In the hospital, A’Diao, who was undergoing toxin extraction by the doctor, was in so much pain that her face contorted like a pickled vegetable bun. Suddenly, she heard a voice coming from the Toilet.
Ding dong, from Cui Yong +4999!
From Cui Run +999!
From Cui…
A group of people surnamed Cui suddenly exploded with a wave of Mental Energy, causing her Mental Energy, which was originally stable at 9000, to more than double in an instant, and it was still soaring upwards.
A’Diao: “?”
This counts as my doing too?
Toilet: “Your schemes and plots, naturally they count as yours.”
What schemes and plots? I’ll sue you for slander! This was clearly Feng Ting’s doing!
A’Diao vehemently denied it, but she gladly accepted this Mental Energy. Sudden wealth, oh sudden wealth! So Mental Energy could be calculated this way.
When she searched for news online and saw Cui Run’s pathetic appearance upon being arrested, she immediately felt refreshed in body and mind, and ate two extra bowls of rice.
This kind of thing truly was invigorating and conducive to a long life.
“Hey, Little Toilet, according to your calculation rules: if I hire 10 people and have them bomb 10 public toilets in the community, would everyone in the covered area contribute Mental Energy value to me?”
Toilet: “!!!”
Toilet: “Can you please not resort to such deranged and crooked ways? This plan is not sustainable, it’s not the righteous path, you…”
Before it could finish, the Toilet sensed its fated host’s surging excitement.
“Holy crap, you didn’t deny it! It really works?!!”
“I’m rich, I’m rich, I’m rich…”
She actually started planning, using her phone to look up public toilet locations in Lingcheng and even circling them with a small red pen.
Toilet: “…”
She hadn’t even officially started cultivating and she was already deviating into madness.
“You need to think this through. If you get caught, no academy will want to accept a public toilet bombing maniac.”
A’Diao: “…”
So sharp, hitting the nail on the head. I’m hesitating.
Then… I’ll wait until after graduation to bomb them.
As for the Cui Clan, they were already in deep trouble. Their biggest trump card in Jinling, Cui Yong’s position as Commander, was gone. The imperial court had also grown to detest the Cui Clan. Other nobles with higher status and power were even more disgusted with Cui Run for his unreliable handling of affairs, which had torn away their fig leaf and implicated them as well. The Cui Clan was in a world of trouble.
The other two prominent clans wouldn’t miss the chance to suppress the Cui Clan, and the latter wouldn’t have much leisure to specifically deal with her.
Although there was still a risk of retaliation from the Cui Clan, at least the situation was much better than before.
That day, A’Diao noticed that the continuous increase in Mental Energy from the Cui Clan’s side had slowed down, and her Mental Energy value stabilized at 25,000.
She pondered: If they could contribute this much now, how much would they contribute if their entire clan was exterminated and assets confiscated?
Forget it, the Cui Clan was still a lean camel, not something she could take on head-on right now. But she had already bought the Cui Clan’s stocks at rock bottom.
The stock prices of the Cui Family’s industries, especially in the military sector, had indeed plummeted like a waterfall.
A’Diao had observed for a while and felt the price was about right, so she invested 6.5 million Star Coins, focusing all her efforts on buying shares of one particular company.
She was the fastest to act.
First: In this world, only she, Feng Ting, and a certain person far abroad knew early on that Cui Yong would fall. Even the Song and Wang families didn’t know.
Second: The Cui Clan had numerous industries. After the stock market crash, some people observed but dared not act, fearing the imperial court would nationalize the assets next – the legendary “chaojia” (confiscation of property). Assets after a “chaojia”… you understand. So, buying stocks now could very well end up being a fruitless endeavor.
Third: Regarding the second point, many people were also afraid of their stocks becoming worthless, so they frantically sold them off. But because no one dared to buy, more and more stocks were listed, and prices kept dropping. A’Diao felt it was about time and made her move. When she had spent about half her money, other frantic buyers appeared, and their purchasing power was terrifyingly strong, quickly buying up all the stocks on the market…
At this moment, A’Diao was out of money. She coldly watched the turbulent stock market, knowing that the Song and Wang families had made their move, and the Cui Clan also wanted to save the market.
The three families were in pursuit, but it was obvious – the Cui Clan was doomed to fail, and suffer a crippling blow.
Next, she just had to wait for people from the Song and Wang families to find her to buy her scattered shares – the company she had chosen was one that the Song and Wang families definitely wanted to swallow from the Cui Clan.
But the premise was – would the Cui Family really not have their assets confiscated?
If their assets were confiscated, she would also lose everything. But if her judgment was correct, she would strike it rich again on top of her more than 6 million Star Coins.
A’Diao hadn’t discussed her stock market operations with anyone, including Feng Ting. She couldn’t reveal such a secret involving huge profits. Firstly, he didn’t have much capital to invest, and secondly, he was still in jail!
Chen Ran and Feng Ting were quickly released, and substantial rewards awaited them.
For Feng Ting, he had saved those children, stubbornly held onto the Spirit Gate refusing to hand it over, and was trampled and humiliated by a noble’s son with no official rank – yet he was an eighth-rank military official!
If not for the safety of his subordinates, forcing him to eventually hand it over, Officer Feng would likely have defended the Spirit Gate to the death, solely to submit it to the imperial court.
Serving the people and supporting the imperial court, such a person was destined to be recognized by many parties.
As for Chen Ran, he was like a good official undermined by the corrupt official Zhao Yu. If he hadn’t decisively and wisely sought help from the Militia Training Office, joined forces for the rescue, provided technical guidance, and rooted out the traitor, perhaps… For a civil official, his actions were flawless. And in many people’s eyes, he was later persecuted by Cui Yong and his son, clearly suffering due to his unyielding nature.
Therefore, Chen Ran would also be commended by the imperial court.
A’Diao reluctantly thought that this person’s promotion might be somewhat beneficial to her future self. A tool, after all; the higher his official rank, the better. At least the Cui Clan wouldn’t be able to crush her so easily.
The premise was that she could be accepted back by the Chen family.
As for rewards and such, they would have to wait for the superiors in Danzhou and Jinling, as well as the imperial court, to decide. Anyway, when Feng Ting and his subordinates emerged from prison, these fine martial artists, heroic and tall, all looked as if they had been flayed, haggard and weak, each one injured. Clearly, they had suffered greatly inside.
Of course, compared to them who could still walk out, Chen Ran had long since been carried away on a stretcher by the Chen family guards and rushed to the hospital for emergency treatment.
Civil officials, their bodies were weak.
Feng Ting was picked up by his family and taken home. After freshening up, he saw a message on his phone. Picking it up, he saw a message from A’Diao on a social media app he rarely used.
—Officer Feng, you’re out? I don’t know if you blame me, but I still want to apologize to you.
Here it was, the wrap-up procedure for this matter. Feng Ting’s eyes flickered, and he typed according to the original plan.
Feng Ting: “No need. Why are you suddenly using this app?”
—Isn’t it because I’m afraid someone might suspect us? If I switch to this app, they won’t be able to trace it. That video must have been released by one of us who was present. But it’s strange, all those surveillance cameras were destroyed by that Cui Run. Where did it come from?
Feng Ting: “I don’t know. Analyzing the shooting angle, it should have been filmed by a device on someone lying on the ground.”
—Your subordinate?
Feng Ting: “Don’t talk nonsense. The cameras on their equipment aren’t like that. It should be from one of the cultists. Regardless, we are the most suspected ones right now. Never mind us, the innocent will prove themselves innocent, and the court will investigate. As for you, little girl, focus on your studies. Don’t pay attention to these things all day long.”
A’Diao: “Then, will I still get my reward?”
Feng Ting: “I will naturally keep my promise. If you hadn’t saved yourself, bought us time, stopped those evil cultists, and informed me after discovering the Spirit Gate, we wouldn’t have achieved such merits. Thank you.”
A’Diao: “You’re too kind. I’ll go read now.”
After their exchange, A’Diao really went to read, but Feng Ting fell into deep thought.
The reason for this plan was that when they were preparing to do something with the video, the two of them had analyzed all aspects: its feasibility, the consequences, and how to wrap things up.
Feasibility lay in: those who stood to gain were not just them, but also others, and this other party would vigorously implement this matter.
The consequence was: could it really push the imperial court to “kill the Cui Clan,” this fat chicken of Jinling, to warn the monkeys? At that time, Feng Ting had hesitated. Instead, it was A’Diao who convinced him. She had said: “You feel this way because even you have sensed that the power of the nobles and prominent clans already threatens the Imperial Clan. In recent years, the Imperial Clan has been weak, and the imperial court has gradually become controlled by officials from prominent clans. With the resurgence of Spiritual Energy, the prominent clans are ambitious, seizing resources. Isn’t this also squeezing the interests of the Imperial Clan? So the Imperial Clan is anxious. This is an opportunity, so the Imperial Clan will definitely find the strongest force under the Spiritual Energy resurgence to join hands and suppress the prominent clans.”
The strongest force?
Who?
As a military official, Feng Ting thought for a moment before having an epiphany: The Academies!
After the resurgence of Spiritual Energy, the most formidable were the various major Academies that had inherited and controlled the strongest cultivation resources from the initial era.
Resources were fixed. If the prominent clans took more, the Academies and the Imperial Clan would have less. Conversely, if the prominent clans took less, the Academies and the Imperial Clan would have more. The prominent clans would also send their outstanding disciples to the Academies…
In fact, even without this Jinling incident, the Academies would soon be able to suppress the prominent clans. It had merely been brought forward.
At that time, Feng Ting was not only enlightened but also shocked, because he couldn’t understand how a girl raised by an old Daoist priest in a mountain valley could have such sharp political acumen.
A’Diao, at the time, also thought he was making a fuss over nothing. Read books! Books have everything.
Feng Ting, however, felt that many people could read, but very few could analyze, understand, and apply what they read.
This girl would undoubtedly achieve great things.
But this thought was dispelled the next day when he received a package from A’Diao.
From Feng Ting, Mental Energy +999.
A’Diao: O(∩_∩)O.
The so-called “how to wrap things up” didn’t need detailed explanation; it was to provide “material” for the investigation team. The reason for not concealing the deal between A’Diao and Feng Ting was that the Militia Training Office might not be a monolithic bloc. Proactively leaking it was better than having the other party find out. However, the wording was vague, not mentioning her 30% ownership, only that she discovered it. In the future, if someone from the Militia Training Office defected and leaked it, there would still be room for explanation.
Actually, even if it were truly leaked, it wouldn’t matter much. Who wouldn’t want to claim ownership of a Spirit Gate they stumbled upon?
A’Diao was just trying to be as low-key as possible. The people from the Militia Training Office basically wouldn’t speak out now because it wouldn’t benefit them, and those nobles wouldn’t stoop so low as to look for an opening through them.
The Investigation Team’s target was Feng Ting.
Why weren’t rewards announced yet? Actually, it was best to mete out punishment and rewards together. One reward and one punishment had the best effect, capable of soothing the people’s anger.
The reason there were no results yet was because certain court officials and nobles suspected that Feng Ting and others present were involved in orchestrating the appearance of the overseas video.
The Imperial Clan and the Academies were the vested beneficiaries, while the prominent clans were suppressed. They naturally wanted to find the person behind it, preferably to pin a crime like treason or colluding with the enemy on them to vent their anger.
Feng Ting was not yet truly safe.
As the two had expected, their conversation was indeed monitored. Even the contents of the package A’Diao sent were known to the other party.
The team leader’s gaze was sharp; he vaguely felt this package must be extraordinary.
Team Leader: “What is it?”
Team Member: “Hemorrhoid ointment, and it’s the extra-strength version.”
Team Leader: “???!!!”
After a moment of speechlessness, the team leader continued to review the two individuals’ message records. The shooting angle of that video indeed matched Feng Ting’s analysis. The latter’s life history was also known to the investigation team, so it wasn’t strange that he could make such a judgment.
The suspicion surrounding the two of them lessened considerably.
“It can now be roughly confirmed that the camera indeed belonged to those Five Elements Cult members, not equipment worn by the Militia Training Office warriors. It has now been traced that the video first appeared not in a foreign country, but was initially posted by an unknown account on a website forum. However, the people running that website didn’t dare to cause trouble and deleted it as soon as it went live. It did get a small number of views, but didn’t gain much traction. Then, the video went overseas…”
“Can this account be traced?”
“Untraceable. It was anonymous, from an unlicensed internet cafe in Lingcheng, which also had no surveillance. However, cultists from that evil cult used to frequent that internet cafe; it was one of their meeting points.”
The Investigation Team’s comprehensive analysis led them to suspect that surveillance footage captured by a camera on a cultist reached a client terminal of this evil cult. Some remnants obtained this video and, out of a desire to stir up trouble, deliberately posted it online. Unexpectedly, it was suppressed, but some people still saw it, and as a result, it spread to other countries.
The Investigation Team Leader was very perceptive. “The speed at which the video was released and spread after being obtained abroad is too fast, it’s not normal. It doesn’t seem like a normal leak, more like someone deliberately orchestrated it. Can it be traced?”
It could be traced, and it was. But the results were something they didn’t quite dare to report upwards: the reason it spread so quickly abroad was because many people fanned the flames. Nine out of ten of these people were victims whose Spiritual Vessels and Spirit Gates had been plundered by nobles in various countries. They acted out of both anger and a desire for change. So, they collectively fueled this topic.
Many people were stung because they were not nobles, but commoners.
The Tang Song Empire had results: the Cui Clan was made an example of. The people of Tang Song felt a sense of vindication and quickly “climbed the wall” (bypassed internet restrictions) to mock people from other countries.
Indeed, after two other countries learned about the situation in the Tang Song Empire, large-scale protests also began among their populace, unearthing many evil deeds committed by nobles, and quite a few people were actually punished.
This was a later development.
So, the common people also had their ways; there was strength in numbers! And there was no shortage of clever people to seize opportunities, guide the situation, and ultimately strive for a degree of fairness.
After waiting for some time, the imperial court did not issue any further edicts for property confiscation.
Although A’Diao was quite confident, she also breathed a small sigh of relief: she had originally thought that even if the Academies and the Imperial Clan joined forces, they couldn’t completely suppress the nobles and would leave some leeway. Confiscating property was almost equivalent to wiping out the Cui Clan, which was something the noble faction did not want to see.
When the rabbit dies, the fox grieves; they couldn’t set this precedent, otherwise, they would inevitably be targeted by the Imperial Clan in the future.
The Song and Wang families must have been certain of this as well, so they began to loot a burning house.
Indeed, people from the Song family soon contacted her via private encrypted messages online. The stock system was monitored by the nation’s most core regulatory department; the Song family had no ability to find her in person. But the encrypted message proposed to acquire the stocks she held, with the price being negotiable.
How negotiable?
Without waiting for the other party to offer a slightly higher price, A’Diao directly set the final price: 15 million.
This stunned the other party. Before they could haggle, A’Diao continued: “I know your Song family leans towards civil matters, while the Wang Family leans towards military. The Wang Family will inevitably fill Cui Yong’s vacant Commander position in Jinling. To prevent the Wang Family from completely swallowing the Cui Clan’s military industry, this big cake, and then suppressing your Song family, you must control a core industry to curb their development momentum and also secure crucial benefits. I don’t actually have many shares, but many a little makes a mickle. I don’t think this price is high. Perhaps among those who quoted you prices, there are even some with bigger appetites.”
“By the way, people from the Wang Family have already approached me.”
“The reason I didn’t agree is that I don’t want one family to dominate Jinling. It’s best for small players like us if the Song and Wang families share the spoils equally. So, don’t disappoint my good intentions, okay?”
“Consider it carefully.”
Relying on the fact that the other party didn’t know her identity, the 18-year-old stock market newbie bluffed outrageously and actually managed to intimidate them.
Later, they agreed, because the Wang Family excelled in martial affairs but wasn’t as wealthy as the Song family.
This contest ultimately ended with the Song and Wang families mutually constraining each other and both getting their fill.
And A’Diao became instantly wealthy. After the funds arrived in her account, she was at a loss.
So much money, how should I spend it?
Buy Spirit Cores, buy Spiritual Vessels, buy Forbidden Items?
The Toilet suddenly reminded her: “When you reach level two, medicinal soup recipes will appear. Those are very expensive. I suggest you don’t spend your money on other things. You’ll need to buy more and more resources in the future, and I’m afraid you won’t have enough money.”
Recipes? This was a very useful reminder. A’Diao opened Taobao, planning to buy a Spirit Core, only to find that the price for one had been pushed up to one million.
???
This price was ridiculously inflated! Chives turning into black truffles!
This outrageous price was definitely hyped up by someone with ulterior motives. The Spirit Cores on the market had probably all been bought up.
All because the high school enrollment day was drawing nearer.
A’Diao had a headache. One million for one? What the hell!
She even found 300,000 too expensive. It was probably a case of having a price but no market (no sellers at a reasonable price).
Just then, Feng Ting contacted her to meet the next day, saying he would give her the Spirit Core. A’Diao figured one day wouldn’t make a difference and gave up on buying a Spirit Core from Taobao.
Hopefully, the price would drop after a while. It was too much of a rip-off.
A’Diao calculated the time for high school enrollment and prepared to hire some people to post online to let Chen Ran know he still had a lovely daughter adrift outside.
She only had three days left.
But unexpectedly, the Chen family members found her first.
An old matron, with a stern, wrinkled face, personally led people to push her wheelchair to the Chen family home.
The Chen family’s gate was still not open, because before the imperial court’s rewards came down, many families were watching – they worried some nobles would take out their anger on the Chen family.
However, a few astute officials had quietly sent congratulatory gifts and medicinal herbs to express goodwill, though it wasn’t appropriate to do so openly.
The Chen family handled things appropriately, knowing when to advance and when to retreat.
But this gate opened for A’Diao.
Upon entering, it was much like the outside: an elegant and low-key layout, not as luxuriously decorated as some wealthy households, nor possessing the classical grace of some established clans.
This was the residence of a mid-ranking minor official, and also a scholarly family with some years of heritage but which had been in decline for many years.
Chen Ran, the only one serving as an official, had experienced several ups and downs. To rise, it had to remain low-key.
A pendant-flower arched gateway, quaint hanging bells, corridor lanterns with intricate patterns, bamboo screens with painted walls… and a brazier.
The old matron, still with a stern face, said: “Third Miss, step over the brazier to dispel any bad luck.”
I’m bloody well sitting in a wheelchair, and you want me to step over a brazier?!!
So inhumane!
A’Diao suspected she might be entering a household intrigue novel: currently known villainous characters included an evil grandmother, a scumbag father… Was this old matron sent by the evil grandmother to torment her?
But A’Diao didn’t dare to resist. So, she lifted her leg, removed the thick, elephant-leg-like plaster cast, got out of the wheelchair, and easily stepped over it.
Come on, take a couple of steps.
The old matron who had pushed the wheelchair all the way: “…”
The maidservants nearby stared wide-eyed.
From Old Matron A +188!
From Maidservant B +24!
From…
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