Chapter 193: Came

At the gates of Du Xian Men, Li Changshou, dressed in a long blue silk robe, flew at a moderate height, slowly approaching on a cloud.

The robes provided by Bai Fan Dian for disciples came in three types: one for training, and the ordinary kind that Li Changshou usually wore, both of which could be collected freely. Ling E often sewed robes for her senior brother herself, making them the second type with several—actually, more like a dozen—small pockets added as per his requests.

The third type was the one Li Changshou wore now: a patterned indigo silk robe with some protective effects, worth a few spirit stones and functioning like a defensive treasure.

Today, unusually, Li Changshou had put on this robe he rarely wore, making him stand out a bit more than usual.

There was no choice; as the second leader of the Sea God Cult, he was about to welcome the second leader's fiancée on a visit.

After careful consideration, Li Changshou felt he should pay more attention to appearances, to give his second leader some face in front of the fiancée and not come across as too ordinary.

This was also a small way to make amends.

After all, it was his momentary impulse that had inadvertently helped forge this match.

Landing in front of the sect gates, Li Changshou bowed to the several gatekeepers, who looked like venerable immortals, and spoke clearly:

“Greetings, elders of Du Xian Men. I am Li Changshou from Xiao Qiong Peak, here to wait for a friend's visit. This is the permit from Bai Fan Dian.”

One of the gatekeeping immortals took the jade token, glanced at the message inside, and quickly nodded with a smile, advising:

“Li Changshou, it's a good thing you've made friends with a qi refiner from Jin'ao Island of Jie Jiao and the second prince of Donghai Longgong. Just remember to mind your manners later, so no one has cause to laugh.”

“I understand.”

With that, the two immortals opened the protective array like a door curtain, and Li Changshou stepped out of the gates, hovering on a cloud as he waited quietly.

Before long, a black dot appeared on the horizon, rapidly growing larger amid the distant roar of wind.

As it drew nearer, three black-scaled, red-flamed flood dragons could be seen weaving through the air, each biting a dark chain in their mouths, pulling a magnificent carriage behind them.

These three flood dragons were all at the True Immortal realm, with fierce and imposing forms, similar in origin to the immortal flood dragon guards.

Li Changshou watched the flood dragons thoughtfully for a moment, then shook his head slightly.

Where there is oppression, there is resistance—this principle held true even in the ancient wilderness.

But today wasn't the time to dwell on that.

Li Changshou flew forward to greet them, and the carriage stopped about ten li away. The door opened, and Ao Yi emerged with a young woman who had deep blue hair, followed by two elderly men with dragon heads.

“Brother Li Changshou!”

Ao Yi's voice carried across the ten li, his youthful face beaming with a smile as he waved energetically.

Li Changshou nodded with a smile, standing calmly.

The elegant and spirited young woman from the sea clan beside Ao Yi couldn't help but steal a few glances at him...

Was this the famous Brother Li Changshou?

When the group reached Li Changshou, he smiled and bowed in greeting. Ao Yi and the young woman returned the bow promptly; the two elderly men with dragon heads merely nodded without further action.

The leaders of the Sea God Cult exchanged a glance, and without needing Li Changshou's prompt, Ao Yi spoke up:

“Brother Li Changshou, it's been decades since we last met. I hope you've been well?”

“I appreciate your concern, Brother Ao Yi. I've been cultivating peacefully in the mountains. And this must be...”

“Oh, let me introduce you, Brother Li Changshou!”

Ao Yi bit his lip, feeling a bit shy, but mustered the responsibility of a mature dragon. He reached out, gently took the hand of the mermaid princess, and brought her forward.

Mermaids were known for their slender waists, light steps, and beautiful singing voices among the sea clans.

This princess of the mermaid clan perfectly embodied that: sweetly adorable with a clever and lively air, she stood beside Ao Yi like his elder sister, making the dragon and fish pair quite fitting.

She lowered her head in a slight bow and said softly:

“I've come to meet you, Brother Li Changshou.”

Her voice was soft and melodious, instantly making Li Changshou feel a bit more warmly toward her, even though he didn't know her well.

Ao Yi quickly added from the side: “Brother Li Changshou, this is my fiancée. We've already set our engagement. Her name is Jiang Si Er.”

Li Changshou laughed and said: “In that case, I'll be bold and call you my sister-in-law. Brother Ao Yi, you're truly fortunate.”

“Heh,” Ao Yi scratched his head, chuckling awkwardly.

Li Changshou turned and made a welcoming gesture, but Ao Yi said: “Brother Li Changshou, please wait a moment. I came a bit early, and I have some small gifts with me.”

“Brother Ao Yi, you didn't need to bring anything—just your visit is enough...”

A resounding dragon's roar echoed from the sky as three more carriages laden with treasure chests flew in from the horizon.

Ao Yi laughed: “Just some humble gifts, Brother Li Changshou. I hope you'll accept them.”

Li Changshou: ...

He wondered how Brother Ao Yi had explained to Donghai Longgong to get so many treasures for a young disciple of Du Xian Men.

Li Changshou's mouth twitched slightly, but he just smiled and nodded, saying: “Brother Ao Yi, you're far too kind.”

“To me, Brother Li Changshou, you're more than just a friend! These trifles are nothing.”

At that, Jiang Si Er of the mermaid clan blinked in surprise.

Li Changshou caught that detail and sighed inwardly.

This second leader was still a bit too impulsive.

Under the bewildered gazes of the gatekeeping elders, the ninety-nine treasure chests were stored away in seven or eight of Li Changshou's storage treasures.

The gatekeepers' expressions were... quite complex.

Even without knowing what was inside the chests, the jade and gold materials of the chests themselves were extraordinarily valuable!

Then Ao Yi added: “Please wait here, esteemed elders.”

“Your Highness, rest assured,” the two dragon-headed elders replied. “We will guard the protective array here. Call us if you need anything.”

The gatekeeping immortals inside hesitated, wondering how they could let such high-level dragon experts wait outside.

But Li Changshou had already gestured for Ao Yi and Jiang Si Er to follow him to the gates.

The elders quickly opened the protective array, allowing the human, dragon, and sea clan member to enter, and wondered if they should notify the supreme elders for a welcome.

Li Changshou said: “I've received my visiting friends and will take them back to Xiao Qiong Peak now.”

The gatekeepers just gave awkward laughs and watched the three figures fly away on clouds, feeling a bit dizzy.

After Li Changshou and his group left, one of the gatekeepers hurried to Po Tian Peak to report to a supreme elder.

That elder wasn't sure what to do and ended up disturbing the sect leader, Wu You Dao Ren, who was in seclusion recovering from injuries.

Unexpectedly, when Wu You Dao Ren heard the name “Li Changshou of Xiao Qiong Peak,” he just laughed and chided the elders:

“Li Changshou has a wide circle of friends—what's so surprising about that? He's a fine disciple: honest, loyal, kind, and warm-hearted. Whether it's the prince of the dragons or even the Dragon King himself, it wouldn't be shocking. Don't you agree?

Cough, cough...

Send some fine tea and wine to Xiao Qiong Peak so Li Changshou can properly host this Dragon Prince.

And don't forget, this Ao Yi is also a qi refiner from Jin'ao Island, a disciple of Master Wu Yun—his seniority is on par with mine. There's nothing laughable about it!

Ha, ha, ha ha.”

The elders exchanged puzzled glances, each falling into self-doubt.

Was it them overthinking, or had the sect leader suddenly become... a bit off?

The winds in Du Xian Men that day carried an odd strangeness.

When Li Changshou brought Ao Yi to Xiao Qiong Peak, three of the peak's four food-loving members were already gathered.

—Youqin Xuanya was in seclusion, focusing on her cultivation.

As Li Changshou's junior sister, Ling E had taken extra care with her appearance today; hearing about the mermaid princess, she wanted to hold her own.

The little uncle, being carefree as always, hadn't dressed up much, just putting away her large gourd and swapping her straw sandals for a pair of cloth boots to match her usual short shirt and skirt.

Jiu Jiu simply stood there, chest out and head high, enough to outshine most beautiful women.

Xiong Lingli had freshened up a bit... by changing into brighter armor.

Perhaps from living too comfortably on Xiao Qiong Peak, Xiong Lingli's arms had grown a tad thicker.

As Li Changshou landed with Ao Yi and Jiang Si Er, Ling E and Xiong Lingli were the first to welcome them, with Jiu Jiu flying in more calmly behind.

Jiang Si Er caught sight of Ling E and couldn't help but admire her inwardly. But she quickly recalled her own plans and targeted Ling E.

Ling E stepped forward, greeting her gracefully with a bow. Jiang Si Er immediately returned the bow and said softly: “Sister Ling E.”

“In that case, may I call you Sister Si Er?”

The two linked hands and chatted happily as they headed into the grass hut, leaving Li Changshou and Ao Yi watching with tilted heads.

Ao Yi whispered: “Brother Li Changshou, did they know each other before?”

“Mm... don't worry about it. Women's friendships can be mysterious—let them enjoy themselves. I have plenty of interesting things here; let's head to the alchemy room.”

Ao Yi nodded with a smile.

Li Changshou sent a voice transmission to Ling E with a few instructions. She nodded in the hut, invited Jiang Si Er to sit, served immortal fruits and snacks, and began brewing tea skillfully.

Once Jiu Jiu and Xiong Lingli joined them, the hut filled with lively chatter among the women.

In front of the alchemy room, Li Changshou set out two meditation cushions and sat with Ao Yi, chatting about amusing incidents from Jin'ao Island.

Ao Yi said: “The last time we met like this was during the Du Xian Men grand competition. Ah...”

“What's wrong?” Li Changshou asked with a smile. “You should be on top of the world right now—why the sigh?”

“The four seas are full of troubles...”

Li Changshou made a shushing gesture, took out a control array jade talisman, and activated several layers of arrays around them.

He glanced at the detection stone and said: “Since you're here, let's not dwell on that.”

“Mm,” Ao Yi nodded, understanding that Li Changshou didn't want to reveal his identity.

Li Changshou cleared his throat and said seriously: “Since our last meeting in the sect, have the items I gave you been helpful?”

Ao Yi's youthful face turned bright red as he stammered: “I haven't had a chance to use the medicinal wine or the 'Spring Illustrations' yet—they were borrowed by some senior brothers on the island... and they haven't returned them. I was too embarrassed to ask.”

Li Changshou couldn't help but laugh and sigh.

Ao Yi looked ashamed: “I've disappointed you, brother.”

“What's there to be disappointed about?” Li Changshou chuckled. “You won't need the 'Spring Illustrations' now. Take this medicinal wine and pills back to try.”

As he spoke, Li Changshou handed over a storage ring.

“The wine has been improved—it's milder but lasts longer. The pills are called Vigorous Heart Pills; they might have an unexpected effect on your transformed body, helping with growth. Now that you have a dao companion, it's fine to use these, but in moderation and with some time between uses.”

Ao Yi was deeply touched and took the ring.

Just as he was about to express his thanks, Li Changshou furrowed his brow and transmitted: “An Shui City, Sea God Temple.”

“Hmm?” Ao Yi frowned slightly, a hint of unease rising.

The two exchanged looks, and Ao Yi almost blurted out: “Have they started moving?”

“Quiet,” Li Changshou said calmly. “Let's send our divine senses into the god statue and see what's happening.”

“Alright,” Ao Yi agreed, closing his eyes and focusing his divine sense on the secondary statue in the An Shui City Sea God Temple.

Through the statue, they sensed that An Shui City was in some chaos, with a blue-scaled true dragon flying back and forth in the sky, drawing crowds of mortals looking up.

If not for the earlier tip from Wen Jing Dao Ren, Li Changshou might have been puzzled about what the dragon clan was up to.

The leaders of the Sea God Cult communicated via divine sense:

‘Brother Ao Yi, is that one of your clan?’

‘In a way, yes and no. It's a flood dragon that has transformed, part of the dragon clan, but they usually hold low status and serve as guards.’

As they exchanged thoughts, the true dragon in the sky dove toward the Sea God Temple, transforming mid-air into a middle-aged man with dragon horns on his head, landing in the temple courtyard.

His cultivation seemed to be at the peak of the Heavenly Immortal realm—not high, but not low for that place.

Li Changshou sent a message: ‘Let's see what he's up to.’

Ao Yi nodded, though anger simmered in his heart, he didn't act rashly.

Meanwhile, back in the grass hut...

While the two men were hidden in their arrays, up to who-knows-what, Jiang Si Er chuckled and asked Ling E:

“Sister, do you have someone you like? I brought a rare treasure from our clan—it might be useful if you do.”