Chapter 161: Summer Rain Chases Iron Ore, Heaven Four Warehouse Earth Thunder

"You mean all the iron ore from the Laiwu Iron Mine was secretly transported by the remnants of the Taiping Army into the capital city of Jian'an?" Song Mo asked in a deep voice.

"My grandfather is the bookkeeper at the Laiwu Iron Mine. He discovered that the iron ore was being sent to the wrong destination. This is a capital offense, so he came to the capital to report the secret," Wenwen said in a low voice.

Song Mo did not speak again; his brain was working at high speed.

With such a vast quantity of iron ore, the ironworks workshop could certainly not accommodate it all. There was only one place that could possibly hold it.

"Let's go. Gather the men, we are heading to the West Market," Song Mo said gravely to Xia Yu.

Soon, a squad of constables from the Six Fan Gate rushed toward the West Market.

"Quickly, summon the shopkeepers of all the establishments in the East, South, and North Markets to come together to the warehouses and inspect all the supplies," Song Mo ordered.

"Understood."

A team of constables dashed away.

Half a quarter of an hour later, Song Mo's constables had surrounded the entire West Market.

The shopkeepers and clerks of the West Market were all assembled, and Song Mo, along with Xia Yu, arrived at the most upscale warehouse in the West Market.

"You few, go inside and inspect everything," Song Mo commanded.

"At your command."

Several constables entered the warehouse and began a thorough inspection.

"You go inside and take a look as well," Song Mo said to Xia Yu beside him.

Xia Yu also stepped inside.

The interior of the warehouse was exceptionally spacious, piled high with ordinary goods and some grain.

"It seems there is no iron ore here," Xia Yu said in a low voice.

"No, the iron ore must be hidden in the West Market; we just haven't looked in the right place," Song Mo said solemnly.

Every spot here was a warehouse, and all were managed by professionals. If none of these people had noticed anything, it would be far too strange.

"We will conduct a carpet search. If you find even the slightest trace of a clue, report it immediately to the Grand Constable," Song Mo continued.

"Understood."

The men dispersed.

"There must be other areas hidden within here," Xia Yu said with a smile.

He crouched down and began his inspection.

The main structure of this warehouse was made of timber, yet it used no iron, making it very lightweight. Furthermore, on the walls were numerous small windows for ventilation, as well as a secret passage that could lead to every corner of the warehouse.

"It seems there is truly another world hidden within this place!" Xia Yu thought in astonishment.

Song Mo also crouched down to begin inspecting, picking up a few pieces of wood and leaves from the floor.

"What are you doing?" Song Mo asked curiously.

"Looking for clues," Xia Yu replied.

"Huh? What do you mean?" Song Mo asked.

"This is a warehouse, after all; it might conceal iron ore."

Xia Yu spoke in a deep voice.

A shopkeeper hurried over with a beaming smile and shoved a money pouch into the hands of the two men.

"My lords, take this for the brothers to have some tea."

Song Mo's face darkened. The shopkeeper hastily explained, "There are indeed some smuggled goods kept inside, but absolutely not the iron ore you are looking for."

Xia Yu sent men inside to search, and they discovered that it indeed contained only smuggled salt, jade, and similar items.

The Six Fan Gate was well aware that merchants in the West Market inevitably hid certain goods privately, as these formed the primary currency of the black market.

Xia Yu accepted the money pouch from the shopkeeper and feigned anger, saying, "Look at what you've done—why didn't you say so earlier?"

The shopkeeper smiled broadly on the outside while cursing inwardly.

*As if I didn't do it just to save a few coins for tea...*

At that moment, a specific place suddenly flashed through Song Mo's mind.

"I know where the iron ore is..."

...

In the West Market, constables of the Six Fan Gate with broad sabers at their waists and short crossbows in hand skillfully passed through the Celadon Shop, headed west past Mushan Street, and approached Pomegranate Alley, where they dismounted and proceeded on foot.

Muffled footsteps and heavy breathing mingled together. No one spoke, and the entire group moved like a formation of black-armored soldiers creeping toward Pomegranate Alley.

The Yamen runners cleared the area once more, and the entire Pomegranate Alley grew so silent that not even the sound of a horseshoe could be heard.

"Are you certain the iron ore is right here?" Xia Yu asked in a low voice.

"If it is in the West Market, this is the only place," Song Mo replied solemnly.

Tian Si Freight Station—the very place the Turks had used last time.

...

At the Tian Si Freight Station, dozens of six-wheeled carts were loaded with iron ore.

Chewing on a mint leaf, Zhang Biao spoke in a deep voice, "Hurry, the constables from the Six Fan Gate should trace us here very soon."

The carts lurched out through the West Gate, with Zhang Biao sitting on the very last carriage.

As the carts rolled past, they left deep wheel ruts in the ground, making it obvious that every single carriage was heavily laden.

Suddenly, Zhang Biao heard a sharp whistle—it was the sound of a signaling arrow.

Zhang Biao hurriedly jerked his head to dodge. The signaling arrow grazed his ear, cutting a small gash from which fresh blood began to flow.

Xia Yu pursued from the East Gate, holding a short crossbow in his hand.

"Don't let the scoundrels escape!"

Xia Yu roared with fury and drew his wide-bladed saber. A crisp, ringing sound echoed as the blade sliced through the bluestone pavement.

"Charge, stop them!"

At Zhang Biao's command, a score of his subordinates wielding iron clubs rushed forward to surround Xia Yu and his constables.

"Zhang Biao, you cannot escape!" Xia Yu sneered. He plunged into the crowd with his short crossbow, his saber flashing in a succession of blurs as anyone blocking his path was instantly cut down.

Those who failed to dodge in time were pierced through by the saber and perished on the spot.

"Kill them!" Seeing several of their brothers slain, Zhang Biao's subordinates were filled with agonizing grief and rushed at Xia Yu with their weapons raised.

A relaxed smile played on Xia Yu's face as he hacked his way through the enemies rushing toward him.

"Ah!"

One of Zhang Biao's men had his arm severed by Xia Yu, leaving him writhing in agony.

Realizing the heavy casualties on his side, Zhang Biao roared in fury, winding up his steel-wrapped fist to smash toward Xia Yu.

"Bang!"

Xia Yu deflected him with his saber and continued his charge forward.

"Block them! Don't let them through!" Zhang Biao bellowed.

"Understood!" shouted Zhang Biao's men in unison.

Xia Yu swung his saber, cleanly cleaving the three foremost bandits at the waist.

"Charge!"

"Kill!"

"Kill!"

The battle cries of Zhang Biao's men shook the heavens.

With his eyes bloodshot and his saber drenched in blood, Xia Yu recklessly plunged into the enemy ranks. His sweeping blade executed all who crossed his path, leaving them utterly incapable of resistance.

Zhang Biao and the others watched with mounting terror; this youth was simply too ferocious.

Driven to a desperate corner, Zhang Biao brandished his steel saber and charged straight at Xia Yu.

"Clang!"

Zhang Biao's steel saber collided with Xia Yu's wide-bladed saber, producing a crisp, metallic shriek.

Zhang Biao felt his wrist go numb, his right hand trembling uncontrollably with a weak, aching sensation.

Although Xia Yu's saber looked ordinary, it was incomparably sharp, of hard texture, and honed to a fine edge. Zhang Biao's wrist was already cut open, a chunk of flesh shaved away, and blood oozed from his palm.

Worse still, Xia Yu had channeled his internal energy into the blade. The force penetrated straight to the marrow, shattering the bones in Zhang Biao's arm and completely paralyzing it.

Zhang Biao's arm shook violently as he gripped his saber, the agonizing pain making it nearly unbearable.

"Pfft—" Wielding his saber, Xia Yu severed Zhang Biao's left arm in a single exchange and simultaneously kicked him squarely in the abdomen.

Zhang Biao was kicked to his knees, vomiting a torrent of blood.

"Boss!"

"Brother Biao!"

Seeing their leader in such a miserable state, the remaining bandits panicked.

At that moment, a fast horse galloped up, and three men leaped down from its back. They were Zhang Biao's two trusted aides—known as A-Niu and A-Bao—along with a man named Li Da.

"Boss!" The two aides hurried to prop Zhang Biao up, and A-Niu asked anxiously, "Boss, what happened to you?"

Zhang Biao said in agony, "This fellow is too powerful! Quick, kill him!"

The two aides nodded immediately.

Li Da raised the heavy iron hammer in his hands and smashed it fiercely toward Xia Yu.

Li Da possessed immense strength; a blow like this threatened to crush Xia Yu to death on the spot.

"Clang—" Xia Yu swung his saber to parry Li Da's attack.

Gazing at the unfamiliar youth before him, Li Da felt immense puzzlement: where had this terrifying kid sprung from?

A-Bao swung his large battle-axe, putting his entire shoulder into a downward chop at Xia Yu.

Xia Yu blocked with his saber while simultaneously countering with a strike of his own.

"Bang!"

The weapons clashed, and both men were jarred backward, staring at each other in astonishment.

Xia Yu rubbed the numb web of his thumb, thinking that the enemy's strength was truly formidable. If he hadn't practiced hard-body external martial arts, that single blow would have put him at a disadvantage.

"Quite a formidable fellow!" Xia Yu praised.

A-Bao stared at Xia Yu; he had never witnessed such a terrifying youth and felt a deep sense of respect.

Swinging his battle-axe once more, A-Bao strode forward.

Xia Yu parried with his saber, and another fierce round of combat ensued.

Xia Yu deflected A-Bao's battle-axe, while A-Bao thrust a steel trident straight toward Xia Yu's throat.

Twisting his wrist, Xia Yu blocked the trident with his saber, snatched it out of A-Bao's grip, and drove it deep into the ground with his blade.

A-Bao's chest heaved violently, his legs turning weak.

He had already lost this exchange.

The fact that Xia Yu had knocked away his weapon, defeated him, and driven his own trident into the earth left him utterly stunned and deeply humiliated. It was as terrifying as facing a deity!

"You bastard, how dare you ruin my boss's plans! I'll fight you to the death!" Li Da roared, hoisting a massive iron hammer to smash at Xia Yu.

Xia Yu caught the hammer with his blade, then countered with a swift slash that shattered the iron hammer to pieces.

"Die, all of you!"

Having no patience for further entanglement, Xia Yu resolved to deal fatal blows.

"Bang!"

With a sweeping strike, Xia Yu cut down the foremost group of bandits, while Zhang Biao dragged the remaining men backward in a panicked retreat, unwilling to face Xia Yu head-on.

Xia Yu drove them back step by step with relentless slashes.

Pressing the attack, Xia Yu continued his slaughter.

"Bang! Bang!"

The weapons held by Li Da, A-Bao, and the others were shattered by Xia Yu's blade, which mercilessly reaped their lives.

Seeing his subordinates being slaughtered, Zhang Biao flew into a rage. He struggled to his feet, pointed at Xia Yu, and cursed, "You punk, you dare kill my men? I'll drag you down with me!"

Meanwhile, Song Mo, who had been lingering in the shadows, felt a sudden chill as he spotted Zhang Biao pulling the cord of an explosive.

"Fall back quickly!" Song Mo roared.

Xia Yu retreated in time, but a few constables were still mopping up the remaining bandits.

With a deafening explosion, a clay thunder-bomb blew the entire West Gate apart.

When Xia Yu and Song Mo emerged, covered in dust and grime, the carts laden with iron ore had already vanished without a trace.