Chapter 214
Chapter 214
Upon reading Qiu Xiao’s secret letter, Qiu Tianwei was so overcome with greed he could barely breathe. Just how astonishing was the gold reserve in this mine? Setting aside the total reserves, the fifty thousand catties of gold already there were worth fighting for. Unlike the Count of Jinhai, who had to spend an astronomical sum to hire an army and build a fleet, Qiu Tianwei didn't need any of that. Raging Tide City already possessed a great pirate army and warships. If he conquered Sorrow's End Island and seized the fifty thousand catties of gold, it would all fall into his hands. And what's more, the island held a massive gold mine.
Qiu Tianwei regretted authorizing Qiu Xiao to negotiate a fifty-fifty split with the Count of Xuanwu. Why only half? This was an island overflowing with unimaginable wealth. Nevertheless, to be cautious, he summoned a Daoist master who studied alchemy. Qiu Tianwei asked him.
“Master Daoist, isn't this situation strange?”
“What do you find strange about it?”
“I’ve seen several gold mines, but I’ve never seen gold dust within the ore itself. No matter how rich the reserves, the ore’s gold content was never high enough to make it glitter. It’s rare for a single mine to produce fifty thousand catties of gold in a year, yet the Jin Clan has extracted over a million taels of gold from there. In terms of weight, that would be a hundred thousand catties.”
This was true. Even with the advanced science of modern Earth, the maximum annual yield from a single gold mine was only a few hundred tons. The Count of Xuanwu's Estate had produced one million one hundred thousand taels of gold, which was about eighty thousand catties, or forty tons.
Qiu Tianwei continued.
“Furthermore, naturally formed gold nuggets in a single mine are exceedingly rare; they can’t be found in large quantities. Is there some kind of trickery at play here?”
The Daoist master shook his head.
“Quite the opposite. This, in fact, proves that a gold mine exists on Sorrow's End Island.”
“Why do you think so?”
“It means this is not a conventionally formed gold mine, but a gold vein passed down from an ancient era.”
Qiu Tianwei trembled, asking in disbelief.
“An ancient gold vein, you say?”
What was an ancient gold vein? Simply put, it could be the tomb of a powerful kingdom from an ancient era, or perhaps the treasury of an ancient empire. When this world once faced destruction, the entire world was turned upside down. Land became sea, and the sea rose to become high mountains. The vast earth was torn apart and compressed, generating incredibly high temperatures—hot enough to melt everything, including, of course, gold.
The molten gold flowed underground like rivers, dispersing into the soil. Later, as the earth cooled, the gold within the soil solidified once more, forming nuggets or gold dust.
The gold reserves of an ancient vein were astonishing, and the gold content within the ore was far higher than that of a typical gold mine. Discovering an ancient gold vein was like picking up gold from the ground.
Qiu Tianwei asked again.
“That man, Shen Lang, is exceedingly cunning and vicious. Could this all be a play he orchestrated?”
“Would he stage a play at the cost of over a million taels of gold? Where would he get that kind of money? How many factions in this world can produce over a million taels of gold?”
“Couldn't the Heavenly Path Society do it?”
“The Heavenly Path Society isn't mad. Why would they give a million taels of gold to Shen Lang, the son-in-law of a failing count’s family, just to stage a play?”
The Heavenly Path Society was not insane. They had the means to invest a million taels of gold in someone who could become the ruler of a kingdom. But they would never invest such a large, uncertain sum in a mere count’s estate.
The Daoist master continued.
“Besides, the Heavenly Path Society probably couldn't produce that much gold anymore. Haven't they lost numerous businesses to the Hidden Yuan Society, as well as the right to mint currency in several nations?”
Qiu Tianwei sought confirmation one last time.
“Does that mean the existence of a gold mine on Sorrow's End Island is beyond doubt?”
“Not a mine, a vein.”
“Then, Master Daoist, in your estimation, what might be the gold reserves of that vein?”
“I do not know. However, a branch of an ancient gold vein was discovered in the Great Jin Kingdom and has been mined for over thirty years. More than two decades ago, when the Great Yan Empire fought a century-long war with the Great Qian Kingdom, the Great Jin Kingdom dispatched one million three hundred thousand soldiers across the border to join the attack on the Great Qian Kingdom. The sheer number of troops they deployed shows how prosperous the Great Jin Kingdom was.”
Qiu Tianwei found it even harder to breathe.
Presently, the Daoist master said.
“My lord, with Gold Mountain Island in your left hand and an ancient gold vein in your right, this is a sign that you are destined to achieve a grand enterprise.”
“I need to think this through more deeply.”
Qiu Tianwei’s entire body burned with heat. He was extremely greedy, but equally suspicious. He desperately tried to find flaws in the story of the Sorrow's End Island gold mine, as if trying to prove it was fake. But in truth, he had believed in its existence from the start. If someone were to tell him there was no gold mine and it was all a lie, Qiu Tianwei might just kill them.
“Men!”
As soon as Qiu Tianwei spoke, a shadow swiftly entered. He was Qiu Tianwei’s trusted confidant and a martial arts master.
“Go to Sorrow's End Island and inform Qiu Xiao. Tell him the previous terms of a fifty-fifty split are canceled. We will take eighty percent. If the Count of Xuanwu's Estate wishes to live, they will hand over eighty percent of the gold produced each year. Also, tell them that our Raging Tide City will station troops on Sorrow's End Island to participate in the mining. If they refuse, our armies will clash, and I will lead tens of thousands of troops to wipe the Jin Clan from the face of this earth.”
“Yes, my lord!”
The confidant departed in haste.
***
It had been four days since Qiu Xiao and his men landed on Sorrow's End Island. They had initially been on high alert, as if facing a great enemy, but now they had grown excessively lax. This was because the Count of Xuanwu's Estate, their opponent, was being far too servile.
When the pirates plundered the Jin Clan’s food and meat, the Count of Xuanwu said nothing. When friction led to clashes and fights, the Count of Xuanwu did not confront Qiu Xiao but merely restrained the Jin Clan’s warriors. Not only that, Qiu Xiao’s two thousand pirates increasingly pressured the Jin Clan’s private soldiers, steadily encroaching on their territory on Sorrow's End Island. Yet, the soldiers of the Count of Xuanwu's Estate never fought back, retreating time and again.
The newly completed defensive lines and barracks were all seized by the pirates. The Jin Clan’s main force had been pushed back all the way to the mountaintop. Moreover, pirates were not a disciplined army. They did as they pleased, running wild for four days until all sense of caution was thrown to the wind, and they became utterly complacent.
“Hahaha, the Jin Clan is full of idiots. Not a single useful one among them. Just as you’d expect from a general who lost to our great king. His descendants are even worse than their ancestor.”
“They didn’t even get to move into their newly built houses before we took them. They didn’t get a taste of the meat they just brought before we ate it all. They didn’t get a single sip of the wine they just brought before we drank it all. Heh heh heh.”
A cold winter wind blew outside, but the band of pirates was inside the newly built barracks, warming themselves by the fire, eating meat, and drinking wine, completely content. They watched the warriors of the Count of Xuanwu's Estate in a nearby open space, sitting on the ground, enduring the cold wind, miserably tearing at hard cakes and drinking cold water. They had no choice. Their houses, meat, and even their pots and firewood had all been taken. The state of the Count's warriors was pitiful to behold, especially compared to the pirates enjoying warmth and good food.
“For a nobleman to be that weak, it’s a disgrace to his ancestors. Hey, you lot over there, what’s the fun in being a soldier like that? Why don’t you just join us and become pirates?”
“Aren’t all those nobles the same? Strong against the weak and weak against the strong—a bunch of cowards who fear death. They don't even make a peep after we take their meat. To save their own skins, they’d probably sell their old mothers’ and wives’ asses. And that’s not all! To save themselves, they’d probably offer up their own asses too.”
“Shen Lang looks like a pretty boy. If he offered up his ass, would you take it?”
“Of course, of course!”
“The Count of Xuanwu invited our young lord to a banquet. Maybe he’ll offer Shen Lang’s ass to our young lord.”
“That’d be great. Our young lord likes women, but he won’t say no to a pretty boy.”
“When the young lord gets back, let’s ask him what that pretty boy Shen Lang tastes like. Whether he’s better than a woman.”
***
Inside the finest house on Sorrow's End Island, all the lanterns were lit. The Count of Xuanwu's Estate was holding a banquet to entertain Qiu Xiao. It is said that for a guest, one should hold a small banquet every three days and a large one every five. But since Qiu Xiao’s arrival on the island, the Jin Clan had held a banquet for him every single day. And today, Shen Lang had finally arrived.
Qiu Xiao was arrogant, but also suspicious and cunning. For every banquet, he brought his own food and wine. He never touched the food prepared for him by the Jin Clan. Furthermore, no matter how triumphant he felt, he drank in moderation and never got drunk. Thus, even if the Jin Clan wanted to harm him, they would have no opportunity.
Qiu Xiao’s martial skill was formidable. While several masters from the Count of Xuanwu's Estate could defeat him if they joined forces, they would have a hard time capturing him. Moreover, he brought a hundred elite warriors with him to every banquet. He could not have been more cautious.
Qiu Xiao laughed loudly and said.
“Shen Lang, I’ve been on Sorrow's End Island for quite some time. Where have you been? Are you slighting me?”
Shen Lang only offered a bitter smile and did not reply.
*Thump!*
Qiu Xiao slammed his fist on the table and said in an angry voice.
“You don't answer my question. Are you looking down on me?”
Without a word, Shen Lang removed his robe, revealing the numerous scars and bite marks on his body. Shen Lang said calmly.
“I was ravaged by a tigress and have been nursing my wounds ever since. In truth, it still hurts whenever I walk, so I could only just now arrive on Sorrow's End Island. If it weren't for your arrival, I would still be recuperating in bed.”
Qiu Xiao frowned.
“Is this Jin Mulan’s handiwork?”
Although Jin Mulan was destined to be sent to the Crown Prince, Qiu Xiao hoped that nothing had happened between her and Shen Lang.
*‘Even if I couldn’t sleep with Jin Mulan, a loser like you, Shen Lang, shouldn’t get to sleep with her either.’*
“No, it was another fierce woman.”
“Hahahaha…”
For a moment, Qiu Xiao laughed as if delighted by his misfortune. He had gleaned a satisfying piece of information from Shen Lang's words. The marriage between Shen Lang and Jin Mulan was merely a formality, and Shen Lang had sought a woman outside, only to encounter such a ferocious and rough one. The old Shen Lang was eloquent and unconstrained by etiquette. But the Shen Lang before him now was silent and spoke no words, appearing all the more desolate. After a long while, Shen Lang finally couldn't hold back any longer.
“Young Marquis, we have treated you with courtesy. I implore you, could you please control the pirates under your command? Their actions are too excessive, and there is a limit to our patience.”
‘Young Marquis.’ Qiu Xiao was taken aback by the title. But he quickly understood the reason behind it. Both the Crown Prince and the Third Prince had promised to ennoble Qiu Tianwei as the Marquis of Raging Tide upon their ascension to the throne in exchange for his support. When that happened, Qiu Xiao would naturally become the ‘Young Marquis.’
*‘Everyone knows you, Shen Lang, are incredibly clever and use vicious methods, but who knew you were also an expert at flattery. It seems that in the face of absolute power, no scheme is of any use.’*