After hearing Lei Jun's words, Wang Guiyuan sighed,
"Yeah, we can't predict the future, so we should be careful in everything we do and make fewer mistakes. If Junior Brother Gao and the others hadn't acted recklessly, this disaster wouldn't have happened."
He glanced at Lei Jun, "But you and the others had good luck and avoided this catastrophe."
Lei Jun said, "It really was luck."
Wang Guiyuan strolled along, roughly describing to Lei Jun what had happened last night,
"Last night, it wasn't two traitors, but three..."
When Lei Jun heard this, he immediately understood.
The first was the little Tao Boy who stole the Pill Furnace.
The second set a fire at the First Branch of the Tao Boy Court.
*But those first two were probably just sacrificial pawns used to create chaos and draw attention.*
Last night, after the young Taoist surnamed Gao brought people back to the Tao Boy Court at the base of the mountain, even greater commotion came from the mountain itself—the third person struck on the mountain.
"An uncle from Our Sect stole a treasure from the mountain, and when he fled down the mountain, he happened to run into Junior Brother Gao and a few others."
Wang Guiyuan said, "Afterward, although that Elder was captured, Junior Brother Gao and the others were killed. Both cases at the Tao Boy Court were secretly orchestrated by this Elder."
Lei Jun said, "I really wouldn't have expected something like this to happen right on Dragon Tiger Mountain."
Wang Guiyuan suddenly seemed to change the subject, "Some time ago, Elder Du brought back a Magic Artifact from outside. In the end, this caused the Altar to explode, and Tao Boys were killed and injured.
It really was an accident, but it wasn't a demonic object at all—it was actually a Magic Artifact originally belonging to Our Sect."
He stopped and turned to look at Lei Jun, "Do you remember Ganoderma Terrace?"
Lei Jun nodded.
Wang Guiyuan said, "Back then, Our Sect suffered an internal strife, and the one who damaged Ganoderma Terrace escaped, taking the Magic Artifact with him. Elder Du recovered the Artifact only recently.
So back when Elder Du's Altar had that incident, which revived the Spiritual Energy of Ganoderma Terrace, it should have been because of this Magic Artifact. As the saying goes, only the person who tied the bell can untie it."
Lei Jun asked, "This time, was the Artifact that Elder stole from the mountain also this one?"
Wang Guiyuan said, "Yes."
Lei Jun understood instantly.
After the internal strife was quelled in the Celestial Master Mansion back then, the losers were driven—or one might say, fled—down the mountain.
But they still left insiders on the mountain, or recruited new supporters later.
And so, this theft and murder now occurred.
*Compared to that earth-shattering turmoil of back then, this was just a minor commotion.*
*Yet for Taoist Gao and the others, running into this was like drawing a fatal lot.*
*As for the cause of the old internal strife, Wang Guiyuan didn't state it outright, but judging by this commotion last night, it wasn't hard to guess it revolved around the Li Clan Bloodline's control of the Celestial Master seat.*
*It was easy to imagine the conflict between the Li clan and outsiders would get even fiercer from here.*
*Mutual vigilance and hostility would only deepen.*
*I'm an outsider too...* Lei Jun shook his head.
*But, just as he said to that thief, a Tao Boy in the First Heaven Layer of Qi Refinement could only serve as cannon fodder in such matters.*
*Whether he wanted to get involved or not, he'd have to improve his own cultivation first.*
As Lei Jun expected, the official announcement from the Sect was rather vague in the end.
But news of that young Taoist and the others' deaths still set off a wave throughout the Celestial Master Mansion, top to bottom.
*After all, it was different from Elder Du's previous Altar explosion, which had been an accident.*
This time, right here at the Sacred Land—Ancestral Court—of the Taoist Talisman Sect, true-inheritance disciples had been killed by their own people.
*It would take much longer for the turmoil to fully die down.*
Lei Jun calmed himself more quickly than the other Tao Boys.
He attended class as usual by day, and focused on his own cultivation at night.
But since the start of this year, the Tao Boy Court had truly felt like a season of troubles.
The influence of the earlier traitor incident had only just begun to subside.
At least, on the surface, it seemed to be gradually subsiding.
But as soon as one wave settled, another surged up.
One day, right after finishing morning class in the Sixth Division's hall, Lei Jun heard other Tao Boys gathering and gossiping excitedly,
"Senior Brother Lei, did you hear? Now it's the Eighth Division's turn to have trouble!"
Lei Jun asked, "What happened?"
That Senior Brother Zhang—real name Zhang Yuan, a skinny Tao Boy—spoke mysteriously,
"That Chen Yi from the Eighth Division, that's the same Chen Yi who won the Pure Gold Ganoderma from Ganoderma Terrace, took a mission to go down the mountain for some training. But out there, he injured three Senior Brothers from the Third Branch—one's dead, two are wounded!"
The Tao Boys erupted in chatter,
"One against three? Impressive!"
"He has the Pure Gold Ganoderma, after all!"
"But I heard Senior Brother Chen has improved a lot in cultivation this year. Looks like he's a lock for the Transmission Ceremony next year."
"He just better get through today first, after killing a fellow disciple..."
Zhang Yuan nodded, "I heard he was put straight into the Penal Institution at the Eighth Division when he got back last night. Both the Third and Eighth Divisions have people watching him."
Some Tao Boys were gloating over Chen Yi's predicament, thinking fate had turned and the lucky were now down on their luck.
Others admired Chen Yi's strength and envied his rapid rise—over the last year at the Tao Boy Court at the foot of the Celestial Master Mansion, he'd stood out like no other.
After a few days, accurate news finally came back,
Chen Yi was not heavily punished.
The two Tao Boys he injured were punished even more harshly by the Sect's Penal Institution.
In the Sixth Division, Zhang Yuan and the others were surprised, "They struck first? And even set an ambush?"
The Tao Boy who'd been gathering news nodded again and again, "The proof in Chen Yi's hands was ironclad—clear as day, no way those three could deny it."
Lei Jun asked, "They attacked Chen Yi to curry favor with the Taoists up at the main mansion?"
The Tao Boy answered, "That's what I heard too. Fortunately, Senior Brother Chen's cultivation improved much faster than they thought lately. Their three-man team kicked a steel wall."
Everyone sighed emotionally, their own thoughts spinning.
Lei Jun continued to live and cultivate at his own steady pace.
Summer passed into fall.
As time went on, Lei Jun's cultivation deepened further.
He successfully opened a ninth qi sea within himself, marking his achievement of Qi Refinement, Ninth Layer.
One day at noon in September, after finishing lunch, Lei Jun had some cultivation questions. He first went to consult Wang Guiyuan, then headed for the Hall of Steward to receive an assignment for training.
Because he was late, nearly all the good assignments were already taken.
Only two options remained.
The first, making ink at the Talisman Ink Workshop.
Taoists of the Celestial Master Mansion, when making talismans, used not just the Talisman Brush and Talisman Paper, but also Talisman Ink.
Besides cinnabar, there were many different materials for making higher-grade talisman ink.
But some talisman inks had very peculiar auras, so it was a job few Tao Boys actively chose—most of the time, instructors directly assigned it by force.
Talisman ink was always needed, so this job was always available.
The other task was a recent, special case.
The Dragon Tiger Mountain region of Xinzhou was covered in rivers and lakes. Each rainy summer, there were frequent floods.
Fortunately, Celestial Master Mansion sent masters down the mountain to handle flood control, so disasters weren't so severe.
But some commoners still lost their homes, and by autumn, epidemics bred among the refugees. When Celestial Master Mansion learned of this, they organized disaster relief and epidemic control.
Usually, the leading Taoist from the mountain would coordinate; stewards or managers of Celestial Master Mansion's industries below the mountain would organize the details.
The Tao Boy Court often sent Tao Boys to take part—a typical assignment for training.
Unlike some other jobs, going out for disaster relief didn't mean coming back the same day. The quickest trip was three or five days; the longest, half a month or even a month.
Some people were enthusiastic and volunteered for this.
Others saw it as bitter work and shunned it desperately.
If the trip was short, it wasn't too bad.
*Staying away too long definitely hurt one's cultivation. How could the world outside compare to the spiritually blessed land of Dragon Tiger Mountain?*
Since Lei Jun came late today, the Hall of Steward only had ink making and disaster relief left as training assignments.
Of course, he could also just skip picking one today and return to his own room to cultivate alone.
He had already done a lot of tasks in the past; earlier, he'd joined the effort to capture the pill furnace thief, earning merit and virtue. Missing a day or two was no big deal.
Unexpectedly, just then, the orb of light in Lei Jun's mind flashed once more, revealing words,
[A fire breaks out at the city gate, but an eagle may soar to the skies and a fish hide in the depths, turning danger to safety]
Lei Jun had gotten used to the orb popping out at unexpected moments.
He immediately focused his mind and read the three new lots flying out of the orb,
[The Best Lot: Go to Qingyun Shoal Riverside for disaster relief. You will obtain a Third-Rank Opportunity. The hidden dragon is in the abyss, ready to soar to the heavens. Great fortune!]
[Perfectly Neutral Lot: Refuse outside training, return to your quarters and cultivate quietly alone. No harm, no gain. A balanced outcome.]
[Moderately Unlucky Lot: Go to Talisman Ink Workshop to make ink. The city gate catches fire, endangering the fish in the pond. You will temporarily lose your freedom, with hidden dangers lurking. Ominous.]
*The Best Lot...* Lei Jun let out a long breath.
*After drawing so many times, this was his first time seeing the best lot.*
*A Third-Rank Opportunity—beyond the Fifth Grade Purple-Gold Ganoderma Essence and the Sixth-Rank Dragon Horse Scales. Could it help him make up for his late start on the path?*
*But the fate revealed by the lots pointed him to joining the disaster relief effort outside the mountain.*