CHAPTER 63: CELESTIAL MASTER DOING TRICKS

Rumors spread, claiming that the Celestial Master always carried an old injury.

All these years of seclusion were spent suppressing his wounds, but he still hadn’t recovered, and lately the affliction flared up again.

What unsettled people even more was that this violent turn didn’t just affect the Celestial Master himself, but dragged down all his direct disciples as well.

Aside from Xu Yuanzhen, who wandered abroad and whose condition was unknown, every true disciple still in the mountain was implicated—including the Celestial Master’s own son, Li Zhengxuan.

"How could it be like this?"

The members of the Tianxu Sect were stunned.

"I heard it was a curse or voodoo from the Southern Wildernes shaman clan, like flesh-eating maggots—malicious and especially bizarre," someone whispered, "with fate interlinked, any direct disciple with a real master-disciple connection to the Celestial Master got dragged into it, even..."

There were rumors that even those who’d hoped to join the Celestial Master’s sect but were never accepted, despite their symptoms being milder than the true disciples, got affected on a large scale. The whole thing was mysterious and terrifying.

"The Celestial Master’s cultivation is so high, how could he fall to Southern Wildernes curses?"

"People who have no contact still got hit? Just fate-binding from a distance is enough for this? That’s crazy!"

"They say the Southern Witch Sect’s curse lineage has a curse called ’Reincarnation,’ endless through generations... Really formidable..."

Though not on Dragon Tiger Mountain themselves, the whole Tianxu Sect was uneasy and in turmoil.

Lei Jun sat quietly on the sideline, listening.

*If the current Celestial Master Li Qingfeng was truly cursed, the source probably went back to that in-family chaos years ago between him and Li Cangting.*

Li Cangting and his wife, sure, walked together to the Netherworld, but the Southern Witch Sect suffered disastrous losses as well.

Both sides were badly hurt—this one not faring much better, losing not just the previous Celestial Master but most elder experts within the mansion, and even the present Celestial Master Li Qingfeng was left with old wounds.

The impact was no less dire and far-reaching than that earlier grand palace feud that gave rise to the Yellow Sky Sect.

Now, all they could do was hope the Celestial Master had some backup plan in place.

After all, if he didn’t have any preparations at all, he wouldn’t come out of seclusion so boldly.

Had he kept to his seclusion, no one would know how bad things really were.

But now he’d emerged, there was nowhere left to hide—it was time for the real test.

As for the Celestial Master implicating his disciples, it probably wasn’t a matter of anyone with the wish to be his disciple falling victim.

It referred to those who, during the formal transcension ritual, had been officially nominated and presented to heaven by a master.

That included Chen Yi, Li Ying, and Shangguan Hong from Lei Jun’s cohort, and also Tang Xiaotang, who’d been fixated on this matter.

*In this world, fate works in mysterious ways and energies are interconnected. You had to be careful even swearing oaths in daily speech, let alone formally praying to heaven at the Celestial Master Mansion’s transcension ceremony.*

At this moment, Lei Jun couldn’t help but recall the moderately unlucky lot he drew during his own formal disciple ceremony:

[Moderately unlucky lot: aspire grandly, strive for a one-step-to-heaven opportunity, but it is a mirage; the journey will be rough—ominous.]

Still, that was why Lei Jun trusted the Celestial Master understood his own situation well.

Which was also why he’d kept holding off Tang Xiaotang’s request to become a disciple.

Unlike Li Ying and Shangguan Hong, Tang Xiaotang was untouched by this event.

Rumor even said she stayed quite active throughout.

That probably had to do with her natural talent or maybe her cultivation level, which far outstripped Li Ying and Shangguan Hong.

But if she officially became a direct disciple like Li Zhengxuan, Zhang Jingzhen, or Fang Jian, would she then be implicated too? Hard to say.

*Call it pragmatism or conscience, either way...*

*The current Celestial Master really did deliberately leave Tang Xiaotang in limbo, but it was to avoid screwing her over...*

Lei Jun’s mind wandered.

All around, Tianxu Sect folk argued in hushed voices, unsettled and afraid.

Only when Sect Leader Tu Guangyu arrived looking stern and spoke did the agitation subside—barely.

Tu Guangyu appeared calm, reassuring everyone, but her worries ran even deeper than her disciples’.

Compared to everyone’s wild speculation, Tu Guangyu knew many hard facts.

The rumors were mostly true—even the real situation was uglier.

The bulk of the Celestial Master Mansion, including the current Celestial Master Li Qingfeng, had already fallen back to Dragon Tiger Mountain.

The Jiangzhou Lin Clan pressed their advantage, Lin Clan Chief arrived in Xinzhou, and word was he was personally preparing to ascend the mountain.

The Celestial Master Mansion faced tremendous crisis.

Because most of the Mansion’s strength had regrouped internally, their outer positions had to be strategically abandoned.

The whole Taoist Talisman Sect now watched anxiously to see what would happen at Dragon Tiger Mountain in Xinzhou.

Strictly speaking, not only the Taoist Talisman Sect and Jiangzhou Lin Clan were keeping watch.

......

The rivers of the South, autumn deepening.

In a lakeside pavilion, a beautiful woman peered out the window at the scenery over the water.

A maid came to report, "Mistress, Mr. Yongshan of the Jingxiang Fang Clan is here, waiting downstairs."

Below, Fang Yue—surname Fang, style name Duanfeng, sobriquet Yongshan—waited.

When the lady arrived, he rose to bow, "Forgive me for the sudden visit, didn’t mean to trouble you, Aunt."

The woman was Chu Yu.

Fang Yue’s mother’s clan wasn’t the Chu Clan, but he and Fang Jian were full cousins, so he addressed Chu Yu just as Fang Jian did.

He looked middle-aged, thirty or forty by appearance, making Chu Yu seem even more youthful and senior in contrast when they stood together.

"Have a seat."

Chu Yu watched her old-fashioned junior with amusement, "How are your father and uncle faring?"

Fang Yue, "Both are well. Before I came, they asked me to pass on their regards."

The maid served tea, Chu Yu toyed with her teacup, fingertips sliding along the porcelain,

"Those Fang gentlemen are thoughtful—no need for us to be so formal. Your father sent you this time because of business with Dragon Tiger Mountain?"

Fang Yue responded, "What are the Chu Clan’s intentions?"

Chu Yu, "The Jiangzhou Lin Clan preyed on the weak, pressing aggressively. My father instructed we always got on well with Dragon Tiger Mountain Celestial Master Mansion, so it’s only right to help mediate. My elder brother already set out for Dragon Tiger Mountain in Xinzhou."

Fang Yue nodded, "My uncle went as well."

That uncle was Fang Jian’s father, a direct disciple of the Celestial Master.

Chu Yu regarded Fang Yue, then suddenly smiled, "Duanfeng, if things keep escalating, how do you think we should handle it?"

Fang Yue, "Officially, the best mediator is someone dispatched by the imperial court. Then our two clans can help on the side."

"That’s right, but there’s another possibility."

Chu Yu went on calmly, "You know it, you just don’t accept it."

Fang Yue fell silent.

"So-called distant alliance, close attack—the Jiangzhou Lin, our Suzhou Chu, and your Jingxiang Fang clans are right at the headwaters, mid-reach, and lower-reach of the Grand River respectively.

The Celestial Master’s Mansion’s rise in Jiangzhou serves us and the Fang Clan best; otherwise, why have our clans visited so often all these years?

Besides, the Celestial Master Mansion may be Taoist, but lately they’ve been changing—unlike Pure Yang Palace or Mount Shu."

Chu Yu spoke evenly, "But the world changes constantly; men must adapt, not cling to the past. So what really suits our two clans best?

Publicly, we back Dragon Tiger Mountain; privately, we remain neutral, watching how things play out before deciding our next step.

If things tip one way, we could just team up with the Lin Clan and crush the Taoist Talisman Sect, block non-clan outsiders from joining the sect—the peak’s narrow, and fewer climbers mean fewer competitors.

If things tip the other way, we keep Li and Lin at arms and let them check each other; then your Fang Clan can sit in comfort at the river’s headwaters, overlooking Jiangzhou, while my people enjoy the lower reaches, the sea at our feet, all horizons open."

At last Fang Yue spoke, "I do know this, but forgive me, I can’t accept it."

Chu Yu blew lightly on her tea, "Plenty of people think that way, you know—there’s quite a few."

"Aunt..."

Fang Yue raised his eyes, meeting Chu Yu’s, "And you?"

Chu Yu locked gaze with him, smiling placidly, "I already sent Chu Kun packing—he’s heading for Dragon Tiger Mountain to join the Taoists."

Fang Yue froze.

When they’d crossed paths by the Yunxiao Mountain Range not long ago, he’d learned Chu Kun had hopes of joining the Celestial Master’s Mansion.

But, in this moment—

*You find out who people really are in hard times.*

*Aunt, this isn’t just lip service from you anymore.*

*But why?*

*If it was me, I’d never hesitate to do the same; but seeing Chu Yu make this choice left me wondering.*

"Rest for now." Chu Yu set down her cup, smiling, "It’s been ages since you came south—stay a few more days."

......

Xinzhou’s Dragon Tiger Mountain, Lin Clan masters gathered, pressing hard on the borders.

The various Taoist Talisman Sect branches on the outskirts, for all their nervousness, hadn’t faced any real action, yet.

Except—

"Purple Cloud Sect’s gates have been besieged, the Yunxiao Range was ravaged by the Lin Clan, plenty of casualties—dead and wounded."

Tianxu Sect Leader Tu Guangyu looked grim.

When word arrived, Lei Jun shook his head privately.

*Yet another moderately unlucky lot came true.*

*In the Yunxiao Range, fortune really had spun the wheel.*

*It was lucky I left Yunxiao Range well ahead of time.*

*Otherwise, as the young Celestial Master Mansion cultivator who made a name for himself in the Qingxiao Lake fight, I might’ve been a prime target for the enemy.*

*Good thing—as long as I caught the signals early and ran fast enough, danger couldn’t catch up...* Lei Jun mocked himself.

*Most people I barely dealt with anyway, but I hope Elder Lu Zhaoqing makes it through.*

Purple Cloud Sect being besieged had shaken Tianxu and all the other Dragon Tiger Mountain branches deeply.

From here, everyone raised their guard.

Not just against the Jiangzhou Lin Clan.

With Dragon Tiger Mountain under siege, old enemies would seize the chance to fish in troubled waters.

No need to list others—the eternal rival Yellow Sky Sect would never pass on a golden opportunity like this.

With Dragon Tiger Mountain besieged, breaking the siege wasn’t something young disciples like Lei Jun were responsible for—he naturally didn’t need to rush back and defend his home sect.

For now, settled at Mount Tianxu, he went with the flow, accepting Tianxu Sect’s arrangements, joining the sect members to patrol the mountains and guard the routes.

He felt no objection, and instead used chances every few days to swing by Jiuzhou Ridge.

Third-rank cultivation opportunities were extremely rare.

The last time Lei Jun snagged a third-rank opportunity, he’d upgraded his root bone from Average Stature to a Hidden Dragon Spirit Body.

Heaven favored the determined.

Even if the gains seemed subtle, Lei Jun truly observed subtle changes rolling through Jiuzhou Ridge as time passed.