Once I enter the pass, great Confucian scholars will surely debate the classics for me.

The mine manager, lifting the hem of his robe, quickly ran forward, his face beaming with a fawning smile. He bowed deeply and said, "I am the manager of the 190 Li Mine. My surname is Lian, and I am a minor cultivator in the Food Disaster Realm. May I ask who you are, sir, and what brings you here?"

Zhou Qingfeng leaned down and smiled: "I am a centurion in the army, surnamed Qiu, named Qianchi. I am here today just to lead troops on a routine inspection. Commander Lian, there is no need to be nervous."

The third rule of wilderness survival: conceal your true origins and real name.

I will never forget my master's teachings. When you are out in the world, don't be foolish enough to reveal your real name and true origin.

Since I'm going to make up a pseudonym, I might as well use my master's surname as my pseudonym. "Qianchi" means that when the turbid body is fully formed, I will punch through a thousand-foot peak and merge the two into one. Thus, the pseudonym Qiu Qianchi was born.

"So it's Qiu Qianchi, Qiu Baizong. Greetings, greetings." Steward Lian smiled and bowed.

Zhou Qingfeng dismounted and reached out to support Chief Steward Lian's arm: "No need for formalities, Chief Steward Lian. This time, I am only going out of the city on official business, and I will need Chief Steward Lian's cooperation during this period."

The head steward said, "Please give me your instructions, General Qiu. I will obey any orders you give."

Zhou Qingfeng nodded: "Then please have Steward Lian gather everyone in the mine, seal and lock the gates, and temporarily suspend operations at the mine today. Bring out the roster; I need to take a headcount."

"Once this matter is settled, I can get back to the city quickly. The wilderness is really no place for a human to stay." After saying that, Zhou Qingfeng even rubbed the mud off the soles of his shoes on the rocks with disgust, looking like he was eager to leave this wretched place.

The steward, seeing this, secretly thought to himself that the young man in front of him was obviously the son of a powerful and wealthy family in the city. So he smiled and cupped his hands, saying, "I understand, I understand. Since Commander Qiu has condescended to come, I will certainly do my best to cooperate."

The entire mine was built against the mountain, with high walls made of copper and iron on three sides, three zhang thick and thirteen zhang high. Because it was located on the outskirts of Tiger Might Ridge, it was frequently attacked by demons and monsters, so the gates and walls were damaged in many places.

However, the minerals mined here are money-making ore, so mining is equivalent to mining money. Therefore, the mining protection team has far more members than the other village protection teams, with a total of four mining protection teams, each with ten people, patrolling day and night.

"General Qiu, this is the roster. Everyone on the roster has arrived."

Zhou Qingfeng sat upright under the gloomy mine shed. The wooden chairs, wooden tables, broken teapots, and broken teacups were all dilapidated. The rows of slave miners in front of him were all dirty and barely clothed.

Those dressed more respectably were mainly the mine protection team, mine guards, managers, and their families.

"Okay, let's take attendance." Zhou Qingfeng casually handed the roster to Jin Wei, who bent down to take it with both hands, flipped through the roster and took attendance. He would question each person in detail, just like he was conducting a routine inspection.

Steward Lian served the food brought by the cook to the table one by one, and said with a smile, "The conditions are limited, and there is nothing good to entertain General Qiu. These are just some simple dishes, please excuse us."

Zhou Qingfeng glanced at the table and saw a large bowl of white rice, a steamed fish, a roast chicken, a plate of leafy greens, two roast pig's trotters, a bowl of tofu with scallions, eight cold dishes, and a jar of fine wine.

"Tsk, in these times, it's not easy to even survive. The steward is so hospitable. It's too much of a waste."

"No expense, no expense. It's my duty, General Qiu. Please enjoy your meal." Even the steward dared not offend the soldiers, much less this officer who looked like he came from a wealthy and noble family.

Because officials are more terrifying than soldiers, and soldiers are more terrifying than bandits.

A soldier without a uniform is a bandit; a soldier with a uniform is a soldier.

The decision of whether a soldier is a soldier or a bandit is often made by the leading officer.

In this world, it's common practice for officers to lead troops in burning, killing, and looting.

Even if they were raping women, they would still cheer and applaud on the sidelines. If you dared to show the slightest dissatisfaction, they would immediately massacre the entire village, leaving no one alive, and the whole family would have to go to the underworld together with a smile.

The mine here is alright, because it's the first one directly under the jurisdiction of the government, so the officers don't dare to mess around and will only follow the rules.

Even the estates built by the powerful and wealthy in the city are treated politely by military officers during their inspections, who only charge a small fee for their service.

But if one has no background and is merely a wealthy landowner with land and money.

Tsk, they'll do anything to exploit people and make extra money.

"Hmm, the taste is not bad. Your chef here is quite skilled." Zhou Qingfeng looked at the table full of delicious food, casually picked up some food with his chopsticks and put it in his bowl and plate. It looked like he was eating, but he didn't actually put any of it in his mouth.

Because the first rule of wilderness survival is never to eat food or drink water that has been handled by a stranger.

The head steward smiled and bowed, nodding, "I'm glad you like it."

A short while later, Jin Wei finished counting the number of people according to the roster, then turned and went into the mine shed to report: "Assistant..."

Zhou Qingfeng suddenly put down his chopsticks and looked at Jin Wei with indifferent eyes.

Upon seeing this, Jin Wei was startled and quickly corrected himself: "Commander Qiu, I have finished counting."

“The mine protection team consists of 40 people, and the verification team consists of 40 people.”

"Ten people are on guard, and ten people are being verified."

"One person in charge, one person for verification."

"Two deputy general managers and two verification personnel."

"421 miners, 266 verified."

Upon hearing this, Zhou Qingfeng picked up his chopsticks again and rummaged through the dishes, seemingly looking for something he liked. He casually remarked, "How many people are missing?"

Jin Wei bowed his head and bent over: "One hundred and fifty-five people."

Zhou Qingfeng waved his hand, and Jin Wei immediately stepped aside, drawing his sword to protect him.

"Chief Steward Lian."

"Your humble servant is here." Steward Lian wiped his sweat and quickly stepped forward, bowing respectfully.

“These 155 people are the private property of the first family. They disappeared without a trace. You have to give an explanation.”

"Confess, confess..." Steward Lian wiped his sweat with his sleeve.

Zhou Qingfeng stood up, patted Steward Lian on the shoulder, and said meaningfully, "Steward Lian, don't panic. Think it over slowly, and I'll investigate slowly. Think it through before you speak. We'll eventually find out where these 155 people went."

"Before this, I was in charge of the mine. Is that alright?"

The head steward was sweating profusely, wiping his brow with trembling hands: "No, no problem, I'll do whatever you say."

"Someone, take Steward Lian to wash his face and calm down," Zhou Qingfeng beckoned.

Two anti-bandit soldiers immediately stepped forward and carried the weak-legged Chief Steward Lian towards the well. Then they tied Chief Steward Lian's hands and feet, and kicked him into the well.

Zhou Qingfeng stood with his hands behind his back, maintaining a calm and composed demeanor throughout.

The so-called routine inspection was just an excuse to take over the mine. Now that problems have been found, even if the manager is smart enough, he will know what to do. If he is not smart enough, he doesn't mind losing another mine manager.

Zhou Qingfeng looked at the slave miners as they were being fed. They were eating a bowl of corn mixed with rice bran, which was made from pig bran. The only vegetables in the bowl were pickled vegetables and a few green leafy vegetables.

So he picked up the roast chicken and pig's trotters on the table, went forward, and distributed the meat to the poorly clothed slave miners. Seeing this, Jin Wei immediately took two plates of food and handed them to Zhou Qingfeng.

Zhou Qingfeng nodded and silently distributed the delicacies to the slave miners.

"Thank you, thank you, General Qiu..." The slave miners were reserved and fearful, but their eyes were filled with gratitude. They didn't understand much, they only knew that a great official had come, punished the head steward, and given them meat to eat.

"A perfect blend of firmness and gentleness, winning people's hearts—what a brilliant tactic!" Xiao Hongyun remarked, watching the scene unfold.

Ye Tingxiu said quietly, "Awesome, I've learned something."