Cultivation: Fortune by Lots-Chapter 606 - 278. The Long-Awaited Down Down Signing (Two-in-One Chapter)
"Yes, Your Majesty."
Even standing before the Empress, Xiao Xueting behaved rather casually, asking with curiosity, "Your Majesty, aren’t the people around Meng from the Mortal Tao Country?"
The Empress resumed reviewing her memorials, speaking offhandedly, "It’s not entirely impossible, trying it now is just as well."
Xiao Xueting assented to the orders.
She then added, "Your Majesty, there’s another matter, but the information hasn’t been verified."
The Empress said, "What is it,"
Xiao Xueting replied, "Chen Yi, the abandoned disciple of the Celestial Master Mansion—there was news that someone had seen him on the coasts of the East Sea, but afterward his whereabouts became unknown."
The Empress said, "No matter, I already know his current location."
Xiao Xueting said, "The Mortal Tao Country’s people are searching for him as well, and he keeps hiding, not only to evade the court and the Celestial Master Mansion’s pursuit, but also to avoid the people of the Mortal Tao Country. His relationship with them doesn’t quite match our previous assumptions."
The Empress said, "Fu Dongsen, Zhou Peng, and the others only saw the surface, so they missed out, and it will take even greater effort to make up for it now."
............
In Imperial Capital Luoyang, after Xiao Chunhui received the Empress’s decree delivered via his younger sister Xiao Xueting, he immediately went to find Meng Shaojie.
"Teacher." Meng Shaojie saluted Xiao Chunhui.
Xiao Chunhui smiled and nodded, "Qingyan, you may rise."
He first inquired about Meng Shaojie’s studies, then went straight to the point, "I have some items here, try passing them on to that mysterious person."
Having done it now a second time, Meng Shaojie had become quite composed in such dealings.
He realized he had become a bridge between Xiao Chunhui and the mysterious master of the Celestial Book’s Dark Universe.
*But this actually made him feel more at ease, handling matters with that enigmatic existence.*
Meng Shaojie accepted a jade disc from Xiao Chunhui, studying it with some curiosity, "Sir, is this also something from the Ancient Talisman Sect?"
Xiao Chunhui nodded, "This artifact is called the Rhymes of the Twenty-Eight Constellations. Her Majesty obtained it by chance and has kept it in the palace treasury. Sealed inside the jade disc are tonal resonances of ancient Taoist talismans, passed down from the Ancient Talisman Sect. It ought to be what the other party needs—submit it, and see what fortune comes."
Meng Shaojie agreed, then, using the Dark Radiance Hidden Star Ji Du, let his spirit immerse into the Celestial Book’s Dark Universe.
He left a message for Lei Jun, hoping for Lei Jun’s reply.
When Lei Jun saw it, he pondered for a moment, then accepted Meng Shaojie’s request.
After both parties agreed on a place, Lei Jun notified Senior Sister Xu Yuanzhen, "Senior Sister, I’m preparing to trade with that young man using the Vast Integrity Cloud Radiance you gave me."
Xu Yuanzhen replied casually, "Do as you wish."
Lei Jun said, "Senior Sister, are you interested in this Rhymes of the Twenty-Eight Constellations?"
Xu Yuanzhen replied, "Not particularly, let’s talk later when you return to the mountain."
She hadn’t planned to return to Dragon Tiger Mountain soon after all, but intended to continue wandering outside for a while.
On one hand, she wanted to search again for traces left by Rong Guangchen; on the other, just as in the past, she preferred to roam wherever she pleased.
*In fact, Xu Yuanzhen was now in the area of Beiguang Mountain, where Rong Guangchen had previously suppressed Wang Xuan.*
Lü Jinduan and other elders of Pure Yang Palace were also there currently, having come again.
Everyone was rather familiar with Xu Yuanzhen’s way of doing things by now, so Lü Jinduan and his fellows only half-acknowledged her wandering around Beiguang Mountain, turning both a blind eye and a seeing one.
Lei Jun, on the other hand, had no intention of showing himself and thus kept well clear of any association with Chen Donglou’s appearance.
After finishing his contact with Xu Yuanzhen, Lei Jun went to the rendezvous place he had arranged with Meng Shaojie.
Considering the recent trouble with Rong Guangchen and the Heavenly Palace Talisman Decree, Lei Jun took even greater precautions this time to cloak his presence, avoiding any entrapment orchestrated by the Tang Imperial Court.
*Although this time, Xiao Chunhui hadn’t pulled any special tricks, so Master Lei’s cautious moves might’ve seemed like shadowboxing with thin air. But Lei Jun stuck to his maxim—there was no harm in being overcautious, and he paid no mind to whatever the other side was up to, focusing solely on not revealing any flaws himself.*
Once the jade disc was in hand, Lei Jun sought out a secluded, secure spot and began to study the mysteries of the Rhymes of the Twenty-Eight Constellations within.
*Behind Meng Shaojie, even up to Empress Zhang Wantong, neither was the type to mess about.*
This Rhymes of the Twenty-Eight Constellations indeed originated from the legacy of the Ancient Talisman Sect.
Lei Jun used the Breathing Soil Banner to seal off an entire mountain area, quietly listening to the turning flow of the tonal harmonies.
At the same time, the Mysterious Void Mirror—another treasure from the Ancient Talisman Sect—hovered over Lei Jun’s head, its bright surface rotating in the air, almost turning into substance itself.
The harmonies, too, seemed to coalesce into something tangible.
The mirror’s glow felt like a cosmos, while the resonances materialized the images of the twenty-eight constellations, their radiance flashing in the void.
Staring at the light of those constellations, Lei Jun recalled the vast Milky Way he had seen back at the Altar of Wanfa Sect, when he dedicated those two lists to the Supreme Heaven.
Comparing and contrasting, a star chart seemed to appear before Lei Jun’s eyes.
The star chart led the way, the void kept shifting, but its ultimate direction stayed hazy for now.
"The Three Constellations, the Twenty-Eight Mansions... Does it mean the star chart is still incomplete?" murmured Lei Jun, lost in thought.
He observed a while longer, comprehending its transformations, memorizing every clue, then let the star chart dissipate.
In the air, only the ancient, grand flow of music now remained.
Lei Jun found another item in his hand.
A white jade board.
This too came from Meng Shaojie—or rather, from the Tang Imperial Family, handed down from the Ancient Talisman Sect.
Lei Jun weighed it in his hand, lost in contemplation for a long time.
After gathering back his wandering thoughts, he gave a wave, and the harmonies ceased.
Lei Jun put away both the jade disc and the tablet together.
Apart from possible secrets relating to the Heavenly Palace, this Rhymes of the Twenty-Eight Constellations—bearing the mysteries of the Ancient Talisman Sect—held many wonders for cultivators of the Talisman Sect in their own practice as well.
