Big Data Cultivation
Chapter 1191: External Aid and External Enemies

Chapter 1191: Chapter 1191: External Aid and External Enemies

The one shouting from outside was Wu Shangren, delivering Mingsha Fang Market’s reply, which had already arrived yesterday. However, Feng Jun wasn’t in Lantern Town at that time.

Wu Shangren knew they were at White Pebble Beach, which wasn’t far from Lantern Town, but he deliberately avoided notifying them in person—Lu Family’s three brothers’ response was an absolute provocation, and he didn’t want to risk irritating Feng Jun further by showing up uninvited.

In truth, from the moment he took action against Pan Shangren yesterday, he had already chosen a side, betting on Feng Jun’s greater strength.

After entering the small courtyard, the first person he saw was Du Fanghui. "Fellow Daoist Fanghui, you’re here as well?"

The two knew each other. It was entirely normal for Shangren to recognize one another, especially since both the Wu Family and the Du Family were relatively low-profile clans focused on managing their territories rather than developing within Fang Markets. They were familiar, to say the least.

On the whole, however, the Wu Family fell short compared to the Du Family. While the population difference wasn’t enormous—one having over four thousand people, the other eight or nine thousand—the Du Family boasted three Out-of-Dust cultivators.

Although their overall standings were unequal, the two Families had no major conflicts. They occasionally helped each other in the past, mostly engaging in mutually beneficial exchanges to maintain a relative balance in transactions.

If the Wu Family decided to go head-to-head against the Lu Family’s three brothers, they absolutely wouldn’t be able to enlist the help of the Du Family—the relationship was not at that level.

Du Fanghui smiled and nodded, considered it a greeting. "You must have important business; speak with Mountain Master Feng first."

After hearing Wu Shangren’s report, Feng Jun couldn’t help but chuckle. "Those Lu Family brothers aren’t holding back at all, are they?"

Huang Fu Wuxia’s eyes glinted, and she coldly declared, "Since they are so keen on courting death, we might as well fulfill their wish... Manager Tang, how many Shangren does Tiantong have stationed in Mingsha Fang Market?"

This wasn’t her being hot-tempered—it was simply that these brothers had provoked Tiantong before. If the circumstances permitted, she was more than happy to exert some effort for the Commerce Alliance, hitting two birds with one stone.

"The Fang Market headquarters has eight," Manager Tang replied clearly. In other words, the Out-of-Dust cultivators stationed in subsidiary shops weren’t included in this count. And since Tiantong Commercial Alliance often dispatched people for missions, "the maximum number of permanent residents is four."

Being part of the Tiantong network, Manager Tang and Huang Fu Wuxia didn’t need overly detailed explanations to understand each other.

Huang Fu Wuxia pondered for a moment before asking, "If we request their support, how many could they mobilize?"

"That’s hard to say," Manager Tang considered carefully before responding. "Mainly because they had previously agreed to the mediation by the Ten Direction Platform; this factor must be taken into account. If Chairman Huang Fu has sufficient justification, securing the help of two or three Shangren shouldn’t be an issue."

What would qualify as "sufficient justification"? Perhaps further harm coming to Tiantong’s interests... However, as this matter concerned Feng Jun personally, the Fang Market’s response from Tiantong was highly unpredictable.

"No need to rush, Fellow Daoist Wuxia," Feng Jun said with a carefree smile. "Since we’ve given them fifteen days to respond, we should at least have a legitimate reason to act. Besides, they offered a ten-day deadline themselves—who knows, they might just show up at Lantern Town during this time."

"I’d really love for them to come looking," Huang Fu Wuxia sneered coldly. "At most, they’d bring six Out-of-Dust cultivators, right? Manager Tang, please notify Qiu Shangren and let him know that I’m in Lantern Town. Invite him for a drink and a discussion... but make sure not to let this leak out."

Although she wasn’t close with Qiu Shangren, he owed a favor to one of her clan’s elder uncles. The two had previously met, and at that time Qiu Shangren had said, "If there’s anything within Tiantong’s territory, you can find me."

Back then, Qiu Shangren was only at the second level of Out-of-Dust Realm, and his words seemed quite bold. However, at that time, Huang Fu Wuxia was only at the Qi Refining Seventh Layer—how serious could her issues possibly have been?

Manager Tang nodded and departed. The communication system between branch shops and headquarters made it relatively convenient to relay messages of this nature.

Du Fanghui’s eyes shifted. "Are you planning to start a battle against the Lu Family’s three Shangren? Those three are really not easy to handle."

"It’s just that no one has bothered to deal with them," Huang Fu Wuxia retorted indifferently, letting out another cold laugh. "As if they think having someone backing them puts them beyond reproach... I’m genuinely curious; how many Golden Cores are backing them anyway?"

When Du Fanghui had arrived earlier, he’d heard Manager Tang mention that Chairman Huang Fu was highly favored by her clan’s elder ancestor, and Kong Ziyi was the beloved disciple of Master Sumiao. As for Feng Jun... his background was unclear, but he evidently held sway over Kong Ziyi.

Initially, he thought this might have been an exaggeration. But since he and Manager Tang were on good terms, he didn’t dwell on it—this group was clearly far from ordinary.

However, upon hearing Huang Fu Wuxia’s bold statement, Du Fanghui couldn’t hold back anymore. "Then... how many can we invite on our side?"

Huang Fu Wuxia raised her eyebrows at his choice of words. "’Our side?’"

"That’s right, our side," Du Fanghui affirmed with a nod. As the pillar of his clan’s mid-generation leadership—one of three Shangren in the family’s hierarchy—his voice carried weight even beyond the other two. "To be honest, I’ve been sick of those Lu brothers for quite a while."

Technically, the Du Family also had three Out-of-Dust cultivators, putting them on par with the Lu Family. Despite this, the lack of immediate conflict left no room for substantial grudges.

That being said, tensions often arose due to the long-standing dominance of the Lu brothers, who had no familial ties. Every time they encountered Du Fanghui, they’d half-jokingly, half-seriously tease him—never overtly insulting, but invariably leaving others under the impression that the Du Family couldn’t afford to provoke the Lu Family.

Du Fanghui had tolerated it for years. However, since Du Wentian’s recent advancement, he too had been subjected to this kind of treatment, which deeply irked him. He had complained multiple times within the family: "After all the effort I put into reaching this stage, I still get targeted?"

Ultimately, these petty grievances never escalated; the core interests of the clan weren’t harmed, so they settled for venting behind closed doors.

From Du Fanghui’s perspective, Du Wentian—the family’s emerging star among their Shangren—would undoubtedly support any decision he made.

Huang Fu Wuxia’s eyes lit up at this declaration. "So you’re saying... you’re in?"

The suddenness of these developments made it challenging to prepare otherwise; under more planned circumstances, gathering allied Out-of-Dust cultivators for support wouldn’t have been difficult for her.

Du Fanghui hesitated upon hearing this, looking somewhat bewildered. "Just me... that’s it?"

Having committed himself to action, his mind quickly shifted into battle-planning mode. Given the circumstances, he’d assumed they’d summon him and Du Wentian, while leaving the older generation’s Yuanqing to secure their main base of operations.

The idea he alone would suffice left him stunned. Was the situation assessed properly? Dealing with individuals like the Lu brothers required more than just defeating them—you had to end them completely, or else they’d retaliate like a pack of ravenous wolves.

At least, that was the safest approach. But... eliminating an Out-of-Dust cultivator was no simple task.

Huang Fu Wuxia saw through his thoughts and smiled confidently. "It’s enough. They won’t escape."

This overconfidence didn’t sit well with Du Fanghui. He voiced his reservations tactfully. "Fellow Daoist Huang Fu, the Lu brothers aren’t true cultivators—they’re nothing more than ruffians. If they manage to escape, they’ll resort to extraordinarily malicious retribution."

"I know you’re not afraid of them, but wouldn’t it be better to settle this thoroughly in one strike rather than leave them to cause further trouble for you?"

"I think we’ll manage just fine," Huang Fu Wuxia replied, brimming with assuredness. In her eyes, taking down at least one of the three personally was a given. She expected Kong Ziyi and Feng Jun to handle the other two—ensuring their complete capture or elimination.

When it came to Kong Ziyi, her confidence was based on shared access to high-level resources, and her own Storage Bag contained an array of hidden aces. Would Kong Ziyi be any less equipped?

As for Feng Jun, she didn’t even question his capabilities. If he couldn’t deal with just one Out-of-Dust cultivator, she’d already prepared a mocking quip for the situation: "Well, guess this is my highlight for the year."

With Feng, Kong, and herself pinning down three cultivators, Yang Shangren—while perhaps not overpowering others—could likely force them into retreat if needed.

Adding Wu Shangren, Du Shangren, and the soon-to-arrive Qiu Shangren to the mix, Huang Fu Wuxia was convinced they could handle any opposition, even if six Lu-affiliated cultivators showed up. Their frontline trio would finish their engagements and lend support elsewhere if necessary.

Still, she didn’t want Du Fanghui to think she was reckless. As a younger generation leader, it was better not to overpromise.

Thus, she added a measured follow-up. "If any of them manage to slip through, there’s no need to worry. We can always request a Golden Core elder to divine their whereabouts... Could they possibly escape a master’s calculations?"

Du Fanghui said nothing, silently sipping his tea. Inwardly, he sighed: "Talking with her always gives me so much pressure."

Indeed, escaping the calculations of a Golden Core master was nearly impossible. But what truly felt unattainable was convincing one to make such an effort.

Despite the clash in worldviews, it didn’t diminish Du Fanghui’s resolve to join the battle.

Soon after, Manager Tang returned with news, saying he had successfully contacted Qiu Shangren.

Qiu Shangren informed him that he had initially accepted a mission escorting Tiantong’s merchant convoy to Mount Wangu. However, at Huang Fu Wuxia’s explicit request, he’d arrange for someone else to take his place—on the condition that this instruction indeed came from her.

Huang Fu Wuxia lacked long-range contact capability for Qiu Shangren, but Manager Tang helpfully brought along a paper crane for communication.

"We really need to popularize telephones in this place," Huang Fu Wuxia muttered as she activated the crane.

The communication went smoothly, and that very evening Qiu Shangren arrived in Lantern Town—deliberately keeping a low profile to avoid alerting the Lu brothers, or he would’ve been there even faster.

Qiu Shangren, like Xu Shangren of Qiuchen Fang Market, wasn’t someone with excessive background power. Instead, he’d painstakingly clawed his way up to achieve his current status. While his friendly overtures to Huang Fu Wuxia in earlier encounters were partly strategic, it seemed they had paid off—she’d evidently advanced to Shangren status in a remarkably short time.

Upon receiving her invitation, he didn’t hesitate, arriving promptly. After all, if the Huang Fu family truly moved against the Lu brothers, what were they but trivial nuisances?

However, as fate would have it, just as he arrived, Lu Zhaofeng also made an entrance with his Guest Elder, coincidentally reaching Lantern Town at the same time.

(To be continued—Monthly votes requested.)