Big Data Cultivation

Chapter 269: Chapter 269: Lord Beiyuan’s Wild Guesses

The Seven-Leaf Brocade Grass from Lord Beiyuan Family’s possession was a gift from the imperial family.

This kind of treasure is coveted by all, for a single item could represent an Innate Expert.

Lord Beiyuan himself was reluctant to part with it, as it could truly be said to be an heirloom treasure.

However, he was ultimately an ennobled figure, different from ordinary clans.

If such an item were in the hands of those clans, it could ensure the continuation of the family line; even if the family fell into decline, they could eventually rise again with its aid.

But as a member of the ennobled hierarchy, so long as he made no missteps, the continuation of his family line was assured. Similar treasures could turn up at any time—like this one, bestowed by the royal family.

It’s like an heirloom antique that to ordinary folks is a lifeline, which when they are in dire straits they can sell to finance a resurgence.

But in the homes of the very wealthy, even the most precious antique is just an item; if necessary, they sell it, and after enduring a period of hardship, they can simply spend several times more money to buy it back.

Facing such a crisis, Lord Beiyuan didn’t mind offering up the Seven-Leaf Brocade Grass as an emergency solution. As long as he survived, any lost wealth could potentially be regained.

What he was unsure of was: the other party is an Immortal, would they find it useful?

Of course, the Divine Doctor currently seemed to have the cultivation level of a High-Rank Martial Master and should need this item, but since he doesn’t tread the path of Martial Enlightenment, does it really matter whether one is Innate or not?

He hemmed and hawed for a long time before he finally threw out such a fine item.

“Seven-Leaf Brocade Grass?” Feng Jun’s eyes lit up at the mention; he hadn’t been there long, but he had already heard of the famous herb and was momentarily tempted… The fella was just looking for a way to advance to Innate.

However, before he spoke up, he glanced at the middle-aged man beside him—the one in disguise.

The man noticed his glance and looked back at him, but said nothing.

Feng Jun hesitated for a moment and finally nodded, “I’ll take it, but… it’s not enough.”

That was easy to address. Lord Beiyuan almost laughed out loud with joy upon hearing this. As long as you agree to take it, I can cobble together a little more, and that should settle matters.

Lowering his voice, he said, “As far as I know, there’s a small Mysterious Iron Mine in Zhao Family Fort. They’ve kept the information tightly sealed. I’ll take care of that Colonel Zhao for you and compensate you with that mine… How does that sound?”

It turned out that while accepting Colonel Zhao’s betrayal, Lord Beiyuan had already sent people to investigate the inner workings of Zhao Family Fort.

This was his way of doing things: he gathered intelligence on his opponents, and he did the same with his allies.

His agents were competent, and upon investigation, they became skeptical. This Colonel, who normally didn’t pay much attention to Zhao Family Fort, was now so intent on dealing with Feng Jun?

Through careful observation, one of the agents noticed something strange and eventually uncovered this secret.

Everyone knows that the value of a Mysterious Iron Mine exceeds that of a silver mine. The Zhao Family Fort discovered the mine at some point and dared not publicize it, only daring to mine it secretly and sell it off sporadically in distant lands.

When Lord Beiyuan learned of this information, he even found it somewhat amusing: If the Zhao Family hadn’t meddled with Feng Jun, who knows how long they could have kept the secret of the Mysterious Iron Mine.

But now, in their greed for small advantages, they had exposed a great wealth. Was it worth it?

Lord Beiyuan had already planned that once he had dealt with Feng Jun, he would talk to the Zhao Family about collaborating on the development of the Mysterious Iron Mine—aren’t you afraid to mine it? I, the Earl, will cover for you; mine to your heart’s content, I’ll handle any issues that arise.

He had no intention of leaving a share for the Yongyi Duke’s Princely Heir; this matter was too trivial. Though Mysterious Iron Mines were involved in weapons manufacturing, they weren’t rare, and his business was to sell Mysterious Iron for profit, not daring to involve himself with weapons manufacturing.

Just making money didn’t require the Princely Heir’s knowledge and didn’t suit his dignity.

And how would he split the profits with Zhao Family? Naturally, it would be a thirty-seventy split—with seventy percent for the Earl’s estate.

He didn’t consider himself greedy; dealings with government officials through the Earl’s estate couldn’t be entirely without expense.

In fact, Lord Beiyuan thought that such a partnership would be favorable for Zhao Family Fort as well—they could sneakily mine Mysterious Iron indefinitely, always in fear. It was better to mine it quickly and make money sooner, allowing small money to generate more money, which was in line with good business practice.

Now that he had stumbled before Feng Jun, he didn’t blame himself but instead grew angry at the Zhao Family—If it weren’t for your meddling, would I have hit such a snag and lost a Seven-Leaf Brocade Grass?

That Mysterious Iron Mine could yield tens of thousands of catties of Mysterious Iron, which on careful calculation, would amount to more than five thousand taels of Gold.

Upon hearing the words “Mysterious Iron Mine,” Feng Jun instantly recalled the Mysterious Iron plate on Elder Zhao’s belt.

Thereby, he could ascertain that the other party was not trying to deceive him.

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However, such conditions really couldn’t satisfy him. He sneered, “Using someone else’s belongings to curry favor, is this the consistent practice of the Zhu Family people?”

Upon hearing this, Lord Beiyuan’s heart sank. How could I have forgotten this issue?

But no matter what, if it were just about wealth, he wouldn’t be afraid. Thus, he immediately expressed, “If you are not pleased, I can compensate with natural treasures worth two thousand taels of gold as a token of my slight apology… What do you think?”

Feng Jun stroked his chin and thought carefully before answering, “Besides these two things, I also want to peruse the entirety of the Earl’s family library. Any problem with that?”

Lord Beiyuan didn’t hesitate at all and straightforwardly shook his head, “No problem at all, this matter can be handled by Brother Bao.”

Strictly speaking, a family library is the most crucial foundation of a clan, the monopolization of knowledge that can help a clan rise more effectively. The borrowing of a family library, even if the Yongyi Duke’s Princely Heir personally asked, he may not necessarily agree.

But it was another matter entirely for an Immortal to borrow them.

Lord Beiyuan believed that although his family’s library was considered invaluable, this was only in relation to ordinary people. The relatively low-level knowledge wouldn’t be of much significance to an Immortal.

He didn’t know why Feng Jun valued the books so highly, but one thing he was certain of was that the circle in which the Zhu Family and Immortals lived were entirely different levels with no competition whatsoever.

Since there was no competition, spreading some knowledge would certainly do no harm. He even decided to let his wasteful son, Brother Bao, take care of this matter—aren’t you two on good terms?

By this point, Feng Jun could be satisfied. However, he still muttered, “That Colonel Zhao from Zhao Family’s fortress… ”

“Don’t worry, leave it to me,” Lord Beiyuan answered decisively. His resentment towards that person was not minor, “Within two days, I will claim his life.”

For others, military affairs were complicated to handle, but Lord Beiyuan originally rose to power through military exploits, and his descendants also emphasized development in military roles. He was very familiar with the military system and had challenging oversight.

To make a Colonel die an unclear death? Heh, that was truly too easy.

But the next moment, he felt that something was amiss. His eyes shifted before he suddenly realized an issue—was the emphasis of the Divine Doctor’s words on “Colonel” or on “Zhao Family’s fortress”?

Maybe the other party was still interested in the Mysterious Iron Mine, yet I was foolish enough to think that they honestly didn’t care.

Up to now, to ask Feng Jun to spare him, he had already paid the price of a Seven-Leaf Brocade Grass, natural treasures worth two thousand taels of gold, as well as the opening of all the family books.

Add to that the need to assist in the assassination of a martial master Colonel, the things Lord Beiyuan promised were already quite considerable.

If this mine were to be added, it would feel like being overly greedy.

But Lord Beiyuan didn’t care. He even feared that the other party might misunderstand, which would undo all his previous efforts. So, he added with a smile, “By the way, I do intend to acquire that Mysterious Iron Mine. When the time comes… shall we share the profits fifty-fifty?”

Feng Jun glanced at him and shook his head, “If you fancy it, just go and take it. I’m not accustomed to ruling by force.”

His statement seemed somewhat disingenuous. It had been said earlier that Feng Jun didn’t have a moral obsession; he was just a person of principles who wouldn’t initiate trouble.

If someone provoked him first, he didn’t mind seizing their wealth in retaliation—the Zhao Family’s fortress and its mine, he could take them.

However, having just been forcefully deprived by others, to then turn around and apply the same tactics to someone else would be like slapping his own face, wouldn’t it?

So he could only express his disdain, positioning himself as a person of quality.

But these words, when spoken to the Earl, were pretty much the same as not speaking at all—aren’t there many in the officialdom who play the saint while being a whore?

Lord Beiyuan took it as if he heard nothing more than a fart noise, thinking to himself, does this Immortal too feign nobility?

In any case, he was determined to give his share—giving it might not bring any benefits, but not giving would certainly bring trouble.

So he spoke earnestly, “This has nothing to do with taking by force. You know, I’m not a local either. If I want to mine Mysterious Iron there, I definitely need someone local to watch over it for me. I offer you fifty percent of the profits in hope that you can help me oversee it.”

This explanation was reasonably sound, but Feng Jun, now habituated to pretense, actually refused prudishly, “Then wouldn’t it be better to ask someone from the Official Government?”

I just can’t believe I can’t give it away! Lord Beiyuan’s stubbornness flared. He smiled and spoke, “After today, people from the Official Government will likely have to avoid you too, why let them benefit?”

Feng Jun was indeed tempted, but still put on an act, “I have important matters to attend to, I’m afraid I can’t be too distracted.”

Lord Beiyuan inwardly chuckled bitterly. For such a task, do you really need to get involved? Just sending out Lone Wolf would be enough.

Now who doesn’t know that Lone Wolf has clung to your coattails? He dares to curse even me!

In any case, Lord Beiyuan was determined to give that share, “The mining and sales matters won’t bother you at all. If you happen to have time, just inquire about them. If not, just send someone to watch over, to guard against those shameless fools who might tamper with the finances.”

“It won’t impede your important affairs. It’s just borrowing your reputation to intimidate the petty. Naturally, I can’t borrow this name for free.”

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