Chapter 9

Feng Jun kicked over the stone pedestal, and at its base, a red light flashed.

He leaned in to take a closer look and was pleasantly surprised to find a concave slot at the bottom of the stone pedestal, with an egg-sized ruby embedded inside.

Feng Jun grew up in a middle-class family and wasn't very familiar with rubies, but he could swear that this was the most enchanting ruby he had ever seen in his life—no exceptions!

The gem was crystal clear, reflecting a bright yet gentle light under the sunlight, magnificent yet warm.

For a moment, Feng Jun had a vague realization: this village might have suffered because of this ruby!

Such a large ruby, if brought to the real world, could easily fetch a few million, regardless of other factors. However, explaining the origin of the gem would be a problem and a hassle.

Feng Jun's ancestors had been wealthy, with some even becoming imperial scholars, but he still couldn't provide convincing evidence.

But was the gem just a gem? Feng Jun didn't think so; otherwise, why would his stone ring mark feel hot?

Since he didn't necessarily need to cash in the gem, Feng Jun hesitated for a moment and then extended his left hand to touch it.

He didn't dare to cover the entire gem with his left hand, only touching it with his little finger.

In the next moment, his body suddenly jolted, and he felt a mysterious force surge into his body through his little finger, overwhelming and powerful.

The force was invisible to the naked eye, but its impact on his body was so real, so wild, and so heart-wrenching.

"Ugh~" He couldn't help but let out a low groan. At that moment, he felt his left hand was about to explode. If not for the fear of being discovered, his scream would have been earth-shattering.

But then, a cool sensation surged from his wrist, and the stone ring mark became clearer.

The stone ring brought coolness, while his little finger felt the raging force. Feng Jun gritted his teeth, trembling with pain, feeling as if his left hand was no longer his own.

Hmm? Why did the color of the ruby seem to fade?

After about ten minutes, the ruby's beautiful red gradually dimmed, and the stone ring mark on his hand became clearer than ever.

About half an hour later, the ruby lost its last trace of red, turning from pink to gray and then shattering into a pile of white powder, which fell from the stone pedestal.

The stone ring mark on Feng Jun's left wrist became even clearer, almost turning purple, looking like a tattoo.

Unfortunately, the design of the tattoo was a bit... strange.

Feng Jun was stunned for a while before reaching out with his right hand to touch his wrist. The heat had disappeared.

"Is this... a spirit stone?"

He couldn't explain what the ruby was. By the definition in web novels, a stone that could provide energy similar to electricity was probably a spirit stone.

Could it be that he had traveled not to the late Ming Dynasty but to a world of immortals?

At that moment, he desperately wished for a system to appear. Although the legendary systems often had various quirks and frequently made the protagonist suffer, at least it would save him the trouble of exploring on his own.

Wait, why was there so much grease on his body again?

Regardless, the stone ring mark on his hand had deepened, so he didn't have to worry about the energy needed to enter and exit the space for the time being.

He dug a hole with his hand, swept the spirit stone fragments into it, sprinkled sand over it, and buried it tightly.

After checking a few times to ensure there were no problems, he muttered, "Out."

However, his figure reappeared after just a second. He bent down, picked up the suitcase from the ground, and muttered, "Damn, this habit of forgetting things is really bad."

Back in the real world, the first thing Feng Jun did was to take off his clothes and change into cool summer attire.

Then, he picked up Li's phone and replayed the video. As expected, he seemed unchanged throughout the recording, but... the suitcase on his right elbow had mysteriously disappeared.

In the next moment, the suitcase reappeared, having moved about five centimeters.

If he hadn't watched it repeatedly, he would have thought the suitcase had merely slipped.

He deleted the video, carried the suitcase out of the bathroom, and placed the phone at the front desk, saying, "Thank you."

Li was about to tease him, saying he didn't expect him to be so quick, but then he saw Feng Jun rush into the staff changing room with the suitcase.

Feng Jun felt an urgent need to take a shower because even he could smell the stench on his body.

He took a shower for a full half-hour. When he came out, Zhao Hongqi was opening the window, saying, "What the hell is that smell? Who stepped on dog shit?"

Feng Jun's clothes were also stinky. The summer clothes he had just put on were a bit better, but the long-sleeved shirt, long pants, and thick leather jacket were almost unbearable.

He had to go out and send the clothes in the suitcase to the laundry... the smell was so bad that he didn't even want to wash them himself.

The female owner of the laundry shop looked at him with disdain but, for the sake of the money, didn't say anything harsh.

Feng Jun, on the other hand, went to a clothing store and bought a new set of summer clothes, a small brand called "Nine Wolves," for over 500 yuan—after all, he was about to reach the peak of his life, and this amount of money was nothing.

After buying the clothes, he didn't rush back to the Hongjie Club but instead used his ID to check into a budget hotel—there were many tests he needed to do, and staying at the club would be inconvenient.

If he could quickly make his first fortune, he even considered quitting his job.

After checking into the room, he went out to buy a lot of supplies, mainly thick clothes and food, and even a kerosene stove and a rebar crowbar from a construction site.

The floor attendant, seeing the guest carrying various strange items into the room, felt quite curious. When she noticed the rebar crowbar, she reported it to the supervisor.

A rebar thicker than a thumb, with one end sharpened, could be considered a weapon.

The supervisor pondered for a moment and said, "Keep an eye on him. Notify me when he comes out, and I'll ask him about it."

Feng Jun came out an hour later, frowning, with wet hair and an unhappy look.

The supervisor hurried over, "Sir, you brought a lot of things into your room?"

Feng Jun waved his hand weakly, "I don't need them anymore. You can throw them away... just keep the suitcase for me."

He had no interest in talking. Others saw him in the room for an hour, but he had spent four days and three nights in that space.

He searched every corner of the village but found nothing that could make the mark on his wrist heat up.

Although this was expected, he still felt disappointed—after all, the first spirit stone was found so easily.

The mark on his wrist had faded somewhat. If the first spirit stone had given him 100 energy points, he had already used up about 10 points.

Indeed, during those four days and three nights, he had quantified the relevant indicators.

Although Feng Jun was a humanities student and shouldn't be too sensitive to data, one of his double degrees was in business administration. Without data, how could he manage?

Even the ancient Emperor Qin Shi Huang knew the importance of standardizing measurements, laying the foundation for a unified China. As a modern person, he had no reason to ignore this.

However, although he still had over 80 energy points, he couldn't afford to waste them.

Worse, he realized that to find more spirit stones, he would need better and more equipment.

He would have to stay in the real world for a while longer to earn some money. The few thousand yuan he had left were not enough.

He had initially thought he could quit his job and live a carefree life, but he could only sigh: ideals were beautiful, but reality was harsh.

Since he had to work, he had to look the part. Checking the time, he rode a public bicycle to the club.

At the entrance, he met Qin Tao, who was coming to work. Qin Tao looked him up and down and finally couldn't resist saying, "Why do you seem taller?"

Of course, Feng Jun knew he had grown taller. The pants he had bought an hour ago in the real world no longer covered his ankles.

Fortunately, his feet hadn't grown any larger; otherwise, he wouldn't have been able to wear his shoes.

The club had a height and weight measurement device. Feng Jun took off his shoes, stood on it, and measured himself, opening his mouth in surprise: 1.76 meters?

Finally, he had surpassed the "third-class disability" boundary?

Even more surprising, his weight had dropped to 140 pounds.

As he passed the front desk, Li couldn't help but say, "Why did you suddenly become so thin?"

Feng Jun wanted to joke, "Looking at your photos, I couldn't help but lose weight."

But thinking about his upcoming success, he restrained his urge to be mischievous.

A successful person should have manners.

So, he asked with a hint of surprise, "Really? I just changed my clothes... it seems the Nine Wolves brand is worth the price."

Just changing clothes? Li looked him up and down, feeling it was unlikely but not wanting to ask more.

That afternoon, Feng Jun didn't have much work, but to his surprise, he managed to sign up a new member.

It was a woman in her early thirties, with a face that could be rated 70 out of 100, but she was extremely overweight. Her waist wasn't too thick, but her legs were like elephant legs. She was about 1.65 meters tall and definitely weighed more than 165 pounds.

(First update of the week. Just one more vote to make it to the new book chart. Please support with clicks, recommendations, and collections.)