Big Data Cultivation

Chapter 500: Chapter 500 Theft

One does not strike a smiling face, so since they had acknowledged their mistake, Feng Jun certainly wasn’t going to hold a grudge.

However, he didn’t offer them a smile either, simply giving a light nod, “No problem, just make sure it doesn’t happen again.”

After these people left, Feng Jun walked through the bamboo forest, noting several places that were messily dug up, nearly affecting the Spirit Gathering Array, which increased his irritation.

Stepping out of the bamboo forest, he instructed Gao Qiang, “Later on, put up some signs here that say ‘Cultivation Seedling Area, No Entry Without Permission’.”

Feeling upset, he didn’t go to the main building for dinner but instead headed to the backyard to reinstall the dismantled Spirit Gathering Array.

The situation in the backyard aggravated him even further; a piece of mysterious iron used for the Spirit Gathering Array had been moved, seemingly by someone curious about how heavy it was, and was placed right on the stone path.

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Also, two wooden stakes had been pulled out from the ground and then replanted.

Feng Jun had planted these stakes shallowly to mark the positions, just to prevent them from being blown or washed away by the wind and rain; indeed, they were easy to pull out but… weren’t these people exceedingly idle?

Feng Jun put everything back in its place, resolutely deciding that in the future, even if it were the Emperor of Heaven himself, without his permission, no one would be allowed into the backyard or the valley’s bamboo forest. It’s fortunate that they didn’t move the Spirit Stone; otherwise, his loss would have been substantial.

After these people had eaten, Feng Jun arranged for Gao Qiang to send them off in a luxury bus.

This wasn’t to butter up the other side but to hint at them through a display of wealth: such a luxurious vehicle was merely for casual transport, so… think it over, whether Luohua Manor is easy to provoke or not.

Sure enough, the Forestry Bureau folks were indeed daunted; upon getting on the bus, someone exclaimed in shock, “God, is this… a luxury business RV?”

Women and children were quite curious, wandering around and inspecting the bus. However, before they could get a clear understanding, the bus had already arrived at the mountain gate.

Amidst a murmuring of wonder, everyone disembarked from the bus, feeling a bit excited, all except the woman who had complained to Feng Jun, who wore a face of discontent.

A woman beside her asked curiously, “Xiao Ya, what’s wrong with you?”

“This manor owner is just too stingy,” Xiao Ya said with a darkened face, “I took some bamboo fungus home yesterday and cooked it into soup. My mother really liked it, said it relieved a lot of chest tightness. She even told me to get some more today.”

“That’s true,” the woman nodded in agreement, “it’s just some stuff that grows in the mountains; so petty.”

Another man teased the two women, “Bamboo fungus is expensive, also known as bamboo pith. It’s like ginseng… maybe they intend to sell it for money.”

Xiao Ya dismissed the idea with a curl of her lip, “Such a big boss, as if he’s short on money…”

After Feng Jun reassembled and restarted the Spirit Gathering Array in the backyard, he called Xu Leigang to ask what exactly had happened.

Xu Leigang felt wronged; he and Wang Haifeng had firmly stopped the Forestry Bureau’s vehicle at the mountain gate prior to this incident.

It turned out that the vehicle Feng Jun saw at the mountain gate belonged to the Forestry Bureau and had been denied entry.

The Forestry Bureau’s staff was quite unhappy, arguing that the mountain was so vast and the weather so hot, how could they get around without a car?

Wang Haifeng and Xu Leigang suggested using their own vehicle to take them, but the Forestry Bureau’s staff still weren’t pleased, suspecting there might be something non-compliant that they didn’t want seen.

The two apprentices were not ones to be trifled with, and the comment nearly led to an argument. It was finally resolved when Wang Haifeng called his older brother, and Director Wang reached out to a friend at the Forestry Bureau.

However, Director Wang also told his brother that these people were just doing their jobs, trying to earn a living, and it’s not easy, so they should be accommodated and any issues glossed over.

And so… the situation developed into what it was now.

The worst part was that Wang Haifeng’s mother had an acute gallbladder attack last night, and he had to go to take care of her.

Therefore, in the vast manor today, the only people who could make decisions were Li Shishi and Xu Leigang.

With Li Shishi taking care of the villa and Xu Leigang unable to see to all eight or nine guests by himself, the fact that he could generally keep an eye on everyone without making any major oversight was already commendable.

After hearing all this, Feng Jun had little to say, finally asking, “How is Hai Feng’s mother now?”

“They are giving her IV fluids,” Xu Leigang answered with a frown, “The hospital suggested surgery, but his family is against it, thinking that surgery at such an age could damage her vitality…”

Feng Jun initially intended to call Wang Haifeng’s brother to warn the Forestry Bureau personnel again, letting them know that they should not treat his place like their own home in the future.

But with Wang Haifeng’s family facing this issue, it didn’t seem right to cause them further trouble. So after thinking it over, he decided to call Sister Hong instead, “I remember, you have connections at the Forestry Bureau?”

Last time they repaired the manor’s wall, Feng Jun had a falling out with Sister Hong, but they silently cared for each other despite that. Later, Sister Hong said she had helped him resolve a difficult situation with the Forestry Bureau.

After having lunch, Sister Hong, Zhang Caixin, and Feng Jing left the manor to do some business, but regarding the situation inside the manor, she also saw some things, “It’s related but not directly, what do you want to do?”

“I hope that the next time they come to inspect the manor, they will contact me in advance,” Feng Jun spoke with a heavy voice, “They have the right to inspect, but this is not a forestry station, it’s leased woodland, and regular inspections should suffice.”

“This… I’ll ask around,” Sister Hong chuckled on the other end, “There shouldn’t be a big problem.”

That night, Sister Hong, Zhang Caixin, and Feng Jing did not return, and within the manor, there were just the two assistants, Xu Leigang, and Gao Qiang.

Outsiders included Yang Yuxin and Gu Jiahui.

The Spirit Gathering Array in the back courtyard was still recovering, but Gu Jiahui had already impatiently entered the pavilion. Seeing that the other three women were not around, Yang Yuxin was a bit worried about her daughter and looked at Feng Jun with a hint of unease.

Prizing propriety, Feng Jun was all about being clear about gratitude and grievances. Thinking about how she had moved out of the Gu Family for Dou Jiahui’s store, his heart softened, “You should also rest in the pavilion, it’s very good for relieving fatigue, just remember… it’s just for tonight.”

In fact, he had some inexpressible calculations in his heart: He wouldn’t easily take Gu Jiahui as a disciple, but it was a shame to give up such a good Cultivation Seedling.

So he let Yang Yuxin have a taste of the benefits, perhaps she would end up eagerly asking to become a disciple.

At midnight, it began to rain and Xu Leigang, who had been Cultivating in the bamboo forest, also came back to rest—he was quite tired these past few days.

Around five in the morning, Feng Jun was awakened by a phone call. It was Gao Qiang, “Someone stole something from the manor and injured the gatekeeper, then rushed out of the mountain gate.”

“What?” Feng Jun sat up abruptly, “What got stolen?”

“I don’t know,” Gao Qiang replied succinctly, “There were three people in total, they initially tried to bypass the gatekeeper but got discovered, then they injured the gatekeeper and stole a motorcycle to flee.”

Feng Jun didn’t hesitate, he turned on the walkie-talkie and spoke while putting on clothes, “What’s happening at the gate?”

The gatekeeper was babbling over the walkie-talkie, Feng Jun already clutching the walkie-talkie as he dashed out of the room, leaping out of the back building, taking a feel of the Spiritual Energy in the back courtyard, and soared into the air, heading straight for the bamboo forest in the valley.

To him, those two places were not to be lost, for everything else, it really did not matter that much.

The rain continued to fall, his figure tracing a white arc through the mist, which, in the dawn light, was exceptionally brilliant.

Yang Yuxin and Gu Jiahui, mother and daughter, were now asleep in the pavilion.

This place was mysteriously free of mosquitoes, and since it was raining, there was no wind, so both of them were just wrapped in a thin bath sheet. The rustling sound of the rain was not disturbing but rather soothing, making their sleep very sweet.

But Yang Yuxin had reached a certain age and was sleeping outside, so when she heard an unusual noise, she was suddenly awakened.

She opened her eyes and saw in the dawn light, a figure soaring into the air, darting away.

Frightened, she sat up abruptly, rubbed her eyes and looked again, the figure had already vanished from sight, but the long white trail it left in the air took a while to fade away.

After rubbing her eyes again and making sure it was not a vision, her face suddenly took on an extremely odd expression, “This is…”

Meanwhile, Feng Jun stood at the entrance to the valley with a grim face, “This is… dammit…”

His biggest fear had happened, the Spirit Gathering Array… had been destroyed.

On the Earth Plane, Spirit Gatherings Array gathered Spiritual Energy extremely slowly, and it dissipated just as slowly. Now the array had been destroyed, but aside from him and probably Zhang Caixin coming over, no one else could sense that the Spirit Gathering Array no longer existed here.

Anyone else would have flown into a rage by now, but Feng Jun was relatively calm. He first took out his mobile phone and tapped directly into it, wanting to see how much of the Spirit Gathering Array’s materials had been stolen.

In his opinion, he had hidden the array very well, yet even so, seven or eight items had been stolen, showing that the thief had had an eye on this Spirit Gathering Array for more than a day, and what could be confirmed was that the manor had been betrayed from the inside.

Then he exited his mobile phone and turned to sprint towards the mountain gate. Because of the time lag, the gatekeeper’s response only came through the walkie-talkie at that moment.

The three thieves were all wearing raincoats and did not show their faces. Since it was raining, they tried to bypass the gatekeeper and quietly slip through the mountain gate. However, when they walked down a steep slope on the side, someone slipped and let out a sharp scream.

The tall gatekeeper had been running on an upset stomach the last couple of days and was sleeping lightly. When he heard the scream, he looked up and saw the three people in the rain, so he shouted loudly, grabbed a rubber stick, and charged out.

The shorter gatekeeper had been sleeping more soundly and got up later, a bit groggy. Hearing his colleague’s shouts outside, he rushed out without grabbing anything.

By the time he got there, the tall gatekeeper had already been knocked down by the three attackers. Without a weapon, he was an easy target.