Volume One: The Youngest Among Three Hundred Chapter Ninety-Three: The Salt Mine

“What exactly is going on? This is truly baffling. Since Physician Jia is not the one who poisoned them, what was he doing here?”

“But if he is the culprit, why was he trailing behind? It’s clear he was following.”

“Could the two be in cahoots?”

Chen Chang’an, poised to act, couldn’t help but let his thoughts spiral into analysis.

“Perhaps... I should visit the burial site of Physician Jia’s wife and child. That might be the only clue capable of providing definitive evidence!”

“After all, they are the first case!”

Having made up his mind, Chen Chang’an turned and vanished swiftly into the night, moving with the speed of a fleeting shadow. He hurried to Tiedan’s home and knocked gently on the courtyard gate.

No response... So he knocked harder.

Still no answer, he kicked the door open and stormed inside. He found Tiedan peacefully asleep on the earthen kang, and for a moment felt reluctant to disturb him.

But then he recalled that he was Tiedan’s savior and an official of the court; there was no reason not to wake him. So, with righteous firmness, he slapped Tiedan’s cheek: “Wake up! Wake up quickly!”

“Ah, what’s going on...” Tiedan groggily turned over and tried to fall back asleep.

Chen Chang’an continued to slap him.

...

After several rounds of this, Tiedan finally opened his heavy eyelids and muttered hazily, “Who is it at this late hour...?”

When his blurred gaze focused on Chen Chang’an, all sleep instantly fled and he perked up with enthusiasm: “Master Chen... What brings you here?”

Chen Chang’an, somewhat annoyed, said, “It’s definitely not just to see you. Hurry up, this is urgent. Tell me where Physician Jia’s wife and child are buried.”

“Oh... I... I’ll take you there, Master Chen.” Tiedan scrambled out of bed to put on his shoes.

Chen Chang’an grabbed him by the headboard, pinning him down: “Wait. Before you take me there to uncover the truth, Ye Lin has already been killed!”

“Tell me where they are!”

Tiedan was confused but saw the urgency in Chen Chang’an’s demeanor—he was more desperate than someone searching frantically for a restroom—and quickly explained in detail. Chen Chang’an listened and then vanished in a flash.

After a few swift maneuvers, they arrived at the grave of Physician Jia’s wife and child. Chen Chang’an raised his hidden blade and struck with a wave-like motion, producing several explosive sounds as the tomb burst open.

Stepping closer under the clear moonlight, Chen Chang’an observed carefully. The coffin lid had been fastened with sealing nails, which had later been pried open. Inside, it was empty—no bodies.

“Just as I suspected. Physician Jia’s wife and child aren’t dead...”

“So, he first poisoned his family to cause the plague panic in Ganquan Village, making everyone fearful, then revived them to hide them away?”

“No...” Chen Chang’an touched the deep grooves left by the sealing nails on the coffin lid’s corners and shook his head. “If that were the case, the cost would be far too great.”

“Besides, the black-clad man ahead is the culprit, not him!”

Muttering to himself, Chen Chang’an again took a wide stride and sprinted toward the barren hillside where the sacrifices to Lu Yue were made.

...

At the hilltop, a landslide had caused a vertical collapse, revealing a hollow tunnel. The tunnel walls were covered in a layer of pure white—almost as if that was their natural state.

In a corner lay over twenty people unconscious, all dressed in official uniforms—clearly government agents sent to Ganquan Village to manage the plague.

Among them was Ye Lin, whose constitution as a Third-Rank Qi Practitioner was far superior to ordinary people. He was also present, struggling to resist the deadly poison by circulating his internal martial energy.

To his right lay the unconscious Physician Jia, his forehead covered with a bruise.

On the left was Song Jiu, who had died shortly after entering the “Newbie Village”.

A black-clad, masked figure stood before Ye Lin, smirking with pity: “My poison can only be cured with a specific antidote. Your efforts are all in vain.”

Ye Lin raised his drooping eyes and glared coldly: “You beastly scum. Over a hundred lives lost in this village, and you caused it all.”

The black-clad man curled his lips disdainfully: “Compared to the vast treasure buried beneath this hillside, what are human lives worth?”

“Bullshit!” Ye Lin shouted angrily. “According to the Great Min Law, illegally occupying a salt mine is punishable by extermination of nine clans. People like you will be punished sooner or later.”

“Shut up!” The black-clad man slapped Ye Lin’s poisoned, immobilized face hard. “Whether I get punished or not, you won’t see it.”

“Be smart and hand over the evidence you’ve collected, or I’ll kill you!”

“Evidence? What evidence?” Ye Lin was bewildered.

Impatient, the black-clad man drew a dagger and stabbed it firmly into Ye Lin’s shoulder. “Stop playing dumb. Hand it over or die.”

Furious, Ye Lin cursed: “What evidence? Just say it!”

Another stab landed in his chest. The black-clad man stomped and shouted, “I’m not repeating myself! Be honest or die!”

“Evidence my ass!” Ye Lin was utterly speechless.

The black-clad man withdrew his dagger and aimed it at Ye Lin’s heart with a menacing grimace. “Fine, since you’re stubborn, then die!”

“Wait!” Ye Lin shouted. “What exactly do you want? I really don’t understand!”

The black-clad man sneered, “Hmph. Newcomer Chen Chang’an of the Blackclad Guard said in front of the entire village today that you’ve already got evidence about the poisoner in Ganquan Village. What, you think I don’t know?”

“Chen... Chang’an!” Ye Lin’s heart ached strangely as he stared at the two bleeding holes in his shoulder, tears welling but no strength to cry.

“I mean... luring the snake out of its hole is fine, but could you not screw me over?”

“What did you say?” The black-clad man frowned deeply.

Suddenly, Ye Lin burst into loud, hearty laughter: “Haha! How do you know Chen Chang’an didn’t say it on purpose?”

“What do you mean?” The black-clad man’s voice tightened.

Ye Lin groaned: “By saying that, he knew you’d panic and come to destroy the evidence or silence me.”

“So Chen Chang’an just needed to follow you secretly to find me and arrest you with ease.”

“Oh? Is that so?”

Hearing Ye Lin’s reasoning, the black-clad man relaxed and smiled wryly: “Impossible. How would Chen Chang’an know the poisoner is among the villagers?”

“And if you have no evidence, haven’t written to the Blackclad Guard, how can he be so sure the villagers are poisoned, not sick?”

“Leaf! Stop your nonsense and die!” The black-clad man raised his knife to stab Ye Lin’s heart vertically and forcefully.

“Clang!”

At the critical moment, a small stone flew through the air and struck the dagger, bending its blade and forcing it from the attacker’s hand. It clattered against the tunnel wall, scraping out a flurry of white sparks.

“Who’s there?!”

The black-clad man shivered and turned sharply. The next moment, the impeccably poised, heroic, and remarkably handsome Chen Chang’an appeared.

Ye Lin’s racing heart finally calmed, ready to greet him, but recalling how Chen had concealed the fact that Cao Wu had fixed the matter, causing his social death, he turned away in sulk.

“Sigh,” Chen Chang’an shook his head, then looked at the black-clad man and lazily yawned: “I know who you are, old village chief. Take off that mask.”

“What... what did you say?” The black-clad man was shocked and took several steps back, breathing heavily. “Chen Chang’an... how do you know it’s me?”

“Hey!” Chen snapped his fingers. “How could I not know? Remember when I treated everyone in the village today? I left a silver needle in each of their bodies, including yours, old village chief!”

“In fact, the silver needles not only detoxify but also identify the poisoner. Instead of roaming inside the body, each is fixed at the acupuncture point.”

“Each villager has a different point!”

He lifted a finger and lightly flicked the black-clad man’s body twice. With a sharp sound, a silver needle shot out from his abdomen, piercing through his clothes.

Chen Chang’an caught it between two fingers, smiling innocently: “During the day, the old village chief’s silver needle was placed in the Qi Sea point. So, you are the old village chief.”

“You...” The black-clad man angrily tore off his mask, confirming Chen’s suspicion.

“See? I was right!”

Chen joked as he began to explain: “Actually, shortly after arriving, I suspected this was deliberate poisoning, not a plague. As for the curse of Emperor Lu, that’s nonsense.”

The village chief ground his teeth: “Why do you think so?”

Chen Chang’an spoke calmly: “First, I tested the dead horses with Ruan Jingchu’s silver hairpin—it turned black.”

“Of course, a long-lasting plague could create a terrible toxin, but in that grocery store there were also a dead couple, whose exposed bones were gray-black.”

“If not poisoning, then what?”

“Initially, I suspected Physician Jia, but after visiting his family’s tomb and finding it empty, I realized he is also a victim.”

The old village chief coldly questioned: “An empty coffin proves he’s not the killer? Isn’t it possible he conspired with his family to stage the plague outbreak, clearing suspicion, and then harmed other villagers?”

Chen Chang’an immediately countered: “That’s reasonable, but the coffin lid was sealed with nails and later pried open. If they conspired to fake the outbreak, it would be too convincing.”

“Wouldn’t he fear his wife and child suffocating in the coffin? So, the poisoner is someone else, framing him.”

“Good... really good,” the village chief sneered bitterly. “Yes, the plague in Ganquan Village was caused by my poisoning. Chen Chang’an, I have nothing left to say.”

“And you!” Chen clenched his fists, his hidden blade humming with lethal intent, eyes flashing with anger. “How could you be so heartless, treating human lives like grass just to seize this salt mine?”

“Exactly!” The village chief spread his arms and ardently looked around the snow-white soil. “Just to obtain this salt mine.”

“Seven or eight days ago, continuous rain collapsed the temple of Emperor Lu, causing a landslide. In the washed-out soil, I unexpectedly found salt crystals.”

“So I kept digging and discovered the whole hillside was a huge salt mine. The Great Min salt and iron are controlled by the government. If I secretly mined and sold it, who knows how much I could earn.”

Chen Chang’an took the thread: “But such a large salt mine, once exploited, would leak news. So you poisoned the villagers, creating the illusion of a plague!”

“Exactly!” The village chief spoke without shame. “Before coming to Ganquan Village, I was a bandit leader, roaming the green forests, and I possessed a poison formula. I first poisoned Physician Jia’s wife and child.”

“This poison can only be cured with my special antidote. Even if Jia is skilled in medicine, he’s helpless.”

Chen sighed, glancing at the unconscious Physician Jia. “Thoughtful. Let me guess why you targeted his family first.”

“First, Physician Jia knows medicine. If the government discovers the poisoning, he’s the prime suspect. Framing him ensures he becomes a scapegoat.”

“Second, although you have the poison and antidote formula, you can’t precisely control the dosage—how much to induce plague-like symptoms, how much to mask poisoning. Only Physician Jia’s medical knowledge can manage that.”

The village chief nodded without denial: “Yes. I poisoned Jia’s family, then after burial, pried open the coffin and revived them with antidote, bringing them here.”

“A double win: creating the plague outbreak and using his family’s lives to coerce him.”

“You’re... quite clever,” Chen sneered.

As he suspected, he finally understood why the villagers seemed so strange when he treated them—they feared if cured, the village chief wouldn’t get the salt mine and might blame Jia’s family.

“If... that’s the case...” Ye Lin, having absorbed the entire confession, looked at Physician Jia beside him and said, “He came here tonight to save his family!”

“Yes!” Chen Chang’an affirmed firmly. “Physician Jia never wanted to harm the villagers, but the old village chief threatened his family, forcing him to comply.”

“He was always planning to rescue them and escape the threat. He just didn’t know where they were held until he heard my words at the pharmacy during the day, realizing it was a trap. He then followed and found this place.”

“Humph!” Ye Lin turned away in a huff. “Didn’t tell you!”

Chen Chang’an: “...”

The village chief sneered repeatedly: “Hmph, I admit I wasn’t as perceptive as him—I fell for the trap.”

“But... what can you do now? Chen Chang’an, once you learn this secret, you’re doomed to die!”

“Oh?” Chen drew his hidden blade with a threatening finger pointed, killing intent radiating. “Who gave you the courage? Fish Leong?”