Chapter 61: Little Qiong Peak

Ling'e's recent mishap will undoubtedly diminish her luck. Grounding her for twenty years, preventing further trouble, should help her recover some of it. In the pill room, Li Changshou sat in his rocking chair, his eyes slightly narrowed, lost in thought.

This matter wasn't directly his concern as an elder brother, nor did he need to handle the aftermath. It was just Ling'e's character... Perhaps he and his master had spoiled her too much. It was time to arrange for her to undergo some tempering. As her elder brother, no matter how many times he repeated the phrase 'the world is perilous,' it wouldn't be as effective as her experiencing it firsthand.

As he thought this, Li Changshou gently tapped the armrest of his rocking chair. He heard the rustling of leaves nearby and the hollow whispers of the wind in the distance. Suddenly, a touch of poetic inspiration struck him, and he uttered, “So poor.”

Alternatively, should he nurture his junior sister in virtue, intellect, physical prowess, and artistic talents, then have her 'accidentally' encounter a wealthy family from the primordial era to marry into, collect a dowry, and then secretly pocket the sect's wedding gifts? Just kidding, just kidding. He was simply annoyed by his junior sister; he wouldn't actually abandon her.

He had already become an immortal and experienced an ascension. It was time to limit his junior sister's knowledge of his true abilities. To outsiders, he was an excellent disciple at the fourth stage of the Void Return realm. To Jiu Wu, he should appear as an immortal seedling at the seventh or eighth stage of the Void Return realm. To his junior sister, he should appear as a Yuan Immortal... That was enough.

A secret known only to oneself is a true secret. If one more person knows, it should be called 'information'.

After sitting idly for half a day, his immortal sense detected Ling'e continuously copying scriptures under a tree, and Li Changshou's anger had subsided considerably.

The rumor Ling'e had told him about their master... If true, then this incident with Wang, Liu, and Liu was strikingly similar to his master's experience eight or nine hundred years ago, but with entirely different outcomes.

Back then, Master... had his love stolen. Master's rival had shattered his Dao foundation, intending to cripple him completely. Yet, the sect's punishment was merely a century of silent contemplation for that person. Moreover, during that century of contemplation, the rival successfully underwent tribulation and became an immortal. Currently, this was all the information he had.

As it was a disgraceful matter, it had been suppressed, and for nearly nine hundred years, no one had mentioned it again...

At Little Qiong Peak, up to their master's generation, there were actually two disciples. Master also had an elder sister, meaning Li Changshou and Lan Ling'e should have had a martial aunt. Qi Yuan and his elder martial sister, Li Changshou's martial aunt, were also childhood sweethearts. However, before Master was ambushed, this martial aunt had already left the sect, claiming to search for their grandmaster. But just like their grandmaster, she never returned... He didn't know what had happened.

Speaking of which, was it truly okay for a dignified Daoist lineage of the Human School to have such a disorderly sect tradition? Was the Immortal Du Sect being deliberately tampered with? Could it be that someone had manipulated the Matchmaker God, who was still not highly regarded in the Heavenly Court, to randomly entangle a bunch of red threads around the disciples of the Human School?

The Three Daoist Sects, upon closer analysis, each had their 'shortcomings'. Most immortals of the Chan School were skilled strategists, making them seem rather calculating. The Jie School was a mixed bag, its rules not strict, giving an impression of a motley crew. However, the Human School, which was supposed to be carefree, unconstrained, and detached from karma, had few Dao paths to begin with, yet it was as if they had been cursed, heavily promoting the trend of cultivation partners within the sect!

If the sect had cultivation techniques like the 'Yin-Yang Heaven Derivation Art,' 'Confluence Heart Integration Skill,' 'Fierce Wolf-Tiger Zen,' or 'Singlehood Is Too Hard Curse,' then it would be understandable. But for the Immortal Du Sect, with the 'Scripture of Non-Action' as its core Daoist inheritance, such a trend... Shouldn't the normal sect tradition be that most qi refiners cultivate peacefully on their respective peaks, avoiding all karma, and even finding sect management bothersome?

“If there’s an opportunity, I should investigate those Human School Immortal Sects in Central Divine Continent to see if they are similar,” Li Changshou mumbled to himself, taking note of this matter.

Of course, he couldn't manage too many others; it was already quite good if he could look after himself and avoid such troubles.

Master's matter still required long-term planning, but now with clues, he wouldn't have to grope in the dark, relying solely on guesswork, as he did before.

If Master truly had such a mortal enemy, then as a disciple, he would have to plan meticulously. Avoiding karma wasn't the same as fearing karma. Li Changshou had been planning this matter for many years.

A thousand years ago, the opponent's cultivation was similar to Master's. And he had once heard that among Master's generation, Martial Aunt Jiu Jiu had the best aptitude... For now, he would treat Master's enemy as a late-stage True Immortal. If the opponent had concealed their cultivation, he would consider them a Heavenly Immortal.

Now, if he could acquire potent poisonous herbs, he could concoct some pills capable of poisoning Heavenly Immortals... In the future, he would prepare a 'billion' of these pills and poisonous powders for Master's self-defense. When the time was right, he would let Master deliberately act a bit more active. If the opponent couldn't resist attacking Master again, then Master could counterattack, which would also provide an explanation to the sect...

He also needed to consider which peak within the sect the opponent belonged to, and how to deal with the aftermath. His advantage lay in 'operating in the dark'; the opponent likely looked down on their Little Qiong Peak anyway.

As for how far he would go, it would entirely depend on Master's wishes. If Master desired revenge for that year, as the eldest disciple, he would secretly assist with all his might. If Master did not wish for revenge, then he would simply fulfill his duties as a disciple by ruining the opponent's cultivation foundation.

The opponent had already achieved the Heavenly Immortal Dao, while his master could only be a Turbid Immortal from now on. Calculating carefully, Master still suffered a loss. After all, they also lost a martial aunt...

Li Changshou didn't want to avoid this karma, and he was willing to expose some of his trump cards for it. If he didn't act, then so be it. But once he acted, he would ensure the opponent couldn't retaliate.

He closed his eyes and continued to ponder and plan. Gradually, layers of formations outside the pill room quietly activated, and Little Qiong Peak, which had been silent for over three years, began to gather vital energy once more...

After Ling'e copied the 'Scripture of Stability' three hundred times, she went to Little Spirit Peak to apologize to Liu Yan'er and ask for forgiveness. When Ling'e returned to the pill room, Li Changshou lectured her a few more times, gave her the second version of the 'Turtle Breath Calming Qi Art,' and explained two days' worth of cultivation lessons to her, officially beginning her twenty-year punishment of not being allowed to leave Little Qiong Peak.

“I hope you learn from this incident.”

“I understand, Senior Brother,” Ling'e said, biting her lip. “I'll copy the scripture every day from now on.”

Li Changshou handed her a treasure pouch and sighed, “It's not that I, your elder brother, am being strict with you, but rather that you've grown up within the sect since childhood, and in your youth, you were raised in a family of worldly nobility. You truly don't know the hardships of the world. Take my recent outing, for instance. I... never mind.”

“Hmm?” Ling'e blinked, a hint of curiosity in her eyes. “What's wrong, Senior Brother?”

Li Changshou stood with his hands behind his back, subtly tilting his head back, and let out a wry smile. “Go back and cultivate... Ling'e?”

“Here!”

“Focus on your cultivation; don't think about other things. You must strive to reach the fifth stage of the Dao Return Realm before the next Mountain Opening Ceremony. That way, the sect will take you seriously.”

Li Changshou rubbed his forehead and sighed softly, “This way, if I disappear one day, the sect will still look after your cultivation.”

Ling'e quietly asked, “Senior Brother, are you... running away?”

“Running away from what? Go back and rest; I'm about to start refining pills.”

Li Changshou chuckled softly, leaving Ling'e somewhat bewildered. As she left the pill room, Ling'e tilted her head, thinking for a moment, then turned back to look at the pill room... She felt her senior brother was acting a bit strange.

In the pill room, Li Changshou skillfully opened the furnace to refine pills. He was making 'Clear-Turbid' immortal pills for his master, and since the ingredients weren't toxic, he didn't need to wear a safety suit. Once the furnace fire stabilized, Li Changshou began to ponder another major matter: acquiring wealth.

“Little Qiong Peak, Little Qiong Peak, it truly makes the juniors go mad with poverty.” He needed a large amount of precious materials and spirit stones; otherwise, he would be constrained in everything he did. He wasn't looking to make a sudden fortune, but rather to establish a stable source of 'wealth' beyond the monthly allowance for disciples.

Lurking in the mountains... cough, staying steady in the mountains had one major benefit: safety. However, a drawback was the inability to acquire precious materials and spirit stones.

Could those statues on the South Sea coast be secretly swapped and turned into incense merit harvesting machines, then sold to the Western Sect? Forget it; doing that would be practically inviting death. It would be best to avoid the South Sea for this lifetime.

How to acquire wealth?

‘Currently, the most beneficial things for me are: first, entering the Daoist Scripture Pavilion's inner chamber, which only immortals within the sect can enter—this is difficult to achieve. Second, doing some outsourced pill refining for the sect, thereby earning some extra income. By leveraging the pill formation rate, I can accumulate medicinal herbs, which would be a considerable gain over time.’

He wouldn't need to go into prolonged seclusion for the next few decades. Although he had absorbed the insights from his ascension, he hadn't fully digested them yet, so spending a few hours daily on pill refining wouldn't be a problem.

As for outsourcing pill refining, he could register at the Myriad Affairs Hall to receive assigned tasks from the sect, and people from various peaks already did this...

However, this matter required careful planning with his master. Alone, he couldn't take on 'immortal pill' orders. Why not choose Martial Aunt Jiu Jiu as a collaborator? It wasn't that he didn't trust Martial Aunt Jiu Jiu. She was currently in seclusion, and she herself didn't understand pill refining. Furthermore, her high renown within the sect made her more likely to draw suspicion.

Moreover, having Master become more active could also lure out the enemy from back then, killing several birds with one stone.

Li Changshou stroked his chin, pondering for a moment. Seeing that the furnace fire was somewhat unstable, he casually flicked a wisp of True Flame towards it. But his movement suddenly froze. Did he just... use his true Three Pure True Flame?

Crack, crack... Bang! The pill room shook violently, and the roof was instantly blown off!

A moment later, Li Changshou, his face covered in soot, opened his mouth, speechless and bitter at heart. Looking at the pile of iron scrap before him, resembling an exploding lotus, he thought of how much effort he had put into repairing that pill furnace... Heh, heh...

Indeed, making a fortune through incense trade with the Western Sect would be faster... We solemnly promise, we do not produce incense; we are merely carriers of incense...

“Truly Little Qiong Peak, now even poorer.” Li Changshou chuckled at himself, shaking his head with a smile, and stood up to begin clearing away the ruined pill furnace.

Fortunately, it was only a wisp of Three Pure True Flame. If he had thrown in a whole ball, the pill room could have been demolished on the spot and rebuilt tomorrow.

***

Where the nine heavens’ ethereal clouds faded, immortal islands connected the clouds, encircling a sea of stars.

The Heavenly Court, recently established in the Primordial World, floated directly above the Central Divine Continent, suppressing the destiny of the entire Primordial World. At this time, the Heavenly Court still seemed somewhat deserted. The five Heavenly Gates leading to the Five Continents each had soldiers guarding them, but within the Heavenly Court, throughout the nine layers of heaven, there were desolate and empty treasuries everywhere.

Had the Grand Pure Saint not immediately created a manifestation as Grand Supreme Elder Lord upon the Heavenly Court's establishment, thereby protecting it and supporting the Jade Emperor... perhaps this vast Heavenly Court would have already been occupied by the ambitious old demons of the demon race.

The Heavenly Court revered the Daoist sects. The Ninth Heaven was the reserved Dao field for the Three Pure Ones. Within it, immortal light shimmered, yet there was only a small Daoist temple, which was the daily cultivation place of the Grand Pure Saint, Laozi.

The Lingxiao Palace was in the Eighth Heaven, magnificent and glorious, yet it held little presence in the Primordial World at this time. Around the Lingxiao Palace, numerous garrisons were arranged. Emperor Haotian, who had served as Dao Ancestor Hongjun's attendant boy for tens of thousands of years before becoming the Jade Emperor, was clearly concerned about his own safety.

In the Seventh Heaven were the Heavenly Court's many 'external affairs departments' and the mansions of various immortals. Grand Supreme Elder Lord's Tushita Palace was also located here. In an inconspicuous corner of the Seventh Heaven, an elegantly designed immortal palace stood on an immortal island, which floated in a sea of clouds...

The most striking feature of this immortal palace wasn't its architectural style, but rather the large red silk ribbons hanging everywhere. Could it be that a Heavenly Court immortal or deity was getting married? Not so; this place was precisely the Heavenly Court's exclusive domain for managing marriages across the three realms. Above its entrance hung a gilded, jade-inlaid plaque: Heaven and Earth Marriages. It was the Matchmaker God's Palace.