Big Data Cultivation
Chapter 1088: The Monk’s Worldly Mind

Chapter 1088: Chapter 1088: The Monk’s Worldly Mind

Feng Jun invited these people into the mountain, and after they passed through the mountain gate, he gave Leixiu a look, "Stay for a few days."

In his heart, Leixiu understood that this was Feng Jun protecting them.

Although he was known for his volatile temperament, he was not foolish. If he and his two disciples encountered an ambush by two cultivators from the Yinsha Sect on their way back, he would definitely be driven to tears—he could defeat any one of them, but he certainly couldn’t beat both at the same time.

Therefore, he nodded slightly, "We trust your goods, but having more data is also good. Mount Zhige conducts business fairly, I’m very clear about that."

You Longzi watched this scene with a smile that wasn’t quite a smile, remaining silent. He was no fool either; how could he not discern Feng Jun’s intentions?

But what did it have to do with him? Indeed, he also found Leixiu distasteful, but this time Bai Li was in charge, and he just needed to observe. Otherwise, he wouldn’t have had that expression earlier when Bai Li was confronting Leixiu.

In front of Bai Li, it was indeed Feng Jun who had invited him into Mount Zhige, while Bai Li was left standing outside the mountain gate. That particularly delighted him, as if after a long journey on a sweltering summer day, he had plunged into a cave of eternal ice.

The two of them didn’t fly but walked, and soon arrived in front of a three-story building with four large characters—Longmen Inn.

Feng Jun said with a smile, "Please, come inside. This is a new venture of mine, accommodating visiting friends."

Because there were so many cultivators coming and going, he wanted to bring them under some form of management, hence the idea of "setting up a guesthouse" came about, and so this building was constructed.

What’s more ingenious is that there is a mid-stage Qi Refining Spirit Gathering Array in the backyard; one Spirit Stone allows for a day of cultivation.

Is it expensive? Indeed, a bit pricey, but it’s a representation of status, just like how a five-star hotel needs to have a swimming pool.

You Longzi sighed, "It hasn’t been long since I last saw you, friend, but what you’ve accomplished is thriving."

Feng Jun couldn’t help but let out a slight smile, "This is just the beginning."

After leading You Longzi to the backyard, Lang Dajie brought over some tea, and Feng Jun took a gentle sip before asking, "What does the alliance entail?"

After all, he isn’t someone fond of beating around the bush, even though he isn’t lacking in the art of language.

You Longzi grunted discontentedly, "How else could it be? The sect no longer allows me to intervene in this matter. Others can, but I can’t. How absurd... it’s a joke just to talk about it."

Sure enough, he was aware of others who had employed such tactics successfully. Having encountered an opportunity like Mount Zhige, he wanted to make a quick profit but overlooked some other factors.

Feng Jun wasn’t interested in his ramblings—that was an internal matter of the Yinsha Sect, and knowing too much might not be a good thing, "Has your sect issued your reward yet?"

You Longzi fell silent. Strictly speaking, the Yinsha Sect had abided by its rules; they had given him the merit points. They forbade him from being involved in procurement; was there anything wrong with that?

But just because the outcome was not entirely to his liking, he was resentful. It was indeed a case of ’Why can the monk touch it and I can’t?’

So after a while, he sighed heavily and nodded despondently, "In this regard, the sect indeed cannot skim... However, how much reward can one discover for finding a mundane object’s special use?"

This man is truly not worth forming a deep connection with! Feng Jun internally assessed him but asked aloud, "Then for what reason have you two come this time, and what are your requests for me, You Longzi?"

You Longzi sighed, "It’s as I have said, this time it is still Bai Li who is leading. I have come with him to persuade you to trade with him... It’s truly an embarrassing request."

After a pause, he continued speaking, "However you choose to negotiate with him, I won’t get involved. But I can give you a heads-up, the sect still values this transaction of mundane items highly, so you needn’t concede too much to him... or concession is optional."

Do you think I need you to tell me this? Feng Jun could only bitterly smile to himself. Hasn’t it been clear how things have been progressing to this point?

You Longzi hesitated for a moment, then asked with a slightly embarrassed tone, "That... the Spirit Stones you promised me, can you pay me now?"

Feng Jun wore a look of astonishment, seemingly bewildered as he stared at him, "Now... payment? The trade has not yet occurred."

This astonishment was somewhat exaggerated; in reality, he was unsurprised by such a request.

Having been through the tumultuous business world of Earth Realm, he had come across and heard of too many similar characters, who demanded prospective benefits with great urgency as soon as their projects were about to transfer, fearing they would be unattainable later on.

Feng Jun was willing to entertain similar behaviors, as he had no intention of reneging on those benefits. The issue was merely whether to deliver them sooner or later; in that other world, people were too impatient and those who failed to honor their promises were a dime a dozen.

However, this plane was different. People placed more emphasis on ethics and reputation, and You Longzi’s behavior was extremely rare—it was not only self-destructive to his image but also subtly questioned the other party’s integrity.

Therefore, he made an appropriately astonished expression.

You Longzi’s face turned red, "I am no longer able to be involved in this matter. Whether the transaction happens or not, is it so important?"

Giving you face indeed, Feng Jun inwardly sighed, confirming that this person was truly not worth associating with.

He pondered for a moment before answering, "It’s not an issue to give them to you, but you clearly do not trust me."

You Longzi felt annoyed by his comment, "If the deal falls through, I will certainly return them to you. Do you really think I am so petty?"

You don’t trust me, yet you expect me to trust you? Feng Jun was utterly speechless at this fellow’s logic.

However, insisting on You Longzi’s involvement was his own adamant request, and at this moment, if he were to terminate the transaction, he wouldn’t even have a proper reason.

One must finish the wine they have brewed, no matter the taste.

Overall, this was just a small hiccup; two thousand Spirit Stones were no issue for him at present. Giving them in advance was fine as he had planned to do so anyway.

After all, saying anything more at this time was redundant and could potentially breed resentment, possibly leading to other complications.

Since he had no intention of deepening ties with the other party, he emotionlessly counted out two thousand Spirit Stones and said, "Please."

You Longzi accepted the Spirit Stones, also feeling a bit awkward—the other party didn’t even provide a Storage Talisman, just laid out the Spirit Stones so directly. Although it implied counting, it also seemed a bit disrespectful.

However, being an Intermediate Level cultivator, he had developed a thick skin and was not about to fly into a rage out of embarrassment.

So, containing his discomfort, he lifted his teacup to drink and casually brought up another topic with Feng Jun—just having entered Mount Zhige and leaving soon after, he would unavoidably arouse some thoughts from his fellow disciple Bai Li.

He made small talk with Feng Jun about recent events in the Cultivation World, feeling that Mountain Master Feng, who had not emerged from known powers, probably lacked understanding of the Cultivation World, making these topics excellent conversation material.

This included the execution of Master Hong Zhu and the news that a certain Reward Command Token was soon to be auctioned.

Feng Jun, however, paid more attention to one piece of news: several small Spirit Stone Mines had been discovered near the Endless Sea and the Demon Beasts in the sea seemed agitated; the area had now become a new hunting ground.

He remembered that he had sold Master Yisuo’s Reward Command Token to Huang Fu Wuxia, and Tiantong wanted this token to negotiate with Heavenly Heart Platform over a section of a beach by the Endless Sea, a place rumored to have a high probability of finding Spirit Stone Mines.

Truth be told, he quite enjoyed hunting Demon Beasts, feeling that it was a daily experience in a cultivator’s life, and with the ultimate life-saving measures at his disposal, he wasn’t too worried about losing his life.

But previously, his Cultivation Level was low, and worrying about exposing his foundation, he could only sneakily develop his capabilities while also making plans for a place to settle down.

Now that the place to settle down was well established, his Cultivation Level had also advanced to the Out-of-Dust stage, and he had started inter-plane business, with his settlement turning out better than planned. However, in its development, he faced a new problem—in order to manage it, he had also gathered a group of minions.

A cultivator should know what to hold on to and what to let go of, able to cut ties and resolve when key moments arise; yet, Feng Jun felt that he should not abandon these people.

Firstly, these people were his followers; secondly, he had no particularly trustworthy companions in this realm.

Even though he maintained good relations with some cultivators, those people were not at his disposal, only simple partners.

The ones he could truly trust were these followers of his, regarding both the current plane business and future plans of organizing a force.

In short, Feng Jun had no intention of deserting these people, not simply due to an inability to let go but also from the perspective of future development.

For example, for the recent purchase of lithium batteries on Earth Plane, Feng Jun had not intervened personally at all; it was all managed by his women and disciples, who had smoothly resolved a rather tricky matter, showing they already possessed the capability to assist him.

However, because of these people, even though his Cultivation Level had improved and he could afford to take some risks in the Cultivation World, he was somewhat unable to leave.

After an awkward conversation for over an hour, You Longzi stood up to take his leave, "Why don’t you... come with me to discuss things with fellow disciple Bai Li?"

Feng Jun thought for a moment before shaking his head, "How about you wait for me a while? I’ll go find out how many fridges and air conditioners have arrived."

He was well aware that all the fridges and air conditioners had arrived; his current statement was merely an excuse to send a message to Thunder—"I’ll hold them off; you take the disciples and leave quickly."

Thunder, still somewhat worried about Feng Jun’s situation, confirmed multiple times that Feng Jun had means of self-protection, then finally led the disciples away.

And indeed, Feng Jun managed to keep You Longzi and Monk Bai Li stalled, leaving them in Mount Zhige for three days.

Delaying someone was too easy; he started by expressing that, thanks to Daoist You Longzi’s strong recommendation, he was in principle willing to discuss this business with Monk Bai Li, but the specific price would need to be negotiated.

When it came to price negotiations, how many days they would be delayed was entirely up to Feng Jun, wasn’t it?

Even if Monk Bai Li couldn’t wait that long, Feng Jun wouldn’t let him go: I am, after all, a respected Out-of-Dust period cultivator, you can’t possibly expect to send a Qi Refining Disciple from Yinsha Sect to negotiate with me, can you?

(Updated, calling for monthly votes.)