Big Data Cultivation
Chapter 760 - Chapter 760 Chapter 760 Missed

Chapter 760: Chapter 760 Missed Chapter 760: Chapter 760 Missed Zhuang Haoyun brought Feng Jun along and set off at three in the afternoon, definitely having calculated the timing–they were bound to arrive around seven o’clock in the evening.

There would still be daylight at that time, but it wouldn’t last long before nightfall.

Taking advantage of this period, they could take a look inside the cave to see if they could find anything useful.

By the time they left the mountain, it was pitch dark, and their trip was silent and unnoticed by anyone.

But in his wildest dreams, he didn’t expect to find that someone was actually… in the cave?

Seeing this, the Little Celestial Master of Maoshan also found it strange, “Why are the lights on during the day?”

“It’s quite dark inside the cave,” Zhuang Haoyun’s expression wasn’t good, “What puzzles me is who would be inside at this hour?”

There was no electricity in this area, and the Zhuang Family had placed a diesel generator there for emergencies, but running a diesel generator is costly, so it wouldn’t be running for no reason. It was certain that there were people in the cave.

Although Xiao Tian wasn’t mainstream, most of the time, he could adapt to local customs, “Should we avoid them for the time being?”

Feng Jun stood expressionlessly aside, not saying a word.

Zhuang Haoyun was inclined to let them wait outside, but seeing Master Feng’s expression, he steeled his heart, “Avoid for what? I want to see who is inside.”

The Zhuang Family guarded the cave closely and rarely brought outsiders in, but during some emergencies in the past, the Zhuang ladies had indeed brought their relatives, so there were quite a few people who knew about the cave’s rumors,

However, the Zhuang Family was dominant and forbade others from exploring, so this news remained merely a local legend.

Zhuang Haoyun wasn’t sure which situation he was encountering, but anyone in the cave at this time, either planning to leave the mountain at night or stay overnight, was definitely not normal.

The cave was in sight, with just a few steps more to go. In less than three minutes, the trio arrived at the entrance.

The entrance to the cave wasn’t small at all, spanning at least three or four square meters, but its location was so subtle that it was nearly impossible to spot from either above or below.

Walking along the path, you could only see a fraction of the entrance.

Additionally, the entrance was cunningly concealed by a strategically placed large stone, making it very hard to discover.

But once facing the cave directly, one would realize that… an off-road vehicle could drive straight in through the entrance.

There was a large iron gate at the entrance, which was also open, and the roar of the generator could be heard from inside.

Zhuang Haoyun took the hunting rifle off his shoulder and held it in his hands.

However, just as he was about to enter, two men came out of the gate, one in his early forties with a composed demeanor and the other over fifty, dressed in coarse cloth.

Seeing the man in his early forties, Zhuang Haoyun was momentarily taken aback before speaking out, “Uncle Four… what are you doing here?”

This was his father’s younger brother, the fourth son of his grandfather’s family, now serving as the Assistant Mayor of Pingyang City. Within the Zhuang Family’s political ranks, he was considered the second most successful.

But Zhuang Haoyun’s own success wasn’t modest either; being worth nearly a billion before forty, many from the Zhuang Family with political ambitions relied on his financial support. Moreover, with the backing of his granduncle, he had begun to expand towards Bingzhou.

Uncle Four was also startled by the unexpected arrival of the three, particularly with a hunting rifle in their hands.

Recognizing Zhuang Haoyun, he frowned slightly, “Haoyun, you’re not young anymore, how can you still be so impulsive? Are you planning to kill someone… how come you’re here?”

Both had broken Zhuang Family rules, but neither seemed embarrassed about it.

“This is a friend of mine,” Zhuang Haoyun gestured towards Feng Jun, “He cured Ze Sheng… Hearing that Ze Sheng fell ill after visiting here, I wanted to take a look.”

His words were not entirely truthful, especially since he didn’t introduce Feng Jun’s identity. He didn’t plan to reveal Feng Jun’s details to his family before his son successfully became his apprentice.

As for when his son started getting sick, not just outsiders but even he and his spouse couldn’t be entirely sure–as the master said, it was a problem that had originated in the womb.

Uncle Four contemplated Feng Jun for a moment, then nodded slightly, “Oh, so he’s the Zhuang Family’s benefactor. We’ll have to introduce him to the family after we leave the mountain.”

He didn’t inquire further why his nephew had brought someone along, but Zhuang Ze Sheng wondered, “Uncle Four… who is this, and why did you bring him here?”

“This is Professor Lian from the Huaxia Health Preservation Society,” replied Uncle Four calmly, “Third Granduncle asked me to bring him here to have a look.”

His third granduncle, Zhuang Haoyun’s granduncle, had retired and lived in Bingzhou, enjoying a vice-provincial level of treatment.

Zhuang Haoyun was dissatisfied with this answer, “Why haven’t I heard Third Granduncle mention this?”

Especially since Uncle Four left the village early on, finished his elementary school in Pingyang, attended university in the provincial capital, was assigned back to Pingyang upon graduation, and even held a position in the provincial capital. His returns to the family home were infrequent.

You also brought outsiders here, disputing with me? Uncle Zhuang was somewhat dissatisfied, but he knew well that his nephew was not only wealthy but also had a knack for handling matters. Over the years, he had traveled far and wide, making the acquaintance of many notable individuals.

Therefore, he patiently explained, “Uncle Zhuang went to the capital before the New Year, remember? He caught a serious cold, so he saw a doctor from the Health Bureau, and then he met Professor Lian, who told him that the elderly should pay attention to preserving their health… Professor Lian took a particular interest in the cave of the old Taoist.”

Zhuang Haoyun ran out of words to say. He was aware of his great-uncle’s illness and that the other party had been of service to his own family. The only difference was that Feng Jun had saved the younger generation of the Zhuang family, whereas Professor Lian had saved the elders.

It was Professor Lian who sized up Feng Jun from head to toe and asked with keen interest, “Are you a cultivator?”

“No,” Feng Jun shook his head decisively. “I’m not particularly interested in health preservation, I just know a couple of folk remedies.”

Professor Lian looked at him thoughtfully. “This aura of yours… Never mind, our Huaxia Health Preservation Society is also very interested in folk remedies.”

Feng Jun continued to shake his head. “Just a little something passed down from my ancestors, really not worth mentioning… but I also can’t go against ancestral teachings.”

Professor Lian seemed to have encountered people like him before and smilingly said, “When it comes to health preservation, one should study Huaxia’s culture more. These cultivators… you know, the movement to destroy the four olds is already a thing of the past, young man, you shouldn’t have any reservations.”

Wenji couldn’t hold back any longer. The movement to destroy the four olds had also greatly impacted Maoshan. “The movement took my family’s possessions, can they be returned?”

Professor Lian was suddenly at a loss for words; he was only responsible for relaying the trend, not in any position to actually carry it out.

In those days, when families were raided, the confiscated items were as good as lost; even his own family had been raided, and he had no idea whom to seek for redress.

Feng Jun didn’t want to continue on the topic. He glanced at Zhuang Haoyun and then made a subtle gesture with his mouth toward the backpack on Professor Lian’s shoulder.

Zhuang Haoyun had already slung his hunting rifle back on, but seeing the backpack on the other man, he wished he could take the gun down again.

Out of deference to his Uncle Zhuang being present, he simply pointed at the backpack and asked, “What’s inside? What did you take from the Zhuang family?”

Uncle Zhuang stepped in to smooth things over, “Oh, what could it be? There’s nothing but rags in that cave.”

Zhuang Haoyun was unmoved. “Uncle, it’s one thing for you to bring people here, but when taking things, we should let everyone know what’s been taken away… This is our Zhuang family’s ancestral cave.”

Of course, he wouldn’t say that he had brought people in hopes of finding something valuable himself.

Uncle became irritated and pulled rank as the mayor’s assistant, “Are you the only Zhuang here, and I’m not?”

We both brought outsiders here, breaking the rules long ago. Why are you giving me a hard time?

Seeing the situation, Professor Lian hastily interjected, “Alright, I didn’t take anything else, just brought a stone bowl.”

As he spoke, he put down the backpack and took out a large paper ball wrapped in toilet paper. Unwrapping the layers of toilet paper, it indeed revealed a stone bowl with a spout and a stone trough.

“That’s an oil lamp,” Zhuang Haoyun frowned, “Professor Lian, are you not even going to spare the oil lamp?”

As he said this, he truly felt a twinge of regret. The crude oil lamp was actually an original artifact in the cave.

“What kind of talk is that, Haoyun?” Uncle Zhuang flared up. “It’s just a stone bowl. Anyone could make one with a few chisels to a rock. How come in your eyes, it suddenly becomes exceptionally valuable?”

“No matter how simple, it’s still property of the Zhuang family,” Zhuang Haoyun also started to get serious, “According to what Uncle just said, the skull of the Peking Man is just a skull, with a little age to it… Why is Huaxia so intent on finding it then?”

“I allowed him to take it,” Uncle Zhuang’s eyes bulged, “What about it?”

Once he lost his temper, Zhuang Haoyun also lost his courage. The Zhuang family adhered to a traditional hierarchy that respected elders, and since Uncle had made significant achievements within the system, he really couldn’t afford to be defiant when Uncle got serious.

Feng Jun, watching the stone bowl, had his eyes slightly glazed and the corners of his mouth twitched, but he remained silent.

“Okay, Professor Lian, put it away,” Uncle Zhuang instructed and then looked at Zhuang Haoyun again, “We are leaving the mountain; how much longer do you need? Why don’t you come with us?”

If it were any other day, Zhuang Haoyun would have gotten on good terms with Uncle, but today’s events had left him quite disgruntled, so he shook his head, “I’ve spotted a brood of pheasants. I’ll catch them tonight and stay overnight here.”

In the mountains of Pingyang, hunting pheasants could involve shooting, trapping with nets, or another method–remembering where the pheasants roost during the day and catching them at night. With a flashlight beamed on them, the pheasants would become blinded and stunned, easy for anyone to grab.

“Then we are off,” Uncle Zhuang, knowing he was reluctant, didn’t bother with his feelings, “Be careful if you’re staying overnight… I won’t turn off the generator, you know how to use it anyway.”

He and Professor Lian left just like that, striding away.

Zhuang Haoyun was a bit angry, but on second thought, considering that two elderly men had ventured so deep into the mountain without bringing any young people with them, they were actually showing quite a lot of respect for the Zhuang family’s rules. It was him who brought a young man and woman, which was somewhat… inappropriate.

Thinking this, he glanced sideways at Feng Jun and was suddenly startled, “Master, you look…”

Feng Jun’s complexion was looking quite unwell.

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