Chapter 221: Heavenly Dao's Confusing Behavior Minor Reward

In Ling E's thatched cottage, the two siblings had moved a pair of round chairs and sat side by side by the window, watching the elderly immortal couple under the willow trees by the lake.

Ling E used her *fa li* to hold two trays, filled with the dried fruits and snacks that her senior brother enjoyed, along with a pot of refreshing tea nearby.

Li Changshou had set up some simple arrangements outside Ling E's cottage to prevent Wangqing Shangren from noticing that they were openly observing.

The Xiaoqiong Peak special viewing group was back in action!

Xiong Lingli was busy expanding the territory for the spirit beast enclosure and didn't understand or care about this, so she didn't come to join the fun.

In truth, Li Changshou didn't really need these arrangements...

Those two only had eyes for each other and wouldn't notice anything else happening around them.

With birds chirping and flowers blooming, and a gentle breeze blowing, the swaying willow branches added a soft, tender atmosphere, making one's heart ripple like the waves on the small lake.

In this moment, Li Changshou felt a poetic impulse rise, but after thinking it over, he wisely chose to give up.

Better not to embarrass himself in front of his junior sister.

Ling E's delicate brows furrowed slightly, and she raised a mild objection to her senior brother's earlier act of providing medicine to their grandmaster.

"Senior brother, is it really appropriate for us to help Grandmaster with this?"

Ling E twirled a strand of her hair with her fingers and asked softly.

"Of course it's not appropriate," Li Changshou replied calmly. "Now that those two have reached this stage, any extra push could lead to unexpected problems. Wangqing Shangren has that... hard-to-describe personality. If we really let our little grandmaster succeed this way, and then the drug wears off, how would they face each other afterward?"

Ling E suddenly felt conflicted and whispered,

"If it's mutual affection, it should be fine, right...

No, wait, it might still cause unpleasantness. If Wangqing Shangren feels offended, that could be a problem."

She turned her head away, not daring to look directly at her senior brother, her neck flushing red. "If that's the case, senior brother... why did you still give that thing to our little grandmaster?"

"Don't worry, it's fake."

"Ah?"

Li Changshou smiled calmly and said, "Do you remember when I scolded you over the matter with Wang Qi and Liu Yan'er?"

"Mm," Ling E nodded gently, sounding a bit aggrieved. "You were so harsh that time—it's still one of the top three scoldings I've gotten all these years. How could I forget?"

"Ha," Li Changshou chuckled lightly and explained, "Wang Qi and Liu Yan'er were also in mutual love, but Liu Yan'er was still hesitant at the time. Matters of the heart aren't just about mutual affection; there are many other factors to consider. The affairs between men and women are one of the most commonly discussed topics in the mortal world, as it's one of the three most important things for mortals. But a person can't live solely on emotions—they should have other aspects, like pursuits in cultivation. If you pour all your thoughts into a single relationship, it will become distorted and burdensome, ultimately leading nowhere. The same applies to Wangqing Shangren. He might be concerned about his own Dao, or perhaps his reputation in the sect... In any case, using force is definitely not the way."

Ling E listened, half understanding and half confused. It seemed like her senior brother had answered her question, but also like he hadn't. On top of that, he had taken the opportunity to lecture her again.

"But, senior brother...

The main point now is, what if Grandmaster thinks it's that kind of drug and it doesn't work? What will she do?"

Li Changshou couldn't help but smile, picking up a dried immortal apricot and slowly chewing it as he said,

"That depends on how Grandmaster chooses. If she first expresses her own feelings—like, 'Our relationship should take the next step'—and Wangqing Shangren agrees and drinks that bottle of Peiyuan Liquid, then even if he doesn't feel any effects, he might still move forward. But if she doesn't express her feelings and just slips him the drug, then Wangqing Shangren will drink it and feel nothing... In that case, we won't be involved in any karma."

Ling E worriedly asked, "What if Grandmaster blames us?"

"If she comes to hold us accountable, we can just say one thing: 'Wangqing Shangren's cultivation is too high.' That should handle it."

Is it... really that complicated?

Ling E sat there with her mouth slightly open, looking a bit dazed as she listened.

Just a simple choice of whether to use the drug or not, and her senior brother had all these layers of strategy...

No wonder it would never work to use the same tactics on him.

Li Changshou paused for a moment, then looked at Ling E with a hint of disappointment: "The logic here is so straightforward, and yet you didn't grasp it."

"Senior brother!"

Ling E raised her hand in front of Li Changshou and whispered, "No need to say more—five hundred recitations of the 'Wen' character scripture! I'll take the punishment willingly this time!"

Li Changshou nodded slowly and said, "I'm not trying to punish you. You just need to observe more, think more, and learn to see through the surface to the essence of things...

Look, Grandmaster is starting."

Ling E perked up at once, leaning closer to Li Changshou as they both watched the pair chatting and drinking under the willow tree.

Under the willow tree,

After finishing one pot of wine, Jiang Lin'er took out another jug and winked lightly at Wangqing Shangren.

"Um... want some more?"

"Sure," Wangqing Shangren nodded with a smile, his words brief but full of warmth.

Seeing this, Li Changshou couldn't help but shake his head inwardly;

Wangqing Shangren was truly blinded by matters of the heart—Jiang Lin'er's facial expressions had already given her away, yet he noticed nothing unusual.

Indeed, getting lost in romance was as dangerous as being intoxicated.

Jiang Lin'er hesitated several times before pouring the wine for Wangqing, lowering her head and biting her lip, not daring to look up, clearly feeling guilty.

"What's wrong?"

Wangqing Shangren picked up the cup and asked softly, "Is there something you can't say?"

"Uh, no... nothing. Just drink!"

"Alright," Wangqing Shangren raised the cup, his eyes fixed on Jiang Lin'er;

Based on Li Changshou's estimation, Wangqing Shangren's eyes probably had their own "soft light effects" and "shaping effects" added...

No need for whitening, though—Jiang Lin'er might be fierce, but she had fair and beautiful skin.

The cup was slowly brought to Wangqing Shangren's lips, and he was about to take a sip without hesitation...

"Wait!"

Jiang Lin'er suddenly called out softly, making Wangqing Shangren blink in surprise, a touch of confusion in his eyes.

"What is it?"

"I... it's nothing..."

Jiang Lin'er's mouth twitched slightly, and she lightly bit her teeth, sighing, "Fine, I can't do this to you. I put something in this wine."

Wangqing Shangren frowned slightly.

Jiang Lin'er lowered her head, pouted, and blinked, whispering, "I just thought, we've been reconciled for over a decade now, so we should...

Take the next step...

Relive those steps we never took back then..."

She adjusted the hair by her ear, her voice growing softer and softer, until she ended with, "You know what I mean, right?"

Wangqing Shangren laughed lightly and asked, "What kind of drug is it?"

"I got some love water," Jiang Lin'er said loyally, not betraying her little grand-disciple, and gave a thumbs-up. "They say it's super effective!"

Wangqing Shangren chuckled in amusement, raised the cup in one go, and in Jiang Lin'er's soft cry, he tossed it back in a single gulp.

"Hey!"

"Ahem," Wangqing Shangren set down the cup and gazed at Jiang Lin'er with deep affection.

"Lin'er, I'm not good at these things, only at cultivation. I can't always care for you perfectly. So, for what comes next...

Would you teach me?"

"This... um..."

Jiang Lin'er's face turned completely red, and she stammered for a while. "I don't know either...

Probably, just wait for the drug to take effect... or something."

"Very well."

Wangqing Shangren nodded seriously, and then the two sat under the willow tree, gazing at each other, waiting quietly.

A moment later...

"How about another drink?"

Jiang Lin'er asked weakly.

Wangqing Shangren stroked his chin and pondered, then slowly nodded and took the jug to pour himself another cup.

Another moment later...

"Do you feel anything?" Jiang Lin'er asked, puzzled.

Wangqing Shangren's brows furrowed even more, and he simply picked up the jug and drank it all in one go.

After setting the jug down, the two locked eyes;

Jiang Lin'er's face was flushed, but Wangqing Shangren remained utterly serious, sitting cross-legged and earnestly searching for any effects.

This went on for half an hour...

The two under the tree stared at each other, with Wangqing Shangren now closing his eyes to check himself for any...

Well, hidden issues.

"Pfft!"

In the thatched cottage, Ling E couldn't hold back her laughter, covering her mouth with her hand as she curled up in the chair, trembling uncontrollably.

Beside her, Li Changshou had black lines all over his forehead, glaring at the elderly immortal couple under the tree.

What... on earth?

Was Wangqing Shangren really that clueless about this?

Could it be that this *shangren* had spent his long years completely focused on cultivation, never once straying or using his immortal sense to check on lower-cultivation couples in the sect?

That couldn't be possible!

But...

Looking at Wangqing Shangren's expression and eyes;

Feeling how he was desperately circulating his immortal power to search for non-existent drug effects...

Li Changshou truly couldn't imagine this was the same *shangren* whose nine disciples had produced five pairs of Dao companions!

By the great mage above, how was he supposed to tell Wangqing Shangren that holding hands wouldn't produce any babies?

Li Changshou couldn't help but groan, feeling a bit powerless about the situation...

He certainly couldn't transmit his voice and guide them directly—that would involve way too much karma.

As dusk fell, Wangqing Shangren left Xiaoqiong Peak with a hint of confusion, and Jiang Lin'er stormed over to where Li Changshou and Ling E were hiding.

Li Changshou naturally couldn't reveal that the drug was fake, so he smiled and explained that it might be because Wangqing Shangren's cultivation was too high, and the pill refined by a minor disciple like him wasn't strong enough.

Jiang Lin'er thought it over and figured that made sense.

She sighed deeply and flopped onto Ling E's bed;

Then realized lying like that wasn't helpful and flipped over.

She was probably what they called a "Honghuang salted fish" in the wild.

Li Changshou asked, "Grandmaster, what do you plan to do next? Since we've confirmed Wangqing Shangren's feelings, we should press the advantage. It's better to act sooner than later."

"Sigh, how do I press the advantage?" Jiang Lin'er replied weakly. "This kind of thing—I'm not going to teach him as a woman, and besides, I don't really have anything...

Ah! Forget it, just leave it for now!"

Li Changshou hesitated to speak, then decided to approach it from Wangqing Shangren's side. He bowed to his grandmaster and took his leave.

As night fell, when Li Changshou flew back to his pill room on a cloud, he was still pondering the matter.

With a few... academic questions in mind,

Li Changshou shifted his focus back to the paper effigy at the Dragon Palace banquet, opened his eyes, and looked toward Yue Lao nearby.

Since Yue Lao managed all the heavenly marriages, he might have some "knowledge-sharing" tricks!

But when he asked via voice transmission, Yue Lao was a bit stumped.

"Sea God friend," Yue Lao transmitted back, "I only handle the matchmaking, not what comes after. How can you 'teach' something as important as the propagation of life?"

Li Changshou smiled bitterly and said, "Alright, forget I asked. Thanks anyway, friend—I'll keep thinking of a way."

Yue Lao asked curiously, "Friend, are you matchmaking for someone specific?"

"Yes, a couple of my friends," Li Changshou replied. "One is quite pure-hearted, the other extremely so. When they're together, they only talk about cultivation and longevity—it's really tricky."

Yue Lao laughed and said,

"Friend, if you focus too much on that, you're missing the point. Dao companions are meant to accompany each other in the Dao. Since you've already achieved immortality and transcended the mundane, why worry so much? If you don't want offspring, you don't need to seek more. It's fine as it is."

Li Changshou cupped his hands and said, "Thank you for the lesson, Yue Lao."

Though it wasn't much help.

Later, Li Changshou accompanied Yue Lao and the heavenly generals for a few more drinks—he'd lost count of how many tables this was—and the table was still piled high with seafood dishes.

It was a shame he hadn't brought Xiong Lingli; she would have loved it.

Soon after, Li Changshou divided his attention elsewhere;

In his underground chamber, his main body spread out a sheet of paper, recalling the educational knowledge from his previous life, adapting it to the style of the Great Desolation, and began compiling a guide for Wangqing Shangren.

By midnight...

"Success!"

Li Changshou set down his brush, wiped the sweat from his forehead, and stretched.

Later, through his master uncle Jiuwu, he would present this to Wangqing Shangren, and that should take care of the rest.

To avoid karma, Li Changshou had only included about one-tenth of the "eighteen martial arts" he had learned from his teachers in his past life.

Just as he was about to put away his brush and ink, a sudden idea struck him, and a mischievous smile appeared on his lips. He picked up the brush and added four small characters to this "mosaic guide."

*"Xin Hun Bao Lu."*

Then, Li Changshou set down his homemade brush and stretched his muscles.

As he was about to use his immortal power to seal away this carefully created guide, a flash of golden light appeared before his eyes!

A wisp of weak heavenly merit directly descended upon his *yuan shen*.

This...

Li Changshou was stunned. He looked down at the guide, then at the slight increase in his merit reserves.

Was this even possible?

Was the Heavenly Dao hinting that spreading this thing would bring more merit?

No way—that would involve too much karma.

Li Changshou shook his head and added a line at the end of the mosaic guide:

*'Read and burn immediately; do not share outside.'*

The key was still to stay steady.

After all, the merit the Heavenly Dao had given couldn't be taken back anyway.