（Thanks to the cutie lord [Battle Tornado], bow~）
Chapter Thirty [Who Did This Immoral Thing?]
"Back! Back! Back! Back...
Chen Yan stood at the gate of his villa, directing a truck to reverse its tail into the courtyard.
Then he put his hands in his pockets, watching a few workers jump off the truck and unload a pile of bluestone blocks, carrying them into the courtyard in pairs.
"Careful, fellows! Please take care!"
Chen Yan took out a few packs of cigarettes, standing by the gate, and stuffed a pack into each worker’s pocket as they passed.
They were not expensive, about twenty yuan a pack.
Two hundred yuan for a carton, enough to hand out.
The cost for these bluestone blocks was much more than the cigarette money. Spending a little money, the workers handled them more meticulously, ensuring no damage to the carved runes, otherwise the array would be unworkable.
People are social animals.
The boss of the stone factory also came along, standing next to Chen Yan, and after Chen Yan handed out the cigarettes, he smiled and pulled Chen Yan aside: "Fifty bluestone blocks, all cut and polished, carved by machines, I watched over the process, guaranteeing no errors.
Boss, about the final payment..."
Chen Yan glanced at the boss – a cunning merchant! This batch was at least three times the profit margin.
However, accepting the deal, Chen Yan didn’t show any dissatisfaction and readily took out his phone to pay the final bill.
"Great! Thanks, President Chen!", the stone factory boss put away his phone with a smile: "Hope you take care of future business."
Chen Yan looked at this guy.
Although he was somewhat cunning, and the price was high.
The goods were indeed of quality and quantity without compromise.
During unloading, he checked – two-meter bluestone blocks were correctly cut, polished, and smooth.
The carved patterns were spotless.
An idea came to Chen Yan’s mind: "Boss, have you got any jade materials?"
"Jade?" The stone factory boss froze: "Well, yes, but... they’re raw materials, very ordinary, low-grade jade. If you want collectible jade, I don’t have it. You need to find it in jade shops."
He dealt with decorative stone materials, indeed had jade. Some homeowners liked using jade on decorative walls.
Like picking two pieces of jade to make crane eyes on a longevity background wall.
A show of pseudo-elegance.
But as he said, they were low-grade material.
Whose excessive wealth would put premium Hetian jade on background walls?
"No worries, I need the cheap kind." Chen Yan thought for a moment, gesturing with his hands: "Cut into matchbox-sized jade tokens, half-centimeter thick is enough. But must be jade, even low-quality. Do not fool me with quartzite."
The stone factory boss blinked: "Matchbox size, square, half-centimeter thick... How many?"
"Start with a hundred pieces."
Such small pieces, only a hundred.
Calculated, the material would hardly be more than a mahjong tile.
After pondering briefly, the boss spoke sincerely: "Usually, for such small orders, I need to source materials, run machines, pay for labor... Normally, no one accepts such orders.
But since you took care of a big deal, I’ll give you face.
For one piece, I’ll give you this price..."
Then, he smiled and quoted a price.
Chen Yan heard, indeed cheap! Much lower than previous purchases of green and white jade, directly cutting off two zeros!
But still needed haggling, Chen Yan immediately slashed by ...
No wait, recalling previous haggling with him, where he cut by half.
This time, Chen Yan directly reduced by eighty percent!
The boss cheerfully slapped Chen Yan’s hand: "Deal! I’ll deliver in a few days."
Damn, still paid too much!
After unloading, the workers jumped on the truck, and the boss seated in the passenger seat waved goodbye to Chen Yan.
Unexpectedly, delivering goods could be a windfall.
Lots of low-grade jade materials piled in his warehouse corner, leftover from other orders, edge scraps.
Poor quality jade, unfit for carving into sellable items.
Small fragmented scraps, not suitable for carved decor.
Sitting there collecting dust, occupying space. Even disposal was troublesome.
Yet, could sell them?
Hm, plenty left, work on better relations with this Chen Yan, aim to sell all!
Chen Yan returned to the courtyard, looking at the corner stacked with bluestone blocks.
He walked over, casually grabbing one bluestone block, exerting force with his hand!
The two-meter-long bluestone block, normally carried by two workers, was effortlessly lifted by Chen Yan with one hand.
Not harder than lifting a bamboo stick.
Not because of primordial qi entering his body, nourishing the flesh, turning him into Superman.
But because his palm grasped a talisman paper – Yijun Talisman.
The talisman’s effect, as stated in the booklet: Turns thousand pounds to feathers.
Not increasing strength, but lightening objects.
However, the name Yijun Talisman was mouthful, Chen Yan found it bothersome and renamed it: Light Body Talisman.
One talisman, lasting an hour, two hours.
Chen Yan contemplated...
Using this to start a moving company, wouldn’t he make a fortune?
Hm, no! Using this for labor jobs, akin to learning Instant Teleportation Technique yet delivering food, what’s the difference?
In the afternoon, Chen Yan locked the gate, hiding inside the courtyard to start his work.
Fifty two-meter bluestone blocks, lifted by himself and placed around the courtyard.
Frequently stopping to take out the compass for repeated measurements.
Hm, the compass was new too, bought from the same online shop.
Returning customer, chatted briefly with the boss, got a twenty yuan discount.
From 180 yuan, haggled to 160.
Holding the Compass 2.0, after verifying the position, he placed each bluestone block in position.
A makeshift version of the Spirit Gathering Array, completed ninety-nine percent.
The final step, the key step of the array: the array eye.
Chen Yan didn’t have any high-graded magical artifacts.
Compass 2.0 doesn’t count!
Actual valuable items, Chen Yan had only two.
One was the ring on his thumb.
The other was the half white candle carefully kept, left by grandma.
However, he couldn’t use these items for the array eye.
The white candle was mentioned by grandma as a life-saving treasure, not to be used unless absolutely necessary.
The ring, he couldn’t bear it, what if the array eye ruins it?
Thus, he had to continue improvising.
No magical artifacts, followed previous thoughts, using jade stones nourished by qi.
Previously, wandering in the commercial street near Luoyun House at Qixia Mountain, bought them at a jade shop.
After selling the Compass 1.0 cheaply to President Fang...
Chen Yan thought, what if another generous person like President Fang appears? He must be prepared.
While strolling near Luoyun House, saw a jade shop, and casually bought two white jade tokens.
Though low-quality, still costly.
Bought them and nourished with primordial qi.
Fully charged, highly!
Using them temporarily, until the stone factory boss delivers the jade batch, then higher flexibility allowed.
The array eye’s position was indoors, under the flower stand at the entrance of the first floor.
Chen Yan placed one white jade token, stepped back, quickly forming several fingerprints, chanting an incantation, finally pointing to the array eye and shouting: "Open!!"
Qi in the jade token instantly circulated, and following the qi flow, the carved runes on fifty bluestone blocks flashed with a faint light...
After standing for a few seconds, Chen Yan suddenly felt the surrounding breeze.
With Celestial Eye Gaze, he saw countless subtle Heaven and Earth primordial qi sweeping in, attracted, flooding into the courtyard.
The qi concentration slowly increased, Chen Yan’s sharp spiritual sense felt himself soaking in warm water, every pore relaxing.
Even a makeshift version felt this good, a proper Spirit Gathering Array might lead to day ascension?
Couldn’t help but move a chair, sitting and enjoying.
Silently practicing the Primordial Qi Transport Technique, primordial qi entering the body thrice as efficiently as before.
But sitting until almost dark, Chen Yan felt increasingly itchy.
He got up, directly went to the master bedroom, entering the bathroom to undress and bathe.
A hot shower, Chen Yan felt half a kilo of grime coming off.
Not startled, probably due to qi entering his body rapidly, expelling impurities from flesh.
Sure enough, post-shower, looking in the mirror, his skin clean, oils, acne, blackheads mostly gone.
Even the forehead bump from the day’s hit mostly healed, with only slight pinkness indicating unhealed skin.
However, already miraculous speed.
Yet, freshly showered, before clothing, felt slight itchiness again.
"Guess detox isn’t over." Chen Yan slapped his head, went to open the massage bathtub, filling water while practicing qi transport.
Once filled, sat inside.
Feeling the tub’s water flow constantly on his skin.
Chen Yan closed his eyes.
Bathtub auto-heating, soaking all night wasn’t a problem.
Outside the villa on the hillside, among the forest towards the mountain, gentle breeze carrying strands of primordial qi all heading downhill towards the villa...
This mountain called General Mountain, several ridges forming a six-mile long range.
Between two ridges, a wild lake, not vast but deep water.
Locals named it Yinlong Lake.
Now the lake surface suddenly churned, as waves parted, a dark shadow emerged from underwater.
A huge old turtle, millstone-sized.
Primordial qi scattered widely, all heading away, the old turtle opened its eyes...
Like being dragged from a warm bed into the winter cold, what’s the difference!
Who did this immoral thing!!