Chapter 186: Pure Fortune

Pure Fortune

Ruan Ci remained calm and composed. She called Wang Panpan over, gave a few low-voiced instructions, then rose and boarded her lotus seat. She ordered Sister Li Ji, Sister Mei Ji, and Li Tong to follow at her sides. As she moved forward to accept the homage of those tens of thousands of people, she asked, "Was this city newly built? It looks as though it has been here for quite some years."

With He Tong absent, Sister Li Ji had become the leader by default. She was both respectful and fearful of Ruan Ci, not even daring to guess at her thoughts, and reported everything truthfully: "After we subordinates received the assignment to come here and oversee the spirit jade mining, we each entered into several marriage alliances with colleagues within the Purple Void Heaven..."

Ruan Ci had been busy with cultivation previously and had not seen these few servants for several hundred years; she had mostly only seen He Tong occasionally when he returned to the mountain, and at other times, it was merely to verify the offerings. In truth, the spirit jade collected was just placed in the storehouse, and since precious materials were of no use to her, she had bestowed much of it back to He Tong and the others. Hearing Sister Li Ji speak of this now, she could not help but ask, "Everyone has entered into several marriage alliances?"

Li Tong said, "Exactly. We dare not deceive our Master. After we gradually gained a foothold here in An Guo, we had the various retainers within the Ancestor's Grotto-Heaven above, as well as many managers in Purple Essence Mountain, and below us, the local great clans of An Guo—all people of name and standing with deep foundations. To establish ourselves, we each chose people of suitable age and appearance from these families who were willing to be on good terms with us. Whether by taking them as wives or concubines, we formed some good connections and all have had children. Thanks to our Master's protection, the children have also grown up healthy and strong, many possessing talent, and each has branched out and spread their leaves. Over these four hundred years, we have gradually come to have this many people. This Moon-Gazing City was originally just a small town with no more than a thousand residents. Now, most are connected by blood to us few, and this city is entirely composed of our Master's retainers. It has become a dependent city, just waiting for our Master to come and enlighten the grand array, bestow the array disk, and take in the fortune of this city."

His tone seemed to carry a sense of pride and anticipation, but Ruan Ci felt a wave of dizziness after another. Qin Fengyu laughed, "Junior Martial Uncle, these few servants of yours are truly capable. Once this dependent city is established, even if An Guo is returned to the Sect several hundred years from now, the dependent city will not be taken back. It is equivalent to driving a nail into the Nine Kingdoms. I heard from Master that we in Purple Void Heaven also had many dependent cities in the past, but they gradually declined many years ago because once the karmic cause is severed, it is hard to continue. Those cities have now gradually reverted to the miscellaneous schools. This is the first dependent city of our Purple Void lineage in several thousand years; we should celebrate it properly."

Only then did Ruan Ci understand why Sister Li Ji and the others had arranged such a grand formation; it turned out this was also a great achievement. However, she was constantly calculating in her heart how many marriages were needed to raise so many people, how one would go about having children to achieve this, and whether it would delay her cultivation. She wanted even more to know how these separate marriages were conducted—was it coexistence, or one after another? Although she had long known that the marriages of cultivators were different from those of mortals, seeing this spectacular scene before her eyes still gave her a trace of shock.

Reminded by Qin Fengyu, she smiled and said, "You have truly worked hard."

This sentence came from the bottom of her heart. She paused, but in the end, she could not hold back: "Is there a genealogy? I would like to take a look."

A genealogy naturally existed, but the ritual had been set and could not be left unfinished. Under the protection of the entire city, Ruan Ci received the grand kowtow ceremony. She rose and stepped into the Dao Palace, activated and enlightened the array disk that Sister Li Ji and the others had prepared, and embedded it into the array eye. As the spiritual energy atop the city walls shifted and amidst the cheers and praises of the crowd, she felt a slight tremor in her heart. Within her inner landscape, it seemed as if a concrete, miniature city had appeared, standing in the reflection of her spiritual sense. With a thought, Ruan Ci could roughly sense the spiritual energy, karma, and so on within the city, and could even influence the weather. She secretly thought, "If a single city is like this, the Great Heavens under the protection of the Dao Ancestors are likely much the same."

However, with her current cultivation base, her influence over the residents of this city was not great; it was just that the subjects naturally held some awe for her, making her sensing of them clearer. It was not just her; cultivators of the Purple Void Heaven lineage all possessed some extra pressure. That was why the subjects of Song Guo found it difficult to maintain secrets in their hearts before the cultivators of the three sects. However, that layer of restraint in Song Guo was quite weak; people like Ruan Qian and Ruan Rong could dissolve it after entering the Dao. The restraint here in Ruan Ci's case was much stronger, likely because the subjects of Song Guo were ignorant of the truth and lacked awe for the three sects, so the reflection of human hearts only had a thin layer of restraint. But Moon-Gazing City not only took its name from Moon-Catching Cliff, but its citizens also deeply knew that their future was tied to Ruan Ci, and they were all loyal and devoted, so the karmic connection was much stronger.

Fortune and karma were both dimensions of imaginary numbers, heavily influenced by the hearts of the people. How to use them, Ruan Ci was not yet clear. Karma was fine; it could be utilized by the "Taishang Induction Scripture." This dependent city's fortune was now merely a small stream gathering into her Golden Core, filling this tenth aperture. Looking at it now, there did not seem to be any improvement. She just did not know if this fortune could help Ruan Ci suppress the Dao rhyme of the Green Sword when refining the Donghua Sword.

Because of this benefit, the scene of being worshipped by ten thousand people just now, although she still felt it was awkward, was bearable. Only True Person Wang would not let her off. The Nine Heavens Heart-Linked Pendant transmitted a throb. As soon as Ruan Ci's thoughts gathered there, several teasing chuckles rang in her ears. True Person Wang said, "This scene, I imagine it certainly won't be written in your letters, right?"

In fact, except for that time in Han Yuze, Ruan Ci rarely wrote letters to Purple Void Heaven. Now that she had the Nine Heavens Heart-Linked Pendant and Tianlu was by her side, she was even less likely to write letters. However, she naturally understood True Person Wang's meaning. If this scene happened outside the Sect, where True Person Wang could not see it, she certainly would not mention it to the people in the Sect, just pretending that the one being worshipped was another Ruan Ci.

True Person Wang taking the initiative to transmit a message was rare to begin with. Ever since Ruan Ci, for some reason, had developed a girl's lingering feelings for him, he had been avoiding her. It was rare for him to find her, and it was only to mock her. How could Ruan Ci not lose her temper? But before she could brew a retort that could strike him down while appearing exceptionally witty and clever, the Heart-Linked Pendant throbbed again. True Person Wang had already transmitted his guidance: "This dependent city's fortune has now roughly gathered toward you. You must be careful. Human fortune is inevitably mixed and impure. If you do not distinguish it and blindly refine it, I fear that in the future, the karmic entanglements will be deeper, the disturbances you suffer will be more severe, and it will not be easy to cultivate with a calm heart."

This was originally the best use of the Heart-Linked Pendant, so there was no need to wait until returning to the mountain to ask True Person Wang for advice. Ruan Ci hurriedly focused her mind to listen and asked, "I observe that the living beings in Grotto-Heavens have sparse karmic connections with the outside world. Is it because the karma of all living beings in the Grotto-Heaven must eventually converge on the master of the Grotto-Heaven?"

True Person Wang said, "Yes and no. You could say that."

He then patiently explained to Ruan Ci, "Living beings in a Grotto-Heaven are like your servants. If He Tong were captured by someone, you know that cultivation is urgent, yet you would still spare the time to come and search for him. Why is that? Naturally, it is because if you cannot protect those who work for you, no one will work for you exclusively. Even if you are already a Donghua Sword Envoy and an inner-room disciple of the Shangqing Sect, and the other party is merely a small servant who has just opened their meridians, you still need to follow this fair rule. The thoughts within a person's heart are even less something that power and status can control. No matter what, the human heart is always something that even the Dao Ancestor cannot change. If you want loyalty, you must exchange it with protection."

"The relationship between the living beings in a Grotto-Heaven and the master of the Grotto-Heaven is a miniature reflection of this principle. If a living being causes some trouble outside and the master refuses to protect them, instead treating them as a chess piece to be discarded at will, then in the dark, the living beings will feel a sense of 'the rabbit dying and the fox grieving,' and they will not be willing to flourish and multiply in the Grotto-Heaven. The fortune within the Grotto-Heaven will wither, the spiritual energy will dissipate, and it will invisibly affect the master's own fortune. This is why Grotto-Heaven True Persons, provided they have enough fortune, can open many Grotto-Heavens, but most cultivators are only willing to take care of one or two. Firstly, fortune is limited and needs to be cherished; secondly, if the Grotto-Heaven is not prosperous enough, opening it is useless. Without living beings to stabilize the fortune, the Grotto-Heaven itself is a dead, stagnant space that cannot withstand turmoil. And if there are too many living beings, karma is not easy to gather. Do not look at the fact that a living being only caused a small trouble; karma and fortune push each other, dragging one into a massive dispute, eventually leading to death and dissipation, or being unable to advance any further. Grotto-Heaven True Persons who end up as Dao slaves are not uncommon."

"You and the citizens of the dependent city are the same. If you cannot restrain the karma, then you must refine the fortune, taking only the portion that is rightfully yours. The remaining scattered fortune can just dissipate into the field of influence. Many Grotto-Heaven True Persons do not know how to purify fortune. This is the specialty of the Qingling Sect, and because of this, this sect has always been able to play both sides. Because they truly have unique attainments in the way of fortune, apart from a few dozen sects, there are few Grotto-Heavens that do not need to seek advice from the Qingling Sect."

"If you were a tool cultivator, the Donghua Sword would naturally absorb the fortune and purify it for you at this time. Now, you can only find another way. I intended to find another opportunity, but since you have already arrived at Moon-Gazing City and received the homage of the crowd, I will transmit a scroll of cultivation methods to you. Spend a few days cultivating the introductory layer to purify your own fortune. As for how to maneuver and change later, we shall talk after you draw the sword."

True Person Wang had never asked what Ruan Ci primarily cultivated. However, as her cultivation base advanced, some things were no longer so taboo. He taught Ruan Ci patiently for a long time. Such earnest feelings were something even a mischievous disciple like Ruan Ci could not treat lightly. She studied diligently and wanted to ask True Person Wang how to use induction to find people and if there were any small tricks, but True Person Wang said, "The cultivation method has already been transmitted to you, but it was not my intention for you to cultivate it at this time. Do not ask me a single word."

Having said that, he tapped the jade pendant lightly. A 'ding' sound echoed in Ruan Ci's ears for a long time, actually causing her spiritual sense to have a trace of disturbance and dizziness. Ruan Ci covered her ears and shook her head several times, and also curled her finger to tap the jade pendant several times, but in the end, she did not dare to inject magic power to let the sound transmit back to True Person Wang. She also knew that this was True Person Wang's return gift for her blowing air; if she started the war again, she would be the only one to suffer.

This matter of the dependent city was also a bolt from the blue. Only after hearing True Person Wang's words did she realize that True Person Wang did not intend for this matter to distract her at this time. She nodded and secretly thought, "It is fortunate that my tenth layer of Dao foundation is already complete, otherwise I would have to reach the Grotto-Heaven realm to refine fortune... By that time, how many people would the dependent city have? No, by then, more than a thousand years would have passed, and without a City Master to enlighten the city-protecting grand array, could this dependent city still stand? But He Tong managed this place long before my Dao foundation was complete, this..."

After thinking for a few turns, she did not ponder it in detail and became busy with city affairs again. She selected some disciples with deep aptitude and bestowed upon them the cultivation methods she had obtained while traveling. These methods did not seem very useful to Ruan Ci, but they were very precious to the people in the Nine Kingdoms. Ruan Ci also bestowed precious materials and spirit jade. Although much of it was taken from the offerings, the crowd was still moved to tears. She even found time to take a few looks at the spirit jade mine.

Cultivators spend long periods in seclusion, and once they come out, staying awake without sleep is considered normal. After working like this for several days, the Tiger Servant arrived by carriage and delivered a scroll of cultivation method named "Taishang Scripture of Constant Purity and Tranquility," but only the first volume. Only then did Ruan Ci hand over the miscellaneous affairs to the Tiger Servant and went into seclusion for several days to cultivate the first layer until the method could operate on its own. Only then did she begin to purify her own fortune while finding time to flip through the hundred or so genealogies sent by Sister Li Ji. She picked one at random and laughed, "Let me see how many times Sister Li Ji has been a bride."

With her current spiritual sense, a glance meant she would never forget, and verifying the numbers was a matter of an instant. Ruan Ci flipped through a dozen pages and gasped, "There are actually over a hundred times!"

It just so happened that Dong Shuangcheng also came to look for her to play. Hearing this, she laughed loudly, "Let me see too."

She picked up a book and looked at it for a while, then pursed her lips and said, "It is actually a living history of city-state expansion. Look here, this year there seems to have been a struggle; Sister Li Ji's dozen or so husbands all died in it, and she entered into four more marriage alliances. Judging by their ages, they were all heroes who emerged during the struggle. There are also some who divorced, seemingly because that person's master had severed their Dao and turned to an outer sect, or they joined the sect of another force, or the children of both parties had grown up and no longer needed care. I imagine that this marriage alliance matter is even more casual in the Central Continent, just like forming an alliance. Two people having children together is the benefit brought by the alliance and also a guarantee that the two are of one mind."

Ruan Ci asked, "Is South Zhuzhou really not like this?"

Dong Shuangcheng frowned and said, "Small sect cultivators are probably the same, but the higher the gate and the more prosperous the sect, the more rules there are."

With her nature of valuing propriety and knowing shame, she probably approved more of the high gates of South Zhuzhou. Ruan Ci also smiled and said, "The people of the Central Continent laugh at us as Southern Barbarians, but here it is truly the law of the jungle. Where is there any propriety, righteousness, integrity, and shame?"

Dong Shuangcheng shook her head again and said, "But because of this, South Zhuzhou has no power to parry in front of the Central Continent. Only the wildest rules can raise the wildest cultivators. In spell battles, they are unrestrained and stop at nothing. The reason the Central Continent is so practical is that the environment here is harsh. I went to flip through the city records; for three hundred years, Moon-Gazing City has had major events every ten years, either invasions by other countries or natural and man-made disasters. Your four servants, even with the protection of the sect, can only be so unscrupulous if they want to establish a foothold in this territory surrounded by powerful clans. Everyone is like this, and over time, so-called propriety and righteousness become a joke."

She had traveled through the Central Continent and could be considered knowledgeable. These words were quite insightful, and Ruan Ci agreed very much. However, a thought rose in her heart, and she secretly thought, "Although that is the case, I fear it also has the influence of the Dao Ancestor Dongyang. He is a merchant; everything is most practical, and he likes to find loopholes. Under such an atmosphere, the word 'marriage' has become a tool for forming alliances. It has already exploited loopholes and distorted its original meaning when it was born among mortals. I just don't know if there is a Dao Ancestor for the way of marriage. If there is, I fear they would fight with Dao Ancestor Dongyang. The two of them are enemies of the Great Dao."

As soon as this thought arose, a layer of faint Dao rhyme gathered in her heart. This was the feedback given by the universe naturally as she approached the essence of the Great Dao and stuck close to reality. It seems that in other Great Heavens, cultivators do not abuse marriage like this; this is a phenomenon unique to the Zhou Tian that upholds the Dongyang Great Dao.

This Dao rhyme feedback did not immediately strengthen her magic power, but she felt invisibly benefited. Her spiritual sense was lively, rippling and turning in her inner landscape, and her sensing of the outside world became more and more sensitive. Even when flipping through the genealogies, she could vaguely feel a little karmic connection from the names, and even blurred faces and energy machines appeared. Although these were all cultivators who had opened their meridians or introductory miscellaneous cultivators, it was not easy for someone in the Golden Core stage to have this kind of sensing.

Ruan Ci's heart stirred, thinking that Wang Panpan had transformed into a group of cats and searched inside and outside Moon-Gazing City for more than a month, but still had gained nothing. Although it was also related to the laziness of the cats, it showed that the gloomy energy machine was proficient in concealment techniques. It would be better to take advantage of this moment when her sensing was clear to try to investigate.

For more than a month, Qin Fengyu had used excuses to see the cultivators with some cultivation in the city, probing the bottom, but had not discovered any clues. And Ruan Ci and the other Golden Core cultivators were such behemoths in the field of influence; it could be said that they observed for a thousand miles and examined the finest details. Unless that person's cultivation was above the late-stage Golden Core, it would be difficult to avoid their eyes and ears even if they wanted to escape. It was more likely that they were hiding in the city, waiting for an opportunity. Ruan Ci shuffled the genealogies and ordered Dong Shuangcheng to hang the hundreds of genealogies in the air. She threw a pebble at random, and the pebble knocked down a genealogy. She picked up the genealogy, flipped through it at random, and focused her eyes on a random name in the genealogy. Sure enough, a slight sense of connection related to that gloomy energy machine rose in her heart.

Her heart was slightly happy, and she laughed, "Sure enough!"

Dong Shuangcheng also praised, "Junior Martial Sister Ci's divination technique is truly efficacious."

The two of them did not waste words. Ruan Ci took out the Hengze Mask and put it on her face, transforming into a little girl in colorful clothes who looked very similar to Sister Li Ji and was common in this area. Dong Shuangcheng followed behind her to provide cover. The two of them, one after the other, followed the sensing and searched for it.

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Updated, sorry to keep you all waiting. I'm sending red envelopes to everyone this chapter.

Every update is a bit rushed. Today, I'm recommending a book I think is written very well, "Marrying a Sister." This text is also a 'po' text, but it has written 200,000 words and is basically just running the plot. The plot, in fact, can also be roughly guessed in terms of development routines, but because the writing is good, I still really want to keep reading. I think it's the best one the author has written. Actually, what I want to see is not the 'car' (smut), but the normal plot moving forward. But as it develops, you can expect that the male and female leads don't just have one head; when they fall in love, they think of nothing but affection, without the kind of emotional drama that is completely divorced from real life like in 'car' texts.

This text is quite good. I recommend everyone to take a look. I've been chasing the updates every day recently!

. Thanks to the little angels who cast overlord votes or irrigated nutrient solution for me during the period 2020-12-18 23:11:37~2020-12-20 12:16:42~

Thanks to the little angels who cast landmines: Yan Yan (2), Yu Yu Wan Yao, Wu Mingya, Ye Se Ru Mo, Zou Zou, Jiu Bai Sheng Mie (1).

Thanks to the little angels who irrigated nutrient solution: Chu Huaiyue (70 bottles), IamAileen (50 bottles), Xuduan (47 bottles), pipi2001bj (43 bottles), 3174182, Toscanayan Yangxia (30 bottles), Qiu Shui Tian Yi Se (18 bottles), Bei Dao Guo Hao De Lizhi (17 bottles), Qing Feng Guo Xue (15 bottles), Xi Yue, Taoze Erlihua, Ye Ye Ye Ye, Jili Gulu (10 bottles), aw (6 bottles), Yishengjun Bu Fayiao, Ming Ji, Jing Hai Tian Lan (5 bottles), Lin Xiaotu (3 bottles), Xie Yue Zhishi Bie Buchu Pinglun w, Dandan, Li Li, 18205385, Hanxiao De Liuxing, Mei Ge, allyally (1 bottle).

Thank you very much for your support, I will continue to work hard!