Chapter 23: Being Assigned by Senior Brother

That spendthrift junior sister!

Fighting those shrimp demons with combat power comparable to mortals, she actually managed to use up a full eighty percent of the poison powder I prepared for her.

This amount was enough to incapacitate an army of 100,000 in the mortal world!

Looking at the thirteen nearly empty storage artifacts laid out before him, Li Changshou's brow furrowed into a frown. He let out a low groan, as if brewing a storm.

Lan Ling'e knelt on a cushion before him, two tear stains at the corners of her eyes, hoping her pitiful demeanor would help her escape Senior Brother's righteous judgment.

Li Changshou's mouth twitched. Holding a sachet, he asked, "Did you go to kill a great demon of the East Sea?"

"Well, Senior Brother said... use this if I encountered danger... I was almost chopped by those shrimp soldiers, so I instinctively scattered it!"

Li Changshou's face darkened. "I remember I prepared nine jars of this for you, didn't I?"

"I was almost chopped many times..." Lan Ling'e pursed her lips, on the verge of tears, and explained in a wronged tone, "Senior Brother, don't be angry. I know it takes a lot of effort for you to refine these things, and I didn't mean to waste them."

Seeing his junior sister like this, Li Changshou couldn't truly get angry. He merely sighed, "Effort is a minor matter, but the materials are hard to find. Few people in our Immortal Du Sect refine poison pills, and I've gradually exchanged my monthly allowance for all of these."

"Senior Brother, I did consider that." Lan Ling'e blinked, patted the belt around her slender waist, and took out seven or eight simple storage artifacts. "So I exchanged all the rewards I received this time for poisonous herbs and poisons that can be found within the sect! This was definitely not a loss; I even made a lot of profit!"

Li Changshou was instantly torn between laughter and tears. He gazed into Lan Ling'e's gem-like eyes and saw a hint of... evasion in them.

This little girl...

"Is there anything else you need to tell me? Say it all at once, while I'm still in a relatively good mood."

Lan Ling'e took a deep breath. She suddenly raised her hands, then leaned forward forcefully and bowed her head, her forehead and palms touching the ground simultaneously, her long hair fanned out on either side of her head.

She kowtowed in apology!

She squeezed her eyes shut and blurted out in one breath, "Senior Brother! Ling'e is so sorry! Two martial uncles in the sect were interested in the poison powder you refined. They took several jars of the most potent poison from me! I really didn't know how to refuse. The fact that your poison refining skills are superb has been accidentally exposed by me!"

The room instantly became silent enough to hear a pin drop.

Lan Ling'e's shoulders trembled slightly.

She wasn't afraid of Senior Brother scolding or hitting her; in fact, she almost wished he would hit her to vent his anger. She had been taught by Senior Brother and understood his principles of action. That's why she was so nervous, afraid Senior Brother would 'abandon' her in the future and cut ties with her.

"Why is it so quiet..."

"It's over, it's over! Senior Brother must be completely disappointed in her! Oh, Lan Ling'e, Lan Ling'e, how could you lose your composure the moment you went out? You couldn't resist deliberately showing off in front of others, and as a result, you caught the attention of the sect's elders..."

She probably understood Senior Brother's temperament better than anyone else in the world. He could hide ninety percent of his hundred percent as a trump card, always prioritized being low-key, and absolutely avoided getting involved in any unnecessary karma. The only reason she received Senior Brother's care was purely because she was his only junior sister, with the same master. Otherwise, Senior Brother wouldn't even spare her a glance!

Ling'e said with a sob in her voice, "Senior Brother, you can hit me if you want, just please don't ignore me later... I know I was wrong, and I'll never show off these things again!"

Feeling a large hand reach out from in front of her, Lan Ling'e instinctively squeezed her eyes shut. Since joining the sect, was she about to experience her first physical pain, a severe beating from her Senior Brother? A beating wouldn't be so bad. At least Senior Brother would punish her in this way...

The large hand that had once ruffled her hair came straight down, but instead of striking hard, it turned, pinched her ear, and gently wiggled it.

"Ow, Senior Brother, gently... It hurts so much... my ear is going to fall off..."

"Don't use that tone. If Master hears it, he'll think I did something to you." Li Changshou released her small ear and said calmly, "Get up, it's not a big deal."

Lan Ling'e instantly sat upright, her graceful figure clearly revealed in her sudden movement. She looked at her Senior Brother in front of her, puzzled, and quietly asked, "Senior Brother, aren't you going to hide anymore? Are you going to reveal everything to the sect?"

"Reveal what? What is there to reveal?" Li Changshou was slightly exasperated. "Do you think I don't know your personality? Since I gave you these poison powders for self-defense, I had already anticipated what kind of commotion you would cause. In fact, I deliberately let you reveal these things, and there were several other considerations involved. Come back and sit down. Among the two elders who took the poison powder from you, was one of them Elder Wan Linyun from Pill Cauldron Peak? This elder has an ailment in his left leg, uses a copper-wrapped cane, and appears a bit cold and aloof, but when speaking to others, he always puts on a stiff smile."

He deliberately let her reveal it?

Several considerations?

Lan Ling'e was startled. "Senior Brother, how did you know? There really was such an elder, but didn't you just get back tonight? The first one to ask for the poison powder was Elder Ge, who presided over the cultivation trial. Then, the day before yesterday at noon, the old man with the cane came, gave me many medicinal herbs, and took those... Senior Brother!"

Lan Ling'e quickly realized. She looked into Li Changshou's profound eyes and gritted her teeth, "You planned this all out!"

"Why speak of planning between senior and junior siblings? This is well-intentioned protection. The more you know, the more of a mental burden it becomes." Li Changshou calmly waved his hand and chuckled, "The poison powders I gave you focus on the combination and toxicology of various herbs. There are no highly complex refining techniques involved, so it's fine if they're noticed. The formulas are in the outer hall of the Daoist scripture repository, accessible to disciples from all peaks, and the herbs can be obtained at the Hall of Mundane Affairs. Currently, within the sect, or rather, among the immortal cultivation sects of the Five Continents, most tend to look down upon the word 'poison,' believing it to be a dishonorable method. Those skilled in poison often face ostracism and prejudice. So, even if it's discovered that I can refine poisons and am quite skilled at it, it's no big deal. Not only will it not attract excessive attention from others, but they might even think that a disciple of my ordinary talent has gone astray in his cultivation path."

He paused, a slight, meaningful smile appearing at the corners of Li Changshou's mouth. "Furthermore, some of the peculiar poisons in the powders I gave you come from a poison scripture I copied in the Daoist scripture pavilion, and the author of that scripture is none other than Elder Wan Linyun. He is likely the most senior expert in the Dao of poison within our Immortal Du Sect. If we can use this opportunity to establish a good relationship with this elder, I might receive guidance from him on poison refining in the future."

"Senior Brother," Lan Ling'e complained, clearly displeased, "Are you going to calculate even my actions into your plans! If it's something like this, wouldn't it have been better to just tell me directly? To even scheme against your gentle and cute junior sister, it's simply... too much..."

Li Changshou glanced at her. "Don't change the subject. We're talking about you wasting the poison pills. In any case, you need to suffer a bit, to learn a lesson. Tomorrow, I'll punish you by making you clear and log wood in the back mountain, without using any Daoist spells or spiritual power."

"Logging is logging, what's so great about that?" Lan Ling'e replied submissively, her pretty face clearly showing her acquiescence. She couldn't help but ask again, "What are we clearing the land for?"

"To build a pill and poison refining chamber. This time, by using your hands, I've let the sect's management know that I'm skilled in poison refining. From now on, I can naturally work on these things on our Little Qiong Peak, without having to play hide-and-seek every time."

Having said that, Li Changshou stood up, collected all the medicine pouches from the table, and stretched. "After I finish meditating at noon, I'll go look for a suitable location to build the refining chamber."

"Senior Brother, you're clearly just trying to be lazy! How can you make such a delicate junior sister chop wood!" Lan Ling'e made a face at his back, complaining with a hint of displeasure.

"Here, for you, delicate Qi Refiner." Li Changshou, who had already reached the door, suddenly remembered something. He casually took a jade box from his sleeve and tossed it to his junior sister.

"A gift?" Lan Ling'e instantly forgot her previous gloom and happily hugged the jade box. Just as she was about to open the jade box, she seemed to remember something. She used spiritual power to lift the jade box, moved it a zhang away in mid-air, and then opened it from a distance.

A faint, fresh scent wafted out, as a small white six-petaled flower lay quietly inside the jade box.

"It's just a medicinal herb. I thought it was jewelry or something." Just as Lan Ling'e was about to complain, Li Changshou had already left the room, leaving only his slightly tired voice within the formation: "Next time, put it in warm water before you bathe. It can help expand your meridians, detoxify, nourish your complexion, and make your skin more radiant. See you tomorrow."

"Alright, thank you, Senior Brother, see you tomorrow..."

Phew—

Lan Ling'e let out a long sigh of relief, slumped into her armchair, and then flashed a triumphant smile. She had safely passed the test! Senior Brother still spoiled her, after all. She had thought that after wasting so much poison powder, she would at least get a harsh scolding, but he had only tweaked her ear.

However, regarding this cultivation trial, from beginning to end, she seemed to have been perfectly arranged by Senior Brother. This did make her feel a little displeased. She always felt Senior Brother didn't quite trust her... Never mind. Senior Brother was just like that. He would burn every strand of trimmed hair with true fire until no ash remained, and every nail clipping had to be completely dissolved with poison. He could even tie his 'deliberately drunk' junior sister to the bed with an immortal-binding rope and then tuck her in...

Uh, it seems she accidentally revealed something. Ling'e's pretty face flushed. Last year, that wasn't deliberate drunkenness at all!

...

Back in his straw hut, Li Changshou returned to his bed to meditate, mentally planning the layout of the refining chamber. Previously, he had always used a small portable medicine cauldron for refining poisons, but it no longer met his needs. Furthermore, to refine Immortal Dissolving Pills and even stronger poison pills, he also needed a larger, higher-quality medicine cauldron.

He would first build the refining chamber, then go to the Hall of Mundane Affairs to ask around among the familiar martial uncles and grand-uncles. A good medicine cauldron was something one could only stumble upon; he would have to rely on luck. Ideally, he could find some discarded cauldrons and try to salvage them himself, to see if brute force could work wonders...

He had actually been considering the refining chamber for thirty or forty years, but had always hesitated. Ordinariness was the best camouflage. From the isolation array covering their master and disciple's living quarters, to the array outside his and his junior sister's straw hut, and even the mountains, waters, plants, and trees of Little Qiong Peak, everything was actually quite ordinary, with no unique features. However, building a refining chamber would necessitate him making various arrangements inside and outside the chamber, to prevent others from discovering his 'little tricks' when refining pills and poisons. Li Changshou understood from the very beginning that when his cultivation was just starting, any deliberate disguise could not deceive the observations of powerful cultivators, and would instead attract their extra attention. Being noticed by these powerful cultivators would not necessarily lead to anything good. Not being noticed by them meant bad things beyond his control were less likely to happen—at least the probability of trouble would be much lower.

"The refining chamber shouldn't be too close to the living quarters, in case of any toxic gas leakage..." Li Changshou murmured softly and pulled out a storage artifact from his robes, specifically for books and jade slips. He took out a thick stack of parchment papers. Drawn on them were various array diagrams and architectural blueprints. Each one showed many traces of repeated revisions, and on the oldest parchment papers, the lines were already very faint.