Chapter 21: Smelly Senior Brother

Fortunately, his own master didn't suspect anything and asked with genuine concern when Li Changshou had developed such symptoms, then held Li Changshou's wrist to examine it carefully.

It was also thanks to Daoist Qi Yuan being only at the ninth tier of Gui Dao Jing, just one step away from becoming an immortal, that Li Changshou easily misled him during the check, helping to resolve this "minor crisis" for Li Changshou.

Qi Yuan said seriously:

"The six senses are unstable, and the mind is muddled. Changshou, go back and seclude yourself for a while, don't go out, and I will instruct Ling E not to disturb you.

Your state of mind has some issues, but they're not serious. With quiet cultivation for a time, you'll be fine."

Li Changshou nodded solemnly:

"Yes, Master."

Up ahead, Youqin Xuanya, who had been a bit tense, relaxed upon hearing this; and this subtle expression of hers caught the eye of the short Daoist Jiu Wu nearby.

'Interesting.'

Jiu Wu's thick short eyebrows arched upward, his face taking on a playful look.

Upon hearing Daoist Qi Yuan say this, Jiu Jiu also felt relieved. She stood up and hopped over to Youqin Xuanya, quietly asking what had happened before.

Li Changshou glanced at the She Hun Zhu in his storage treasure, which still had a few lingering souls not fully dissipated, from which many memory fragments could be extracted.

So, he silently extended a wisp of spiritual awareness, moved the She Hun Zhu to a more secluded spot, and sealed it with a talisman.

With the matter unrelated, all was well.

Jiu Wu's strength was much greater than Jiu Jiu's, but even within Beiju Luzhou, he didn't dare fly at full speed.

This short Daoist was quite cautious, remaining silent during the journey and keeping his gaze alertly scanning the surroundings.

This trait made Li Changshou quite fond of him.

Finally, they left Beiju Luzhou without any incidents.

Once they were out of the miasma-covered area, Jiu Wu led them south for about a hundred li, found a deserted mountain, and notified their fellow sect members to meet there.

After waiting roughly half a shichen, Wang Qi's master arrived first with Wang Qi and Liu Yaner.

Then, Youqin Xuanya's master Jiang Jingshan, Yuan Qing's master Lin Qi, and Liu Yaner's master arrived after another two shichen.

Jiang Jingshan was like a "standard template" for a fairy, with a beautiful face, an aura of pure energy, her hair in a cloud bun, dressed in immortal robes, exuding a full immortal air while still retaining a touch of worldly charm.

"Xiao Ya!"

Seeing her beloved disciple kneeling on the ground, covered in bandaged wounds, her long skirt stained with blood, and her expression haggard as if she were a different person,

Jiang Jingshan's face showed deep sorrow. She rushed forward in two steps and embraced Youqin Xuanya.

"Master..."

"Master is here, Master is here!

It was Master's momentary folly that I agreed to that villain Yuan Qing's request, letting you come here to seek the Yan Huo Ming Xin Grass as a trial. It's all Master's fault!"

Youqin Xuanya's eyes grew slightly red, but she took a gentle breath to steady her emotions and said softly:

"I am useless, causing Master to worry for me."

Lin Qi, who had arrived with them and already learned of Yuan Qing's death, didn't show anger. Looking at the master-disciple pair of Youqin Xuanya, he asked gravely:

"What exactly happened?"

When they had split up to search, they had also taken along a Yuan Immortal who was an accomplice of Yuan Qing and Yu Wenling. That Yuan Immortal had been dealt with casually, and they had extracted a general account of events from him.

Jiu Wu said:

"Lin Qi, my junior brother, please stay calm for now. Let Xuanya explain everything in detail.

Xuanya, try to be as thorough as possible, and don't hide anything!"

Jiang Jingshan quickly added:

"Xiao Ya, just say it all. Master will handle everything for you!"

Youqin Xuanya replied:

"I obey."

Her gaze turned toward Li Changshou on the periphery, and any rising emotions in her inexplicably calmed.

She sighed first, then began recounting slowly from when the five disciples had split up to search, covering every detail.

From afternoon, she spoke until dusk, and from dusk until the stars filled the sky.

'This senior sister with the poison affinity, why not start from the creation of heaven and earth?'

Li Changshou grumbled inwardly, quietly moving to a spot a bit farther away to meditate and rest, while also catching the gist of Youqin Xuanya's experiences.

After Jiu Jiu was trapped, Yuan Qing didn't attack Youqin Xuanya directly. Instead, he summoned a group of bandits to assault them, trying to play the hero saving the beauty.

In the end, Youqin Xuanya, as the "beauty," outperformed Yuan Qing, the "hero," leaving Yuan Qing in an awkward position.

Yuan Qing then changed tactics, having his accomplices continually pressure them to create a desperate atmosphere, then seizing the chance to confess his feelings to Youqin Xuanya.

Yet, even in that dire situation, Youqin Xuanya firmly rejected Yuan Qing's declaration of "sharing a grave and going to the afterlife together."

With his softer approaches failing repeatedly, Yuan Qing flew into a rage out of humiliation and tried to use a love gu to control Youqin Xuanya, but she found an opportunity to escape with a Shifting Treasure Talisman and happened to run into Li Changshou, who saved her the first time.

After recovering from her injuries, Youqin Xuanya tried to circle back to the Disordered Miasma Treasure Forest, but after several days, she realized she had gotten lost and unluckily was discovered by Yuan Qing's group, leading to another fierce battle.

Once again, Li Changshou arrived just in time.

Following Li Changshou's guidance, Youqin Xuanya lured those pursuers to a nest of powerful poisonous creatures, letting the creatures kill them, while she personally finished off Yuan Qing.

As Li Changshou listened to Youqin Xuanya's account, he couldn't help but sigh inwardly:

'This Yuan Qing had so many chances, yet he was incompetent.'

He felt a bit sorry for Yu Wenling and Yuan Qing's other underlings.

Once Youqin Xuanya finished recounting her experiences, all eyes turned to Li Changshou.

Jiang Jingshan personally brought Youqin Xuanya over, and the master-disciple pair thanked Li Changshou solemnly, saying they would offer substantial rewards upon returning to the sect. Li Changshou responded somewhat "awkwardly" that it wasn't necessary.

Fearing Li Changshou might say something wrong, Daoist Qi Yuan hurried over with a beaming smile to accept the thanks on his behalf.

In the group, only Yuan Qing's master Lin Qi felt the most awkward at that moment.

Lin Qi sighed:

"It was I who failed to judge my disciple properly. Upon returning to the mountain, I will accept the punishment."

Jiu Wu advised:

"That Yuan Qing was deeply scheming and had an unrighteous heart from the start. You took him as a disciple directly during the last mountain-opening ceremony, so this isn't your fault, my junior brother."

Lin Qi shook his head somberly and said no more.

Regarding Youqin Xuanya killing Yuan Qing, although she had the moral and rational high ground, it was still killing a fellow sect member, so she would face sect rules punishment.

The penalty would be quite light, probably just a few years of secluded reflection in the mountains.

Jiu Wu also encouraged Li Changshou a few words, saying that upon returning to the sect, the door would surely reward him handsomely and not be stingy with what he deserved.

They didn't all return to the Du Xian Gate together.

Qi Yuan took Li Changshou, while Liu Yaner and Wang Qi went with their masters, following behind at a leisurely pace.

The others hurried back to the Du Xian Gate to face punishments or make amends.

Their rush was due to Jiang Jingshan's urging.

Youqin Xuanya's master was no simple figure; as the head disciple of the sect leader, she held a high position, had profound cultivation, numerous treasures, and a respectful Dao companion who was also a Tian Xian Realm expert.

Although the matter in Beiju Luzhou was settled, how could Jiang Jingshan let her disciple suffer such grievances in vain?

Before setting off, Jiang Jingshan had directly sent a message to her Dao companion, asking him to gather a few idle sect members. Once she returned to the mountain, they would immediately head to the southern continent to uproot Yuan Qing's mortal backing completely, leaving no hidden threats.

The journey back to the mountain was peaceful, without any waves.

It was just that along the way, whenever Li Changshou heard Liu Yaner calling out "Qi Qi, my junior brother" with such affection, he couldn't help but shiver.

Cough, cultural differences, cultural differences.

The night on Xiao Qiong Peak was quiet and serene. A white cloud stopped in midair, and Li Changshou floated down from it, while Daoist Qi Yuan, in high spirits, rode a cloud toward the other peaks.

Qi Yuan had received an invitation from Liu Yaner's master to go for a drink and a meal.

Passing through the isolating array he had set up himself, stepping onto the familiar grass, Li Changshou let out a comfortable sigh.

All was safe.

"Senior brother!"

A joyful shout came from the side. Li Changshou turned to look and saw a flash of green light around his junior sister's thatched hut.

The small array isolating external probes had opened a gap from within, and the voice came through it.

He also heard the continuous sound of rushing water, as Ling E happily called out:

"Senior brother, you're back!

Are you hurt? What happened before? Why were you gone so long?"

Before she finished speaking, a graceful figure rushed out from the hut. She was wrapped only in a thin quilt, her slender figure strikingly alluring, her long hair wet, and her fair skin dotted with water droplets.

She didn't care about any of that and, upon seeing Li Changshou, jumped up happily.

She had just gotten into the wooden tub and was in the middle of bathing. Perhaps the bath had irritated her eyes, as a layer of mist suddenly covered her almond-shaped eyes. She opened her arms and threw herself at him.

Li Changshou instinctively wanted to dodge, but seeing the aggrieved look in Ling E's eyes, he sighed inwardly and stood still with his hands behind his back, letting her collide into his embrace.

"You scared me to death, you jerk of a senior brother!

You didn't come back, and I thought something happened to you!"

Ling E's voice carried a slight sob, and she choked up a bit; but just as she was about to cry, a large hand gently rubbed her head.

"Senior brother..."

Ling E looked up, her eyes sparkling, her small mouth pouting.

Li Changshou suddenly said:

"By the way, Master is..."

"Ah!"

Ling E realized at once, thinking Master had returned with her senior brother. She exclaimed softly, quickly turned around, and dashed back into the hut in a flash, wrapping herself in the quilt and plunging into the large wooden tub, not daring to surface.

How could she let anyone other than her senior brother see her like that?

Not even Master!

Probing with her spiritual awareness, Ling E poked her head above the water, full of confusion.

Li Changshou's voice floated in from outside:

"Master went to the other peaks for a banquet.

I'll rest for a bit. Come find me at yin shi to discuss this trial."

With that, he casually reactivated the array around her hut and gracefully returned to his own dwelling.

In the wooden tub, Ling E looked down at the thin quilt on her, her face flushing red.

"You jerk of a senior brother..."

She muttered, then slowly sank her head underwater, leaving a string of bubbles on the surface.