Chapter 160: Three Teachings Gather, Jade Talisman Summons People

Recently, have I offended you, Changshou Shizhi?

Upon hearing Li Changshou's question, Jiu Wu's heart raced, and he frowned in deep thought.

Soon, Jiu Wu carefully chose his words and replied via voice transmission:

"This matter... I've been busy handling affairs for the sect, which has even affected my own cultivation. It's not suitable for me to take on a disciple right now, so I hope you can understand, Changshou."

As he spoke, Jiu Wu couldn't help but glance up at the "small mountain" before him...

"Changshou, are you really set on bringing your cousin back to the sect?"

"Only by having her stay by my side can I feel somewhat at ease," Li Changshou responded.

This hidden risk, if not decisively eliminated, needed to be kept close.

His usual method—the Great Dao Oath—didn't apply to Xiong Lingli.

Even if he made Xiong Lingli fully aware of the situation's severity and had her swear the most binding Great Dao Oath, she might mumble something in her sleep and accidentally get struck by heavenly lightning, reducing her to ashes...

So, Li Changshou decided to find a way to bring Xiong Lingli, who was clearly no longer wanted by Xiaoyao Xianzong, back to Duxianmen.

Xiaoqiong Peak had plenty of spacious land, and Li Changshou was about 98 percent confident he could handle this cousin...

The remaining 0.2 percent accounted for the elusive "one" of the Great Dao and the uncertainties of the Heavenly Dao.

Witches possessed the power to move mountains and fill seas;

If Xiong Lingli were brought back and carefully trained, she might one day shoulder Xiaoqiong Peak and make a swift escape in a crisis.

From this perspective, the matter held significant strategic importance.

Moreover, Xiong Lingli came from the Sea God Cult's divine envoy family and had deep ties with him; Li Changshou knew her origins fully, so she wouldn't add new karmic burdens.

Additionally, Li Changshou had a small, unimportant personal motive...

Xiaoqiong Peak needed a reliable and obedient security captain, and Xiong Lingli had decent qualifications, making her a perfect living, beast-like guardian.

Of course, this wasn't without drawbacks;

Li Changshou had given Jiu Wu's question thorough consideration.

First, Xiong Lingli clearly lacked good fortune and could only be managed by the Potian Peak lineage; making her an ordinary disciple would bring endless bad luck.

Second, Li Changshou always avoided entangling himself in major karma and had no desire to gain an extra third junior sister out of nowhere.

Since Jiu Wu wouldn't take her, Li Changshou pondered for a moment and began thinking about the next option...

As long as he put his mind to it, there would always be a way.

Even that saying from his previous life—"How can one find a way to satisfy both sides, not betraying the Buddha nor letting down the beloved"—had solutions.

Sometimes, you just needed to step outside the established framework and force the "Buddha" to change his doctrines and rules.

Jokes aside, back to the serious matter.

To bring Xiong Lingli to Duxianmen, besides finding her a master, he had to persuade Xiaoyao Xianzong to release her...

Soon, Li Changshou sent a few more voice transmissions to Jiu Wu.

Jiu Wu frowned and hesitated for a while before agreeing.

However, from Jiu Wu's expression, his agreement seemed reluctant.

Li Changshou, prepared for this, transmitted again:

"Shibo, I have two newly refined spirit pills to offer you—one called the Burst Fetus Sinew Pill and the other the Dragon Tiger Growth Pill."

Jiu Wu looked puzzled and turned to Li Changshou.

Li Changshou maintained a sincere smile and, from behind Xiong Lingli, used his simulated immortal power to push two porcelain bottles toward Jiu Wu.

He then transmitted:

"I'm not using favors to pressure you, Shibo—these are pills I refined a few years ago, and I was thinking of finding an opportunity to present them to you."

Jiu Wu took the porcelain bottles, carefully removed the stopper from one, and gently sniffed it. After analyzing the medicinal properties in his mind, he perked up instantly.

"This Burst Fetus Sinew Pill!"

Li Changshou said: "It can increase height by at least half an inch, but only one can be taken."

"Don't worry, I'll handle your cousin's matter personally!"

Jiu Wu excitedly sealed the jade bottle and placed it securely in his primary storage treasure, his heart filled with mixed emotions.

In the Great Desolation, there is true emotion; in the Great Desolation, there is great love!

Indeed!

After all these years, besides Shi Shi, the only one who understood him was Changshou Shizhi!

Though he knew he was being used by Changshou Shizhi, even being used felt... quite fulfilling!

With that, Jiu Wu stood up, glanced at Xiong Lingli's cute head, smiled confidently, and strode off to find his master, Wangqing Shangren.

"Cousin..."

Xiong Lingli opened her eyes and whispered: "I've recited it three hundred times."

Li Changshou nodded with a smile and handed her a pill, saying:

"This is a calming and focus-enhancing pill that will benefit your soul. Take it and meditate for a while first."

"Thank you for the gift, Cousin."

"Don't use words like 'gift'—pay attention to your wording," Li Changshou transmitted, then asked her, "Lingli, would you like to switch to another immortal sect for your cultivation?"

Xiong Lingli held the pill, which looked like a grain of rice in her hand, and tilted her head slightly.

"Everyone here has been pretty good to me."

So, Li Changshou rephrased and transmitted:

"Lingli, you're a rare cultivation prodigy in Xiong Village.

My incarnation has a difficult task that requires your full assistance, but it's extremely dangerous and might even cost you your life.

Are you willing to dedicate yourself and sweat for Xiong Village and the Sea God Cult?"

Xiong Lingli's eyes widened, she popped the pill into her mouth and swallowed it, her face full of seriousness as she cupped her fists toward Li Changshou and whispered:

"Cousin! I'm duty-bound!"

Those three hundred recitations had indeed made her address him as "Cousin" much more smoothly.

Li Changshou nodded with a smile and said: "Don't shout it—don't shout it, just rest for now."

"Oh," Xiong Lingli replied. After taking the pill, she felt a bit drowsy...

In a daze, she sat there and fell asleep, a small bubble forming at her nose, growing and shrinking rhythmically.

At the same time, rhythmic thunderous booms began emanating from beside Li Changshou, drawing curious glances from around them.

Many people frowned at that resilient "bubble," wondering when it would finally burst...

Li Changshou sighed inwardly—there were still quite a few issues to resolve.

However, to Li Changshou's surprise, the matter of transferring Xiong Lingli to Duxianmen went extraordinarily smoothly.

Originally, he had planned to ask Jiu Wu to request Wangqing Shangren's intervention, having Wangqing Shangren negotiate with Xiaoyao Xianzong.

Finding a master for her could come later.

But Wangqing Shangren didn't hesitate at all. Upon hearing from Jiu Wu about the "cousin" situation, he nodded and agreed, then took Jiu Wu directly to see the sect leader, Ji Wuyou.

Today, Wangqing Shangren seemed a bit less aloof, with a touch of uncharacteristic enthusiasm.

Li Changshou had calculated the emotional dynamics between the "fierce and extreme little grandmaster" and the "stoic, unsmiling man," which was why he chose this path.

But he had clearly underestimated how much Wangqing Shangren cared about matters involving Xiaoqiong Peak!

Upon learning it was something Li Changshou requested, Wangqing Shangren, accompanied by Jiu Wu, went straight to the empty sect leader Ji Wuyou.

Ji Wuyou barely hesitated before nodding in agreement and turning to approach the two Jin Xian elders from Xiaoyao Xianzong...

As fellow Ren Jiao sects with similar cultivation methods, and with a history of exchanging disciples, the matter was settled almost effortlessly.

Moreover, out of respect for Wangqing Shangren, Ji Wuyou waved his hand generously...

In no time, Xiong Lingli went from being an ordinary disciple of Xiaoyao Xianzong to a named disciple of Duxianmen's sect leader Wuyou Daoist.

Once the elders from both sects announced this via voice transmission to their respective disciples, everyone in Duxianmen turned their attention to Xiong Lingli;

The female disciples looked on with curiosity, some male disciples with worry, and even some elders felt a twinge of anxiety...

They had all heard Xiong Lingli's earlier story!

On Xiaoyao Xianzong's side, the disciples didn't react much; a few female disciples showed reluctance, but the Tian Xian elders who had come showed relieved and grateful smiles.

Thankfully, they weren't the next ones affected...

"So..." Li Changshou looked at the iron-tower-like girl beside him, "Did I just unwittingly bring myself a shishu to look after on the mountain?"

—As a named disciple of the sect leader, her seniority was equivalent to Jiang Jingshan, the master of Youqin Xuanya.

But Li Changshou quickly noticed a benefit.

With Xiong Lingli by his side, most of the glances from nearby were blocked by her massive frame, creating a naturally shady spot...

Xiong Lingli slept soundly, her soul power growing slightly.

Li Changshou pondered quietly about how to settle and train Xiong Lingli, as well as the various consequences this might trigger...

Without warning, Youqin Xuanya and Jiu Liu stood up almost simultaneously;

The two exchanged a glance across the distance, shared a brief look, and then both headed toward Li Changshou.

Youqin Xuanya knew there was no actual cousin in Li Changshou's family.

Jiu Liu was simply curious about this large girl and wanted to come over and poke her impressive muscles.

But a voice transmission drifted over, entering the ears of these two senior members of the "Xiaoqiong Peak Feasting Club":

"I'll explain in detail once we're back. For now, don't come over, or you two might get accidentally hurt by her."

Youqin Xuanya immediately stopped, nodded at Li Changshou, and returned to her meditation mat.

Jiu Liu tugged at her earlobe and casually walked over, observing Xiong Lingli up close.

This little shishu didn't know what crossed her mind, but her eyes lit up brightly.

Then, Jiu Liu said offhandedly to Jiu Wu:

"Fifth Shixiong, you've gotten even more handsome."

"Oh?" Jiu Wu, who was fiddling with the two bottles of pills, smiled. "Is that so? I hadn't noticed."

"If you hadn't noticed, then that's perfect," Jiu Liu rolled her eyes, hands behind her back, and strolled back to her spot.

It's worth noting that when Jiu Liu stood up, the attention she drew was no less than Youqin's...

In the Great Desolation, people gathered like great sects.

When Duxianmen's group arrived, the grand meeting still had half a year to go.

To show that their sects were proper and upright, the disciples from various immortal sects sat quietly in meditation, striving to comprehend the Dao, without wandering around.

Indeed, quite a few disciples made breakthroughs in their cultivation during this half-year.

Gradually, the basin and the small lake gathered more and more Qi Refiners from the three teachings, yet there was little noise.

One could often see a few immortal elders chatting on the clouds, or figures with immortal demeanor and white hair wandering the edges of the venue, engaging in casual conversation.

As Jiu Liu had mentioned earlier, such a grand event was something many young disciples might never encounter again in their lifetime.

Apart from the Xiong Lingli matter, Li Changshou encountered no other incidents in the following months.

Xiong Lingli sat quietly beside Li Changshou, guarding the world's greatest Sea God.

During his cultivation sessions, Li Changshou also started a "training" program.

He avoided any unstable terms like "taming," which he had already removed from his thoughts.

First, he taught Xiong Lingli to control her strength.

He gave her a few porcelain bottles and had her gently trace the patterns on them without damaging the bottles.

If she succeeded, he'd reward her with a letter of praise for her to take back to Xiong Village and read aloud to everyone as a commendation from the Sea God.

Next, he provided Xiong Lingli with a stack of non-cultivation-related books to read, helping her develop a more... refined demeanor.

Day rose and moon set, stars sank and clouds rose.

Though the scenery here was beautiful, staring at it for half a year could still make some people restless.

Suddenly one day, several profound and obscure Dao rhythms appeared in the heavens and earth, and roars from exotic beasts echoed from all directions. At the basin's edges, tens of thousands of colorful feathered spirit birds took flight, and immortal light spread across the sky like a rainbow.

Three extraordinary figures rode auspicious clouds from the direction of Kunlun Mountain;

In the center was an old Daoist with a spirited gaze—the third disciple of Yuan Shi Tianzun from Yu Xu Gong, Chi Jingzi.

Flanking Chi Jingzi were two other renowned figures from the Chan Jiao Twelve Golden Immortals.

But as soon as the three Chan Jiao elders approached the meeting grounds, a massive dark gray cloud appeared in the southeast, thousands of miles away.

—The reason it was gray was that so many white clouds had gathered that no light could pass through.

On this vast gray cloud stood figures in rows, too numerous to count at a glance...

The three Chan Jiao elders' expressions changed immediately, and they quickly pulled out their transmission jade talismans.

They needed backup—urgently!