Half a year later, Zhang Jian and his wife received a letter from home in Fengyang County.
Inside the mansion, Zhang Jian was standing by the vegetable field, where the green plants were thriving vigorously.
After nearly a year of experimentation and continual seed selection, he finally managed to improve some of the vegetable seeds.
But as he looked at the letter in front of him, Zhang Jian frowned.
Qi Monyui is critically ill!
In his impression, that grandmother, although not very lucky, was quite vigorous, able to walk around without any signs of declining so quickly.
As a cultivator, he prided himself on not being wrong about this.
"Is it a backlash of destiny?"
Zhang Jian sighed inwardly.
Most likely it was.
He had reminded his grandfather Qi Yi about this matter, but Qi Yi did not adopt his suggestion, valuing more the glory and prestige of the Qi Family and its ties to the imperial family.
Zhang Jian immediately took a step into Qi Yuhua’s boudoir.
Qi Yuhua noticed Zhang Jian’s serious look, and her heart sank slightly. From his solemn expression, she sensed that something was wrong, and upon taking the letter and glancing through it, she was immediately shocked.
"How could this be?"
Zhang Jian remained silent.
After the change in her expression, Qi Yuhua instantly looked at Zhang Jian.
"Husband, your methods are divine. Can you treat the ancestor?!"
Her eyes were filled with hope.
Zhang Jian embraced her thin body, and seeing this, Qi Yuhua knew the answer.
Zhang Jian spoke in a deep voice.
"I reminded Grandfather about this matter. I’m also powerless!"
The Qi Fortune Technique is profound and mysterious, and Zhang Jian had not tried it before.
"And I’m afraid it’s not just the ancestor. Next, other people..."
"Since Sanya became the Empress of the Central Palace, she’s been linked with the Daqian National Fortune, sharing its glory and decline. The Qi Family is so tightly bound to it that there’s no escape!"
Zhang Jian’s expression was solemn, first with the leakage of Dragon Qi from the court, then with the backlash of the Dragon Vein from the former dynasty. Such formidable power was dangerously fierce, even he dared not touch it lightly at this moment.
Now, the only thing he could do was use the Red Dragon Pearl and Qianyuan Golden Tripod to suppress the fortune to protect his own family; for others, there was really no way.
After all, it was not an ordinary backlash of fortune but a backlash from the Dragon Qi of the previous dynasty!
Unless possessing a Magical Treasure for suppressing fortune or a Qi Fortune Technique, there might be some way to avoid accidents; otherwise, it remains...
Upon hearing this, Qi Yuhua’s face turned pale.
She looked at Zhang Jian with sorrowful eyes.
"Husband..."
Seeing the sorrowful expression on Qi Yuhua’s face, Zhang Jian sighed again and said,
"I will try my best, but you must persuade your uncle to give up his official position, stay at home, close the door to guests, and not see anyone, which might preserve safety!"
...
In the fourteenth year of Jingwu, during Mid-Autumn, Zhang Jian and his wife took leave and returned to the Qi Family to mourn and hold ceremonies.
The Qi Family was draped in mourning.
In the ancestral land of the Qi Family, as a small coffin was placed on the ground, Zhang Jian saw beside it, Qi Yi, clad in a crimson and purple robe, looking suddenly aged. He sat silently in front of the grave for a long time.
Qi Yuanwu, Qi Yuansi, Qi Yuansheng, Qi Yuanjia, Qi Yuanxing, and many daughters and sons-in-law, including Zhang Yi and his wife, were also standing nearby.
Zhang Jian was among the crowd. This was the first time since his reincarnation that he bade farewell to a close relative, knowing this would not be the last time.
...
"Ah Yu, is this the backlash of destiny you mentioned..."
Inside the Qi Mansion, both Qi Yuansi and Madam Qi Wan looked somewhat fatigued, especially Qi Yuansi, his eyes reflecting weariness.
Under Zhang Jian’s Spiritual Gaze, wisps of black energy continuously flowed above Qi Yuansi and Madam Qi Wan’s heads, merging into their Life Palace.
Not only a backlash of fortune but also the Evil Power of the Dragon Vein.
Zhang Jian’s eyes revealed a trace of gloom. The Daqian Royal Family surely acted improperly in this matter.
It’s as if they want to hold a grudge with him!
"Husband, what’s wrong?"
Noticing the strangeness in Zhang Jian’s eyes, Qi Yuansi and Madam Qi Wan hadn’t reacted much yet, but Qi Yuhua, being his confidante, couldn’t help but stand up, a hint of concern in her eyes.
Zhang Jian gave Qi Yuhua a reassuring look.
Qi Yuansi and Madam Qi Wan also looked over, to which Zhang Jian responded,
"The backlash of fortune continues, roots planted in Haojing City. It’s difficult to eradicate, and since the foundation of the Qi Mansion was unstable to begin with, resisting it outrightly is certainly not possible. But I could set up a Grand Array to suppress evil and remove calamities, offering temporary protection."
Hearing this, Qi Yuansi smiled bitterly: "It’s fate; originally, I thought when your grandfather sent Sanya to the palace, even if our Qi Mansion couldn’t return to its founding glory, it could at least regain three or four parts of its past influence. Who would have thought such a catastrophe would occur!"
Qi Yuansi felt a bit regretful at this moment.
Qi Yuhua had once warned everyone in a letter, but at that time, everyone’s eyes were filled with wealth and family honor, overlooking the lurking dangers.
According to Zhang Jian, it might be a disaster resulting in extermination.
Zhang Jian was deep in thought when suddenly he noticed chaos outside, with the noisy clamoring of numerous servants.
"What’s the matter!"
Upon witnessing the scene, Qi Yuansi’s face immediately grew displeased.
Shortly after, a servant came to report that when the head of the Fourth House, Qi Yuanjia, was returning home, a strong wind overturned his small boat, throwing everyone into Bai Shui River, and they’ve gone missing!
Upon hearing this, Qi Yuansi’s expression changed, and he rushed out in a hurry.
Madam Qi Wan also stood up at this time.
She mumbled, her expression aghast: "How coincidental is this?"
The ancestral land of the Qi Mansion was on the southern bank of the Bai Shui River, requiring a crossing over Bai Shui River.
Bai Shui River was wide, stretching several miles, typically requiring boats for crossing. The Qi Mansion had large ships, which were not inferior to official vessels; how could they suddenly capsize?
"Could there be some monster causing trouble?"
Zhang Jian frowned. If so, then the Qi Family’s luck had truly plummeted to rock bottom.
Qi Yuhua also looked over.
Zhang Jian comforted her, advising her to stay in the Qi Mansion and not to leave.
"I’ll go take a look!"
His figure transformed into a stream of light and left the Qi Family, reappearing instantly by the Bai Shui River.
He saw that in the depths of Bai Shui, turbulent currents were swirling, and as Zhang Jian’s eyes scanned, he noticed demon qi pervading within.
In his gaze, two dragon shadows were battling fiercely in the water.
"..."
Upon witnessing this scene, a flicker of surprise crossed Zhang Jian’s eyes. One magnificent white flood dragon was naturally Bai Nu, and the other dragon shadow was a coiled dragon with dragon horns, shimmering with purple scales, enveloped in purple clouds, and demon qi surging like torrents. It was extremely fierce, but inferior in both magical power and dao practice compared to the white flood dragon, and soon got suppressed—its tail, body, and claws seized, with its neck in a firm grip.
Two streams of light streaked swiftly, appearing instantly on the water surface, revealing Bai Nu holding a buxom woman cloaked in purple.
"So, Fellow Daoist Zi Ying, will you submit to this lord?"
He laughed heartily and, at that moment, noticed Zhang Jian’s presence on the water surface, his expression slightly surprised, eyes lighting up.
"Ah Yu, you’re back!"
Zhang Jian nodded and immediately pointed at the purple-clad beauty in Bai Nu’s hand, inquiring.
"Father-in-law, what’s this about?"
Bai Nu chuckled: "Recently, a purple-backed coiled dragon emerged from the depths of Bai Shui’s dark river, causing chaos in the water vein, attempting to challenge my divine authority. I spent quite a while blocking it, and today I’ve finally caught this fiend!"
Bai Nu laughed heartily, a glint of pride in his expression.
Listening to Bai Nu’s words, Zhang Jian sighed deeply.