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Chapter 8: 8. The Best Fortune
Chapter 8: 8. The Best Fortune
Hearing Lei Jun's words, Wang Guiyuan sighed:
"Indeed, when the future is uncertain, one must be cautious at all times. Doing less means making fewer mistakes. If Senior Brother Gao and the others had been more prudent, they wouldn't have brought this calamity upon themselves."
As he spoke, he glanced at Lei Jun, "But you few are quite lucky to have avoided this disaster."
Lei Jun nodded, "It was indeed luck."
Wang Guiyuan strolled leisurely as he recounted the events of the previous night to Lei Jun, "It wasn't two inside traitors, but three..."
Upon hearing this, Lei Jun immediately understood.
The first was the little Daoist boy who had stolen the pill furnace.
The second had set the fire in the Daoist Court's First Branch.
However, these first two were likely just cannon fodder, meant to create chaos and draw attention.
After the young Daoist priest with the surname Gao had led people back down the mountain to the Daoist Court, an even greater commotion had erupted from the mountain—this was the doing of the third person.
"A master uncle of our sect tried to steal a treasure from the mountain. As he fled, he happened to run into Senior Brother Gao and several others."
Wang Guiyuan continued, "Although we eventually captured that elder, Senior Brother Gao and the others were killed. The two incidents in the Daoist Court were also instigated by that elder behind the scenes."
Lei Jun was shocked, "I never expected such a thing to happen right here on Longhu Mountain."
Wang Guiyuan seemed to change the subject, "Some time ago, Master Du brought back a magical artifact from outside, which eventually caused the altar to explode, injuring and killing many Daoist apprentices.
This incident was indeed an accident, but it wasn't some evil or demonic object. It was actually a magical artifact that originally belonged to our sect."
He paused and turned to look at Lei Jun, "The Lingzhi Platform, you still remember it, don't you?"
Lei Jun nodded.
Wang Guiyuan continued, "During an internal strife in our Celestial Masters' Mansion many years ago, the person who damaged the Lingzhi Platform fled and took the magical artifacts with him. Master Du only recently retrieved the artifact.
So, when Master Du's altar exploded earlier, the spiritual energy of the Lingzhi Platform revived. It seems that it had something to do with this artifact. After all, only the person who rang the bell can untie the bell."
Lei Jun asked, "Was the magical artifact that the elder stole from the mountain this time the same one?"
"Yes," replied Wang Guiyuan.
Lei Jun now understood.
After the internal strife in the Celestial Masters' Mansion all those years ago, the losers were driven down the mountain, or perhaps they fled.
However, they had left behind insiders on the mountain or developed new supporters.
And so, this theft and murder had occurred.
Compared to the earth-shattering internal strife of those years, this was merely a minor disturbance.
But for Gao and the others, it was a deadly encounter that they could not avoid.
As for the reason for the internal strife back then, although Wang Guiyuan did not explicitly say it, it wasn't difficult to guess that it was related to the Li family's control over the position of Celestial Master.
One could imagine that the conflict between the Li family and the outsiders would only intensify from here on out.
Mutual suspicion and hostility would only grow.
I'm an outsider too... Lei Jun shook his head.
However, just as he had said to the thief, a little Daoist apprentice at the First Heaven of Refining Qi realm could only serve as cannon fodder in such matters.
Whether he chose to get involved or not, the first priority was to improve his own cultivation.
Sure enough, as Lei Jun had expected, the official statement from the sect was rather vague.
However, the news of the young Daoist priest's death still caused a stir within the Celestial Masters' Mansion.
After all, this was no accident like the explosion in Elder Du's altar.
This time, a formally initiated disciple of the Daoist School of Talisman and Registers had been killed right on Longhu Mountain, the sacred ground of their sect.
It would take a much longer time for the storm to settle.
Lei Jun calmed down faster than the other little Daoist apprentices.
He continued his classes during the day and focused on his cultivation at night.
This year seemed to be an eventful one for the Daoist Court.
The impact of the inside traitor incident had finally started to settle.
At least, it seemed to be settling on the surface.
But just as one wave subsided, another one arose.
One day, after Lei Jun had just finished the morning class at the Sixth Branch's hall, he heard the other little Daoist apprentices gathering and whispering excitedly:
"Brother Lei, have you heard? Something happened in the neighboring Eighth Branch this time!"
"What happened?" asked Lei Jun.
The skinny Daoist apprentice named Zhang Yuan said mysteriously, "Chen Yi from the Eighth Branch, the one who obtained the pure gold lingzhi from the Lingzhi Platform, was assigned a task to go down the mountain for training. But outside the mountain, he injured three brothers from the Third Branch, killing one and injuring two!"
The other little Daoist apprentices discussed animatedly, "One against three? How formidable!"
"He had the pure gold lingzhi, after all!"
"But I heard that Brother Chen's cultivation has progressed rapidly this year. It looks like he'll definitely be participating in the Transmission Ceremony next year."
"First, he has to get through today's hurdle since he injured his fellow disciples..."
Zhang Yuan nodded, "I heard that he was confined to the Disciplinary Hall of the Eighth Branch as soon as he returned to the mountain last night. The Third Branch and the Eighth Branch have both arranged people to guard him."
Regarding Chen Yi's predicament, some of the young apprentices took pleasure in his misfortune, feeling that karma had come around as his previous luck had now turned into misery.
Others admired Chen Yi's strength and envied his rapid rise to prominence within the Daoist Academy at the foot of the Heavenly Masters Mansion. In the past year, he had become a force to be reckoned with.
After a few days, accurate news finally arrived:
Chen Yi was not severely punished.
The two apprentices injured by Chen Yi received stricter punishment from the sect for violating the rules, compared to Chen Yi's punishment.
In the Sixth Branch, Zhang Yuan and the others were astonished. "Did they make the first move? Was it an ambush?"
The young apprentice who had gone to gather information nodded repeatedly. "Chen Yi had solid evidence. It was clear and undeniable, leaving no room for those three to refute."
Lei Jun asked, "Were they trying to curry favor with the Daoists from the mansion by ganging up on Chen Yi?"
The apprentice replied, "That's what I heard. Fortunately, Brother Chen's cultivation has been progressing rapidly lately, surpassing their expectations. Even with their combined efforts, they still failed."
Everyone present sighed, each with their own thoughts.
Lei Jun continued his daily routine of living and cultivating, maintaining his own pace.
Summer faded into autumn.
As time passed, Lei Jun's cultivation deepened.
He successfully opened his ninth Qi sea, marking his attainment of the ninth layer of Qi Refining.
One noon in September, Lei Jun had some questions about his cultivation after lunch. He first sought guidance from Wang Guiyuan before heading to the Hall of Affairs to receive his assignment for experiential training.
As he arrived late, most of the desirable assignments had already been taken.
Only two options remained.
The first was ink making at the Talisman Ink House.
The Daoists of the Heavenly Masters Mansion required ink for their talismans, in addition to talisman pens and paper.
Apart from cinnabar, there were also inks made from various other materials of higher quality.
However, some inks had peculiar auras, so this task was rarely chosen by the young apprentices. Often, the instructors had to assign it to someone.
As ink was frequently needed, this task was usually available.
The other available assignment was a recent addition.
The area around Longhu Mountain, within the borders of Xinzhou, was filled with rivers and lakes. Every summer, heavy rains would bring floods.
Fortunately, high-level cultivators from the Heavenly Masters Mansion would descend the mountain to help with flood control, minimizing the damage.
However, some of the common folk still lost their homes. As autumn arrived, an epidemic broke out among the displaced people. Thus, upon receiving the news, the Heavenly Masters Mansion organized disaster relief and epidemic prevention efforts.
The Daoists from the mountain took the lead in these efforts, while the managers or shopkeepers in charge of the various industries under the Mansion organized the specifics with help from the Daoist Academy.
The Daoist Academy often sent apprentices to participate as part of their experiential training.
This assignment differed slightly from the others in that it required the apprentices to stay outside the mountain for a period of time, ranging from three to five days to even half a month or a full month.
Some were enthusiastic about it and volunteered, while others considered it a chore and avoided it if they could.
If the duration was short, it was manageable.
However, longer periods would undoubtedly affect their cultivation. How could the environment outside compare to the spiritual energy of Longhu Mountain?
Since Lei Jun had arrived late, only the ink making and disaster relief assignments were left at the Hall of Affairs.
Of course, he also had the option to not take any assignment for the day and return to his courtyard to cultivate on his own.
He already had plenty of assignments on his plate, and his previous contribution to capturing the pill furnace thief had earned him ample merit. Missing a day or two wouldn't make much difference.
Unexpectedly, at that moment, the glowing ball in Lei Jun's mind shone once more, and words appeared:
"The city gate is on fire, but there is a chance for a turn of events, either soaring like an eagle or hiding in the depths like a fish to avoid danger."
Lei Jun had grown accustomed to the ball suddenly appearing with its predictions.
He immediately focused his attention on the three new fortunes that emerged from the glowing ball:
"The best fortune: Go to Qingyun Swamp's river beach to provide disaster relief. Obtain a third-rate opportunity. A dragon lurks in the abyss, ready to soar into the sky. Great fortune!"
"Medium fortune: Do not take on any assignments. Return to your residence for solitary cultivation. It is neither a gain nor a loss to do nothing. Neutral."
"Slightly bad fortune: Go to the Talisman Ink House to make ink. The fire at the city gate will affect the innocent. Temporary loss of freedom. Hidden dangers lurk. Bad fortune."
Lei Jun exhaled slowly. It was the first time he had drawn the best fortune after so many draws.
A third-rate opportunity... Would it help him make up for his late start and catch up to the others?
However, the fortune indicated that he should go outside the mountain to participate in disaster relief.
(End of Chapter)
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