Chapter 339 The Origin
As the prison door opened, the inmates inside burst into cheers in unison, many of them crying tears of joy!
Bandits are the most savage and ruthless, they all thought they were doomed, but unexpectedly, a savior descended from heaven.
Therefore, they were immensely grateful to Wang Chen.
Facing Wang Chen\'s inquiries, each and every one of them was forthcoming, holding nothing back.
Wang Chen thus learned that all the people captured by the bandits were from nearby villages, just like the two villagers from Datian Village; they too were attacked in the mountains.
The earliest among them had been captured just two days ago!
As for more details, they were unclear, having been in constant fear and anxiety during their two days of captivity here.
This made Wang Chen quite puzzled.
Because the jail that the bandits had built was very large, its dozen or so cells could cram in several hundred people.
These villagers definitely weren\'t the first group to be captured; where had the previous people gone?
Another question arose.
Earlier, after the bandits kidnapped Xu Laosi and another person, they did not immediately return to their den. Instead, they sent some men to escort them back while the rest, including the leader, waited in the woods for Wang Chen to appear.
It was obviously premeditated!
After pondering for a moment, Wang Chen turned around, went out, and brought back someone with him.
This was a bandit with scars on his face, unconscious with his eyes tightly shut, blood oozing from his mouth, nose, ears, and eyes.
Wang Chen dumped the bandit on the ground and stepped on the man\'s left hand.
"Ah!"
The sudden intense pain made the bandit let out a blood-curdling scream.
Wang Chen lifted his foot and asked, "What\'s your name?"
This man was the survivor he had intentionally kept alive.
The recently awakened bandit first looked around in an angry and confused manner, but he quickly understood his predicament and responded with a bitter laugh, "I\'m your daddy, you\'ve forgotten even your dad\'s name, hahaha?"
"Asking for death!"
Before Wang Chen could speak, Xu Laosi, who was beside him, dashed forward and, grabbing the man, slapped him from side to side, "That\'s for your filthy mouth!"
He truly despised these bandits, remembering how he almost fell into a hopeless situation, so he hit especially hard.
Although the bandit was a fifth layer Qi Cultivation cultivator, his Dantian and meridians were all sealed, making him even weaker than an ordinary person.
His face quickly swelled and distorted.
"That\'s enough."
Wang Chen signaled Xu Laosi to put the man down, then asked, "Where were you planning to send them off to?"
Many bandits plunder villagers with the goal of enslaving them for hard and dirty labor.
But Wang Chen felt that the actions of this group of bandits were probably not so simple!
"Hehehe..."
Despite being slapped into a pig\'s head, the bandit remained defiant, staring at Wang Chen with a resentful and spiteful gaze, "If you\'ve got the guts, kill me. If I grunt even once, I\'m your grandson!"
He had witnessed Wang Chen\'s fierce methods and knew there was no chance for escape, so he completely gave up.
"Very well."
Wang Chen raised his hand and telekinetically lifted the stubborn bandit, his right index finger quickly tapping the space between the bandit\'s eyebrows.
He injected a trace of mana.
"Uh~"
Bound by an invisible force, the bandit was unable to move, feeling as though thousands of fire ants were burrowing into his head, the pain reaching an indescribable extreme.
Yet, his consciousness remained extremely clear, and he did not pass out from the excruciating pain that pushed beyond the limits.
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Not only that, the "Fire Ants" that burrowed into his head also penetrated his spine, going all the way down to his viscera, limbs, and bones, causing his entire body to experience the same agony.
Marrow-absorbing Piercing Soul Finger!
This was not a spell, but a casting technique specifically designed for interrogation.
Wang Chen had learned it during his time as the Guarding Heavenly Master, and though he had never had the chance to use it before, it now came in handy.
Ordinary people simply could not endure such an interrogation technique, but it was remarkably effective against cultivators. This bandit only lasted a short while before his face turned purple-red, his eyes bulged out, foam spilled from his mouth, and his limbs twitched uncontrollably.
If Wang Chen hadn\'t used his mana to seal off the man\'s body cavities, he would probably have lost control of his bowel and bladder by now!
Seeing how wretched this fellow looked, even Xu Laosi, who harbored extreme hatred for bandits, quietly backed away two steps.
The other rescued villagers were even more so, all of them displaying a look of awe.
Wang Chen withdrew his finger and asked, "What is your name?"
The bandit looked like a drowning person who had just reached the shore, panting greedily, his face pale and eyes unfocused, and he responded subconsciously, "Chen, Chen Hu."
"Where were you planning to take them?"
Faced with the same question, this bandit Chen Hu lost all previous defiance, resembling a spineless, drenched dog: "Mine, the mine."
He slumped his head in defeat.
The mine?
This answer was far from what Wang Chen had expected; he frowned and asked, "What mine?"
Chen Hu meekly replied like a small cat, "Purple Copper Mine."
It was actually the Purple Copper Mine!
Purple copper could be used for artifact refining, could have its essence extracted for the production of metal elemental pills, and could also serve as a medium for spirit talismans or even treasure talismans.
It had a broad range of uses and was naturally very valuable, considered a strategic resource by immortal factions.
A group of bandits had actually opened a Purple Copper Mine in the mountains; even a small vein was quite remarkable.
That explained it.
Mining was a highly dangerous job. With the Purple Copper Mine veins running deep underground, extraction was difficult, and the work of mining the ore was tough and exhausting, always with the risk of a collapse or monster beast attacks.
Some special monster beasts lived in the veins, posing a significant threat to miners.
Even a cultivator would risk death in the mineshafts if not careful.
The casualty rate among miners was always high, so it was only logical that the bandits controlling the mine would kidnap villagers to replenish their labor force, all for substantial profits.
But Wang Chen still felt something was off!
He dissipated his mana and threw Chen Hu back to the ground: "Take me to that mine, and I\'ll spare your life."
"Really?"
Chen Hu could hardly believe his ears and abruptly looked up.
He thought his death was certain, and did not expect that Wang Chen might let him go. Although he could hardly believe it, a glimmer of hope still rose in his heart.
"Pah!"
Xu Laosi spat indignantly from the side: "This is our village chief, the Purple Mansion Superior, whose word is as precious as gold, not something for a wretch like you to question!"
Quite a good flatterer.
Wang Chen nodded: "As long as you lead me to the place, I will let you go."
He flicked his finger and released a stream of mana, undoing the man\'s meridian seal.
"Good!"
Chen Hu immediately struggled to his feet: "I\'ll take you there now!"
He was well aware that if he led Wang Chen to the mine, his accomplices stationed there would surely meet their deaths.
But as the saying goes, \'Every man for himself, and the Devil takes the hindmost.\' As long as he could survive, what happened to others was none of his concern!
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The first update is here.
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