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Chapter 9: The Ninth Senior Sister and the Second Celestial Master
Chapter 9: The Ninth Senior Sister and the Second Celestial Master
Lei Jun curiously read the fortune sticks, which foretold his future choices.
Traveling beyond the mountains to aid in disaster relief and epidemic control was an auspicious sign, promising great fortune.
On the contrary, choosing to make ink at Fumo Studio would lead to a path of mediocre luck, with potential entanglement in the aftermath of a city gate fire.
To avoid this calamity, he had two options: take the day off, return to his courtyard, and abstain from any assigned tasks and training, or join the disaster relief efforts outside the mountain.
"Lei, have you not picked your task yet?" Zhang Yuan asked as he entered the Hall of Ministers.
He had actually arrived earlier but had been waiting for Lei Jun, unsure of which task to choose.
As he hesitated, he watched others claim the more desirable assignments, leaving only two arduous tasks unclaimed.
However, upon seeing Lei Jun, Zhang Yuan immediately straightened up, eager to partner with him.
During Elder Du's ceremony, he had been the most enthusiastic but ended up injured the most severely among the disciples from the six divisions. Later, he had to rely on Lei Jun for treatment.
During the bandit hunt, he had learned from his previous mistake and refrained from acting rashly, whereas Lei Jun had taken the lead valiantly, earning recognition and praise.
Recalling these events, Zhang Yuan felt a mix of regret and admiration.
Although they usually got along well, and Lei Jun had helped him, he didn't harbor the same intense jealousy as Chen Yi toward Lei Jun. He merely thought that Lei Jun was incredibly lucky.
"Lei, which task are you choosing? Let's stick together," Zhang Yuan decided, determined to follow Lei Jun's lead from now on.
"Since coming to the mountain, I haven't ventured beyond it yet, so I'll choose this one," Lei Jun said, opting for the disaster relief effort in Qingyun Beach outside the mountain.
Zhang Yuan paused for a moment before taking a deep breath and saying, "Then I'll choose the same!"
After receiving their assignments at the Hall of Ministers, the two prepared themselves and headed for the mountain gate, where they would join other disciples on their way to Qingyun Beach. There weren't many, perhaps a dozen or so.
A true disciple of the Celestial Masters' Mansion, dressed in yellow, gave a lecture to the group of disciples before setting off.
Upon arriving at Qingyun Beach, they realized that their physical labor wasn't necessary. Local executives and managers were already organizing disaster relief efforts, distributing porridge and medicine, and setting up quarantine and epidemic control measures.
The Celestial Masters, including Lei Jun and the other disciples, served more as mascots, commanders, and supervisors, bringing comfort and hope to the people with their ethereal presence.
For Lei Jun and his companions, although the physical demands were minimal, they were exposed to the raw realities of human suffering, making this journey a unique trial of the heart amidst the mundane world.
Here, they witnessed both the brilliance and the ugliness of human nature.
Many disciples were reluctant to come to this place due to the harsh and chaotic environment.
With the prolonged stay, they not only missed the morning and evening classes at the disciples' court but also had little time and space for personal cultivation.
Lei Jun, however, was unaffected by the surroundings. With a calm mindset, he focused on the assigned tasks while observing his surroundings intently.
He noticed that the porters, laborers, and physicians recruited for the disaster relief efforts were ordinary mortals.
In contrast, the executives and managers seemed to possess some degree of cultivation.
"They, too, once listened to lectures at the disciples' court," a young Taoist priest standing next to Lei Jun whispered, "Only those with potential are invited to Longhu Mountain. Those who find their way here often have something special about them.
But the world is full of distractions, and hearts are fickle. As time passes, unexpected events may occur.
Some, as they grow older, realize their path to immortality is hopeless, so they leave the mountain. The sect takes care of them by assigning them to manage our external affairs."
The yellow-robed Taoist was a true disciple of the Celestial Masters' Mansion and their leader for this mission.
Lei Jun recognized him; he was part of the search party during the previous mountain hunt, led by the now-deceased young Taoist and this current leader, Daoist Luo.
Daoist Luo had advocated for adhering to their original duties, while the late young Taoist with the surname Gao had taken the initiative to hunt down the bandits.
Although Lei Jun had chosen to join Gao then, Daoist Luo didn't hold it against him.
On the contrary, he admired Lei Jun for his courage and sense of justice. In his eyes, Lei Jun was a young man with a strong sense of responsibility.
Therefore, seeing Lei Jun's tall and robust stature, clearly standing out among the other disciples, Daoist Luo offered words of encouragement:
"Although you started your cultivation journey a bit late, your progress has been swift. There's no need to worry. The Transmission Ceremony is held every three years, and if you can't make it next year, there will be other opportunities. Just focus on your cultivation."
"Thank you, Daoist, for your guidance," Lei Jun replied.
Two days later, another true disciple of the Heavenly Masters' Mansion arrived with several Taoist apprentices to carry out their assigned tasks at Qingyun Beach.
They brought news that took everyone by surprise:
"An incident occurred yesterday afternoon at the Taoist Academy."
Zhang Yuan frowned, "It seems like this year is full of troubles."
Lei Jun asked, "What exactly happened?"
The new apprentice replied, "It started with a fight between the First Division and the Eighth Division. More and more people got involved, including apprentices from other divisions who were at the Ink and Talisman Forge. Even our Sixth Division had two people dragged into it..."
"The First Division? Apprentices from the First Division never take on tasks at the Ink and Talisman Forge."
Zhang Yuan was puzzled at first, but then his eyes widened as he realized something. "Wait, the Eighth Division... Could it be...?"
Lei Jun remained silent, listening intently to the apprentice dishing out the gossip.
The apprentice nodded vigorously, "Yes, it was an apprentice from the First Division who fought with Chen Yi, the senior brother from the Eighth Division. Then more and more people got dragged into it.
In the end, the incident was so loud that it attracted the attention of the Taoist priest on duty at the Forge, and all those involved in the brawl were sent to the Disciplinary Hall."
"All of them?" Lei Jun asked.
He remembered that a descendant of the Li family was on duty at the Forge during this period.
The apprentice recalled, "It seems that Chen Yi and the others were sent to the Disciplinary Hall to meditate and reflect on their actions first, but the matter didn't end there. It caused quite a stir, and eventually, someone from the Mansion came down from the mountain. The apprentices from the First Division were also punished and put under house arrest."
Lei Jun asked, "Who was the Taoist priest mentioned in the rumors, the one who needed the pure golden lingzhi from Lingzhi Terrace to refine pills?"
Zhang Yuan glanced around and lowered his voice, "Apparently, it was a Taoist Master Li..."
There were quite a few Taoist priests and elders with the surname Li in Longhu Mountain.
Usually, the term "Taoist Master Li" didn't refer to a specific individual but was a general term for those who were already true disciples of the Heavenly Masters' Mansion and were descendants of the Li family.
After hearing Zhang Yuan's words, Lei Jun remained silent, watching as the group of apprentices continued their hushed discussions.
Now, looking back, the paths of their destinies were diverging further and further apart.
Some of Chen Yi's current troubles could be traced back to the pure golden lingzhi that had sprouted on Lingzhi Terrace.
Or, to be more precise, to Lei Jun's fortune stick, which had foretold:
["Avoid crowds and bide your time. After the turmoil, go to Lingzhi Terrace, where you will find a sixth-grade opportunity. However, success will bring jealousy and hidden dangers. Be cautious."](https://www.novelupdates.com/resources/chinese-novel-translations/terms/fortune-stick-draw-lot/)
The so-called "hidden dangers" were still affecting Chen Yi to this day.
Chen Yi had been ambushed and killed during his external training. Now, he was being targeted by apprentices from the First Division, descendants of the Li family, and their conflict was deepening.
However, it wouldn't be entirely accurate to blame Chen Yi alone for this situation.
While it was true that a higher-up, an elder who was an inside traitor, had instigated the theft incident in the First Division, the root cause was the growing tension between the Li family descendants and the outsiders in the Heavenly Masters' Mansion.
And after the theft and arson incidents in the First Division, the conflict had undoubtedly escalated further.
The thief was already dead, but some of the Li family descendants in the First Division were still seething with anger and had nowhere to direct their wrath.
At this time, Chen Yi, an outsider with whom they already had a grudge, provided the perfect target. He had killed and injured apprentices from the Third Division who were affiliated with the Li family, making him the perfect scapegoat for their anger.
No wonder the latest fortune stick had mentioned being caught in the crossfire due to the city gate fire.
Both sides had lost their cool, and any outsiders present at the Ink and Talisman Forge at the time might have been affected as well.
In the end, it escalated into a massive brawl, which was essentially an eruption of the conflict between the Li family descendants and the outsiders in the Taoist Academy.
Just as the fortune stick had foretold:
["Lower-middle sign: Going to the Ink and Talisman Forge to make ink. The city gate fire will affect the innocent. Temporary loss of freedom. Hidden dangers lurk. Inauspicious."](https://www.novelupdates.com/resources/chinese-novel-translations/terms/fortune-stick-draw-lot/)
Even if one didn't want to fight, they would likely still be punished by the Mansion's elders afterward, perhaps spending a few days in house arrest along with the rest.
However, none of this concerned Lei Jun anymore.
He had already chosen a different path, far removed from the chaos on the other side.
The lower-middle sign had come to pass, and now he awaited his upper sign.
Lei Jun stopped listening to the gossip and went to inspect the beach.
"Boom!"
Suddenly, the sky darkened.
Lei Jun looked up and saw a pitch-black thundercloud hovering overhead, blocking out the sky.
This thundercloud looked familiar, and indeed, he had seen it once before, not long after his arrival in this world.
Just like before, the thundercloud came and went in an instant, disappearing without a trace.
But when Lei Jun looked forward again, he found someone standing in front of him.
She was a young woman, dressed in a light purple Taoist robe with a black cloak draped over her shoulders. Her face was pale and bloodless, but it was a beautiful face, with delicately painted eyebrows. However, the first feeling Lei Jun got from her was an overwhelming chill, as if he were standing naked in a snowy night.
Despite this, he felt no discomfort and instead smiled, "Senior Sister."
(End of Chapter)
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