Seeking Fortune and Avoiding Misfortune: Starting from the Celestial Master’s Mansion
Chapter 44: Having an affair

In front of the gathered crowd, Lei Jun didn’t plan to stand idly by, lost in thought, and leave his master hanging.

"Your disciple's skills are still lacking; how dare I embarrass myself?"

Following Yuan Mobai's lead, Lei Jun gracefully stepped back. “This disciple will prepare the necessary tools and herbs for the alchemy.”

With Wang Guiyuan in seclusion, such tasks naturally fell to Lei Jun.

Truthfully, he was quite interested in seeing the legacy and techniques of another Daoist Holy Land. However, this situation—akin to performing for a group of family elders during a festival—was something he preferred to avoid.

What’s more, according to his omen, participating in this exchange could yield a Seventh-Grade Opportunity if he won, but it might also sow hidden troubles. In essence, the path marked by this Moderate Omen offered mixed blessings.

On the other hand, the Upper-Moderate Omen promised a Sixth-Grade Opportunity. While Sixth-Grade wasn’t as prestigious as Fifth or Fourth, it was straightforward and came without strings attached—a pure gain.

“Better to secure the bird in hand,” Lei Jun thought. Observing the Daoist Alchemical Sect’s techniques could wait for another day.

As he left the grand hall, Lei Jun once again felt someone’s gaze trailing after him. He remained nonchalant and continued on his way.

Since joining the sect, Lei Jun had often heard of his master’s prowess in alchemy. Yet, he had never seen Yuan Mobai open a furnace to refine pills. Neither his master’s residence nor his private quarters showed any signs of alchemical tools.

Following orders, Lei Jun headed to the grand alchemy hall. After explaining his purpose to the steward on duty, he stepped inside.

Calling it an "alchemy hall" felt insufficient. It was more like an alchemical palace—an independent structure within the sprawling Tianshi Mansion, covering a vast area.

The Tianshi Mansion's approach to alchemy emphasized harmony between water and fire, the convergence of dragon and tiger energies. In addition to fire furnaces, spiritual springs were essential.

Within the alchemical palace, 64 individual alchemy rooms, arranged according to the Bagua trigrams, encircled eight specialized spiritual wells. The layout resembled a high-end residential district from Blue Star.

Each alchemy room was akin to a private villa, occupying hundreds of square meters with ceilings over five meters high. Inside, the space was divided into four specialized areas: the divine chamber, the herb room, the tools room, and the fire chamber, all centered around a three-story-high alchemy platform.

A Tianshi Mansion member seeking to refine pills or teach disciples alchemy could either use their private residence or select a room here.

Instead of coming here to refine pills, Yuan Mobai had simply asked Lei Jun to fetch some tools and ingredients. This clearly indicated that today’s pill refinement was neither complicated nor of particularly high grade—likely targeting young disciples with modest cultivation levels.

The alchemical furnaces varied in type. Among the 64 rooms, the Jiji Furnace—named after the hexagram "Jiji," representing water below fire—was the one Yuan Mobai required. Its unique double-layered structure featured a fire chamber below and a water chamber above.

The hall housed sixteen Jiji Furnaces, six of which were currently in use. With ten still available, Lei Jun had plenty of options.

But…

If the Upper-Moderate Omen directed him to the alchemy hall first, where was the Sixth-Grade Opportunity it mentioned?

While Yuan Mobai wasn’t pressuring him, the omen had emphasized timing. This wasn’t something he could rush, nor could he casually pick up a furnace and leave.

Lei Jun stilled his mind and observed his surroundings carefully.

...Huh?

He suddenly stopped, noticing something peculiar.

His Dao Foundation Altar’s Refinement Hall, where the Fire Marrow Yangfish resided, had stirred. This movement invigorated his spiritual mind.

“Could it really be this coincidental?” Lei Jun thought. But he quickly dismissed the idea—it didn’t add up. Months ago, he had scoured this very alchemy hall in search of something related to the Fire Marrow Yangfish, with no success.

Could something new have emerged recently?

Suppressing his speculation, Lei Jun began searching again. Ultimately, he pinpointed an unoccupied alchemy room.

Inside, Lei Jun searched with increased urgency, as the Fire Marrow Yangfish’s activity began to wane. This wasn’t due to a wrong direction; it likely aligned with the omen’s emphasis on timing.

Scanning the alchemy room—its platform, furnace, fire kilns, incense burners, ancient mirrors, steel swords, lime pools, weight stones, pestles, and energy conduits—Lei Jun finally fixed his gaze on an inconspicuous mortar.

The Fire Marrow Yangfish’s last stirrings seemed connected to it.

The mortar appeared unused but exuded a subtle spirituality that resonated with the Fire Marrow Yangfish. However, as time passed, this spirituality seemed to retreat inward, becoming harder to detect.

“No wonder the omen said to come here first,” Lei Jun realized. “If I had gone to the herb garden before coming here, I might have missed this entirely.”

Nodding to himself, Lei Jun carefully stored the mortar for later study. He then selected a Jiji Furnace and some auxiliary tools before heading to the herb garden.

Despite the furnace’s considerable weight, Lei Jun carried it effortlessly thanks to his cultivation, moving swiftly.

But just before he reached the herb garden, he was met with commotion.

“What’s going on?” he asked upon seeing several sect members carrying two injured individuals out.

One was a young Daoist who had recently participated in the Initiation Ceremony, transitioning from apprentice robes to the yellow Daoist robe. Lei Jun recognized him as Zhang Yuan.

The other was a Confucian-robed youth who also seemed familiar—a member of the Fang family from Jingxiang, accompanying his elders on this visit.

Standing at the garden entrance was Fang Jian, a direct disciple of the Tianshi and the Fang family’s representative, wearing a stern expression. Beside him were Zhang Jingzhen, the Tianshi’s third disciple, the siblings Li Xuan and Li Ying, and Luo Haoran, a familiar acquaintance of Lei Jun.

“For now, focus on saving and treating the injured,” Zhang Jingzhen said in her usual composed manner. “Fang Junior Brother, you handle Zhang Junior Brother and the young master from the Fang family. Li Junior Brother, Luo Junior Brother, and Li Junior Sister, follow me to report to the elders.”

Fang Jian nodded. “Senior Sister’s arrangements are most appropriate.”

After issuing his instructions, he hurried away.

Zhang Jingzhen turned to Lei Jun, sighing softly. “Junior Brother Lei, are you here to gather herbs for the Junior Uncle? There’s been a small incident, but don’t let it disrupt things on his end.”

She explained that Zhang Yuan had already collected the required herbs before his injury. She directed Lei Jun to take the furnace and herbs back to his master.

“As you command, Senior Sister,” Lei Jun replied, observing the strange expressions on the Li siblings’ faces. Choosing not to press the matter, he departed.

Later, Lei Jun caught wind of the events, leaving him at a loss for words.

“After you went to the alchemy hall, Zhang Yuan wanted to impress Elder Yuan and volunteered to gather herbs from the garden, planning to meet you on your return. But he stumbled upon Li Junior Sister and Fang Mingyuan strolling together.

“It seems the young master Fang mistook Zhang Yuan for an enemy and acted reflexively, injuring him. Fortunately, Luo Haoran heard the commotion and intervened in time. In the process, he also injured Fang Mingyuan.”

Lei Jun couldn’t help but raise an eyebrow. “Wait a second—Fang Mingyuan and Junior Sister Li were strolling together?”

Shangguan Hong nodded.

“So they’re... a thing?” Lei Jun blurted out. “What’s next? Announcing they have a child?”

“Cough, cough!” Shangguan Hong choked on his drink.

Hi, wonderful readers! Please stay tune because we will release a lot more chapters in the future~. Rate BOTI Translator Team 5 stars on NovelUpdates if you’re enjoying the chapters. Thanks! 🌟🙏