Translator: Dj22031
Editor: Dj22031
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In the huge office building, employees were bustling about leaving get off work. When they bumped into Shuo Zong, who was bringing Wei Xi in, they all nodded and greeted him. Tuan Tuanyi looked on with envy: “Master, when will our Taicang Sect be able to reach this level and build such a large office building in the city center? That would truly be a success.”
Wei Xi resonated with this sentiment. Ever since he came down from the mountain, he had longed for those tall buildings outside. Unfortunately, land prices in the capital were too high, and he didn’t have the financial means to afford them. So, his longing remained just that— a longing.
He used to hear Wei Dedao boast that the Taicang Sect was once very famous in the cultivation world, with flourishing incense offerings and countless disciples. The most frequently mentioned thing was the two immortal mountains that his sect used to possess. It was said that those two immortal mountains had a total of twelve peaks, each one steep and precipitous, and their scale was unprecedented, so much so that other sects in the cultivation world were filled with awe and envy for them.
Whether this history was true or false was another matter, but Wei Xi was indeed fooled and dreamt of it, thinking it was some amazing wealth.
But now that he’d seen the world, he realized Wei Dedao was a typical country bumpkin, utterly ignorant. A renowned sect, and yet his vision was so limited, thinking owning two mountains was some incredible achievement, something the entire cultivation world revered and envied— even the most powerful immortal mountains couldn’t compare to office buildings in Beijing! He later specifically checked land prices in the nearby mountains. Because most undeveloped mountain areas were remote, housing prices there were only a fraction of what they were in Beijing, and forest prices were even lower. Farmers contracting mountain slopes for orchards earned at most fifty or sixty thousand yuan a year. Two immortal mountains, twelve peaks— contracting so many, plus a longer term, and the local government might even offer discounts— would cost at most a million yuan a year.
However, to think that one million yuan could rent such a large office building in the heart of Beijing was absolutely a pipe dream.
Therefore, the more Wei Xi understood the market economy, the more he sympathized with Wei Dedao. He always felt that Wei Dedao was really too pitiful, with such a narrow vision that he couldn’t even brag properly.
If it were him bragging about this, he would definitely tell people that Taicang Sect had more than two floors of office space within the second ring road of the capital. Wasn’t that much more reliable than some bullsh*t immortal mountain?
Wei Xi shook his head, feeling an even heavier responsibility on his shoulders. His eldest disciple was right; when would he be able to get the disciples of the Taicang Sect into office buildings to cultivate?
Xia Shouren instinctively felt a chill and rubbed his arms as he said to Chong Ming, “I think I’ve sensed some bad omens.”
His precognitive abilities were innate, and Chong Ming knew this as well. His expression immediately turned serious: “Is there any specific omen? Is it another disaster about to occur somewhere?”
Xia Shouren calculated for a long time, but could only deduce that this seemed to be a huge change that was about to happen in the cultivation world.
But didn’t the cultivation world disappear long ago?
He was completely baffled, and in the end, he could only shake his head with a bitter face: “Forget it, after the collapse of the Heavenly Dao, my abilities have been greatly reduced. I guess I miscalculated again this time.”
….
The company was mostly empty, but surprisingly, quite a few people remained on the top floor. Even though it was after work hours, they seemed very busy, moving back and forth in the office area with serious expressions.
Wei Xi vaguely heard their voices—
“Where did this new email come from? What’s it? The Water Resources Bureau? The water level of Wushan Reservoir has surged? Is it threatening downstream villages? It doesn’t seem to be raining there, what’s going on?”
“Local residents have taken photos of strange monkeys near the reservoir. Here are the photos.”
“Damn, Chang You[1], the shot is pretty clear. These guys aren’t all dead yet, where did this one come from? It’s really causing trouble.”
“Hey, does anyone have time to go on a business trip to Wushan Reservoir in Liyun City? We’ll reimburse you for a five-star hotel.”
Wei Xi: “Chang You?”
Shuo Zong stepped out of the elevator behind him and said in a calm tone, “It’s a monkey-shaped water monster that causes floods whenever it appears.”
The employees on the top floor were quite different from those who had just left after work. When they saw Shuo Zong walking out of the elevator with Wei Xi, they didn’t have that kind of anxious and fearful look on their faces. They just casually greeted him: “Mr. Shuo Zong, Lao Xia, Chong Ming, you’re back from Ruhai City? How did you handle that Azure Dragon? Can you come to work? There have been so many things happening at the end of the year lately, earthquakes and floods, we guys are almost overwhelmed.”
Xia Shouren shook his head: “It’s just become a dragon, it hasn’t taken human form yet.”
The red-haired man who spoke sighed regretfully, “The dragon race is really useless.”
Both had red hair, but this person’s hair color was even more vibrant than Chong Ming’s, with a hint of gold mixed into the fiery red, making it look like a burning flame from afar.
Xia Shouren agreed wholeheartedly and then asked, “Bi Fang[2], what are you rushing off to?”
Bi Fang said “Oh,” pressed the elevator down button, stepped into the elevator, and covered a black area that looked like an intercom device under the button with his palm: “The drought in Wuhua has caused a lot of trouble. Lao Qing went on a business trip and caught a bunch of fat remnants. He’s locked them downstairs. I’m going to see something interesting.”
A faint light suddenly appeared in that area, followed by a beep, and a metal plate slowly slid down from the bottom of the floor button.
Below the original lowest level, the fourth basement level, there are now more than a dozen additional levels of options.
After Bi Fang left, Xia Shouren showed a surprised expression: “It was because of Fei Yi[3]? I haven’t seen that thing for hundreds of years.”
Wei Xi: “Fei Yi?”
Xia Shouren looked at him, feeling like he had won: “You don’t even know this? You’re so ignorant! A snake with one head and two bodies can cause severe drought.”
Wei Xi pondered for a moment: “Is it a protected animal?”
Xia Shouren: “…No.”
However, they were much rarer than protected animals.
Wei Xi: “Can we eat that?”
Xia Shouren: “…”
No one would eat this kind of thing, right…?
Shuo Zong placed the documents on the table, glanced back at him, and said indifferently, “Of course.”
Xia Shouren: “???”
Shuo Zong: “And it should taste good.”
Xia Shouren: “…”
Shuo Zong: “Want to eat?”
Wei Xi walked towards him without any suspicion: “Yes.”
“Xia Shouren,” Shuo Zong called out, “Go to the 20th floor below ground and have Bi Fang pick out a Fei Yi and send it to my house.”
Xia Shouren: “???”
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[1] Chang You is a mythical, ape-like creature from the ancient Chinese text Shan Hai Jing (Classic of Mountains and Seas). It is described as a four-eared monkey whose call sounds like a human groaning, and its appearance is a bad omen that forecasts great floods.
[2] The Bifang is a legendary, one-legged bird from ancient Chinese mythology detailed in texts like the Classic of Mountains and Seas. It is traditionally viewed as an omen of mysterious town fires and forest blazes, and it does not eat grain, but rather consumes fire.
[3] The Feiyi (肥遺) is a legendary creature from ancient Chinese mythology, primarily documented in the classic text Classic of Mountains and Seas (Shan Hai Jing). It is most famous for acting as a fatal omen; whenever it appears in the world, it is said to herald a severe and widespread drought.
