Chapter 203: Shan Shou Has His Own Wonderful Plan

What exactly is the background of this Sea God?

After delivering the message, Wenjing Daoist destroyed the blood mosquito herself. On the bed in the corner of her cave dwelling, she opened her narrow, phoenix-like eyes, her beautiful face filled with gravity.

When the Nanhai Hai Shen and the Renjiao little immortal had persuaded her with just a few words, she still felt a trace of reluctance in her heart. But after seeing that painting, hearing the discussions of the three, and witnessing the merits of the Tianting...

It was a painting by a saint!

That was absolutely a painting by a saint!

The sharp sword intent flowed through the simple brushstrokes, and the lingering aura of the saint nearly shattered her Dao heart!

Who was this saint? The answer was obvious!

Was this Hai Shen not just from Renjiao?

Did he also have Jiejiao behind him?

Could it be that the three teachings of Daoism were using the dragon clan affair to set a trap for Xifang Jiao, trying to plot against them?

A conspiracy!

This was absolutely a conspiracy by the saints!

Wenjing Daoist trembled lightly all over, her mind filled with that sword intent. Before her eyes appeared the benevolent image of the Nanhai Hai Shen...

This Nanhai Hai Shen...

An existence favored by both Tongtian Jiaozhu and Taiqing Laozu...

Yet, she had previously joked about it, mocking him in the same embarrassing way as the old temple master!

Taking a light breath, Wenjing Daoist suddenly let out a soft hum.

"Very well, only someone like you can make this queen heed your commands.

But in the end, will it be you who subdues me, or I who subdues you?"

"Ha! Ha ha ha! Ha..."

In the cave dwelling, that laughter... grew increasingly feeble.

Wenjing Daoist quickly covered her forehead and muttered a few mosquito curses under her breath, her face full of helplessness.

She was now completely in his grasp.

Moreover, carefully reflecting on the words the Hai Shen had said today, her future had already been clearly arranged by him.

Facing such a person...

"It's truly overwhelming."

Wenjing Daoist sighed softly and lay on the bed, lost in thought.

"Attacking the Nanhai Dragon Palace to lure the tiger away from the mountain, then striking at the Donghai Dragon Palace wedding...

Could it be that the mosquito has already been exposed, and this is a deliberate fog spread by the other side?"

On Xiaoqiong Feng, in the alchemy room.

Li Changshou pondered the message from the mosquito Daoist and analyzed the various possibilities.

He paced back and forth, finally stopping in a beam of sunlight by the window, deep in thought.

Interestingly, just moments ago, Wenjing Daoist seemed to have been startled by the landscape painting he had hung in the main hall.

Li Changshou had done this intentionally, placing Tongtian Jiaozhu's painting there as a warning to anyone scheming against his Hai Shen cult.

It was just borrowing momentum.

But he hadn't expected the effect to be so strong.

Wenjing Daoist had recognized at a glance whose painting it was.

Such sharp sword intent...

Apart from that great figure who intercepted heavenly secrets and became a saint, no one else in the Great Wilderness could match it.

Today, when Wenjing Daoist spoke to him via voice transmission, her tone had become much softer and more cautious...

It was just like the young bride who had recently entered the household of the great immortal next door...

Previously, Wenjing Daoist hadn't been fully convinced, and during her last visit, she had even played a trick on him as the Hai Shen. But today, she respectfully called him "my lord" and even asked proactively if there were other instructions.

Li Changshou certainly wouldn't forget his own saint's requirements, so he earnestly advised her:

He wanted her to continue lurking there, not because he intended for her to handle such message deliveries.

She should prioritize not exposing herself, and if necessary, she could even attack his Nanhai Shen Cult to ensure her own safety.

"She should understand what I mean, after all, she's no fool."

Li Changshou murmured to himself, standing with his hands behind his back in the sunlight, continuing to ponder his schemes.

What he was thinking about wasn't how to protect the dragon clan, but how to fully demonstrate the majesty of the Tianting.

The Tianting was currently short on soldiers and generals, and the Yu Huang was in the most awkward phase of his life.

When Dongmu Gong answered whether the Tianting had experts, he had responded straightforwardly, probably because the Yu Huang had instructed him beforehand.

The Tianting did have experts—the saint's incarnation in Doushuai Palace, and the Yu Huang and Wangmu themselves were not to be underestimated.

But the troops the Yu Huang could truly command were few and unreliable, let alone mobilizing the great immortal.

'The Bean Soldiers' power isn't perfected yet. I can't really create ten thousand pea shooters...'

Li Changshou chuckled to himself.

He also had to consider whether standing out too much at this time would arouse the Yu Huang's suspicions.

For the Yu Huang, who could initiate the Fengshen calamity, Li Changshou always showed sufficient respect—and sufficient caution.

They were ruler and minister, yet also opponents.

After all, he had no real loyalty to speak of; he sought only the merits of the Tianting and its protection for himself.

All his schemes were for personal gain, and the Yu Huang should be well aware of that.

This time, Xifang Jiao would likely stay hidden, using the sea clan rebels as their proxies, with pieces like Wenjing Daoist or deep-sea demons revealing themselves at key moments...

If disciples of the Xifang Jiao saints appeared directly, Li Changshou would simply invite the great immortal to step in and handle things on behalf of the Tianting.

With the Xuanhuang Pagoda on his side, what did the great immortal have to fear?

As for him, the little immortal, he could just handle receiving the dragon clan's thanks and stay in the background, shouting "Great Immortal, you're the best!"

But how exactly should he respond to make the Tianting appear as a crucial force?

This required careful consideration to find the right balance...

Still, such thoughts felt somewhat unstable.

In the underground chamber, Li Changshou's true body opened his eyes, unrolled two scrolls on the ground, and began to meticulously deliberate and deduce, marking out the various forces and step by step outlining the possibilities.

For this matter, which was targeted at the situation around Aoyi's wedding in eleven or twelve years, there weren't many areas he could directly influence, so clarifying his thoughts was enough.

Next, Li Changshou would write another memorial to the Yu Huang, reporting Xifang Jiao's schemes and requesting that he dispatch twenty thousand elite soldiers to lurk in the Donghai skies, ready to intervene at the critical moment and win favor from the dragon clan...

Of course, twenty thousand soldiers wouldn't have much impact, but if each of them carried the immortal beans he provided...

Then, when they activated the spells and scattered them casually, a million bean soldiers could descend upon the Donghai, spitting wildly at the invaders...

What a scene that would be!

Tsk, that was just a joke.

In twelve years, Li Changshou could cultivate one or two more powerful, properly shaped types of immortal bean soldiers. Combined with the twenty thousand heavenly soldiers, they should produce a decent effect.

Moreover, it could create the illusion that the Tianting had mobilized hundreds of thousands of troops for aid.

'The Yu Huang should not refuse this matter.'

Li Changshou made up his mind and was about to shift his focus to the paper effigy in Anshui City. However, his immortal sense, which was monitoring the sect, detected a figure approaching from Potian Feng.

This person had a restrained aura and a heroic appearance, with two streaks of silver-white hair at his temples—it was the peak heavenly immortal expert of the sect, Wangfu!

Wait, the Wangqing Immortal!

Had that tear from his previous life really taken effect?

Li Changshou immediately showed a warm smile and sent a voice transmission to warn his little grandmaster, who was snoring away in the thatched hut, before shifting his focus to write the memorial.

Two hours later,

Li Changshou rode a cloud out of the alchemy room, intending to go to the gaming room to remind Ling'e about a few matters concerning their little grandmaster. But with a sweep of his immortal sense, he discovered...

Ling'e and Xiong Lingli were huddled sneakily in the thatched hut, observing the situation under the willow tree by the lake.

Under the willow tree was a low table with two cups of tea. The Wangqing Immortal, originally named Wangfu, and the fierce little grandmaster sat facing each other.

Their gazes met from time to time, only to awkwardly look away—one toward the lake, the other toward the grass—both feeling a bit uneasy.

The Wangqing Immortal sat cross-legged, assuming his usual meditation pose, hands clasped in a seal.

Jiang Lin'er sat in the typical style for women, legs together and to one side, casually twirling a strand of her hair.

She had changed into a long skirt today, still simple from top to bottom, but it restored her natural feminine grace.

At least from behind, she looked quite appealing.

"You..." "I..."

They spoke almost simultaneously, their gazes clashing before they both averted their eyes.

"You go first."

"You speak..."

And so, they fell into silence again.

Li Changshou raised an eyebrow and quietly passed by, heading into Ling'e's thatched hut.

Ling'e greeted him softly, "Senior Brother, you're here."

Li Changshou asked, "How long have they been like that?"

"Two hours," Ling'e said helplessly, patting her smooth forehead. "They've changed the tea three times, but still haven't said a word."

Xiong Lingli, sitting on the ground, whispered, "Cousin, what are they doing?"

Li Changshou smiled. "Talking about the rest of their lives, discussing the future."

With that, Li Changshou walked to his exclusive armchair in Ling'e's hut, adjusted his robe, and sat down calmly, sighing:

"This kind of situation is the most troublesome."

Ling'e asked, "Senior Brother, can we help at all?"

"It's difficult," Li Changshou frowned in thought, transmitting to Ling'e, "Our little grandmaster is contradictory and prideful, while the Wangqing Immortal is all about cultivation and believes whatever our grandmaster says. These two personalities are the hardest to handle—they're like walking a tightrope...

Here's what you can do, Ling'e. When you go to change the tea later, casually mention something."

"What should I say?" Ling'e whispered.

"Just say..."

Li Changshou rubbed his brow, feeling this was more exhausting than scheming against Xifang Jiao.

"You can say that in three days, there's a small painting and calligraphy appreciation event on Xiaoqiong Feng, and we'd like to invite the Wangqing Immortal to attend.

The reason doesn't really matter, as long as it gives the Wangqing Immortal a suitable excuse to come here and meet our grandmaster."

Ling'e suddenly understood.

Another half hour passed, and Ling'e carried the freshly brewed tea, following the plan...

Just as Li Changshou had said, the Wangqing Immortal agreed without much hesitation.

Meanwhile, Grandmaster Jiang Lin'er muttered softly, "You know how to appreciate paintings and calligraphy?"

The Wangqing Immortal nodded with a smile and simply replied...

"Mm."

Soon after, the Wangqing Immortal seemed to have set aside his worries, stood up to take his leave, and his departing figure looked much lighter.

As for Jiang Lin'er, she couldn't hide the smile at the corners of her mouth. As she returned to the hut, she even hummed the cheerful tune Ling'e had played yesterday.

Ling'e said happily, "Senior Brother, it really worked!"

"Of course," Li Changshou smirked. "For matters of men and women, your senior brother I..."

Ling'e suddenly pursed her lips, recalling the earlier boundary incident, and muttered, "Senior Brother, how are you... so experienced..."

Li Changshou replied calmly, "From outside the situation, one can see the whole picture clearly. You're just too caught up in it."

"Is that so?"

Ling'e looked at Xiong Lingli, whose little head on that tower-like body nodded vigorously.

"Cousin is right!"

Even though she wasn't sure why...

Ling'e fell into thought and was easily persuaded by her senior brother.

Just then,

A light cough came from outside the hut, and the fierce little grandmaster strolled in with her hands behind her back.

"Well, hey, hey, Changshou, Ling'e!

Your grandmaster here is shamelessly asking you for a favor!"

Li Changshou quickly stood up and smiled. "Grandmaster, just tell us what you need. Ling'e and I will do our best."

Ling'e also smiled. "Grandmaster, we'll help you all the way and seize the moment to win over the Wangqing Immortal!"

"Hmph, win him over for what?"

Jiang Lin'er snapped irritably, though her rhythmically twitching leg gave her away.

Jiang Lin'er's face suddenly flushed red, and she whispered,

"You two... aren't you pretty familiar with Xiaojiu?

I want you to ask her how exactly... to make it... that big...

I just want to be normal, nothing too extreme... you get it?"

Ling'e couldn't help but cover her mouth and laugh, while Xiong Lingli tilted her head, not quite understanding. Li Changshou, however, remained serious.

"Ahem," Jiang Lin'er coughed. "Leave this to you. I need to cultivate, so I'll head back first."

With that, she dashed away in a hurry.

Ling'e asked eagerly, "Senior Brother, should we go find Jiu Shishu right now?"

"It's no use finding her."

Li Changshou shook his head and transmitted, "She doesn't understand it herself.

It's like Jiuwu Shibo's height—even cultivators can fix their forms in place, but you can't create something from nothing with techniques.

This involves the innate Dao body and whether one's Dao foundation is complete; it's not something to change lightly.

It's the same principle as most demon cultivators, no matter how high their cultivation, not being able to alter their original form.

However, I have a few methods that might help our grandmaster."

Ling'e exclaimed in surprise, "Senior Brother, you know about this too?"

Li Changshou pondered for a moment and continued transmitting instructions to Ling'e.

Do this and that, say this and that.

Ling'e listened, her face turning red, but since her senior brother spoke so seriously, she didn't dare question it and nodded in agreement.