Big Data Cultivation
Chapter 1185: The Three Evils of the Lu Family

Chapter 1185: Chapter 1185: The Three Evils of the Lu Family

The three Lu brothers, Zhaoshan, Zhaoshui, and Zhaofeng, have been in Mingsha Fang Market for less than two decades.

The more authoritative version says they were loose cultivators near Kongming Mountain and, being unwelcome there, ended up in Mingsha.

When they first arrived, only Lu Zhaoshan had reached the first tier of Out Dust Realm, while Lu Zhaoshui and Lu Zhaofeng were merely at the peak of Qi Refinement Realm.

Upon arriving in Mingsha, they didn’t engage in any legitimate business—either standing guard for others or collecting debts.

Fang Markets forbid fighting—that’s the universal rule—but for those skirting gray areas, the regulations are an opportunity to earn risky money.

The Lu brothers engaged in such activities excessively and were once apprehended by the Fang Market authorities, but, as luck would have it, they encountered a Spirit Beast siege, joined the defense, and not only had their charges pardoned but also earned considerable merit points.

Later on, the merit points they earned were consistently used to clear their criminal records.

Then, they managed to curry favor with a high-ranking Out Dust cultivator from Ten Directions Platform. Their business expanded crazily, coercing merchants, exploiting markets, and even setting up a casino.

Later, during another small-scale Spirit Beast siege, the three brothers crazily farmed merit points and even bought merit points from others, leaving them with significant stockpiles of points.

Lu Zhaofeng even declared arrogantly, "If I want to deal with someone, hiding in the Fang Market won’t help—I’ll kill you all the same!"

He even dared to block a high-tier Qi Refinement patrol officer outside the administrative office and beat him up.

This over-the-top arrogance resulted in the Fang Market management merely scolding them a bit, deducting their merit points, and imposing a fine.

Ultimately, the patrol officer lacked background and wasn’t well regarded within the administration, so no one was willing to speak up for him.

The Fang Market leadership understood the cause and effect, but ordinary citizens wouldn’t know. However, when the news spread, the Lu brothers’ fame skyrocketed—beating up a member of the administration with no consequences!

In truth, the Lu brothers didn’t mess with just anyone. Families with disciples tied to Wutai and the Four Sects were generally avoided, but if those disciples owed debts, the brothers didn’t hesitate to collect.

One noon, Old Lu was drinking with two young beauties when someone came to report that someone from the Wu Family in Lantern Town was seeking an audience.

Lu Zhaoshan asked who had come, then furiously exclaimed, "Is the Wu Family courting death? Sending a mere Qi Refinement cultivator to see me... Beat them away!"

Soon after, another report came in, stating the Qi Refinement cultivator had already been driven off, but before leaving, they claimed to be just a messenger—the owner of White Pebble Beach had arrived and hoped the Lu brothers would meet within half a month.

White Pebble Beach... Old Lu remembered the name, not just due to the size of the area but because he knew that the Wu and Pan Families had their eyes on it, and some of their underlings had even orchestrated a scheme for a small clan guarding it.

The Lu brothers weren’t interested in the potential of White Pebble Beach, nor did they care to investigate. Their usual thinking was: if the Wu and Pan Families managed to find value there, then they’d step in to take their share!

That was always the Lu brothers’ approach—if there’s a profitable business, they’d muscle in. They’d even eyed Tiantong before.

Arrogant? Perhaps not entirely. After all, when Tiantong decided to act against the brothers, Ten Directions stepped in to mediate. Tiantong wasn’t going to escalate enough to involve a Golden Core—a settlement with Spirit Stones sufficed.

That matter fizzled out anticlimactically, but in everyone’s eyes, surviving against Tiantong elevated the brothers’ reputation—strength and connections that seemed unfathomable.

Considering all this, Old Lu remarked, "Bring that guy back; I want to ask... why hasn’t the Pan Family reached out to me?"

The Qi Refinement disciple from the Wu Family had long vanished, leaving as soon as they delivered the message—staying longer was courting death.

Old Lu wasn’t merely a brute. Pondering the strange turn of events, he decided to send people to contact the Pan Family.

Not long after, word came back: the Pan Family had been annihilated yesterday. The one responsible was none other than the owner of White Pebble Beach, with the Wu Family and Sun Family acting as accomplices. In a single night, one clan had fallen.

Upon hearing this, Old Lu deliberated for a while and summoned his two younger brothers.

Second Brother Lu Zhaoshui suggested investigating the background of Feng Jun, but Third Brother Lu Zhaofeng was unequivocal. "So what if he destroyed a minor Pan Family? Thinks he’s a big deal? You can’t let people get this full of themselves... Big Brother, let me take some men and capture him."

The three brothers, now at their peak, even had an intermediate-tier Out Dust guest elder. Third Brother Lu figured bringing the guest elder would be enough to handle the opponent’s top-tier fighters; there’d be no need to trouble his older brothers.

Second Brother Lu Zhaoshui, being softer, expressed that if they were going, they should go together—better not let Third Brother take risks alone. "Besides," he added, "they’ve asked for fifteen days—why rush?"

Third Brother Lu countered, insisting revenge must be swift, complaining, "If we drag it out like this, how can they not look down on us?"

Old Lu thought for a moment and concluded, "Let’s send them a message. Tell them we won’t bother heading to a junky place like Lantern Town. If they have anything to say, let them come to Mingsha Fang Market to talk—we’re giving them just ten days. Otherwise, they’ll face the consequences."

This response ensured their authority remained intact while also buying time to investigate the opponent—a win-win solution.

After the brothers agreed, Old Lu set the matter aside—with all they’d accomplished in Mingsha Fang Market, what hadn’t they dealt with? Even Tiantong couldn’t handle them; why worry about an unknown outsider?

But Third Brother Lu was exceptionally displeased. Upon leaving, he headed straight to the Wu Family estate and smashed their shop to pieces.

In reality, the brothers had been relatively restrained in the Fang Market—rarely killing without sufficient cause.

The Wu Family’s younger members didn’t dare to make a sound. When Third Brother Lu asked about Feng Jun’s connections, they certainly wouldn’t answer properly—truth be told, few among the Wu Family’s disciples in the Fang Market knew much about Feng Jun at all.

Third Brother Lu, however, was certain of one thing—the main force that wiped out the Pan Family was from the Wu and Sun Families. Feng Jun’s side had only sent one superior cultivator.

Yet no one mentioned that this cultivator was intermediate-tier Out Dust—not everyone had the discerning eye to identify that.

Third Brother Lu didn’t doubt Feng Jun’s side had at least two superior cultivators—how else could they have dared challenge the Lu brothers?

Still, even with two stronger cultivators plus Wu’s elite, they’d only total three. Add one more, and they’d just reach four.

The Lu brothers also had four superior cultivators on their side. If needed, they could easily recruit one or two more.

Third Brother Lu was confident that their mere presence would deter Wu’s superior cultivator from acting—he had too many family members depending on him.

This was one reason the three brothers dominated the Fang Market—they had no ties to large clans.

Though the brothers were married with children, their offspring numbered only about ten. If trouble arose, they could abandon everything and flee.

Families with vast businesses, on the other hand, had far more considerations—large estates were advantageous but could also bind one’s hands.

Thus, the three brothers embodied the saying, "Barefoot never fears those in shoes."

Understanding this, Third Brother Lu decided to take their guest elder straight to Lantern Town.

Finally, someone managed to stop him, pleading, "Even if you’re going to act, at least wait two more days... The master already said they’ve got ten days to come and pay respects. If you attack now, aren’t you giving them time to brace themselves?"

Third Brother Lu reflected and agreed with the reasoning, snorting coldly, "Fine, let them live two more days!"

Actually, there were a few people in Mingsha Fang Market who knew Feng Jun’s identity, but none had a favorable opinion of the Lu brothers. On the street, they might greet them with a "Master" or "Third Lord" cheerfully, but their faces would darken as soon as they turned away.

Those who knew Feng Jun’s identity were aware the Lu brothers were unlikely to be opponents, and they were more than happy to sit back and watch the drama unfold.

The three brothers attracted plenty of sycophants, but most were shortsighted, focusing only on the Fang Market—a mere sliver of territory. Those with enough vision to see the greater Cultivation World wouldn’t mix with them in the first place.

After spending a night in Lantern Town, Feng Jun and his group set out for White Pebble Beach.

At first glance, White Pebble Beach resembled Earth Realm’s Gobi Desert. However, its desolation was a thing of the past—now vegetation covered the area, with dense grasses and trees dominating most places, apart from patches of stony sand.

Following the Sun Family’s guidance, Feng Jun soon stumbled upon a site said to release "fossilized insect corpses."

In an open area of the site lay a rock the size of a locomotive, driven deep into the ground. A member of the Sun Family pointed it out, saying a superior cultivator had dropped it to block the spraying insect corpses.

Using his mobile phone, Feng Jun tapped around and discovered there was indeed petroleum underneath.

However, since he’d arrived, he wasn’t in any rush to act. Instead, he chose a dense forest about five or six miles away to set up a courtyard, saying, "We’ll rest here for two days, so Yang can recuperate."

Yang hadn’t fully recovered initially, and fighting yesterday had further taxed him. Feng Jun intended for him to rest properly—a helping hand deserved care.

He planned to sort out samples of crude oil in the interim.

As for the Lu brothers, Feng Jun didn’t expect them to arrive quickly. After all, Lantern Town was over five thousand miles from Mingsha Fang Market. News of yesterday’s events would be lucky to make its way today.

Any response would likely happen tomorrow, with possible delays extending to the day after.

Who could have guessed that as Feng Jun activated the Spirit Gathering Array and started focusing spiritual energy, Yang suddenly approached and spoke, "Fellow Daoist Feng, may I bring our spoils back to my clan for a third test?"

Feng Jun turned his head and glanced at Yang, surprised, "You nearly didn’t wake up after the second test, and you want to try a third?"

Yang sighed deeply, his face expressionless. "If I hadn’t awakened, so be it—but since I have, there’s no reason to stop..."

(The update ends. Summon monthly votes.)