Chapter 66: It Turns Out You Were the One Sabotaging

The banquet was a joyous occasion for both the elder and younger generations.

Wan Linjun only drank a small amount of the wine Li Changshou brought, keeping both jars for later. The elder wasn't fond of drinking and showed little interest in the food. He simply enjoyed discussing toxicology and poison theories with Li Changshou as they ate, talking with great interest.

Upon returning from Dan Ding Peak, Li Changshou received yet another pile of medicinal herbs from Elder Wan Linjun. He felt a little embarrassed, as he had only gone for a visit, but the elder was genuinely too enthusiastic. Within the sect, few qi refiners shared an interest in the topic of poison. Li Changshou's proficiency in toxicology was considerable, allowing them to engage in meaningful discussions.

'I shouldn't visit Dan Ding Peak too frequently, to avoid attracting unwanted attention. My next visit should be in two years.'

As Li Changshou pondered, he landed in front of the alchemy room on Little Qiong Peak. Settling into a rocking chair, he held a scroll of bamboo slips preserved with immortal magic and began his daily session of contemplation and reading.

Ling'e, noticing that the grand array around the alchemy room had been deactivated, flew over silently, her pretty face filled with dejection, seeming to want to speak but hesitating. She wanted to ask her senior brother to praise her 'fried rice' operation, but was also afraid he would scold her for wasting his hard work.

Li Changshou waited a moment, and when she remained silent, he looked up at his junior sister and asked, "What's wrong?"

"Senior Brother," Lan Ling'e said, looking down. "Master has gone to the Peak Master Assembly. Will there be any issues here?"

Li Changshou pondered for a moment, then shook his head slightly and replied via voice transmission: "There won't be any problems. Master's enemies aren't in a position to become peak masters now, so don't worry. Master is likely just sitting in a corner, listening in. As the junior-most person there, he wouldn't dare speak. Knowing Master's personality, which values propriety and saving face, he must be on tenterhooks right now."

In a corner of Baifan Hall on Potian Peak, the old Daoist, seated with his head bowed on a cushion in the furthest corner, subtly shifted, adjusting himself to sit more upright.

In the alchemy room;

Li Changshou looked at the somewhat distracted Ling'e and chuckled, "You actually did well this time, knowing to worry about Master and coming to discuss it with me. Where was this thoughtfulness of yours before? Alright, I won't dwell on the last incident. From now on, just focus on your cultivation."

Ling'e blinked softly. "Senior Brother, were you just praising me?"

Li Changshou chuckled, "Am I so fierce that I scold you every day?"

"You usually just lecture me..." Ling'e made a playful face, her mood suddenly shifting. Previously, she had looked like a frost-bitten eggplant, but now she was like a sparkling tomato after a rain shower.

"Senior Brother, this furnace looks incredibly powerful."

"Don't touch it carelessly; it bites."

"Hmm... Senior Brother, I'm not twelve or thirteen anymore..."

"I poke!"

"Hiss! Ouch! How is there lightning magic?!"

"I added a safety device to prevent anyone from carelessly activating this alchemy furnace," Li Changshou smiled calmly and continued reading his book outside the door.

Beside the alchemy furnace, Ling'e, holding her reddened finger, tilted her head and examined the engravings on it. Afterward, she walked around the room, found a scripture she had been halfway through, pulled a meditation mat outside, and sat down beside her senior brother. They sat like guardian deities at the entrance.

The afternoon sun was warm, and the wind gently rustled through the forest canopy. Insects chirped, water flowed, butterflies danced, and a few immortals drifted leisurely in the distant clouds.

Li Changshou occasionally experienced an epiphany but remained perfectly composed, fully absorbing what he had comprehended without revealing the slightest fluctuation in his aura. With his cultivation level now higher, he could finally control whether or not to enter an enlightened state. Regarding epiphanies, his greatest previous concern was entering an enlightened state during a confrontation or battle.

"Senior Brother, what realm are you in now?"

"The Fourth Tier of the Return to Void Realm."

"Oh, how impressive," Lan Ling'e replied casually, lowering her head to continue reading the scroll, and indeed absorbed some of its contents into her heart.

***

At the Heavenly Court, the Matchmaker's Hall was enveloped by a grand array. Two child attendants sat before the tightly shut hall doors, each holding a wooden sign. The right sign read: "The Matchmaker is not home." The left sign read: "This place is protected by the Heavenly Dao."

The younger attendant muttered, "Senior Brother, if we don't tell Master the truth, won't things escalate?"

"Shhh, do you want Master to turn you back?" the elder attendant said, rolling his eyes. "We were originally just two branches of a love-acacia tree, and we only just managed to gain sentience thanks to Master's enlightenment. Don't worry, Master definitely has a solution."

"Oh," the younger attendant pursed his lips, feeling a wave of helplessness.

After that, the two attendants waited day after day, eventually for a full six months, yet the Matchmaker never returned.

Where had the Matchmaker gone? He hadn't actually strayed far from the Marriage Hall. He had gone to a more secluded immortal hall, where he sought out a certain perpetually idle immortal official, presented him with gifts, and prepared to atone for his mistake. The Matchmaker understood perfectly well that he had no connections or powerful backing and therefore dared not offend anyone. It was precisely for this reason that His Majesty, the Jade Emperor, placed him in the Matchmaker's position; only someone like him would not show favoritism towards any particular faction.

Normally, when heavenly generals or fairies came seeking a match, those were minor affairs. If the Matchmaker were to truly use the authority granted by the Heavenly Dao to meddle with marriages, it would cause immense trouble, not to mention the karma he would incur. However, the Heavenly Dao constantly monitored the Matchmaker's Hall. The Matchmaker might merely conceive of meddling, and the Heavenly Dao would warn him once, punish him a second time, and on the third instance, annihilate him directly with Purple Cloud Divine Thunder.

The Heavenly Court was in decline, while the Daoist sect flourished. Even the most ordinary disciple of the Human Teaching was someone the Matchmaker did not want to offend. The flaw in the mud figurine originated from Grandmaster Xuandu's rash intervention. However, Xuandu was protected by a Saint, possessed the Saint's innate supreme treasure, the Taiji Diagram, to suppress himself and remain free from karma, and his own power was formidable. How could a mere Matchmaker like him dare to shift the blame to Grandmaster Xuandu? This was a burden he had to bear himself.

The Matchmaker deliberated over it for half the night. The longer he delayed, the more likely errors would occur; he had to resolve it quickly and properly. After much deliberation, the Matchmaker made up his mind, left the Marriage Hall, and headed directly to the 'Divine Might Hall'.

At that moment, the Matchmaker stood with the head of the Divine Might Hall—a certain unnamed immortal official clad in golden armor—before the Star-Net Dream-Heaven Instrument, a treasure of the Heavenly Dao. The immortal official operated the Star-Net Dream-Heaven Instrument while providing the Matchmaker with a detailed explanation:

"Matchmaker, rest assured. Regarding dream-sending, Grand Unity Golden Immortals transcend the mundane world, so we cannot reach them. However, Golden Immortals and Heavenly Immortals are easily accessible. Let alone just a young qi refiner barely a hundred years old. But one thing you must understand is that dream-sending only allows conversations within dreams; no actions can be performed. This is a treasure bestowed by the Heavenly Dao for our Heavenly Court to display divine might; it's merely for show, which is why this humble official's place is called the Divine Might Hall. As long as the target is distracted, in a daze, drunk, mentally exhausted, tired, or weak—in other words, when their mind is relaxed—or even in a light slumber during secluded cultivation or enlightenment, we can invite them into a dream. However, if the target is unwilling to enter a dream, then nothing can be done. You're looking for Li Changshou, a disciple of the Immortal Ascension Sect, correct? Don't worry, he's just a young disciple; it'll be done in a moment... Hmm? Why can't I find this person?"

The golden-armored immortal official craned his neck forward, staring wide-eyed at the unchanging Star-Net Dream-Heaven Instrument. Beside him, the Matchmaker maintained a gentle smile and continued to wait.

The golden-armored immortal official hastily asked, "Matchmaker, are you certain about the name and Daoist title? Do you have his birth date and time, or anything like that?"

"Yes, yes, the Marriage Hall has birth dates and times," the Matchmaker said with a smile, quickly pulling a slip of paper from his sleeve.

This time, the golden-armored immortal official lowered his head and fiddled for a while, and the massive Dream-Heaven Instrument finally began to slowly operate. Half an hour later, the immortal official let out a long sigh of relief and wiped the hot sweat from his forehead.

"Phew— The Dream-Heaven Instrument has located him. He is currently within the Immortal Ascension Sect's mountain gate. He truly is a disciple of the Human Teaching! With innate supreme treasures protecting the sect's destiny, he is genuinely difficult to find! Matchmaker, look here. When this starlight illuminates, it means he's asleep or distracted, and we can invite him into the dream realm..."

"Is that all there is to it?" the Matchmaker whispered.

The immortal official smiled, "Yes, Matchmaker, please wait a moment. Generally, we're sure to catch him distracted within half a day."

The Matchmaker, standing by, offered countless thanks. The immortal official repeatedly waved his hand, exchanging polite words about them being fellow officials.

However, half a day later... A day later... Two days later...

"What, it's still not lit?" The immortal official in charge of dream-sending muttered with a frown.

The Matchmaker smiled, "No worries, no worries, this humble old man has nothing else to do. I'm just troubling you, fellow Daoist."

"It's a small matter, a small matter. Here, with this humble immortal, years can pass without a single visitor. I refuse to believe he can remain undistracted for an entire month."

And so, a month later. The Matchmaker and the immortal official sat cross-legged in front of the Star-Net Dream-Heaven Instrument, their four eyes fixed on the dim star point.

Two months later... The immortal official's eyes were bloodshot, and he said hoarsely: "Is this treasure broken? How could a minor disciple of an immortal sect, staying within his own sect, go so long without ever relaxing his mind? Even sending dreams to Golden Immortals wouldn't require such a long wait..."

"Well..." The Matchmaker whispered, "Perhaps we should just give up."

The immortal official waved his hand dismissively. "No! When I commit to something, I follow through! How about you return to your matchmaking duties, Matchmaker, and I'll continue to wait here! I'll inform you when there's news!"

The Matchmaker hastily replied, "Marriages are naturally governed by the Heavenly Dao. This humble old man merely deals with those who seek matches daily. It's quite peaceful hiding here. It's just, I'm troubling you, fellow Daoist." If the Heavenly Dao required him to sever or connect any marriages at the Marriage Hall, the Matchmaker would sense it, so staying here wouldn't hinder his duties.

"No need for formalities, no need."

Three months later... A certain immortal official turned to glance at the Matchmaker. Due to prolonged sleeplessness, his eyeballs protruded, his eye sockets were sunken, and he felt a surge of anxiety. "It really must be broken! The treasure bestowed by the Heavenly Dao is broken, isn't it? No movement for so long; it's very embarrassing for me in front of the Matchmaker! I still hoped to ask the Matchmaker for help in arranging a marriage in the future; how can this treasure simply fail like this?"

The immortal official mused for a few moments, then muttered a little uncertainly, "Isn't this Heaven Instrument integrated with the Heavenly Court? How could it possibly malfunction?"

The Matchmaker frowned, "Fellow Daoist, perhaps we should..."

"Wait! I'll keep waiting! You can go back if you have other matters. I'm truly determined to see this through with this young man! If not, I'll go down and confront him personally!"

The Matchmaker hastily said there was no need, continuing to wait patiently beside him, his immortal sense observing his Marriage Hall, fearing that some great immortal might appear.

Half a year later... The immortal official, sprawled on the ground, sighed faintly and whispered: "How about we try a different approach? First, we send a dream to someone else in the Immortal Ascension Sect, then have them notify him and ask him to enter a dream to meet you?"

The drowsy Matchmaker instantly perked up. "A brilliant idea!"

"It just feels like I've been outmaneuvered by this young disciple, and my divine might is no more..."

"Indeed..."

"Sigh... How did he manage it, not giving us a single opportunity for half a year!"

And so, half a day later...

As Li Changshou was pondering the Scripture of Non-Action, Ling'e hurriedly flew in from outside the forest, forcing him to pause his cultivation and deactivate the outer array.

"Senior Brother! A golden-armored Heavenly God just sent me a dream! He said he wants to send a dream to you, Senior Brother, asking you to relax your mind. He introduced himself as the Matchmaker, a righteous god of the Heavenly Court's Marriage Hall, and said he has urgent matters to discuss with you!"

"Dream-sending? The Matchmaker?" Li Changshou frowned, immediately realizing that the situation might not be as simple as it seemed. There are no unprovoked approaches, only schemes he had yet to perceive! His mind had been suddenly troubled earlier, then chaotic thoughts had arisen, forcing him to bring out his secret treasure—the Hundred Beauties of Old Age Scroll. This was followed by his Daoist body's armpit itching for no apparent reason... "There must be a problem here!"

When he had been analyzing why the Immortal Ascension Sect's conduct seemed a bit skewed, he had considered the possibility of the Matchmaker and the red strings of fate. "Could it really be the Matchmaker causing trouble? But how could the Matchmaker dare to target the Human Teaching's lineage..."

Lan Ling'e hastily said, "Senior Brother, you should enter the dream quickly."

Li Changshou's gaze sharpened, and he calmly stated, "Not yet."

"Not yet... Can you refuse that too?"

"If they could enter my dream, why would they need to send you to inform me?" Li Changshou smiled, "This time, the Matchmaker likely has a request for me, so there's no need to worry. Let me consider it carefully. Ling'e, go lie down on the lounge chair and sleep a bit more, or just daydream; don't focus your mind. If that golden-armored Heavenly God sends you another dream, just ask him what the specific matter is. I'm currently busy with alchemy here, so it's inconvenient for me to enter a dream."

"Mm... okay." Ling'e blinked, obediently agreed, and floated with light steps to the rocking chair outside the door.

'Sigh, Senior Brother is using me as a magical artifact again.' She sighed softly in her heart, yet a faint smile touched the corner of her lips. She was quite happy to be able to help her Senior Brother in some way.