Chapter 114: Bullying the Teacher, the Chief Culprit

"Senior brother, the mountain gate is in sight, and this demon won't cause any more trouble. Let's part ways here."

Three hundred li away from the entrance of Du Xian Men, on the same cloud, the figure Li Changshou had disguised as 'Qi Yuan' suddenly said goodbye to Jiu Wu.

"Junior brother Qi Yuan, why don't you come with me to the Hall of Rewards and Punishments?"

Jiu Wu was slightly taken aback. "This demon-slaying operation was half your credit, junior brother. You should come along to claim the reward."

'Qi Yuan' laughed. "Please pass on this reward and the spirit beast bag to my two disciples, senior brother. I won't hide it from you, I have urgent matters and need to hurry back to Lin Dong City. With all this delay, by the time I get back, it will be just about the appointed time."

Appointed time?

Jiu Wu frowned and nodded, seeming hesitant to speak.

'Qi Yuan' gave a daoist bow and turned to ride the cloud away.

But as 'Qi Yuan' had only flown half a zhang, Jiu Wu called out, "Junior brother, wait a moment! Could you tell me, as your brother, whom you have an appointment with?"

Li Changshou felt a sense of relief in his heart. With senior uncle taking the bait, things would be easier.

"This..." Li Changshou deliberately put on a troubled expression, then sighed sadly. "I won't deceive you, senior brother. A few months ago, my senior sister sent two letters inviting me to meet her in Lin Dong City."

Jiu Wu was clearly startled and quickly calculated with his fingers, double-checking the memory he still held vivid in his mind.

For a moment, Jiu Wu's face looked quite strange.

And what Jiu Wu said next was also beyond Li Changshou's expectation.

"That's absolutely impossible. Junior brother Qi Yuan, this must be some scheme or plot against you!"

"Senior brother, what do you mean by that?"

The paper daoist's face showed just the right amount of urgency as he pressed, "Please explain, senior brother!"

"This..." Jiu Wu pondered for a moment but didn't answer directly, only saying, "In any case, it's just not possible."

"Senior brother Jiu Wu!"

'Qi Yuan' stepped forward at once, bowing repeatedly in plea, urging Jiu Wu to speak the truth.

Jiu Wu, not one to hold back when pressed, soon sighed deeply and said gravely:

"Your senior sister passed away eight hundred years ago, her remnant soul reincarnated. I saw it with my own eyes. That year, you, junior brother, had a conflict with Kuai Si from Xian Lin Peak. Kuai Si ambushed you secretly, severely damaging your dao foundation. Though your life was saved, you could no longer cultivate.

Your senior sister, Wan Jiang Yu, left the mountain privately, saying she was going to find your master who was wandering the seas, to bring him back to see you. But in reality, she went to Bei Ju Lu Continent to search for a rare treasure to repair your dao foundation.

When the sect elders noticed, they sent me and two other enforcers to pursue her. By the time we caught up, she was deep in Bei Ju Lu Continent, her primordial spirit wounded by fierce beasts, on the verge of death. The three of us used all our skills but couldn't save that promising immortal seedling.

In her final words, your senior sister entrusted us to say we hadn't found her and to never tell you about this. We even buried her remains ourselves. If you don't believe me, I can have the other two tell you. Junior brother, junior brother Qi Yuan? Are you... all right?"

'Qi Yuan' trembled, his eyes losing their light, and he staggered back a few steps, tears welling up faintly.

Li Changshou hadn't practiced such a tragic scene before; he was just going by his imagination.

Fortunately, Jiu Wu closed his eyes and sighed softly, unable to bear watching more.

Jiu Wu hadn't wanted to reveal this, but he was worried that 'junior brother Qi Yuan' might fall into some trap.

"Where... where is she buried?"

"That place is shrouded in poisonous mist, and her remains are long gone. Don't dwell on it, junior brother. She's already reincarnated."

Jiu Wu tried to offer more comfort, but Qi Yuan had already bowed and flew silently toward the mountain gate.

"Senior brother, I want to be alone."

"Junior brother Qi Yuan..."

Jiu Wu knew that 'Qi Yuan' was grieving and didn't press further. He picked up the spirit beast bag and followed slowly behind.

This short daoist felt a surge of emotions, shaking his head as he murmured:

"Emotional tribulations are hard to overcome, and the dao heart is hard to stabilize. What is love in this world that it drives one to... sleepless nights."

Thinking of his own dao partner, Jiu Wu showed a touch of gentle smile.

Suddenly, in his mind's eye, his dao partner's image was replaced by seductive old hags.

Ding—

Jiu Wu shuddered instantly.

Red powder and skeletons, painted skin and white bones. Cultivation is the proper path!

At the same time, in the thatched hut on Xiao Qiong Peak.

Li Changshou opened his eyes, his gaze full of complexity.

There was actually such a hidden story behind all this.

It's a pity that the paper daoist disguised as his master couldn't ask too much, or he would have inquired further and investigated the details thoroughly.

From senior uncle Jiu Wu's words, he had already learned who his master's enemy was, which was a great gain.

Xian Lin Peak, Kuai Si.

This was a true immortal with no particular reputation in the sect. Li Changshou had only seen the name by chance on the register in the Hall of All Matters.

As a fellow true immortal in the sect, this person's fame and presence were far less than that of junior uncle Jiu Jiu or senior uncle Jiu Wu—those with distinctive personalities.

This person...

Maliciously fought in secret and injured my master, forcing him to undergo soul scattering and become a turbid immortal. Moreover, it pushed me to go out to Bei Continent for some immortal herbs, entangling me in various karmas. And now, it turns out he indirectly caused the death of my master's senior sister.

"Dao friend."

A hint of sharpness flashed in Li Changshou's eyes, quickly fading.

He murmured to himself...

"Our karma has grown far too large."

Getting up, Li Changshou paced back and forth in the thatched hut, pondering deeply.

I mustn't rush. Killing or crippling a true immortal enemy isn't difficult for me now, but this matter affects the future situation of our master and disciples in Du Xian Men, so I have to play it safe.

The immediate priority is deciding whether to tell Master about this.

Thinking carefully, Master is also... quite pitiful.

His immortal foundation destroyed, his senior sister gone without a trace, his master missing, turned into a turbid immortal and still schemed against, with no close friends in the sect, and constantly toyed with by his disciple...

Cough, the last part doesn't count.

Soon, Li Changshou had a plan in mind.

He took out a low-quality transmission jade talisman and, imitating the handwriting of the previous two letters, wrote two lines:

'Knowing you are well, I am at peace. Do not think of me anymore; let us consider it done.'

Later, he would explain to Master that he stayed in Lin Dong City for a few days, found this jade talisman by his pillow, but couldn't locate the person who made the appointment. Then he encountered senior uncle Jiu Wu and joined forces to slay the demon...

If he told Master the truth outright, Master's heart would be utterly desolate, and his turbid immortal dao foundation is already unstable.

With this approach, Master would think his senior sister is still alive but unwilling to meet, so his state of mind would be: snowflakes falling, north wind howling, the world a vast expanse...

Though melancholic, it's still a bit more colorful.

'In the future, I'll think of a way to find this senior sister's reincarnated soul.'

Li Changshou sighed inwardly, his gaze settling on the 'Stability' character he had earlier posted in the thatched hut, as the ripples in his heart gradually calmed.

Things must be done step by step.

The paper daoist disguised as Master flew back to Xiao Qiong Peak, first entering Li Changshou's thatched hut, and then together they went to Master's hut.

This paper daoist's mission for this trip was now complete.

A moment later, only Li Changshou emerged.

A few days later, senior uncle Jiu Wu came to visit his newly acquainted 'junior brother Qi Yuan', bringing the sect's rewards for the demon-slaying and informing him of the female demon's fate.

Li Changshou used the excuse that 'my Master has seemed sorrowful lately for some unknown reason' to hold back senior uncle Jiu Wu and discuss the events of that year.

Jiu Wu repeated what he had said before.

Li Changshou asked a few details, and Jiu Wu answered them all thoroughly.

Afterward, Li Changshou earnestly requested that senior uncle Jiu Wu ask the other two enforcers who had gone back then to keep this secret strictly and not mention it in the sect.

Jiu Wu solemnly agreed. For him, it was a trivial matter.

Thus, the Lin Dong City incident came to a close.

The captured fox demon was suppressed by the sect elders in a major earth vein array outside the Du Xian Men mountain gate, confining her there for three hundred years.

The fox demon didn't say much and quietly accepted the suppression under a mountain peak, showing no resentment.

As Li Changshou thought, it would have been best to dispose of the female demon directly, but the sect immortals didn't want to lose merit or gain karma, so they just sealed her outside the mountain gate for now.

Li Changshou didn't let his guard down regarding this fox demon; after all, it was 'his Master' and senior uncle Jiu Wu who had captured her and raided her lair in the mortal world.

He had seen several methods in ancient texts for tarnishing or destroying merit, though they were troublesome, they weren't impossible.

But dealing with this fox demon wasn't the top priority right now.

Having confirmed that his Master's enemy was Kuai Si of Xian Lin Peak, Li Changshou quickly began secret investigations and planning, with his immortal sense constantly covering Xian Lin Peak.

Even a falcon attacking a rabbit uses full effort; to execute a perfect 'enemy elimination' plan, he naturally had to plan carefully.

He outlined the action guidelines, marked the difficulties one by one and analyzed them, then created several schemes, selecting the most perfect one while keeping the others as backups.

After comprehensive consideration, giving the opponent an accident would be the safest for him.

About half a year later, Li Changshou finally saw Kuai Si in person.

This was a middle-aged daoist with a righteous face and an impressive bearing, complete with sword-like eyebrows and star-like eyes. He certainly had some charm.

Kuai Si Daoist was coming from the mountain gate, likely just returning to Du Xian Men from outside. As he headed back to Xian Lin Peak, he glanced toward Xiao Qiong Peak four times, his eyes carrying a hint of coldness.

Li Changshou noted all this in detail on a bamboo slip.

Kuai Si Daoist... Soon-to-die Daoist?

From the moment he learned this name, Li Changshou had started preparing.

Outside the mountain gate, two top-grade paper daoists were on standby, carrying enough poison pills to kill twenty heavenly immortals.

Li Changshou could maintain long-term multi-tasking; dedicating a thread of his mind to monitor Xian Lin Peak with his immortal sense was no trouble for him.

What worried Li Changshou a bit was...

Ever since Master read those sixteen characters, he hadn't come out of his hut.

If not for sensing Master's condition, he would have probably broken the array and gone in to check.

While keeping watch, he couldn't neglect his own cultivation.

Li Changshou continued refining pills, cultivating, gaining insights, teaching his junior sister, and regularly going outside Master's hut to greet him and chat a bit.

After twelve years of this, Kuai Si Daoist had been in closed-door cultivation in his cave abode the whole time.

This daoist probably had no idea that the isolation array outside his cave had already been secretly breached, with a wisp of immortal sense fixed on him for over a decade without moving.

Even if Kuai Si had a faint feeling of being watched before, he must have gotten used to it by now.

A true immortal in seclusion for decades or even centuries was normal. If the other didn't move, Li Changshou wouldn't either.

But Li Changshou never expected that before he could wait for Kuai Si to go out, he received some news.

Due to the previous calamity at Du Xian Men, the sect wanted to ease the pressure on its disciples and select outstanding ones for the Three Teachings Origin Conference...

The sect's grand competition, held every two hundred years, would be advanced and take place in three years...