Chapter 239 The Abnormal Auspicious Land

The next morning, Chen Mo changed into a clean uniform from the Inspection Bureau, clipped the token to his waist, and left the inn.

The early morning in Ganzhou is the busiest time of day.

Steam rose from the breakfast stalls on the street, puffs of white mist billowing up from the steamers, mingling with the aroma of fried dough sticks and rice porridge.

The rickshaw driver was squatting on the street corner eating a dry biscuit. When he saw Chen Mo come out, he immediately stood up to greet him.

Chen Mo waved his hand and walked north along the street.

Before we had gone far, a young newsboy darted out of the alley, carrying a stack of newspapers in his arms.

"Breaking news! Breaking news! The situation in Jinshi remains tense! The dock gang and the Green Gang have taken to the streets to protest, paralyzing freight transport throughout the city!"

Chen Mo paused slightly, took out two copper coins and handed them over, "Give me one."

The newsboy deftly pulled a newspaper from his pocket; the ink was still fresh, carrying the scent of lead type.

The headline in bold read: "The situation in Tianjin continues to deteriorate; dockworkers and Green Gang strike together; Japanese warships are deployed outside Dagu Port."

He stood on the street, looking down in the morning light.

The news reported that the dockworkers' strike in Tsushi has entered its third day.

The cause was that after the conflict between the inspection bureau and the Japanese concession, the Japanese chamber of commerce cut off freight exchanges with the Tsushi Chamber of Commerce.

This also led to the dock gangs and the Green Gang losing their jobs, so they simply took to the streets to protest.

But those in the know understand that this whole thing was just a show put on by the two gangs, using the guise of protest to put pressure on the Tianjin municipal leadership and force them to make concessions on issues such as the jurisdiction of the concession.

The newspapers wrote it subtly, only mentioning that "both sides have their own version of events" and that "the situation is still within a controllable range."

But even he, who was far away in Ganzhou, could sense the tense atmosphere between the lines.

"The Green Gang?"

Chen Mo flipped through the pages again, and one news item caught his attention: "Green Gang boss Gu Ruzhang attempts to run in next year's council election, but the four major families of Tianjin have explicitly expressed their opposition..."

"Can gang leaders run for councilor?"

He muttered to himself, tucked the newspaper under his arm, and continued walking.

He had inquired and found that the inspection bureau in Ganzhou was located in an old house in the north of the city. It was said to be the former residence of a prefect from the previous dynasty, which was converted into a government office after the Republic of China was established.

A white sign with black lettering hung at the entrance, reading "Gannan Inspection Bureau." Two young men in black uniforms stood at the entrance, with short sticks tucked into their waistbands.

Chen Mo walked to the door, took his token from his waist, and handed it to one of them.

The other person took the token, glanced at Chen Mo, then returned it to him and stepped aside.

"Please come in."

Chen Mo nodded to him and stepped over the threshold...

------

Jinshi, Gu Family Compound.

The weather in Jinshi had cooled down in late autumn, and most of the leaves of the old locust tree in the courtyard had fallen, carpeting the ground in a golden sheen.

Gu Ruzhang sat on a grand chair in the main hall, holding a purple clay teapot in his hand, the steam rising from the spout in the morning light.

There were five other people sitting in the hall, all of whom were key figures in the Jinshi branch of the Green Gang.

"The four major families still haven't given their word?"

Gu Ruzhang picked up the purple clay teapot, took a sip of tea, and looked somewhat gloomy.

The middle-aged man sitting first on the left shook his head. His surname was Liu, and he was Gu Ruzhang's strategist. He wore round-framed glasses and looked like a schoolteacher.

Master Liu put down his teacup, pulled a piece of paper from his sleeve, and spread it on the table.

"Master Gu, the four major families are determined to oppose us this time."

"The Li, Wang, Zhao, and Liu families jointly issued a statement saying that gang members should not participate in political discussions, and their words were clearly aimed at you."

He paused, carefully observing Gu Ruzhang's expression before continuing, "Especially the Li family. Their patriarch personally wrote an article in the newspaper, scolding you and saying that you are a local scourge and a disgrace to Tianjin."

Gu Ruzhang's face was expressionless, but the purple clay teapot in his hand made a slight creaking sound as he squeezed it.

"The Li family's foundation is the weakest among the four families. They made their fortune by doing business with foreigners in their early years. So why are they the most vocal?"

A burly man on the right snorted coldly. He was the head of the martial arts corps in Jinshi branch of the Green Gang. His surname was Zhou, and he was known in the underworld as "Zhou the Zhou Blade".

"Master Gu, in my opinion, who cares about the Li or Wang families? If they're not happy, then fight them! Our Green Gang has been in Tianjin for so many years, when have we ever been afraid of anyone?"

Gu Ruzhang glanced at him but didn't say anything.

Master Liu picked up the conversation, his tone gentle: "Master Dao, the four major families have been entrenched in Jinshi for decades, their roots are deep and their branches are wide open. They can't be dealt with by fighting and killing. Especially the Li family, although they have only been around for a short time, it is rumored that they have connections with the Zhenyi Division."

The moment the words "Zhenyi Si" were uttered, the atmosphere in the hall changed noticeably.

Zhou Sandao's expression froze for a moment, and even the other old man who had been leaning back in his chair with his eyes closed opened his eyes slightly.

Zhenyi Division.

That's a force even the Green Gang doesn't want to mess with.

Gu Ruzhang placed the purple clay teapot on the table and tapped the lid lightly twice with his fingers. "The Li family's affairs cannot be discussed openly."

"The situation with the Zhenyi Division is unclear, so we shouldn't take that risk. But it's not like we can't take action against the Li family."

As he spoke, he turned and glanced at Master Liu.

Master Liu nodded knowingly and pulled another piece of paper from his sleeve.

"The Li family's businesses in Jinshi are mainly concentrated in docks and warehouses: three docks, five large warehouses, and a transport fleet. We've already infiltrated quite a few of our people at the docks, and we also have informants at the warehouses."

"If we really want to take action, we can start with their freight, cut off their shipments, steal their orders, and force them into cash flow problems."

"Once the Li family suffers a setback, the other three families will have to think twice about whether it's worth it to oppose us."

After listening, Gu Ruzhang nodded slightly, but his expression did not relax much.

"There's one more thing," Liu the clerk hesitated for a moment before speaking, "Recently, a woman has been criticizing you in the newspaper."

"Um?"

"The Jinshi News has published an article for three consecutive days, each issue criticizing the Green Gang and you. The wording is very sharp. The newspaper is selling well, and many people on the street are reading it."

Gu Ruzhang frowned.

It's not that he's afraid of being criticized.

Having lived in Jinshi for so many years, he's had plenty of people who criticize him, so one more won't make a difference.

But this is a crucial time for him to run for parliament, and he can't afford to have a bad public image.

The four major families are already having enough of a headache; for someone to suddenly appear and write an article criticizing him is like adding fuel to the fire.

Liu, the clerk, had a folded newspaper lying open on the table.

It was yesterday's edition of the Jinshi News. On page three, in the social news section, there was an article with a particularly jarring title.

"With the Green Gang running rampant, how can Tianjin be safe?"

The article was short, but its wording was sharp, portraying the Green Gang as rats in the street and specifically naming Gu Ruzhang, accusing him of taking a share of the spoils and exploiting the people.

"College student?" Gu Ruzhang glanced at the article, his tone indifferent.

"A student at Jinshi Women's Normal College, a junior this year, majoring in literature."

According to Mr. Liu, "After the article was published, we investigated her background. This girl doesn't have any connections. Her father died early, leaving only her elderly mother. She used to live with her in Jinshi, but recently she moved back to her hometown in Linhe County."

Gu Ruzhang didn't reply, but instead picked up the newspaper and read it again.

"The Green Gang is a greater threat than bandits. Bandits kill people with a knife or a gun; the Green Gang harms the people by undermining the very foundation of Tianjin and cutting off their livelihoods."

It is indeed written with considerable force.

He tossed the newspaper back onto the table. "College students are young and impetuous, they think everything in the world is black and white, writing a few articles to criticize people isn't a big deal. But the important thing is, we can't let her write anymore."

"Master Gu is right." Zhou Sandao patted the armrest. "How about I send two people to talk to her?"

"What do you want to talk to her about?"

Gu Ruzhang glanced at him. "A burly man like you going to chat with a female student? Aren't you ashamed if word gets out? Send someone to tell her mother to discipline her daughter, otherwise..."

Zhou Sandao grinned: "Got it, bro."

------

Ganzhou Inspection Bureau.

When Chen Mo came out, it was almost noon.

There were fewer pedestrians on the street than in the morning, and most of the breakfast stalls had already closed, replaced by vendors carrying loads of cold noodles and sugarcane.

An old man was squatting on the side of the street repairing umbrellas. Several old, worn-out oil-paper umbrellas were scattered at his feet, and the orchids painted on the umbrellas had faded.

Chen Mo stood on the steps at the entrance of the Inspection Bureau, squinted to adjust his eyes to the light, and then folded the note with the address on it back into his pocket.

The news I heard wasn't bad, but it certainly wasn't good either.

They didn't find out much about Master Baidu's background. The old man was too famous in southern Jiangxi. When the people from the Inspection Bureau mentioned him, they all had a deep and mysterious expression. They only said that he was both righteous and evil, and that it would be fine if you didn't provoke him.

As for the green daffodil, the answer was as he expected: there was no solution, at least no one in Ganzhou could solve it.

Another piece of news is that the old mine pit in western Jiangxi mentioned by the ghost woman's spirit does indeed exist, and a few years ago, people from the inspection bureau even went to explore it.

After they came back, two of them went insane, one died, and the rest never dared to go again.

He went down the steps and walked back the way he came.

As I walked through the arcade corridor, I saw several elderly women sitting on bamboo chairs, picking chives and chattering in the local dialect of southern Jiangxi that I couldn't quite understand.

One of the elderly women looked up at him, her gaze lingering for a moment on his police uniform before she lowered her head to continue picking vegetables.

Chen Mo walked out of the alley, found a stall selling herbal tea on the street, spent two copper coins to buy a large bowl of herbal tea, and stood by the stall to gulp it down in one go.

The herbal tea was bitter and astringent, with a strong medicinal taste. After drinking it, my tongue felt numb, but it did quench my thirst.

He returned the bowl to the stall owner, wiped his mouth, and walked towards the outskirts of the city.

The mine in western Jiangxi is deep in the mountains, and it takes half a day to fly there from here, so it's better to set off early.

Time is too long .

Chen Mo walked while making calculations.

Time is too long .

Chen Mo walked while making calculations.

If all goes well, we should be able to get to the mine by tonight.

I just don't know what kind of danger is lurking there that makes even the people from the Southern Jiangxi Inspection Bureau avoid it like the plague.

He walked outside the city, found a deserted wasteland, and only after confirming that there were no pedestrians around did he take out the kite from his storage space.

After he repaired the kite with ghost bamboo paper last night, it looked much neater than before.

The cracks on the wings have been covered with pieces of light gray bamboo paper. Although the appearance is not very good after the patching, the performance is no longer affected.

He picked up the kite and shook it; the paper wings made a soft "swish" sound.

The toughness of the ghost bamboo paper is indeed much stronger than that of ordinary talisman paper. After being repaired, the kite felt much more solid and was no longer as loose and flimsy as before.

As the power of Yin energy was injected, the kite's body emitted a faint purple glow and slowly rose up.

Chen Mo flipped himself up and mounted the horse, flying westward.

......

After flying for more than four hours, the silhouettes of the mountains to the west were getting closer and closer.

It was a continuous mountain range, with steep slopes and overlapping peaks. The farthest peaks were already hidden in the clouds and mist, with only a grayish-blue outline showing.

At the foot of the mountain is a vast pine forest, with the pine trees densely packed together, their canopies forming a dark green ocean. The wind sweeps through the treetops, creating waves of green.

The mine is located in that mountain area.

Chen Mo recalled the address the old woman had given him.

The entrance to the mine was hidden in a depression halfway up the mountain, completely concealed by a bamboo grove. It would be impossible to find unless you were specifically looking for it.

Inside the mine, there is a sloping tunnel that goes downhill. The tunnel is very deep and gets narrower as you go down. At its narrowest point, only one person can pass sideways.

At the end of the passageway lies an underground river, the source of which is where the malevolent energy overflows...

I only heard from the inspectors that this mine is quite dangerous.

Chen Mo rode his kite and circled twice above the mountains. He quickly identified the area from the direction of the mountains that the old woman remembered.

A mountain gully running east to west, with large rock walls on both sides, where not a blade of grass grows.

The bottom of the ravine was piled with waste rocks, sharp and angular. These were tailings that had been dug out of the mine and discarded. They had been piled up for decades and were now covered with sparse weeds.

But the grass was yellow and looked droopy.

He maneuvered the kite to lower its altitude and landed on a gentle slope on the north side of the ravine.

The moment his feet touched the ground, Chen Mo immediately sensed something was amiss.

The temperature here is noticeably cooler than elsewhere, not the kind of coolness one would expect in autumn, but a chilling cold that seeps from the ground.

He looked up and saw a dark hole in the mountainside a dozen or so feet away.

The cave entrance is arched, only one and a half people high and about two feet wide, with jagged edges. It was carved out of the rock using the most primitive methods.

Above the cave entrance, several thick, rotten logs were piled up haphazardly, barely supporting the rock formations overhead.

The wood was covered with grayish-green mold, and some parts had collapsed. Broken wood and stones were scattered in front of the cave entrance, washed away by the rain.

There are piles of waste rocks on both sides of the cave entrance. The surface of the rocks is covered with a layer of dark yellow sulfide, and you can smell a faint sulfur smell when you get close.

Chen Mo stood in front of the cave entrance, his gaze sweeping over the dilapidated scene, and he roughly understood the situation.

This should be an abandoned gold mine from a previous dynasty, abandoned for at least several decades. Judging from the degree of decay of those sleepers, it probably stopped during the Guangxu era.

This place doesn't seem like the kind of place that could give birth to such an extremely malevolent evil as the Black Dragon Xuanming Sha.

Wherever yin energy gathers, life is usually cut off within a hundred miles, but this place...