Chapter 106: Living Buddha, Venomous Scorpion

Jiang Mingyu picked up a lump of jet-black, glossy ore and examined it closely, his eyes brimming with excitement.

“Where did this come from?”

He raised the torch; the orange-red flame lit his face, carving out a stern, angular profile.

The soldier holding the torch pointed toward a spot not far off: “In that ditch over there. Right there.”

“I was ordered to search this area and noticed the surface soil looked odd, so I dug it up.”

“My lord, what is this black, ugly thing? Coal?”

“This isn’t ordinary coal—it’s iron ore!” He beamed, squeezing the ore tightly in his hand, muscles taut.

Before his transmigration, he had studied materials science and was quite familiar with it.

Zhu Ge Yu frowned slightly, leaned in for a closer look, then his eyes lit up with sudden understanding: “My master was right—this is indeed iron ore.” As a scion of a prominent clan, he had at least this much basic knowledge.

“I never expected such a vital strategic resource to lie hidden in this desolate Scorpion Gully,” Jiang Mingyu chuckled, shaking his head. “That venomous scorpion sits atop this mountain of wealth yet still robs and pillages—utterly foolish.”

Here, a look of triumph spread across his face; he waved dismissively at the soldiers beside him: “Quickly—dig this entire area to full depth. I need to determine the exact reserves of this iron ore.”

The soldiers immediately sprang into action, raising hoes and shovels to dig in unison.

Under the moonlight, their shadows moved with the clanging of metal against earth.

Jiang Mingyu nodded in satisfaction, his gaze fixed intently on the pit, already plotting the next steps for mining this iron deposit.

An hour passed; the sky neared the third watch. As the soldiers worked, the survey results came in—“Report, my lord! At three feet deep, we’ve hit nothing but this ore!”

Jiang Mingyu’s face lit up with delight, then darkened into deep thought; his right hand unconsciously brushed his beard. “Good. Order everyone to keep this secret. No word must leak. I’ll send men back to Shangmu once I return.”

Zhu Ge Yu stepped closer to Jiang Mingyu, frowning: “My lord, aren’t we going to sell these ores right away?” He tilted his head, brows furrowed.

Jiang Mingyu nodded firmly, his gaze resolute: “Selling the ore is only part of it. More importantly, I intend to use this iron to upgrade the garrison’s arms and armor.” As he spoke, he clenched his fists, his pace quickening.

“The weapons and armor our soldiers use now are no better than scrap iron. Against Western Xia cavalry, even with fifty thousand men, we’d suffer catastrophic losses.” As he spoke, he gestured in the air, shaping sturdy armor and sharp spears.

“In the past, with limited silver, I had to swallow my pride. But now—with this iron ore as backing—modernizing our arsenal is within reach.” At this, Jiang Mingyu’s eyes gleamed; he slapped his thigh, voice rising with fervor.

“Tomorrow, after we deal with the venomous scorpion, we return to Shangmu immediately. Let’s act now!” He clenched his fist, already envisioning troops galvanized and fortifications strengthened.

Even now, he feared that within days, Prince Qi, having received Tang Cheng’s message, would begin his retaliation.

The next morning, in the mountain stronghold’s main hall.

Jiang Mingyu stood with arms crossed, eyes locked on the venomous scorpion, bound and gagged, his gaze sharp as lightning.

“Shall we go, Venomous Scorpion?” he asked, raising an eyebrow.

After a night of silence, the venomous scorpion had calmed; he looked up at Jiang Mingyu: “My lord Jiang, what will you do with me?”

His voice was hoarse, his eyes faintly glazed with despair.

“Will you take our heads, like you did at Mount Sanqing and Heifeng Ridge, to present to the court as trophies?”

Jiang Mingyu sneered, turning his gaze downhill: “No. You’re different from those bandits—you’re a hundred times smarter.”

“You dared scheme against me—that proves you’ve got brains.”

He turned back to the venomous scorpion, eyes glinting with ice.

“Do you think I’ll let you off so easily?”

The venomous scorpion shuddered, swallowing hard.

“You always claim you never harm civilians? Then I’ll take you to meet them. Let them speak.”

Jiang Mingyu spoke slowly, coldly.

“If even one word of your boasts is false, I’ll flay you alive right here.”

The venomous scorpion’s face turned ashen; sweat rolled down his forehead: “Jiang, if you’re going to kill me, just kill me—why this charade?”

His voice trembled; he saw clearly that Jiang Mingyu intended to expose his crimes.

Jiang Mingyu snorted: “What? The righteous venomous scorpion is frightened?”

“Too bad, I’m the one calling the shots now. Dying won’t be that simple.” He waved his hand; soldiers stepped forward and dragged the venomous scorpion up.

As he was dragged downhill, the venomous scorpion kept shouting: “Jiang, just kill me—why waste words...”

Jiang Mingyu watched coldly, a faint sneer curling his lips. Below Scorpion Gully lay Qiu Chuan Town.

Jiang Mingyu gazed up at the forty or fifty villagers pointing and whispering in the distance, and called out loudly: “Good people, do you know this man?” He pointed at the venomous scorpion, brow furrowed, tone grave.

An old man with a white beard spoke timidly: “We know him—he’s the Venomous Scorpion from the mountain stronghold.” His voice was faint, eyes darting away.

Jiang Mingyu nodded, fixing his gaze on the elder: “Old man, tell me—what do the people think of this Scorpion Lord?”

The old man answered without hesitation: “Young man, the Venomous Scorpion is one of the rare good souls in these ten villages!” His eyes brightened with reverence.

“Though he rules the mountain, he never harms us. During harvest, he sends men to help. He repairs bridges and roads constantly.” He gestured excitedly, face beaming.

“Where else will you find such a good man? Having the Venomous Scorpion stationed on the mountain is our family’s fortune for eight generations!” He turned and shouted to the crowd: “Isn’t that right, folks?”

At his cry, the villagers erupted in loud agreement: “That’s right! Our Scorpion Lord is a rare good man!” “Exactly! The Scorpion Lord is our living Buddha!”

“Who are you people, tying up our living Buddha? Is there no law?”

“...”

Jiang Mingyu’s expression turned strange; he fell silent.

Tu Ke Luo, ready to execute the venomous scorpion, froze: “My lord... did we misjudge him?”

His thick brows knotted; the raised axe hung motionless midair, his mouth slightly open, eyes wide with disbelief.

Li Goudan was equally baffled: “Yeah, what’s going on? I’m confused.”

He scratched his messy hair, his small eyes filled with confusion, his wrinkled nose and twisted mouth showing utter bewilderment.

Jiang Mingyu and Zhu Ge Yu said nothing, quietly listening as the villagers poured out their praise.

Both stood rigid, hands behind their backs, faces expressionless as statues, yet intently absorbing every word in the air.

The venomous scorpion, certain of his death, sneered: “Well, My Lord Jiang—satisfied?” His lips curled into a cold, mocking arc, eyes filled with scorn, voice dripping with deliberate mockery.

“I wanted to kill you, and I know today I won’t escape death—but to say I harmed civilians? I, the Venomous Scorpion, refuse to accept that.”

His bloodshot eyes widened, voice low and fierce, each word forced through clenched teeth, his entire body trembling.

He twisted his head sharply to the side, as if grievously wronged.

His neck strained taut, tendons bulging visibly; his lips pressed into a thin line, eyes blazing with fury and contempt.

This outcome had been expected by Jiang Mingyu: “All of you, I am Imperial Envoy Jiang Mingyu.” His tone was calm, measured, steady—as if he had foreseen this reaction.

“All bandits on the mountain have been captured. Speak your grievances freely—I will right your wrongs.”

He lifted his chin slightly, voice confident and sincere, his entire face radiating righteousness.

But the old man before him looked unconvinced; he bowed low: “Young man, don’t pretend. I know the Venomous Scorpion.”

His cloudy eyes narrowed suspiciously, wrinkles deepening, voice low and wary, radiating intense distrust.

“You heard the Imperial Envoy was coming, feared we’d speak out, so you came here to test us.”

He sized up Jiang Mingyu, suspicion clear in his tone, convinced he was merely a spy probing for information. He slapped his bony chest twice with his thin, calloused hand: “Don’t worry—since you killed those twenty-odd people in town, we’ve learned our lesson.” His cloudy eyes darted around, voice low and fawning, every wrinkle on his face taut with submission.

“Even if the Imperial Envoy truly came, we’d say the same thing—never cause you trouble.” He bent lower, shoulders hunched, babbling assurances of silence. His knobby fingers gripped his knees tightly, radiating humble, cowering fear.

Across from him, the venomous scorpion’s pale face glistened with sweat; his hands clenched unnaturally, eyes wide with terror as he stared at the old man as if he’d seen a ghost.

Yet the garrulous old man didn’t stop. He smiled nervously, lips stretched nearly to his ears, wrinkles crammed together: “By the way, Venomous Scorpion, the girl from the Hu family—fifteen years old—is all ready.”

“Old Hu says you taking her is his family’s fortune for eight generations—he’ll send her to you before noon tomorrow.” He clasped his hands together, face beaming with obsequiousness, voice dripping with flattery, expression groveling to the dust.

“We were foolish before—please, Venomous Scorpion, have mercy. Don’t cut off our heads too.” As he spoke, he trembled and knelt, forehead nearly touching the ground, as if expecting execution at any moment.

At this moment, Jiang Mingyu could no longer suppress his rage; his icy gaze burned like two unsheathed blades. His brows were locked, lips pressed into a thin line, eyes blazing with fury, ready to explode.

He roared: “Murder, rape, forcing civilians into silence—Venomous Scorpion, what do you have to say for yourself?” His voice thundered, rapid and loud, as if denouncing a monstrous demon.

“How dare you stand before me and boast so brazenly? If this is tolerable, what isn’t?” His eyes blazed, lips twitching with restrained rage, each word spat out with seething injustice.

“Do you remember what I said earlier? If even one word is false, I’ll flay you alive.” His voice was icy, lethal, chilling to the bone.

Jiang Mingyu’s eyes flashed with cold fury: “Bring him! Bind this beast with a human face and animal heart—execute him by a thousand cuts.” His gaze pierced like frost, tone brutal and merciless as he issued the death sentence.