Big Data Cultivation
Chapter 761 - Chapter 761 Chapter 761 Missing the Sunset

Chapter 761: Chapter 761: Missing the Sunset Chapter 761: Chapter 761: Missing the Sunset Feng Jun’s mood was really tangled because he had discovered something that was laughably frustrating–the stone bowl was actually a magic artifact.

Strictly speaking, it shouldn’t be called a stone bowl, but what Zhuang Haoyun called it… was a stone lamp.

So in his heart, he really felt like he was screwed over. Damn it, Zhuang Haoyun, you searched high and low at home, handed me all sorts of junk, even a dustpan, yet you didn’t realize the most valuable thing in your house?

Not realizing it was one thing, but why did I just happen to miss it upon arrival?

For a moment, Feng Jun really wanted to stop Professor Lian, right in front of me, you want to take away a magic artifact?

But in the end, as someone who valued integrity, he couldn’t do that: no matter how good something is, if it’s not yours, you can’t force it.

If I had done that, how would I be any different from the overbearing Kunlun?

So in his heart, he was hoping that Zhuang Haoyun would leave the stone bowl–stone lamp behind.

However, under the forceful attitude of Uncle Zhuang, Zhuang Haoyun didn’t insist, and it really wasn’t appropriate for Feng Jun to incite him to make a fuss.

As a prominent figure of this realm, he needed to maintain face, didn’t he?

But because he wanted to keep his dignity, brushing past a magic artifact–it made his frustration overflow like a river at that moment.

Hearing Zhuang Haoyun’s question, Feng Jun composed himself and then answered, “That stone lamp is a good thing. You should mention to your uncle that it’s best not to let it leave the family.”

Tang Wenji raised her eyebrows instinctively touching the Nine Section Whip at her waist. “Is it really a treasure?”

Not to mention the Maoshan Sect itself, it wasn’t known to be all that virtuous; she instinctively harbored a desire to fight for it.

However, her behavior only made Feng Jun more resolute, “Look at you, coveting a good thing and thinking about seizing it by force. How are you any different from Kunlun?”

“In this age of Dharma decline, there’s no other choice,” Tang Wenji replied confidently, and she even started flipping through her scroll bag. “With full granaries, one knows the courtesies; with food and clothing in abundance, one knows honor and shame… When survival itself is an issue, one can’t care too much.”

But she still didn’t want to equate herself with Kunlun. “I’m not as arrogant as those guys; I plan to buy it…”

Probably still planning to snatch it if the purchase fails, huh? Feng Jun couldn’t be bothered to argue with her anymore but instead looked to Zhuang Haoyun, “Can you manage it?”

Zhuang Haoyun, however, wore a painfully tangled expression, “Is it truly a treasure?”

Feng Jun hesitated for a moment but still nodded affirmatively, “It truly is a treasure, of course, to know its exact value, one would need to handle it and try.”

Zhuang Haoyun’s tangled expression became even more evident. “Tsk… why just miss it by a step?”

After hesitating for a moment, he spoke with a pained face, “I irritated my uncle just now, and if I say anything else, he won’t listen and it’ll backfire… His temper, it’s actually quite stubborn.”

Tang Wenji became even more anxious upon hearing this, “This is your Zhuang Family’s treasure, and you’re letting someone just take it away?”

Zhuang Haoyun’s face showed his severe displeasure as he shook his head miserably, “The affairs of my Zhuang Family are… complex, to say the least. I can only notify someone to give a heads-up, then bring it up with my uncle later, at least wait till he calms down.”

Tang Wenji looked at him mockingly, “You took action when stealing the Mount Mao Ancestral Plaque from my Maoshan, and I didn’t expect you’d be this timid.”

Stealing from others and stealing from your own family, was that the same? Zhuang Haoyun helplessly rolled his eyes, “But that’s my uncle you’re talking about, even if he doesn’t give me face, he’s still my uncle, how could I possibly kill him?”

“You could ask for my help,” Tang Wenji puffed out her chest, making a boastful declaration, “I’m not bragging, but I could easily deal with those two nobodies… making them fall into a valley by accident or get crushed by a big stone isn’t hard; it just depends on what you want to do.”

The sky was about to darken, and those two weaklings had a long mountain path to fumble through in the dark.

Zhuang Haoyun hesitated for a moment but still shook his head, “Forget it, who made us late?”

He tended to be unscrupulous in his actions, but he had his limits. The last time he hired someone to steal the Mount Mao Ancestral Plaque, it was to cure his son, a necessity. This time, he simply wanted his son to have a master, and it wasn’t a matter of life and death.

Of course, he wasn’t going to give up easily, “Let’s go in and have a look first, there might still be something good…”

But unfortunately, there was really nothing in the cave that caught Feng Jun’s eye anymore.

He did, however, closely observe the stone house filled with broken stones.

The stone house, unlike the cave, was not cleaned out completely and still had many fragments, but after carefully feeling around for a while, Feng Jun really didn’t sense any malevolent aura from the broken stone lock.

The two missing pieces of the stone lock would surely not be found here.

Seeing Feng Jun’s disappointed face, Zhuang Haoyun suggested, “How about this, let’s rest in the cave for the night, and search the surrounding area again first thing tomorrow morning, what do you think?”

Feng Jun pondered but it was Tang Wenji who couldn’t let go of that stone lamp, “Rest for a night, but where would that stone lamp go? You know, there’s no cell service here, you can’t even notify the Zhuang Family.”

“Really, if I wanted to notify someone, there wouldn’t be a problem,” Zhuang Haoyun walked over to a chair, reached underneath it, and pulled out a telephone landline set, then casually plugged it into the socket.

It has to be said that the Zhuang Family managed this place with real dedication, even going so far as to lay a separate telephone line to communicate with the outside world.

He had previously not wanted to reveal too much, but now he had no choice but to do so.

This was an internal telephone for the Zhuang Family, and he directly called his wife to give her some instructions.

Zhuang Haoyun didn’t ask anyone to stop his fourth uncle, but merely told his wife to inform the third grandfather that he had encountered Professor Lian from the Life Preservation Association, who also liked the Zhuang Family’s cave very much. Fourth uncle even lent a stone bowl to Professor Lian for research.

Zhuang Haoyun’s wife, who was also shrewd, asked at once, “Is that stone bowl very important?”

Zhuang Haoyun knew his wife cherished her children too much; he didn’t dare to tell her the truth, otherwise, she might stir up some trouble.

He vaguely explained that whether it was important or not, fourth uncle wanted to lend it out for the sake of third grandfather, which he supported. But since it was a possession of the Zhuang Family, it didn’t matter if he hadn’t seen it before; now that he had, he hoped uncle would remember to get it back.

His words were circumlocutory, but he had conveyed the necessary message.

Thus, Feng Jun decided: let’s stay for one night then.

He didn’t go out to chase Professor Lian and fourth uncle Zhuang, not noticing that the two of them had left while it was still light out. After traveling about ten miles on the mountain road, it was quite dark when suddenly, a young man emerged.

The young man was Professor Lian’s assistant, and moreover a high-ranking practitioner of the Heart Intent Fist. He stopped here because fourth uncle Zhuang didn’t want him knowing where the Zhuang Family’s cave was.

When Feng Jun and the others had arrived, the young man had seen them from afar–the path to the cave wasn’t fixed; as long as the general direction was right, it was fine, so the paths the two groups took were not exactly the same.

That is to say, if Tang Wenji really went out to kill fourth uncle Zhuang and Professor Lian, the presence of this young man would also cast considerable suspicion on her and Feng Jun.

Professor Lian had someone to meet up with, so that goes without saying. The next morning, Feng Jun stopped meditating and walked out of the cave to see if there was anything worth finding in the vicinity.

However, unfortunately, there was really nothing rewarding, not even a trace of Earth Vein’s essence.

Feng Jun had originally thought that if all else failed, he might try to harness the Earth Vein here–it wouldn’t have been a wasted trip, as he had already attempted this once in Wangwu and had learned something from the experience.

Unexpectedly, there was nothing here, not even as good as the mountain land he contracted in Chaoyang.

This just goes to show that there is some truth to the talk of blessed land and Cave Heavens; Earth Veins truly come by chance, not by seeking. Even the renowned Mengdi Zhuang Family might not have the ability to build their secret caverns on land rich in Earth Veins.

In summary, this trip was a bust. Feng Jun felt some dissatisfaction, so at about six ten in the morning, he grabbed Zhuang Haoyun with one hand and Tang Wenji with the other and dashed down the mountain.

The descent would be faster if they flew, but that consumed too much Spiritual Energy. Running while holding two people was much easier.

The truth was, Tang Wenji was an Intermediate Level martial master; if she ran on the ground, Feng Jun wouldn’t need to exert much effort at all. However, Zhuang Haoyun was heavy, which took a toll on Feng Jun’s strength.

Still, doing it this way, the thirty miles or so of mountain road–much of which wasn’t even a path–only took Feng Jun about forty minutes to arrive at the Zhuang Family’s courtyard, right at seven o’clock sharp.

This speed could even be considered a world record.

Once inside the courtyard, Zhuang Haoyun collapsed exhaustedly onto a chair, utterly drained of energy. Although he had been carried by Feng Jun, he still had to move his legs, which required some exertion.

His wife and Zhuang Zesheng had already gotten up by that time and were busy preparing breakfast for them.

Breakfast in Pingyang Village was very simple: a thick bowl of millet porridge, a dish of pickled vegetables, a few fried dough sticks bought from the village. Probably because Feng Jun was a distinguished guest, the Zhuang Family also made an extra plate of scrambled eggs.

As for meat dishes? Those simply weren’t part of the equation. For thousands of years, the village breakfast had always been like this. No matter how wealthy Zhuang Haoyun was, back in his hometown, he followed tradition–bacon and such were unheard of.

Feng Jun, after being active all morning, was quite hungry, eating seven or eight fried dough sticks as thick as a child’s arm, and downing two big bowls of millet porridge–his appetite was indeed shocking.

Zhuang Zesheng witnessed this scene and felt even more itching with curiosity. While others weren’t paying attention, he approached Feng Jun and whispered, “Master Feng, is that stone bowl… really very important?”

Feng Jun looked at him in surprise, pondered for a moment, and nodded, “Well, it’s definitely something valuable.”

Zhuang Zesheng’s eyes shone even brighter, “If I can get it, could you teach me your most powerful martial arts technique?”

Both father and son were a handful! Feng Jun pondered for a moment and spoke, “Well… don’t do anything rash, listen to your dad.”