Big Data Cultivation-Chapter 597 - Testing the Waters

Chapter 597: Chapter 597: Testing the Waters

Chapter 597 -597: Testing the Waters

Don’t laugh, but Spirit Beast Meat is indeed Spirit Beast Meat. On the mobile phone plane, the sensation might not be very strong, but on Earth Realm where Spiritual Energy is sparse, as soon as the meat was revealed, Spiritual Energy started to waft and scatter all around.

Feng Jun cut the meat into small pieces and threaded them on skewers. Some people already thought that this group having a barbecue on Maoshan was somewhat distinctive, but as the Spiritual Energy spread, even more people became interested.

Feng Jun didn’t find it strange. In fact, he did this not only to join in the fun but also with the intention to probe—after all, it was the reopening of the Eighth Heavenly Cave, so weren’t there any eminent figures participating in the celebration?

No eminent figure appeared when the Spirit Beast Meat was being cut.

Nor when the meat was being skewed.

And after the skewered Spirit Beast Meat began to roast over the fire, still no eminent figure showed up…

Feng Jun then let go of that expectation. Such is the way of the world; famous names often fall short of expectations.

Zhang Caixin could feel the anomaly in the Spirit Beast Meat, and when Feng Jun took out the meat, she slightly raised her eyebrows and her eyes lit up, wondering, “What kind of meat is this?”

As they waited a bit longer, even Feng Jing and Gazi noticed it when Feng Jun was skewering the meat. After cultivating for so long, if they couldn’t even pick up on this, Feng Jun would probably be spitting blood with frustration.

When the barbecue began, the Spiritual Energy gradually dispersed. Gazi couldn’t hold back any longer, “Brother Jun, what kind of meat is this?”

“Just eat your fill; why ask so many questions?” Feng Jun replied with a smile, “It’s only for occasions like this. Otherwise, I wouldn’t be willing to bring it out.”

Zhang Caixin blinked, and asked puzzledly, “Isn’t this the era of scant Spiritual Energy? I feel that even turning Xiao Wu into meat skewers wouldn’t produce such strong Spiritual Energy.”

In Luohua Manor, King Crow was hiding in a pavilion taking a rest, when suddenly he shuddered all over, his feathers standing on end. He looked around warily for a moment before settling down again: Why do I feel like… there is some kind of danger looming?

“Indeed, that is the case,” Feng Jun nodded, but still didn’t directly answer the question, “So, you should cherish the kebabs in my hands.”

Upon hearing this, Gazi actually laughed gleefully, “If Hai Feng and Lei Gang knew about this, they’d probably be crying their eyes out, right?”

During the conversation, the aroma of the barbecue began to waft into the air, along with the Spiritual Energy emanating from the Piercing Mountain Salamander.

In Ten Directions Hall, there were around seven or eight hundred guests residing, with others continuously on their way.

Feng Jun and his group brazenly barbecuing in the courtyard was a bit eye-catching, but the seven of them, strapping young men and beautiful young women, seemed not the type to be trifled with, so nobody interfered.

However, as the Spiritual Energy dispersed, some people started to take a strong interest in them.

Among these people, there were quite a few cultivators, and regardless of what they cultivated, there were always those who could sense the wonder of Spiritual Energy—like the twenty-odd-year-old Tang Wenji who could sense the profundity of Spiritual Energy. It was impossible that all other sects were filled with mediocrity.

Two middle-aged men dressed in athletic attire came out of a building, chatting and laughing. However, they were instantly attracted by the Spiritual Energy from afar.

The two stopped in their tracks for a while, exchanging glances before heading toward Feng Jun and his group.

Following closely behind them were four young people, also in athletic wear, clearly disciples of the two men.

The six approached Feng Jun and the rest; one of the middle-aged men with a whisker beard, gave Feng Jun a cupped-hands salute, “This young friend, may I ask… what meat is this you’re barbecuing?”

This one knew his stuff. Everybody was barbecuing, but only in front of Feng Jun, it was Spirit Beast Meat being roasted.

Feng Jun looked up, returned the smile, and also gave a cupped-hands salute, “Please enjoy, fellow Daoist. I don’t know exactly what meat this is, as it was a gift from a female Taoist who said it was very delicious.”

A gift from a female Taoist? Whisker Hu glanced at the other’s face, and couldn’t help but believe him a bit. The world says that men are lecherous, but little do they know, when women become lustful, they are in no way inferior to men.

How does an old saying go? “Pimps love money, and cougars love to flirt”—even while earning money, they don’t forget to choose their patrons.

Seeing this, the middle-aged man of average height snorted, “Young people these days really don’t understand etiquette… to just sit there and reply to an elder?”

Both had considerable reputations within the secular cultivation circles, where there was an especial focus on tradition and respect for elders.

Indeed, in many traditional industries within Huaxia, there is a strong emphasis on respecting one’s elders and superiors. In a negative light, this is seen as rank and hierarchy-focused; positively, it’s considered to have a human touch.

In the cultivators’ circle, there is also a profound respect for teaching and following the moral way. The man felt that it was somewhat excessive for such a young person to show such disrespect to an elder.

Feng Jun just laughed off the remark and couldn’t be bothered to quibble. As long as it wasn’t a grave offense to himself, he wasn’t concerned about some people’s self-imposed moral standards—after all, respecting the elderly should inherently be a traditional virtue, right?

Whisker Hu glanced at his companion, exchanging a look that suggested there was no need to make a mountain out of a molehill for such a trivial matter.

Then he asked with a smile, “May I ask, young friend, is that female Taoist from Maoshan?”

“I’m not sure about that,” Feng Jun shook his head, replying solemnly, “I’m not familiar enough to discern the differences.”

After a couple words with Whisker Hu, and sensing the Spiritual Energy contained within the roast, he spoke again, “Young friend, we only had a little for dinner, could you spare us two kebabs from your hands?”

Feng Jun shook his head decisively, “There are seven of us, one skewer per person, which is just perfect.”

Whisker Hu was momentarily stunned, then flashed a smile, “How about this—I’ll offer a high price. Who’s willing to sell to me?”

No one from Feng Jun’s group made a sound, even Li Shishi understood that something Master Feng presented couldn’t possibly be subpar.

However, after waiting a moment, someone did speak up. The voice belonged to Di Aixin, “How much are you willing to pay?”

This guy was no pushover and was not the sharpest tool in the shed. Coming from a poor family, he was especially concerned about money.

Back when he arm-wrestled with Gao Qiang, he had even asked if he could skip the probation period if he won.

Whisker Hu hadn’t expected that someone would actually consider selling, so after thinking for a bit he replied, “One hundred… no, two hundred.”

He was aware of the value of that skewer of meat but had initially wanted two skewers for himself. Now, to offer a high price would mean eating his own words. Moreover, the higher the price he offered, the less likely they were to sell, right?

Paying a hundred or two for a skewer of roasted meat could be seen as capricious, but anyone would know there’s a catch if it was a thousand or ten thousand.

Yet, Di Aixin looked at him with a hint of a mocking smile, “That expensive? With that money, you could just order takeaway… why bother fighting us for food?”

He was just curious to know how much the skewer he was about to eat was worth—after all, it came highly recommended by the master.

Having spent a fair amount of time at Luohua Manor, he was well aware of just how impressive his boss was.

And Gazi had said that Wang Haifeng and Xu Leigang would regret missing out on this skewer of meat.

Things that could cause regret to those two were usually not things that could be measured with money.

If the offer had been thirty or fifty million, Di Aixin might have struggled to decide whether to eat it or sell it since he was terrified of being poor.

But one or two hundred… Are you kidding me? Even if you added “million” after the hundred, I wouldn’t sell.

Whisker Hu found this amusing, “Then, name your price?”

After thinking for a moment, Di Aixin wanted to ask for ten million but, glancing at Feng Jun, he replied honestly, “Never mind, I’m hungry too.”

Just then, a rustling of footsteps approached, and suddenly, a bald head popped up.

It was a fat, imposing monk over fifty, with a kind and benign appearance.

—Fat, imposing, and benign, this template really could be akin to Maitreya Buddha.

He greeted Feng Jun and the others with a respectful bow, “Amitābha, in such a sacred place like Ling Shan, you patrons fill the air with the smell of worldly, meaty dishes, which is a disturbance to one’s meditation and a great disrespect to the Three Pure Ones… please extinguish the fire.”

Among the seven people with Feng Jun, aside from himself, the one least interested in Buddhism was Gazi.

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After his epileptic attacks, Gazi had prayed frequently and his family had spent quite a bit of money. Influenced greatly by Feng Jun, he had little respect for Buddhism.

He scoffed, “What I find strange is that Maoshan is one of the Daoist Sect’s Ten Great Cave Heavens, but while no Taoist has spoken up, Buddha seems pretty eager?”

The monk showed no reaction to his words. It’s undeniable that this equanimity was a supreme divine skill of the Buddhist Sect—you keep talking, and I’ll stick to my own words.

In the end, your words don’t matter because they’re wrong, and mine are right, so what you say really doesn’t matter.

With kind eyes and a gentle voice, the monk said, “Patron, your words are attached to form. Red lotus, white lotus, green lotus leaves—the three teachings are originally from the same family. Whether it’s Buddhism, Daoism, or Confucianism, different paths are taken, but the aim is the same—a pure heart of colored glaze.”

“Tsk,” Feng Jun couldn’t help but smacking his lips upon hearing this, “Buddha, you seem a little too involved, don’t you think? With such an inability to endure solitude, you still dare talk about a pure heart?”

“The two patrons are mistaken—I am not Buddha, just a person who honors Buddha,” the monk replied earnestly, “I seek a pure heart, not minding whether I seek Buddha or follow Dao. But the patrons are causing such commotion in the sacred Ling Shan area…”

Before he could finish, Gazi interrupted him, “This is Maoshan’s sacred Ling Shan area, it has nothing to do with you, Buddha. Don’t steal the limelight, alright?”

With that said, he gave Feng Jun a sideways glance, “I’ve been to many places and found that monks have too many rules. If you don’t follow them, you’re disrespectful, deserve death, and bound for the eighteenth level of hell… Daoists are better; they don’t restrict your actions.”

“You spouting nothing but the harsh truth?” Feng Jun hummed discontentedly, “If I didn’t impose strict requirements on you, would you learn to show respect?”

To be honest, he shared a similar sentiment to Gazi’s. The Buddhist Sect, in its pursuit to appear solemn and dignified, indeed had many rules. It’s not that having many rules is bad, but some of them are quite inexplicable.

The Daoist Sect, in this respect, was far more lenient.

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