Chapter 89: Fortune

The Xuanzhen Abode was quite lively at this time.

Many clam maidens and strongmen moved to and fro, busily carrying objects from outside, box after box.

Inside the abode, Lin Yuan gazed at a stunning beauty standing opposite him.

“Senior Sister Kuang, I’m truly afraid I cannot help you with this matter. Affairs of the Great Zhou Imperial Court are far too complex and entangled. Dragon Qi permeates everything. As practitioners outside the law, if we rashly get involved, the backlash from the Dragon Qi would be unbearable—not just for me, but for you as well!”

The stunning beauty had an alluring figure. Dressed in white palace robes, she possessed a breathtaking combination of elegance and charm, truly a peerless beauty. Her lovely eyes, glistening with moisture, looked at Lin Yuan as she spoke.

“Junior Brother, are you truly unwilling to help? As your humble sister knows, your Heavenly One Profound Light has been cultivated to perfection. The Divine Path cultivation inherently requires resources. My brother-in-law still holds some influence within the Great Zhou Imperial Court. He could easily recommend you for the River God position, making you the official sacrificial officiant for a prefecture, or at least several counties would be no problem!”

Hearing this, Lin Yuan glanced at the dazzlingly beautiful Senior Sister Kuang, who was glancing around with captivating charm, and secretly sneered in his heart.

Not long after she learned he had successfully cultivated the most formidable Divine Rune of the Divine Path—the Heavenly One Water Mother Divine Rune—she came visiting with generous gifts.

At first, Lin Yuan thought this True Inheritor from the sect merely wanted to exchange for a few drops of Heavenly One True Water. Only later did he realize she not only had her eye on the Heavenly One True Water in his possession but also sought to borrow the power of the Heavenly One Water Mother Divine Rune he had cultivated to purify a Dragon Vein.

Not the Ancestral Vein of the Great Zhou Imperial Court, but a branch vein of a single county!

However, even if it were just a branch vein, Lin Yuan was not willing to get tangled in trouble easily.

A Daoist aiding a dragon could indeed gain great fortune as nourishment.

Similar to the various local mages, and even the national preceptors, appointed by the Great Zhou Imperial Court.

However, using the Dragon Qi of the Imperial Court to boost cultivation, if done excessively, would be too much even for the great vessel of the court to bear, weakening its foundations. When that time came, a change of dynasty would be inevitable.

For a Daoist, that would be a great calamity!

The Imperial Court had long been on guard against this, establishing an extremely strict system to control the cultivators who entered its service.

The Divine Path was the same. Once one entered the system of the Imperial Court, one would be subtly controlled by its Dragon Qi. Why would Lin Yuan willingly seek such hardship?

On the other hand, those who deceitfully siphoned fortune and undermined the foundations of the Great Zhou Imperial Court—the fat rats—might actually present an opportunity worth exploring!

Seeing her junior brother fall into silent contemplation, Kuang Meiyao was not surprised. She gave a radiant smile.

“In that case, Junior Brother, please think it over carefully for now. Also, I heard Junior Brother has been diligently collecting authentic copies of Daoist Canons. This senior sister happens to know of a place where there might still be many authentic Daoist Canons!”

Hearing this, Lin Yuan’s expression remained unchanged. He merely lifted his gaze and smiled.

“Senior Sister, please tell me more!”

He paused briefly before continuing with a smile.

“This junior brother is indeed quite interested in such ancient objects. If I can gain something from it, I will surely not forget Senior Sister’s kindness!”

Upon hearing this, Kuang Meiyao felt a stir in her heart. News of Lin Yuan collecting ancient Daoist Canons had already spread like wildfire through the Chengyuan Immortal Sect. Many disciples speculated that he likely understood Ancient Cloud Script and Primordial Thunder Script.

In Kuang Meiyao’s view, this was probably ninety percent certain. After all, he was a legitimate successor of the Ancient Water Immortal tradition.

It was just a pity that most of those ancient Daoist Canons were profoundly abstruse. Even knowing they were immensely valuable, if one couldn’t decipher them, they were just a pile of useless paper gathering dust in a corner, worthless.

And who could know whether these ancient Daoist Canons concealed travelogues or cultivation techniques?

If they were techniques, were they useless, unworkable methods, or genuine legacies of Ancient Immortals?

It was better to use them to trade for some Heavenly One True Water to improve one’s own root bone constitution; one’s own cultivation was always the most important!

Sighing inwardly, the stunning beauty raised her gaze and spoke.

“Junior Brother, have you ever heard of the Ghost Market in the Cangmang Mountains?”

“I have not,” Lin Yuan shook his head gently. Ever since he gained the ability to travel to the Primordial World, he had become the famous ‘homebody’ of the Chengyuan Immortal Sect.

The beautiful woman explained. “The Cangmang Mountains host a rather prosperous trading market. Many loose cultivators and disciples of minor sects gather there. Authentic Daoist Canons have appeared there before. If Junior Brother is interested, you will likely find something.”

Hearing this, Lin Yuan’s gaze flickered slightly, and he gave a slight nod.

The two chatted for a while longer, but Kuang Meiyao ultimately failed to persuade Lin Yuan and turned to leave the Xuanzhen Abode.

Lin Yuan watched Kuang Meiyao’s departing figure. Within his powerful Innate Divine Sight, he could vaguely perceive this senior sister’s fortune.

Crimson fortune flickered around her. Within the cloudy light, faint streaks of dim gray-black energy coiled. A fragment of golden Dragon Qi could also be seen, barely resisting the faint black energy rising up.

That black energy was Calamity Sha. When Kuang Meiyao entered the sect, she was already connected to a certain branch of the Great Zhou Imperial Court, having borrowed Dragon Qi for cultivation. Now that their fortune had deteriorated, it implicated Kuang Meiyao.

Judging by this sight, if she couldn’t find Virtue Merit items to suppress the tribulation or find a way to dispel it, a backlash would likely descend upon her soon.

And here she was still trying to drag him down with her… Lin Yuan shook his head inwardly.

Turning around, he returned to the abode. His gaze fell upon the dozen or so authentic Daoist Canons placed on the bookshelf within the cave, and a touch of a smile appeared in his eyes.

Trading Heavenly One True Water for Daoist Canons not only rid him of the trouble that came with ‘guilty of possessing a treasure’ but also allowed him to exchange Heavenly One True Water for many tangible benefits.

These Daoist Canons were useless in the eyes of others, only fit to pile up in corners, treasures gathering dust.

But in his hands, they could fully display miraculous effects!

As for the complex Ancient Cloud Script and Primordial Thunder Script, how could they possibly stump an existence on the verge of achieving the status of an Innate Divine Demon!

“Even if I only find a portion of useful ancient techniques, it’s still not a loss!”

He chuckled lightly in his heart. He truly wasn’t at a loss. Heavenly One True Water, such a treasure of heaven and earth, was found everywhere in the Primordial World. On the other hand, the Daoist Canons contained the mysteries of the evolution of ancient Qi Refiner. This was of great significance to him in perfecting his own path to enlightenment.

Whether the subsequent techniques of the Taixiao Lineage could be perfected would probably depend on these authentic Daoist Canons!

A dozen or so Daoist Canons sat on the bookshelf, emitting an aura of ancient simplicity. These dozen or so were the valuable ones Lin Yuan had deliberately selected from among the many.

Lin Yuan stepped forward, picking them up one by one to examine, using his mind to deduce and calculate.

After about half an hour, having formed a rough idea in his mind, his gaze settled on six of the Daoist Canons.

All twelve contained cultivation techniques, but some contained methods for refining calamity-avoiding Magical Artifacts, or simply auxiliary techniques for Primordial Spirit or body refinement cultivation.

However, the six he focused on contained genuine cultivation methods.

He merely glanced over the techniques hidden within four of them, paying them little mind. The remaining two, however, caused Lin Yuan’s gaze to flicker slightly.

One of these two Daoist texts was called the “Nine Heavens Dao Canon,” and the other was called the “Taiyuan Life-God Jade Chapter Scripture Commentary.”

Especially that “Taiyuan Life-God Jade Chapter Scripture Commentary,” which discussed how the Primal Yang One Qi broke through the Four Greats, divided the Three Powers, and established the Dao of Yin and Yang, filled Lin Yuan’s heart with overwhelming joy.