned or hidden mines. Keep your head down and don't leave a trail."

"Yes!" Wufeng clasped his fists and departed without further words.

Cheng Ge then turned to Jiyue, his gaze sharp: "Jiyue, you'll come with me to Wei County."