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Chapter 44: A Partnership
Chapter 44: A Partnership
Lei Jun didn't intend to stand idly and space out in front of everyone, leaving his master unattended.
"This disciple's skills are inadequate. How dare I present such an ugly display?"
Following Yuan Mo Bai's cue, Lei Jun naturally took his leave. "Disciple will now prepare the tools and ingredients needed for Master's pill concoction."
Since Wang Gui Yuan was in seclusion, matters such as these naturally fell to Lei Jun.
To be honest, he was quite interested in witnessing the legacy and techniques of this other Daoist holy land.
But when it came to performing in front of a group of elders during festive occasions, he'd rather avoid it if possible.
Moreover, according to the divination lot, if he were to participate in this exchange and spar, winning would indeed grant him a seventh-grade opportunity. However, it might also bring about future troubles.
Thus, in the end, it was a mediocre lot, a path of fortune and misfortune.
On the other hand, the upper-middle lot had a sixth-grade opportunity waiting for him.
Although the sixth-grade was not as remarkable as the fifth-grade, fourth-grade, or even higher-grade opportunities, it excelled in being completely worry-free, a purely beneficial outcome.
So, he decided to secure that first.
He could witness the Daoist techniques of the Pill Cauldron Sect's Pure Yang Palace another time.
As Lei Jun left the main hall, he once again felt a gaze on his back.
He acted as if he didn't notice and continued on his way.
Ever since he entered the Heavenly Masters Mansion, although Lei Jun had heard that his master excelled in pill concoction, he had never actually seen Yuan Mo Bai start a furnace to refine pills.
He hadn't seen any related tools in his master's mansion or private residence either.
Thus, Lei Jun, as instructed, came to the grand pill chamber in the mansion and explained the situation to the steward on duty before stepping inside.
It was more accurate to call this place a pill palace rather than a pill chamber, as it was a vast, independent structure within the complex of halls that made up the Heavenly Master's Mansion.
Pill refinement in the Longhu Mountain Heavenly Master's Mansion emphasized the balance of water and fire, the interplay of dragon and tiger.
Apart from the furnace fire, there was also the assistance of a spiritual spring.
Within the pill palace, there were a total of sixty-four independent pill chambers, arranged according to the eight trigrams around eight dedicated spiritual spring pill wells.
It was almost like a villa district from Lei Jun's past life on Earth. Each independent pill chamber resembled a standalone villa, occupying several hundred square meters and rising to a height of over five meters, grand and majestic. The pill chamber was further divided into four rooms—the divine room, the herb room, the tool room, and the fire room—that encircled a central pill altar that soared to a height of three stories.
If someone from the Heavenly Master's Mansion wanted to refine pills or teach their disciples pill techniques, they could choose to do so in their private residence or come to this grand pill chamber and select one of the chambers to start their furnace.
The fact that Yuan Mo Bai didn't come to the pill chamber to start a furnace and only asked Lei Jun to retrieve some tools and ingredients indicated that he was simplifying the process and rituals.
It seemed that compared to his pill refinement skills, the grade of the spiritual pill he intended to refine today was indeed not particularly remarkable, suitable for disciples who were still at a relatively low level of cultivation.
There were different types of cauldrons and furnaces used in Daoist pill refinement, and so the sixty-four independent pill chambers were equipped differently.
The furnace that Yuan Mo Bai asked Lei Jun to retrieve was called the Ji Ji Furnace, named after the Ji Ji trigram, with Li below and Kan above, representing fire below and water above.
Thus, the Ji Ji Furnace had a double-cauldron structure. Apart from the lower cauldron, which was used for heating the ingredients, there was also an upper water cauldron.
In the grand pill chamber, there were a total of sixteen Ji Ji Furnaces, six of which were currently occupied by others for pill refinement.
Lei Jun had his pick of the remaining ten, a comfortable selection.
However...
The upper-middle lot required him to come to the grand pill chamber first, and the sixth-grade opportunity mentioned in the divination lot, where was it?
Yuan Mo Bai didn't rush him, but since the divination lot mentioned a sequence of events, it indicated that timing was important, and he couldn't afford to delay.
But he also couldn't just hastily grab a furnace and leave.
Lei Jun didn't rush into any of the independent pill chambers. He appeared nonchalant on the surface, but inside, he calmed his mind and carefully observed his surroundings, paying attention to every detail.
...Hmm?
Lei Jun suddenly stopped in his tracks.
He had indeed made a discovery.
But this discovery surprised him.
Because Lei Jun felt that the Fire Marrow Sun Fish within his Dao foundation altar, which had been dormant for a long time, had suddenly become active, and even his divine soul seemed to be more agile as a result.
After a long slumber, the pillow was now automatically delivered to him.
Was this just a coincidence?
But that didn't make sense. Several months ago, when he was looking for a spiritual object related to the Fire Marrow Sun Fish, he had specifically come to the grand pill chamber, but he hadn't found anything.
Could it be that something had happened recently, giving birth to a new type of spiritual object?
Lei Jun suppressed his speculations and searched the area carefully once more.
Eventually, he zeroed in on an unoccupied standalone pill chamber.
Upon entering, Lei Jun began his search in earnest.
The Fire Marrow Sun Fish, which had been dormant for so long, was now growing less active.
It wasn't that he was searching in the wrong direction, but rather, it was likely due to the timing mentioned in the divination lot.
Lei Jun scanned every corner of the pill chamber, taking in the pill altar, tripod furnace, kiln, incense burner, ancient mirror, pure steel sword, lime pit, crucible-pressing stone, pestle, and airflow paths.
Finally, his gaze landed on an inconspicuous-looking pill vat.
This was where the Fire Marrow Sun Fish had last shown activity.
The pill vat appeared unused, yet it seemed to possess a unique spiritual quality that attracted the Fire Marrow Sun Fish.
However, as time passed, this spirituality didn't disappear but gradually became more subtle and hidden.
Eventually, even the Fire Marrow Sun Fish was unable to sense it.
"No wonder I had to come to the grand pill chamber first. If I had gone to the herb garden to gather herbs and then come here, I might not have discovered this pill vat," Lei Jun mused to himself.
He nodded in agreement, not having the time to examine it closely, and so he carefully stored the pill vat away for later investigation.
He took a Ji Ji Furnace and a few auxiliary pill-refining tools and left the grand pill chamber for the herb garden.
Although the tripod furnace was heavy, with Lei Jun's current cultivation and physical strength, carrying it was as easy as lifting a feather, and he quickly made his way.
However, before he even reached the herb garden, he heard a commotion coming from within.
"What's going on?"
When Lei Jun arrived at the entrance, he saw several fellow disciples carrying two injured people out.
One was a young Taoist priest from the Heavenly Master's Mansion, and the other was a Confucian youth, both of them looking badly wounded.
Lei Jun recognized the young priest as Zhang Yuan, who had just participated in the initiation ceremony, now wearing an apricot yellow Daoist robe instead of his former acolyte attire.
The Confucian youth also looked familiar.
He seemed to be a younger member of the Jingxiang Fang clan, who had come to witness the ceremony with his elders.
Fang Jian, the fourth disciple of the Heavenly Master and a member of the Fang clan, stood at the entrance of the herb garden, his expression solemn as he watched his fellow disciple and clan member being carried away.
With him were Zhang Jingzhen, the third disciple of the Heavenly Master, and Li Xuan and Li Ying, the elder Zi Yang's disciples and siblings.
There was also Luo Haoran, who was acquainted with Lei Jun.
"For now, our top priority is to save people and treat their injuries," Zhang Jingzhen said, her usual serene and elegant demeanor unchanged.
"Fang Shidi, please take care of Zhang Shidi and Fang Gongzi.
Li Shidi, Luo Shidi, and Li Shimai, come with me to report to the masters."
Fang Jian nodded. "Your arrangements are very thoughtful, Shijie."
With that, he hurriedly left.
Zhang Jingzhen turned to Lei Jun and sighed softly. "Lei Shidi, did you come to gather herbs for Shishu? Some unexpected events have occurred, but don't let it affect Shishu's plans."
In fact, Zhang Yuan had already gathered the necessary herbs before he was injured, and Zhang Jingzhen indicated that Lei Jun should still bring the Ji Ji Furnace and the herbs back.
"I'll follow Shijie's instructions," Lei Jun replied.
He noticed that Luo Haoran's expression remained relatively calm, but Li Xuan and Li Ying's faces bore strange expressions.
Lei Jun didn't say much more and left with the tripod furnace and the herbs.
Later, some rumors began to circulate, leaving Lei Jun unsure how to react:
"After you went to the grand pill chamber, the newly initiated Zhang Yuan Shidi might have wanted to leave a good impression on Elder Yuan, so he volunteered to go to the herb garden to gather herbs as well, intending to return with you.
Who would have thought that he would happen upon Li Shimai and Fang Mingyuan of the Fang clan strolling in the garden together?
Well... perhaps Fang Mingyuan suddenly encountered someone and, thinking it was an enemy, reacted instinctively, injuring Zhang Shidi."
Shangguan Hong briefly explained the situation: "Fortunately, Luo Haoran Shixiong was nearby. When he heard the disturbance, he rushed over to check and managed to intervene in time. However, in his haste, he also lost control and ended up injuring Fang Gongzi."
Lei Jun admitted that although the middle sign had given him a warning, this incident had caught him off guard:
"Wait, that Fang Gongzi and Li Ying Shimai... the two of them were strolling in the garden together?"
Shangguan Hong nodded.
"They're an item..." Lei Jun blurted out, "Are they going to suddenly announce one day that they have a child together?"
"Cough, cough, cough!" Shangguan Hong choked on his saliva.
(End of Chapter)
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