Chapter 166: Inkstone Mine Disaster
Ning'an County, Xiaoshi Town.

On April 11, the weather in the mountainous area was often changeable, and now it had entered the rainy season. When Li Jianhu got up early in the morning, he saw that the sky was foggy and the air was extremely humid, with dew condensing on the tiles. It was almost certain that it would rain today.

Logically speaking, in this situation, you can just practice at home, and there is no need to walk several miles to go to the martial arts academy. Master Mo Tianheng is sensible and has told everyone about this before.

But today is different, today is the day when "World Affairs" is published.

Every three months, the novelist would use special means to spread the manuscript of "The World Affairs" to all major prefectures and counties in Daxia, and then print it locally, publish it, and distribute it to towns and villages.

Each volume of "The World Affairs" costs five taels of silver!

This is simply not something that ordinary people can afford, but for practitioners, spending ten taels of silver every three months to get to know the world's heroes is not a huge expense.

As a direct disciple of the former martial arts school, Teacher Mo Tianheng has of course also subscribed to "World Affairs". So every time at this time, no matter how far the road to the martial arts academy is or how bad the weather is, it is still extremely attractive to these young boys!

He first told his younger brother to learn reading and studying hard at home so that he could learn martial arts in the future. After giving the instructions, Li Jianhu put on a bamboo hat and a straw raincoat and walked quickly towards the martial arts academy.

He was in a very good mood along the way. With the guidance of Mr. "Panda" last night, he was sure that his path of practicing [Arhat Golden Body] was correct.

I don’t know if it was an illusion, but even though I only practiced it once, I felt that my energy and blood were much more vigorous this morning, and I almost made a hole in the quilt.

Of course, these young men who practiced martial arts were not allowed to talk about marriage.

The teacher said that this would affect practice.

Li Jianhu also thought it made sense. Most powerful people are like this, like the teacher himself.

Only those from poor families who cannot afford to practice martial arts would get married at this age and have a lot of children.

The only thing hindering my practice now is money!

The New Year's money that I saved for so long was spent on ten prescriptions. This is because I have a father who is a ninth-rank warrior. If it were someone else, I really don't know how they would practice.

Getting money is more important than getting a wife.

Li Jianhu ranked them in his mind.

As he was daydreaming like this, in less than a cup of tea, Li Jianhu had already arrived at the martial arts academy.

But today everyone came very early. While the young men were using the stone weights in the yard to stretch their muscles, they kept their eyes on the teacher's yard, thinking about the book "World Affairs" so that they could read about the heroes of the world.

After a while, Mo Tianheng came out wearing a blue martial arts uniform. His face was slightly pale and he coughed a few more times.

Looking at the boys in the yard who were not interested in training, Mo Tianheng curled up the corner of his mouth into a faint smile, thinking back to when he was an apprentice in the martial arts school, he was also looking forward to "World Affairs" in the same way.

It was just that at that time, I was very talented, my master loved me very much, and Shantong Mansion was far more prosperous than this place, so I was able to get a copy of "World Affairs" alone.

Thinking of this, the look in Mo Tianheng's eyes dimmed.

However, he did not show it, and instead said to the boys in the yard, "As usual, the one who made the most progress last season will be read first, and then circulated."

After saying that, he looked at Li Jianhu.

This child has decent aptitude, and with the addition of having a martial artist father who has been training him since he was young, he has always been the best among the three hundred people. However, he seems to have come to his senses recently, and his huge progress can be clearly felt.

"Li Jianhu, you come in and watch first, and the rest of you, start practicing now. If I find anyone slacking off, then you won't get to watch for the next three months!"

"Thank you, teacher!"

Li Jianhu smiled proudly. Wasn't it for this moment that he practiced martial arts so hard?

Others don't have it, but you can.

I followed the teacher into the study. Because it was very dark outside, the teacher lit two bright oil lamps.

Mo Tianheng smiled and brought over a basin of water and a towel.

Li Jianhu hurriedly took it and washed his hands carefully. This was the rule.

It is not only out of respect for books, but also because if everyone does not wash their hands thoroughly, then after 300 people pass the book around, the last 100 people probably won't be able to read the words clearly. After all, this is a mining area, and everyone seems to be born with coal ink on their hands.

After washing his hands and drying them, Li Jianhu took the new copy of "World Affairs" with a pious attitude.

Mo Tianheng did not disturb Li Jianhu from reading. He sat on another chair and read another book.

Without the teacher's gaze, Li Jianhu first looked at the back of the booklet "World Affairs".

Sure enough, there are obvious signs of cutting here, and many pages are missing.

I heard from my classmates that the teacher once forgot to cut the book, and they saw the last few pages, which were truly wonderful!
I also wanted to know how wonderful the following pages were, but I never had the chance.

After calming down, Li Jianhu skillfully turned to the Hidden Dragon List.

Although those above the Heavenly Ranking are the real big shots who manipulate the world in the palm of their hands, to him, young heroes under the age of 30 are more attractive.

Three months ago, he was still arguing with his companions about whether the 'blue-robed scholar' Ke Anran should be ranked ahead of the 'wise monk' Huijue. Now that the new Potential Dragon List is out, it is natural to see how the two have performed in the past three months.

After all, the top ten on the Potential Dragon List will hardly attack each other without special reasons, and the ranking can only be determined by novelists.

But when he saw the first place, he was stunned.

'The Peerless Jester' Zhou Tieyi.

Who is this person?

Why have I never seen it on the Hidden Dragon List before?

I haven't heard of it either, is it a misprint?

This was the first doubt in Li Jianhu's mind. He raised his head slightly, glanced at his teacher Mo Tianheng who was still reading, then lowered his head and read carefully again.

The sea is opened on the ninth day, and the eighth grade is reached in one month. The first grade of Buddhism, the heavenly thunder talisman, and the ten-year bet.

He could understand the first words, but the words at the end made his brain confused.

So he looked at Zhou Tieyi's age again and confirmed that he was seventeen years old, only two years older than himself!

"Is this something a human can do?"

Li Jianhu muttered to himself, raised his head, his eyes empty and yearning.

Suddenly, he realized that his teacher Mo Tianheng had put down the book in his hand and looked at his disciple Li Jianhu.

In fact, when he saw these paragraphs in the morning, his expression was not much better than Li Jianhu's.

In fact, because of his wide knowledge and experience, he was even more unable to understand how Zhou Tieyi did it.

The eighth rank, able to draw the power of heavenly thunder. If I had such strength in the beginning, I would not have ended up in such a situation.

"The world's heroes are like a multitude of fish in the river. The talent of this 'peerless jester' is one of the best even among the multitude. Now he is riding on the wind and clouds, and we cannot glimpse him."

Mo Tianheng sighed, as if he was explaining to his disciples, or as if he was comforting himself.

Unexpectedly, Li Jianhu adjusted himself in less than ten breaths. He clenched his fist and said, "I've decided!"

"What to decide?"

"The person I will worship from now on is the peerless jester Zhou Tieyi!"

Mo Tianheng smiled silently, he knew that many of his disciples admired Xiao Yuanshan. Li Jianhu probably made this decision because he saw that this 'peerless jester' had been in the sea for much longer than the champion Xiao Yuanshan.

"Don't make this decision so early."

"why?"

"Because he is a jester..."

"Teacher, what does jester mean?"

Mo Tianheng was stunned for a moment, then he realized that this was just Xiaoshi Town. Even though the teenagers had learned characters, they only glanced over many words that they would never use and had no idea what they meant.

"Jesters are used to entertain the emperor."

After hearing the teacher's explanation, Li Jianhu read it again. "That's not right. Zhou Tieyi is the legitimate son of General Huwei. His father and brother are both generals. How come he has become a jester?"

Mo Tianheng shook his head and said, "A tree that stands out in the forest will be destroyed by the wind. If you ask me about this, I can't give you a satisfactory answer. Perhaps only you can find the answer yourself."

Mo Tianheng actually guessed the reason a little. Novelists have always been the gossip of Confucianists. The legitimate son of the general's mansion killed Che Wenyuan, a doctor of the Five Classics. Of course, Confucianists hated him to the core. However, due to various reasons, Confucianists could not touch this peerless genius now and could only destroy his reputation first.

The peerless jester is not a good name after all.

"I'll find the answer myself?"

Li Jianhu pointed at himself in disbelief.

"of course."

Mo Tianheng smiled and said, "Aren't you going to take the entrance exam for the martial arts academy in town? If you work harder and get into the ninth rank, I can write you a letter of recommendation and ask you to take the entrance exam for the Tiger Might Martial Arts School in Shantong Mansion, which is the martial arts school run by the Zhou family. If you can rank among the top in the Tiger Might Martial Arts School, you may have a chance to be selected by the Zhou family as a personal guard. Then you will be able to meet this peerless jester in person."

Even though this was just a joke, Mo Tianheng felt that it was harmless. He had to give hope to these young disciples of his. Otherwise, would they become as disheartened as himself?

"Okay, teacher, I will work hard to practice and try to get into the Tiger Mighty Martial Arts School in the autumn exam this year!"

Li Jianhu said with confidence.

With Xiaobai's guidance in the cold and hot spring caves and the instruction of the mysterious old 'Panda' grandfather, he has the confidence.

Mo Tianheng originally wanted to say something good.

Then Li Jianhu said embarrassedly, "Teacher, can I borrow some money first? I will pay you back after I am admitted to the martial arts school!"

The smile on Mo Tianheng's face froze, and for a moment he didn't know whether to encourage or reject...

After two cups of tea, Li Jianhu walked out confidently with five taels of silver in his pocket. This was already a large sum of money for him. Adding on what he saw today about Zhou Tieyi's deeds, he was full of confidence.

He called the next student to come in and read, then looked at the sky. There was already a drizzle in the sky, and it was getting heavier. Most of the martial artists were hiding under the eaves and making jokes. If it were in the past, Li Jianhu would naturally brag about the book he read today.

Then he argued with them about how powerful his new idol, Zhou Tieyi, was.

But now that he has a goal, he just wants to go back and practice as soon as possible. There are cold and hot springs in Xiaobai's cave, so he doesn't have to worry about rain when practicing there.

Wearing a bamboo hat, Li Jianhu walked so fast that it only took him half the time to go back.

When he got home, he checked his brother's homework first, and then returned to his room.

There were no extra decorations in his room. Compared with an ordinary family, it only had a desk and a wardrobe.

After lighting the oil lamp, Li Jianhu ground the ink and wrote "Zhou Tieyi's personal guard" in his crooked handwriting. He looked at the words and felt dissatisfied. He had more ambitions than just that, so he wrote "Li Jianhu, the vanguard officer of General Huwei's mansion".

This is a good idea. I am satisfied and stick this paper on the wall with a few grains of rice. This way I can motivate myself every day.

Li Jianhu stood up, took the second dose of medicine from the closet, went to the main house, and told his mother that he was going out.

However, when he walked into his mother's room, he suddenly found that something was wrong. It turned out that when he was daydreaming and writing, Min Huorong, the mine manager, came to visit.

It was as dark as night outside, and the howling sound of wind and rain blocked out the previous knock on the door.

The mother lit an oil lamp and listened to Min Huorong talking, but she seemed to have lost her soul and stared blankly at the dim light.

Li Jianhu's heart skipped a beat, and he suddenly felt as if a stone was pressing down on him, making it hard for him to breathe.

He walked in, bowed to Min Huorong and said, "Manager Min."

Min Huorong looked at Li Jianhu, nodded, and then sighed, "Yesterday, there was a mine accident in the No. 2 Mine Area of ​​Baizhi Mountain. Mine beasts rioted and killed many miners. Your father was among them. Please accept my condolences. Please persuade your mother. By the way, bring your mother to see it tomorrow and take care of some things by the way."

After saying that, he stood up, picked up his hat and left.

In the mines, you have to risk your life to make a living, even for a ninth-rank warrior.

April 12th, yesterday there was a night of heavy rain, which made the sky of Xiaoshi Town, which is always gloomy, clear up for a rare time. There was even a ray of rosy clouds that connected and crossed several mountain peaks, like a bow in the sky under the azure blue dome.

Li Jianhu followed his mother along the familiar road to the mining area. When he saw the beautiful scenery, he couldn't help but shed tears!

Oh my God, why did it rain heavily yesterday but it is sunny today?

He did not shout out loud, for fear of disturbing his mother who was walking in front of him like a wooden man. He wiped his tears with his sleeves and followed closely.

When they arrived at the mining area, the miners did not go down the mine because of the riot of mine beasts. Instead, they had to wait for the mid-level cultivator to lead the team to survey the situation and either kill the rioting mine beasts or drive them away. Only after the situation was stabilized could the miners go down the mine.

Many people came to the blue brick and tile house of Manager Min today. In the spacious courtyard, there were rows of stretchers covered with white cloth.

When the mine beasts riot, they usually kill people and do not have time to eat all the corpses, so many people are able to leave most of the corpses behind.

Many people lifted the bloodstained white cloth, sat directly on the ground, and then cried loudly, cursing the sky and the earth.

Even if one is mentally prepared, who can accept the death of a loved one in the family?
Li Jianhu supported his mother, said a few words to Manager Min, and then came to the white cloth covering his father.

He didn't have the courage to lift the white cloth, so he just stood there.

But the mother, who had been silent the whole time, suddenly spoke up, "Open the cloth and take a last look at your father. Then practice martial arts diligently so that you can leave this cannibalistic mining area."

Li Jianhu glanced at his mother. The tenderness in his mother's eyes disappeared completely and her expression was firm.

He took a deep breath, walked forward and lifted the white cloth. His father's face was clean and much whiter than usual. He lay there quietly without saying a word.

Li Jianhu felt so upset that he didn't know what to say. He didn't even know whether he should sit there and cry like the person next to him.

"Stop."

Mother took the white cloth, covered it again, and said, "We'll find a cart to take your father back later. Now, come with me to find Manager Wu."

When a mining accident occurs in a mining area, compensation will naturally be given to the deceased.

Li Jianhu's shoulders twitched. His mind was filled with his father's voice. The voice was far away, yet close at the same time. He felt like a lost soul. His mother held his hand and they walked to Manager Wu's house.

The place was already filled with the dead and injured from the mining disaster. They went into the house with gloomy looks on their faces to collect their money and walked out again with gloomy looks on their faces.

By the time Li Jianhu followed his mother in, half an hour had passed unknowingly.

Manager Wu was wearing a silk jacket and working on an abacus. Beside him were piles of papers with handprints drawn on them. These were drawn by the people who had received the money.

"Manager Wu, my boss's name is Li An."

Manager Wu looked up at Li's mother, his eyes lit up, then he fiddled with the papers beside him and found the one with Li An's name on it, then took out ten taels of silver, put them on the scale and weighed them, and it was exactly ten taels.

When Li's mother saw this behavior, her heart suddenly sank. She smiled and said, "Manager, my boss is a ninth-rank mine owner."

Manager Wu's rat-whisker twitched, he leaned back, and said with a smile, "The person is dead, so what's the point of distinguishing between ninth rank and non-ninth rank?"

"Why not?"

Li Jianhu was originally full of energy and blood, and he was also practicing martial arts, so he was easily angered. Now he was even more quick-tempered, "If a ninth-rank warrior died in the mine, he would be compensated with fifty taels of silver!"

Li's mother grabbed her son tightly, but did not stop him from speaking, because with every bit of silver, it would be easier for her son to practice martial arts.

Suddenly, she wanted to kneel down and beg the other party to show mercy.

But this time, Li Jianhu held his mother's arm instead.

He was so strong that Li's mother couldn't kneel down.

Manager Wu was contradicted by Li Jianhu, but he still smiled and said, "From now on, if a ninth-grade warrior dies, he will be fined ten taels, and if an ordinary miner dies, he will be fined three taels."

Li Jianhu was still unconvinced, "Why?"

Manager Wu chuckled for a moment, then suddenly slammed the table, his smiling face turning into a terrifying look, "Boy, who taught you to talk like that! Why? Because the dozen mountains around here belong to my Wu family, and because my Wu family's ancestors followed General Hu Wei! Because the second young master of General Hu Wei's mansion is now number one on the Hidden Dragon List, is this reason enough, boy!"

General Huwei!

Li Jianhu thought of the book "World Affairs" which he had just watched yesterday, and the words he wrote on the wall. Suddenly, he felt so wronged. Why was he so stupid!
Mother Li gritted her teeth and tried to sign the agreement, but was held tightly by Li Jianhu. He looked at his mother and said, "This money is my father's life-saving money. I want it back!"

(End of this chapter)