Big Data Cultivation

Chapter 383: 383: Snatching Credit (First update to celebrate Yin Meng Maple Peak~)

Chapter 383: Chapter 383: Snatching Credit (First update to celebrate Yin Meng Maple Peak~)

When Feng Jun emerged, the sky had already turned pitch black, but four large candles lit the room, making it relatively bright.

He first motioned with his mouth to Lang Zhen, “Old Lang, go take a look downstairs and see if there’s anything I missed.”

Without a word, Lang Zhen went down to check, while Mr. Shi looked utterly astonished, “So… there really is no limit on cultivation level?”

“Heh,” Feng Jun chuckled dryly, without directly answering, and thought to himself, You like playing mysterious, don’t you? Let’s give you a taste of your own medicine.

But Mr. Shi did not take it to heart because it wasn’t that he lacked curiosity—rather, he had heard far too many vague statements like this and had grown accustomed to them. If the other party did not wish to elaborate, he would not press the matter.

Then, his gaze fell upon the dark and unassuming Single Mace. He was taken aback for a moment, then his brow furrowed, “Could I take a look at this… this here?”

Feng Jun looked at him and slowly uttered four words, “Enough is as good as a feast.”

“Ah… so this is,” Mr. Shi could not contain himself and seemed somewhat agitated. He turned to Yu Zhengqing, “Brother Zhengqing, do you think this could be the Stone Mace?”

“The Stone Mace?” Yu Zhengqing was also stunned, “Impossible, didn’t the official government say… it was already recovered?”

The case of the Stone Mace involved the deaths of two Qu Family disciples at Donghua, with the Stone Mace they carried disappearing without a trace. The Qu Family was one of the seven major clans of Sword Forging Peak, which ranked among the Two Peaks and One Valley.

One of the Qu Family disciples had already reached the stage beyond the Mortal Domain and was considered a formidable member within the Qu Family.

The incident had caused a stir for three to four years, with the seven major clans of Sword Forging Peak sending out members to scour Donghua. Within a mere six months, they executed a duke, a Prefectural Governor, and several Vice Ministers.

“Forget it, I won’t pursue this matter any further,” Mr. Shi shook his head and then glanced at Feng Jun, “Might there be a chronicle I could take a look at?”

Feng Jun picked out the chronicle and handed it over; he was a man who kept his word.

Yu Changzhu, however, was fixated on the Nourishing Qi Pill, almost reaching out her hand, “Is this… is this the Nourishing Qi Pill…? Can I take a look?”

The Nourishing Qi Pill was something only those in the Qi Refinement Realm could consume. Her sister, Yu Changqing, had not even passed beyond the Mortal-Shedding Stage and had never owned a Nourishing Qi Pill. As a mortal younger sister, she had never even seen one, only hearing her sister speak of it with envy.

Feng Jun looked at her curiously, “I thought you would be more interested in the Spirit Stone.”

After all, shouldn’t women prefer those beautiful Spirit Stones?

Eventually, it was Yu Zhengqing who spoke up, “Divine Doctor, these items are too ostentatious. Though you may not fear it… best to put them away.”

Feng Jun stored the items away, and no one was in a rush to leave. Instead, several descended into the secret vault to see if anything had been overlooked.

When it came to searching for things, Lang Zhen was unmatched. He had protected dark missiles and chased after lost escorts.

He searched until midnight, only to leave dejectedly with nothing to show for it.

After taking the chronicle with him, Mr. Shi found a quiet room, arranged for two County Soldiers to guard the door, lit two candles, and began to read it thoroughly.

The task of capturing the remnants of the Gu Family continued even though it was already very dark, which brought about significant risks. But the forces involved in the Gu Family’s annihilation were all well-versed in the ways of survival in this world.

They certainly faced increased danger, but the Gu Family members were also not having an easy time. The rationale for fully exterminating a snake to prevent retaliation required no explanation.

Because an initial agreement on the division of spoils was reached, various principals offered substantial rewards for capturing the remnants of the Gu Family.

So even deep into the night, the principals could not rest—they had to keep up with the capture progress and be ready to strike and provide support at any moment.

It was the same for Mr. Shi, who couldn’t entirely focus on reading the chronicle as he would frequently be updated about the situation by others.

Around midnight, a guard from the Prefectural Governor’s mansion brought in a person bound tightly—a High-Rank Martial Warrior and obviously a member of the Gu Family.

This was not an uncommon occurrence. With so many Gu Family members apprehended, everyone wanted to interrogate them for various pieces of information, some of which involved highly confidential matters, and it was normal for a principal to inquire personally.

However, as the door closed behind the guard, the man’s knees buckled, and he knelt to speak softly, “Greetings to Mr. Shi.”

Mr. Shi lifted his gaze from the book and said coldly, “Is the information about that person’s poisoning accurate?”

“How dare I hide anything from you, sir?” the man replied, clearly aggrieved, “I’m not the only one who heard about this.”

He was an informant for the Imperial Court within the Gu Family who had voluntarily sought out the court’s shelter.

It was rare for Clans to have traitors who betrayed them from within, but that was only relatively speaking.

Once a Clan grew large, various trifles were inevitable. When a person with a narrow mind or an unjust elder was encountered, the emergence of a traitor within the Clan was not surprising.

Naturally, once their identities were revealed, they would be ruthlessly hunted by the entire Clan, determined to execute them.

Some traitors might also hold another identity—Dead Spies!

Mr. Shi coldly eyed the person before him. Although this was an Official Government scout who had made great contributions to the Imperial Court, he still looked down upon the individual’s character, “I’ve observed the person’s movements and found nothing amiss. Do you have anything to say?”

This person also knew that his own identity was awkward, having betrayed his Clan yet not fully trusted by the Official Government. After a moment of silence, he answered in a grave voice, “I heard from the elder that it seems to be a poison that is… not a ‘poison’ poison.”

“A poison that is not a ‘poison’ poison?” Mr. Shi pondered for a moment, some speculation arising in his mind. “What is its name?”

“I really do not know,” the High-Rank Martial Warrior answered honestly. “This is something the elder strictly forbade us from inquiring about. However… today, many people heard its name, but unfortunately, while I was investigating, Your Excellency arrived with the troops…”

Mr. Shi glanced at him and spoke gravely, “Although I am but a mere clerk in the Governor’s office, if you dare to deceive me, you should know the consequences.”

“I wouldn’t dare,” the High-Rank Martial Warrior replied, his face showing fear. “Your Excellency can judge based on my performance.”

“Ah,” Mr. Shi stretched out his hand and pinched his forehead in distress, thinking to himself that he saw Doctor Feng looking hale and hearty.

Today, when he talked about the breaking into the secret vault, half of it was indeed a probe. He was very certain that the Gu Family definitely had Nourishing Qi Pills and there was a great possibility they also had Spirit Stones, but he did not see them in the inner vault.

However, whether these items had been taken away by someone or stored in another place, he could not be certain.

Another thing was that he heard about Feng Jun possibly being poisoned and wanted to subtly test the waters.

Feng Jun’s performance was very open and straightforward, which also matched Mr. Shi’s understanding of an Immortal.

An Immortal, after all, should be so majestic and all-knowing.

Still, whether this man was truly poisoned or not, Mr. Shi found himself scratching his head again.

The guards entered, wanting to take away the Gu Family youth. He raised his hand to call one of the guards over and whispered a command, the gist being that they must pay attention to any relevant news.

He knew the fearsomeness of Immortals and had no ill-intentions, but the world was never short of those blinded by greed. A poisoned Immortal would be nothing less than a moving treasure trove.

Mr. Shi wouldn’t make a foolish move, but he wouldn’t mind arranging a fair and just “trial” — no, he corrected himself, a black-eats-black scenario — after some people did something foolish.

Of course, warning Feng Jun in time was also one of the options he was considering. In fact, he was quite inclined towards this option…

Mr. Shi had spent the entire evening viewing the records and returned the book to Feng Jun the next day.

It was also at this time that the Prefectural Governor of Yangshan rushed over, expressing his shock at the grand scale of the bandit Clan uncovered in the county, vowing to continue the investigation while issuing a warrant, proclaiming it to the world.

Then, he couldn’t wait to ask about the storeroom in the Gu Family Village, wanting to know if there were any stolen goods inside.

It was a blatant desire to know the situation of the storeroom.

Mr. Shi directly rebutted, saying that when we opened the storeroom, it was completely empty, presumably the surviving Gu Family members fled with their valuables.

Completely… empty? The Prefectural Governor wanted to curse in frustration. If they were causing trouble on his turf, couldn’t they at least leave him a drop of the spoils?

Deng Yifu saw the situation and retorted, “When I was coming to Laiyang Mountain, the Sage of the Prefecture told me that the Gu Family’s properties in the county city were quite valuable.”

The Prefectural Governor fell silent, since the shops in the Gu Family county city were seized by him.

After a pause, he explained, “There wasn’t much movable wealth there, just some shops and goods.”

Mr. Shi spoke indifferently, “Land and shops should be reported to the Sage of the Prefecture. We have found some land deeds, which will be taken to Qingning Prefecture.”

The Prefectural Governor was a bit stunned, but he gathered his courage to say, “As for the local deeds… Mr. Shi, please leave them here… Yangshan is already in poverty.”

“You’re quite amusing, little Prefectural Governor,” Brother Bao mocked him from the side, “Such a large fortune and you’re afraid of overeating? You even dare to covet the storeroom’s goods… You really don’t know how to write the word ‘death’.”

The Prefectural Governor glanced at him suspiciously, “May I know how to address you and in which office you serve?”

“I’m merely an idle man,” Brother Bao stated lightly, “But even my brother, Lord Beiyuan, wouldn’t dare to speak rashly. You, a petty official… Please think it through carefully. The Gu Family is a Clan of the Family Alliance. Do you really want to seek death?”

The Prefectural Governor of course knew the might of the Family Alliance but seeing others enjoy their loot, he really couldn’t help wanting a piece: Hey, make it clear, I’m the chief here!

But upon being reminded, he finally realized: My own small stature really doesn’t qualify me for a seat at the table.

So he nodded firmly, “All right then. But please consider, after all this is the land of my Yangshan.”

By noon, the county took over the three locations. It’s not that the county office had that many hands, but the Gu Family’s strong presence in Yangshan had suppressed many forces, which were now eager to cooperate with the Prefectural Governor.

And the Prefectural Governor had already made the Gu Family case ironclad. Although he hadn’t recovered any stolen goods, Ye Qingtian’s corpse lay there as evidence, along with the Shadow Mountain Master, whose reputation for infamy was second only to the deceased.

Not many people recognized the Shadow Mountain Master, but his two poison-coated daggers were infamous.

(First update, congratulations to Yin Mengfeng Peak~ 4/5.)