Chapter 213: Finally Here

Since the immortal elder didn't care for money, Master Huang began rummaging through his own storeroom, hesitated among various treasures, and finally gritted his teeth to take out a piece of coral and a box of ginseng to give to Pan Yun.

Pan Yun glanced at it and had Miao Zhen accept it, then said, "Master Huang, go ahead and speak—what do you want?"

Master Huang immediately said, "First, I'd like to ask the immortal elder to step in and adjust the feng shui of my residence, where fortune has overflowed. Can it still be this prosperous and flourishing, yet without the flaw?"

Pan Yun said, "If fortune is too abundant, then press it down a bit—let fortune flow like a gentle stream, steady and long."

The corner of her mouth lifted slightly as she said, "This humble Daoist knows that the greatest wish of ordinary folk is to reach high rank without disaster or hardship."

"Yes, yes, yes," Master Huang nodded repeatedly, "my wish is the same—to gain lasting wealth and status without disaster or hardship."

"The Huang family now has money and land, fortune overflowing, brilliance fully revealed. Though you may prosper for a time and hold power, it will pass quickly. Better to use something to suppress it, let fortune flow like a gentle stream. Though you can't seize power in one stroke like a dazzling prodigy, you can truly gain wealth and status without disaster or hardship."

Master Huang's eyes lit up, and he bowed repeatedly, "Please, immortal elder, step in. May I ask what object should be used to suppress it?"

"Fortune cannot be suppressed by unholy things—one needs a sacred object, willing to stay within the qi vein and leak out slowly like a gentle stream," Pan Yun said. "There is no better sacred object than a lion; it can be of stone, or of bronze."

Pan Yun rose and walked to the main hall's entrance, looked around, then said, "Besides this, I'll adjust the feng shui arrangement of the residence once more, and this tribulation will be resolved."

Master Huang: "That's all?"

Pan Yun glanced at him, smiling half-heartedly, "If Master Huang wants a harder method, that works too. First, you'll need to prepare nine hundred and ninety-nine catties of gold, nine hundred and ninety-nine catties of silver, and nine hundred and ninety-nine catties of bronze."

Miao Zhen said disdainfully, "How could my little martial-uncle be compared to those wandering charlatans in the mortal world? She wouldn't deign to earn your family's paltry money. Your family's feng shui formation is difficult, but my little martial-uncle's cultivation is deep—she'll just spend a bit more spiritual energy."

Master Huang heard this and thanked her repeatedly, not daring to show a hint of doubt, afraid she would really make him prepare nine hundred and ninety-nine catties of gold, silver, and bronze.

Master Huang asked, "Are there any requirements for the stone lions?"

Pan Yun said, "Yes."

She took out a drawing she'd made earlier that morning and handed it to him, smiling lightly, "Just carve according to this. Later I'll perform a ritual and mark out the placement for the stone lions. Once the stone lions are done, place them there. Before that, use two stones to suppress it for now."

Master Huang: "Stones?"

"Right. Go pick out two large stones yourself—stones you can carry yourself—bring them to me to perform the consecration ritual. Tomorrow, choose an auspicious hour to place them in the positions, temporarily standing in for the stone lions," Pan Yun said. "But you'll need to move quickly. Replace them with the stone lions within eighty-one days, or the ritual will have to be done all over again."

Master Huang heard this and immediately said, "I'll have someone go hire craftsmen to carve the stone lions right now!"

Pan Yun simply gave him a list, which included quite a few talisman papers and cinnabar—and the cinnabar was required to be top-grade.

"These are what the ritual needs. Go prepare them. I need them before sunset. I'll draw the talismans tonight; they'll be needed for tomorrow's ritual."

Master Huang hurriedly agreed. Since the steward had gone out to arrange the stone lions, he went to the medicine shop himself to buy cinnabar.

It was only at the medicine shop that he learned just how expensive a single tael of top-grade cinnabar was.

The shopkeeper saw his furrowed brow, his gaze sliding back and forth among several kinds of cinnabar, and asked with a smile, "What does Master Huang need cinnabar for? If it's not urgent, ordinary grade will do."

Master Huang asked, "What if it's for drawing talismans and performing a ritual?"

"Then you can't be careless—the difference in cinnabar matters greatly," the shopkeeper probed, "May I ask what ritual Master Huang is performing?"

Master Huang certainly wouldn't tell him, and said directly, "Just give me the top-grade cinnabar."

The shopkeeper squinted with a smile and asked, "How much?"

Master Huang glanced at the cinnabar in the box, didn't think there was much, so he said, "I'll take it all."

Then the shopkeeper weighed it in front of him, and Master Huang's eyes went wide, "This little bit of cinnabar is actually four taels?"

The shopkeeper laughed, "Cinnabar is heavy—how else would it be called precious? Especially top-grade cinnabar, it's even heavier."

Master Huang said through gritted teeth, "I'll buy it."

The shopkeeper packed the cinnabar in a box and handed it to Master Huang.

Master Huang pulled out silver notes to pay. For just this small box of cinnabar, it cost sixty-eight taels—almost as much as the ginseng he'd given Pan Yun.

Watching him leave, the shopkeeper snorted, "Master Huang has always been stingy. Why didn't he haggle at all today? What happened at their house that they need a ritual?"

"Don't know, haven't heard of anything."

"I know—last night the Huang household was lively. I secretly opened my window for a peek and saw a red sun fall from the sky right into the Huang residence. I reckon the Huang family is about to rise."

"Isn't the Huang family already prosperous enough?"

"Sigh, if they get any richer, the tenant farmers within ten or eight li won't be able to survive."

"The richer they are, the stingier they get. The Huang family is like this, yet still so wealthy—Heaven really has no eyes."

Pan Yun was at this moment standing in the garden, watching Master Huang's eighteen concubines gathered together teasing that fool Huang Cong, and for a moment also felt Heaven had no eyes. She sighed, "How I envy them~~"

Miao Zhen: "……I thought my little martial-uncle would feel Heaven was unjust."

Pan Yun: "Heaven doesn't have a question of just or unjust. Someone like Huang Shijian can run rampant in the world—ultimately it's the fault of the world's laws and the imperial court's officials."

She sighed, "Worldly matters are settled in the world—how can you blame Heaven? Heaven forgive me, this humble Daoist apologizes for the unwholesome thought just now……"

She muttered scriptures under her breath, and after finishing said, "Right, worldly matters should be settled in the world, so no matter what we do, it's all for settling worldly matters."

Miao Zhen: "……Little martial-uncle, I'm a little scared."

Miao He: "Me too. You're about to advance to the First Marquis realm—will the lightning tribulation be too severe?"

Miao Zhen: "So we'd better take it easy. Worldly matters can indeed be settled in the world, but if you go too far, Heaven will strike people down."

Pan Yun glanced at them and said, "What are you thinking? I'm not about to do something like wiping out his whole clan. I'm just going to swindle some money from him and help some people along the way. That's a good deed—how would it bring down lightning?"

Pan Yun not only said this, she did it too—truly setting up an extremely auspicious feng shui formation for the Huang family.

What nonsense about using stone lions to suppress fortune—that was pure fabrication. Stone lions are used to suppress evil and inauspicious qi. The Huang residence's feng shui is good, but not to that extreme.

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But after Pan Yun's enhancement, it was far beyond that—truly excellent.

So excellent that fortune was leaking out.

When Heaven wishes to destroy a man, it first drives him mad!

The corner of Pan Yun's mouth curved slightly. Clutching talisman papers as she moved about, she chanted under her breath—she wanted the Huang family to grow arrogant enough to hasten their own downfall.

When the ritual ended, Master Huang pulled his son Huang Cong forward, placed a large stone in his arms, and he himself carried one too, coaxing him, "Cong'er, come with Daddy. We'll put the big stones in the circle outside the door."

Pan Yun had already stepped out first, and directly formed a hand seal over the formation she'd set up that morning, using primordial energy to draw a circle on the ground with her finger.

Once the circle was complete, golden light rose along the circle, shrouding it like a thin veil.

Master Huang's eyes went wide with astonishment.

Huang Cong's eyes also went wide; he hugged the stone and walked forward dazedly, reaching out to grasp the golden light.

Master Huang startled, quickly rushing forward to grab the stone from him, "Cong'er, Cong'er, your stone isn't placed here—it goes on the right…"

Pan Yun glanced at Huang Cong, finding it difficult to reason with him, so she walked to the other side, her fingertip condensing Nascent Soul energy to draw a circle on the ground.

Another golden circle, golden light, golden mist.

Huang Cong immediately rushed over, hugging the stone, his eyes sparkling, "Beautiful, beautiful…"

Pan Yun waited until he approached, then used her dust whisk to press against the stone in his arms and said to Master Huang, "Master Huang, these two stones must land together. You have half an incense stick left."

Master Huang instantly stepped into the circle, holding the stone; as soon as Pan Yun gave the order, he released it—simultaneously, the dust whisk swept away the stone in Huang Cong's hand, sending it crashing to the ground, then flicked once, sending Huang Cong flying backward…

Master Huang's eyes bulged in terror—he saw his son seemingly caught by a gentle breeze, softly landing on his rear.

Huang Cong felt no pain; he curiously patted his buttocks, then jumped up and clapped his hands, "So fun, so fun! I flew! I want to play again!"

Master Huang exhaled in relief and hurried forward to soothe Huang Cong, "This isn't something to play with. Listen to me—I'll have someone take you back for delicious food, alright?"

"No!" Huang Cong, seeing his father repeatedly refuse him, slowly grew red-eyed, his face darkening with anger as he screamed, "I don't want that! I want to play with what I just played with—I want that!"

He rushed forward to grab the stone again; Master Huang startled and rushed to block him, but Huang Cong shoved him down.

Master Huang panicked, shouting, "Quick, stop him!"

But before the servants could move, Huang Cong had already seized the stone and strained to lift it—yet his face turned crimson, and he couldn't budge it an inch.

The stone he had effortlessly carried and placed now felt as heavy as a thousand jin—he couldn't lift it at all.

Seeing this, Master Huang swiftly glanced at the calm-faced Pan Yun, then rushed forward to pull his son, "Stop this nonsense! If you keep acting up, I won't give you meat anymore!"

At this moment, Master Huang was utterly certain: Pan Yun was a true immortal with real abilities—he would never allow his son to offend her.

So for the first time in front of outsiders, he sternly ordered his servants to bind Huang Cong and take him away.

Huang Cong was dragged off screaming; only then did Master Huang wipe the sweat from his brow and turned to say, "Immortal, I have another request—I beg you to help me, no matter the cost."

Pan Yun thought inwardly: Finally. All the effort I put into rearranging his feng shui and drawing the gravity array wasn't wasted.

Good night, updates resume on the 8th.

(End of Chapter)