Big Data Cultivation

Chapter 536: 536

Ye Tiannan, when he first came to Meng Zhanbo’s aid, didn’t harbor much desire for personal gain.

He believed that neither of them belonged to the mortal world, and perhaps felt a sense of empathy, or that they were birds of a feather.

But when he learned that the other party was a disciple of the Four Great Sects, he naturally approached them with enthusiasm.

Meng Zhanbo’s base was in the southwest of Qingdai County, and he spent half the year traveling through the eastern counties.

The so-called patrolling of the Qinggang Sect was mainly to collect information for the sect, and they were ready to take action if necessary.

That was why Pan Renjie, from Wuyou Platform, thought that this patrol was a bit like a meddlesome dog chasing mice.

Ye Tiannan received news just yesterday morning that the Eastern Sub-rudder had been slaughtered. Although he was a cultivator, the fact that the attacker eradicated the entire sub-rudder overnight, with such terrifying combat strength, and caused an uproar for miles around—he suspected they must also be cultivators, right?

By noon, he learned the details that at least two cultivators were involved in the attack.

Ye Tiannan was a protector of the headquarters, not of the sub-rudder, so it was optional for him to get involved in this matter.

However, the Eastern Sub-rudder always treated him with great respect, and as a protector, he had to look the part.

While cultivators attacking mortals didn’t adhere to the concept of “the killer must be killed,” there usually needed to be a reason.

So Ye Tiannan went to find Meng Zhanbo, hoping he could act as a witness in the capacity of a Qinggang disciple.

Indeed, he didn’t dare to confront the other party alone, not to mention the terrifying strength of the enemy; just the fact that he could see the limit of his own cultivation while not knowing the depth of the other party’s foundation was enough for him to think thrice.

Meng Zhanbo was available, and so he followed Ye Tiannan to have a look. Upholding justice was usually of little interest to him, and he was only there because of his good relationship with Ye Tiannan and because Ye Tiannan had mentioned there were some good things inside the Eastern Sub-rudder.

To put it more bluntly, if Feng Jun and his companions had simply cleaned up the battlefield and left without touching the treasure room, Ye Tiannan might not have been interested in confronting them—getting to know the origins of the attackers would have been good enough.

He was moved to take action only because the headquarters had agreed to pay him for taking the lead.

After all, the treasure room was mainly what drew him to this place.

As for those two martial masters, they were indeed the Sage of the Prefecture’s men. The Magistrate originally planned to come today, but multiple incidents occurred in the prefecture with forceful home invasions and kidnappings by a trio, two men and a woman, with one of the men suspected of being an Innate Expert.

Further identification revealed that these three people greatly resembled the trio that had interacted with the Hu Family previously.

The Magistrate knew all too well that he had suppressed the Hu Family himself and that Hu Yuandao was seriously injured under his orders.

Feng Jun and his companions had a formidable presence and had even brazenly inquired about Hu Yuandao at the Hu Residence, so shortly after they left Yunzhou City, they were followed by officers from the Arrest House.

Hearing that among them was an Innate Expert, the Sage of the Prefecture dared not leave his home.

By last night, people from Linqiu returned with the identification that these three individuals seemed to be the same ones who had ruined the Wonderful Hand Pavilion’s plans.

The Magistrate was almost scared out of his wits, and he promptly visited Ye Tiannan.

Ye Tiannan kept a low profile in Yunzhou City; everyone knew of Lord Ye and that he was wealthy and lived a life of luxury, but almost no one knew he was a cultivator.

The Magistrate only encountered Ye Tiannan when he was managing the affairs in Caozhou Prefecture, where his extreme methods affected the interests of the Wonderful Hand Pavilion. Ye Tiannan paid the Magistrate a visit “for a talk,” and settled the issue.

But even until now, the Magistrate was unaware that Ye Tiannan was the protector of the Wonderful Hand Pavilion. He only knew that there was such a discreet Immortal Family within his jurisdiction.

So he visited Lord Ye, requesting him to intervene, to understand what exactly had happened—according to Official Government rules, they didn’t interfere with Immortals who attacked mortals, but they absolutely needed to understand why the attack happened.

If he failed to find out the reason, the local official would likely be dismissed—the Imperial Court doesn’t expect you to stop an Immortal, but if you are not even clear about the reason behind the action, what use are you?

The Sage of the Prefecture explained thus to Ye Tiannan, but he did not dare mention that Hu Yuandao, who he had killed, might have been a friend of an Immortal.

Ye Tiannan thought to himself that since he was going to confront them anyway, with the Magistrate seeking his help, he might as well deal with both issues at once and also apply some pressure on them.

All these reasons led the four of them to appear before Feng Jun and his companions.

Seeing that the other party had not left by the second afternoon, Ye Tiannan could scarcely hide his impatience, wondering if they had discovered the treasure room; he immediately accused Feng Jun of murder and robbery.

Feng Jun did not understand these reasons but hearing the words “Wonderful Hand Pavilion’s Protector,” he suddenly understood everything.

With a cold sneer, he glanced at Ye Tiannan dismissively and then examined Meng Zhanbo from top to bottom.

Meng Zhanbo was puzzled by his gaze, he felt inclined to lash out but considered that things might not be as he thought—and this person who dared to challenge him to a life-and-death fight might have some unmentionable tactics.

Therefore, he asked expressionlessly, “Do you have something to say, sir?”

“Of course, I have something to say,” replied Feng Jun with another cold laugh, glancing at Ye Tiannan, “Wonderful Hand Pavilion’s Protector? Perfect timing. I was just about to witness the Daoist friend’s skills!”

Ye Tiannan blinked in confusion, but not wanting to diminish his sect’s prestige in front of a Qinggang disciple, he replied sternly, “I have no objection to a fight, but you must first tell me: why did you slaughter innocent mortals without cause?”

“Unprovoked?” Shangguan Yunjin sneered, “You jest, Ye Daoist. When Feng Daoist was repeatedly provoked by the Wonderful Hand Pavilion, even a clay figure retains a trace of earth’s nature, let alone us, cultivators?”

Ye Tiannan was astonished, “Feng Daoist? Are you… surnamed Feng?”

Feng Jun replied expressionlessly, “When flowers fall, they chance upon jun… I have already reported my name, Feng Jun!”

“Feng Jun?” Ye Tiannan frowned and thought for a moment, “I thought your surname was You, calling you You Fengjun.”

Then he turned his surprised gaze back to Shangguan Yunjin, “This Daoist friend… provoked by the Wonderful Hand Pavilion? How do I not know of this?”

Shangguan Yunjin couldn’t articulate the details—in fact, disciples of Wuyou Platform did not understand what happened, simply echoing others.

So she glanced at Feng Jun, hoping he would offer an explanation.

Feng Jun sneered, “Don’t remember? Let me remind you, Fushan County… Mount Zhige!”

“Mount Zhige… Mount Zhige,” Ye Tiannan pondered and then his brows lifted, “You injured several Innate experts from the Wonderful Hand Pavilion? And destroyed their formation?”

“That’s right,” Feng Jun looked at him indifferently, “If you could find me at Mount Zhige, why couldn’t I find my way here?”

Ye Tiannan was dumbfounded, and after a long while, he muttered quietly, “But… they didn’t know you were a cultivator.”

“Heh heh,” Feng Jun sneered in response, “Not knowing, does that give them the right to kill and plunder, to assassinate in secret?”

Ye Tiannan couldn’t respond to this question. He must admit, not knowing the other party was a cultivator, and showing a slight lack of respect was one thing, but the problem now was that the Wonderful Hand Pavilion wantonly bullied people and had run into a solid wall.

By that logic, Feng Jun’s tit-for-tat response was faultless—Immortals should not be offended lightly!

Pan Renjie also sneered, “Since that’s the case, it’s not every day Ye Daoist comes knocking at our door… better to stay, then.”

Somebody insulted a cultivator, and instead of upholding their honor, you stand up for these mortals. It’s just right leaving you here too.

Ye Tiannan’s face turned pale with shock, and he instinctively stepped back two paces, “This Daoist friend, I had no prior knowledge.”

“No knowledge?” Pan Renjie sneered and took a step forward, “We from Wuyou Platform will give you a chance to explain!”

“This Daoist friend is also from Wuyou Platform?” Meng Zhanbo’s form flashed, blocking Ye Tiannan, and spoke unobtrusively, “May I inquire how the Daoist friend is called?”

Elder Brother Pan replied expressionlessly, “My surname is Pan, Pan Renjie, Wuyou Platform’s walker of the Mortal World.”

Meng Zhanbo only knew that these two were disciples of Wutai and thought they might not be united. But upon hearing that both were from Wuyou Platform, he had no choice but to speak up sternly, “Both Daoist friends, could you grant me a little face and let this matter slide?”

“Grant you face?” Pan Renjie sneered, “Why should I? Can the Qinggang Sect be unreasonable?”

Meng Zhanbo’s expression darkened, “Are you… insulting the Qinggang Sect?”

“Man must first demean themselves before others demean him,” Pan Renjie answered calmly, “If you wish to slander me later, that is your prerogative.”

Meng Zhanbo stared at him blankly for a good while, scanned him up and down several times before finally speaking, “The Guanquan Valley’s Pan Jinxiang, Elder Pan, how should I address the Daoist friend?”

In the mouths of Qi-Refining practitioners, ‘Elder’ could only refer to those of the Detachment Realm. Ordinary mortals might address Innate experts as ‘Elder’ and Qi-Refining practitioners as ‘Immortal,’ but in fact, among the low-rank cultivators, ‘Elder’ specifically refers to Detachment Realm practitioners.

—To transcend the mortal realm is to be detached, and thus, an ‘Elder.'”

As for the practitioners of the Golden Core Stage, they are addressed as ‘True Person.’

Pan Renjie was surprised, “Eh, you know my father?”

“If you had said earlier you were Elder Pan’s son,” Meng Zhanbo could only smile bitterly.

Pan Jinxiang was a well-known high-rank practitioner of the Detachment Realm from Guanquan Valley, with exceptional combat strength, but he was more famously wealthy and well-connected. Under Guanquan Valley’s two Golden Core experts, he was a top-notch figure not to be trifled with.

Meng Zhanbo was a disciple of the Qinggang Sect, but the vast majority of disciples from the Four Great Sects could not afford to provoke Pan Jinxiang.

Being from a powerful sect is not all-powerful, as some individuals’ influence surpasses that of their sects—take Pan Jinxiang for example, the Pan Family was a major force in Guanquan Valley, but Pan Renjie was actually a disciple of Wuyou Platform.

However, Pan Renjie did not acknowledge Meng Zhanbo’s consideration, expressing emotionlessly, “My father has over a hundred children, you need not be so wary… and I am not like you, surviving on the backing of others.”

Although this was somewhat exasperating, it was also heavily laced with ridicule, fitting his reputation for ‘freely switching allegiance.’

But how could Meng Zhanbo believe that? True, Elder Pan was known for being amorous and had indeed many children, but Meng had met the man himself and knew him to be generous and righteous.

He would thus treat outsiders with respect, so how much more his own children?

So he smiled wryly, “The previous actions were offensive on my part… I once had the honor of meeting Elder Pan and hold him in high regard.”

(Updated, calling for monthly votes.)

Source: Webn0vel.com, updated on Novg0.co