si-mexico Chapter 37 Starting the Bargaining Process Again
Chapter 37 Starting the Bargaining Process Again
When all the patriarchs realized that the spiritual flowers, herbs, and fruits they had seized and taken back could not survive, the portion controlled by the state in the park miraculously survived and even sprouted new ones. All the patriarchs gathered together to put pressure on the leaders of various factions, their meaning clear: they needed a share.
These patriarchs, each with an anxious expression and a firm stance, sat in a spacious hall, expressing their discontent and demands one after another. Some patriarchs waved their arms excitedly, claiming that these spiritual plant resources should be shared and not monopolized by the state; others threatened in a somber tone that they would take extreme measures if their demands were not met. A tense and oppressive atmosphere filled the hall, and the leaders from all sides, faced with the pressure from these patriarchs, fell into deep thought and a dilemma.
The old man from the Fire Cloud Immortal Cauldron found Lin Yue and said, "Lin Yue, cultivators from all sides are putting pressure on the country. At this time, you can find an opportunity to contact the relevant leaders of the country and say that you have planted a batch of related spiritual herbs and flowers. You can plant them, you have the technology, do you think you can do it?" Lin Yue replied, "What technology do I have? Isn't it just because of this space seed? If outsiders find out, I'm worried that I might be dissected and studied." The remnant soul Xueyang said, "Fire Cloud Immortal Cauldron, old man, are you confused? If everyone knows that Lin Yue has this space, do you think Lin Yue will be secretly taken away?"
The old man, Huoyun Xianding, said, "Oh dear, this world has more spiritual flowers and herbs, which makes it easier to refine pills."
Lin Yue said, "I've read all the books you gave me. Now that I have these spiritual flowers and herbs, I can refine them, but who would believe it if I succeeded?"
The old man of the Fire Cloud Immortal Cauldron said, "You've succeeded in refining it, which means you didn't get the spiritual flowers and herbs from there. After the pill is made, it also has a grade, and once it reaches a certain grade, it will be struck by lightning. Do you think it's possible to refine pills in this city?"
Lin Yue then said, "Let's find a place, dig a hole, and then refine the pills."
The old man Huoyun Xianding said, "You need to find a new property, preferably one next to a layered mound of earth, and then dig a hole inside to refine pills. Even if you refine pills, the furnace fire will explode, which will inevitably injure you, but it will also make a loud noise and affect people in the surrounding cities."
Lin Yue said, "It can even explode in the oven?"
The old man from the Fiery Cloud Immortal Cauldron said, "You've just started practicing. You're a beginner, a novice. How could you not explode the furnace? You think you can succeed in one go? No genius can do that. You're overthinking it. The people of this world, this lineage, are almost extinct, and you're only just starting to practice this. Do you think you can succeed in one go? Even if I were to practice on you, it wouldn't work. Didn't I break an ear? If your soul ability isn't strong enough, and you can't control the heat, the furnace will explode just the same."
After much discussion, both the remnant soul Xueyang and the old man Huoyun Immortal Cauldron essentially concluded that Lin Yue's cultivation was too slow, making it impossible for him to protect himself or his family. They felt that possessing such a treasure was a crime. Faced with this situation, the old man was becoming increasingly anxious.
Lin Yue told Gong Yong about her current situation. Gong Yong thought for a moment and said, "Lin Yue, I recently received a call. My two cousins just came to Chengdu for a visit after resting from their high-altitude unit. You see, they both graduated from military academies. One of them graduated from the Armed Police Academy; he studied for the Armed Police in college and is now a battalion-level officer. Do you think it's possible for us to secretly tell him about the mineral stone the little mouse found, and have him keep it a secret so he won't tell anyone that we told him?
I have no objection to you telling your cousin about this. He's only a battalion-level officer; what if he gets killed by these cultivators if you tell him? After all, he's just an armed police officer, even within the special police force. Compared to cultivators, their abilities are far too low. Most importantly, what if their military also has factions and hierarchies? Wouldn't that bring him trouble too?
Lin Yue brought Gong Yong into the space and summoned the remnant soul Xueyang and the old man Huoyun Xianding. The two floated in the air like transparent souls, which Gong Yong could see, and then they discussed the matter.
The remnant soul Xueyang said, "When we were discussing whether to hand it over to the state, we considered that if we didn't choose the right person, if that person had selfish motives, it meant they might influence the political situation. For example, the current top leaders are already very good, but there are far too many people at the lower levels who use underhanded tactics. On the surface, society seems peaceful, but in reality, it's a very bad phase for ordinary people like you at the bottom. Corrupt officials are everywhere, everyone is selfish and only cares about money. If you choose the wrong person, it means affecting the development and progress of the world, and Lin Yue will become a sinner for all time."
The old man from the Fire Cloud Immortal Cauldron also said, "Gong Yong, if I were to publicly reveal all the ancient books inside my Immortal Cauldron, it would mean that a part of this world's history—a part covered up like a piece of grass drawn on paper after space and time have been folded—would be exposed to the world. It would mean that some great figures of the past, like those who burned books and buried scholars alive, and Qin Shi Huang, did they really do it only to unify writing and measurement? Right? Your history books say, why did they do that? Were they destroying evidence? Why are there so few cultivators after him in this period of history? Where did those books go? So few of those precious artifacts remain. Don't you think the reason for your historical gap is the ideology of some people, some high-level leaders?" Is there a problem with the methods used? You see, very little has survived to the present day; it's the artifacts unearthed from ancient tombs that are treated as precious records, documenting the true history of the past. Why is this? It's like a power struggle: the loser has no chance to explain, while the winner can say whatever they want. Defeat is defeat, and history is the same. Dynasties rise and fall, and the new ruler who overthrows the previous dynasty will almost always rewrite the history of the previous one. Conversely, some unofficial histories might be the truth. These official histories are definitely based on the thoughts of the highest political leader—what they want to express, what they want to conceal, what they want to cover up.”
The remnant soul Xueyang said the same thing: "You've been controlled by Confucianism for generations. It's time for you to get married, have children, go to work, and do odd jobs. Why do you have these thoughts? Because of tradition, because people in the past did it this way, right? Because you have this mindset, it's easier for those in power to rule you. Because you're at the bottom, you're supplying energy, material goods, and all kinds of money and benefits to those above. Look at how entrenched society has become. In you and Lin Yue, the books you've read, your cultivation, your mindset, your level of understanding—have you ever seen the sordid things in those deep ravines? You haven't. You live a mundane life, the biggest problem being the financial burden. The bank's collection efforts are almost crushing your mental health. But do you know? Those people who were once high above you, their endless methods are probably even more despicable than anything you've ever seen in your life."
The old man, Huoyun Xianding, said, "You haven't seen the methods used between social classes in ancient feudal society. You think things are very equal now, right? Actually, society is much better now. Compared to ancient times, under the monarchical system, if they wanted you dead, you had to die. If they wanted your wealth, they didn't even have an excuse; they would confiscate your property and exterminate your entire family. But compared to now, at least on the surface, you still have human rights, right? But in reality, with your advanced communication and video capabilities, if one party does something wrong, the other party can simply let the public know. Sometimes, some people are despicable..." There are countless ways to make you disappear from this world without a trace. Take me and the remnant soul Xueyang, for example. If we wanted someone to disappear, it would be incredibly easy. Why don't we do it? Because we are also cultivating. Although I am merely a spirit cultivating on a magical artifact, and the remnant soul Xueyang is just a wisp of a soul, his wisp of soul has countless connections to your wife's soul. He can't commit evil deeds, he can't harm lives. But we can do bad things too. For example, we can make him unlucky, so unlucky that he falls into a ditch as soon as he goes out, gets hit by a car, or has flowerpots fall on his head every time he goes out.”
There's a lot that Canhun Xueyang and I can do. Neither Lin Yue nor you asked us to hurt anyone. The main reason is that you're both very kind, and your child is kind too. But in this society, kind people are always described as sheep, while the wicked and despicable are described as wolves. But isn't it simple for a wolf to eat a sheep?
We talked a lot tonight. Although our logical thinking might not be the strongest, and our explanations might not be very smooth, making it a little difficult for you to understand, we're here from a spiritual practice perspective. There are some things we can't say directly, so we have to use other methods to explain them. To put it simply, you're currently blinded by material things and the things above you, your desires have expanded infinitely. Now you just need to reduce your desires, calm your mind, and begin your spiritual practice. It will be a long time, but you will definitely reap the rewards.
The remnant soul Xueyang said, "Actually, the people of this world are dazzled by this bizarre and wonderful world, and their desires have been infinitely amplified. In fact, many people don't have very strong desires, and they are very suitable for cultivation. They may need simple three meals a day. People nowadays are very empty. They have plenty of material things, but their spirits are very poor. Their spiritual world is almost filled with all sorts of messes. They have no self-control and no thoughts of their own. Calm down and think about it. What do you want to do? What kind of person do you want to be? Do you want to go crazy?"
Lin Yue said, "That's right. Many times I just want to go crazy, let myself go, and not be bound by anything. But I can't bear the consequences of going crazy, so I feel restricted and don't know what to do."
The old man Huoyun Xianding said, "Lin Yue, the reason you haven't reached the Foundation Establishment stage is because your mental state hasn't improved."
The remnant soul Xueyang said, "Yes, because your state of mind hasn't improved, your cultivation and training aren't very good either."
The old man Huoyun Xianding said, "Lin Yue, Gong Yong, I suggest you continue to lie low. There are some things you don't need to cash in right now, and your finances have improved, so there's no need to let the public know what you know. Just keep it to yourself and lie low until you can protect yourselves and your families before deciding whether to tell the outside world."
Gong Yong said, "Yes, we need to lay low for now. I want to raise our three children quietly and let them start practicing their spiritual cultivation. I hope they will be more outstanding than us in their spiritual cultivation, and then protect themselves and the people they want to protect."