Chapter 204: Grandmaster, I Can Only Help You Up to Here

"Mu Gong, make sure this memorial is delivered safely to His Majesty's hands. It must not be lost or seen by any outsiders."

The day before the Xiao Qiong Peak calligraphy and painting appreciation event, in the Hai Shen Temple;

Li Changshou carefully instructed the Tian Ting courier before him.

The memorial mentioned the arrangements of Xi Fang Jiao, a matter of great importance, so there could be no mistakes.

After much deliberation, Li Changshou decided to inform Yu Di of the details and hinted in the memorial that he had planted a hidden agent in the Western side.

This hidden agent could also serve Yu Di in the future...

This was the first time Dong Mu Gong had seen the Hai Shen looking so serious, so he dared not take it lightly. He solemnly agreed and repeatedly sealed the scroll.

Once the serious business was done, Li Changshou smiled and changed the subject, suddenly becoming...

Less serious.

"Mu Gong... there's another small matter I'd like to trouble you with."

Dong Mu Gong's eyes lit up at once. He stepped forward eagerly, almost unable to resist grabbing the old hand of the Hai Shen incarnation before him.

The Hai Shen had a request!

If it was something for Tian Ting, Yu Di had already instructed that whatever could be given should be given!

If it was a personal matter, Dong Mu Gong was even more eager to repay the favor he owed the Hai Shen and to build a stronger relationship.

"Go ahead! Hai Shen, please speak quickly!

What's there to trouble about? Your matters are my matters!"

How could he be so excited...

Li Changshou steadied himself and said with a smile, "Actually, I've recently been pondering two types of dan yao. I've searched through all the Ren Jiao scriptures, but there's no record of these two kinds.

Have you heard of any spiritual herbs that have the same effect as Yue Lao's Xiang Si Bao Shu?

And which non-precious spiritual roots could have the effect of reshaping an xian shen?"

As he spoke, Li Changshou couldn't help but sigh inwardly.

He was actually just looking for a spiritual herb to reshape an xian shen, but to be cautious, he deliberately mentioned the Xiang Si Bao Shu, something that would easily mislead and intrigue others, as a cover.

He already had pills like Xiong Xin Dan and Xin Huo Shao that had effects similar to the Xiang Si Bao Shu, which were sufficient for now.

Upon hearing the Hai Shen's words, Dong Mu Gong was stumped and stroked his beard in thought. He quickly replied,

" Treasures for reshaping an xian shen—I've heard of a few, like the Ba Bao Xin Lian in the Yao Chi.

But that lotus is something Wang Mu Niang Niang cherishes, and its effect is for bringing the dead back to life. If it's just for reshaping an xian shen, that would be a wasteful use."

Li Changshou laughed and said, "Mu Gong, what I'm developing is a type of dan yao, not just one or two pills. I wouldn't dare use such a precious treasure."

"I'll handle this matter once I deliver the memorial. I'll check around and ask about it."

Dong Mu Gong hesitated a bit, gave Li Changshou a meaningful smile, bowed in farewell, and hurried away.

He had probably misunderstood something;

Though it was Li Changshou who had deliberately led him to misunderstand...

Once out of the Hai Shen Temple, Dong Mu Gong concealed his trace.

He found a secluded spot, used the 'Zang Ni' divine ability he had recently cultivated, and scanned the surroundings with his immortal sense. Only after confirming no suspicious figures were within thousands of li did he shoot into the sky, speeding toward Nan Tian Men!

Nan Zhan Bu Zhou was a place of mixed characters and harsh ancient perils, something Dong Mu Gong had experienced before.

If he ran even a little slowly, some strong figures might suddenly jump out, yelling 'ai yo' twice, and collapse in front of him!

He absolutely did not want to go through that a second time!

'Another safe return.'

Upon reaching Nan Tian Men, Dong Mu Gong relaxed a bit, revealed his form, and resumed his usual composed demeanor as he flew into the gate.

The heavenly soldiers and generals guarding the grand Tian Men bowed in unison.

Dong Mu Gong nodded in acknowledgment, said nothing more, and drifted inside.

Directly above Nan Tian Men hung a sword radiating colorful light.

This sword was called 'Zhu Xie Ling Tian Jian', forged by Yu Di with Tian Ting merit. There were five in total, suppressing the five great heavenly gates and integrated with the Tian Ting grand array.

If anyone impersonated a Tian Ting orthodox god and tried to enter Nan Tian Men, these five swords would detect it and strike directly.

Even a Jin Xian level expert would be severely injured on the spot!

After entering Nan Tian Men, Dong Mu Gong took the path to Tong Ming Hall and flew for a while before arriving at Ling Xiao Bao Dian.

Reaching Yu Di's presence, Dong Mu Gong presented Li Changshou's memorial and stood below the high platform, head bowed, waiting for Yu Di to speak.

As expected, Yu Di's reaction was the same as always—

First, a couple of laughs, then some praise for the Hai Shen, followed by a soft sigh and deep thought.

Every time His Majesty read the Hai Shen's memorials, it followed this routine.

"Mu Gong," the white-clad youth on the high platform said with a smile, "Go to the Tian Ting garrison immediately and select forty thousand elite heavenly soldiers. For the next ten years, have them train and drill formations daily without slacking."

"This old minister obeys!"

Yu Di nodded slowly and smiled. "Did Qing Geng Qing love that time with you say anything else?"

Dong Mu Gong did not hesitate and recounted word for word what he and the Hai Shen had discussed.

Yu Di's attention was immediately diverted...

"Spiritual herbs with effects similar to the Xiang Si Bao Shu? Hmm?"

Yu Di raised an eyebrow slightly, then showed a look of sudden realization.

Yu Di laughed. "This Qing Geng Qing love is truly exhaustive in his schemes. Even matters of romance can be turned into major plots—impressive indeed.

To have such a person assisting me is surely the favor of Tai Qing Shixiong, ha ha, ha ha ha."

Dong Mu Gong lowered his head and said, "It is still Your Majesty's keen insight.

I thought the Hai Shen was refining these dan yao for his own use and hadn't considered it so deeply."

"Qing Geng Qing is not of that temperament," Yu Di waved his hand. "Go and deploy the troops first.

Then, Mu Gong, go to Yue Lao Hall and grant Yue Lao some extra merit, so he can allocate a Xiang Si Shu spiritual root to Qing Geng Qing."

"This minister obeys."

"Ah... To raise majestic mountains, how difficult it is."

In the dan room, Li Changshou shook his head with a sigh and continued tending the dan furnace.

Li Changshou's immortal sense caught Ling E, who had been sewing for three days and two nights, hugging several new outfits as she went to the ancestral master's thatched hut...

These long skirts were designed by Li Changshou himself and meticulously sewn by Ling E.

They were only ordinary magical treasures with poor defensive effects, but they had double the restrictions to block external immortal sense probing!

The purpose was to ensure that others couldn't see through the mysteries of these clothes with immortal sense or sight.

Certain areas of these outfits had been thickened...

Soon, praises came from the thatched hut, and Jiang Lin'er quickly set up several layers of immortal power barriers.

Li Changshou immediately withdrew his immortal sense to avoid any offense.

Not long after, Jiang Lin'er emerged triumphantly, head held high and full of confidence.

This time, things hadn't gone completely smoothly...

Ling E couldn't help but cover her forehead with one hand, wanting to advise her ancestral master to be more low-key, but the words wouldn't come out.

"Ancestral master, shall I make a few more for you?"

"Hmm! Go ahead! I'll just wander around the mountain! Thank you so much, little Ling E!"

With that, Jiang Lin'er strolled off with her hands behind her back.

She first went to Qi Yuan Laodao's thatched hut, lectured her second disciple a bit.

Qi Yuan Laodao was scolded into a daze but could only bow his head and listen, not daring to look up at his master.

Jiang Lin'er rolled her eyes, then came to the dan room for an inspection, proudly eyeing Li Changshou.

Though this was just treating the symptoms and not the root cause, it had at least pulled her little ancestral master back a bit from that vicious path.

Li Changshou smiled. "Ancestral master's long skirt suits you very well—elegant and outstanding."

Jiang Lin'er beamed, her eyes curving like crescent moons, and said sincerely, "Was this your idea? I heard from Ling E."

"This... it was just a temporary measure I thought of, ancestral master."

"Hmm, you did well this time. Your ancestral master thanks you!"

Li Changshou: ...

"Don't be so formal! Didn't we chat about this last time?

I'll treat you as a brother, and you treat me as ancestral master—we each stick to our roles!"

Jiang Lin'er hopped over with her hands behind her back, looking at Li Changshou's dan furnace, and whispered, "This furnace of yours is quite nice."

"It was a gift from Wan Lin Jun Elder."

"Oh?" Jiang Lin'er coughed and whispered, "Changshou, could you design some armor for us? With a bit of outward curve here."

Li Changshou thought for a moment and smiled. "In the mortal world, I've seen some female generals wearing that kind of armor. It should be simple to make."

"Then I'll leave it to you!"

Jiang Lin'er patted Li Changshou's shoulder, then squinted and smiled, asking, "How are your preparations for the calligraphy exhibition?"

"Ancestral master, please see," Li Changshou gestured lightly to the side, and scrolls of paintings flew out, piling up like a small mountain. "I'll hang them up in front of the thatched hut later."

Jiang Lin'er nodded. "Hmm, no need to be too meticulous—just put them up casually. Who did you invite?"

Li Changshou smiled. "I haven't decided yet. Whoever has the fate to pass by here can come in and see."

"Is that so?" Jiang Lin'er glanced around slyly but said no more. She casually picked up a scroll, unrolled it, and soon murmured in admiration.

"You have this skill too? That's really something."

Li Changshou just smiled and didn't reply.

Jiang Lin'er soon left the dan room, her steps still light and bouncy.

After refining this batch of poison dan, Li Changshou went to the front of the thatched hut to set up, hanging the paintings he had made over the years. They were all landscapes, without a single figure.

Li Changshou worried that if he painted a certain person, they might suddenly appear as a paper dao ren, revealing some flaw...

He naturally wouldn't overlook such minor details.

The next day, Li Changshou had already set up a simple illusion array and barrier array on the open ground in front of the lakeside thatched hut.

He invited Jiang Lin'er into the array under the pretext of appreciating paintings.

A moment later, Wangqing Shangren arrived as promised.

Li Changshou stepped forward to bow, subtly passing a bamboo slip, and transmitted a message:

"Shangren, this is from Jiu Wu Shibo for you.

Jiu Wu Shibo was afraid you'd feel awkward and didn't dare give it directly.

There are eighteen topics here, some jokes. If the conversation stalls, just pick one to glance at.

Each topic should be something my ancestral master is interested in."

Wangqing Shangren raised an eyebrow, casually tucked the bamboo slip into his sleeve, handed over two treasure pouches to Li Changshou, and entered the illusion array exhibition with a blank expression.

The treasure pouches contained neatly stacked superior spirit stones, of excellent quality and considerable value.

Li Changshou smiled, walked to the side, and gave one treasure pouch to Ling E and the other to Xiong Lingli, transmitting a message:

"Begin."

Ling E started playing the zither, while the two paper figures she had made began playing the xiao and flute.

But as soon as the music started, Li Changshou called for a stop, took out a music score from his embrace, and handed it to Ling E. "Play this one."

"Shixiong, did you compose a new piece?"

Ling E's eyes brightened. She opened the score and murmured softly:

"'Do Dui Xiang Si Yan'? Hmm, the tune isn't too difficult..."

"Play it."

Li Changshou nodded with a smile, hands behind his back, and walked to the lake's edge. He placed a meditation cushion under the willow tree and sat down comfortably.

Cheerful music soon came from behind. Li Changshou hummed the familiar tune inwardly, tapping his fingers lightly on his knee.

In the illusion array 'exhibition', the two figures finally began chatting and laughing today.

But the eighteen bamboo slips seemed not enough—Wangqing Shangren had already used three in the blink of an eye...

Meanwhile, in Zhong Shen State, on Emei Shan.

In a secluded spot in the back mountains of this blessed cave-heaven, shrouded in immortal light, inside a certain cave dwelling,

A mighty male immortal sitting on a lotus platform suddenly opened his eyes.

He furrowed his brow and performed a divination, soon stroking his grown beard and murmuring...

"How strange, what matter involves me and also connects to Chan Jiao?"

This was naturally Zhao Gongming, the outer disciple of Jie Jiao.

Zhao Gongming pondered deeply and tried to divine further, but couldn't pinpoint the details.

This wasn't a warning from his own teacher; it was purely a sudden intuition while comprehending the Dao...

At Zhao Gongming's level, with his long years of cultivation, his divination methods, though not the strongest, were quite formidable.

He quickly divined that the matter would likely occur around the border of Nan Hai and Xi Hai.

Since it involved Chan Jiao, Zhao Gongming didn't dare be careless, especially with the three teachings having just eased their relations.

He quietly left his cave, concealed his aura and tracks, and stealthily headed toward Xi Hai, continuing southward.

Half a day later, Zhao Gongming began searching back and forth in this vast sea area, expending some effort before finally finding a hidden grand array.

As he approached the array, he sensed fluctuations of combat inside.

What was going on?

Zhao Gongming summoned his two Ding Hai Shen Zhu, letting them embody yin and yang energy as they circled him, then quietly opened a gap in the array and peered inside.

At first glance, Zhao Gongming was dumbfounded, then furious!

He saw three daoists there, two of whom were together. Zhao Gongming vaguely recognized them as Xi Fang Jiao experts he and Qiong Xiao had 'encountered' in Xi Niu He Zhou!

And now, these two were mimicking what he and Qiong Xiao had done—one lying on the ground feigning injury, the other yelling abusively at another old daoist.

They had actually copied it live!

The old daoist being targeted was stunned, standing there at a loss.

"This victim seems to be Chan Jiao's... Huang Long Shixiong?"

Zhao Gongming didn't hesitate. He charged into the array with a roar, his twenty-four Ding Hai Shen Zhu shining brightly!

How dare they use the exclusive tactic that Hai Shen Laodi had devised for him, Zhao Gongming, to bully a Dao gate expert!

Outrageous!