Big Data Cultivation-Chapter 572 - After Big Boss

Chapter 572: Chapter 572 After Big Boss

Mengdi Zhuang Family? Feng Jun understood immediately upon hearing it.

Surname Zhuang, coming from Mengdi, who else could it be? It had to be that big boss who wrote “Carefree Tour”.

However, he was doubtful whether such an ancient lineage could have lasted until now.

In any case, this stone originated from a tomb, and the resentment on it couldn’t have appeared out of thin air.

So he no longer pursued the origin of the stone. “Bring all similar stones from your family here, and bring your son along too… Let me take a look.”

As soon as the woman heard mention of her son, her attitude changed drastically, “Master, can you cure him?”

Despite her brash words, she was well aware that, involving her son, this young master was far superior to the country quacks they had sought out before.

“I cannot guarantee that,” Feng Jun spoke without expression, “To be honest, if your family brings enough stones, I will make a move. If the cure doesn’t work, the stones will not be returned, but if it does… we’ll talk about the fee then.”

Do some people think the conditions are too harsh? He didn’t think so. To be honest, without these stones, he wouldn’t have had the interest to make a move at all.

The man was stunned for a moment, looking at him with a peculiar expression, “You know my son isn’t in the car?”

Feng Jun sneered, “I also know that your driver’s surname is Ge.”

Upon hearing this statement, the woman didn’t utter another word and went to make a phone call from the car, leaving only the man to chat with Feng Jun.

The man’s name was Zhuang Haoyun, indeed a descendant of Zhuang Zhou, with a family tree to prove it.

However, over the thousands of years, Huaxia had undergone countless wars and several large-scale migrations, and this branch of his family had long lost any real connection with Zhuangzi, merely sharing the surname Zhuang and at one point even losing the family genealogy.

In the 1940s, during the foreign invasion of Central Plains, his great-grandfather saved a dying Taoist, who turned out to be a descendent of the Zhuang family as well.

The old Taoist did not last long, passing away not too long after, but he left behind a map, saying it led to a cave opened by Zhuang ancestors, which could provide refuge in times of trouble.

As Huaxia became more tumultuous, since the cave was in the mountains of Pingyang, Zhuang Haoyun’s great-grandfather took three sons to explore it and unexpectedly discovered that the cave was not only well concealed but also contained a large amount of gold and silver treasures, as well as an underground river.

His great-grandfather was part of the resistance army, he took most of the gold and silver jewelry to fund the troops, and only the leftovers were used to buy food and other supplies for the family.

This caused dissatisfaction among certain members of the Zhuang family—as much as it’s everyone’s responsibility to care for the rise and fall of the country, we’re not unpatriotic, but who knows how long this war will last?

Therefore, the cave’s location was not disclosed to the resistance army, and in times of dire need, the Zhuang family of over fifty sought refuge in the cave three times, with the longest stay lasting four months.

There was an underground river inside, and the ventilation was good. With enough food, they could hide there for three to five years without issues.

Aside from the gold and silver treasures, the cave also contained Daoist scriptures, but those were later divided up amongst the various families.

After the founding of the nation, the Zhuang family patriarch passed away within a few years without having the chance to reveal the cave’s secret to the government, otherwise, during the later movement to destroy the ‘Four Olds’, the cave likely wouldn’t have been spared.

Once the patriarch passed away, the rest of the Zhuang family members discussed and decided that this was their family secret, which everyone must protect. Anyone considering being selflessly public-spirited needed to think it through properly; this was the collective property of all Zhuang family members, not one’s personal private property.

Afterward, the Zhuang family prospered, continuing to develop quite well. However, later on, as Huaxia faced war threats once more, bunkers were being dug all around the country in preparation for a nuclear war.

Privately, the Zhuang family contemplated that the cave… might probably withstand even a nuclear attack.

So they restored it, and during the restoration process, they discovered a stone chamber with eight skeletons and many stones scattered across the floor.

Zhuang Haoyun’s father found this stone that greatly resembled a sycee and thought it was amusing, so he took it home, later passing it down to him.

Now residing in Pingyang, the Zhuang family is quite prominent, especially since the patriarch laid a solid foundation at the time of the nation’s founding.

Among the Zhuang descendants are those in politics, those in business, and even those following the cultivation path—yes, cultivation, since their ancient ancestor was engaged in this.

Zhuang Haoyun was in business and quite successful at it. He had encountered some formidable competitors several times but always managed to turn dangers into safety. Some people said that he carried a murderous aura.

Zhuang Haoyun wasn’t surprised; he wore many talismans on him, some for warding off evil, some for seeking good fortune, and even some for preventing epidemics—being from a family with someone following the cultivation path, he was never short of talismans.

As Feng Jun listened to his story, he asked directly, “Who said you carry a murderous aura?”

“There’s been quite a few, from Buddhist sects to Daoist sects,” Zhuang Haoyun sighed, “For example, Master Tanguang, and the Little Celestial Master from Maoshan… Last year, a yellow-clothed Lama said he wanted to take this stone to help me dissipate the murderous aura.”

“Master Tanguang?” Feng Jun heard this name and almost wanted to laugh. Unless it was a common name, he had seen the talisman that Master Tanguang drew for Chen Ernan. What was that thing supposed to be?

Zhuang Haoyun noticed his skepticism and laughed as well, “Master Tanguang is said to have opened his ‘heavenly eye.’ I’m also a bit puzzled… If there is something on me, it should be wealth luck, not evil spirits, right?”

Feng Jun blinked and weighed the gold ingot in his hand, “So this is your wealth luck?”

“Not entirely,” Zhuang Haoyun shook his head, “It’s only a bit of protection from my ancestors… If my business depended solely on it, I wouldn’t offer it to you, Master.”

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“In fact, there really are evil spirits on this object, and also resentment,” Feng Jun said seriously, “Such items can help you ward off evil. Your business may be flourishing because of its help, but those without great fortune may not be able to suppress it.”

His statement was nine parts true and one part false; he spoke mostly the truth without concealing much or distorting anything, save for not mentioning how the item could be of use to himself.

He wouldn’t mind if the other party were to change their mind—having already embarked on the path of cultivation, would he really quibble over such trivial advantages from the other party?

However, what he hadn’t expected was for Zhuang Haoyun to nod and say with conviction, “Without hiding anything from you, Master, this stone has been with me through some events, and I have a similar feeling that it can suppress my rivals’ ambitions, which is why I call it the Fortune-Bringing Gem.”

Feng Jun gave him a half-smiling look, “What the yellow-clothed Lama said, there seems to be some truth to it… Do you believe it too?”

“I have the same feeling myself, why would I care about what he says?” Zhuang Haoyun responded indignantly, “I won’t let him dissolve it. How could I, a descendant of the noble Daoist Zhuang Family, allow a treasure of my ancestors to be taken by someone from the Buddhist Sect… It would be too shameful.”

Feng Jun couldn’t help but laugh at this sectarian view, which was quite interesting to him, “If I am able to cure the esteemed Young Master, could you bring some of your family’s Taoist scriptures over?”

Zhuang Haoyun pondered for a moment and replied with difficulty, “That’s a bit… I could pay for the medical treatment.”

“As for those stones, others may not know their use, but I can take them as a deposit. Regarding the scriptures, most have already been divided among the families, with the majority lost, and the few that remain are closely guarded by several members of my clan who are on the cultivation path.”

“Then let’s talk about it when the time comes,” Feng Jun pursed his lips, also feeling somewhat disappointed.

At this moment, the woman had finished making a phone call and walked back into the pavilion, “I’ve informed Xiao Feng; we can arrange for Shengsheng to come over anytime… He can be here in one hour.”

Their son, Zhuang Zesheng, was currently hospitalized at the Funiu Province Traditional Chinese Medicine Hospital, and would need some time to get here.

Feng Jun wondered about the child’s condition, “Do you need a motorhome? I have one here, though there will be a charge for it.”

In reality, he wasn’t concerned about the money. He was even willing to offer some convenience on his own initiative, but it was essential to maintain the principle of keeping transactions clear.

Zhuang Haoyun looked at him and laughed, “Is it the one used by Gu Laosan’s daughter?”

“Eh?” Feng Jun looked at him curiously, “You are quite informed… By the way, who told you that I can heal?”

“You cured Elder Yuan’s ailment; it’s no secret,” Zhuang Haoyun initially wanted to dodge the question but after a moment of contemplation, he answered honestly, “It was Elder Ye who mentioned it. He said you have a kind of medicine that can accelerate recovery…”

Elder Ye was the senior expert responsible for Elder Yuan’s condition. He had previously scraped off a bit of Foundation Establishment Pill powder, which caused his potted plant to shoot up rapidly.

Zhuang Haoyun, having learned about this, reached out to Elder Yuan for more information. Elder Yuan was tight-lipped, but couldn’t hide the fact that he had visited Zhengyang in the summer.

Although the Zhuang Family couldn’t compare to Elder Yuan in terms of background and influence, they weren’t much behind when it came to access to certain information.

When probing into the specifics of Elder Yuan’s trip to Zhengyang, Zhuang Haoyun discovered that it wasn’t just Elder Yuan and his family who had visited Luohua Manor, but also Third Young Master Gu’s wife and daughter.

These events wouldn’t be known to those who don’t inquire, but to anyone paying attention, they were hardly a secret.

Zhuang Haoyun had even found the medical staff once hired by Qin Tiantian.

These medical staff had signed confidentiality agreements, forbidden from disclosing details, but they could at least describe the bus they rode in and how luxurious it was.

It was because of this that he and his wife made a special trip to Zhengyang and brought their son with them.

Feng Jun did not know that Elder Ye had secretly scraped off a bit of the Foundation Establishment Pill, but upon hearing the name “Elder Ye,” he understood that if one were determined to follow the trail, they could uncover quite a bit about him.

He had not dealt much with Elder Ye, nor did he have the authority to demand secrecy from him, so he was unable to become upset about it.

After pondering for a moment, Feng Jun said, “Here’s the thing, you don’t need to rush the patient over. I would like you to bring enough stones first. If the quantity is insufficient to persuade me, I won’t intervene.”

Who was Zhuang Haoyun? A rare business talent of the Zhuang Family, and upon hearing this, he understood… Master Feng seemed slightly displeased.