Chapter 2673 - 2665: Earth’s Déjà Vu

Chapter 2673: Chapter 2665: Earth’s Déjà Vu

Feng Jun was not surprised that Ji Niang recognized him. He simply smiled and replied using his Divine Sense, "You have a good eye, Madam."

"It’s not just an eye for detail, I have other secret techniques," Ji Niang the True Immortal was quite candid, of course, she wasn’t going to reveal her cards, so she had no intention of explaining further, "I heard you are quite interested in the Li Wang Secret Realm?"

This indicated her strong control over the situation and didn’t mind showing it.

Of course, she also meant to convey—nothing today can be hidden from me, if you have anything to say, feel free to speak frankly.

However, Feng Jun was no longer a naive youngster; he knew it was normal to engage in small talk with her first.

"It’s not just ’quite’ interested, mainly you know, I came from a small place and have never been to a secret realm in the Tianqin. I’m a bit curious, but they all say there’s nothing to explore in the Li Wang Secret Realm, is that true?"

"If you come from a small place, then we all come from the Mortal Realm," Ji Niang the True Immortal laughed upon hearing this, "However, the Li Wang Secret Realm has indeed been explored over ten thousand times... without special methods, you’re unlikely to yield any decent finds."

This was a conversation coming from a genuine Nascent Soul cultivator, well-balanced and avoiding a definitive judgment while conveying her stance.

"Then forget it," Feng Jun decisively expressed his willingness to give up. When someone puts it like that, should he insist he’s the chosen one destined to discover something? "Do you know Zhu Huanran of Tiantong Commercial Alliance, and Bi Yun the True Immortal?"

"They are partners of my maternal family, but I’m not very familiar with them," Ji Niang the True Immortal was exceptionally cooperative and sincerely grateful to Feng Jun, "It seems you chatted with them a bit... about the Heavenly Curtain?"

This world truly teaches you not to underestimate anyone. Feng Jun never even talked with Bi Yun the True Immortal; it was always Yi Jue communicating with her, yet Ji Niang the True Immortal said it so confidently.

This proved: firstly, she saw through Yi Jue’s disguise; secondly, she guessed that Feng Jun was the one in charge between him and Yi Jue.

Not to mention, just her powers of observation—aren’t they terrifying?

However, Feng Jun didn’t mind because he understood that Ji Niang’s show of strength was in itself a way of expressing goodwill—if she truly looked down on him, why would she bother to display her abilities?

He enjoyed dealing with smart people, especially those with kind intentions, so he smiled, "I am indeed a bit curious about the Heavenly Curtain and wished for a close-up observation, but they wouldn’t tell me which small realm it was in."

As someone termed a "countryman," first showing interest in secret realms, then interest in the rare celestial phenomenon "Heavenly Curtain"—that made perfect sense!

But soon after, Ji Niang the True Immortal seemed to falter a bit. She raised her eyebrows, "Why don’t you just spend some Spirit Stones to find out?"

The next moment, she realized her reaction wasn’t quite right, so she readily expressed, "I’ll cover the investment in Spirit Stones, Mountain Master Feng, don’t be concerned... mainly because I can’t directly ask him."

At this juncture, Feng Jun couldn’t retreat. He pulled out a cigarette, lit it, took two puffs, and then squinted as he spoke, "True Immortal Ji Niang, may I boldly ask, do you think I’m short of Spirit Stones?"

"I know you aren’t, you’re far wealthier than me," Ji Niang didn’t find it inappropriate at all to admit she was less affluent than Feng Jun; although she was at the Nascent Soul High Stage in the Green Lotus Sect, she’d already acknowledged in her heart that she was no match for Feng Jun.

Many people are unable to overcome this psychological hurdle, and the more distinguished one’s status, the more so it is. But she was aware of how formidable Feng Jun was, so she truly felt no psychological burden.

She openly admitted her predicament, "However, he’s backed by the Tiantong Commercial Alliance, and asking him directly about the lower-realm news might displease Tiantong. Although I’m not afraid of Tiantong, wouldn’t it be more straightforward to directly invest a few Spirit Stones to buy the information?"

"Is that so?" Feng Jun nodded thoughtfully. All along, the cultivators he’d encountered relied on their strength, with the strongest having the logic; those not bullying others with their cultivation levels were considered good people.

Instead, there were not many people like Ji Niang the True Immortal, who rather emphasized overall consideration, even being willing to take minor losses when necessary, an approach more common in the Earth Realm.

So upon understanding her reasoning, far from being angry, he felt rather cordial and thus smiled as he said, "It seems the way Fairy Ji Niang approaches the issue of Spirit Stones is much more carefree than I am."

"Actually, I am much poorer than you," Ji Niang replied with a smile, happy to see that he was willing to accept her explanation—after all, she really didn’t want to offend him, "But it’s just not worth getting hung up on such a trivial matter."

"That’s true," Feng Jun nodded. At this moment, he felt a bit like he was communicating with someone from Earth, "Any problem that can be solved with Spirit Stones is not really a problem... It’s really rare to see someone with such perspective backing you."

"Actually, it’s quite common," Ji Niang replied earnestly, with a slight sense of surprise in her heart.

Contrary to what Feng Jun thought, many people she knew operated in this manner.

Strictly speaking, the cultivation and living environment of Ji Niang the True Immortal was more akin to the normal state of the Tianqin Plane.

She entered the Green Lotus Sect with decorum, surrounded by her master and her peers. Her interactions were mostly among similar cultivators, accustomed to equitable dealings that naturally became routine and worldly, not much different from ordinary people.

Even when her adversary, who injured the only Nascent Soul in her maternal clan, she didn’t rush to resolve the issue. After she advanced to Nascent Soul Middle Phase, the opponent fled on their own, and she didn’t pursue further investigation. This was not surprising to others.

Perhaps this was related to the strong commercial atmosphere of the Mountain-Sea Plate, but it’s undeniable that there are indeed many cultivators like her, and one could even say this is the norm.

In contrast, Feng Jun built his career from scratch, facing various oppressive forces from above. The living conditions were extremely harsh, without companions growing alongside him, unaccustomed to equal communication with others, with heightened vigilance and a strong sense of counterattack.

Upon hearing her words, Feng Jun grasped the idea: Could it be that the true cultivator’s mentality should be like hers?

However, there’s no need to delve into it. Even understanding the mindset of a normal cultivator, how much help could it bring him?

Based on his own circumstances, he was destined to possess such a mindset and style, unable to learn from others’ styles.

For instance, regarding the matter of Blue Lotus True Immortal, Ji Niang’s advice made sense, undoubtedly so. If it were in the Earth Realm, Feng Jun would have probably handled it that way. Although he disliked gambling, spending a little to solve a problem would avoid indebting anyone.

But in this matter, he genuinely didn’t want to act like that because it’s not his character.

Firstly, he needed to clarify that he had no interest in the Heavenly Curtain. If it were nearby, he might take a glance or wander around to broaden his horizons. But specifically investing was nearly impossible.

Therefore, he was pondering going to the lower realm where the Heavenly Curtain is located and see if the Big Boss has any hidden treasures there!

Feng Jun was acutely aware that he was under considerable scrutiny, and many actions might be interpreted by others. Although he hadn’t sensed malice aside from Wanhuan Sect and Lingmu Sect, it didn’t mean everyone harbored goodwill.

The problem is that the Big Boss’s treasures are scattered across various lower realms. If he frequently visited those realms, sooner or later, someone would notice anomalies. Currently, Xuanyuan Buqi and Qian Zhong, two True Lords, were tied to him, and Yi Jue was also with him, but others might not be.

Once someone discovers that he found hidden treasures in various lower realms, the consequences would be unimaginable.

Therefore, he needs a legitimate reason to visit those lower realms, and the "Heavenly Curtain" is a decent pretext.

He believes Yi Jue has also realized this, but she didn’t mention it, only proactively offered help, which shows there truly are people with intentions in the world.

However, if he were curious and went specifically to take a look at the Heavenly Curtain, others could understand such actions. But if he invested for gains from the Heavenly Curtain, others might view it as bizarre.

The reason is simple. Firstly, he never displayed a penchant for gambling; even though betting on Void Stones was his invented method, it was merely for profit, not gambling.

Secondly, he himself was quite adept at making money and was extremely busy. How careless would he have to be to consider investing in Heavenly Curtain exploration?

Investing in the Heavenly Curtain isn’t just about spending Spirit Stones and being done with it. He has to guard outside the Heavenly Curtain, wait for explorers to return, and inspect the Storage Bags to ascertain his profits. He even needs to have measures for any anomalies.

Of course, he could delegate the operation, but he wasn’t lacking in Spirit Stones and had steady income. Would he care about this small sum?

Thus, Ji Niang True Immortal’s suggestion wasn’t wrong, but Feng Jun genuinely couldn’t operate like that—it would arouse suspicion too easily.

He sighed in frustration: So, even though Ji Niang’s way of living is familiar, am I unqualified to live that way?

It truly is a disheartening realization.

Yi Jue, having walked away when he was speaking with Ji Niang, returned and asked, "What’s wrong? I felt her suggestion was good... why are you so unhappy?"

"The suggestion is good; unfortunately, it’s not suitable for me," Feng Jun rubbed his forehead in distress, not explaining the details, just indicating, "You know, I’m not lacking in Spirit Stones, but I truly can’t operate that way."

Yi Jue also didn’t delve into the details, nodded upon hearing him, then glanced sideways, "Should we go find Liu He Great Sage?"

The perceptive ability of True Sage Liu He was remarkable. With a turn of his head, he glanced at the two and raised a hand: Come over.

Ji Niang True Immortal watched the scene, slightly furrowing her brows: Feng Jun could waive my nine hundred Superior Spirit Stone divination fee... doesn’t seem like he’s lacking Spirit Stones at all.