Chapter 30: Who Committed This Devious Deed?
“Back! Back! Back… back…Halt!”
Standing at the gate of his villa, Chen Yan directed a large transport wagon as it carefully reversed into the courtyard. Hands tucked into his pockets, he watched as several laborers leapt off the truck bed and began unloading a shipment of Green Stone Slabs. Each slab was hauled inside by two men working together, their movements steady yet laborious.
“Be careful, masters. Thank you for your hard work!”
With a casual air, Chen Yan fished out a few cigarette packs and stationed himself at the gate, ensuring that each passing worker received one. The cigarettes weren’t expensive—just twenty bucks a pack. A full carton only cost him two hundred, a mere fraction compared to the cost of the Green Stone Slabs. A small expense to ensure careful handling; after all, if the carved runes upon the stone were chipped even slightly, the formation wouldn’t take shape properly.
In the end, people were social creatures.
The stone merchant, a shrewd businessman, had also arrived, standing beside Chen Yan with a grin. Only when the last cigarette was handed out did he lean in, lowering his voice, “Fifty slabs of Green Stone, all cut, polished, and machine-engraved under my personal supervision. Not a single flaw. Now, about the final payment…”
Chen Yan cast the merchant a glance. A profiteer, without a doubt. This order alone had likely earned him three times the normal profit. But a deal was a deal. No point making a fuss about it now. With practiced ease, Chen Yan retrieved his phone and transferred the remaining balance.
“Quick and clean! Thanks a lot, Boss Chen!” The merchant pocketed his phone with a beaming smile. “If you ever need more, I’d be happy to do business again.”
Chen Yan studied him for a moment.
Though he was undoubtedly a swindler, at least the goods were genuine.
During unloading, Chen Yan had taken note—each Green Stone Slab, two meters long, was meticulously cut, polished to perfection. The engraved patterns were precise, without a single flaw.
A thought struck him.
“Boss, do you deal in jade?”
The merchant blinked. “Jade? I do have some, but… nothing high-grade. Just raw, low-end stock. If you’re looking for collectibles, you’d be better off browsing an actual jade shop.”
He primarily dealt in decorative stones for interior design. Some wealthier customers preferred jade embellishments for background walls—perhaps a crane’s eye in an intricate “Longevity Crane” engraving. A touch of elegance, though nothing extravagant.
“That’s fine. I only need something cheap.”
Chen Yan gestured with his hands. “Cut them into plaques about the size of a matchbox, half a centimeter thick. They must be true jade, no cheap quartz imitations.”
The merchant’s eyelids flickered. “Matchbox-sized? Square? Half a centimeter thick… How many?”
“Start with a hundred.”
The merchant chuckled.
Such tiny cuts—barely enough to make a full set of mahjong tiles.
After a brief moment of calculation, the merchant spoke with an unusually honest tone, “To be frank, orders this small aren’t worth the trouble. I’d have to source material, fire up the machines, pay labor costs… Most shops wouldn’t even take on such a minor request.”
Then he smirked. “But since you just gave me a big order, I’ll make an exception. How about this price?”
Chen Yan did a double-take. Dirt cheap! Compared to the Green Jade and White Jade Tokens he’d bought before, the cost was slashed by two whole zeroes.
Still, bargaining was a necessity. Last time, he’d managed to cut the price in half. This time…
Chen Yan slashed the quote by eighty percent.
The merchant grinned and clapped his hand. “Deal! I’ll have them delivered in a few days.”
Chen Yan: “…”
Damn it, still overpaid!
With the unloading complete, the laborers climbed back onto the truck. The merchant took his seat in the passenger side, waving farewell as they rumbled away.
Sitting back in his seat, the merchant chuckled to himself. Didn’t expect to make a fortune just from making a delivery.
His warehouse had piles of leftover jade scraps—discarded remnants from previous cutting jobs. Too rough for fine carvings, too small for high-value ornaments. Completely useless, just gathering dust in a forgotten corner. Disposing of them was a hassle, too costly to simply throw away.
Yet somehow, Chen Yan had paid for them?
Interesting.
He made a mental note. Time to build a closer relationship with this young Boss Chen. If luck was on his side, he could clear out his entire stockpile.
Back at his courtyard, Chen Yan surveyed the neatly stacked pile of Green Stone Slabs.
Approaching the pile, he reached out and gripped a slab. With a slight exertion…
A two-meter-long Green Stone Slab, which normally required two men to carry, was effortlessly lifted in his single hand. To Chen Yan, it felt no heavier than a bamboo staff.
It wasn’t that he had monstrous strength.
The secret lay within the talisman clenched in his palm—an Easing Might Talisman.
According to the manual, this talisman could “Turn Burdens into Feathers.”
Not that it made Chen Yan stronger—it merely lightened objects in his grasp.
Though he found the original name a bit cumbersome, so he renamed it: Lightness Talisman.
One Lightness Talisman lasted one incense stick’s worth of time—roughly two hours.
Chen Yan’s mind began to whirl.
What if… he started a moving company?
With this talisman, he could single-handedly lift heavy furniture, statues, entire crates. He’d outpace any competitor, dominate the industry…
No. No! That was thinking too small!
Using this technique for mere labor?
That would be like mastering Teleportation Arts and using them to deliver takeout!
His ambitions needed to be far greater.
As the afternoon sun cast its golden glow, Chen Yan locked the gates of his courtyard, retreating within its walls to begin his work in earnest.
Fifty green stone slabs, each two meters in length, were personally lifted and arranged by his own hands, meticulously placed at precise positions throughout the courtyard. From time to time, he would pause, drawing out a newly acquired compass to verify his calculations.
Yes, the compass was a fresh purchase—another order from the same online shop. This time, as a returning customer, he had exchanged a few words with the shopkeeper and even managed to bargain off twenty yuan. Originally priced at 180, he had secured it for 160.
Clutching his Compass 2.0, Chen Yan reexamined the alignments before setting the last of the fifty green stone slabs in place. With that, his imitation of a Spirit-Gathering Formation was ninety-nine percent complete.
The final step—the most crucial element—was the formation’s core.
A true cultivator would use a magical artifact for such a task, but Chen Yan had none in his possession.
(The compass doesn’t count!)
Among the few objects in his possession that could be considered treasures, only two qualified: the jade thumb ring adorning his finger and the half-burnt white candle carefully hidden away—an inheritance from Old Madam Zhang.
Yet, neither was an option.
The white candle was a life-saving treasure, something Old Madam Zhang had strictly warned must not be used unless it was a matter of life and death.
As for the jade thumb ring, Chen Yan could not bear the risk. What if it shattered while serving as the formation’s core?
Thus, he was left with no choice but to continue his imitation approach.
If a magical artifact was unavailable, then he would substitute it with something imbued with nurtured primordial energy.
Fortunately, he had prepared for this.
During a reconnaissance trip to Market Street near Falling Cloud Retreat, he had stopped by a jade shop and purchased two white jade plaques. Though the quality was mediocre, the price had not been cheap. Since acquiring them, he had been diligently nurturing them with primordial energy, filling them to the brim.
These would suffice—for now.
Once the stone supplier delivered the next batch of materials in a few days, he would have more flexibility in refining the formation.
The core’s position was set beneath the flower platform by the entrance of his villa’s first floor.
Chen Yan carefully placed one of the white jade plaques at the designated spot, then took two steps back. His fingers moved swiftly, forming seals in the air. He chanted an incantation under his breath before pointing toward the formation’s core, commanding in a low voice:
“Activate!”
At once, primordial energy surged forth from the white jade plaque, flowing outward to the fifty surrounding green stone slabs. The intricate runes carved upon them flickered with a dim, arcane glow.
Chen Yan stood still, holding his breath.
A few moments later, a soft breeze swept in from all directions.
Opening his Heaven’s Eye, he beheld countless wisps of worldly energy streaming toward him from the four corners of the land, drawn irresistibly into the courtyard as though summoned by an unseen force.
The air grew richer with primordial energy, saturating the space around him.
Chen Yan, possessing keen spiritual perception, felt his entire body bathed in a warm, flowing current, as if soaking in a hot spring. Every pore of his being seemed to expand and breathe in comfort.
“Aah… this is bliss…”
Exhaling in satisfaction, he let a contented smile grace his lips.
(If even this imitation formation felt this incredible… what would it be like to set up a proper Spirit-Gathering Formation? Wouldn’t that be enough to ascend to the heavens in broad daylight?)
Unable to resist, he dragged a chair into the courtyard, reclining with his eyes half-closed as he basked in the surging vitality around him.
Silently, he began circulating his Vital Energy Circulation Method, absorbing the gathered primordial energy into his body. His cultivation efficiency had more than tripled.
Time passed unnoticed, and before long, dusk approached. But as the sky darkened, Chen Yan suddenly sensed an itch creeping across his skin.
Frowning, he rose to his feet and headed straight to the master bedroom. In the bathroom, he stripped down and stepped into the shower.
As hot water cascaded down his body, he felt layers of grime peeling away. He was not alarmed—he had already guessed the cause.
With his primordial energy absorption rate having skyrocketed, impurities were being expelled from his flesh at an accelerated pace.
After finishing his shower, he stood before the mirror, inspecting his reflection.
His skin was spotless—gone were the oily residues, blackheads, and blemishes that had once marred his face. Even the fresh bruise on his forehead had already half-healed, leaving behind only faint traces of pink where the wound had yet to fully recover.
(Such speed… this is almost miraculous.)
Yet, just as he was about to get dressed, that familiar itching sensation returned.
(Still not done purging, huh…)
Chuckling wryly, he smacked his forehead.
Instead of fighting it, he turned on the massage bathtub, watching as warm water filled the basin. Taking a seat on the edge, he resumed his meditative breathing while waiting.
Once the tub was full, he eased himself in, letting the swirling currents massage his skin as they gently washed away lingering toxins.
Eyes drifting shut, he let his mind relax.
(Might as well let it cleanse everything properly… no rush.)
With the tub’s automatic heating function, he could soak in comfort until morning if need be.
Beyond the villa, atop a distant mountainside, a whispering breeze wound through the forest. Invisible currents of primordial energy drifted lazily across the land—only to be inexorably drawn toward the villa at the mountain’s foot.
This place was General’s Mountain, where ridges and valleys crisscrossed, stretching for several miles.
Nestled between two ridgelines lay a secluded wild lake. Though small in diameter, its waters ran deep.
Locals called it Chanting Dragon Lake.
This night, the lake’s surface suddenly began to churn. As the ripples spread, a murky shadow rose from the depths.
A massive old water turtle, as broad as a millstone, emerged from beneath the waves.
It blinked its ancient eyes, its sluggish mind still muddled from its winter slumber.
And then, it noticed something.
The surrounding primordial energy—the very essence that nurtured its being—was vanishing, siphoned away toward some distant source.
The old turtle’s eyes snapped fully open.
(Who dares steal my energy?!)
It was hibernating, peacefully submerged in its warm refuge.
And now?
It had been rudely awakened, as if someone had yanked it from its cozy bed in the dead of winter.
(Which heartless scoundrel did this?!)
This novel is translated and hosted on Bcatranslation