Big Data Cultivation
Chapter 1057: The Grudges of the Top Student

Chapter 1057: Chapter 1057: The Grudges of the Top Student

Upon hearing Feng Jun’s question, Hong Bafang felt as if there was a loud buzz inside his head.

At that moment, he truly didn’t know how to explain himself. He had brought up the Taiqing Sect hoping the name would intimidate the other party into retreat, not to have the Taiqing Sect take the blame—he certainly did not have the courage for that.

Strictly speaking, he did receive a commission from the Taiqing Sect to investigate Mount Zhige, but the Taiqing Sect definitely did not kill Master Linlang.

After pausing for a moment, he stated, "I obtained this Mirage King Bracer through my own opportunity; it has nothing to do with the Taiqing Sect."

Feng Junruo seemed thoughtful as he glanced at him, "So you indeed know... this is the Mirage King Bracer?"

In an instant, Hong Bafang’s sorrow turned into a river, "I genuinely didn’t know, I only heard it from you."

Feng Jun smiled slightly, "You can say whatever, I’m just listening."

In truth, he could only listen; bluffing too much might expose him further.

But how could Hong Bafang know he was being so deceitful? He felt compelled to explain further—he had accepted a commission from someone in the Taiqing Sect to investigate Mount Zhige and look into Mountain Master Feng’s background.

Exactly who had commissioned him, Hong Bafang did not say, believing it to be a reflection of professional ethics.

Feng Jun did not bother him, simply sitting there, occasionally smoking a cigarette, mostly browsing on his mobile phone.

But with Feng Jun staying silent, Hong Bafang became uneasy, "Mountain Master Feng, I’m ignorant and have intruded mistakenly."

"What’s going on with you, and what does it have to do with me?" Feng Jun replied lazily, then lifted his hand to wipe rainwater off his face, "I’ve already told you, to choose a manner of death... I’m ignoring you now because you, youngster, are too scheming."

This was his true thought; although this guy was only at the Qi Refining Ninth Layer, he possessed the Mirage King Bracer, knew how to set up Array Plates during his spying, and even summoning the Demon-Sealing Pagoda wasn’t enough for a successful capture. Dealing with him was really troublesome.

This guy even slapped on a Defense Talisman when he fell into the water, clearly a slippery character.

Without making a sound, Feng Jun watched Hong Bafang falter for a moment before he voluntarily revealed the origin of the Mirage King Bracer. It was something his grandfather had found on a corpse in a cave while hunting near the Endless Sea.

The corpse was covered in scars and had a broken leg, obviously chased to death, but probably because of the Mirage King Bracer, it managed to hide in the cave and die there, the Storage Bag still on its body.

Hong Bafang’s grandfather was a Qi-Refining Practitioner and was later ambushed himself. Relying on the invisibility provided by the Mirage King Bracer, he escaped back home with his last breath and never revealed who had harmed him.

In small families within the Cultivation World, this is a common practice—when the opposing force is strong, rather than pass down the hatred, it’s better to stop with oneself. Without such pressure, the younger generations in the clan might live better.

Feng Jun listened to his rambling for a while, which picked out the unnecessary details, feeling a bit annoyed.

He stepped forward to remove the other’s Storage Bag and also took off the Mirage King Bracer, then proceeded to take some miscellaneous items from his body, and finally, he reached for the Immortal Binding Rope, preparing to leave this plane.

How clever was Hong Bafang? He sensed the killing intent from the other side vividly, which scared him out of his wits, and he couldn’t hold back from screaming out, "It was Master Sumiao of Taiqing who asked me to spy!"

"Hmm?" Feng Jun couldn’t help but turn his head to look at him, "Pretty good at bragging, huh? Why don’t you say you’re a Disciple of Taiqing yourself?"

"My family does have some ties with the Taiqing," Hong Bafang hurriedly spoke up, "My maternal grandfather is a Disciple of Taiqing."

Feng Jun raised his eyebrows, speaking half in jest, "Do you think I don’t know who you are? Hong Bafang, okay... I’ll see you off first. If your maternal grandfather is not a Disciple of Taiqing, I’ll eradicate your Hong Family entirely in the Muddy Floods!"

Hong Bafang was terrified by his words, "You actually know who I am?"

Seeing Feng Jun reach out for him again, he hastened to shout once more, "Master Feng, I truly was working for Master Sumiao, and his disciple, Master Lu Wanfeng, can testify!"

Feng Jun said he was not interested in the man’s motives, but since the other was willing to speak, he naturally didn’t mind listening, thus his hand paused mid-air, just watching the other lightly.

Hong Bafang quickly seized this last chance, urgently explaining. He had initially thought his identity wasn’t exposed, so the other wouldn’t rush to act, but now, it appeared they even knew about the Hong Family’s Muddy Floods.

Speaking of his connection with the Taiqing Sect, he did have some ties indeed; many times, he would mingle in Taiqing Marketplace.

The Taiqing Marketplace differed from Qiuchen Marketplace; the majority of the marketplace’s leaders were Disciples of Taiqing, though there were also a few Loose Cultivators. These were deliberately promoted by the marketplace to dilute Taiqing’s presence, aiming to attract outside cultivators to trade.

As one of the Four Great Sects, the Taiqing Sect wasn’t lacking in cultivation resources, but some resources still had to be provided by outside cultivators.

Because the marketplace had a strong Taiqing flavor, it couldn’t be considered a purely neutral market, hence it was far less bustling than Qiuchen Marketplace.

Hong Bafang didn’t like to manage goods; in that marketplace, his role was to gather information.

A while ago, Master Lu Wanfeng came looking for him, making him inquire about Feng Jun from the Secular World at Mount Zhige, claiming it related to his own master and insisting on utmost diligence.

Feng Jun was somewhat curious, "I have no dealings with the Taiqing Sect, what does he want you to find out about me?"

Hong Bafang gave a dry laugh, twisting his body slightly, "Master Feng, could you maybe first put down your..."

"Seeking death!" Feng Jun raised his leg and kicked, sending the man flying more than ten meters away. He swiftly chased after, already drawing his long blade—since it involved a master, it would be better not to use the force of Weimian to kill.

"Master Lu said," Hong Bafang spat out blood but yelled again, "he wanted me to especially ask about your medical skills!"

"What an annoying creature, not speaking honestly unless beaten," Feng Jun pointed his long blade at the man, speaking coldly, "Anything else you need to confess? Speak clearly, and I’ll leave your whole corpse!"

"You can’t be serious?" Hong Bafang stared at him with wide eyes, "I really am working for Master Sumiao, you can ask Master Lu... I’ve made everything clear, do you still want to kill me?"

"Even if you serve a Nascent Soul, should you offend your superiors?" Feng Jun sneered, "Inquiring information doesn’t mean sneaking around in the dead of night... Remember this lesson in your next life!"

Just as he was about to bring down his blade, he abruptly heard someone shouting not far away, "Spare him, Mountain Master Feng."

Following that, a figure rapidly approached, none other than the ascetic Master Luo Shuchen from the Tianxin Platform.

Feng Jun glanced at him annoyedly, "Old Luo, following me secretly is one thing, but why stop me from killing?"

"I was merely curious," Luo Shuchen smiled in reply. Feng Jun had asked him for a Spirit Binding Array, and out of curiosity, he followed; this was understandable—he could even say it was to protect Feng Jun.

Indeed, Feng Jun had noticed him following, but it didn’t matter. He intended to kill a Qi-Refining Practitioner who had broken into his home, and no one could say he was wrong.

But Luo Shuchen explained with a wry smile, "I didn’t mean to stop you, but he kept mentioning Master Sumiao so pitifully, I couldn’t just pretend not to hear."

Feng Jun furrowed his brows, puzzled, "Master Sumiao is from Taiqing, what does she have to do with Tianxin Platform?"

Luo Shuchen sighed, "Master Sumiao and my master... have known each other since childhood."

Feng Jun nodded, starting to understand, "You mean to say... it’s not Master Busheng who needs treatment, but Master Sumiao?"

"Exactly as you think," Luo Shuchen nodded, casually conjuring a white bowl, covering Hong Bafang with it before continuing, "My master originally wanted to introduce you to treat her, but she has been... hesitant."

"Hesitant?" Feng Jun instantly understood, smiling, "Is there a little conflict between the two?"

"Sigh," Luo Shuchen sighed, "Master Sumiao entered Taiqing first and wanted my master to also join Taiqing, but my master chose Tianxin Platform... They’re both very stubborn."

Clearly two stubborn top scholars, yet still childhood sweethearts... Feng Jun could visualize those scenes, so he nodded, "Alright, what illness does Master Sumiao have?"

Luo Shuchen spread his hands helplessly, "My master won’t tell me, so I don’t know... It’s about the Golden Core, how could we be so clear? Maybe it’s Lu Wanfeng who’s ill, and Master Sumiao is seeking a doctor for him."

"Don’t know?" Feng Jun glanced at him unamusedly.

He could understand such reservations, but he needed to clarify something, "Master Luo, I can’t cure every disease."

"Understood," Luo Shuchen smiled and nodded, "If you can’t cure it, you can’t. Master Sumiao surely understands this... You have no need to worry, Master Busheng values you not just for a real person from Taiqing, but for your capabilities."

Feng Jun felt that Old Luo was always proper in speech, yet he couldn’t help but sigh, "Ah, what does it matter how capable I am? This Hong Bafang... you’re probably going to protect him, right?"

"If he were serving for another master, I wouldn’t care less," Luo Shuchen rolled his eyes and then shook his head, "But for that one... tsk, since it’s the same issue, how could I just watch?"

"Indeed," Feng Jun nodded, understanding Luo’s feelings well, "But this guy... is it that hard to inquire openly? Sneaking around Mount Zhige in the dead of night, observing me—if I didn’t react, would I still be considered an ascetic master?"

Luo Shuchen also nodded, "It’s just his urgent desire for success. I know what kind of person Lu Wanfeng is, a bit petty, but this kind of incident definitely wasn’t his idea."

"Heh," Feng Jun laughed, "To say that this Hong Bafang has no ulterior motives, I’d never believe it... Either way, targeting me isn’t going to end just like that, Master Luo, I’ll need some explanation from you."

"Enough, don’t think only you know about the Mirage King Bracer!" Luo Shuchen laughed, interrupting him, "Who made it, I’m not sure, but it ended up in the hands of a Guest Elder at Wanfu Platform, and after the elder’s death, the whereabouts of the bracer are unknown."

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