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Chapter 21: The Young Celestial Master
Chapter 21: The Young Celestial Master
Li Ying didn't bring it up, but Official Hong had already suffered bad luck. Chen Yi would likely be next, though it remained to be seen what would happen with Junior Sister Tang Xiaotang. Lei Jun glanced at her.
As he pondered, the conversation took an unexpected turn, shifting to none other than Tang Xiaotang and Chen Yi.
Just the day before, the two had clashed like needle and straw.
"Tsk, what bad luck!" Tang Xiaotang muttered from afar upon hearing others mention the incident.
Lei Jun asked, "So, is the rumor true?"
Tang Xiaotang scoffed, "What nonsense. How dare they say that a Dao disciple should yield to a Daoist?"
To Lei Jun, Chen Yi was a familiar stranger.
They had met before but never interacted, so Lei Jun could only vaguely recall his face and name.
However, according to the evaluations of other Dao disciples from the Eighth Division, although Chen Yi had caused quite a stir last year, his personality was actually rather calm and not arrogant or aggressive.
It was uncertain who had instigated the conflict between him and Tang Xiaotang.
Nevertheless, Lei Jun refrained from interrupting and instead listened eagerly to the gossip.
"Who does he think he is? He's not even worth one of my hands when I was eight years old!
Me, yield to him? He'd be lucky if I trampled over him and he still had the guts to talk back!" Tang Xiaotang boasted.
"So, you trampled over him?" Lei Jun asked.
"No," Tang Xiaotang puffed out her cheeks. "Consider him lucky that Senior Brother Li happened to pass by."
There were many Daoists with the surname Li in the Celestial Master's Mansion. Senior Brother Li, Senior Sister Li, Elder Li, and Uncle Li were all common addresses.
However, Tang Xiaotang's references were usually specific.
There was only one Senior Sister, referring to Xu Yuanzhen.
As for Senior Brother Li, it referred to a particular person.
He was Li Zhengxuan, the young Celestial Master of Longhushan and the son of the current Celestial Master.
In recent years, the Celestial Master's Mansion had produced two young geniuses renowned for their talent. Their names resonated even among the other prominent families and cultivation sanctums.
Xu Yuanzhen.
Li Zhengxuan.
Within the mansion, fellow disciples of the same generation usually addressed them as Senior Sister and Senior Brother respectively.
Strictly speaking, Xu Yuanzhen was the first disciple accepted by the current Celestial Master. She had undergone the initiation ritual before Li Zhengxuan, the Celestial Master's son.
However, considering Li Zhengxuan's relationship with the current Celestial Master, everyone tacitly avoided addressing him as the second senior brother.
Lei Jun had only heard of this person but had never interacted with him directly. He had only seen him once during the initiation ritual.
Li Zhengxuan appeared to be in his late twenties or early thirties, clad in a purple Daoist robe. He had a sword-like brow and starry eyes, exuding an ethereal aura befitting a young immortal.
At this moment, Lei Jun looked at Tang Xiaotang before him and couldn't help but recall the young Celestial Master's first appearance. He felt an urge to facepalm.
Junior Sister, your villainous aura is overwhelming...
The rest of the story was simple.
Li Zhengxuan intervened, and instead of pouring oil on the fire, Tang Xiaotang was more surprised.
Because, according to her knowledge, Chen Yi had deeper grudges with the Li family.
It was understandable if someone protected Chen Yi, but she never expected Li Zhengxuan, the young leader of the Li family, to take his side.
The young Celestial Master across from her exuded the dignified aura of a young sect master, as calm and unperturbed as a deep pool. "We are all disciples of Longhushan, without distinction. Not only Chen Junior Brother, but if you, Tang Junior Sister, encounter any troubles, I will also do my best to assist you."
Tang Xiaotang waved her hand dismissively. "That's unnecessary."
The young Celestial Master continued, "Of course, whether it's the senior members of the sect or myself, we have always valued your talent and aptitude, Tang Junior Sister."
Tang Xiaotang's anger came and went quickly, and with this interruption, her fierce attitude softened.
However, her response remained true to her character. "Rest assured, I won't let you down!"
Li Zhengxuan nodded and turned to Chen Yi. "Tang Junior Sister's situation is unique and different from the other Dao disciples. Although she hasn't undergone the initiation ritual, she is still a disciple of Longhushan, just like us."
After a moment of eye contact between Chen Yi and Li Zhengxuan, Chen Yi slowly exhaled. "I was the one who was rash earlier. Please forgive me, Senior Brother and Senior Sister."
Then, Li Zhengxuan mentioned that he was on his way to visit his fourth uncle, Elder Yao, who was also Chen Yi's master, and invited Chen Yi to join him.
Thus, a potential crisis was averted.
"But I still feel very uneasy. There was a malicious intent directed at me at that time, but it didn't come from Senior Brother Li or that Chen kid." Tang Xiaotang pouted, clearly still upset. "By the time Senior Brother Li interrupted and I tried to find the source, that malicious intent had already disappeared."
Lei Jun's thoughts turned to something Senior Sister Xu Yuanzhen had mentioned before:
"If anyone else had kept provoking Xiaotang like you did, she would've already slapped them with a talisman.
The reason she showed restraint towards you is not because you're a 'fellow sect member,' but because she sensed that you didn't have malicious intentions.
Xiaotang may be foolish, but she's also pure-hearted and highly perceptive when it comes to others' goodwill or ill will."
Lei Jun remained silent and returned to his small courtyard, inviting Tang Xiaotang to join him as a guest.
After they were both seated, he finally spoke. "Junior Sister, your instincts are correct. Someone did manipulate you in Chen Yi's matter, but the intention wasn't to harm you. Instead, it was to bolster Senior Brother Li's prestige and win over the hearts of the people. In other words, one played the role of the stern one, while the other played the gentle one."
Tang Xiaotang widened her eyes in shock. "You mean... it was all prearranged by Senior Brother Li?!
"It might not have been pre-arranged. Senior Brother Li might have just happened to stumble upon it, and the instigator might not have even targeted you specifically. It's more likely that they used you to teach Chen Yi a lesson."
Lei Jun said, "But coincidentally, the end result was that Senior Brother Li showcased his demeanor as the Young Celestial Master, appeasing Chen Yi and uniting the other external disciples."
He glanced at Tang Xiaotang, "As for you, little junior sister, you played the role of the antagonist often seen in fictional tales."
Tang Xiaotang's eyebrows furrowed, and her black hair seemed to have a hint of turning golden again as she exclaimed, "That's outrageous!"
Lei Jun continued, "There's no need to rush to regain your composure now; it will only make things worse. Take your time, and there will be plenty of opportunities to turn the tables in the future."
The tall girl paced angrily inside the room.
After a while, she suddenly stopped and turned, staring straight at Lei Jun.
"Little junior sister?" Lei Jun asked.
"You just said I'm like an antagonist from those fictional tales?" Tang Xiaotang questioned.
"Yes," Lei Jun replied. "You clash with the protagonist, and at the time, your cultivation might be far superior to theirs. Sometimes, the protagonist will squeeze you with their words, admonishing you for bullying the weak. So, you might set up a one-year, three-year, or even a ten-year agreement to delay the confrontation until the protagonist's strength catches up. Then, you'll be trampled by the protagonist."
"There are also some antagonist experts who don't care about the notion of bullying the weak. They want to get rid of the protagonist on the spot, but at this time, they may be temporarily blocked by the righteous experts helping the protagonist. In short, they still can't directly get rid of the protagonist while they are weak."
"The result is that you end up highlighting the protagonist's strengths or becoming a stepping stone for them."
Tang Xiaotang glared, her eyes wide, "Where did you learn all this?"
"I used to listen to storytellers in the village," Lei Jun explained. "After the village fled the famine, I couldn't find them anymore."
"I won't be an antagonist; I want to be the protagonist of the story!" Tang Xiaotang's anger came and went quickly. Her attention had now shifted entirely to another topic as she dragged her chair to sit in front of Lei Jun. "Tell me more. What's the complete story like?"
Lei Jun hesitated, "Well, I haven't read much of the female-oriented novels, but you can listen to some of the male-oriented stories."
"Huh?" Tang Xiaotang was confused.
................................
In another small courtyard, a young Taoist priest dressed in an apricot-yellow robe sat at a stone table.
On the table was a piece of paper with several names written on it: Chen Yi, Shangguan Hong, Lei Jun, and Guo Yan.
As the young Taoist priest looked at the names, his mind instantly flashed with relevant information:
Chen Yi, disciple of Fourth Master Yao, with a Clear Spirit Body, has successfully built his foundation.
Shangguan Hong, disciple of Fifth Master Shangguan, with top-quality roots but an extraordinary understanding, has not yet built his foundation.
Lei Jun, disciple of Little Master Yuan, with a Hidden Dragon Spirit Body, has successfully built his foundation.
Guo Yan, disciple of Side Lineage Master Hu, with a Flowing Wave Spirit Body, has successfully built her foundation.
These four, along with Li Ying, are the most outstanding top talents in this year's Transmission Ceremony.
This year's transmission ceremony has produced no shortage of top-quality and upper-middle-tier talents from the Li family. However, when it comes to the absolute top tier, the number of people is a bit sparse... The young Taoist priest frowned.
Fortunately, he had managed to stay one step ahead of Shangguan Hong.
One step behind, and it would be hard to catch up.
It's a pity that Chen Yi was spared from disaster.
Additionally, Lei Jun and Guo Yan did not seek to become the personal disciples of the Celestial Master, so they were temporarily put on hold.
But these two are indeed not simple either, as they have quickly succeeded in building their foundations.
Quietly, they have become forces to be reckoned with.
"We must find a way to suppress them," the young Taoist priest thought.
There was a visitor at the courtyard gate.
The young Taoist priest put away the paper and opened the gate. Standing outside was a young man with a female crown, Li Ying:
"Second Brother, Senior Brother Li is looking for you."
Inside the courtyard, Li Ying's second brother, Li Ming, son of the Purple Yang Elder, bowed his head and said, "Alright, I'll go now."
As he stepped out, he casually asked, "How has your cultivation progress been recently?"
Li Ying replied, "I encountered some minor obstacles, but I've already solved them."
Li Ming nodded, "That's good. Continue to focus on your cultivation and don't be distracted by trivial matters."
"I've been so busy lately that I hardly know day from night," Li Ying said, giving her brother a strange look.
Li Ming nodded and bid farewell.
He arrived at the mansion of his cousin, the Young Celestial Master, Li Zhengxuan.
"Senior Brother Li," Li Ming bowed his head and stopped.
The Young Celestial Master stood with his back to him, hands clasped behind his back, "Was it you who orchestrated the incident between Tang Xiaotang and Chen Yi?"
"I merely created a coincidence for the two of them to meet. I didn't do anything else, and I certainly didn't expect to disturb Senior Brother. Fortunately, Senior Brother intervened, and the final outcome was much better than I anticipated. However, I feel troubled that I caused you trouble, Senior Brother," Li Ming explained.
The Young Celestial Master spoke slowly, "Don't waste your time and thoughts on such petty actions. Whether it's for the Mansion of the Celestial Master or for the Li family, if you truly wish to accomplish something, focusing on improving yourself and spreading the word of our sect is the best strategy."
"Yes, Senior Brother," Li Ming agreed.
After leaving the Young Celestial Master's mansion and returning to his small courtyard, Li Ming took out the list again and read it thoughtfully.
(End of Chapter)
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