Chapter Forty-Eight: Cause and Effect, Bearing the Consequences

Meng Fan pondered for a moment, then gave Liao Zhong a subtle look, raising his hand slightly to indicate that they could still push for a little more.

Seeing this, Liao Zhong instantly understood. He smiled at both parties and said, "Our company deeply appreciates the sincerity shown by both families. However, is it possible to make this sincerity a bit heavier?"

"The two parties present here should also know that I, Liao Zhong, am just someone running errands for the higher-ups. The real heavy lifters are the ones above. Although they asked me to participate in this negotiation, to be honest, I really have no 'bottom line' in my heart!"

Hearing the word "bottom line" heavily emphasized by Liao Zhong, Monk Jiekong and Gao Yi could not possibly fail to understand his meaning.

Gao Yi chuckled, leaned in close to Liao Zhong, and whispered, "Brother Liao, you and Gao Lian are friends and colleagues, and I am Gao Lian's cousin. As members of the same family, we shouldn't speak in two different voices."

"Aside from that eight-hundred-year-old ginseng, I happen to have another four-hundred-year-old one in private. I was hoping you could help me appraise it. What do you think?"

Liao Zhong gave Gao Yi a knowing look and smiled, "Brother Gao, I think your sincerity is quite sufficient after all!"

Across from them, Monk Jiekong wore a troubled expression, shook his head, and sighed, "Alas, people's hearts are not as pure as they used to be!"

"Fine, little Liao, I'll add two more quotas here. How about that?"

Monk Jiekong then continued, "Even if that white elephant is sent to the Northeast and thrives there, at best it will only become a local immortal."

"If it comes to my Lingyin Temple, I will draw upon a thousand years of Buddhist incense and karmic foundation to guarantee it the fruition status of a Guardian Vajra. By then, it can be placed at the company's disposal three times."

In truth, when it came to utilizing the power of incense and vows, the Taoist and Buddhist schools were the true experts, boasting a heritage spanning over a millennium.

Neither the equally ancient and diverse arts of the God-Mask inheritance, nor the immortal spirits of the Northeast that also harnessed the power of incense to become "gods" and "immortals," could hold a candle to them.

Compared to the profound research the Buddhist and Taoist schools conducted on incense, those two traditions paled in significance.

Taoism harvested and refined the power of incense to invoke deities into the mortal realm, manifest true divine might, forge Yellow-Turban warriors, and scatter beans to form an army. Buddhism, on the other hand, possessed heterodox methods to forge golden bodies of Buddhist incense from the power of vows, and to convert evil ghosts into protective entities.

The most famous examples were the Asura and Yaksha of the Eight Legions.

Hearing this, Liao Zhong's mind raced. If Lingyin Temple had only offered three quotas, he figured he might only be allocated one. But with five quotas, if he pushed hard enough, he could secure two.

As for those three chances for them to take action, he might even be able to claim one for himself. After all, from a certain perspective, he was the white elephant's maternal family. When a member of the maternal family was bullied, wouldn't it come to help hold the ground?

Seeing that Liao Zhong was growing tempted, Gao Yi immediately interjected, "Brother Liao, Gao Lian asked me to pass along a message to you. Last time you went to the Northeast, after taking a bath... Wuwu!"

Liao Zhong hurriedly covered Gao Yi's mouth, turned to Master Jiekong with a guilty expression, and stammered, "You see how nervous Brother Gao is—he's stuttering and can't even speak properly."

***

Seeing this, how could Meng Fan fail to understand? Uncle Liao had a "weakness" held firmly in the hands of Gao Lian, the regional director of the Northeast!

After taking a bath, what else could happen?

Without even thinking, it was obvious that Liao Zhong simply couldn't control his lower...

With great difficulty, Gao Yi managed to pry Liao Zhong's hand away, then smiled and said, "Brother Liao, what about this white elephant?"

Liao Zhong said angrily, "I knew old Gao would hold something against me, but I never expected him to use it here. Take your white elephant and get away from my ginseng."

"You got it!"

Afterward, Liao Zhong scratched his head and apologized with a smile to Monk Jiekong, "Master Jiekong, I'm terribly sorry to have made you run this trip for nothing."

Monk Jiekong possessed a true and uninhibited nature, shooting a look of utter disdain straight at Liao Zhong. "Little Liao, the scariest thing in life is making mistakes. Would you say so?"

"Yes, yes, yes. I'm in the wrong this time. You are entirely right to lecture me."

Monk Jiekong waved his hand, glanced at Meng Fan, and then said, "Fine. After all, my journey here wasn't completely without harvest. Perhaps that boy from the Gao family has discarded a watermelon to pick up a sesame seed."

Finally, Monk Jiekong walked up to Meng Fan, patted him on the shoulder, and said, "You carry the destiny of the nation upon your shoulders. It is not easy!"

Liao Zhong escorted Monk Jiekong all the way to the door. Watching the retreating figures of Monk Jiekong and his martial monk, Baowen, Liao Zhong turned his gaze to Meng Fan.

"Kid, Master Jiekong called you a watermelon. Are you really some kind of extraordinary figure?"

Meng Fan shook his head and chose not to answer Liao Zhong's question. Instead, he said, "Uncle Liao, let's head back first. Don't forget you still have a huge trouble waiting for you."

Liao Zhong patted his head and immediately called Gao Lian.

In a quietly furious tone, Liao Zhong snapped, "Old Dog Gao, you really are cunning. You've been holding that dirt on me until now."

A cheerful laugh came from the other end of the line. "If I didn't hold something over you, how could I have secured that white elephant so smoothly?"

"Hmph, you old Gao, just keep hiding your cards. You always have to dig up some dirt on people to feel at ease."

Gao Lian replied, "You know what I used to do when I was young. It's an occupational habit, can't change it."

"Fine, fine. Having crossed paths with you is my bad luck. Remember to wipe the slate clean—delete all the photos and videos, every single one of them."

***

"Relax, can't you trust how I handle things? I never use the same piece of dirt a second time."

"Damn it, you old dog Gao, how much more dirt do you have on me?"

"Not much, not much—just enough to last until you pass away!"

Liao Zhong cursed as he hung up the phone. This scene brought immense satisfaction to Meng Fan; finally, someone had found a way to keep Liao Zhong in check.

Meanwhile, on the road.

Baowen couldn't help but ask Monk Jiekong, "Master, is that boy really that important?"

Monk Jiekong chuckled softly, "Although your master's cultivation has been crippled, these old eyes of mine are not blind, and my heart is clearer than ever."

"My Buddhist school cultivates the innate nature and refines the spirit, naturally allowing us to catch a glimpse of destiny. Though Buddhism teaches that all living beings are equal, the weight that individuals carry in the heavens and earth from birth is indeed different."

"In that child, I could vaguely perceive the overlapping figures of millions of people, all of their fates tied to his single body. With a person like that, if you cannot befriend him, you must never make an enemy of him."

"Because we simply cannot bear that kind of karmic retribution!"

"Even that old bull-noser Zhang Zhiwei could not accept such a burden!"

***

After Meng Fan returned to the stronghold, the steel plate debris scattered across the laboratory had already been cleaned up by people sent by Liao Zhong.

He walked up to a massive password wall, entered a complex sequence of numbers, and opened it.

Inside was a small greenhouse, containing only a single, lush, yellowish rice plant, laden with an exceptionally large quantity of oversized grains.