Chapter 128: Senior Brother's Fury

In the Hai Shen Temple, two Tianxian guards stood in the corner of the backyard, holding the landscape spirit map.

If one stared carefully at this landscape spirit map for a while, they would see that the two figures inside it moved like living beings, making small gestures such as raising their hands or cupping their fists.

These two figures were naturally Li Changshou's paper Daoist and Dongmu Gong.

After exchanging a few polite words, the two set up several layers of isolating arrays around the temple's perimeter and entered the treasure map, which could conceal immortal awareness and obscure heavenly calculations.

This map was no ordinary item—it was a replica of the innate spiritual treasure, Shanhe Sheji Tu.

Inside the map, after a brief exchange of greetings, Dongmu Gong got straight to the point.

"His Majesty Yu Di greatly benefited from his previous conversation with the Hai Shen.

A few days ago, during a gathering of immortals in the Lingxiao Treasure Hall, His Majesty explicitly mentioned the matter of enfeoffing the Hai Shen of the South Sea. An imperial decree will soon arrive at this place.

My friend, from now on, we will be colleagues serving in the same court."

Li Changshou furrowed his brow slightly and said, "The word 'soon' can mean anything from immediate to distant.

Please clarify, my friend—roughly how long until the decree comes down?"

"It could be as quick as a hundred years, or as long as two or three centuries."

Dongmu Gong stroked his beard and chuckled lightly, his somewhat gaunt face showing a touch of embarrassment.

"As you likely know, the current state of the Heavenly Court is quite precarious.

Most positions for proper gods are vacant, and the Heavenly Way is barely maintained by His Majesty alone. Even issuing a decree to grant an official divine position requires at least a hundred years to receive a response from the Heavenly Way."

Li Changshou smiled inwardly and replied, "There's no need to rush. Even if it takes a thousand years, it would be fine.

Moreover, please convey to His Majesty on my behalf that even if I receive the divine position, I won't be able to ascend to the Heavenly Court right away.

It wouldn't do to send just a paper Daoist up there—it would make me a laughingstock.

When the time is right, I will enter the Tianmen, pay my respects at the Lingxiao Hall, and offer my humble services to His Majesty."

"Your composure and patience are truly admirable."

Dongmu Gong praised him, clearly having anticipated such a response.

After all, during their last meeting, Li Changshou had mentioned that he was not yet in a position to go to the Heavenly Court.

Once the decree enfeoffing the Hai Shen was issued, Li Changshou would gain his divine position in the Heavenly Court.

Then, he only needed to instruct his divine messengers to add portraits of Yu Di in the most prosperous temples, hanging them behind his own and Ao Yi's statues, thereby proclaiming that the Hai Shen cult had submitted to the Heavenly Court.

At that point, the incense offerings and merits would remain unchanged.

Additionally, the Heavenly Way would bestow heavenly merits upon him as the Hai Shen, much like a salary...

However, this heavenly merit was not so easily obtained. On this visit, Dongmu Gong had brought six questions directly from Yu Di.

The first five were matters that Yu Di was unsure about and wanted to hear the Hai Shen's insights on—essentially to further assess his value as an advisor.

Li Changshou took his time, thinking carefully before offering his humble opinions on each one.

To play it safe, he limited his "perspective" and gave advice based only on what Yu Di could see.

This was quite different from the earlier twelve suggestions, most of which Li Changshou had drawn from future events...

But the last question, concerning Dongmu Gong's own troubles, gave Li Changshou a bit of a headache.

It involved a saint.

From their previous meeting, Li Changshou had already formed a rough guess about Dongmu Gong's identity, fate, and story.

Hearing Dongmu Gong explain it in detail today, Li Changshou couldn't help but feel a sense of admiration.

The old man before him...

Had truly had it tough.

What was known as Dongmu Gong was actually Dong Wanggong, the previous life of the pure Yang immortal Lü Dongbin.

When the Heavenly Court was first established, a saint had created the position of Dong Wanggong to curb Yu Di's authority, tasking him with overseeing the male immortals of the Heavenly Court.

This wasn't inherently problematic, as there was some overlap in authority with Yu Di, but Dong Wanggong was still under Yu Di's command.

The trouble lay in the fact that the divine position corresponding to Dong Wanggong was that of Xi Wangmu, who oversaw the female immortals.

And this Xi Wangmu was the same as the future Queen Mother!

She and Yu Di were both attendants who had served beside the Dao Ancestor in Zixiao Palace back in the day—childhood friends and fellow disciples, in a sense.

Based on Dongmu Gong's discreet observations, Yu Di and the Queen Mother shared a bond like childhood sweethearts, and they often handled their duties in the Heavenly Court's Yaochi Pool together, sometimes even visiting the Yaochi Pool in the Western Kunlun...

Now, with Dong Wanggong and Xi Wangmu as the heads of the male and female immortals, they were frequently mentioned together by the immortals of the Heavenly Court...

How could Yu Di not feel a thorn in his side?

Initially, Dong Wanggong had thought that with the saint's appointment, even Yu Di couldn't touch him.

But soon, he found himself...

Thoroughly loyal to Yu Di's guidance!

He even took pride in serving such a lord of the Three Realms!

Although Yu Di never brought up the "Dong Wanggong and Xi Wangmu" matter, Dong Wanggong dared not let his guard down.

Thus, he changed his name to Dongmu Gong, became extremely cautious in his daily conduct, and never exercised the authority to appoint male immortals—whatever Yu Di said, he did.

But now, with Yu Di still building his power and lacking reliable subordinates,

If Yu Di's influence grew strong, whether to consolidate power or for the sake of reputation, Dongmu Gong would surely...

Surely...

Dongmu Gong had worried about this for years with no one to confide in. Recently, seeing how highly Yu Di regarded this South Sea Hai Shen, and with no other options, he had come seeking advice.

"My friend, wise and full of strategies as you are, could you perhaps point this poor Daoist toward a way out?"

Li Changshou pondered silently for a moment, his paper Daoist's elderly face showing a hint of difficulty.

Dongmu Gong rose and bowed in respect, then took two storage treasures from his sleeve and whispered,

"If you can offer even a little guidance, this poor Daoist will surely repay you handsomely!"

Li Changshou was not one to be swayed by material things, but what Dongmu Gong offered was truly generous...

Cough, no, this matter was impossible, no matter how much was offered!

Even though Li Changshou knew the best solution to this dilemma,

Helping Dongmu Gong would mean undermining a saint's plans.

Whichever saint had set up Dong Wanggong to trouble Yu Di, it was karma Li Changshou could not afford to provoke right now.

He knew the difference between life and wealth.

Li Changshou sighed and said, "I'm afraid I can't help you much with this. It all depends on how far you can step back."

Dongmu Gong quickly replied, "If I can ensure my life and preserve my path to immortality, I dare not ask for more!"

Li Changshou thought for a moment and said, "In all matters, haste is unwise. Three steps can turn withered wood to spring."

"May I ask what those three steps are?"

"I truly dare not speak of them," Li Changshou said with a smile and a shake of his head, pushing the two storage treasures back.

This karma, he did not want and could not touch.

Yet, with Dongmu Gong as Yu Di's messenger, Li Changshou knew better than to offend him.

So, without taking on the karma himself, he offered Dongmu Gong a free piece of advice...

'Why are people suddenly rushing to give me treasure materials lately?'

In the Dan room on Xiao Qiong Peak, Li Changshou muttered to himself, already sending a paper Daoist outside the mountain gate toward the South Sea's edge.

Dongmu Gong insisted on leaving the two storage treasures and expressed deep gratitude to Li Changshou.

Clearly, what Li Changshou had given him was just a temporary fix, not a permanent solution, yet Dongmu Gong acted as if a whole new world had opened up...

Li Changshou calculated inwardly that the treasure materials he had received now would keep him busy for several years.

After the sect's grand competition ended, Du Xian Men quickly returned to its usual calm, with the younger disciples resuming their daily cultivation routines.

Ling E, Jiu Jiu, and Youqin Xuanya, who had arrived half an hour earlier, were enjoying wine and laughter in the thatched hut.

This was their gathering of fairy sisters, so Li Changshou felt it wasn't appropriate for him to show up and simply stayed away.

Li Changshou took out a bamboo slip and engraved on it all the tasks he needed to handle from today until the Sanjiao Origin Conference:

First, refine array foundations and fill in the great array to build the core of Xiao Qiong Peak's array system;

Second, continue improving the "Gui Xi Ping Qi Jue" to prepare in case he couldn't avoid the upcoming "disaster."

Regarding the Sanjiao Origin Conference, Li Changshou had decided to feign illness (or a cultivation mishap) and not attend, as long as the sect's two Jin Xian elders didn't come to examine him, he could manage it.

But he had a vague feeling that things wouldn't be that simple...

Only after these two items came refining pills to build wealth.

Unwritten on the bamboo slip were two essential tasks: monitoring Xianlin Peak's activities and encouraging his master to overcome his seclusion.

And so, life in cultivation after the sect's grand competition returned to its usual fulfilling rhythm.

It took Li Changshou three years to turn the sect's rewarded materials and part of Dongmu Gong's gifts into enhanced defenses for Xiao Qiong Peak.

Worried that the two storage treasures from Dongmu Gong might have tracking functions, Li Changshou discarded them entirely.

He meticulously inspected each treasure material and spirit stone inside, then sealed them one by one with Wu clan scripts before storing them in his own treasure pouch.

The few treasures within were assigned directly to the rotating paper Daoists and never kept close...

Later, Li Changshou calculated the paper Daoist's route home, had it take a few detours, and only returned to the vicinity of Du Xian Men, where his master brought it back to Xiao Qiong Peak.

His current identity absolutely could not be exposed to Yu Di.

That would ruin the image of a "wise and resourceful old immortal" he had carefully built...

Once that was settled, Li Changshou refined some pills and, calculating that his junior uncle's wine supply was running low, brewed a new batch for her.

He had completely phased out Jia Ren Mei, as it carried some unwanted karma.

One day...

After several years of business and everything remaining stable, Li Changshou decided to relax a bit.

Cultivation required balance—constant tension would only lead to mental and physical exhaustion.

At times like this, taking a stroll around Xiao Qiong Peak was a rare form of rest, and it often sparked insights from within.

Wandering through the forest, breathing in the fresh air, a stream of emotions flowed through his heart.

As he walked, he arrived at the spirit beast enclosure he had painstakingly set up years ago.

Li Changshou kept spirit beasts mainly for their medicinal value—some pills required their blood, and there were unique beasts like the three-eyed spider that could be useful.

Looking at the enclosure now, most of the spirit beasts were no longer of use.

Still, he had some attachment to them and often amused himself by teasing the one called "Er Pang" in the west or playfully bothering "A Hua" in the east, enjoying the leisure.

Today, as Li Changshou habitually approached Er Pang's enclosure, the faint smile on his lips gradually faded.

Where was Er Pang?

The enclosure was intact, showing no signs of escape.

A quick sweep with his immortal awareness revealed...

Over half of the spirit beasts in his enclosure were gone!

Li Changshou immediately checked on his junior sister, master, and his junior uncle, who was snoring away on Ling E's bed, confirming that Xiao Qiong Peak was undisturbed.

He always kept his immortal awareness spread over the peak during refinement and cultivation—if anything unusual happened, he would be alerted.

Any normal scenes were stored as memories without needing his full attention—a basic skill for cultivators dealing with centuries of practice.

Now, Li Changshou pinched his fingers to calculate and searched his memories, quickly uncovering scenes he had subconsciously overlooked...

About three years ago, on a certain afternoon, the three beauties appeared in the spirit beast enclosure.

Ling E looked troubled as she stared at a young beast she had forgotten to feed, which had died as a result, leaving her helpless.

Youqin Xuanya sighed, "Junior sister, my condolences."

"This is nothing serious. With the sect's grand competition, I overlooked it—my senior brother will just scold me a bit."

Ling E shook her head lightly and smiled, "Well, since it's happened, how about we go to the back mountain stream and grill it?"

Jiu Jiu cheered excitedly, and although Youqin Xuanya frowned slightly, she didn't stop them.

Then, half a month later...

"Little Ling E, look at this one—doesn't it seem sick?"

"Hmm... it probably is."

"Grill it then?"

"This one needs to be stewed into a soup for the best flavor."

"Let's do it!"

Ten days after that...

"Since Xiao Ya is visiting today, wouldn't it be great if a cute spirit beast just ran into a tree?"

The certain junior uncle subtly pointed her finger, and Er Hua dashed off and slammed into a large tree, dying on the spot—perfectly fresh.

Seven days later...

"This one looks like it's suffering from heatstroke!"

Three days after that...

"Wow, this one absolutely has inner demons! Right, Xiao Ya?"

"Mm-hmm!" Youqin Xuanya nodded vigorously.

"Can you really tell?" Ling E asked a bit guiltily.

And again... and again...

Li Changshou stopped reviewing and rubbed his forehead.

He felt a bit dizzy.

If he had emerged from seclusion a year later, those three female Qi refiners would have eaten the entire enclosure clean!

"Lan Ling E!"

The young girl under the willow tree, copying the "Wen Zi Jing," trembled and covered her eyes.

It was over—she was caught...

She heard that chilling voice, like a wind from the Nine Serenities, creep into her ears from behind.

"Go and invite your Senior Sister Youqin here. I have a few words I need to say to her properly."

"Ah... yes!"

Ling E's little hands shook as she lifted her skirt and hurried off on a cloud toward Potian Peak.