Chapter 68

Amidst the vast sea of clouds, a line of light tinged with purple, then transformed into azure and crimson. In the next moment, a small segment of a circle appeared, and red light burst forth.

Li Huaji and Ye Qing carried the divine statue over. At this time, the shop owner and the assistants finally woke up, but they were dazed, with no memory of the previous night.

Li Huaji and Ye Qing descended the moss-covered steps. They saw various tall trees in deep green, and all kinds of vines climbing up, making the scene very refreshing and pleasant, with the last trace of coldness gone.

"Brother Ye!" Li Huaji stopped and said, "This mountain has a beautiful view. I've heard that Brother Ye once won the top place in the Dragon Palace and must have seen the blue dome under the lake. Can you compare it a bit?"

"Each has its own charm, but in terms of grandeur, it falls short!" Ye Qing smiled and said, "Even if the spiritual abode is wondrous, how can it compare to the natural scenery?"

"However, this mountain's scenery does not belong to the mountain god, so how can it be compared to the Dragon Lord's private residence? The Dragon Palace belongs to the Dragon Lord, and although the mountain god is extremely noble, he still falls short of the Dragon Lord."

The mountain god is a spirit conceived by the interaction of heaven and earth. Born tens of thousands of years ago, he has never fallen. He learned human speech, was influenced by human nature, but did not lose his spirit's essence, and has always quietly guarded this three-hundred-mile wilderness.

This nature is actually in conflict with the order established by the Daoist Lord. After countless years of suppression, it must have been dormant, and it is only now that it is rarely seen.

"The ancient sages emphasized the prevention of small evils before they grow. A dike a thousand miles long can be breached by a tiny hole. Everything is determined by its cause. When a great calamity comes, it is the time when such natural spirits thrive. I have become involved with them, and I don't know if it will bring disaster or fortune in the future."

While pondering, Li Huaji asked, "Brother Li, I see others acting in a panic, but you seem very confident. Can you resolve my confusion?"

Li Huaji has a fiery temper and values compatibility. If he likes someone, he is very sincere, but if not, he will turn his back immediately. Ye Qing knew he was suspicious and smiled, saying, "This is about cultivating one's qi and reading books!"

"If the heart is as clear as ice, it will not be startled even if the sky collapses. Amidst all changes, one remains calm and composed—cultivating qi means not being moved even if a mountain collapses in front of you. Otherwise, how can one seek the Dao?" Ye Qing casually said a few words and added, "Brother Li, I'm not criticizing you, but your qi cultivation needs more practice. Otherwise, the strong are easily broken."

Li Huaji questioned, but Ye Qing did not need to flatter him. He smiled and gave a few words of advice, though it was not entirely a bluff. In his previous life, this person's family was destroyed largely due to his temper.

Seeing Li Huaji frown, Ye Qing smiled again, "Secondly, reading books. The county and prefecture records actually have records. This Yan Mountain was originally one. In the previous dynasty, for some unknown reason, an imperial decree divided it into two, Yan Peak and Lesser Yan Mountain."

"When we carried the divine statue across the boundary, there was a闷雷 (muffled thunder) and an earthquake, and the mountain god appeared. It seems that this broke the imperial decree, restoring the mountain god to his position."

Li Huaji frowned deeply, "Why didn't you say this earlier? And can we, with our abilities, break the imperial decree of the previous dynasty?"

Ye Qing glanced at Li Huaji, feeling unhappy. Last night, he had shared some of the mountain god's fortune, but he did not expect to also receive a gray-black aura of disaster. Whether it was a blessing or a curse was still uncertain.

Moreover, with this person's talent and temperament, the highest he could achieve was a juren (scholar-official). More fortune would be useless. By devising a plan to share some of it, he also reduced the concentration of disaster on this person, which was beneficial and harmless. Yet, he was still so aggressive.

However, Ye Qing continued to walk down, saying calmly, "I'm not a prophet. At that time, how could I know? I only realized it afterward."

Li Huaji was stunned, realizing his words were a bit excessive. His lips moved, wanting to apologize, but he couldn't bring himself to say it.

"As for the imperial decree, if it truly carried the will of the people and heaven, how could we move it? When we carried the divine statue to the boundary, we feared being struck by lightning."

"But with the words 'previous dynasty,' the difference is like heaven and earth, at least ten thousand times. The mountain god is not a spirit granted by imperial decree but a spirit of this three-hundred-mile Yan Mountain. When the previous dynasty fell, the imperial decree gradually lost its power. Now, it's just a matter of breaking the paper."

Ye Qing paused, somewhat troubled, and gazed down, saying somewhat absentmindedly, "Even so, breaking the imperial decree will bring backlash. When Brother Li returns home, he can immediately go to the prefecture to have someone check if this is the case."

"But the check must be done within three days. After three days, it will mix with the vital qi, making it hard to distinguish."

He smiled again, "Not just us, but all the brothers who went down first and cheered us on will face this calamity, each with their own backlash."

"If they hadn't run, the backlash would have been compensated by the mountain god. Now that they have fled, they will only suffer the harm without the benefit. If my prediction is correct, even with the protection of their families and titles, at least a few will break their legs, and the rest will be affected."

"But we have benefited. The mountain god has bestowed us with fortune. You received the larger share, and I the smaller. In the short term, we can rise rapidly, but we may have sown the seeds of disaster, which could erupt at any time!"

At this point, Ye Qing's expression turned somewhat melancholy, "We have met, and I will explain the ins and outs of this matter. Brother Li, I have one last piece of advice. Your temper is fiery, and with this backlash, it's easy to sow the seeds of disaster. You must cultivate your qi and be more restrained."

"Brother Li, I'll go down first."

With that, he bowed and walked down calmly. Despite his slow steps, he quickly disappeared from sight.

Li Huaji stood there, watching Ye Qing leave, feeling a bit regretful.

After descending a section of the path and reaching the flat ground, Ye Qing, seeing no one around, had a grim expression. He carefully examined his qi, seeing a pale red core representing his destiny, surrounded by a red cloud of fortune, slowly being absorbed by his destiny.

This was easy to understand. After Ye Qing's reincarnation, his fortune was reduced, leaving him with the status of an ordinary person. Although he had passed the child scholar and scholar exams, it had only been a year, and the transformation was not yet complete.

The red cloud represented the scholar status, constantly nourished by fortune, aiding the transformation of his destiny.

Outside the red cloud, there were thin layers of gold and green, the fortune bestowed by the Dragon Lord and the General. Surrounding these, a thin layer of gray-black qi tried to penetrate but was blocked by the fortune, unable to break through.

Looking at the golden cup, he saw an additional layer of greenish-yellow qi, now full. Gradually, more greenish-yellow qi appeared on his body, but Ye Qing did not smile.

"Helping it return to its original position, yet still receiving backlash, this mountain god is really not fair, especially compared to the Dragon Lord and the General, who are much more generous."

"Even with the fortune bestowed, it cannot directly offset the backlash. No wonder Li Huaji met a violent death later. If it weren't for the final piece of information, this trip would have been in vain."

"To resolve or trigger the backlash, there are Daoist techniques, but I need to pass the juren exam to regain the lost techniques. What should I do now?"

"These backlashes are like diseases; the sooner they are resolved, the better. If delayed, they could cause many problems. Although I cannot resolve or trigger them now, there is a technique in the Three Yuan True Scripture that can temporarily bind them."

"Actually, an outbreak is not a bad thing. Now, I am not deeply involved, and even a major disaster would be like a tree without roots. If I wait until later when the qi is entangled, it won't be so simple."

Ye Qing did not have much sin, and he had not offended many. With the gray-black qi not being much, once it erupted, it would gradually dissipate.

"Unfortunately, I cannot trigger it now, so I can only temporarily seal it."

But he was already proficient in the Three Yuan True Scripture from his previous life. Although he had not practiced it now to build a solid foundation, using the Small Martial Canon and the Six Yang Diagrams, it was not difficult.

He recited the spell, and a small golden seal appeared in the air. As soon as the seal appeared, the gray-black qi that was trying to penetrate was redirected and sealed inside the seal.

"This is a secret technique to avoid calamity. In the future, when a great calamity comes, the calamity qi will roll, so it was widely spread. It benefits me now, but my cultivation is shallow, so the seal will not last long."

With the gray-black qi gone, the fortune returned to normal. The red qi of the scholar status came from the void, and the pale red core continued to transform steadily.

"It's too slow. Relying solely on the scholar status, I can complete the transformation, but it will take more than a year, and I don't have that much time."

"The key is that the golden cup is already full. Even if I follow the mountain god's advice and seek more opportunities, how can I accommodate more?"

"Taking and giving is the right path. The fortune bestowed by the General and the mountain god can be absorbed and transformed into destiny, though it may be wasteful, it cannot be helped."

With this thought, the golden-yellow qi in the golden cup decreased, and a golden-yellow cloud formed above Ye Qing's head, its threads descending to nourish his destiny.

He turned coldly and glanced at Yan Mountain, then walked away.

Yan Mountain

The greenish-yellow qi flickered, and a faint voice said, "Although the imperial decree of the previous dynasty no longer binds you, someone had to break it. As the master of the three-hundred-mile Yan Mountain, not a spirit granted by imperial decree, why are you so stingy, giving only this much?"

The so-called "mao shen" means a spirit of fur and feathers.

"Even if you gave less, it was still for your benefit. This bit of disaster qi, you can bear without damage, but they suffer greatly. Why didn't you lend a hand? This way, you lose all goodwill. Why?"

"..."

"Never mind. I know you have been suppressed by the Daoist court since your birth, harboring resentment, which is why you are so stingy. But why did you pass on this opportunity to that person, knowing it is destined?"

"Hmph, I saw the potential in him, so I told him. He carries a faint trace of dragon qi, don't tell me you didn't know?" The mountain god finally spoke, his words cold, "Doesn't this boy want fortune? I'll give it to him. Ha, I saw him take others' fortune at the Dragon Lord's banquet. This time, I'll give him another chance."

"Taking once, why not take again? I don't care who he is. The more chaotic the situation, the more pleased I am." The mountain god laughed, his anger evident.

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