Big Data Cultivation

Chapter 133: Forced Buy and Forced Sell

The case involving Wang Weimin seemed significant on the surface, with the robbery targeting three million in cash and jade stones valued at over ten million.

But when all was said and done, there were no serious consequences; instead, the three robbers were injured quite badly.

This created room for maneuver.

Jubaozhai was trying to save their young master and could, of course, pull out all the stops. Conversely, Feng Jun hadn’t suffered any loss, and since he wasn’t an influential figure, even if someone wanted to help by applying pressure, it wouldn’t compare to the other side’s rescue efforts.

Sister Hong did have strong connections but for such a trivial matter… was it worth it?

When she called Feng Jun, her mindset was this: Xiao Feng, if you don’t want to let them off the hook, I can introduce you to some people, but pushing this issue will be a stretch, and the cost… could be substantial.

But Feng Jun was nonchalant, “Wang Tiechen certainly has some clout. Alright, let him handle it.”

Sister Hong was surprised by his response, “I thought you were the impulsive type.”

“Even if I had some ideas, now’s not the right time,” Feng Jun replied with a laugh, “They’ve just called in favors to get their man out. They should enjoy their triumph for a couple of days; otherwise, it would be too disrespectful to some of the leaders.”

“That makes sense,” Sister Hong chuckled over the phone, “If we choose to push back now, the cost is too high. We can wait a while before we pick up where we left off with them. I don’t believe anyone would repeatedly stick their neck out for him.”

This was where she proved difficult to handle: You have connections? I will wear you down slowly, to see if you can endure.

“Heh,” Feng Jun laughed indifferently without rejecting her advice, but he gave a vague response, “Acting now would bring too much suspicion; it’s not in line with my preference for keeping a low profile.”

After hanging up, Xu Leigang spoke in anger, “Shall I find some guys to beat that scoundrel senseless?”

Although he was much older than Sister Hong, many military offspring are just like him—impulsive. They’re not incapable of being sneaky, but they feel straightforward confrontation is the more honorable approach.

Beating up the opponent might be childish and would not help matters, but… it would feel good, right?

And it might also embarrass the folks at Jubaozhai.

Feng Jun wasn’t all that interested in such childish acts of venting, but he wouldn’t disingenuously deny his involvement. He simply said with a smile, “If you want to go, just go. I won’t stop you… I just think it’s meaningless.”

“It’s none of your business. I’m doing this for myself,” Xu Leigang retorted, showing how straightforward he was—I don’t need your gratitude, I just can’t stand this incident.

Of course, even if Master Feng didn’t appreciate it, he could still score some points with him. This move… wasn’t a loss!

“Take good care of yourself,” Feng Jun reminded him, picking up the items that Xu Leigang had brought with him to the storage room.

Early the next morning, after a hearty meal, Feng Jun entered the Cultivation Space once again.

Everything was as he had left it. Lang Zhen and Deng Lao Er were haggling over the price with the person who had brought three pieces of jade.

The smallest of the three jade stones weighed four hundred pounds, and they were all Mutton Fat White Jade—jade of this quality was too precious for Feng Jun to reveal carelessly on Earth.

Even on Mount Zhige, such jade stones were exceedingly rare. One need only consider the jade pillow Feifei sold to understand that a single piece of jade could become a family heirloom.

Lang Zhen estimated the price for the three jade stones at eighty silver dollars, but the men who brought them refused, insisting on no less than two hundred silver dollars.

Truth be told, the price Lone Wolf offered was fair; he even took into account the large size of the stones, giving a premium. If dealers from Xiyin City had been buying, they’d be laughing if they could get sixty silver dollars.

Think their asking price is too low? Then don’t sell.

The people selling the jade stones, starting with an exaggerated asking price, were indeed excessive. Even if they began bargaining at one hundred silver dollars as a starting point, it would have been reasonable, but two hundred… what were they thinking?

Lone Wolf started with a friendly negotiation—as someone with a background as an escort master, he certainly wasn’t all about fighting. In fact, escorts often relied on reputation and connections to make a living. No escort bureau could survive on brute force alone.

If it were all about fighting, escort bureaus would have closed down long ago; the modest earnings wouldn’t cover the loss of escorts in each skirmish.

Lang Zhen was amicable, but the men on the other side weren’t buying it. They were numerous, with eight or nine sturdy lads.

If they were fewer, they wouldn’ t even be able to lift those three stones.

Lang Zhen was accompanied by only two others, yet Deng Lao Er was a High- Rank Martial Warrior, and having recovered some of his martial master presence thanks to the Meridian Opening Pill, Lang Zhen was not intimidated by the opposition.

As the dispute raged on, Elder Deng returned. He too was a High-Rank Martial Warrior, and although he was not much older than his younger brother and looked rather youthful and reticent, his commanding presence was palpable as soon as he stood there.

The men selling stones saw this and their arrogance abated somewhat, but the leading High-Rank Martial Warrior spoke up, “What, you think you can use greater numbers to bully us?”

Elder Deng Lao Er couldn’t help but laugh in anger, “Can you even count? Who has more people, us or you?”

The expression of the High-Rank Martial Warrior darkened as he spoke ominously, “If you really want to compare numbers, the people of Zhao Family Fort will accompany you!”

From his tone, it seemed that to him, none of them yet constituted a large group, implying he could gather the entire village if necessary.

“Zhao Family Fort?” Elder Deng Lao Er sneered disdainfully. Villages like these, named after a family, are usually single-clan villages, where the entire village forms one large family. Generally speaking, even the Official Government avoids provoking them without good reason.

But what of it? The Escort Bureau has seen all sorts of situations. “Do you know who we are?”

The High-Rank Martial Warrior scoffed coldly, “Aren’t you just those unable to remain in the Escort Bureau? Were it not for the sake of the bureau’s reputation, I would have been less courteous long ago. Do you really think Zhao Family Fort lacks martial masters?”

With these words, the bystanders knew trouble was brewing—who else would inquire about their background if not an enemy?

“Yo-ho,” Lone Wolf sneered viciously, the first to lose his composure upon hearing this, he stood up and spoke with a sinister tone, “Boy, are you saying that I couldn’t stay on?”

As for him, he had left the Escort Bureau because he couldn’t obtain the Meridian Opening Pill and thus had become incapacitated.

It was only the bureau that had wronged him, never the other way around. At this moment, a surge of fresh rage mingled with old grudges welled up inside of him.

Without deliberately releasing the aura of a martial master, but as the once-overbearing Lone Wolf, a killer without equal, his presence naturally exuded a thick murderous intent and bloodthirstiness. Once he dropped his disguise, an invisible pressure loomed.

Frightened, the High-Rank Martial Warrior took a step back, eyeing his adversary with alarm. Before his arrival, he had only known that the two High- Rank Martial Warriors here were the sons of Escort Master Deng, not expecting that an unremarkable cripple was in fact a true expert.

However, what of it? After retreating a step, he struggled to maintain his dignity, “What, does this cripple want to cause trouble?”

“Cripple? It’s been a while since I’ve been called that,” Lang Zhen said, reaching the peak of his fury but instead chuckled lightly, “Let me think, what’s the crime for insulting a martial master again?”

In this realm, martial masters were already considered high-end. Placed in the Earth Realm, they could at least be equated with a department-head-level official. Otherwise, why would the people of Zhao Family Fort mention having a martial master—they’re boasting about having a department head in their village.

Considered high-end forces in the mortal world, there may not be explicit regulations against offending martial masters, but in practice, any commoner daring to disrespect a martial master is surely in for trouble.

If someone intentionally insults a martial master, then it’s indeed a crime. Even if the martial master doesn’t care, other martial masters won’t stand for it—insulting one of our own without consequences? That won’t do.

The face of the High-Rank Martial Warrior finally turned pale, but he didn’t resort to sophistry. Steeling himself, he said, “I did not know you were a martial master. Ignorance is not a sin. Moreover, my elder brother is also a martial master.”

“Your elder brother is a martial master, what does that have to do with you?” Lang Zhen swayed slightly, without apparent effort, he had already closed in on the man. The single-edged sword haned from his waist lifted and came down in a flash.

His movements were extraordinarily swift. The High-Rank Martial Warrior instinctively dodged, but he couldn’t avoid the slash. His left forearm immediately dropped to the ground—the Lone Wolf had always been known for his swift actions.

Lang Zhen, after cutting down his opponent’s arm, didn’t press further and retreated, looking at the other man coldly.

“Good that you understand your own standing…” The High-Rank Martial Warrior hadn’t even realized that his left hand was no longer his—the opponent’s blade had been too fast.

It wasn’t until he saw his own arm on the ground that he stood frozen for a moment, then let out a heart-wrenching scream, “Ah… How dare you strike me? How could you?”

Lang Zhen lifted his chin, speaking with pride, “Since you look down on cripples, let us be crippled together… then perhaps, your views will change.”

The High – Rank Martial Warrior turned out to be a tough character. After the initial shock, he bent down, picked up his own arm, and glared at Lang Zhen with fierce hatred, his mouth twitched as if he wanted to say something.

Lang Zhen squinted, gazing indifferently at him, his whole body relaxed—in truth, this was his preparation for a full-force strike.

If the other dared to offend him again, he truly would kill him.

Luckily, the High-Rank Martial Warrior wasn’t a foolhardy youth. In that indifferent gaze, he sensed great danger—fatal danger.

And so, his right hand, still clutching his left arm, gestured slightly, and he spoke through gritted teeth, “Let’s go. Someone will come to seek justice.”

He dared to say this because, besides him, Zhao Family Fort had eight brawny men. Even if there were martial masters on the other side, they might not be able to keep all of them—couldn’t they just run if they couldn’t beat them?

Of course, it would be impossible to run with the stones, so they had to retreat cautiously. After all, the other side had collected so many stones, there was no need to worry about them leaving immediately.

(Update, first day in Changsha, scheduled updates. Some say that Feng Xiao creates conflict too deliberately. But like the conflicts in this chapter, they are commonplace in the Earth Realm, even an everyday affair. Haven’t those living near urban villages seen or heard about such incidents? Before criticizing Feng Xiao, please recharge some intellect. Alright, no more digressions, calling for monthly tickets.)

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