Chapter 643 - 604: Reaching the Peak 13
The greatest source of wealth in Mangshui City is the secret silver ore veins. Every family in the city must have at least one or two of these veins in their possession, and it’s common for these families to secretly scheme and undermine each other for control over them.
However, the Tan Family is an exception in Mangshui City, because they do not involve themselves with the matters of the secret silver ore veins. Outside the city, there are vast expanses of land rich with Spiritual Energy, which is hard to come by. In any other city, such spirit soil would be highly coveted.
But because of the secret silver ore veins, people’s focus was entirely on these veins, and for a while, no one paid attention to this vast spirit soil. As a result, the land was left abandoned, and the Tan Family took advantage of this oversight, buying up the spirit soil effortlessly.
After acquiring the spirit soil, the Tan Family began to concentrate on agriculture, quickly becoming the largest supplier of Spirit Plants in Mangshui City. The best Spirit Rice, spiritual wheat, spirit fruit, and cultivated Spiritual Medicine are all grown by the Tan Family, forcing all families in Mangshui City to maintain good relations with them.
It’s fair to say that the Tan Family is the only major family in Mangshui City that isn’t excluded by any others. They have excellent relations and a stellar reputation, yet the money they earn isn’t any less than those with secret silver mines.
Because of their good relations, when the Tan Family started losing many members, the other major families all mobilized to help. However, these families soon found themselves unable to assist, as their own members also started to go missing.
Initially, it was just the guards employed by the family; later, it became branch family members. Most recently, direct descendants from two major families have gone missing.
Due to this issue, Mangshui City is now heavily guarded, with strict checks on anyone entering the city. Identification is thoroughly confirmed before entry is permitted, and on the streets, either no one is seen or those present move in groups.
When Shuangshuang entered the city, she was questioned for a long time. In the end, it was someone from the Tan Family of Mangshui City who got the message and came to the city gate to negotiate with the warrior, and only then was Shuangshuang allowed in, ending the interrogation.
Moreover, after confirming that Shuangshuang truly is from the Tan Family, the Guard Captain at the city gate gave her a badge. From now on, she can enter and leave Mangshui City without further checks, all thanks to the Tan Family’s strong relationships in the city.
When Shuangshuang entered the Tan Family, the branch family head, Tan Yue, was sitting in the hall with a troubled expression, sighing deeply. Yes, the branch family head is female, and she is a beautiful but fiery-tempered woman.
Upon seeing Shuangshuang, Tan Yue felt a bit disappointed. As the head of the branch family, Tan Yue was aware of the Tan Family’s main house’s most talented youngster, Shuangshuang. However, Tan Yue felt that given how bizarre this situation was, a more experienced person should have come.
In Tan Yue’s heart, no matter how talented Shuangshuang is, she is still too young. Youth means lack of experience, and inexperienced people tend to cause trouble when out and about.
Given how strange this situation is, sending an inexperienced child made Tan Yue uneasy about handing this matter over to Shuangshuang.
Shuangshuang could sense Tan Yue’s skepticism. She felt a bit helpless about it. Although she had the mental maturity, her physical age was only thirteen. A mature-for-her-age thirteen-year-old is still hard for others to trust, which is understandable.
Shuangshuang didn’t say much, going straight to the point by asking Tan Yue to explain the whole story behind the missing people.
Tan Yue furrowed her brows tightly and sighed, "I’m not entirely clear about this matter either because people of all genders were taken, and since they’ve never returned, I don’t know the exact circumstances. I just know the area with the most missing people is in the southern direction."
It’s said that out of ten people, eight went missing while heading southward, either on their way to the south gate of Mangshui City or somewhere south of the city. This pattern was initially unnoticed, but as more people went missing, someone with a keen eye noticed it.
Nowadays, the southern area of Mangshui City has almost become a ghost town. No one dares to go there, and those living near the south gate, whether inside or outside the city, are fleeing as if to escape disaster.
Shuangshuang decided to head south of Mangshui City to see what’s going on. Some things can’t be understood without seeing them firsthand.
Tan Yue wasn’t entirely supportive of Shuangshuang’s decision, but since Shuangshuang was commissioned for this task, Tan Yue couldn’t prevent her from doing her work. In the end, Tan Yue decided to accompany Shuangshuang herself. She is at least a martial master, so protecting Shuangshuang, who recently ascended to a samurai, wasn’t a problem.
Mainly because Shuangshuang is the main house’s top genius, with an honorable background. If something were to happen to her in Mangshui City, Tan Yue could never atone for it, so she felt more at ease watching over Shuangshuang personally.
Shuangshuang wasn’t bothered; she was confident in her abilities but wasn’t blindly arrogant. With Tan Yue willing to follow her, there would be an extra layer of security. Moreover, Shuangshuang’s purpose is to find out the truth, which ultimately requires the Tan Family’s resources. She didn’t intend to act recklessly alone.
While other areas of Mangshui City were merely desolate, the region near the southern gate was desolate and barren. It was unclear how long it had been uninhabited. The area was overgrown with weeds, an empty, deserted sight as far as the eye could see.
Shuangshuang and Tan Yue walked along the weed-covered path leading south after leaving the city’s southern gate, with nothing significant occurring along the way.
The Tan Family’s Spirit Plant growing area was vast, and outside the southern gate was also a large tract of spirit soil belonging to them.
When Shuangshuang walked there, she noticed all the guards were missing, and the Spirit Plants on the spirit soil were in poor condition due to neglect.
Seeing this, Tan Yue explained to Shuangshuang, "No one wants to guard this place. One by one, they either escape or disappear. Even offering wages doesn’t get anyone willing to come. Thus, the spirit soil is left fallow." As Tan Yue spoke, her expression was noticeably pained.
Shuangshuang, with an expressionless face, continued to walk forward, not encountering a single soul until they reached the entrance to the Long Mountain Range.
The Long Mountain Range covers a vast area, rich in resources. Mangshui City’s prosperity is due to its proximity to the range. Previously, the areas near the entrances to the Long Mountain Range were bustling with explorers going into the mountains and groups discussing the treasures they found.
However, there was not a single person now, not even a guard at the entrance to the Long Mountain Range. Shuangshuang and Tan Yue went straight into the mountains, with Shuangshuang instinctively feeling that these unusual occurrences might be related to the Long Mountain Range.