Big Data Cultivation

Chapter 530: 530

Linqiu is a small county, with an especially small county city, roughly the size of a thirty thousand people, roughly equivalent to the slum areas outside of Yunzhou City.

However, the county’s commerce is particularly thriving, because it is not far from Fushan County and can be considered a junction between two counties, thus trade is very lively.

In a society where commerce isn’t well-developed, such a phenomenon is not uncommon.

Fushan and Qingdai, the two counties, have their own management styles, and local protectionism is prevalent; coupled with the influence of clan powers, merchants from Fushan have to put in more effort and endure more hardships when doing business in Qingdai.

Goods are expensive when away from their place of origin, and people are undervalued away from home.

For big merchants, this difficulty is not insurmountable, but for small and medium-sized merchants, it would add too much to their costs.

...

Given this environment, many people choose to sell their goods locally in Qingdai after transporting them there—the schemes of Qingdai run too deep.

We just skim off the top without going in.

In the eyes of many, this is the reason for the commercial prosperity of Linqiu County.

But in fact, the Wonderful Hand Pavilion’s greed for all kinds of rare items might be the real reason behind Linqiu’s prosperity, or perhaps it’s because of Linqiu’s boom that the Eastern Sub-rudder chose this place.

It’s a chicken-or-the-egg question that is not easy to clarify.

The three of them arrived at Linqiu around half-past seven in the evening when it was getting dark.

To their surprise, although the city gates were shut, there was a huge siege tower not far from the gate, where people were getting on and off in twos and threes.

Even Pan Renjie couldn’t help but exclaim, “It’s true; you really do see something new every day.”

The trio stood by with their horses near the siege tower for a while when a man and a woman approached them; the woman greeted them first, “Would the three of you like to enter the city? It’s fifty copper coins per person, a hundred for a horse… We can also help you find an inn inside.”

Pan Renjie asked with surprise, “Even without identity plaques?”

“You must be joking,” the woman laughed, “We’re just providing a convenience, not letting just anyone in. There are quite a few big thieves around.”

Feng Jun shook his head, “Then we won’t go in.”

He had registered in Zhige County and had a legitimate identity, but how could he possibly leave traces here?

Just then, the man spoke up with a suppressed voice, “You can go without showing your identity, but the price would be double.”

“Still not going in,” Feng Jun made up his mind, “Staying outside for one night is not such a big deal.”

“But how can sleeping outside compare to the pleasures of staying in the city?” The man forced a smile, “Gentlemen, is this your first time in Linqiu? The nights here are when the real fun starts; you three certainly aren’t short of cash.”

Feng Jun shook his head and firmly replied, “Having money doesn’t mean you should waste it, but this Linqiu City… it really is an eye-opener.”

As he spoke, he made a motion to leave.

But in fact, he had already set a trap for the other party, just waiting for them to take the bait.

As expected, once they heard he wasn’t short of cash and had some opinions about Linqiu, the man’s face darkened, “Friend, you’ve been asking this and that for half a day and still refuse to enter the city… are you toying with me?”

No sooner had he spoken than seven or eight men converged around them, “Wow, you’ve brought your wild ways to Linqiu, have you?”

The trio of Feng Jun didn’t look like easy targets, what with their fine clothes and spirited horses, it was clear they had been through the wringer in the jianghu.

Yet this group wasn’t afraid and circled them with a fearless arrogance.

“Let’s go!” Feng Jun and his companions turned to leave.

The men directly blocked their path, some drew knives from their waists, others took short bows from over their shoulders.

“You want to leave? Not so fast. Foreigners coming here to cause a ruckus, do you really think Linqiu has no brave men?”

Feng Jun’s expression darkened as he spoke, “Who’s in charge here? Come out and talk, or you’ll regret it later.”

The people were opportunists; seeing that the other party remained composed and spoke with a strong tone, a stocky man stepped forward and spoke coldly, “I’m in charge. What do you want to do…begging for mercy?”

Feng Jun bared his teeth in a grin, “Me? I’ll start by teaching you how to speak!”

His body flickered, and in a flash, he was in front of the man, raising his hand to deliver a series of Yin Yang slaps, with a succession of crisp sounds following.

The man was struck into a daze, but the surrounding onlookers wouldn’t stand for it.

A man raised his hand and shot a Sleeve Arrow towards Shangguan Yunjin, “Seeking death!”

He was not in a position to aim at Feng Jun, so he chose to target a woman instead.

Shangguan Yunjin might not have come from a Martial Cultivator background, but being at the Mid-stage Qi Refining level, she swerved, dodging the Sleeve Arrow that nearly touched her face, then flickered forward, slicing the man in half.

“Ah, murder!” someone cried out, then gnashed their teeth and shouted angrily, “Kill these bastards!”

Although Linqiu was prosperous, after all, it was located at the junction of two counties and was rather chaotic, where seeing dead people was quite common.

At this moment, the city gates had been closed, and this was the outside of the city, what was so unusual about a few deaths? Instead, it triggered the local people’s rage.

Shangguan Yunjin’s figure flashed again as he squeezed through between two men, flicked his sword, and chopped the shouting man into two halves, “You’re like ants, daring to be so arrogant?”

Outside the crowd, a man holding a short bow raised his hand to draw it.

Before the bowstring could be drawn, a streak of white light flashed by. It was Pan Renjie who flicked out a flying knife, hitting the man right in the forehead.

In the blink of an eye, three attackers had died. Alarmed, the attackers began to retreat, shouting, “Murder! There are bandits committing murder outside the city!”

Everyone had seen dead bodies before, and brawling to death was not an uncommon event, but the fact that the other party casually killed three people showed they were ruthless killers who didn’t blink an eye.

These people had gathered together for the sake of wealth, and the death of one or two could be considered “seeking fortune amidst risks”, but continuous deaths deviated from the original intent of seeking fortune.

Feng Jun, seeing the pair killing with such relish, couldn’t help but feel excited by the hunt. He pointed at the man who had initially made the threat, “Die!”

With a soft, “puh” sound, the man’s head, like a ripe watermelon, burst open, spewing red and white contents everywhere.

“Ah~” The woman beside him screamed in horror, collapsing to the ground, her body releasing both urine and stool.

Then, Feng Jun turned his head, looking at the stocky man in front of him, and asked with a light chuckle, “Yes, I really do wish to beg for mercy. Could this fine fellow spare me some face?”

The stocky man was already shivering with fear. He too had killed before, and even managed to chat and laugh during murder, but at this moment, he was like a lamb waiting for the slaughter.

Gathering his wits, he indicated with a tremble, “Alright, my people were blind and have offended the noble one. How about we just forget about this incident, may I ask what the noble one thinks?”

“Just forget about this?” A strange smile appeared on Feng Jun’s face, “Should I also be thankful for your mercy in sparing my life?”

“I admit you are stronger than me, but what of it?” The stocky man steeled his heart and with a wave of his hand said, “My boss is here, you tell him.”

A dozen or so people rode on horses, galloping over from a distance, led by a one-eyed middle-aged man, an Intermediate Level martial master.

The one-eyed middle-aged man arrived nearby, lightly leaped, and landed on the ground.

He took a good look at Feng Jun and the other two, then glanced at the four dead bodies on the ground and asked in a deep voice, “Who are the impressive warriors that have come here?”

Feng Jun’s eyebrows lifted slightly as he asked with a smile that was not quite a smile, “One-Eyed Pixiu?”

The one-eyed man glanced at him and nodded slightly, “Correct, that is me. How should I address you?”

Feng Jun had already done his homework. The One-Eyed Pixiu was one of the three major local snakes of Linqiu County and was a bona fide local snake, unlike the other two factions, which had the support of other powers behind them.

The elder from the Qian Family had made it clear that although the One-Eyed Pixiu’s combat strength was average, he had a special talent. His Poison Dragon Spear was famous far and wide, attracting many women who came in admiration.

It was even said that he had conquered a female Innate Expert who was willing to be his hitman.

However, what Feng Jun was most concerned about was that the One-Eyed Pixiu was not a member of the Wonderful Hand Pavilion; in fact, he had a poor relationship with them—his brother was likely killed by the Wonderful Hand Pavilion.

The old Qian Family head had assured him, pounding his chest, that if the One-Eyed Pixiu had any connection with the Wonderful Hand Pavilion, you could kill my entire family.

Feng Jun came to Linqiu County to take down the Eastern Sub-rudder of the Wonderful Hand Pavilion. He already knew the location of the sub-rudder, but not many were clear about the internal layout, not even old Qian.

But it was certain that the One-Eyed Pixiu must be aware since his network in Linqiu County was too strong.

The one consideration was that, being the underground boss of Linqiu County with many eyes and a surprising hidden strength, he also had many enemies. Numerous external forces wanted to control him to better master Linqiu County, making his whereabouts elusive and difficult to pinpoint.

Feng Jun and his companions were definitely looking for someone well-informed, but the difficulty of actively seeking the One-Eyed Pixiu was too high; they could only wander around the county town to see what they could find.

Unexpectedly, they had indeed run into the man.

Feng Jun gave him a grin showing his teeth, “You don’t need to ask my name, just come with me.”

The One-Eyed Pixiu’s single eye narrowed as he stepped back twice.

He had heard that someone was causing trouble outside the city, killing several townspeople in succession, which was why he rushed over to handle it, but now it seemed… had he fallen into a trap?

After a moment of hesitation, he still issued a solemn warning, “Since you know of the One-Eyed Pixiu, you should also be aware that taking me away won’t be hard, but the question is… can you afford the consequences?”

Feng Jun grinned, “Oh? What consequences… could you tell me more?”

The One-Eyed Pixiu thought it over briefly before answering frankly, “I don’t know why you are looking for me, but I must tell you that I am quite unhappy with all the killing you’ve done.”

“Quite unhappy, so what?” Feng Jun turned and with a backhand stroke, he chopped the stocky man behind him in two, and chuckled lightly, “Look, I killed someone again… what next?”

The face of the One-Eyed Pixiu instantly darkened, becoming as black as the bottom of a pot, and even as evening was about to fall, his changing complexion was still visibly dark.

(The difference in the protagonist’s behavior in different worlds was clearly written by Wind Laugh in the books. The world of the mobile phone is the state of “having rules is better than having no rules,” which is the setting, so it’s normal to kill indiscriminately.)