Donghu Mountain is treacherous. The cliff Zhao Xing was on was shrouded in mist, making it impossible to see the end, but it was at least four or five hundred meters high.
Falling straight down from such a high place?
Zhao Xing focused his gaze and saw that the person was already a bloody mess, even missing several parts.
But he was still not dead!
Under the observation of the Bright Eyes Spell, this person's vitality still clung to a thread.
"What the hell, you scared the old man!" Zong Shichang jumped up from his chair.
"It's a person." Zhao Xing activated the Bright Eyes Spell.
"Dead or alive?"
"Not dead yet, but close to it."
"Oh no! I know this person!" Zong Shichang took a closer look, and his Face changed.
Then he immediately ran over.
Zhao Xing observed the surroundings, propped up the Flowing Cloud, and then slowly walked over.
"Brother Wang, you, how did you fall from the mountain?" Zong Shichang ran to the pile of rubble and squatted down.
"Pig, pig…" The man named Wang seemed to be a Martial Artist; with only half his body left, he still wasn't completely dead and even had the strength to speak.
"Pig? Where are there pigs here?" Zong Shichang said. "Brother Wang, please speak more clearly."
"Horse, horse…"
"Horse? What are you trying to say?" Zong Shichang was confused, first pigs, then horses, what was he trying to say?
"Brother Wang, if you have any last words, please speak them clearly. No, after passing the Forget Worry Stele, I won't remember anyway."
"You, ugh ~" The man named Wang's eyes widened, unwilling to close them, perhaps angered by Zong Shichang.
"Don't worry, although I don't know why, you died while working for my Zong family. After we leave, I will definitely take good care of your family." Zong Shichang, with a touch of sorrow, reached out to close the man's eyes.
Strangely enough, after Zong Shichang finished speaking, the man, who had been unable to close his eyes in death, finally did.
"Crack, crack, crack, crack ~"
Once the man was completely dead, a cold gust of wind suddenly emerged, and the pile of rubble began to sink, pulling the two halves of the man's body into the ground.
Seeing this, Zhao Xing and Zong Shichang quickly cupped their hands in salute, bowing towards the ground.
This was the Yin God of Donghu Mountain, sending the official's remains out.
Leaving the pile of rubble, before Zhao Xing could ask, Zong Shichang spoke first: "This person is Wang Dong, a member of the Martial Department in Mai County. He was one of the four people my family entrusted."
"He only reached the eighth Rank of Gathering Yuan at forty-five, unable to be formally promoted. This year he came to my family, and my father promised to get him a spot as a guard this year. I didn't expect him to die here less than an hour after going up the mountain."
"Brother Zhao, you said he mentioned pigs and horses before he died, was he resenting me, that I shouldn't have taken on this task?"
Zhao Xing shook his head and said, "If he resented you, why would he trust you to take care of his family?"
Zong Shichang seemed much more at ease: "That's true, but what exactly was he trying to tell me?"
Zhao Xing remained silent, deep in thought.
With someone dead, Zong Shichang no longer had the leisure to drink and enjoy the scenery. He sat there, frowning in thought.
Unexpectedly, not long after, another tragic and urgent cry came from the depths of the dense forest, mixed with the roars of unknown beasts.
Fortunately, the roars gradually faded away after a while.
A moment later, Zong Shichang stood up, pulled a box from a larger chest, and walked over: "Brother Zhao, I plan to ascend the mountain, so I won't be accompanying you here anymore."
"Why the change of heart?" Zhao Xing asked.
Zong Shichang sighed: "I originally intended to wait at the foot of the mountain. But now it seems that once you're in the mountain, neither the top nor the bottom is safe."
"I plan to contact the other three. If we gather together, with their protection, it will be safer."
"Here's a box of Gathering Yuan Pills. Take them for your use. We'll part ways here."
Zhao Xing looked at the medicine box Zong Shichang had set down: "Brother Zong, wait."
Zong Shichang turned around, a look of confusion on his Face.
Zhao Xing slowly said: "I originally didn't want to say much, and I don't know if telling you this will be good or bad, but I saw that Brother Wang, whom you hired, was already severely injured before falling off the cliff."
"His chest was caved in, likely from a blunt force impact. And according to his last words, he was probably referring to the artisan's treasure, the Unicorne Bamboo Horse."
Zong Shichang was stunned at first, then suddenly understood.
Zhao Xing continued: "I'll make a bolder guess: the transaction between your family and Brother Wang might not have been unknown to others."
"The Zong family's business is large in Nanyang Commandery, inevitably attracting envy. Assuming someone took this opportunity to act against you, then this accident was probably him taking the blow for you."
Zong Shichang's Face changed, his eyes becoming uncertain and surprised.
Zhao Xing said calmly: "Donghu Mountain has Yin Gods monitoring it, and while killing is forbidden, 搶奪爭鬥 are not. The line between these has always been very blurry, otherwise, the Forget Worry Stele wouldn't have been set up."
"Moreover, killing doesn't necessarily require doing it yourself. Suppose I compete with you for the Spiritual Radiance, use a Spell to tie you up and throw you here, and later a fierce beast eats you. This wouldn't be considered a violation of the rules; it would just be considered bad Luck."
"You don't lack this Spiritual Radiance. I still recommend you go down the mountain directly and not take this risk."
Zong Shichang frowned deeply, seemingly pondering Zhao Xing's words.
It was clear that this rich young man had not experienced much hardship, after all, he was surrounded by flattery and praise, and everyone gave his father some Face. How could he think so much?
Now, reminded by Zhao Xing, he seemed to connect some dots, his expression changing erratically, seemingly in a dilemma.
Zhao Xing continued: "If you absolutely must go up, then be more careful yourself. If you encounter someone riding a bamboo horse, turn around and leave. Don't gamble your life on me being wrong."
Seeing Zong Shichang deep in thought, Zhao Xing said no more.
To say more would be taboo.
Just as he had said, if an accident happened on the mountain, it was due to bad Luck.
With bad Luck, how could one become an official in a Luck Dynasty?
To be promoted to the ninth Rank, if the national Luck of the Dynasty was given to someone with inherently poor Innate Luck, it would require a greater cost.
The national Luck of the Dynasty had to consider balancing income and expenditure, so there was a rule that after an official died, their Luck would return to the court.
There were also situations like Xue Wen Zhong, who hadn't been promoted for decades. Ultimately, the old Minister of Agriculture's Innate Luck Rank was too low; he could only be a ninth-Rank official unless he could achieve a great 功 . But as a Minister of Agriculture in the rear, there were few opportunities for great merit.
Collecting Spiritual Radiance was both a way to filter out those with bad Luck and to give people a chance to replenish their Luck.
Of course, there were other methods, but he didn't intend to go into too much detail about the Dao within.
His reminders were also a fair return for some of the information Zong Shichang had provided earlier.
"Good, I understand. Thank you, Brother Zhao." Zong Shichang cupped his hands.
Zhao Xing nodded, watching him leave.
As for whether Zong Shichang believed him or not? And who he had grudges with, and whether he would continue up the mountain? Zhao Xing was not interested in knowing, nor did he plan to pay attention.
His Vajra Bamboo and Green Vines were about to ripen.