Big Data Cultivation

Chapter 249: Chapter 249: Overthinking

The Mi Family truly started as merchants, the most important thing in their eyes being the family business—and their vision is indeed not bad.

There isn’t a saying here like “No agriculture means instability, no commerce means no wealth, no industry means no strength,” but it’s clear that relying solely on the soil for food and looking to the sky for a meal could mean survival is at stake, let alone building a millennium-long foundation.

If a clan wants to be strong, it must have martial support, but where does that martial power come from? It must be supported by ample financial resources.

The Gu Family is one of the biggest landlords in Yangshan, with a formidable rate of accumulating wealth. However, there are many cultivators in the clan, and the speed at which they consume wealth is also astonishing.

So in addition to land, the Gu Family owns many other industries; half of Yangshan’s county town belongs to the Gu Family and they even have many industries within Xiyin Prefecture City. Not to mention, they also have businesses in other locations and even in the capital city.

Feng Jun accepted this suggestion, so he found Tian Yangni and said, “Spread the word that if Gu Maoyuan does not come within three days, I will publicly execute his juniors.”

He had kept the Gu Family Warrior here precisely to provoke that Innate individual, but there had been no reaction from the other side, who seemed to dismiss this place as beneath them—or perhaps they were preparing some major move.

Therefore, he no longer wanted to wait; after all, he had promised that person to end it swiftly.

To prevent the Gu Family from having reservations, he met with Yu Zhengqing that same afternoon and informed him that three generators and related lighting fixtures and materials were ready. Get your goods moved over quickly and, regarding installation, you can ask the Tian Family for help.

Once the trade is done, you can leave, as this place is likely to become a battlefield very soon.

Yu Zhengqing looked at him, stunned for a moment before asking, “What about the Tian Family members? Are they leaving?”

“Tian Family is different from you,” Feng Jun replied clearly. “They are my business partners. If they want to leave, they can; if they want to stay and take the risk, I won’t refuse them.”

Isn’t it said that relationships build through interaction? At first, his relations with the Tian Family weren’t pleasant, they even killed members of each other’s parties, but under the determined efforts of Tian Yangni to curry favor, the relationship between their families had grown unexpectedly close, to the point where he would instruct the Tian Family on how to lay and install power lines.

Of course, to say they were really close is not entirely accurate; he was also vexed that there were too many Tian Family members nearby. Though order had certainly improved, his desire to mine Spirit Stones was considerably inconvenienced.

As for the Yu Family, there hadn’t been much contact, some quarrels and disputes, but they were also his clients.

So, he tried to involve them as little as possible in this matter—to consider the interests of his clients as well.

But after some hesitation, Yu Zhengqing stated, “We would like to leave some of our younger members here to cheer for Divine Doctor.”

“This…” Feng Jun pondered for a moment before nodding, “Then you’ll have to be cautious and take good care of yourselves, and make sure to follow orders. You can’t disrupt the battle, otherwise, I might get angry.”

Yu Zhengqing nodded earnestly, “We understand all of that; it’s just a bit of concern for the wellbeing of Divine Doctor.”

Two days later, Yu Family Members indeed arrived on time; this time, there were over forty people and seven or eight horse carriages.

The newcomers brought with them a Cultivation Technique and a Long Blade of nearly Spirit Weapon quality, which was quite rare for a High-Rank Martial Master.

The Yu Family also brought a large quantity of Pills, primarily Foundation Establishment Pills and Meridian Opening Pills, as well as some healing medicine and various functional Pills for the wandering martial world, such as those preventing miasma, breaking illusions, antidotes, and more…

Lang Zhen, in his years at the Escort Agency, sought a Meridian Opening Pill in vain, eventually leaving in dejection.

The generous gesture of the Yu Family Members in this transaction left Lone Wolf astonished—since when did Meridian Opening Pills become so worthless?

In reality, Lone Wolf’s thinking was off course; for the Yu Family, Meridian Opening Pills were extremely precious as well. It’s just that compared to Natural Treasures, these Pills were relatively easier to obtain.

Moreover, in Yu Zhengqing’s eyes, Meridian Opening Pills weren’t all that impressive. What he took pride in was the Yu Family’s secret Antidote Pill.

This Pill had exceptional detoxifying properties. If taken in advance, it also provided significant Insulation against toxins. It was highly reputed among the upper echelons of Donghua Country, with many nobles from the capital city sending people specifically to the Yu Family to purchase Antidote Pills.

An Antidote Pill from the Yu Family wasn’t expensive, costing only twenty silver yuan—a negligible amount compared to saving a life.

But this item… was often out of stock, practically impossible to buy with money. In fact, this type of Antidote Pill was never sold in any regular pharmacy; the entire production couldn’t even satisfy the family’s own consumption, let alone be sold to outsiders.

For the average commoner, the Yu Family’s Antidote Pill was a mythical elixir they had never actually seen.

Yu Zhengqing was a visionary leader. He didn’t rely on Antidote Pills to make money. Instead, by limiting the availability, he significantly curried favors.

You need urgent detoxification? Sorry, you must line up and reserve. We constantly lack raw materials for making Pills. The two key ingredients, in particular, are scarce throughout Donghua, so production isn’t high.

Of course, phrases like “line up for an appointment” couldn’t deter the real power brokers; however, reservations for these pills had already been scheduled two months in advance. To jump the queue, one had to pay a suitable price.

It had to be admitted that Yu Zhengqing was a person with a great business acumen. Selling the Antidote Pill at a low price might seem foolish, but inside his plan, the marginal effects and various opportunities that the pill could bring were not something that could simply be obtained by selling medicine.

For example, it was originally very difficult for Yu Family’s CheMa Trading Company to enter Nan Shan Prefecture. Some competitors, in cahoots with the Official Government, would thoroughly inspect Yu Family’s vehicles and find fault over the smallest issues, often imposing hefty fines.

Later, someone in the only Duke’s Mansion in Nan Shan Prefecture was poisoned, and all sorts of treatments were ineffective. They urgently sought help from the Yu Family.

Yu Zhengqing happily provided ten Antidote Pills and did not charge any fee but just lamented, “It’s a pity that my Yu Family’s CheMa Trading Company just can’t seem to make it into Nan Shan.”

For the Duke’s Mansion, how big of a deal was this? Ten days later, people from Nan Shan Prefecture came, crying and begging for the Yu Family’s CheMa Trading Company to station there.

Similar cases were too numerous to mention. In short, the Yu Family had been producing the Antidote Pill for over ten years, but it was little known outside—beneficiaries within, who would want to spread the news everywhere?

Feng Jun was very interested in this Antidote Pill and even asked specifically, “Only produced for about a decade? Does that mean, this is a recently developed pill by the Yu Family?”

Yu Zhengqing smiled and spread his hands, “Divine Doctor, you shouldn’t ask further. It was purely a stroke of luck that my Yu Family obtained the formula for this pill. Some of the logic for the “servants” within, I can’t comprehend nearly as well as a professional like you.”

From his response, it was clear that he had said similar things to countless people before.

Feng Jun found it a bit amusing, thinking you believe I want to learn your experience and experiment behind your back?

He felt the need to point out the misunderstanding to the other party, so with a slight smile, he said, “I was merely curious, hasn’t anyone of high status in the capital sought to acquire the formula for your Yu Family’s Antidote Pills?”

This kind of good thing usually couldn’t be kept secret. Although the Yu Family had significant influence, keeping the formula secret was probably beyond their power. They would need to rely on a powerful backer, this was something Feng Jun deeply understood.

Yu Zhengqing gave him another look, as if trying to gauge his intentions, pausing before speaking again with a smile, “There have been such situations, but the Yu Family has its own ways to deal with them.”

At hearing this, Feng Jun knew he had spoken too deeply for a superficial acquaintance. After all, the ways a clan survives are not something one can just casually share with outsiders, right?

So he laughed it off nonchalantly, “Pure curiosity, nothing more. I already have enough on my plate with my own goods.”

Seeing that he had made his point clear, Yu Zhengqing nodded, “Today I will have them test the electric generator and lights. If there are no issues, we can start transporting them tomorrow.”

Feng Jun also nodded, “It’s best to leave sooner. I’m about to deal with that rogue from the Wonderful Hand Pavilion.”

The Yu Family members who came this time were not only from the clan. Besides the guards, there were also more than ten craftsmen, including three highly paid master craftsmen who were there to learn in detail about electric generators and lighting.

Strictly speaking, this might be considered stealing expertise, but what can you say? This type of mechanical equipment, if not taught in detail for use, would eventually become a problem for oneself. Feng Jun instructed Lang Zhen, for reasonable questions, we should try to answer as thoroughly as possible.

That day, with the help of the Tian Family members, the Yu Family tested three electric generators and various types of lighting.

On the same evening, the tests continued. They used two electric generators to check the brightness of the lights, to see what level could be achieved, and they also measured the consumption level of diesel under stable power output.

Most of the Yu Family Members were quite satisfied with this trade, although some complained that the items were too expensive. But this was a decision made by Yu Zhengqing, who had considerable authority in the Yu Family. Even if some grumbled, they dared not be too loud.

Unlike the Yu Family Members, the craftsmen were utterly fascinated by the electric generators, raising all sorts of questions. Through the mediation of Yu Family Members, Lang Zhen explained most of their enquiries.

Lone Wolf was the type of person who was recruited specifically for their athletic prowess, utterly deficient in academic subjects. He could barely recognize a few characters, which was something Feng Jun had only recently asked him to learn, and he had to ask for teaching assistance.

However, being physically developed didn’t necessarily mean a simple mind. Lang Zhen’s understanding of electric generators was at least above the beginner’s level, so explaining the basic principles to the craftsmen was not an issue.

But the content he explained was not necessarily something the Yu Family descendants would be willing to teach to the craftsmen. Take something as simple as two wires, for instance. He explained that electricity is divided into Yin Yang, and the “plastic” wrapped around the outside is for insulation, to block the Yin Yang.

When the Yu Family descendants heard this, they were immediately baffled: Does Thunderous Power also have Yin Yang?

This was severely challenging their cognition.

But after a second thought, this was not entirely unacceptable. Don’t all things possess Yin Yang? Yet, those two words “Insulation,” were too frightening, and the idea of “blocking Yin Yang” was beyond everyone’s imagination.

Thus, the Yu Family descendants immediately went to report to Yu Zhengqing, believing: Such knowledge must not be taught to the craftsmen!