I Can Strengthen Infinitely-Chapter 143 - 123: The Open-Pit Mine Beneath the Celestial Star

Chapter 143: Chapter 123: The Open-Pit Mine Beneath the Celestial Star

Apart from these three men, there were more than a dozen other miners imprisoned here.

Basically, everyone was reduced to a pitiful state. If Qin Yuesheng hadn’t come to rescue them, it’s estimated that within half a month, these people would have died from exhaustion underground, with no one even knowing they were dead.

The mine shaft was more than two fathoms above the ground. Without the appropriate tools, ordinary people couldn’t climb up. Furthermore, on the outside, there were specialized supervisors overseeing them on a daily basis, so these miners practically had no chance of successfully escaping.

But with Qin Yuesheng’s arrival, the supervisor had already been killed by him, and the guards were nowhere to be found, leaving this place wide open.

As the miners were brought up one by one from the underground mine, these unfortunate souls couldn’t help but shed tears of excitement upon seeing daylight once again.

Originally, they all thought they would spend the rest of their lives underground, never expecting to see the sun again.

"Thank you, benefactor." 𝓯𝓻𝓮𝙚𝙬𝓮𝙗𝒏𝙤𝒗𝙚𝙡.𝒄𝒐𝓶

"Thank you, benefactor."

Qin Yuesheng waved his hand and said, "No need to be so formal. You’re not entirely out of danger yet, as we’re still in Meteor Mountain."

"Is the benefactor planning to leave?" a miner asked.

Qin Yuesheng smiled, "I need to find Liu Zhizhang before leaving. Does anyone know where Liu Zhizhang’s main gold mining vein is located?"

A group of miners looked at one another and shook their heads helplessly.

They were just ordinary people, and knowing that Liu Xian’s illegitimate son, Liu Zhizhang, was secretly mining gold was the limit of their knowledge.

Just as Qin Yuesheng was about to instruct them to stay here while he continued his search nearby, a miner suddenly said, "Once, when I was relieving myself in the mine tunnel, I overheard Liu Zhizhang, before he left, mention a place called Celestial Star and something about bringing in more people."

"Celestial Star?" Qin Yuesheng raised an eyebrow.

Meteor Mountain got its name because a meteor once fell here, which the locals referred to as the Celestial Star. This indeed was a valuable clue.

"I’ve killed the guards here, so it should be safe for the time being. Stay here and wait for my return, then I’ll take you away," Qin Yuesheng instructed, and then he left the place.

More than a dozen miners, having regained their long-lost freedom, no longer needed to stay in the sunless underground, digging tirelessly every day. Naturally, they began to vent their pent-up anger around the small house.

Thinking of being able to leave Meteor Mountain soon and return home, everyone felt a surge of excitement.

Not long after.

Suddenly, rustling sounds came from the distant dense forest, suggesting someone was approaching.

The miners immediately turned their eyes toward the source of the sound, hoping it was Qin Yuesheng returning.

However, the figure that emerged from the forest was unfamiliar to them—it was not Qin Yuesheng, but a man they had never seen before.

He had only one arm, exuding a murderous aura, with his clothes stained with fresh blood.

At the sight of this person, the miners immediately sensed something was wrong, and they ran back into the wooden hut to arm themselves with various tools, adopting a vigilant and defensive posture as they watched the one-armed man approach.

In an instant, he moved.

With considerable speed, the man rushed up to one miner, single-handedly grabbing his face and crushing the miner’s facial bones with sheer force.

There were no unnecessary actions, only precise strikes targeting vital points, leading to instant death.

Within a few seconds, the ground was littered with miners’ corpses.

Some had their throats crushed, others had gaping bloody holes in their chests.

Some had their heads torn from their necks, while others had their skulls shattered.

The deaths were varied, yet all were fatal strikes.

Wu Shuai looked around, suddenly talking to the air, "How can I find him?"

With no reply, Wu Shuai nodded in satisfaction and ran off in a nearby direction.

Coincidentally, it was the same direction Qin Yuesheng had taken when he left.

...

The site where the Celestial Star fell was in the deepest part of Meteor Mountain, essentially the most primitive of the primitive forests.

As Qin Yuesheng knew, many reclusive masters and hermits preferred to live alone in such places, quietly and without a trace.

After crossing several undulating mountain ridges and scaling a steep, conical peak, Qin Yuesheng stood at the top and gazed into the distance.

Mists wove through the mountains, and in the distance, larger peaks towered on the horizon.

Elsewhere, such a view would be considered a marvel in itself.

But...

But in front of the giant round stone, whose massive size can be felt even from a great distance, all the spectacular scenery pales in comparison.

Next to this round stone, the surrounding peaks appear dwarfed, which shows just how large it really is.

From afar, the round stone looks like a green pearl embedded in the mountains, strikingly noticeable.

"This is the Celestial Star," Qin Yuesheng said in awe.

The place of the Celestial Star, where a giant gold mine is located.

Without hesitation, Qin Yuesheng leapt down from the hillside, using the hovering ability of the Spiritual Swallow Body Skill to land steadily on the top of a tree branch, speeding through the dense forest towards the direction of the Celestial Star.

...

The world has countless skilled individuals and lesser-known experts, each mastering the essence of a specific industry or niche.

Though their endeavors might not be mainstream, if used effectively, they can unleash unimaginable powers.

There are those skilled in feng shui who can find dragon veins and identify treasure lands.

There are astrologers and fortune-tellers who can divine the future and detect the will of heaven.

There are tomb raiders who can open imperial tombs and steal secret treasures.

Liu Xian, serving as the governor of Yangzhou Prefecture, commands hundreds of guests, all of whom are such skilled individuals.

Among them, the ’Earth Master’ Fang Xuanling is the most unique. He excels in identifying mineral veins and has discovered many iron and copper mines for Liu Xian, all reported to the court for official management and extraction, without daring to intervene personally.

In Great Tang, resources like iron ore, salt, and gold are strictly forbidden for private mining, with execution as the penalty for violations.

The Celestial Star fell into Meteor Mountain long ago, so long that its surface is now covered with various plants and trees. After a few hundred years more, no one might recognize it as a fallen celestial body.

Beneath the Celestial Star is a conspicuous open-pit mine, where dozens of bare-chested men with whips patrol the grounds. They harshly whip any laborer showing signs of slacking, as a form of punishment.

In the center of the mining grounds stands a wooden tower; it serves both as an observation point to monitor all the laborers and as a place of rest.

The wooden tower has two floors, with the entrance to the first floor guarded by numerous armed guards. Judging by their prominent temple bones, they are likely experts.

"Young Master, recent harvests have been excellent, with 800 pounds of gold ore," an elderly man with a mustache said, smiling as he fanned himself.

Before him, a young man lay comfortably on a bamboo chair, swaying, as two young women fanned him while feeding him grapes.

This was Liu Zhizhang, the illegitimate son of Liu Xian.

He was also the notorious lustful thief ’I’ve Come’ whom everyone in Cyan Yang City feared yet wished to tear into pieces.

"Stop giving me only good news, give me some bad," Liu Zhizhang said lazily.

"Over the past three days, following your orders, Young Master, we’ve reduced the laborers’ sleep and meals, allowing them to spend all their time mining. Though we’ve gathered plenty of gold ore, over twenty laborers have died from exhaustion."

"That’s hardly bad news," Liu Zhizhang replied indifferently. "Lives are cheap. Once they die, just go to the nearby Meteor Mountain to grab more farmers to make up the numbers. Bind their fetching wives and decent-looking daughters along as well."

Concern etched on the old man’s face: "Young Master, Cyan Yang City isn’t Yangzhou Prefecture, and covert operations here make it difficult for Lord Xiang to send aid over. Isn’t frequent abduction of farmers too risky?"

"What’s there to fear? Aren’t we supported in Yangzhou Prefecture?" Liu Zhizhang looked towards a man cuddling a woman in a corner, and laughed. "Isn’t that right, Lord Xiang?"

That man was indeed the city defense captain of Cyan Yang City, Xiang Quan.

"Heh heh, Young Master Liu, just capture whoever you wish. Recently, many strange guests arrived in Cyan Yang City and officials from Chang’an are busy tracking them, too occupied to care about a few missing people. Just capture them, I’ll pin the blame on those peculiar visitors, and ensure no major issues arise."

"Heard that? That’s reliable," Liu Zhizhang said, looking at the old man. "This time, get more people back, don’t treat it like replenishing stock."

The old man had no choice but to comply: "I understand, Young Master."

"The capital has become unstable lately; the Emperor hasn’t held court for five days straight, and officials large and small across the country have mixed feelings. Furthermore, consecutive droughts and locust plagues have erupted in Shu, severely dwindling grain supplies. The court hasn’t allocated much grain either, some change is inevitable. Hurry up with the mining; in these times, money in hand brings peace of mind."

The old man nodded repeatedly: "I understand."

Inside the house were nine individuals.

Beside Liu Zhizhang, the old man, Xiang Quan, and the three women, sat three silent men who hadn’t spoken at all.

One of them was a young man wearing a blue robe.

The other two were strong gentlemen dressed plainly; they looked ordinary, yet were extraordinary, serving as Liu Zhizhang’s personal guards appointed by Liu Xian.

Two Martial Artists of the First Layer of the Internal Power Realm.

This arrangement was undeniably extravagant.

Liu Zhizhang asked the middle-aged man reading a book, "Mr. Fang, is everything arranged on your side? We cannot miss the perfect timing."

The young man looked up: "One hundred pounds of Black Gunpowder are distributed, ready for use at any time."