Chapter 20: Some Pits Are Unavoidable

Standing in front of the cave, Li Changshou watched the two figures descending from the clouds and couldn't help but show a slight smile.

It was also beyond his expectations that his own master had come along as well...

Although he saw his master looking agitated and brandishing that familiar whisk, as if about to give him a kindly thrashing on the backside, Li Changshou still felt a warm sense of comfort in his heart.

In front of the sect's elders, Li Changshou decided not to dodge and let his master hit him a couple of times to vent his anger.

After all, it wouldn't hurt.

Jiu Jiu and Qi Yuan Laodao jumped down from the clouds together. Jiu Jiu had originally wanted to rush to Li Changshou first to check if he was missing any parts, but remembering that Qi Yuan Daolong was there, she headed straight for Youqin Xuanya instead.

As his master raised the whisk to strike, Li Changshou put on a bitter expression and closed his eyes to endure it, but the whisk only lightly landed on his shoulder with no real force.

Then he heard Qi Yuan Daolong scold, "You reckless boy, how did you end up in this vicious Northern Continent? If it weren't for Ling E waking me up, you'd have vanished here, and I wouldn't even know where to collect your remains!"

"Master, your disciple suddenly felt the urge to seek adventure and forgot to inform you in advance. Please forgive me."

Li Changshou bowed his head respectfully in response, while glancing sideways out of the corner of his eye...

Jiu Jiu had scooped up Youqin Xuanya and was spinning around on the spot, laughing like a child; Youqin Xuanya's face turned slightly red as she repeatedly called out "Shishu," but she couldn't break free. Her skirt fluttered and her hair scattered, making the whole scene quite charming.

...

Objectively speaking, Youqin Xuanya had the advantage of perfect proportions and flawless lines, while compared to her, Shishu Jiu Jiu was a bit shorter and had a rounder face—their styles were worlds apart.

Li Changshou glanced once and then withdrew his gaze, honestly listening to his master lecture him at length...

The earlier situation was purely a habit from his past life as a gentleman, just a quick mental assessment based on his tastes.

It didn't mean anything practical.

Instead, Li Changshou was more focused on Jiu Wu's actions at the moment...

Jiu Wu was carrying the old Daoist who had just been knocked unconscious and landed in front of the group.

Seeing that Li Changshou and Youqin Xuanya were unharmed, the short Daoist subtly shook his wrist, causing the old Daoist in his hand to twitch all over before his aura completely dissipated.

If Li Changshou wasn't mistaken, that old Daoist's Yuan Shen had just been shattered...

As if nothing had happened, Jiu Wu tossed the Yuan Xian old Daoist's corpse into the nearby forest and smiled as he watched the master-disciple reunion.

This was a ruthless character, killing as easily as crushing an insect.

Li Changshou discreetly calculated with his fingers in his sleeve, recalling the various rumors he'd heard about this short Daoist and summarizing them simply: Jiu Wu, the fifth senior brother of Jiu Jiu, a direct disciple of the Du Xian Men elder Wang Qing Shangren, had been cultivating for over two thousand years, with his cultivation at the peak of Zhen Xian realm, half a step into Tian Xian. His temperament was like that of a mischievous child, enjoying jokes with others, but in reality, he was clever and scheming, deeply loyal to the sect, often handling various affairs outside, and had many friends both within and beyond the sect. He enjoyed brewing wine and refining pills, with no obvious weaknesses.

Li Changshou quickly concluded that for someone like this, he didn't need to deliberately befriend him—just fulfilling his duties as a Du Xian Men disciple was enough.

Nearby, Jiu Jiu finally released Youqin Xuanya and sighed with her head tilted back, relieved that most of her wine stash was safe.

Youqin Xuanya heard Qi Yuan Daolong lecturing Li Changshou: "Just look at you, rushing into this place at Hua Shen realm—you're just holding others back!"

"Qi Yuan Shishu!"

Youqin Xuanya immediately spoke up, her expression serious. "Changshou Shixiong didn't burden anyone; on the contrary, your disciple was helped by Shixiong several times..."

"Exactly, I didn't hold anyone back—I even lent a hand."

Li Changshou calmly cut in before Youqin Xuanya could finish, a hint of pride on his face as he smiled. "Master, you don't know yet, but your disciple broke through to Fan Xu realm right here through this training."

As he spoke, Li Changshou revealed his aura—at the first stage of Fan Xu realm.

The aura was just a bit unsteady, perfectly matching someone who had just broken through.

Youqin Xuanya was suddenly a bit stunned.

How could Shixiong...

Seem like a completely different person?

His usual composure had suddenly turned into this somewhat frivolous demeanor.

Li Changshou winked at her, and Youqin Xuanya paused briefly before remembering Li Changshou's earlier instructions.

She gently pursed her lips, not sure what else to say.

"You broke through?"

Qi Yuan Daolong perked up, carefully sensing Li Changshou's aura, and a smile spread across his face, his eyes lighting up.

But before his smile could fully form, he sternly scolded, "It took you a hundred years to comprehend Fan Xu realm, and now you're getting all cocky about it! Just look at Xuan Ya! She's your junior sister, and she's already at the fourth stage of Fan Xu realm!"

Li Changshou gave a helpless, awkward smile, as if he were feeling down from the scolding...

In reality, his heart was completely unmoved and even a little amused.

"A hundred years to break through to Fan Xu realm is pretty good—it's upper-tier aptitude, after all," Jiu Wu chuckled from the side. "Qi Yuan Shidi, my second senior brother took two hundred years to grasp Fan Xu realm, and then he built up his foundation and crossed the tribulation to become an immortal in just twenty years. Cultivation depends entirely on fate—don't be so hard on your disciple. By the way, Xuan Ya, do you know Yuan Qing's whereabouts?"

Youqin Xuanya's face darkened as she stepped back two paces, knelt on one knee with her great sword on her back, cupped her hands, and said firmly, "Yuan Qing is dead, killed by your disciple's hand. Please punish me, Shibo!"

Jiu Wu frowned and asked, "You killed him yourself?"

"Yes, four swords through the heart, shattering his Yuan Shen," Youqin Xuanya replied with her head lowered. "This was your disciple's doing alone. Changshou Shixiong only used Di Dun technique to help me escape. I am willing to accept any punishment from the sect!"

Jiu Wu pondered with a furrowed brow.

Jiu Jiu hopped over to Li Changshou in two steps, about to elbow him but stopping just in time without touching his arm.

"Hey, what happened here?" she whispered.

Li Changshou shook his head without answering.

Instead, Jiu Wu glanced over, his eyes like sharp arrows piercing toward Li Changshou.

Jiu Wu asked gravely, "Changshou Shizhi, aren't you going to defend Xuan Ya?"

"Your disciple doesn't know the full details," Li Changshou replied, meeting Jiu Wu's gaze steadily.

"You're quite composed," Jiu Wu sighed. "Actually, on the way here, I already searched that Yuan Xian's soul and know the general events. Yuan Qing acted with malice first and brought worldly power struggles into Du Xian Men, which is an unforgivable offense. But Xuan Ya Shizhi, killing a fellow disciple is a grave sin, no matter the reason—it's hard to escape punishment..."

"This stupid rule should just be changed!" Jiu Jiu grumbled. "Yuan Qing struck first, right? And Xuan Ya was just fighting back!"

Youqin Xuanya bit her lip and said nothing.

Li Changshou coughed lightly and said, "Jiu Wu Shibo, why don't we leave this place first and meet up with the other shishu and shibo? Then Youqin Shimei can explain everything in detail. As long as she tells the truth, the sect should understand."

The last part was meant for Youqin Xuanya, who looked at Li Changshou with a mix of helplessness and bitterness in her eyes.

Li Changshou sighed inwardly and gave her a small smile, nodding gently.

It was just a bit of encouragement for her.

"Let's do as Changshou Shizhi suggests and go meet them," Jiu Wu said.

As he spoke, Jiu Wu scratched his head, wondering how to help Youqin Xuanya avoid punishment, but he also realized it might be tricky since Yuan Qing's master was involved.

The short Daoist created a white cloud for them to board and instructed Youqin Xuanya to stay close behind him, as if temporarily keeping an eye on her.

Li Changshou stayed by his master's side as they all sat cross-legged on the cloud.

Qi Yuan Laodao now had a completely different air about him—gloomy on the way here, but triumphant on the way back.

He was, after all, the master of a Fan Xu realm disciple...

Before the cloud could rise, Jiu Wu seemed to remember something and turned to Li Changshou with a smile. "Changshou Shizhi?"

"Your disciple is here."

Jiu Wu casually asked, "Aren't you going to collect the spider silk from those Chong Tong San Tou Zhu here? It's a rare treasure, hard to find."

Li Changshou smiled naturally and replied, "I wouldn't want to trouble Shibo with that. Once it's set out, it's hard to retrieve. Your disciple has a few nests of Chong Tong San Tou Zhu on Xiao Qiong Peak. If Shibo is interested in these odd creatures, I can have one nest sent over when we get back."

Jiu Wu raised an eyebrow at Li Changshou. "Then I won't be polite. You're a promising young one—stick close to me in the future."

"Your disciple understands," Li Changshou said with a warm and humble smile, not saying more.

Better to say less and avoid mistakes. It seemed Jiu Wu had glimpsed some of his secrets, but asking for a "sealing fee" meant he didn't plan to pry further into a fellow disciple's cultivation matters.

However, Qi Yuan Daolong frowned at Li Changshou and said seriously, "You stingy kid! If it weren't for Jiu Wu Shibo coming to save you, who knows what might have happened! How many nests of those Xian Chong do you have? Keep one for yourself and send the rest to your Jiu Wu Shibo!"

"Cough!"

Li Changshou felt a surge of qi in his dantian, covering his mouth as he coughed a few times.

He forced a smile, grinding his teeth as he said, "Yes... your disciple understands..."

Jiu Wu laughed at the sight and chuckled a couple of times but didn't add more.

A small round face popped up from the side—it was Jiu Jiu circling behind Qi Yuan Laodao and leaning over from Li Changshou's left, staring at him intently.

Li Changshou instinctively leaned back.

Sure enough, leaning back adjusted the angle just right, allowing him to... well, effectively guard against any sudden pranks from Jiu Jiu Shishu.

Jiu Jiu blinked and asked, "What's this spider silk thing? Why do I feel like you and Old Five are acting all mysterious?"

Li Changshou replied, "It's a kind of treasure material—your disciple can't explain it clearly. Shishu, why not ask Jiu Wu Shibo?"

"Hmph, forget it if you won't say." Jiu Jiu straightened up, then seemed to recall something and slapped her knee forcefully, saying seriously, "Right, Qi Yuan Shixiong, Fifth Shixiong! Look at this—does Changshou have some kind of condition? Is there something wrong with his cultivation, like a heart demon?"

"A heart demon?"

Qi Yuan, Jiu Wu, and Youqin Xuanya all turned to look, and Jiu Jiu had already reached out, gently poking Li Changshou's earlobe.

The motion was smooth and swift—she'd already made the move while speaking, giving Li Changshou no time to react.

Li Changshou was instantly overwhelmed by black lines, his left hand trembling and causing his muscles to twitch all over. His eyes rolled back, and he foamed at the mouth, making sounds like he was choking...

Damn it!

Was this Shishu also toxic?

No, this whole cloud was toxic! Anyone with "Jiu" in their Dao name was just plain weird!