Chapter 185: Shimei Can't Do It Ah

Dang—

It wasn't clear if it was an illusion, but the mountain gate bell heard upon leaving had been urgent, heavy, and filled with tension.

Back at Du Xian Men's mountain gate, Li Changshou found the bell sounding remarkably light and cheerful, with a touch of delicacy in the cheerfulness, and a hint of unrest in the delicacy...

In the early morning, the treasure ship arrived at the mountain gate, where the elders on duty, along with the peak masters and immortal seedlings, came out to welcome them.

The peak master of Xiaoqiong Peak, Zhuoxian Qi Yuan, stood quietly in the corner with Xiaoqiong Peak's third-in-line figure, Ling'e.

Once the treasure ship steadied and the surrounding protective arrays were deactivated, the sect leader and the elders appeared together, and all the disciples bowed in unison.

Then, Ling'e spotted her senior brother among the returning disciples, and her heart immediately settled. Her beautiful and spirited face couldn't help but break into a smile.

Just as Ling'e was about to wave to her senior brother, a warning from the "Wen Zi Jing" flashed in her mind, so she obediently stayed put, looking up at the sky.

Suddenly, a massive wall appeared before Ling'e, blocking most of the sky.

Before Ling'e could react, a cute girl’s face popped into her view...

How could this giant rock statue have a human head on it?

Fortunately, Ling'e had been raised by her senior brother, so her mental fortitude was decent. She instinctively offered a polite smile without pulling away.

Nearby, Li Changshou was bowing to Qi Yuan.

"Disciple pays respects to Master."

Qi Yuan said warmly, "Mm, good. Did you gain anything from this trip?"

"Disciple followed Master's teachings and gained a great deal."

Li Changshou replied with a light laugh, then pointed to Xiong Lingli beside him. "Master, this is my cousin, and she’s also the sect leader’s new nominal disciple. I’d like to arrange for her to live and cultivate on our Xiaoqiong Peak."

Qi Yuan perked up, looking at Xiong Lingli, and quickly sent a voice transmission to his eldest disciple:

"Is this really the sect leader’s nominal disciple? Our peak is so poor and barren—is this appropriate?"

Li Changshou gave his master a look that said everything was under control, and Qi Yuan's doubts vanished. He stepped forward to exchange pleasantries with Xiong Lingli.

Xiong Lingli, having been instructed by Li Changshou earlier, performed a proper bow and said, "Qi Yuan Shixiong, please take care of me from now on."

Qi Yuan replied repeatedly, "We'll take care of each other, take care of each other."

Ling'e tilted her head slightly. Her senior brother's... cousin?

That's impossible—if he really had a cousin, how could she not know about it?

After all, she had secretly bribed the female elder of the Bai Fan Hall with spirit fish to check her senior brother’s family records...

Right then, Ling'e overheard Li Changshou speaking warmly to Xiong Lingli:

"Cousin, let’s head back to the peak to talk. I’ll arrange your lodging today."

It felt like a cat had snuck into Ling'e's heart, constantly scratching and pawing, making her desperate to ask for clarification but too afraid to speak up directly. It was agonizing...

Back when her senior brother built her thatched hut, it had taken days!

Yet now, he was saying he’d arrange a place for this suddenly appeared "cousin" in just one day!

Could it be... no, impossible!

Wait, no—nothing is impossible for her senior brother!

Though the chances were slim, she couldn't rule out that there might be some story between this cousin and him...

For a moment, Ling'e's thoughts were in chaos.

Ever since the "Bai Mei Tu" incident began, she couldn't figure out what kind of women her senior brother actually liked.

In her eyes, her senior brother was the most unique person in the world—every male cultivator inside and outside the sect combined couldn't match even a fraction of his uniqueness and distinction!

So, even if her senior brother suddenly brought back a tower-like girl and casually said to her:

"Oh, junior sister, I’m going to formally become dao companions with her tomorrow."

Ling'e would believe it!

Maybe he didn’t like someone as innocently pure as Youqin Shijie;

Or someone like her, who was "too familiar to make a move on";

And instead, because he’d been influenced by Jiu Jiu Shishu’s tastes in size, he’d come to prefer... larger builds?

"Let's go, head back."

Qi Yuan said warmly, flicking his duster to summon a white cloud.

Worried that his turbid immortal power might not support the cloud well, the old daoist specially thickened it by half a zhang under Xiong Lingli's feet.

At that moment, white clouds drifted into the mountain gate, heading toward the various peaks.

Suddenly, a shout from Jiu Jiu came from ahead:

"Changshou! Ling'e—

I'm heading to listen to Master’s lecture first, then I’ll come find you two to play!"

The immortals of Du Xian Men couldn’t help but smile;

Many disciples cast envious glances at the four from Xiaoqiong Peak, mostly from the male disciples.

Ling'e, whose mind was in turmoil, managed a forced smile, while Li Changshou nodded with a smile, acknowledging Jiu Jiu's request.

Just then, Youqin Xuanya gazed at the backs of the Xiaoqiong Peak group, hesitating as if she wanted to say something.

Forget it—I’ll wait a few days, then go to Xiaoqiong Peak at a quiet, late-night hour to apologize to my senior brother...

Youqin Xuanya sighed softly, her whole demeanor downcast, as she followed her master, Jiang Jingshan, on a cloud toward Potian Peak.

Jiang Jingshan took in the entire scene.

As the peak master, Qi Yuan had no objections to having one more person on Xiaoqiong Peak.

Qi Yuan simply reminded his two disciples not to be rude to their junior uncle, then turned and returned to his thatched hut, ignoring worldly matters and focusing solely on pursuing the Great Dao.

But...

Ling'e was panicking.

Her senior brother had really built a thatched hut for the new "cousin" in just one shichen!

And it was the enlarged, heightened version!

That absurd guess in Ling'e's heart seemed to be confirmed over and over.

What was even more alarming was that her senior brother had specifically called her over to watch, directly using his rarely shown Jianzhi Chengren Shen Tong to have several paper figures work at once!

After finishing the cousin's lodging, he’d even given her a meaningful look.

At that point, Ling'e was certain...

Her senior brother really preferred women with stronger, more robust builds!

Though his tastes were so unique and completely unexpected, it also made her feel that this was just like her senior brother!

Her heart felt a bit disappointed, yet strangely subtle...

However, the bad news kept coming.

Li Changshou said, "Ling'e, from now on, let Lingli handle the spirit beast enclosure and feeding the fish in the small lake."

What was this?

How could Ling'e not understand? This was handing over most of the authority she held directly to the "cousin"!

As a child, Ling'e had seen plenty of intrigue in the backyards of noble families—those concubines smiling on the surface while scheming behind the scenes, with all sorts of tactics. She'd witnessed it all...

Who would have thought she’d face a challenge like this one day!

There was no way Ling'e would give up so easily!

She resolved to dress up nicely, bring some rouge and powder as a gift for Xiong Shishu, and boost her own presence.

But as soon as Ling'e reached the newly built thatched hut next door, she overheard the conversation between her senior brother and Xiong Shimei...

"Cousin, from now on, can I only call you cousin?"

"Yes, you have to call me that in public and in private."

"Oh, okay. Lingli will listen to cousin. Cousin can have Lingli do anything!"

A small lightning bolt struck behind Ling'e, followed by a chilly northern wind that stirred her chaotic emotions.

A hidden relationship... and willing to do anything...

Didn't she herself do anything for her senior brother?

Why was fate treating her this way?

Was it really because she was too slender, not robust enough?

Could the sense of security her senior brother wanted only be given by a woman like Xiong Shishu...

Silently, Ling'e turned and returned to her own thatched hut, pulling out an erhu. She sighed softly.

Sitting in her doorway with a melancholic expression, she placed the erhu on her lap and began to play a sorrowful tune...

Starting tomorrow, she'd train her body rigorously.

But how could she ever build herself up like Xiong Shishu?

Though she hadn’t started yet, Ling'e already knew deep down that this time... she really couldn’t do it.

The erhu played a mournful melody, her heart filled with drifting snowflakes.

The laughter and chatter from next door perfectly echoed that old saying—

Newcomers always laugh, but who hears the old ones cry? Should she seek the truth, or pretend not to know?

Now, Xiaoqiong Peak had its divides of warmth and cold...

"Why such a sad tune? Don't you want me back?"

Suddenly, a light laugh came from outside the hut. Li Changshou had finished settling Xiong Lingli and was approaching with his hands behind his back.

"No... I'll change it now..."

Ling'e replied with her head down, then pulled out a xun and took a deep breath, blowing a tune that evoked the vast desolation of heaven and earth.

Li Changshou just smiled without speaking, sitting in his exclusive armchair in Ling'e's room and activating the arrays around her hut.

Li Changshou asked, "While I was away from the mountain, were you diligent in your cultivation?"

"I was fairly diligent," Ling'e sniffled and bit her lip, forcing a smile. "Senior brother..."

Li Changshou said calmly, "Lingli isn’t actually my cousin. She has Wu Clan bloodline and is one of my subordinates. You don't need to ask about the rest—I'll let you know a bit more when the time is right."

Ling'e tilted her head, blinking in confusion, with question marks forming on her forehead...

A subordinate?

She whispered, "Senior brother, are you secretly building a new force behind the sect’s back?"

"Don't talk nonsense!"

Li Changshou glared at her and scolded sternly.

Was he building a new force? No—he was just being forced into business, turning the Hai Shen Jiao into his own direct lineage!

"Lingli has Wu Ren bloodline and innate divine strength; she likes blood food, but her self-control is decent.

I’m having her manage the spirit beast enclosure and will raise some fast-growing spirit beasts there, so she won't need to hunt outside.

Later, you can teach her how to plant seeds and grow vegetables, which will also reduce the spirit beasts’ consumption."

Li Changshou thought for a moment and added, "Also, even if you get close to Lingli, always keep a little distance from her and stay cautious.

When she gets excited, a single slap from her could leave you seriously injured."

Ling'e exclaimed softly, "That scary?"

"She's even more terrifying when she activates her bloodline divine abilities," Li Changshou said deliberately to scare her, then laughed. "But once she grows stronger, she can protect you and Master—it’ll just take a long time."

Wait!

Ling'e blinked, realizing from her senior brother’s words...

Had she misunderstood something again?

Li Changshou laughed and asked, "When you saw me building that hut for her, did you have any thoughts?"

Ling'e quickly said, "No, no thoughts."

Li Changshou narrowed his eyes with a smile, took out a sheet of spirit paper from his sleeve, and skillfully cut it into a small paper figure.

Then, he blew on the paper figure and tossed it out. It flipped in the air and landed in front of Ling'e, transforming into a tiny child.

The paper child figure struck a horse stance and shouted, "Ha, hey, ha," repeatedly, throwing straight punches forward.

Ling'e watched in amazement...

Li Changshou said, "What do you think?"

"Senior brother, this is so fun!"

Fun? That was his main divine ability for killing, scattering ashes, and handling funerals!

"Come here. Today, I'll teach you the Jianzhi Chengren Shen Tong. In the future, you could even make a paper figure band or something."

He’d originally planned to say it would give her more ways to fight enemies, but realized that if Ling'e ever had to fight, this ability wouldn't help much.

"Teach... teach me?" Ling'e asked in surprise.

"Who else would I teach it to?" Li Changshou smiled slyly. "Do you think I'll take on disciples, or have Master bring in another junior brother or sister?"

Ling'e was stunned for a moment, then beamed with joy, clasping her hands behind her back and stepping forward to the table.

"Senior brother, you said it yourself—I get to be the only junior sister!"

Li Changshou just smiled and gestured for her to come closer...

He brought out some spare paper, first explaining the basic principles of the divine ability, then how to cut the paper figures and infuse them with magical power. He also taught the basic methods for multitasking training.

Of course, how to select and gather the sap from spirit trees was an essential step.

Sunlight filtered through the window into the room...

The young daoist sat in the armchair, speaking continuously and patiently explaining the wonders of the divine ability.

The beautiful girl in her silk dress sat in the chair on the other side of the table.

She leaned slightly to one side, resting her jade-like arm on the table and propping her chin with her right hand. Sometimes she listened intently, sometimes she let her mind wander, stealing glances at her senior brother's face from up close...

But she always got caught by him, and she’d quickly lower her head.

Li Changshou said seriously, "Pay attention. If you don’t learn it within three days, you’ll be punished by copying the 'Wen Zi Jing' and the 'Tai Shang Kai Wu Jing' a thousand times each!"

Ling'e shuddered and quickly focused, listening carefully.

The "Wen Zi Jing" was one thing, but the "Tai Shang Kai Wu Jing" was a genuine Daoist scripture from Ren Jiao, with over ten thousand characters...

Meanwhile,

At the junction of the South Sea and East Sea, at the famous Jie Jiao dojo, Jin'ao Island.

Ao Yi, who was preparing for his own wedding and spending time with his unwed bride, was escorted by Dragon Clan experts and rushed back to the island.

He had no choice—his master, Wuyun Daxian, had summoned him, so how could he dare delay?

To his surprise, as soon as Ao Yi returned to Jin'ao Island, he was enveloped by a beam of golden light.

Before he could react, the golden light whisked him away to a secluded cave.

Fortunately, he recognized it as his master’s cave...

Before he could make out the two figures seated ahead, he heard his master ask warmly:

"Tudi, I recall you’re the second leader of the South Sea Hai Shen Jiao?"