Seeking Fortune and Avoiding Misfortune: Starting from the Celestial Master’s Mansion
Chapter 43: Little Aunt

Lei Jun’s instincts were spot on.

From the guest observation platform, someone was indeed scrutinizing him.

This guest represented the Suzhou Chu Clan, also known as the Chu Family, one of the "Five Great Surnames and Seven Prominent Clans" of the Tang Empire. Among their representatives was a woman who seemed particularly interested in observing the Tianshi Mansion disciples at the Daoist altar below.

She appeared to be in her twenties or early thirties, with striking beauty that was bold and captivating. Yet, her makeup and attire exuded a dignified elegance, reminiscent of a refined lady stepping out of a classical painting.

As she surveyed the new Daoist apprentices participating in this year’s Initiation Ceremony, her gaze lingered briefly on a boy of eleven or twelve years before moving on to study other Tianshi Mansion disciples.

Her scrutiny was unreserved, and Lei Jun noticed it. So did the Chu family members beside her.

“Aunt, is there something special about that young Daoist?” a Chu family youth asked softly.

The woman replied casually, “Yuan Mobai only accepted two disciples. He is one of them. Xu Yuanzhen has also only guided two people into the Dao at Mount Longhu, and he is among them.”

The young man turned to look at Lei Jun. “The one named Lei Jun? He’s noteworthy, but I don’t see anything exceptional about him—just that he has a Spirit Physique and good bone structure.”

The woman smiled faintly. “When it comes to discerning talent, do you think I should trust Xu Yuanzhen and Yuan Mobai, or you?”

The youth chuckled wryly.

Despite her comment, the woman shifted her gaze from Lei Jun to other Tianshi Mansion disciples.

The Chu family youth then remarked, “I still think the most promising one among this batch is that boy named Chen Yi.”

He gestured toward another youth. “Aunt, over there.”

The woman glanced at him. “Hmm, Elder Yao’s disciple.”

---

Although the Tianshi had left everyone hanging initially, the Initiation Ceremony eventually concluded successfully after attendees adjusted their expectations.

After all, this was how the last four ceremonies had gone.

For most, the highlight of this year’s ceremony was that the Young Tianshi, Li Zhengxuan, finally accepted disciples.

While many of his contemporaries had already taken disciples, including Lei Jun’s peers and the sect’s collateral juniors, the Young Tianshi’s first disciple drew considerable attention from both within and outside the Mansion.

This, however, had little to do with Lei Jun, who quietly followed his master, Yuan Mobai, through the usual proceedings.

Compared to his peers, Lei Jun was more interested in the guest dignitaries who attended the event.

After the ceremony, Senior Brother Luo Haoran remarked, “Even Pure Yang Palace sent people.”

Lei Jun turned to look at him, noticing a hint of nostalgia in his expression.

Luo Haoran chuckled. “I’m from Jiangnan, but as a child, I almost moved to Guanzhong to live with distant relatives. Children in Guanzhong often dream of the Pure Yang Immortal Palace atop Zhongnan Mountain. I’ve even heard distant cousins speak of it.”

Lei Jun nodded slightly.

Tianshi Mansion.

Pure Yang Palace.

Shu Mountain.

These were the three major Daoist Holy Lands of this world.

Pure Yang Palace had always been the ancestral home of the Daoist Alchemical Sect. Alongside Mount Longhu's Tianshi Mansion, it held a legendary status.

Though named the Alchemical Sect, Pure Yang disciples rarely refined external elixirs. Instead, they used their own bodies as alchemical furnaces, practicing dual cultivation of life and spirit to refine their essence, qi, and spirit into elixirs. As a result, they were also known as the Internal Alchemy Sect or Golden Core Sect.

In contrast, the Talismanic Sect, centered at Tianshi Mansion, specialized more in external alchemy.

While both sects were part of the Daoist tradition, their cultivation paths diverged significantly.

During the First Realm of Qi Refining, their practices were similar. However, from the Second Realm of Foundation Establishment onward, distinctions became clear.

For Tianshi Mansion disciples, Foundation Establishment involved constructing an illusory Dao Foundation Altar in preparation for the Altar Stage.

In contrast, Pure Yang Palace disciples condensed a virtual alchemical furnace.

At the Third Realm, Tianshi Mansion disciples built a three-tiered altar on their Dao Foundation Altar as groundwork for inscribing their Primal Talismans in the Fourth Realm.

Meanwhile, Pure Yang disciples progressed to the Furnace Stage in the Third Realm, merging their alchemical furnaces with virtual cauldrons to prepare for Golden Core formation in the Fourth Realm.

The relationship between these two Daoist Holy Lands was complex.

On one hand, they shared a common Daoist heritage, standing against Confucianism and Buddhism. On the other hand, as Holy Lands of the same tradition, they inevitably competed with each other.

This was particularly evident after the Li family began successively inheriting the Tianshi title.

Though it wouldn’t be accurate to say they were bitter rivals, they certainly weren’t kindred spirits.

Typically, Pure Yang Palace only sent guests to observe the Tianshi-led Talismanic Initiation Ceremony. That they sent representatives this year was unusual, likely due to the Young Tianshi accepting his first disciple.

Privately, however, the consensus was that it had more to do with the current Tianshi’s prolonged seclusion.

In addition to Pure Yang Palace, this year’s distinguished guests included representatives of the Tang Empire and two prominent families allied with Tianshi Mansion: the Fang family of Jingxiang and the Chu family of Suzhou, both among the Five Great Surnames and Seven Prominent Clans.

The Chu family’s representative was the young woman Lei Jun had noticed earlier.

After the ceremony, she greeted the Tianshi Mansion’s Elder Li Song with a smile. “My father asked me to convey his regards before I left.”

Li Song smiled in return. “The Chu Patriarch is too kind.”

Standing behind Yuan Mobai, Lei Jun couldn’t help but look at the graceful woman, now certain that she had been watching him earlier.

“Chu Yu,” Yuan Mobai said, introducing her. “The youngest daughter of the Chu Patriarch, a beloved late-born child. She’s known as the Mistress of Moon Pavilion.”

Before reaching adulthood, she had already been celebrated as the "First Talented Woman of Jiangnan," a reputation that spread throughout the Tang Empire after her travels to the capital.

Lei Jun nodded slightly.

The Suzhou Chu family, a renowned Confucian household, had a different connotation for “First Talented Woman” in the cultivation world. It meant exceptional talent in Confucian cultivation, enough to astound the Chu family and even the entire Tang Empire.

Tianshi Mansion’s Fourth True Disciple, Fang Jian, approached the woman respectfully. “Aunt.”

Among the top families of the Tang Empire, intermarriage was common.

Fang Jian’s mother hailed from the Chu family.

With so many prominent guests this year, Yuan Mobai, Li Song, and Li Zhengxuan remained occupied, hosting distinguished visitors after the ceremony.

Having read many novels on Blue Star before his transmigration, Lei Jun had a hunch about what was coming when he saw Pure Yang Palace elders and disciples arriving.

Sure enough, after some mutual flattery between Pure Yang Palace and Tianshi Mansion, the Fang and Chu families eagerly chimed in.

As expected, the main event came at last: discussions of an exchange between young disciples.

To cap it off, Yuan Mobai demonstrated his skills by refining Spirit Pills on the spot to reward outstanding disciples from both factions.

“It’s been a while since I’ve used my furnace,” he remarked. “Fetch the Jiji Furnace and some Spirit Herbs from the Grand Alchemy Hall.”

He smiled at Lei Jun. “Chongyun, this is a rare chance to exchange techniques with Pure Yang disciples. Would you like to try?”

Before Lei Jun could reply, a glowing orb in his mind lit up again, displaying a message:

[Exchange techniques, with alchemy as the stakes. The order of actions may affect fortune or misfortune.]

Three divination sticks emerged:

[Upper-Moderate Omen: Decline the exchange, fetch alchemy tools from the Grand Alchemy Hall first, gain a Sixth-Grade Opportunity, no lingering concerns—Good.]

[Moderate Omen: Participate in the exchange, win a Seventh-Grade Opportunity, but risk attracting undue attention—Neutral.]

[Lower-Moderate Omen: Decline the exchange, go to the Medicine Garden first, uncover a secret that provokes suspicion, leading to hidden troubles—Bad.]

Lei Jun silently read the fortunes, intrigued by the emphasis on “order.”

Could timing really be the key?