Big Data Cultivation

Chapter 146: Discussing Rankings Privately (Third Update, Requesting Monthly Votes)

“`

However, even though Tian Yangni had corrected his attitude and deemed himself a minor commoner, he still was reluctant to build a house.

Thus, he tried to persuade through words, “There’s no problem with building a house here, but it’s a bit too desolate. If your excellency does not mind, the Tian Family is willing to offer you accommodations. As for collecting talc here, leave it to us.”

In plain terms, he still wanted to invite the Immortal to his home, so he could constantly serve him.

The so-called relationships, weren’t they all built through interactions? This was true in ancient and modern times alike.

But how could Feng Jun possibly take advantage of such an offer? This place might be in the middle of nowhere, but… it was quiet.

He had a huge secret that he couldn’t possibly let others know of until he had enough ability to protect himself.

If he were to attract a few more Innate Experts, he would truly be in over his head—today’s encounter with Luo Wendao had been quite lucky; despite emerging victorious at the end, it was because he had taken a risky gamble and guessed correctly. If he had been wrong, the consequences would have been unimaginable.

The next time he encountered a High-Rank Martial Master, if the opponent were to think twice and retreat explosively, even TNT wouldn’t be of use, would it?

All things considered, his means of dealing with top-tier experts were too limited, and this situation was unlikely to fundamentally change in the short term.

He had indeed considered, after returning to regular society, finding a way to travel abroad to Myanmar, Africa, or even the Middle East—those countries plagued by constant conflicts—to buy some powerful military weapons.

Previously, he was anxious to find adventures and eager to earn money to escape poverty, so he had not considered going abroad, but now… it seemed there was no need to go out anymore. A High-Rank Martial Master could withstand 7.62mm bullets at a close distance of several tens of meters!

For Innate Experts, at least anti-material rifles would be needed, right?

However, he deeply doubted that even if he went through great pains to obtain an anti-material rifle, it would necessarily hit an Innate Expert.

Cultivators of this realm not only had high defenses but also agility, coupled with perception far beyond that of Earthlings; he had no reason to be blindly confident in anti-material rifles.

Because of all these considerations, Feng Jun believed that it was better for him to stay here, rather than on someone else’s territory.

As for others suspecting he was a Cultivator, he would not mind. In fact, he quite liked this wonderful misunderstanding, as long as people did not publicly discuss his Immortal identity, he would be happy to turn a deaf ear.

The suspected identity of an Immortal could bring him too many conveniences.

So he spoke frankly, “I will only stay here. Just tell me, how long will it take for you to build me a house?”

Seeing his tone had turned stern, Tian Yangni didn’t dare say much more, “Three days… A wooden cottage can be built in three days, and a talc house within ten days.”

A house made of Jade… Feng Jun heard this with some surprise. He had read Dream of the Red Chamber, but he never imagined he would have a day of ‘living in a white jade cottage with golden horses.’

He nodded slightly, “Then make it ten days, there’s no need for a wooden cottage as an interim.”

He was accustomed to hardship; not to mention his days in the Earth Realm, just in the Gobi Desert and river valleys he had lived alone for several months. The conditions there were much more harsh than here.

“I will follow your excellency’s instructions,” Tian Yangni answered respectfully, and with that, some of his doubts were resolved: to think that as an Immortal, he could be so low-key. No wonder we hit a snag this time.

After giving his orders, Feng Jun didn’t bother with him anymore and walked over to the topless structure to check the generator.

Tian Yangni took out something that resembled a conch, about the size of half a fist, and walked over to Lang Zhen’s side.

Lang Zhen had just finished clearing the battlefield and was in a good mood. He glanced sideways at the object in the man’s hand and his eyebrows furrowed slightly.

He certainly recognized the item, the Sound Transmission Conch used for relaying messages, but it could not transmit voice, only sound.

The Sound Transmission Conch came in pairs, male and female. The male could emit a sound that ordinary human ears could not detect, only the female could hear.

This item was expensive, and only relatively large powers used it, usually for warning purposes. Different messages were conveyed through pre-arranged lengths of conch sounds.

Seeing the item, Lang Zhen spoke bluntly, “The Divine Doctor has let you off lightly, you better learn to appreciate that.”

“Of course,” Tian Yangni’s eyes narrowed into slits with a smile, “Isn’t this me informing you in advance that I am about to contact others?”

Inform me? Lone Wolf instantly understood. His eyes narrowed curiously as he asked, “Do you have backup in the vicinity?”

The Sound Transmission Conch’s messages were very discreet, but the distance was limited; in open areas, it would not carry beyond twenty li.

“It’s always good to be prepared,” Tian Yangni replied cheerfully, “it’s best to have a backup plan when doing anything, isn’t it the same when you escort valuables?”

Lang Zhen looked at him deeply, “The Tian Family has lived up to its reputation. Impressive! I hope you can continue on this way.”

“`

This was not just a compliment. Tian Yangni understood very clearly, especially the latter half which was heavy with warning.

So he nodded and openly expressed, “I understand what you’re concerned about. Before the Divine Doctor forgives me, I won’t leave. I’d rather be a hostage, which is why I wanted others to notify the Tian Family to send someone as soon as possible to build a house for the Divine Doctor.”

Lone Wolf saw that he understood and also nodded slightly, “Building a house is one thing, but it’s best to resolve the matter with Zhao Family Fort as soon as possible. I think, both you and I… do not wish to see the Divine Doctor unhappy, right?”

Tian Yangni began to smile, his laugh so big that his molars were nearly exposed, “Exactly. Whoever makes the Divine Doctor unhappy, we’ll make them sad.”

The two exchanged opinions implicitly, and the next moment, Tian Yangni started to blow into the Sound Transmission Conch.

Not long after, two fast horses came galloping from the distance, whispered a few words to Tian Yangni, then placed the corpse of the dead low-rank martial master on the horseback and turned around to ride off quickly, showing no sign of discomfort on their faces.

Lang Zhen blinked his eyes, puzzled, “A clan member has died, why aren’t your family members angry?”

Tian Yangni glanced at him and spoke indifferently, “Life and death are decreed by fate, wealth and honor are in heaven. As long as one dies in a fair fight, there is nothing to be angry about. When your clan is larger, you’ll understand… Caring too much about the lives and deaths of clan members is not loving them; it’s harming them.”

Lone Wolf blinked, thoughtfully nodding, “You’re right, growth always requires trials. Overprotecting them will only make them frail… The family values of your Tian Family are indeed commendable.”

Tian Yangni wasn’t sure if this was flattery, so he could only give a wry smile, “If you don’t master your skills, you can’t blame others. I hope his death can also serve as a warning to our clan, to not always assume that the family will protect them.”

Just then, someone interjected, “I love what you two are saying. How can you see a rainbow without a little rain? Nobody can succeed just like that… It’s so ludicrous that many people think coddling is the same as loving.”

It was Feng Jun appearing from who knows where.

In fact, he had strong feelings about this topic. In his view, many parents in the Earth Realm spoiled their children so much that they ruined them. Whether such children would succeed in the future was questionable, but for now, it had certainly led to the rise of many spoiled children.

You can’t grow a towering tree in a greenhouse; the more tribulations children experience, the braver they will be in facing life.

On this matter, the philosophy of the Mobile Phone Realm resonated more with him—growth must come at a cost, and a sheltered upbringing only increases the chances of falling later in life.

If a clan wants to develop in the long term, it must be tough and selectively overlook the hardships its members endure.

Even if someone dies, as long as it’s a fair death in battle, the clan won’t intervene. This attitude may seem cold and unfeeling, but in truth, it’s great wisdom for survival.

Hearing him say that, Tian Yangni’s eyes shifted, and he said with a smile, “It seems the Divine Doctor has a lot of feelings on this topic.”

Feng Jun didn’t hide his emotions; in fact, at that moment, he had a strong desire to share, “That’s right. I’ve seen too many children spoiled by overindulgence, and ironically, those parents believe it’s love.”

Tian Yangni gave a dry laugh, “It’s only us minor clans that can’t afford to spoil our children. The truly major clans have endless resources, and spoiling a few… must be normal, right?”

Obviously, he thought the parents Feng Jun referred to were from Immortal clans with abundant resources and thus didn’t face much pressure for survival.

Feng Jun gave him a look and shook his head seriously, “I’m not talking about resources, but about an attitude toward raising the next generation.”

After speaking, he turned and walked away. Tian Yangni fell silent for a moment, then glanced at Lang Zhen and tentatively asked, “The Divine Doctor seems to have a strong aversion to coddling, doesn’t he?”

Lang Zhen looked at him with a meaningful smile, “Of course… what did you think?”

For his own cultivation, he purposely came out to experience the mortal world. Otherwise, do you think you would have met him?

Tian Yangni’s eyelids drooped as he thought for a while, and roughly organizing his thoughts, he then looked up and asked, “By the way… why do you call him the Divine Doctor?”

“His medical skills are very profound,” Lang Zhen replied with a serious tone, “I know what you’re thinking, but I want to warn you first. If you dare to ruin my opportunity, I swear, in this life, I’ll stop at nothing against your Tian Family!”

Tian Yangni started laughing, his smile brilliant, “An opportunity? Your opportunity is also my opportunity. I can’t promise much… fair competition. If I lose, I will have no complaints or regrets!”

“That’s the spirit, I respect people who are straightforward!” Lang Zhen raised his single arm and gave a thumbs up, laughing as he spoke, “Don’t be afraid, I’ll tell you, my advantage right now is much bigger than yours.”

“Having another senior brother is all the same to me,” the words of Tian Yangni were getting blunter, “as long as you don’t obstruct my matters, I, Mr. Tian, have my own ways of returning the favor.”

Logically speaking, being a high-rank martial master, talking to a low-rank martial master like this was already giving a lot of face.

But who was Lone Wolf? In the past, he was someone who feared neither heaven nor earth, and though somewhat decadent in recent years, he still had pride in his heart, “Obstructing your matters? Hah, you’re thinking too much.”

Tian Yangni didn’t mind; after all, he came from a major clan and his nature wasn’t just reckless bravado. His eyes shifted as he spoke, “Since that’s the case, why don’t we join forces to handle some worldly affairs for the Divine Doctor? In your opinion… what does he need right now?”

On hearing this, Lone Wolf first froze, then couldn’t help but look at Tian Yangni with a mixture of amusement and disbelief, “Turns out you’re not just straightforward!”

(Three chapters in, calling out loud for monthly tickets.)