Hermit in the Mountains

A loud "Amitabha" rang out in the room, and everyone's eyes turned to Shi Yideng.

Master Yideng's shiny head seemed to radiate the wisdom of Buddha. With a kind face and a smiling expression, he reached into his monk's robe with his right hand, which was clasped together with prayer beads, and took out three items: a small bottle, a Buddhist scripture, and an envelope, which he placed on the table one by one.

He pushed the small bottle, Buddhist scriptures, and envelope in front of Zhang Yuanfu one by one, saying, "The Vajra Pill can slightly temper the body."

"The Pure Heart Sutra can help one quickly enter a meditative state."

"The formula and alchemy method of the Vajra Pill".

"I would be grateful if Brother Yuanfu could take this to the mountain and present it to the Peak Master. This old monk plans to rebuild the Shouxin Temple at the foot of the mountain on the right side of the valley entrance."

"The Shouxin Temple and Qingxu Temple can form a pincer movement from above, below, left, and right, which will help deter some unauthorized intruders in the future."

"As long as you mention the temple repair to the Peak Master, you will receive two Vajra Pills as a token of your gratitude."

Zhang Yuanfu was just about to go up the mountain to deliver the data he had previously investigated. It wouldn't be a problem for him to bring gifts up the mountain as well. He couldn't let down the people who were cooperating with him, so whether or not to accept the gifts was up to the peak master.

He glanced at Shen Qingxu and Shi Yideng opposite him, "Let me make this clear from the start: I will deliver the gifts and my message, but I don't care about the outcome."

Shen Qingxu flicked the whisk in his hand, "Amitabha, sincerity is enough, all things are left to fate."

Shi Yideng didn't insist on a result. He only wanted the peak master to know that he wanted to move to Xiahe Village. "Amitabha, just take him there. The outcome depends on my own fate."

Shi Yideng turned his gaze to Yang Mancang, put his hands together in a gesture of respect, and said, "Benefactor Yang, I only need to lease 100 square meters so that I and my junior disciples can have a place to stay. If the matter is settled, I will give you two Vajra Pills as an extra gift."

Yang Mancang exhaled a long puff of smoke. "I'll tell you all about it during the meeting. I'll let you know after the meeting."

Shi Yideng turned to Fang Shouchang beside him and said, "Benefactor Fang, like Brother Shen, I have nine Vajra Pills and a formula for them. I would like to trouble you to act as an intermediary. Two Vajra Pills will be given as a reward after the matter is completed."

Fang Shouchang nodded. He figured he was just as good at herding one sheep as he was at two, and since someone from above had contacted him, this could be a good opportunity for cooperation.

Having spent most of his life navigating the treacherous waters of officialdom, he understood the situation better than most. The revival of spiritual energy was an inevitable trend, and no one could change what was about to happen.

The problems he had previously raised were not problems at all in his eyes. As long as the two of them did not go abroad, he would not care too much about where they moved to.

He wouldn't refuse the free pills offered to him; he also needed to plan for the Fang family to avoid being eliminated by the tide of history.

He can't become the peak master, so building good relationships with Shen Qingxu and Shi Yideng is the best option.

Fang Shouchang deeply admired the Peak Master's wisdom in minimizing his public appearances, maintaining his mystery, and possessing core alchemy skills.

Choosing Zhang Yuanfu to handle worldly affairs allows one to detach oneself from worldly troubles and sit securely atop Changsheng Peak.

Their small circle also has a hierarchy; the peak master is an extraordinary being who never interferes in matters below the mountain.

Below the peak master are Yang Dashan, Zhang Yuanfu, and Yang Mancang.

Then came his group of four: Shen Qingxu, Shi Yideng, and Li Jianguo.

There are actually different levels among the four of them. Shen Qingxu and Shi Yideng have cultivation, so they are naturally a level higher than him and Li Jianguo.

Below these four individuals are various sub-circles of cooperation.

Wherever there are people, there will be a social hierarchy, and in this hierarchy, whoever controls the power and resources is the decision-maker.

Fang Shouchang was very clear about his own position. In Zhang Yuanfu's circle, he basically had no say and was an executor.

But within his own circle, he wielded the most influence because he had access to Zhang Yuanfu—it was that simple.

Seeing that everyone had finished discussing the matter, Li Jianguo, in order to make his presence known, reported on the situation of Deng Jiu'er and Meng Tianmei.

He was heartbroken that he couldn't join in the cake-cutting this time, so he could only chime in with a few words to make himself feel a little involved.

Seeing that her grandfather didn't seem very involved and that the discussion was taking place in their rented courtyard, Li Anlan felt powerless, unable to express her dissatisfaction.

The money controlled by the Li family is nothing in Zhang Yuanfu's circle; he can easily sell a small elixir for millions.

Qin Medicine Group does indeed control a large number of Chinese herbal medicine trading channels, but Zhang Yuanfu can directly cooperate with the State Administration of Traditional Chinese Medicine and can choose to bypass the Li family.

Within this circle, martial arts techniques and elixirs are the real currency.

At this moment, Li Anlan felt a pang of regret for not being more decisive back then and going up the mountain with gifts to pay a visit. Even a brief encounter would have been better than this situation.

I regret missing such a great opportunity.

Now that Gu Changsheng's external influence has taken shape, the fact that his grandfather is still in this circle is already the best possible outcome.

One o'clock in the afternoon, at the wooden cabin on Changsheng Peak.

After listening to Zhang Yuanfu's report in the living room, Gu Changsheng decided not to interfere with Shen Qingxu and Shi Yideng's plans, as long as they did not affect Changsheng Peak.

He waved his hand, "You can go back now!"

"Yes, Peak Master." Zhang Yuanfu and Yang Dashan clasped their hands in greeting, left the room, and turned to leave.

Gu Changsheng picked up the file folder on the table, tore off the seal, and took out the file inside, quickly skimming through the information.

He indeed had no relatives in this world. His file stated that his parents' elders had passed away one after another before they got married, and by the time he was born, he had no other relatives besides his parents.

His parents died unexpectedly when he was two years old, leaving him all alone in the world. Ultimately, with no one to raise him, he had to be sent to a local orphanage.

Looking at his tragic past, he's definitely a protagonist template.

"Ugh!"

Gu Changsheng sighed softly, "I'll find some time to go to Shanghai to pay my respects, to give myself an explanation, and to settle this karmic debt."

He threw the file into the stove, and with a 'bang,' the paper burst into flames, soon turning to ash and falling into the carbon ash.

He picked up the wooden box and sniffed the pills inside. A faint fragrance wafted into his nose and mouth, and a cool sensation washed over him.

He picked up a calming pill, put it in his mouth, and assessed its effects. It had virtually no effect on him, like a gentle breeze.

He opened the small bottle, poured out a Vajra Pill and took it. It did have a body-tempering effect, but it was negligible for him.

Ninety percent of the impurities contained in the two pills were burned into waste gas by the powerful qi and blood in Gu Changsheng's body. He exhaled and expelled all the waste gas.

He closed the wooden box and the small bottle and casually tossed them onto the back drawer.

He glanced through the contents of "Qingxu Gong" and "Qingxin Jing," which gave him some inspiration.

The recipes for the Tranquilizing Pill and the Vajra Pill are quite good; he can try refining a batch to see the effects of the pills.

After reading it in a few minutes, Gu Changsheng put it in the back drawer and entered a meditative state to continue deducing the method of weapon refining.