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Chapter 73: 73. Not Letting Any Benefits Slip Away
Chapter 73: 73. Not Letting Any Benefits Slip Away
"A blessing and a curse," Lei Jun muttered to himself.
On an earlier occasion of divination to seek good fortune and avoid calamity, there had been two signs indicating moderate to poor outcomes.
The impact of those signs hadn't been significant.
As long as there was a sign indicating a moderate outcome, Lei Jun wouldn't have chosen either of the unfavorable options.
But at that time, he had wondered what would happen if there were more than one sign indicating a good or excellent outcome in the future.
Unbeknownst to him, this blessing and curse would arrive much sooner than expected.
As Lei Jun interpreted the signs, he gained a general idea of what lay ahead.
Tang Xiaotang, when taking action, preferred to strike at the tiger and not bother with swatting flies.
Hence, she had only captured and killed several leading elders of the Huangtiandao, leaving some of the lesser members to escape. She didn't pay much mind to those who got away, figuring that if they ran, then so be it.
In this situation, if Lei Jun wanted to pursue these fleeing disciples of the Huangtiandao, he would undoubtedly have to set off immediately, or they would disappear without a trace.
However, this would undoubtedly conflict with the other sign indicating a good outcome.
The second sign clearly mentioned returning to Longhushan as soon as possible.
Based on past experience, whenever there were time elements or sequential orders indicated in the divination signs, strict adherence to the timing was necessary to fulfill the expected outcome.
In other words, whether he chose to pursue the Huangtiandao disciples first or make a trip to Chiyuandongtian before returning to Longhushan, he might miss the six-grade opportunity mentioned in the second sign indicating a good outcome.
It seemed that Chiyuandongtian could be ruled out for now, leaving only the two signs indicating good outcomes to choose from.
He couldn't have both...
Or so one would think.
Lei Jun turned to Tang Xiaotang and said seriously, "Senior Sister, I think Chiyuandongtian will be fine. There shouldn't be any major issues there."
If he had been alone or with another companion, Lei Jun might have deliberated more carefully between the two good signs.
But since Tang Xiaotang was with him, they could each take responsibility for one option.
After all, why let benefits slip away to outsiders?
"Chiyuandongtian will be fine?" Tang Xiaotang turned to look at the captive, her eyes narrowing dangerously. "Is this scoundrel lying to me?"
Lei Jun shook his head. "Not necessarily. He might not know the truth either.
However, based on my analysis, even if the Huangtiandao makes another big move, they will likely still target the main headquarters of Longhushan."
The Huangtiandao's offensive this time had been quite formidable, simultaneously affecting the Celestial Master's Mansion in Longhushan, as well as the Tianxu Sect, the Zixiao Sect, and other affiliated sects.
However, the main focus was still on the Celestial Master's Mansion itself.
It was just that the battlefield there was dominated by the higher-level powerhouses.
With the lower and middle-level disciples unable to get involved, they couldn't just stand by and cheer their seniors on.
Thus, the outer areas, where the lower and middle-level disciples resided, became inevitable battlegrounds.
The attacks on the Tianxu Sect, Zixiao Sect, and other locations served a dual purpose: to strike at the hidden influences of the Celestial Master's Mansion and to plunder resources to strengthen themselves.
The same had been true during the previous battle between the Celestial Master's Mansion and the Lin Clan.
However, in this world of cultivators, at least for the time being, it was still the top-level powerhouses who determined the outcome of the final battle.
If the Huangtiandao didn't want their efforts to amount to a mere show of force, they would ultimately have to concentrate their power and focus on the Celestial Master's Mansion in Longhushan.
The sign indicating a moderate outcome regarding the safety of Chiyuandongtian corroborated Lei Jun's judgment in this regard.
On the other hand, the sign indicating a good outcome mentioned that returning to the Celestial Master's Mansion promptly would be free of danger, which piqued Lei Jun's curiosity.
Tang Xiaotang looked down at the captive. "So, he doesn't actually know the real intelligence either? I don't feel like he's deliberately digging a pit for me to jump into."
Lei Jun had no intention of digging a pit for her either. On the contrary, he was offering her an opportunity.
And so, what Tang Xiaotang sensed from Lei Jun was goodwill rather than ill will.
"Those Huangtiandao disciples who escaped," Lei Jun said, "I think we should make sure they don't live to cause more trouble."
Having to choose between the two signs indicating good outcomes, Lei Jun finally decided on the second option—returning to Longhushan.
While the six-grade opportunity mentioned in the second sign was lower than the five-grade opportunity in the first, it was free of risks or hidden dangers.
Moreover, by returning to the Celestial Master's Mansion in Longhushan early, he could continue researching clues and whereabouts related to the Celestial Master's Seal.
He also had no intention of setting a trap for Tang Xiaotang. The risks mentioned in the first sign indicating a good outcome weren't significant for him, and for Tang Xiaotang, with her higher cultivation, they should be even less of a concern, perhaps even non-existent.
Lei Jun was unsure if Tang Xiaotang would be able to seize the five-grade opportunity for herself.
On the other hand, the challenge lay in how to convince Tang Xiaotang to pursue these insignificant targets, in her eyes.
As expected, Tang Xiaotang nonchalantly remarked, "They're just small fries. Let them run; they can't turn the tides."
But Lei Jun wore an extremely serious expression as he said, "Senior Sister, you're being foolish!"
"What?" Tang Xiaotang asked, taken aback.
"You often say that you don't want to be the villain in a story," Lei Jun reminded her.
"Yes..." Tang Xiaotang acknowledged.
"Then why is it that many protagonists in stories are able to repeatedly escape danger and grow stronger, only to return and take revenge on the villain when they are powerful enough?" Lei Jun queried.
"Well..." Tang Xiaotang faltered.
"It's because the villain doesn't take them seriously when they are weak. They think these protagonists are insignificant and let them go easily, giving them a chance to survive," Lei Jun explained. "From a storytelling perspective, this creates thrilling and exciting narratives where the protagonist escapes unscathed. But for the villain who lets them go, it's an entirely different matter."
"Are you saying that among those small fries who just ran away, there could be someone who becomes a protagonist in a story?" Tang Xiaotang asked skeptically.
Lei Jun's expression turned solemn. "Everyone is the protagonist of their own story. While their role may seem small, it's more likely that they lack an opportunity. Often, what makes a story's villain so despicable is that they squander numerous opportunities."
Tang Xiaotang sighed in frustration. "Then this time, I'll be merciless and wipe out the evil, as you suggested!"
She furrowed her brows slightly and looked up into the distance for a while. "They've scattered in different directions, although none have gotten far. It will still take some time to capture them all."
"If you're worried about Chi Yuandongtian, Senior Sister, you can go take a look there later to be safe," Lei Jun suggested.
Lei Jun nodded with relief. "I'll take this captive back to Longhushan first. Our interrogation was hasty, and we're not skilled at questioning people. Let's bring him back and have the interrogation experts from the Discipline Hall question him thoroughly. We can then extract all the information he has and easily discern the truth from the lies."
Tang Xiaotang turned to look at him. "The area within a thousand miles around Longhushan is in chaos. Are you sure it's safe for you to travel alone?"
"Don't worry, I won't be reckless," Lei Jun assured her.
Like Zhong Yunfei had done to Xia Qing, Tang Xiaotang casually pasted a few talismans on the Huangtiandao elder's forehead.
After bidding farewell to Tang Xiaotang, Lei Jun set off for Longhushan with the unconscious Huangtiandao elder.
Along the way, he hurried as fast as he could.
However, he took care to conceal his presence and avoided contact with anyone.
The Life-Bound Wind-Riding Talisman, empowered by Night Wind Stone Spirit Power, kept Lei Jun's movements hidden.
When conditions were favorable, he took to the waterways with the help of his Avoidance Gold Eyes, making it even easier to evade detection.
On several occasions when he encountered cultivators with higher cultivation levels, Lei Jun simply crouched down and used the Soil-Hiding Banner to bury himself in the yellow soil, escaping unscathed each time.
Indeed, he had been quite lucky on this journey, not encountering any big shots with even higher cultivation levels.
Thus, the divination signs proved true, and he returned to the vicinity of Longhushan without encountering any dangers.
What brought even more joy was that the Celestial Master's Mansion had successfully defended the Longhushan mountain gate and pushed the battle lines to the outskirts.
The Immortal Mountain itself and its surrounding areas had temporarily regained their former peace.
Although it was no longer as serene as before, the flames of war had been isolated once more.
Unfortunately, aside from Tang Xiaotang, Yuan Mobai and Xu Yuanzhen were also not on the mountain at the moment.
While the mountain had temporarily escaped the ravages of war, the alert level was noticeably higher than usual.
Lei Jun brought the captive back to the mountain and calmly faced the patrolling disciples who inspected him. After being allowed to pass, he proceeded to meet with his senior martial uncles.
"Lei Jun, you've worked hard. You can hand this Huangtiandao demon over to me," said the Tianshimufu elder on duty with a smile.
Lei Jun was somewhat acquainted with this elder, who was also his second master uncle Hongyu's husband.
Elder Xia Bo Xia.
Xia Qing's beloved master and paternal uncle.
(End of Chapter)
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