Chapter 176: Yin and Yang Also Mistaken

The Grandmaster had Matchmaker deliver two divine abilities: "Sow Beans, Raise Soldiers" and "Cloud-Condensed Strongmen." This made Li Changshou keenly aware of the direction his future training would focus on.

One person forming... a fighting force for the Human Dao's grand army in the Primordial Era?

This...

However, any original divine ability, if one wished to significantly alter it, would require a vast amount of time, effort, inspiration, and ideas.

Li Changshou hadn't had a chance to open these two divine ability scrolls yet, nor was he sure if they would be useful in the future.

In any case, he couldn't let the Grandmaster's painstaking efforts go to waste. He would return and study them thoroughly, at least mastering the original versions.

At the Sea God Temple, Li Changshou, using the paper effigy disguised as an old immortal, had already finished writing the second memorial.

Afterwards, he summoned two divine envoys from Xiong Village, who brought two half-witch bear-humans, and headed to a secluded village.

Since the Heavenly Court's decree hadn't been issued yet, Li Changshou couldn't set up a Jade Emperor shrine in the Sea God Temple. So he found a fishing village to serve as a "pilot site," allowing the villagers to worship the Sea God while also offering incense to "the man behind the Sea God"—the Jade Emperor.

As of today, the Jade Emperor's shrine here had received a considerable amount of incense, which should be enough to elicit a faint response from His Majesty, the Jade Emperor.

Li Changshou entered a secret room, set up a barrier, lit three incense sticks before the Jade Emperor's spirit tablet, and performed a deep bow, saying:

"This humble deity has an important matter to report to His Majesty, the Jade Emperor."

The gilded, jade-inlaid tablet emitted faint fluctuations of Dao charm, clearly responding to Li Changshou.

In less than an hour, Duke Dongmu rushed from the Heavenly Court and met Li Changshou at the Sea God Temple.

Li Changshou specifically paid attention to Duke Dongmu's spirits and vitality, finding that they had returned to normal.

Although being maliciously framed was a novel and frustrating experience for cultivators in the Primordial Era, Duke Dongmu hadn't lost anything before; he had merely been pranked. Once his anger subsided, he was fine.

Ultimately, being framed in the Primordial Era simply meant one's divine abilities and skills were inferior to others.

After exchanging a few pleasantries, Li Changshou handed the second memorial to Duke Dongmu.

Duke Dongmu dared not delay and was about to return to report, but Li Changshou called out, "Duke Dongmu, wait."

"Oh, what is it?"

Duke Dongmu turned back, a solemn expression on his face, looking at the kind-faced, white-haired, slender old man before him.

At this moment, with Duke Dongmu's discernment and cultivation, he was somewhat unable to distinguish whether this was the Sea God's avatar or his true form.

Duke Dongmu said earnestly, "Does the Sea God have any other instructions?"

"Is Duke Dongmu familiar with the Matchmaker from the Matchmaker's Palace?"

"Of course," Duke Dongmu chuckled, "It was thanks to the Matchmaker's help that this humble Daoist achieved a beautiful union. Now, my wife and I live in harmonious respect."

Li Changshou mused for a moment, then said, "Later, if His Majesty issues a decree to the Matchmaker, please remind him of four points, Duke Dongmu. I originally wanted to write these four points in the memorial, but then I thought such a minor matter, which is merely about our conduct as officials, would seem like showing off if presented to His Majesty."

"Oh?" Duke Dongmu said, "Please elaborate, fellow Daoist."

Li Changshou instructed, "Should the Matchmaker represent the Heavenly Court on an outing, he must always remember—

Do not determine rank by cultivation level, nor seniority by lifespan.

His words and actions represent His Majesty's dignity. In all matters, he should make no promises and act prudently."

Duke Dongmu pondered slightly upon hearing this, understanding the core meaning. He bowed to Li Changshou and sighed:

"The Sea God's admonition is not just for the Matchmaker; this humble Daoist has also learned a valuable lesson."

Li Changshou smiled and said nothing more.

Such a subtle misunderstanding, which could earn him a favor from Duke Dongmu, was fine if left uncorrected.

Although the content of this memorial was simple, it was much harder to write than the previous one.

Firstly, Li Changshou worried that the Jade Emperor might find it overly ostentatious, as if the Heavenly Court was intentionally fawning over the Dragon race, which might secretly displease him.

Secondly, he feared the Jade Emperor might overdo it, showing too much favor to the Dragon race, which could make it difficult for the Dragon race to develop a sense of awe and respect for the Heavenly Court later on.

Furthermore, he couldn't directly tell the Jade Emperor what to do; he could only present suggestions in the memorial, as any final decision rested with the Jade Emperor.

Therefore, Li Changshou carefully deliberated over the wording, revising it more than ten times before feeling it was satisfactory.

As for the effect, he could only wait and see, and incidentally, provide "user feedback" when Duke Dongmu returned.

Just after seeing off Duke Dongmu, Li Changshou's true form heard a hushed voice.

His immortal sense had naturally detected Youqin Xuanya approaching him earlier.

"Martial Aunt Xiong, has Senior Brother Changshou been cultivating this whole time?"

Outside the immortal power barrier set up by Martial Uncle Jiuwu, Youqin Xuanya quietly asked.

Xiong Lingli's petite head, which looked like it was placed on an oversized human stone sculpture, nodded gently. She also lowered her voice, replying in a whisper:

"My cousin went out for a bit earlier, helped me hunt some wild game to eat, and then gained many insights, so he's been cultivating ever since."

Youqin Xuanya, gazing at Li Changshou through the shimmering barrier, merely sighed softly and turned to leave.

Xiong Lingli suddenly whispered, "Big Sister..."

Youqin Xuanya paused, turned her head, and reminded her, "Martial Aunt, you should address Xuanya as Martial Niece, or simply by her name."

"I'm just a nominal disciple," Xiong Lingli blinked, asking softly, "Do you... like my cousin?"

Instantly, ears perked up all around, and waves of immortal and spiritual senses spread over.

The Immortal Sect of Human Dao, possessing profound Yin-Yang methods, excelled at gossip.

However, what slightly surprised the enthusiastic onlookers from the Immortal Ascension Sect and two nearby immortal sects was that Youqin Xuanya's expression remained as usual, maintaining her aura as an ice beauty without any hint of panic.

Youqin Xuanya said, "If Martial Aunt is asking about a Dao Companion, Xuanya does not yet have such thoughts. Xuanya greatly respects and admires Senior Brother Changshou, taking his character as a role model, and wishes to seek the immortal path alongside him."

Li Changshou: ...

Character?

*Gasp*

How could there be similarities in character?

Xiong Lingli blinked, a little confused, and just as she was about to weakly nod, she suddenly heard the Sea God's voice transmitting in her mind.

So, Xiong Lingli whispered:

"But... Miss, if you act like this, it's easy for people to misunderstand that you have 'those kinds' of feelings for my cousin."

Youqin Xuanya calmly replied, "Xuanya does not care about others' opinions."

Xiong Lingli shrunk her neck, and following the words she heard in her mind, whispered:

"But my cousin might be slightly troubled by this... Oh."

Youqin Xuanya paused slightly, turning to gaze at Li Changshou's meditating figure a few steps away.

Li Changshou secretly continued to transmit his voice, and Xiong Lingli continued to speak in a weak voice:

"My cousin's... Auntie Er next door said that when making friends, you have to respect and understand each other, and consider each other's circumstances, to be true friends. Miss, you are carefree and frank, and you value expressing your true feelings, which is good. But you should also pay attention to whether your actions might have an adverse effect on the person you are expressing yourself to. Only caring about your own peace of mind, without considering whether others are under pressure because of it... This, isn't it a bit too much... self-absorbed?"

Youqin Xuanya froze completely, her delicate brows slightly furrowed, standing still and motionless.

Many young cultivators nearby were somewhat puzzled.

Some young cultivators felt that a female disciple like Youqin Xuanya, who possessed both beauty and elegance and had a smooth path to immortality, actively showing favor to a male disciple meant that the male disciple was incredibly fortunate.

However, many cultivators who had practiced for over a thousand years fell into thought upon hearing this, feeling that the words spoken by this "iron tower" girl held a different kind of wisdom.

Many elders of the Carefree Immortal Sect frowned, feeling that this bear girl had been deliberately acting against them when she was in their sect previously!

"Xuanya is a bit confused..."

Youqin Xuanya said softly, bowing to Xiong Lingli, "Thank you, Martial Aunt, for your teachings. Xuanya will carefully ponder your words."

Xiong Lingli quickly stood up.

Because her Sea God Lord didn't continue transmitting his voice at that moment, she dared not say more, merely performing a grand and imposing Daoist bow.

Youqin Xuanya turned around, returned to her meditation mat, placed her greatsword horizontally in front of her, and fell into thought.

Meanwhile, Li Changshou, who was pretending to cultivate, let out a soft sigh of relief inwardly.

Thankfully, this time his "toxic junior sister" didn't say she understood.

Li Changshou's immortal sense swept over Jiu Jiu, who was meditating with closed eyes nearby. He felt a surge of confusion, wondering why Martial Aunt Jiu had not come to find him recently.

This meant the pile of "Martial Aunt Jiu exclusive trinkets" he had prepared had no use whatsoever.

Upon closer inspection, he found that Jiu Jiu had actually fallen asleep.

She had set up a small immortal power barrier outside her mouth and nose to prevent her soft snores from escaping.

Not only that, Jiu Jiu had also used an immortal rope artifact to tie her hands, to prevent activating her passive skill of "undergarments mysteriously disappearing after falling asleep."

Two words—professional!

Xiong Lingli sighed, sat back on her mattress-sized meditation mat, and stared blankly at Youqin Xuanya's back for a moment.

It seemed that this beautiful "Big Sister" was not the Sea God Consort favored by the Sea God Lord.

At the boundary between the South Sea and the East Sea, a graceful figure flew through the air on a cloud, drifting with the wind.

Sitting on the cloud was Hanzhi, a cultivator from Jin'ao Island.

A moment ago, Hanzhi had incidentally overheard Ao Yi, who had returned to Jin'ao Island, along with several martial uncles and grand-uncles, discussing a newly formed Dao companion pair.

Having previously explicitly rejected Ao Yi, she felt an inexplicable sense of loss within her heart. So, she decided to go out for a walk to lift her spirits.

It was good that Martial Uncle Ao Yi had found a beloved Dao companion...

But why...

"Sigh, I won't think about it anymore."

Hanzhi let out a soft breath, gazing at the boundless, vast expanse of misty waves, and looking towards the soft, fluffy white clouds on the horizon.

Just as she was about to find an uninhabited island to meditate and rest, she suddenly heard a clear greeting.

"Fellow Daoist, are you a member of my Jie School?"

Hanzhi looked in the direction of the voice, only to see a white cloud high in the sky, with a figure whose face and build were indistinct standing upon it.

Knowing this was an expert from her sect, Hanzhi immediately rose from her cloud and bowed respectfully towards the sky, "This disciple cultivates on Jin'ao Island."

"Heh, it's you then!"

Silver-bell-like laughter came from the cloud. Before Hanzhi could react, light and shadow swirled around her, and she was lifted into the high sky.

At this point, Hanzhi also saw the expert's face. After careful identification, she exclaimed softly:

"Grand-Martial Aunt Qiongxiao!"

"Hmm? You know me?"

Qiongxiao blinked gently, "No matter, come with me. I need you to do something. If you do it well, I will reward you."

"This disciple obeys," Hanzhi quickly lowered her head and replied, bracing herself as Qiongxiao swiftly took her flying westward.

A moment later, Qiongxiao brought Hanzhi down onto a deserted island, where they met up with... Zhao Gongming, who was hiding in a corner.

Qiongxiao whispered:

"Big Brother, I've found a helper! She's one of our own, trustworthy!"

Hanzhi quickly said, "This disciple greets Grand-Martial Uncle."

"Shh!"

Zhao Gongming made a shushing gesture. Hanzhi immediately pressed her lips together, her eyes filled with nervousness.

Qiongxiao whispered, "Has that woman left?"

"Still hiding there," Zhao Gongming took out a treasure mirror, raised his hand, and tapped the mirror. Gradually, the scene of a certain island thousands of miles away appeared within it.

This island had a hidden barrier, which was no problem for Zhao Gongming to see through with his abilities.

The treasure mirror showed a seductive woman in a red gauze dress meditating with closed eyes in a corner formed by several reefs.

Zhao Gongming frowned:

"I secretly made a few more deductions, only figuring out that she's connected to the West, but I know nothing about her origins. Third Sister, should we try someone else for the 'accident'?"

Qiongxiao pouted and snorted:

"It has to be her! She clearly looks like some ancient or archaic creature that has taken human form, and she's made herself so alluring—what's she up to? Big Brother, look at her clothes! What kind of attire is that? Hmph, if you're going to be indecent, don't go out. If you're going for artistic flair, don't cover up!"

Master Zhao immediately gave a wry smile, while Qiongxiao had already begun to pull Hanzhi aside and explain what Hanzhi needed to do later.

Such and such, this and that.

Hanzhi quickly had an epiphany and whispered:

"So, Grand-Martial Uncle Zhao will first bump into the other person, then fall to the ground. Then Grand-Martial Aunt Qiongxiao, you'll go over and say how severely Grand-Martial Uncle Zhao is injured. Then I, this disciple, will pretend to pass by and tell that person—'Fellow Daoist, from what I see, it's best to settle this privately with them. Making a big fuss won't benefit anyone'?"

"Clever, you catch on quickly."

Qiongxiao, arms crossed, smiled with narrowed eyes. "Remember to pay attention to your expression and tone. You must speak in a way that makes the other party believe you are considering their interests."

Hanzhi's face turned solemn as she bowed her head and accepted the command:

"This disciple will certainly not disappoint the two Grand-Martial Uncles!"