Ji Yuan conserved a touch of his childishness, Wei Yuansheng was a child himself, and Shang Yiyi and Guan He were curious.

Several immortal cultivators of varying ages and cultivation stages gathered in front of the Wei family residence learning how to set off firecrackers.

The firecrackers, which were originally strings several feet long, were connected at their ends, forming a long chain. Since this street was almost entirely owned by the Wei family, and the buildings to either side were also Wei family properties, the firecrackers stretched out all along, from the front of the Wei family mansion all the way back and forth on the street.

When Wei Wuwei emerged from the mansion, he saw Ji Yuan and his children squatting near the door, fiddling with one end of the firecracker chain, while Guan He and Shang Yiyi were stringing firecrackers at the other end.

Even for cultivators, this was quite the rare experience. This was especially true when they were with a master like Ji Yuan. Shang Yiyi and Guan He thus took the firecracker-setting very seriously.

When everything was ready, a servant handed a lit stick of incense to Wei Yuansheng, who then carefully approached the fuse.

“Sister Yiyi, Senior Brother Guan, get out of the way! I’m going to light it!”

Seeing everyone back away, Wei Yuansheng lit the fuse, threw the incense stick, and ran away. Although he was considered a cultivator, setting off firecrackers was something he had never experienced. It wasn’t only him; Shang Yiyi and Guan He also stayed a short distance away.

“Bang-bang-bang-bang-bang…”

The dense sound and light of the firecrackers exploded along the “firecracker chain.” Wei Yuansheng laughed, clapping his hands together, and after an initial moment of caution, continued chasing after the small explosions.

Ji Yuan stood there and listened to the sound of the firecrackers. After a while, he turned to look at Wei Wuwei, who stood at the gate of the mansion. The latter hurriedly bowed with cupped hands and invited him towards the main door. Ji Yuan nodded his head towards Wei Yuansheng in front of him, indicating that they should finish setting off all the firecrackers before going inside.

It took a while for all the firecrackers to go off. Wei Yuansheng, contented, returned to the house with everyone else, chatting with Ji Yuan the whole way.

Wei Yuansheng had always wanted to try setting off firecrackers before he went up the mountain, but he had been barely three years old at the time, and his family wouldn’t let him do something so dangerous. Now, having returned from Yuhuai Mountain, his desire was finally satisfied.

Half an hour later, Wei Wuwei led Ji Yuan and the other guests to a reception room in the back yard of the Wei family mansion, personally holding the door open for them.

“Come, come, Mr. Ji, please come in. Mr. Ji, you’ve arrived just in time, I’ve prepared a feast.”

Even before the door was opened, Ji Yuan could already smell the aroma inside.

At this moment, everyone peered inside and saw a uniquely-shaped large round table, split into two tiers. The upper tier was actually revolving.1

“Please come in, please come in!”

Following Wei Wuwei’s gracious invitation, everyone entered the room and took their seats at the table.

Plates of snacks and pastries were laid out, and fine tea had been brewed. Several immortal cultivators, including the Wei family father and son, sat at the table, with no other servants around.

This was the first time that Ji Yuan had seen something resembling the round turntable from his previous life. The only difference was that the Wei family’s was made entirely of wood, crafted by skilled artisans. It allowed for a variety of snacks and pastries to be placed on top, and for the platform to be rotated for ease of consumption.

This table was also unusually large, easily seating twenty people. Numerous small plates were placed around the edge of the inner disc. Ji Yuan roughly calculated that there were probably at least sixty or seventy different kinds of pastries.2

“The pleasures of the rich…”

Ji Yuan was still sighing in his heart as Wei Wuwei explained what was on the table.

“Mr. Ji, as well as Junior Brother Guan and Junior Sister Shang, I don’t have any particular hobbies, aside from my intense love of food. While I enjoy the fare of immortals on Yuhuai Mountain, I still crave mortal delicacies. “

Wei Wuwei patted his stomach.

“Don’t underestimate this small table of pastries and desserts. These were freshly made this morning by over a dozen of the Wei family’s renowned chefs, and only just now completed. I call this a dim sum feast.”

Just based on Wei Wuwei’s large figure, Ji Yuan believed that he was telling the truth.

“Come on, everyone, come try some! I won’t stand on ceremony.”

Wei Wuwei’s chubby hands had already begun to grab pastries and stuff them into his mouth, his carefree demeanor seemingly unaffected. This wasn’t always his personality, but he knew that it was better to be casual in front of Ji Yuan.

Facts had long proven that eating communally was the best way to liven up the atmosphere, regardless of whether one was nobility or of the common people. Ji Yuan and others were no exception. Savoring these exquisite and delicious snacks made the atmosphere in the hall more harmonious.

Ji Yuan knew that the Wei family likely had something to discuss with him, but he was happy to chat while they ate, discussing the Wei family’s patriarch and son’s five years of cultivation in the mountains.

Ji Yuan asked detailed questions, not just out of concern for the two, but also to understand the fundamental principles of Yuhuai Mountain’s cultivation.

The process was systematic, and predictably detailed. In addition to having the master guide the disciple on points of confusion in their cultivation, they would also personally channel spiritual energy, use sacred formations to cleanse the disciple’s body, channel power from the heavens and constellations to stimulate the acupoints, and provide protection as the disciple cultivated the mental world’s alchemy furnace and forged their golden bridge.

Furthermore, close elders would test the younger disciples’ cultivation progress, primarily assessing their mastery of some basic techniques and protective equipment.

The Yuhuai Holy Land was nestled in the mountains, and although it was not a cave isolated from the rest of the world, it was still a blessed land. While lacking some of the unique mysteries native to holy lands in caves, its abundant spiritual energy rivaled that of other realms, and even surpassed some of them. After all, holy lands were inherently dependent on their unique environments and elements, for example the Yuzhu Peak of Yuhuai Mountain.

The master’s meticulous guidance combined and the extraordinary cultivation environment may have seemed like seemingly simple details, but they were the cornerstones of the immortal sect’s holy land cultivation.

Ji Yuan listened to Wei Wuwei and Wei Yuansheng’s stories, with the occasional additions from Shang Yiyi and Guan He, and gained a more comprehensive understanding of Yuhuai Mountain’s disciples’ practice.

In contrast, Ji Yuan felt that the way he treated those who could even barely affect fate3 was definitely more blasé, but he didn’t think that either method was particularly superior or inferior to the other. It was simply a matter of prioritizing the person, versus prioritizing how they might affect the world. Besides, those under Ji Yuan’s guidance were all relatively new to cultivation, so their situations were different.

The casual chat was coming to an end. Wei Wuwei winked at his son, chewed and swallowed the pastry in his bulging cheeks, drank half a cup of tea, and then, as if suddenly recalling something, he addressed Ji Yuan.

“Mr. Ji, my master’s master has returned!”

Ji Yuan paused for a moment, then looked at Wei Yuansheng.

“Who is your grandmaster?”4

“My grandmaster’s name is Pei Zheng. He was in the Tianji Pavilion a few years ago. This was the first time I’ve met him since I went there.”

Hearing Wei Yuansheng’s explanation, Ji Yuan suddenly understood. He had indeed heard of this person from Yuhuai Mountain who had left the Tianji Pavilion for the Southern Desolate Continent a few years ago because of the rumor circulating about the Tianji Pavilion.

“So he just came back?”

Ji Yuan asked with a smile. His surprise was genuine; he thought that this person had returned a long time ago.

Shang Yiyi nodded and explained.

“The old master went to the Southern Desolate Continent, after all — it is far away from the Eastern Cloud Continent, across the vast oceans and barren seas. He encountered all kinds of strange things in the sky and the sea that blocked his way. In order to hasten the journey, he flew to many places alone, without the help of the Boundary Ferry. It was not easy for him to make the journey there and back.”

“Oh, he must have worked hard.”

Ji Yuan said casually, wondering what this divination had been about that he would take such a trip. But before he could ask, Shang Yiyi continued talking.

“The Master, along with several long-bearded old men in Tianji Pavilion, reversed the astrological patterns over several years. They recalculated every day and night. Then they spent another year determining the numerical positions of the heavens and the earth at their desired time. The calculated outcome was determined by reversing it back four years in one, which was enough to complete the whole hexagram. They spent a while recovering, then hurried back.”

On the surface, Ji Yuan remained indifferent and unfazed, but inwardly, he was stunned at her words. This was a massive undertaking, and it sounded like they had actually grasped something this time.

“Then what news did Master Pei bring back? Did Yuhuai Mountain ask you to relay it to me?”

Ji Yuan frowned and asked with a hint of confusion in his voice.

Wei Yuansheng, who was beside him, hurriedly chimed in.

“The strange thing is this: the grandmaster said that the three long-bearded elders were severely injured immediately after performing the divination. This time, they were made full preparations in the Tianji Pavilion and spent several years making calculations, but they didn’t even see as much as that time when they caught a momentary glimpse. The people at Tianji Pavilion say that this was a chaotic chance divination from the heavens. If it neither natural nor man-made, it definitely is no simple act. It is impossible for them to have made a mistake.”

Wei Yuansheng looked at Ji Yuan and continued.

“Then after the grandmaster returned, he heard about Mr. Ji, and found it very strange. It just so happened that I could go back home for the New Year again this year, so we decided to ask Mr. Ji what you thought of this divination…”

At this point, Wei Yuansheng looked at Ji Yuan and whispered.

“Mr. Ji, in fact, the grandmaster said that because it might involve the fate of Yuhuai Mountain, the mountain sect might imitate the Tianji Pavilion and and conduct a derivative calculation of Tianji’s divination here in Dazhen. However, he believes this is absolutely impossible to do, and asked me to speak to you privately. If possible, could you please convince the elders in the mountain? Or do you think it would be appropriate for the mountain sect to do this?”

Ji Yuan thought for a while, looked at the people around him, and finally asked Wei Wuwei.

“This matter was only privately related to you by Pei Zhenren. Does the rest of Yuhuai Mountain know?”

Wei Wuwei knew that he couldn’t escape this question, so he forced a smile and answered.

“In my opinion, although it was revealed to us that it was Mr. Pei’s private statement, they were actually just testing the waters by asking you. Firstly, they might think that you have some connection to this divination matter, and secondly, if you were interested, you might participate in the divination…”

Ji Yuan shook his head helplessly.

“Why would I be interested in what Yuhuai Mountain does? I have merely been in Dazhen for a long time, and might sometimes go out for a walk. Whether or not they calculate the mysteries of the heavens is none of my business. Go back and tell the immortals on the mountain that I am not so capable as to tamper with the secrets of divination on my own.

“Compared to that, I’m now more concerned about how Patriarch Wei might wish to entertain me?”

Wei Wuwei was stunned for a moment, suddenly feeling a little at a loss, and asked carefully.

“Um, how should I entertain you? Or is there anything else you wish to say?”

Ji Yuan smiled. Since there are more than a dozen famous chefs here, he of course had to experience the pleasures of the rich.

“It’s nothing special, just bring some delicious fish and meat!”

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T/n: Every time there’s food I want some

JY: I don’t know the mysteries of Dazhen better than the immortal sects. I just go out and take a walk sometime.

Also JY: finds books of Heavenly Script, slays demons, changes fate, betters people’s lives, all while going out for a three-year “stroll”

JY: I’m not strong enough to change the secrets of heaven

Also JY: actively cultivates an array of “chess pieces” whose sole power is changing the fate of the world

1. It’s like a built-in Lazy Susan turntable!

2. T/n: … hungryyyy…

3. Lit. “spread the Dharma,” could mean both in terms of self-cultivation and in terms of teaching others. I chose “affect fate” even if it’s not a very faithful translation since I believe it’s more true to what he means

4. I’ve decided that Grandmaster with a capital G will be the sect title (if that ever comes up, it might not) while grandmaster with a lowercase g will be “master’s master” to save me from the insanity of typing those words over and over