Big Data Cultivation

Chapter 455: Chapter 455 Fanatics

Feng Jun really didn’t want outsiders to know what sort of secrets existed within Luohua Manor.

But Yuan Zihao and Yuan Youwei were here in Zhengyang to escape the summer heat.

That’s right, to escape the summer heat in the Central Plains! Feng Jun had no idea how Xu Leigang had boasted about Luohua Manor, nor did he understand if the Yuan Family had water on the brain, but… they came here to escape the summer heat.

Since they came for that purpose, it wasn’t just for a day or two. Feng Jun felt that the strangeness of the two bamboo forests would be discovered by them sooner or later. Given this inevitability, he might as well let them openly accept this phenomenon.

Perhaps they would attribute it to something like Earth’s magnetic field, which would save him the effort of having to fabricate lies.

Indeed, many times, it’s better to flash an inscrutable smile rather than painstakingly explain; human nature is weird like that.

Of course, unrelated individuals, like Mayor Zang and others, were to be avoided if possible.

Another factor that led Feng Jun to this decision was Gao Qiang.

He had crossed fists with Gao Qiang before, but it was with just cause and the other party had apologized sincerely, so there was no need to hold a grudge.

What Feng Jun genuinely admired was Gao Qiang’s “anti-fraud in Traditional Chinese Medicine” activities. The decline of Traditional Chinese Medicine has various causes, but the rampant swindlers are undeniably a part of the problem.

Is Traditional Chinese Medicine pseudo-science? Feng Jun never considered it pseudo-science. Before Leeuwenhoek invented the microscope, what was Western medicine? The West didn’t even have this concept; praying to God seemed more reliable.

And grand Huaxia survived countless generations and continued to develop its culture, thanks in large part to Traditional Chinese Medicine.

Without delving into examples like artemisinin, consider the miracle drug Chaihu—it’s used in soup remedies and modern medicine even employs it in injections. Even though it’s forbidden for children, adults still use it.

Feng Jun believed that some people’s dismissal of Traditional Chinese Medicine as metaphysics was prejudiced. In essence, it’s an empirical discipline. Its current label as metaphysics is due mainly to its theoretical foundation lacking precise quantification.

Which means if enough practical applications were used to enrich its details and correct errors, Traditional Chinese Medicine had a promising future.

He believed that in the near future, online medical diagnostics based on big data would emerge, heralding an opportunity for the resurgence of Traditional Chinese Medicine.

These are far-fetched thoughts, but in any case, Feng Jun absolutely detested those who, under the guise of Traditional Chinese Medicine, swindled with impunity. With Traditional Chinese Medicine already in such a state, how could they stomp on it further?

Even worse were those shameless fiends claiming a few doses of their medicine could cure late-stage cancer—those individuals truly deserved to be shot.

Feng Jun loathed such people, yet he couldn’t pull himself away to confront them, which is why he appreciated Gao Qiang’s actions immensely.

Another very important reason he took a liking to this fellow was Gao Qiang’s evident desire to become a disciple.

In theory, a supreme expert like Feng Jun and being a cultivator at that, should have people queueing from Zhengyang to the capital—perhaps even wrapping around the Equator a few times—to become his disciple.

Unfortunately, the three male disciples he taught were his friends who began their training with him in a rather muddled way.

Among his three female disciples, Zhang Caixin could be said to be relatively enthusiastic, but she hesitated for nearly half a year—and though she had her reasons, there was no question that Feng Jun’s appeal was not great enough.

As for the one known as Feng Jing, let’s not even go there; she idled her days away, and if not for witnessing the magic of the Storage Talisman, she’d probably keep drifting aimlessly.

Gao Qiang’s fervor was quite comforting for Feng Jun—it was as if he finally had a near-fanatical believer.

Since the fellow’s attitude was proper, Feng Jun was willing to give him a chance.

After lunch, Gao Qiang didn’t rest but clung to Feng Jun, expressing his desire to take him on as a master and learn martial arts.

Feng Jun knew Gao Qiang had some wealth to his name and asked with a smile, “How much do you plan to offer?”

Gao Qiang didn’t hesitate to say that if Feng Jun was willing to accept him as a disciple, he was willing to give up all his wealth. Afterward, just providing him with meals would suffice.

He knew he couldn’t sway Feng Jun with one or two million, and he couldn’t afford to offer more, so all he could do was say he’d give his all.

Feng Jun found it interesting and asked, “What about your future then? Would it be like selling yourself to me?”

Gao Qiang was straightforward, expressing that if he learned real skills from Feng Jun and continued with his anti-fraud work, he would be more convincing. With influence established, would he still worry about making money?

Feng Jun found it even more interesting, saying, “Do you believe that you’ll definitely learn authentic skills from me? It’s not that I won’t teach you, but… are you sure you have the talent?”

Gao Qiang answered confidently that he believed his talent was no worse than most people, and he was quite certain that his level of effort would surpass 99.9 percent of others.

Feng Jun used the nearby people as a reference; Gao Qiang’s qualifications were indeed not bad, slightly better than his three male disciples. However, the problem was his age—he wasn’t young, and his cultivation speed might not surpass that of Gazi.

Then the conversation shifted to other matters.

Yuan Huapeng also had the habit of taking a nap after lunch, but his naps were incredibly short. Ten minutes were enough for him, and he didn’t need a bed—he could sleep just fine sprawled across a table—after all, he was young.

After fifteen minutes of sleep on the couch, he sprang up full of energy. “Gao Qiang, let’s take a walk around the manor.”

After a couple of turns, they saw the bamboo forest in the valley, which was brimming with life. Both of them felt like going down to take a look.

Gazi was guarding the bamboo forest and stopped them, “Gentlemen, this place is off-limits without an invitation.”

If this bamboo forest had looked scruffy and sparse like those in backyards, Yuan Huapeng would probably have just smiled and walked away. But these bamboos were so lush and pleasing to the eye, verdant and dripping with vitality.

Therefore, Yuan Huapeng made a phone call to Feng Jun, who, after hearing that he was with Gao Qiang, thought about it and agreed.

Not only did he agree, but he also rushed over immediately.

Both Gao Qiang and Yuan Huapeng had decent perceptive abilities. As soon as they entered the bamboo forest, they started exclaiming in awe, feeling as if they had stumbled upon a paradise on earth. The air was fresh, and in the sweltering heat of summer, it was pleasantly cool, truly inducing a feeling of bliss where one would forget to return home.

Yuan Huapeng even expressed his desire to sleep here at night.

Feng Jun just laughed, “You can’t sleep here. This is where my disciples practice cultivation. You’re lucky to be able to stay for a little while during the day.”

Yuan Huapeng was taken aback, “Disciples… cultivation… Are you planning to start your own sect?”

“I haven’t thought that much,” Feng Jun replied with a smile, shaking his head. “I always feel that… you have to leave something behind in a lifetime.”

Yuan Huapeng rolled his eyes, “I’ve noticed you’re getting better and better at putting on airs… This place could actually make a good tourist attraction to earn money.”

Feng Jun gave him a deep look, “Do you think I’m in need of that money?”

Yuan Huapeng’s eyes darted around, “Right, you’re not short of money. Oh, I get it, what you lack is connections!”

He remembered Feng Jun’s predicament not long ago, and slapped his thigh forcefully, “This could be turned into a private club!”

Feng Jun shook his head nonchalantly, “Huddling for warmth? Not interested. I just want some peace and quiet.”

If he hadn’t wanted to keep a low profile, there really wouldn’t be many people capable of troubling him now.

Of course, it was also because of his low profile that he didn’t have zealous followers. There were plenty of casual believers, though, so much so that when he met someone with the potential to be a zealous follower, he found it a bit hard to refuse…

In fact, Feng Jun had seriously contemplated which plane he should focus on developing.

When it came to resources, the Mobile Phone Plane completely outdid Earth. A place abundant with spiritual energy couldn’t even be compared with the End of the Law Era.

On the Earth Plane, he couldn’t even find a cultivation technique, nor were there masses of cultivators for company.

But this side had its advantages too. Material life was not bad, and the bustle was incomparable to the other side.

However, since he had embarked on the path of cultivation, all that worldly hustle and bustle were mostly fleeting.

So deep down, he wanted to spend more time in that plane cultivating. If ever he got exhausted from cultivating, he could come back here for a rest—after all, no one would miss him here.

It was the arrival of ‘Jie Chaoqun’ that startled him; the Mobile Phone Plane was simply too unsafe. It would be better to cultivate earnestly on Earth, for until he was strong enough, this was his peaceful sanctuary.

Having decided to put down roots on Earth, it was critical to manage his surrounding environment well, so he would just have to continue keeping a low profile—if he ever went high-profile, he wouldn’t have this much leisure time anymore.

Just then, Li Shishi called him on the walkie-talkie. Feng Jun figured, letting Elder Yuan enjoy the coolness of the bamboo forest for a while was no big deal, especially since he had the core technology of the Spirit Gathering Array in his hands.

Yuan Zihao’s perceptive abilities were much better than Gao Qiang’s and Yuan Huapeng’s. In fact, older people, with their qi and blood waning, could feel the benefits of this place much more than younger folks could.

“This is a great place!” Elder Yuan spoke loudly, looking around, “This spot would be perfect for building a thatched cottage to live in.”

No one responded to him. Yuan Huapeng and Gao Qiang kept silent, and Feng Jun couldn’t be bothered to speak.

“Eh?” Yuan Zihao waited for a moment, then looked at Feng Jun with surprise, “You’re not welcoming me?”

You really shouldn’t be so presumptuous, should you? Feng Jun smiled and gestured with his chin towards Li Shishi, “You tell Elder Yuan.”

Li Shishi spread her hands and widened her eyes, looking incredulously at Elder Yuan, “Old master, I’ve been in the manor for so long and have never been here before. This time… it’s all thanks to your blessing and tagging along with you.”

Yuan Zihao’s eyes widened, “Really?”

Li Shishi pursed her lips, “The other Assistant Li and my sister Xiao Bin, whom you’ve met, she’s been here even longer than I have, and up till now, she hasn’t been here either… It’s best if you don’t mention this when you go back.”

Yuan Zihao blinked his eyes, looking suspiciously at Feng Jun, “Is there some special reason for this place?”

“No special reason,” Feng Jun smiled, “If you’re interested, I can sell you this manor… for fifty billion. Do you want it?”

He really didn’t have much to do with those who tried to play the senior card, who were also too forward. Since it wouldn’t be nice to confront them seriously, he simply threw out an exorbitant price to prevent them from considering building a thatched cottage here.

You may think that a thatched cottage means pastoral life, but this is my foundation!

(Update to call for guaranteed monthly tickets.)@@novelbin@@