Chapter 593: Chapter 593 Greed is Hard to Restrain Chapter 593: Chapter 593 Greed is Hard to Restrain Facing Yang Yuxin’s request, Tang Wenji was initially taken aback before letting out a wry laugh, “About that… I am truly sorry, but three Spirit Stones have been placed inside the Ancestral Tablets, leaving me with only one in hand.”

The news that the Maoshan Lineage had obtained thirty Spirit Stones and a Storage Talisman did not spread; those present at the time were only the three people from Maoshan, along with Feng Jun’s five disciples–even Gazi wasn’t there.

So after deliberation between Tang family’s father and daughter, they decided that if anyone were to ask about the Spirit Stones, they would say they only had one, with the remaining three embedded within the Ancestral Tablets–in fact, this had been their original plan before the Stone of Fate trade came up.

And if someone wanted to take a Spirit Stone from the Ancestral Tablets, they would have to go through Feng Jun.

This was the self-preservation Dharma the Tang father and daughter came up with. Anyone who wanted to take Spirit Stones from Maoshan would have to confront Master Feng.

There was no choice; Maoshan Lineage presently had no experts, so they could only distribute the resources rationally and utilize all kinds of support.

What Tang Wenji had originally anticipated was pressure from Daoist friends from places like Wangwu and Zhongnan; unexpectedly, the first to make a request came from The Secular World’s Director Yang.

Upon hearing this, Yang Yuxin was slightly startled, then spoke with a smile, “As long as you agree to sell, we can discuss the price… For the Spirit Stones in your Ancestral Tablets, I will seek Master Feng’s assistance.”

When Tang Wenji heard this, she became indignant; are you picking on the easy target? Feng Jun has more Spirit Stones, so why don’t you negotiate with him?

Therefore, she shook her head, still smiling, “I’m very sorry, but we currently… have no plans to trade.”

Yang Yuxin, of course, understood the difficulty of parting with valuable assets, and did not become angry. Instead, she began to raise her offer, “How about this–I’ll take only the two with the least Spiritual Energy. Besides the conditions you’ve proposed, I also guarantee no one else will coerce you into trading Spirit Stones.”

Hearing this, Tang Wenji couldn’t help but be slightly tempted–for Maoshan, the energy contained within the Spirit Stones was what mattered most; the actual number of stones wasn’t of much practical significance.

Director Yang’s offer was indeed quite sincere, and it seemed to be in the interest of resolving any future concerns for Maoshan. However, the next moment, she dismissed the promise–your Gu Family might be formidable, but it can’t cover every base.

For example, if the big boss in our province asks for a stone trade, could you stop it? Could we refuse it?

Thus, Tang Wenji still decisively refused, “Director Yang, I really am sorry, but the use of the Spirit Stones has already been planned out. We are aware of your need for them… If we have the chance to get more, we will consider it.”

Yang Yuxin’s expression soured slightly, “I am sincere in wanting to make friends with Maoshan.”

Tang Wenji also grew angry, “Director Yang, if it’s about Spirit Stones, Master Feng has them, too… For the past two days, we’ve been testing the Formation with his Spirit Stones, so why go to the trouble with our little Maoshan?”

Yang Yuxin was quite direct, “It is inconvenient for me to approach Master Feng. Besides the fact he saved my daughter, he is also very powerful. You Maoshan have neither attribute. I am offering you a fair trade and guaranteeing no further harassment, isn’t that enough?”

Tang Wenji looked at her impassively, “If it were Master Feng’s wish, we would definitely obey. If not, let’s not discuss this matter any further. There’s no need to harm our amicable relations over this, right?”

You dare speak to me like this? Yang Yuxin’s eyebrows knitted in anger, but she couldn’t lash out and instead had to appeal one last time, “Then I will only buy one Spirit Stone from you–that should be possible, right?”

Tang Wenji looked at her in surprise, “Now I am curious, what do you need a Spirit Stone for? You are not a cultivator. I presume you intend to use it as a health-preserving ornament… Why go through all this trouble? Using it, we have much more use for it than you do.”

Yang Yuxin spoke with an emotionless face, “I am seeking it for my daughter.”

“Your daughter?” Tang Wenji grew even more astonished, “Your daughter can come and go in Luohua Manor, which is already a huge blessing. Why does she need a Spirit Stone?”

In her eyes, the Spirit Gathering Array at Luohua Manor was far superior to the one Maoshan was about to activate. If it were possible to cultivate in Luohua Manor, she would prefer to give up returning to Maoshan–already blessed with such fortune, was her daughter still not satisfied?

Yang Yuxin explained her reasoning–she knew better than anyone how precious the opportunity at Luohua Manor was. It’s just that her daughter has a heavy study load, and she wanted to provide her with extra protection.

“That’s unfortunate,” Tang Wenji struggled to keep her composure, “You are a great mother, but Spirit Stones are tied to the continuation of our Dharma… so it’s impossible.”

“Oh, then never mind,” Yang Yuxin spoke indifferently, being someone who cares about her image, she would not press the issue endlessly.

However, her refusal to be accommodating was duly noted by Yang Yuxin–keep being arrogant now, little girl, we will see what the future holds.

As night fell, Tang Wangsun once again arrived at Luohua Manor.

Tonight, the advanced training class in the capital would check in, and classes would start tomorrow. Supposedly, he could not miss this half-month training, having already turned down various social engagements to free up time for it.

But this time, he asked for a day off, applying to check in a day late, citing a teaching friend who had come from Britain. He was obligated to attend the welcome ceremony and accompany them for a day–this was an international religious exchange.

Indeed, there was no training that could not be excused; it just depended on whether the reason was compelling enough.

After getting approval, he rushed to Luohua Manor overnight, eager to understand the situation.

The next morning, Tang Wangsun, carrying the Ancestral Tablets, departed from Zhengyang escorted by dozens of Maoshan disciples.

During this period around the perimeter of Luohua Manor, quite a few significant figures from the Maoshan Sect had arrived, just a notch below Tang Tianshi. With their company, the treasures of Maoshan were likely to be kept safe.

However, Tang Wenji stayed behind. She wanted to look around Luohua Manor once more, pondering if she could learn something else.

Other than Daoist Ma, no one knew that the Little Celestial Master still had a Storage Talisman in his possession, which also held quite a wealth of Maoshan’s treasures.

Logically speaking, Daoist Ma should have returned. He was a core force among the disciples of Maoshan’s current generation, and since he was the one who initiated the negotiations, now that Maoshan was returning with a full load, it was the right time for him to go back and enjoy the honor.

But taking advantage of his frequent interactions with Feng Jun, he decided to stay a while longer in Luohua Manor.

The Maoshan disciples who had not entered the manor couldn’t imagine how marvelous this manor was.

Feng Jun truly did not wish for Daoist Ma to linger in Luohua Manor. He thought to himself that he had just put the order of the manor in place, and with them wandering around here, any minor mishaps could be quite uninteresting.

Nevertheless, as the Little Celestial Master of Maoshan vouched for him, claiming Daoist Ma was a trustworthy and sincere man, if any accident were to occur, it would all fall on my head.

Daoist Ma also showed self-awareness, saying that he would leave the manor at night, and during the day, besides cultivating, he could exchange some insights on the Cultivation Path with everyone.

Feng Jun could only accept it since he had made quite a profit on the Soul Stone. He felt slightly indebted to Maoshan, and moreover, the people around him, though their cultivation was not slow, still lacked some foundational theories.

During this time, Luohua Manor was also organizing texts from Maoshan, which provided an excellent opportunity to exchange more knowledge with the other party.

However, this made another person unhappy.

Zhuang Haoyun had basically convinced Feng Jun to take a trip with him to Pingyang to visit the mountain cave discovered by his great-grandfather.

As for the cave, it was Pingyang Zhuang Family’s biggest secret, harbored in the hearts of four or five hundred of its people, and strictly regulated: daughters married out of the Zhuang Family mustn’t discuss this matter with their husband’s family, let alone enter the mountains casually.

Although Zhuang Haoyun had mentioned the cave to Feng Jun much earlier, he had no intention of taking the master there.

But watching Master Feng help Maoshan open the treasure chest and seeing the rich bounty, he finally could not maintain his composure.

“My Zhuang ancestors also followed the Cultivation Path, and the location of this cave was provided by an old Taoist.”

“The cave had been sorted through by four generations, and it should have been left with nothing, but in fact, it was a cave left by our ancestors. They hid it intentionally, so not much was destroyed or taken from it.”

“Even old stone axes, bronze gongs, oil lamps, and such still remain in the cave.”

“These items may seem unimportant at a glance, but the mysteries of Maoshan’s own Ancestral Tablet went unnoticed by the Taoists–who could guarantee that there aren’t any valuable hidden treasures among these seemingly common items belonging to the Zhuang Family?”

Actually, Zhuang Haoyun’s decision to invite Feng Jun had been a long struggle for him. Wasn’t he aware that this thought was almost like gambling on a long shot?

But seeing what Maoshan had gained, he really felt out of balance. “When your Ancestral Tablet was yet to be revealed, my Zhuang Family already had the broken Stone Lock discovered by Master Feng. Why can’t my Zhuang Family have a bit of luck?”

The most crucial point was the magnanimous way Feng Jun handled the retrieval of items for Maoshan; he first refrained from guarding the Ancestral Tablet, and then he generously took out those supplies. He not only invited a third party to witness but even allowed the event to be filmed.

“A Bole (discerning connoisseur) is not always present where there is a worthy horse; and just as treasures are common, so are the magnanimous hard to come by.”

Zhuang Haoyun thought that if there were indeed any valuable items in that cave, Master Feng would be the only truly trustworthy expert–there had been none before, and probably there would be none in the future either.

Hence, he finally steeled his heart and invited Feng Jun to visit the cave with him.

Of course, Yang Yuxin’s disregard also played a considerable part in his decision.

“Are your Yang Family and Gu Family the lofty gatehouses while my Zhuang Family is just a minor household?”

Feng Jun found his decision somewhat strange. “That’s the biggest secret of your Zhuang Family… is it really appropriate for me to go?”

He truly was interested in the Zhuang family’s cave, but since Zhuang Haoyun went back alone after acquiring the fragments of the Stone Lock last time, Feng Jun understood that the Zhuang family considered that place forbidden.

The fact that he was now inviting him came as quite a surprise.

A moment’s hesitation later, Zhuang Haoyun still gritted his teeth and answered, “We can sneak in quietly, without letting others know. I’m very familiar with the place.”

(Thank you all for your support, with the monthly tickets and the heartfelt greetings. Feng Xiao has found a caregiver, making things much lighter, so the writing speed won’t slow down too much.)