The Domineering Cultivator Farmer

Chapter 19: Visitors from the Capital

Before he knew it, nearly a month had passed since Fang Yun returned to the village. With the release of the medicinal wine Fang Yun had concocted half a month ago, more and more people were now coming to this remote mountain village to buy it. Those who had tried the medicinal wine were amazed to discover that, in just a few short days, their physical condition had noticeably improved—they no longer found themselves gasping for breath after running just a few steps, as they used to. The elderly, in particular, were thrilled to find that many of their chronic ailments had not returned. For an elderly person, nothing is more important than good health. Many elderly people who came to buy the medicinal wine fell deeply in love with this beautiful little mountain village and decided to settle here for long-term recuperation. In the morning, they’d wake up and take a stroll around the village, breathing in the fresh air. After breakfast, they’d join a group of like-minded seniors to head into the mountains to forage for wild vegetables and pick mushrooms. In the afternoon, they’d go fishing at the reservoir or get together with a few like-minded seniors to chat or play a game of chess—each day was as leisurely as could be. However, the place the elderly residents love most is Fang Yun’s courtyard. To be honest, Fang Yun’s courtyard really isn’t any different from anyone else’s—it’s just that the trees are a bit more lush and the vegetables are a bit fresher. Yet everything in the yard looks incredibly natural, as if everything there were meant to be that way from the start. When people come here, they feel incredibly relaxed and at ease. All of this was due to Fang Yun’s influence. Cultivators possess an aura that affects every blade of grass and every tree around them, allowing them to grow in the most natural way possible—this is what is known as “the Way follows nature.” “Dad, what do you think about asking Big Brother to come back home and open a farmstay?” Fang Yun asked his father over dinner. Fang Ping opened a fast-food restaurant in town, but business has always been so-so. After working hard all month, the couple barely make any money left over after paying rent and utilities. “That’s right. With so many tourists in the village these days, running a farmstay would definitely bring in a good income, and it’d be more convenient to work from home,” Fang Changsheng agreed immediately upon hearing this. Just as the family was talking, Fang Zhong walked in from outside. “Fang Yun, someone’s here to see you—from Beijing. They say they’re your superior.” “My superior?” Fang Yun didn’t quite grasp it at first, but then it suddenly occurred to her: Could it be someone from the Dragon Group? The family hurried outside and saw a car parked by the pond, with a potbellied, balding middle-aged man standing next to it. “I’m Fang Yun. May I ask who you are?” Fang Yun didn’t recognize him. “My name is Zhang Yan, the logistics director at the Bureau.” The middle-aged man merely glanced casually at Fang Yun, his eyes fixed on the bright red carp in the pond, a flash of greed occasionally crossing his gaze. The Dragon Group is generally known to the public as the National Security Bureau. Fang Yun felt a bit uneasy, but he still invited Zhang Yan inside to sit down. Zhang Yan, who oversaw logistics for the Dragon Group, had received a bottle of medicinal wine ten days earlier from a relative who had come to ask for a favor. At the time, the relative had praised the wine to the skies. Skeptical at first, Zhang Yan drank it for two days and found the effects to be remarkably pronounced, so he immediately presented the medicinal wine to his father-in-law, Liu Neng. After tasting it, Liu Neng immediately instructed Zhang Yan to obtain the recipe for the medicinal wine. The Liu family was a prominent clan in the capital; its members held high-ranking positions, with connections in both the military and political circles, though they had never managed to break into the very top echelons. The appearance of this medicinal wine made Liu Neng overjoyed. As long as he held the recipe in his hands and made monthly offerings to retired former leaders, all it would take was for them to be pleased enough to put in a good word for him—and breaking into the inner circle would be a sure thing. Don’t be fooled by the fact that these people are retired; they still wield immense influence. After conducting an investigation, Zhang Yan discovered that the owner of the medicinal wine was Fang Yun—and that he was a brigadier general. The idea of a twenty-nine-year-old brigadier general gave Zhang Yan quite a shock; without a powerful background, it would be utterly impossible to climb to the rank of brigadier general at such a young age. Upon further investigation, Zhang Yan discovered that Fang Yun had been awarded the rank of major general—albeit an honorary one—solely because of his exceptional medical skills, which had cured the injuries of several Heaven-level martial artists. When Fang Yun arrived at the Dragon Group, Zhang Yan happened to be away celebrating his father-in-law’s birthday. Coupled with the subsequent gag order issued by the Dragon Group, he had no idea what the real reason was behind the Dragon Group’s decision to confer the rank of major general on Fang Yun. As soon as he sat down, Zhang Yan cut straight to the chase: “Comrade Fang Yun, your medicinal wine formula has been helpful in addressing the health issues of our national leaders. We hope you can contribute it to the nation free of charge.” “I’m sorry, but I don’t actually have a formula,” Fang Yun replied flatly. Setting aside the fact that his medicinal wine relied primarily on spring water—making it useless even if given away—Fang Yun was deeply displeased with Zhang Yan’s attitude. Seeing the greed in Zhang Yan’s eyes, who knows whose hands the recipe would end up in. “In the face of national interests, you should obey orders unconditionally. As a major general, how can you lack even this basic sense of duty?” Zhang Yan snapped angrily. He’d assumed Fang Yun was just a country bumpkin; as a lieutenant general, he figured that by invoking the authority of the state, he’d have the recipe in his hands in no time. What Fang Yun hated most was people constantly using “the greater good” to pressure others. He reached into his pocket, pulled out the gun permit that had been tucked inside his ring, and slammed it down on the table. “You can revoke my credentials right now. I’ve long since wanted to give up this rank of major general.” At the time, Fang Yun had agreed to join the Dragon Group only to explain his whereabouts over the past six years to his family. Now that everything had been resolved, he truly didn’t care about the rank of major general anymore. After all, having helped the Dragon Group cure several Heaven-level martial artists, he considered himself even with them. “Fine, fine, fine. I hope you don’t regret this.” Zhang Yan snatched up the service weapon and credentials from the table and stormed out. Things had unfolded too quickly; Fang Changsheng and the others standing nearby didn’t have time to react. Only after Zhang Yan had left did they ask Fang Yun in alarm, “Yunzi, are you okay? You could’ve just given him the formula. Aren’t you going against the government by doing this?” “It’s fine. I think he just wanted the medicinal wine recipe for himself—it’s not as serious as you guys are making it out to be,” Fang Yun said nonchalantly. Fang Yun didn’t realize that his mindset had changed significantly from before; it was as if nothing mattered to him anymore. This was precisely the aftereffect of his power surging so rapidly—his mindset simply couldn’t keep up. Although Fang Changsheng and the others were still deeply concerned, seeing Fang Yun’s nonchalant demeanor, they said nothing and simply left, frowning. Back in the capital, Zhang Yan grew angrier the more he thought about it. Ever since he’d married the Liu family’s daughter, he’d risen rapidly with their support; for years, no one had dared to refuse his demands to his face. Fuming, Zhang Yan immediately sought out Long Fei. “Team Leader Long, Fang Yun from our team is completely lawless. I was merely looking out for the health of our national leaders when I asked him to hand over the formula for his medicinal wine. Not only did this brat disobey my orders, but he actually threatened to quit Team Long. Does he think the Dragon Group is his personal fiefdom—that he can come and go as he pleases? What does he take the Dragon Group for? I strongly demand that this lawless scoundrel be expelled from the Dragon Group and stripped of his military rank. Furthermore, he should be court-martialed for disobeying military orders.” As he spoke, he placed Fang Yun’s ID and service weapon in front of Long Fei. Looking at Zhang Yan standing before him, Long Fei felt like slapping him to death. The former team leader, Long Zhan, had taken Zhang Yan into the Dragon Team because he owed Liu Neng a favor. But even then, he’d only been put in charge of logistics. If it weren’t for Long Zhan’s reputation, Long Fei would have kicked Zhang Yan out of the Dragon Team long ago for the underhanded schemes he’d been pulling behind the scenes all these years. Now this pig had actually crossed paths with Fang Yun. Long Fei was certain the matter wasn’t as simple as Zhang Yan made it out to be—Zhang Yan had definitely done something to anger Fang Yun.