Chapter 142: Something Fell from the Sky...

This guy...

Li Changshou, focused on refining the array base, spared a wisp of his mind to watch the patrolling disciple’s trembling back as he left.

The poor fellow was truly unlucky, having witnessed the "mo" makeup on two generations of three young female immortals in the sect.

Fortunately, everyone showed restraint, avoiding any bloodshed—just a bit of intimidation for the disciple.

Jiu Jiu, looking ferocious, hoisted her spiked club and perched one foot on a stool, her glare making the disciple shudder uncontrollably;

Youqin Xuanya, with her face freshly washed, wore a frosty expression, her gaze slightly cold, leaving the disciple even more uneasy...

Thankfully, Lan Ling'e stepped forward with a smile.

She used the excuse to defuse the situation, making the male disciple swear a lengthy Dao oath of over a thousand words before letting him go...

The disciple had only come to Xiaoqiong Peak to deliver a message jade talisman;

But on leaving, he carried away a massive psychological scar, shattering many of his prior illusions.

"Another letter for Master..."

Li Changshou frowned slightly.

His intuition told him that as soon as Master received the letter, something unexpected would happen.

Without needing Li Changshou to send a paper effigy, the three outstanding female cultivators in the pavilion had already started examining the message jade talisman.

Lan Ling'e gently furrowed her brow and said,

"Another letter for Master?"

Jiu Jiu asked in confusion,

"Does Qi Yuan Shixiong have friends outside the sect? He shouldn't have left the mountain at all, right?"

Youqin Xuanya's frosty demeanor had melted away as she softly replied,

"Jiu Shishu, if Qi Yuan Shishu never left the mountain, how could he have taken in Li Changshou and Lan Ling'e as disciples?"

"Oh, right, Li Changshou and Lan Ling'e didn't enter through the mountain-opening ceremony."

Jiu Jiu stroked her smooth, petite chin and stated her opinion directly:

"I want to open it and take a look..."

Youqin Xuanya quickly interjected,

"How could we do that?"

But as they spoke, Lan Ling'e had already fetched paper and pen, in case the contents vanished once the jade talisman was opened.

What a decisive action-taker!

In his heart, Li Changshou gave Lan Ling'e full marks for this thoughtful detail.

Next, Lan Ling'e began a thorough check of the jade talisman's restrictions, guarding against any curses or evil arts... another ten points.

However, after checking it once, she directly infused it with her spiritual power, without fully utilizing the nearby Zhenxian to verify its safety... deduct sixty points.

As rays of light appeared on the jade talisman, forming a letter, Li Changshou's voice transmission reached Lan Ling'e's ear:

"Recite the 'Wen Zi Jing' forty times."

Lan Ling'e couldn't help but press her hand to her forehead, letting out a soft sigh, then quickly picked up the pen to copy down the text.

In the underground chamber, Li Changshou swept his immortal sense over these "light characters," his brows furrowing slightly as he stopped refining the array base and stood up from behind the desk.

Sure enough, something had happened again.

But this time, it was hard to say if it was good or bad—it wouldn't affect him much.

In the pavilion by the spirit beast enclosure, Jiu Jiu had already begun reading emotionlessly:

Disciple Jiang Yu, Qi Yuan, greetings to Master:

Many years ago, I sought a breakthrough to the Tianxian realm and left the Honghuang world to wander the Great Thousand Worlds. Now, I have finally gained enlightenment and recently emerged from seclusion, stepping into the Tianxian realm.

Once I consolidate my realm, I will return to the sect shortly to visit you both.

Calculating the time, it has been nearly a millennium since we last met as master and disciples. I wonder if you two are doing well in the sect.

I was so focused on my own breakthrough that I feel deeply guilty toward you both, but I had unavoidable reasons that prevented me from staying with you in the sect, which fills me with regret.

We can discuss the details when I return.

Overjoyed by my breakthrough, I asked a Zhenxian friend to deliver this letter to you.

Your master,

remains...

Lan Ling'e said,

"This is Master's master? Our Shizu?"

Jiu Jiu muttered in puzzlement,

"What's this Shizu's name again? I think I met him a few times when I first joined the sect..."

Youqin Xuanya softly explained,

"Qi Yuan Shishu's master is Daoist Lin Jiang Sanren. He was stuck in the Zhenxian realm for over three thousand years without breaking through, so about a millennium ago, he decided to go out for training and lost contact with the sect."

Jiu Jiu blinked and chuckled slyly,

"Little Youqin Xuanya, you've investigated this quite thoroughly."

"This isn't..."

Youqin Xuanya momentarily lost her composure but quickly regained her calm and said indifferently,

"Shishu, don't overthink it. I just wanted to learn more about Li Changshou Shixiong, so I asked about these matters."

Youqin Xuanya spoke with complete conviction, while Jiu Jiu felt an inexplicable twinge of guilt...

Lan Ling'e had finished copying the letter and sighed softly,

"This is going to be a bit troublesome."

"Troublesome how?" Jiu Jiu asked. "This is good news, right? Should we help build a new thatched hut by the lake?"

Lan Ling'e gave a bitter laugh.

She couldn't say that her senior brother had finally gotten Master under control, allowing them to do as they pleased on Xiaoqiong Peak.

If a Tianxian Shizu returned, her senior brother's arrangements and hidden cards might be exposed...

Suddenly, they heard:

"Shizu's return to the mountain is a great joy—Shimei, don't look so worried."

The three female cultivators turned to look at the forest path outside the door, but none of them had sensed anyone approaching.

Li Changshou approached steadily, wearing a simple deep blue robe, gray boots, and his long hair tied in the sect's common Dao hairpin. His lips curved in a faint, approachable smile.

Youqin Xuanya stepped forward eagerly and called out,

"Li Changshou Shixiong!"

"Mm," Li Changshou nodded with a smile, giving Lan Ling'e a reassuring look that said "everything is fine."

Li Changshou got straight to the point:

"From the letter's content, Shizu doesn't know about Master and Jiang Yu Shibo's misfortunes.

We don't know Shizu's temperament, so we need to inform Master and also report it to the Bai Fan Hall."

As Li Changshou spoke, Jiu Jiu, Youqin Xuanya, and Lan Ling'e realized the implications.

In the letter, this newly ascended Tianxian was full of guilt toward his two disciples;

Once Lin Jiang Sanren returned and learned that one disciple was missing and the other crippled...

Jiu Jiu crossed her arms and whispered,

"I remember hearing from Fifth Shixiong that my master and Qi Yuan Shixiong's master had some friendship.

Should I ask my master to step in and prevent any conflict?"

Li Changshou shook his head and said,

"If it can't be a biased intervention, that arrangement is pointless."

"Hmm? What do you mean?" Jiu Jiu was confused.

Lan Ling'e asked,

"Shixiong, with a Tianxian Shizu... is there really no issue?"

"Just relax."

Li Changshou smiled slightly and added,

"Master has been less despondent lately, but he hasn't fully recovered; once our Shizu returns, Master's spirits will naturally improve."

Jiu Jiu suddenly thought of something and hesitated, but Li Changshou had already started making arrangements, so she swallowed her words.

'Later, I should go tell Master about this, if he's not in seclusion.'

Jiu Jiu muttered to herself.

In her memory, this Shizu was quite fierce, the type who was ruthless but said little...

After reading the letter, Qi Yuan Laodao first felt overjoyed, then sighed to the heavens, tears streaming down as his wrinkled hands trembled, repeatedly murmuring:

"As long as Master is alive, that's all that matters."

Li Changshou didn't have much fondness for this suddenly appearing Shizu.

Leaving his two disciples, who hadn't even become immortals, in the mountains while he went off on his own was somewhat irresponsible.

But Li Changshou couldn't judge it outright—he was just a junior; besides, his personal likes and dislikes wouldn't sway his assessment.

As long as Master didn't blame Shizu, he would show some respect.

Though Shizu's return would make the originally simple and peaceful Xiaoqiong Peak a bit more complicated,

It was just a newly ascended Tianxian, after all...

Li Changshou was confident that the other wouldn't see through his facade and could even use it to better conceal Xiaoqiong Peak's anomalies.

Naturally, Li Changshou also instructed Qi Yuan not to mention his affairs to Shizu.

After thinking it over, Qi Yuan solemnly agreed.

In the following days, Li Changshou and Lan Ling'e busied themselves, with Youqin Xuanya and Jiu Jiu helping on Xiaoqiong Peak.

Li Changshou personally built another thatched hut on the "feng shui treasure spot" next to Master's hut.

When Jiu Wu heard about it, he came over with Jiu Shi... and joined in offering unsolicited advice.

Qi Yuan Laodao had already gone to the mountain gate to wait, watching eagerly day and night.

Li Changshou secretly adjusted some arrangements and checked the "tricks" he'd set up inside Xiaoqiong Peak, pausing his array base refining.

On the sixth day after the new hut was completed, Jiu Jiu flew swiftly from Potian Peak on her gourd...

"He's here! He's here!

The two sect elders have already met your Shizu—Qi Yuan Shidi wants you to hurry to the mountain gate!"

Li Changshou, who was arranging decorations in the thatched hut, and Lan Ling'e, who was painting by the lake, each responded.

Soon after, Li Changshou summoned a cloud and took Lan Ling'e with him toward the mountain gate.

Lin Jiang Sanren was returning from the Three Thousand Worlds, and if coming from the east, he would pass through the area east of the East Sea, known as Tianya Haijiao.

A few days earlier, the Du Xian Men had sent two elders to wait at Tianya Haijiao, and now they had made contact.

These two elders weren't just there to welcome him; their main task was to verify his identity and inquire about his activities outside, to determine if he had fallen into demonic or evil ways.

It was always awkward to do this in the sect, and it wasn't the first time...

So, Qi Yuan, Li Changshou, and Lan Ling'e, along with Jiu Jiu and Jiu Wu, waited at the mountain gate for half a day before seeing a white cloud drifting slowly from the southeast.

On the cloud, the two white-haired sect elders stood in front, with a figure behind them.

Li Changshou frowned slightly, his expression a bit odd, but he said nothing...

Lan Ling'e curiously tiptoed to look, but her cultivation was too low—her spiritual sense couldn't reach that far.

After a while, when Qi Yuan Laodao's immortal sense caught the figure behind the elders,

He perked up and flew into the sky to greet them.

The two elders exchanged a glance and stepped aside, revealing the person behind them...

That person...

"Is this Shizu?"

Lan Ling'e tilted her head, her eyes full of surprise.

Behind the elders wasn't some white-haired, wrinkled old Daoist;

Instead, it was a young woman in armor and a battle skirt, carrying a massive blood-patterned long saber on her back, with a rather charming face...

A girl?

Li Changshou glanced at Jiu Wu;

Jiu Wu blinked and said affirmatively,

"This is your Shizu, Lin Jiang Sanren—Jiang Lin'er."

Li Changshou: ...

The outer appearance didn't really matter;

What was important was that Li Changshou sensed a strong aura of killing intent from this several-thousand-year-old girl.

She was heavily battle-hardened, likely having clawed her way through life-and-death struggles to break her limits, which went against the Du Xian Men's principle of wuwei.

At a glance, Li Changshou could tell that the long saber on her back was stained with the blood and souls of many beings;

A faint scar on her fair neck extended to her collarbone and shoulder...

At that moment, this girl Shizu showed no sign of menace; she merely gazed at Qi Yuan Laodao, her almond eyes filled with guilt.

Seeing the old Daoist Qi Yuan, she couldn't help but laugh, intending to tease her second disciple...

But her smile quickly faded, and she gradually furrowed her brows.

Qi Yuan knelt straight on the cloud and shouted,

"Disciple Qi Yuan pays respects to Master!"

This girl Shizu spoke in a crisp voice:

"Second disciple, how did you... make a mistake in your tribulation? How did you become a turbid immortal?

Where's your senior sister? Why isn't she here to see me?"

Qi Yuan opened his mouth but didn't know how to explain;

The hardships of the past eight or nine hundred years, the misery of becoming a turbid immortal, surged in his heart...

"Master, this disciple was incompetent, my Dao foundation destroyed—I can only cling to life through the turbid immortal path!"

In an instant, the air outside the mountain gate seemed to freeze;

A wisp of chilling killing intent spread from this girl Shizu's body.

Her small hand, marked with a slight scar, had already gripped the saber hilt on her shoulder but slowly released it, letting her hands hang at her sides.

"Second disciple, who did this to you? Tell me."