Chapter 185: Younger Female Disciple Can't Do It

Dong!

Was it a trick of the senses? The mountain gate bell Li Changshou heard upon leaving had been urgent, heavy, and full of tension. But returning now to the Immortal Ascension Sect’s mountain gate, the bell's chime was light, almost cheerful, with a hint of melody and a touch of excitement.

In the early morning, a treasure ship docked before the mountain gate. The elders who had remained behind, along with the peak lords and immortal aspirants, had come out to greet it. Qiyuan, the cloudy immortal and lord of Xiaoqiong Peak, and Ling'e, third in seniority on the peak, stood quietly in a corner.

Once the treasure ship settled and its protective arrays were deactivated, the Sect Master and the elders appeared. All the disciples bowed in unison. Immediately, Ling'e spotted her senior disciple brother among the returning disciples. Her heart instantly calmed, and a smile blossomed uncontrollably on her beautiful, delicate face.

Ling'e was about to wave to her senior brother when a "Stability Sutra warning" flickered in her mind. She instantly composed herself, standing obediently and looking up at the sky. Suddenly, a tall wall appeared before her, blocking most of the sky. Before Ling'e could react, a cute girl's face entered her view. *How did a human head grow on this giant rock statue?*

Having been raised by her senior disciple brother, Ling'e had good composure. She instinctively offered a polite smile, not immediately flinching away. Nearby, Li Changshou bowed to old Daoist Qiyuan. "Disciple greets Master."

Old Daoist Qiyuan replied warmly, "Good. Did you gain anything from this trip?"

"Following Master's teachings, this disciple gained much," Li Changshou answered with a light laugh. He then gestured towards Xiong Lingli. "Master, this is my cousin. She's also a registered disciple newly taken in by our Sect Master. I'd like to arrange for her to live and cultivate permanently on our Xiaoqiong Peak."

Old Daoist Qiyuan's spirit was jolted. Looking at Xiong Lingli, he quickly sent a telepathic message to his eldest disciple: "She's the Sect Master's registered disciple! Our peak is poor and bare. Is this appropriate?"

Li Changshou gave his master a reassuring look, as if to say, "I'll handle everything." Old Daoist Qiyuan's doubts vanished. He stepped forward and exchanged a few pleasantries with Xiong Lingli. Xiong Lingli, having been coached by Li Changshou, bowed respectfully and said, "Senior Brother Qiyuan, please take care of me in the future." Old Daoist Qiyuan repeatedly affirmed, "We'll take care of each other."

Ling'e tilted her head slightly. *Senior brother's... cousin? Impossible. If he truly had a cousin, how could she not know? She had even secretly bribed a female elder at the Hall of All Mortals with spirit fish to check on her senior brother's family information...* Immediately, Ling'e's mind conjured up a dramatic scenario. Just then, she overheard Li Changshou gently say to Xiong Lingli: "Cousin, let's talk more when we're back at the peak. I'll arrange your living quarters for you today."

Ling'e's heart felt like a cat had burrowed in, constantly scratching and clawing. She desperately wanted to clarify the matter but didn't dare to ask directly, feeling terribly uncomfortable. Back then, it took her senior brother several days to build her own thatched hut! And now he said he would arrange living quarters for this sudden "cousin" *today*? Could it be... No, impossible! No, wait, with her senior brother, nothing was impossible! Although the possibility was small, she couldn't rule out that there was indeed a "story" between them.

For a moment, Ling'e's mind was a chaotic mess. Ever since the "Hundred Beauties Scroll" incident, she had been unable to fathom what kind of woman her senior brother preferred. In her eyes, her senior brother was the most unique person in the world; all the male Qi Refiners inside and outside the sect combined couldn't compare to even a tiny fraction of his distinctiveness and charm! So, even if her senior brother suddenly brought back a tower-like girl and calmly said to her, "Oh, junior sister, tomorrow I'm formally becoming cultivation partners with her," Ling'e would believe it!

*Could it be that senior brother doesn't like girls who are too innocent, like Senior Sister Youqin? And he doesn't like her, who is "too familiar to make a move on"? But rather, influenced by Master-Uncle Jiu's aesthetic of "size," he's taken a liking to... large-built women?*

"Let's go, let's head back first," Old Daoist Qiyuan said gently, flicking his whisk to conjure a white cloud. The old Daoist, worried his immortal power was impure and the cloud's carrying capacity insufficient, specifically thickened the white cloud by half a *zhang* under Xiong Lingli's feet. Soon, clouds drifted into the mountain gate, heading towards their respective peaks.

Suddenly, Master-Uncle Jiu's shout came from ahead: "Changshou! Ling'e! I'm going to listen to Master's sermon first, then I'll come play with you!"

The immortals of the Immortal Ascension Sect couldn't help but smile. Many disciples, mostly male, cast envious glances at the four from Xiaoqiong Peak. Ling'e, still flustered, managed a strained smile. Li Changshou nodded with a chuckle, accepting his junior master-uncle's invitation.

At that moment, Youqin Xuanya watched the four figures from Xiaoqiong Peak, appearing hesitant to speak. *Never mind. After a few days, when it's deep into the night and quiet, I'll go to Xiaoqiong Peak and apologize to Senior Brother...* She sighed softly, feeling somewhat disheartened, and followed her master, Jiang Jingshan, who had witnessed the entire scene, soaring towards Potian Peak.

As for the extra person on Xiaoqiong Peak, Old Daoist Qiyuan, as the peak lord, had absolutely no objections. Qiyuan simply admonished his two disciples not to be disrespectful to their junior master-uncle, then turned and returned to his own thatched hut, deaf to the outside world, solely focused on dreaming of the Great Dao.

But... Ling'e was panicking a little.

Her senior brother really had built a thatched hut for the new "cousin" within a day—no, to be precise, within an hour! And it was a taller, larger version! Ling'e's absurd suspicion seemed to be constantly confirmed. Moreover, her senior brother had even specifically called her over to watch, directly using his rarely displayed paper-figure transformation ability to have several paper figures work simultaneously! Even more alarmingly, after finishing his cousin's dwelling, he gave her a meaningful look.

At that moment, Ling'e was certain... her senior brother truly liked physically stronger women! Though his taste was so unique and completely unexpected, it also made her feel that *this* was her senior brother! While a bit of disappointment lingered in her heart, it was also quite a subtle feeling.

However, one piece of "bad news" after another arrived. Li Changshou said: "Ling'e, from now on, let Lingli handle the spirit beast enclosure and feeding the fish in the small lake." *What is this?* Ling'e understood perfectly; this was giving away more than half of her authority directly to the "cousin"! As a child, Ling'e had seen too many power struggles in the backyards of wealthy families, where concubines smiled superficially while secretly scheming for power, using all sorts of tricks. She had witnessed it all.

She never thought her own position would be challenged! How could Ling'e possibly surrender like this? She resolved to dress up carefully and brought some cosmetics, intending to give them to Junior Master-Uncle Xiong as a gift and boost her presence.

But as Ling'e approached the newly built hut next door, she overheard her senior brother and Junior Sister Xiong talking: "Senior Cousin, can I only call you Senior Cousin from now on?"

"Yes, in front of others and when we're alone, that's what you'll call me."

"Oh, okay. Lingli will listen to Senior Cousin. Senior Cousin can tell Lingli to do anything!"

A small lightning bolt seemed to strike behind Ling'e, followed by a chill that disturbed her chaotic heartstrings. *Hidden... a hidden relationship... anything she can do...* But she could also do anything for her senior brother! *Why, why does heaven treat me like this? Is it truly because I'm too thin, not strong enough? Does my senior brother only feel secure with women like Junior Master-Uncle Xiong?*

Silently, Ling'e turned and returned to her own thatched hut, taking out an erhu and sighing faintly. She sat by the door, a desolate expression on her face, placed the erhu on her lap, and began to gently draw the bow. *I'll start body cultivation tomorrow. But how can I become like Junior Master-Uncle Xiong?* Although she hadn't even started, Ling'e already knew clearly that this time... she truly couldn't achieve it. The erhu played a mournful, drawn-out tune, and her heart felt as if snowflakes were falling. The cheerful laughter from next door truly echoed the sentiment: "New love thrives, old love sighs. Who hears the weeping of the past? Should I seek clarity or feign ignorance?" Even Xiaoqiong Peak, it seemed, now knew the difference between warmth and cold.

"Why such a sad tune? Don't you want me back?" A soft laugh suddenly came from outside the hut. Li Changshou, having settled Xiong Lingli, approached with his hands behind his back.

"No... I'll change it..." Ling'e responded, lowering her head. She then took out an ocarina, took a soft breath, and played a tune that evoked a sense of desolation across heaven and earth.

Li Changshou smiled without speaking. He sat in his exclusive armchair in Ling'e's room and raised a hand to activate the arrays surrounding her thatched hut. "Have you been diligent in your cultivation during my time away?" he asked.

"Quite diligent," Ling'e sniffed, then bit her lip, forcing a strained smile. "Senior brother..."

Li Changshou calmly stated, "Lingli is not my cousin. She has Wu Tribe blood and is one of my subordinates. You don't need to ask more about other matters; when the time is right, I will let you know a little."

Ling'e tilted her head, blinked, a few question marks seemingly hovering over her forehead. "Subordinate?" she whispered. "Senior brother, are you secretly building a new force behind the sect's back?"

"Don't speak nonsense!" Li Changshou glared at her, scolding her impatiently. Was he building a new force? He was simply forced to operate, compelled to turn the Sea God Sect into his direct subordinate force! "Lingli has Wu Tribe blood and innate divine strength. She likes to eat raw meat, but her self-control is quite good. I'm putting her in charge of the spirit beast enclosure, and I'll raise some fast-growing spirit beasts there so she doesn't have to hunt outside. You can teach her how to sow seeds and grow vegetables later, which will also reduce the consumption of spirit beasts."

Li Changshou thought for a moment, then added, "Also, even if you become familiar with Lingli, always keep a little distance from her. Be careful at all times. When she gets excited sometimes, one slap could seriously injure you."

Ling'e gasped, "That terrifying?"

"She's even more terrifying when she activates her bloodline divine ability," Li Changshou said, deliberately trying to scare Ling'e, then chuckled, "However, when she grows stronger, she can protect you and Master, though that will take a very long time."

*Wait!* Ling'e blinked. *Listening to Senior Brother... Have I misunderstood something again?*

Li Changshou smiled. "What did you think when you saw me building her hut just now?"

Ling'e quickly replied, "No, no thoughts."

Li Changshou narrowed his eyes in a soft smile. From his sleeve, he took out a piece of spirit paper and skillfully cut it into a small paper figure. Then, Li Changshou blew a breath onto the paper figure and tossed it out. The paper figure did a somersault in the air, landed in front of Ling'e, and transformed into a tiny boy. This paper boy assumed a horse stance, constantly shouting "Ha! Hey! Ha!" and throwing straight punches with his small hands. Ling'e immediately watched in admiration.

Li Changshou chuckled, "What do you think?"

"Senior brother, this is so much fun!"

*Fun?* This was a primary divine ability used for assassination and complete disposal!

"Come here. Today, I'll teach you the art of paper-figure transformation. Then you can... form a paper-figure orchestra or something." He had originally intended to give her more fighting skills, but then thought that if Ling'e ever needed to fight, this little divine ability wouldn't make much difference anyway.

"Teach... me?" Ling'e asked, astonished.

"Otherwise, who else would I teach?" Li Changshou's eyes crinkled in a smile. "Do you think I'll take on a disciple in the future, or that Master will bring back another junior brother or sister?"

Ling'e was startled at first, then smiled joyfully. She took two steps forward, hands behind her back, stopping before the table and chairs. "Senior brother, you said it! I want to be the only junior sister!"

Li Changshou smiled without a word, gesturing for her to come closer.

He retrieved some spare paper and began by explaining the basic principles of the divine ability, followed by the methods for cutting paper figures, imbuing them with magical power, and also taught basic multi-tasking training methods. Of course, how to select and collect sap from spirit trees was also an essential step.

Sunlight streamed through the window into the room. The young Daoist, seated in his armchair, explained the wondrous techniques patiently and continuously. The beautiful young girl in a silk dress sat in an armchair on the other side of the table. She leaned sideways, propping her graceful arm on the table, chin in hand. At times, she listened intently; at others, her mind subtly wandered, unable to resist gazing at her senior brother's face from up close. He always noticed, flicking her forehead a few times.

Li Changshou said sternly, "Listen carefully. If you don't learn it within three days, I'll make you copy the 'Stability Sutra' and the 'Taiqing Enlightenment Sutra' a thousand times each!" Ling'e shivered, quickly composed herself, and listened attentively. The Stability Sutra was one thing, but the Enlightenment Sutra was a true Human Sect Daoist scripture, tens of thousands of characters long.

Meanwhile, at Jin'ao Island, a renowned Jie School dojo located at the intersection of the South and East Seas:

Ao Yi, who was preparing for his grand wedding and accompanying his fiancée, rushed back to the island, escorted by Dragon Clan experts. He couldn't delay a moment when his Master, Great Immortal Wuyun, summoned him. However, to Ao Yi's surprise, upon his arrival at Jin'ao Island, he was enveloped by a beam of golden light. Before he could react, Ao Yi was swept away by this golden light and deposited into a hidden cave dwelling. Fortunately, he recognized it as his Master's cave. Before he could clearly see the two figures seated before him, Ao Yi heard his Master's gentle voice: "Disciple, I recall you are seemingly the Second Cult Master of the Sea God Sect in the South Sea?"