Seeking Fortune and Avoiding Misfortune: Starting from the Celestial Master’s Mansion
Chapter 50: The Old General on the Stage

The mountains surrounding Qingxiao Lake had transformed into a waterlogged expanse that blotted out the sky.

There were two paths to leave the area: one leading north and one to the west. To report to the Zixiao Sect as quickly as possible, the western route was the shortest. Considering the urgency, Qin Tao chose the mountain path to the west.

Lei Jun watched as Qin Tao opted for the path associated with the "Lower-Moderate Omen" but said nothing. According to the fortune's description, dangers loomed along all paths.

Heading west was a "Lower-Moderate Omen," marked as ominous.

Heading north was a "Lower-Bad Omen," signifying grave danger.

Staying put, rated as a "Moderate Omen," wasn’t ideal either, but it would avoid the other two perilous options.

"Let’s see if Qin Tao’s haste to leave reveals anything," Lei Jun thought.

Lu Zhaoqing suddenly hesitated, his expression conflicted. "The talisman array at Qingxiao Lake was only reset last year, and I personally inspected it a few days ago. Everything was fine. How could something go wrong today? Could it have been deliberately sabotaged?"

Luo Haoran frowned. "I fear... that might be the case. Elder Lu, Junior Brother Lei, come with me."

He led Lei Jun and Lu Zhaoqing to inspect several key areas. To their shock, they discovered signs of deliberate damage to the talisman array.

"Judging by the marks, it was done by a body refinement martial cultivator," Luo Haoran said gravely.

Lu Zhaoqing recognized the technique. "It looks like the secret martial art of the Dong Clan, a family living downstream along the Qinglan River."

The Qinglan River, an essential waterway flowing through the Yunxiao Mountain Range, was closely connected to Qingxiao Lake. Its downstream section lay east of the mountain range.

The Dong Clan, an influential local family, passed down their martial arts lineage. Unlike the Confucian, Buddhist, or Daoist paths, body refinement martial arts focused entirely on strengthening the practitioner’s physical body, granting them incredible strength and destructive power.

A martial artist, within striking distance, could rival a nation.

However, Lei Jun and the others weren’t overly concerned about the Dong Clan.

For the Zixiao Sect, the Dong Clan might be a significant opponent, but to the Tianshi Mansion, they were hardly a threat.

What caught their attention was the Dong Clan’s rumored connection with the Lin Clan of Jiangzhou, one of the renowned aristocratic families of the Tang Empire.

The Tang Empire’s "Five Surnames and Seven Prominent Clans" included families like the Fang Clan of Jingxiang and the Chu Clan of Suzhou, who had relatively good relations with the Tianshi Mansion.

But there were also adversaries.

The Lin Clan of Jiangzhou and the Tianshi Mansion of Mount Longhu had long been rivals, their proximity fostering an unrelenting feud.

Over the years, numerous conflicts had erupted, with casualties on both sides deepening the enmity. A significant dispute had broken out just a few years ago.

"Could the Lin Clan have orchestrated this?" Lei Jun asked.

Lu Zhaoqing responded, "It might be the Dong Clan acting alone. However, even if the Lin Clan were aware, they would likely be pleased to see it happen."

The Dong Clan’s territory was downstream of the Qinglan River.

If Qingxiao Lake’s dam upstream were breached, the flooding would reduce the downstream threat. Conversely, if the dam were fortified, the water flow would continue downstream, forcing the Dong Clan to deal with the floodwaters.

Luo Haoran growled angrily, "For such a selfish reason, they would sabotage upstream water management?!"

Lu Zhaoqing hesitated. "The Lin Clan and the Dong Clan are distinct entities. Would they dare provoke the Tianshi Mansion so recklessly?"

Lei Jun remained silent, but his thoughts wandered further.

The current Tianshi had been alternating between seclusion and brief public appearances in recent years, an unusual pattern that hadn’t gone unnoticed by the outside world.

Given the longstanding feud between the Lin Clan and the Tianshi Mansion, the Lin Clan might be stirring trouble after a few years of relative peace. Perhaps the Dong Clan was being used as a pawn to test the waters.

Lei Jun dismissed the speculation for now, focusing on the immediate task. He joined Luo Haoran and Lu Zhaoqing in maintaining and reinforcing the damaged talisman array.

The three each took charge of a section of the lake embankment.

Lei Jun worked diligently to reinforce the talisman array, using the power of spirit talismans to hold back the raging floodwaters.

The flood, infused with chaotic spiritual energy, carried immense destructive power, repeatedly battering the array's spiritual light, posing significant danger.

Amid the turbulent waters, Lei Jun suddenly sensed something unusual.

He vaguely felt that both his Fire Marrow Yangfish and Unaccomplished Cauldron had been activated by something.

After a careful search, he discovered a peculiar spirit stone beneath the embankment.

The stone was half black and half white, or rather black above and white below.

Within the stone, the mingling of yin and yang resembled the balance of water and fire—a concept central to the Jiji Furnace Lei Jun had prepared for his master, Yuan Mobai.

The Jiji Trigram was water above and fire below, directly opposing the Unaccomplished Cauldron.

"When building the Qingxiao Lake talisman array, fire-aligned spiritual items were placed to balance water and fire..." Lei Jun mused.

The array’s previous damage had disrupted this balance, causing chaos.

Now, with the array barely repaired, a fragile equilibrium had been restored, but the risk of collapse lingered.

Perhaps, through this repeated disruption and restoration, this peculiar "Jiji Stone" had been unintentionally created.

The "Moderate Omen" mentioned a Sixth-Grade Opportunity and a Seventh-Grade Opportunity, and this seemed to be one of them.

With many tasks at hand, Lei Jun set the spirit stone aside and resumed patrolling the embankment, reinforcing the array.

By the time their work was done, all three were exhausted, their mana and energy significantly depleted.

After a brief meditation, Lei Jun and Luo Haoran had recovered most of their strength, but Lu Zhaoqing still appeared frail.

The usually youthful-looking elder, with his white hair and serene demeanor, now seemed unmistakably aged.

"I’m old. Can’t keep up with you youngsters," Lu Zhaoqing sighed.

Lei Jun and Luo Haoran assured him that they could handle the manual labor while he supervised.

Although Lu Zhaoqing was theoretically the strongest among the three, at over 150 years old, he was nearing the twilight of his lifespan.

For a cultivator at the Altar Stage, the typical lifespan was around 200 years, but Lu Zhaoqing had clearly entered his final years.

Advancing further was out of the question, and his abilities would only continue to decline, potentially even dropping in cultivation level.

Even if his realm didn’t fall, his capabilities would no longer match their peak.

Though Lei Jun had once mercilessly mocked Qin Tao, he refrained from speaking such harsh truths to Lu Zhaoqing.

This elder Daoist gave Lei Jun his first close encounter with the reality that even cultivators were not immune to aging and frailty.

Advancing in cultivation must be done early.

The stark contrast between the elderly Lu Zhaoqing and the vibrant Yuan Mobai and Li Ziyang was a vivid reminder.

"Senior Brother Luo, I noticed your Water Repelling Talisman seems especially effective?" Lei Jun asked, changing the topic.

Luo Haoran smiled. "There’s no point hiding it. My third life-bound spell is the Water Repelling Talisman."

Lei Jun and Lu Zhaoqing had suspected as much. Luo Haoran’s admission confirmed it but also piqued their curiosity.

The Tianshi Mansion offered a wide variety of spirit talismans, and while the Water Repelling Talisman wasn’t uncommon, it was generally considered a utility talisman.

It was unheard of for someone to choose it as one of their life-bound spells.

After all, Altar Stage cultivators could only choose three life-bound spells, and the options included powerful talismans like the Thunder Talisman, Wind Talisman, Golden Barrier Talisman, and Spirit Strike Talisman. The competition was fierce.

To allocate a slot for the Water Repelling Talisman was almost unprecedented.

"My hometown often suffered from floods during my childhood," Luo Haoran explained simply. "You remember I mentioned my family nearly fled to Guanzhong to live with relatives? That was why."

Lei Jun recalled a time back in the Daoist Children's Academy when he and Luo Haoran had worked together during a disaster relief mission at the Qingyun River Beach.

It was early summer during the flood season, and the floods had devastated local communities.

"So, Senior Brother, you chose the Water Repelling Talisman to help manage floods?" Lei Jun asked.

"Yes, it’s a small personal aspiration of mine," Luo Haoran replied, glancing at the talisman array before them. "At least it’s proving useful now."

Both Lei Jun and Lu Zhaoqing nodded.

The elder Daoist sighed. "Nephew Luo, we’re fortunate to have you and Nephew Lei here today."

Luo Haoran responded modestly, expressing that he was merely fulfilling his duty.

Feeling his strength mostly restored, he stood up. "We can’t let our guard down. I’ll survey the area again to watch for any more attempts by the Dong Clan."

"I’ll go with you," Lei Jun offered.

Lu Zhaoqing interjected, "No need to worry. I’ve placed some Spirit-Sensing Talismans nearby. If anyone from the Dong Clan approaches, we’ll be alerted in advance."