Chapter 129: Immortal Knowledge Poison Pill Heart Fire Burns

Li Changshou observed the three female Lianqi Shi in front of him: one adult and two younger ones.

Jiu Jiu was still half-asleep, stretching lazily and yawning, her clothes slightly askew.

Beside her, Youqin Xuanya gazed directly at Li Changshou, her eyes clear and bright, her demeanor upright and ready to accept punishment.

Ling E stood by the bed with her head lowered, her face a picture of utter despair.

If asked how she felt in that moment, Ling E, the one directly involved, would say she was filled with deep regret.

She never should have demonstrated that barbecue technique, which had led both her little shishu and Youqin shijie into this predicament.

Although she knew her shixiong would severely scold her after coming out of seclusion, she had held onto the naive hope that "he wouldn't punish a group."

Li Changshou closed his eyes and slowly exhaled.

Youqin Xuanya cupped her hands in a fist and bowed her head in salute, admitting her fault, her ponytail swaying gently.

"Changshou shixiong! I was so delighted to see the spirit beasts that I encouraged Ling E shimei, coming up with all sorts of excuses to prepare them as food for our enjoyment.

I, Youqin Xuanya, am willing to accept any punishment you deem fit!"

Li Changshou smiled faintly and said warmly,

"It was good, wasn't it?"

"It was... um," Youqin Xuanya's face, usually as cold as frost, flushed with a hint of red.

Jiu Jiu yawned and said,

"Little Changshou, we just ate a few of your spirit beasts. I can pay you back with some treasure materials or spirit stones."

Li Changshou replied calmly,

"Shishu, your treasure materials and spirit stones have already been transformed in another way and are now accompanying you."

"Oh no! I almost forgot I've used up all my savings!"

Jiu Jiu snapped fully awake, standing barefoot on the ground, lost in thought for a moment.

Though she could be a bit capricious at times, as a shishu, she wouldn't bully a young shizhi.

Ling E sighed softly and bit her lip lightly, knowing she had to unite their front and drag her little shishu and Youqin shijie onto the same boat.

So, she said quietly,

"Shixiong, this whole thing started because of me..."

"Shimei, there's no need to be so tense," Li Changshou said with a smile, "After all, I'm not some kind of demon. Why are you so afraid?"

Ling E's mouth twitched, and she instinctively stepped back half a pace.

"Leave little Ling E alone! If you've got something to say, come at me!"

Jiu Jiu quickly stepped in front of Ling E, standing tall with her chest puffed out.

"Fine, if it's debt, I'll pay it with my body! I'll stick with you to the end, as your shishu!"

"Shishu, please don't say things like that," Li Changshou frowned. "I still respect you as a disciple should, with no improper thoughts."

"Hmph! I meant helping you refine pills or array bases!"

Jiu Jiu snorted lightly, her face flushing for a moment, but she couldn't let go of her dignity as a shishu and added stubbornly,

"As if you'd have any improper thoughts?

Go on, show me what a 'proper' thought toward Ling E looks like, and let me see for myself!"

Li Changshou's mouth twitched slightly, but he smoothly changed the subject.

Their Duxian Sect did have divine beasts, after all.

Li Changshou sighed with his hands behind his back,

"What's done is done—I can't make you spit it out, can I?

But Xiaoqiong Peak can't suffer this loss for nothing. I've calculated the exact value of those spirit beasts.

Now, I'll offer you three another way to compensate. Take a look."

As he spoke, he pulled two sheepskin scrolls from his sleeve and slowly unrolled them, revealing a complex design diagram.

"If you have no issues with it, just press your handprint on it and make a vow. We can start work on an auspicious day."

"What's this?"

Jiu Jiu was the first to lean in, and the three of them looked a bit puzzled.

And so, half a day later.

Outside the spirit beast enclosure, three graceful figures with sleeves rolled up and skirts tucked away used their immortal power and magical force to slowly drag a pile of freshly processed timber through the air from afar.

Soon, Xiaoqiong Peak echoed with a series of lively work chants.

In the pill room, Li Changshou flicked his fingers, reinforcing the isolation array around Xiaoqiong Peak with two more layers.

Though he had done nothing wrong, if other disciples happened to see the chief disciple, who was like an iceberg outside but now a rising star, doing carpentry on his Xiaoqiong Peak...

Those fellow disciples with romantic fantasies about the chief disciple might end up with some heart demons.

Shaking his head to himself, Li Changshou continued refining pills.

He had a good stock of Xiongxin Dan, and selling more low-tier spirit pills would let him buy some spirit beast saplings—that was the proper way.

Otherwise, the spirit beast enclosure would feel empty, and Xiaoqiong Peak wouldn't feel complete.

This time, he'd buy some cheap ones that taste good.

For the spirit beast blood needed in pill refining, it had to be at least a few thousand years old—Xiaoqiong Peak didn't have that, so he occasionally had to scrounge from Danding Peak.

After half a month of refining pills, the area near the spirit beast enclosure had been lively for half a month too.

Li Changshou didn't make things too hard for them—after all, one was his dear shimei, one was his close little shishu, and the other was his overly serious and "toxic" shimei.

He simply had them build a pavilion near the spirit beast enclosure, in a spot with beautiful mountains and waters, as a place for their future play and relaxation.

The lakeside was his and his master's resting area, so it wasn't quite appropriate for them to hang around there.

The overall project, besides the pavilion, included some minor modifications to the spirit beast enclosure.

At their current efficiency, tsk, it would probably be finished within thirty years, and it wouldn't affect Youqin Xuanya's participation in the Sanjiao Yuanliu Assembly.

What could have been built in half a day was dragged out to half a month amid their chattering and fooling around.

Li Changshou felt utterly helpless about this and decided to keep a certain distance from the three of them in the future to avoid catching their habits.

A few months later, on Danding Peak.

As usual, Li Changshou visited Elder Wan Linjun after some time.

The two strolled through the forest on Danding Peak, with dappled shadows and a winding path, stepping on the gently swaying light spots on the ground—it was quite elegant.

"Changshou, I've recently had a sudden inspiration, inspired by your sensing stone, and I've conceptualized a type of poison pill."

"Oh?" Li Changshou laughed. "Elder, your inspirations are always remarkable. Is this poison related to Xian Shi?"

Elder Wan Linjun smiled coldly and said warmly,

"That's right. Changshou, do you know what Xian Shi and Ling Shi are?"

Li Changshou replied,

"As I've read in our sect's scriptures, Ling Shi and Xian Shi are the divine thoughts emitted by the Yuan Shen, the Yuan Shen's perception of the heavens and earth.

According to the Shanxian Jing, the Yuan Shen is the companion of the heart, and Ling Shi and Xian Shi are the awareness of the heart.

Mortals rely on their eyes, ears, nose, and tongue, with their ordinary hearts muddled and unaware of the Dao.

Lianqi Shi observe the heavens and earth with their hearts, hence they are called Ling Shi."

Elder Wan Linjun's smile grew even colder, his eyes showing a hint of approval.

Though any other disciple in the sect could give a similar answer.

Elder Wan Linjun continued,

"After seeing your sensing stone last time, I scoured ancient texts, browsed through our sect's Daoist scriptures, and discussed it several times with a few elders skilled in pill refining.

The juice of the Hanse Flower changes color when probed by Ling Shi or Xian Shi.

The sap of the Bixiu Yunling Wood forms a net when probed by Ling Shi or Xian Shi.

Besides that, there are seven or eight other substances that react to Ling Shi or Xian Shi.

I tried them one by one and finally settled on this pill formula."

As he spoke, Elder Wan Linjun handed a piece of paper to Li Changshou and said with a cold laugh,

"Take a look. What do you think?"

Though Li Changshou was used to Elder Wan Linjun's signature smile, it still gave him a slight start sometimes.

Taking the formula, Li Changshou examined it carefully, pondering it in his mind, frowning at times and showing sudden realization at others. In the end, he nodded gently.

Li Changshou said,

"This formula should work. Both the medicinal properties and principles give me a sense of enlightenment."

"Next, it's about figuring out the proportions," Elder Wan Linjun said. "Soon, I'll go to Beiju Luzhou to search for Bijing Cishen Bugs. If I can catch a few more, this pill will be ready in three years."

"Elder, you're going to Beiju Luzhou yourself?"

"That's right. I've had the juniors on Danding Peak search everywhere, but they couldn't find any Bijing Cishen Bugs in Dongsheng Shenzhou."

Elder Wan Linjun leaned on his copper cane, gazing at the dense green woods.

"A poison for Xian Shi is rare in the world. If I can refine it, that would truly be satisfying.

Changshou, my Tianxian lifespan is already half gone, and the chance for immortality hasn't appeared. I probably won't achieve that eternal Dao fruit.

If I can leave behind a few more poison manuals and create a few new formulas in my lifetime, that would make it all worthwhile."

Hearing this, Li Changshou felt a slight emotion but didn't say much, just listened with a smile.

"By the way, Changshou, about your Xiongxin Dan..."

"Ahem!"

Li Changshou hadn't expected the topic to shift so quickly.

"Elder, do you need some?

After the sect's grand competition, I refined a lot, but Elder Jiu Wu took them all. I've just prepared a new batch of emotion water. If you need it, I'll send some over once it's ready."

Elder Wan Linjun waved his hand and said,

"What would I need it for? I have no such desires."

"You really gave me a fright..."

"Hehehe, your Xiongxin Dan seems to be refined from emotion stones made from emotion gu," Elder Wan Linjun said seriously. "I got one from Liu Feixian and analyzed its medicinal principles.

This pill isn't just effective for male cultivators with a calm mindset—it's the same for female cultivators.

Make sure to instruct those who take the pills not to cause harm or mischief."

"I will remember," Li Changshou laughed. "Elder, just from one pill, you could determine that the main ingredient is emotion stone. I... am truly impressed.

Lately, I've been thinking of improving the formula by adding two herbs that solidify Yang energy."

Elder Wan Linjun laughed,

"That sounds fine. As long as you know about it."

Li Changshou thought for a moment, took out a treasure pouch from his sleeve, and said,

"Elder, when you go to Beiju Luzhou, please take this with you.

Beiju Luzhou is dangerous, and though I can't help much, inside there are two paper figures that aren't afraid of poisonous mists."

"Understood," Elder Wan Linjun took the pouch and solemnly placed it in his sleeve.

This was purely for Li Changshou's sake.

After returning from Danding Peak, Li Changshou kept thinking about Elder Wan Linjun's concept of "Xian Shi poison."

Once this poison pill was refined, it would be like the sensing stone and could be worn on the body.

Its effect was to counterattack anyone who probed with Xian Shi, though the harm wasn't great—just causing the other person headaches or dizziness.

Li Changshou, however, felt this poison pill was a bit underwhelming.

If he replaced the main ingredient, the Bijing Cishen Bug, with something else and modified it to secretly mark the source of Xian Shi, that would be perfect for... countermeasures!

What could replace it?

Li Changshou fell into deep thought. His knowledge in this area wasn't as extensive as Elder Wan Linjun's, and he wasn't as free to act.

Then, Li Changshou suddenly remembered something.

That fox demon he and Elder Jiu Wu had captured...

That fox demon's charm technique...

The emotion stone he had on hand right now...

Xian Shi was the awareness of the heart... marking the prober and affecting their mind...

"This could be a way in..."

Li Changshou murmured, casually summoning a scroll of bamboo slips. He sat in the rocking chair in front of the pill room and began sketching with a carving knife.

Soon, a temporary concept for a poison pill—tentatively named "one glance and you'll be marked with burning heart fire"—took shape under his knife.

The highest realm of poisoning was to make the other person take the bait willingly and unknowingly.

After busying himself for half a day, Li Changshou felt a bit dizzy. He swept his Xian Shi over the figures in the spirit beast enclosure.

There, the three graceful shadows were busy chopping wood, felling trees, and digging soil, each one more diligent than before.

Watching their figures, Li Changshou zoned out a little and smiled to himself.

"Indeed, laborers are the most beautiful. The ancients were not wrong."

In Tianting, at Yuelao Dian.

Dongmu Gong's figure glanced around cautiously and slipped inside carefully.