Chapter 186: The Answer Can't Be This Simple

A flash of golden light appeared, and the young dragon clan member with horns on his head and dressed in a brocade robe materialized once again by the side of the treasure pool, lost in thought for a moment.

Ao Yi…

No, Ge Zhang Ge, have you become so intimidating in making friends?

Recalling how he had lost his composure several times in his master’s cave due to sheer shock, Ao Yi felt his face flush with embarrassment.

A gentle sea breeze blew by, carrying a faint salty tang.

Ao Yi shook his head lightly, and in his mind, the image surfaced of that shishu he had glimpsed from afar—her dignified beauty and elegant demeanor.

Having grown up around beautiful women, Ao Yi was accustomed to them. The sea clan women selected for the Dragon Palace were all exemplary in character and substance, not to mention their transformed appearances were top-notch.

Yet, even so, Ao Yi was deeply impressed by that shishu after just a distant glance.

What was even more wondrous was…

That Ge Zhang Ge had actually caught the attention and concern of this shishu!

Indeed, his master, Wu Yun Da Xian, had summoned him this time for nothing major—just to inquire about the preferences of their Sea God Cult’s leader.

Of course, it wasn’t the master asking. The master’s first form was this great island itself, and his second form served in Biyou Palace; since the leader never came to Jin'ao Island, the master wouldn’t have any dealings with Ge Zhang Ge.

No, the one seeking this information was that shishu—the most mysterious and least seen among the eight great disciples of the Jie Jiao sage…

The eldest of the Sanxiao sisters, Yun Xiao Xianzi!

How on earth did they… ahem, get connected?

Ao Yi frowned as he pondered, gazing at the fine ripples stirred on the pool’s surface by the sea wind, unable to snap out of it for a long time.

Ah, the leader is truly the leader!

Not yet an immortal, yet already valued by Ren Jiao’s Xuandu Da Mage, and now even earning the concern of the most mysterious among the Sanxiao, Yun Xiao Xianzi.

According to what his master said, Yun Xiao Shishu owed the leader a favor and wanted to give him a gift to settle the karma.

This…

Did they really think he, of the dragon clan, was that simple-minded and easy to fool?

Ao Yi chuckled to himself.

Of course, if it were the him from decades ago, he might have been easy to fool.

But now, after following the leader for so long, Ao Yi could see through the surface of many things and uncover their deeper meanings!

If it were just about repaying a favor, couldn’t she simply give the leader a Houtian Lingbao?

Yet, this Yun Xiao Xianzi had specifically come to Jin'ao Island to ask him—this ‘second prince of the Dragon Palace and obscure Jie Jiao disciple’—about the Sea God Cult leader’s preferences, temperament, and any treasures he might favor…

Such emphasis—how could it not spark the dragons’ suspicions?

However, the question Yun Xiao Shishu posed had indeed stumped Ao Yi.

He truly didn’t know what the leader liked, and it had troubled him for a while.

Beauty?

The leader didn’t indulge in it; besides, he already had a talented and beautiful junior sister who was his childhood companion.

If the leader liked beauty, why would there be a shortage of dragon women or sea women by his side?

The dragon clan had plenty of those wastrels who were experts in indulgence—first-rate at it—and they’d long accumulated a wealth of ‘resources’ in that area.

Merit?

The leader didn’t lack it; as the merit proxy for Ren Jiao’s Da Mage, the incense merit he gained from the Sea God Cult was surely more than enough for a second leader like him.

Treasures?

That was almost laughable.

Did Ren Jiao lack treasures?

Offering those lingbao or Houtian Lingbao that even the dragon clan looked down on to a leader already favored by Xuandu Da Mage—wouldn’t that be humiliating themselves?

So, Ao Yi had carefully considered his words and answered with what was truly in his heart.

Apart from the content bound by the great dao oath—which he couldn’t reveal, like the fact that the leader was Li Changshou, a disciple of Du Xian Men—he hadn’t hidden anything; it was all his genuine thoughts.

He said:

In response to Shishu, our leader is refined, amiable, wise, and resourceful. This disciple doesn’t know his specific preferences.

Our leader is upright, eager for justice, skilled in military strategy, and excels at planning and scheming. He has already done great favors for the dragon clan several times.

In fact, it’s not just you, Shishu, who wants to know our leader’s preferences—my father, the Dragon King, has asked as well. My mother even wanted to send various rare treasures and attendants for the palace, but I stopped her.

Our Sea God Cult leader is a man of elegance—how could he be tainted by such vulgar things?

Ao Yi noticed…

Upon hearing his answer, his master, Wu Yun Da Xian, stroked his beard and nodded with a smile.

And that Shishu, Yun Xiao Xianzi, also smiled, seeming quite pleased with his response.

Then, his master asked again what divine abilities the leader was skilled in and what treasures he commonly used.

Ao Yi thought for a moment and replied:

The leader hasn’t been cultivating for very long, but at a young age, he’s already been entrusted with important tasks by Ren Jiao’s esteemed expert, Xuandu Da Mage.

He’s skilled in array formations; he once used them to trap experts far superior to him in cultivation, showing exceptional talent in that path—it’s incredibly powerful.

He’s also adept at escape techniques and once guided this disciple in improving water escape and air escape methods; his insights were so profound that even the dragon clan’s experts couldn’t match them!

Beyond that, our leader is proficient in qin, chess, calligraphy, and painting, especially his painting skills, which are astonishing!

At the time, after hearing this, his master burst into light laughter, saying he was exaggerating the leader’s praises to the skies.

How was that exaggeration?

It was all from his own observations and experiences!

Of course, Ao Yi didn’t dare contradict his master or argue, so he just added:

In this disciple’s view, our leader is likely the most talented and poetic man among the human race.

Then, he was tossed out of the cave by his master, right here…

Was there any hyperbole?

It was all straightforward truth!

Though the dragon clan is proud, they rarely boast, especially when it comes to someone of human origin like the leader.

After pondering for a bit, Ao Yi remembered something else and couldn’t help muttering to himself…

In half a month, he would take Sisi to Du Xian Men to visit the leader. If he could find out the leader’s preferences and prepare a gift worthy of the dragon clan, wouldn’t that be wonderful?

What does the leader like?

“But I can’t just ask directly.”

Ao Yi thought for a moment, noted the matter in his mind, and hurried toward the edge of Jin'ao Island to meet up with several dragon clan experts, then rushed back to the East Sea Dragon Palace.

Wanting to give the leader a gift is really tough.

‘Ah, after scamming the dragon clan out of a hundred boxes of treasures, I’m still so poor.’

Half a month later, in the underground chamber of Xiao Qiong Peak.

As his immortal sense observed the figures busy repairing the spirit beast enclosure, Li Changshou calculated in his mind the treasures needed for the next phase of the ‘Wandering Xiao Qiong Peak’ plan, and he let out a soft sigh.

The shortfall was too great, too hard to fill.

Yet, Li Changshou didn’t want his poverty to compromise the performance requirements of Xiao Qiong Peak’s great arrays.

The array foundations he was laying now were for future enhancements, so he couldn’t afford to be sloppy.

This was like cultivation itself—one mustn’t be shortsighted but plan carefully and think long-term.

Rushing cultivation, as with Qin Xuan Ya’s heavenly tribulation, could lead to disaster; without the bird cage, she would have perished.

On a side note…

A few days ago, Li Changshou had started requiring Ling E to suppress her dao realm and slow her breakthroughs.

He had originally urged Ling E to break through faster when the Sea God Cult in the South Sea was unstable, worried that he might be hunted by Western Cult and forced to leave Du Xian Men.

In that case, he wanted Ling E to gain Du Xian Men’s attention early to ensure she and their master were taken care of.

Now, although risks still existed, things were relatively stable, so there was no need to push Ling E to break through hastily.

It was more important for her to build a solid foundation and maximize her potential…

If Ling E didn’t manifest the nine-petal lotus phenomenon before her tribulation, Li Changshou would personally intervene to suppress her realm.

After all, he had shaped Ling E’s dao path himself, so he knew exactly how to help her.

Besides, the heavenly tribulation gift package he prepared for Ling E was already complete.

It included the essential life-saving trio for tribulations—the bird cage, Fusion Immortal Pill, and Soul-Locking Pill.

There were also guidelines for conduct before the tribulation—emphasizing that she was a Daoist disciple, thanking the Heavenly Dao for taking time out of its busy schedule to strike, and expressing gratitude for the heavenly punishment that maintains heavenly stability.

In addition, there were twelve types of pills dedicated to tribulations, defensive treasures for the event, lightning-resistance techniques to practice beforehand, two newly acquired treasures to protect the primordial spirit and resist heavenly tribulations, and even micro arrays and insight-enhancing pills for any ascension insights afterward…

And so on.

Ling E was already starting to worry about her immortal ascension tribulation…

But she had no idea that her senior brother had stabilized her success rate at ninety-five percent.

The remaining zero-point-three percent depended on her own efforts in cultivation.

The other zero-point-two percent, as per the old rule, was left to the Heavenly Dao’s whims.

Unfortunately, their master had damaged his foundation, so all these preparations were useless for him; back then, only the Fusion Immortal Pill could save his life.

The enemies had been dealt with, the enemies’ dao companions had remarried, and the enemies’ disciples had taken new masters. Under his immortal sense’s surveillance, Xian Lin Peak hadn’t targeted Xiao Qiong Peak, so there was no need to dwell on their master’s past affairs…

They just had to wait for their shizu to find their shibo and resolve their master’s lingering regret.

Later…

Li Changshou figured that by the time their master’s lifespan ended, he should have firmly established himself in the Heavenly Court and smoothed things over in the Underworld to arrange for their master’s reincarnation.

Indeed, not just this life for Old Daoist Qi Yuan—even his next life had mostly been planned out by Li Changshou…

Of course, it was all based on respecting their master’s wishes; he was just providing more options.

Li Changshou sighed and continued worrying about the huge treasure shortfall.

Being poor might still let you live,

But boosting the safety factor would skyrocket the happiness index!

After some effort, Li Changshou drew up a detailed financial plan for the next two hundred years, rationally allocating his time for enlightenment, cultivation insights, pill refining, and treasure crafting.

Once that was done, Li Changshou took out one of the divine abilities given by the Da Mage—Bean Scattering into Soldiers.

He carefully examined the jade slip, which had a vertical line of seal script at the bottom:

Xiaoyao Xian Zong Dao Zang.

It was probably because this divine ability was too basic that the Da Mage hadn’t practiced it himself and didn’t bother creating a new one; he just found an existing one to toss over.

With a light smile, Li Changshou used his immortal power to push the jade slip three zhang away.

Since it was a gift from the Da Mage and obtained directly from Yue Lao’s dream, Li Changshou didn’t push it ten zhang this time and only set up the minimal three layers of protection before slowly opening it…

Being steady was an attitude in cultivation.

Soon, Li Changshou confirmed there were no traps in the jade slip, then brought it closer and read it carefully.

This Bean Scattering into Soldiers technique was similar in principle to Paper Cutting into People; it seemed like you could just grab a handful of beans and scatter them to form a troop of soldiers.

In reality, the beans themselves were already considered magical tools, requiring complex craftsmanship to create.

They were even more intricate than the ‘paper’ used in Paper Cutting into People.

Li Changshou pondered the potential modifications for this divine ability and the room for adaptation, gradually falling into deep thought.

Outside the chamber, the sun set and the moon rose.

In the dead of night, just as Li Changshou had a few modification ideas, a figure quietly flew over from Potian Peak, glanced around, saw no one, and entered the isolating great array around Xiao Qiong Peak.

Why is You Du Shimei coming over at this hour?

Li Changshou set down the jade slip, activated the paper effigy pretending to meditate in the pill room, stood up, and went to the front of the pill room, temporarily deactivating the outer layer of the great array.

Qin Xuan Ya quickly spotted Li Changshou, pursed her lips, and descended with her head lowered.

Just as Li Changshou was about to exchange pleasantries, a slight ripple stirred in his heart. He furrowed his brows, performed a quick divination, and sent a wisp of his mind to descend upon the main idol in the Sea God Cult’s great temple in An Shui City.

There, he immediately saw a woman enveloped in thin mist standing in the brightly lit and increasingly magnificent main hall, curiously examining the murals around her…

This aura, this dao rhyme…

Uh, why had this great figure suddenly come to the Sea God Cult?

Li Changshou’s spirit sharpened. He quickly sent a voice transmission to Qin Xuan Ya, asking her to wait in the pill room, and focused all his attention on dealing with this unexpected visitor from Jie Jiao…