Chapter 226: Reputation Harmed

This time, it should work out, right?

Li Changsheng watched as Wàngqíng Shangren landed by the lake, and as his grandmaster Jiang Lin'er emerged from the thatched hut. He then glanced down at the heart fire bun in his hand...

"Oh well, I'll set this aside for now. Using it would just make things awkward."

Putting away the medicine pouch, Li Changsheng stood with his hands behind his back in front of the Dān Fáng.

By the lake, the two of them sat under the familiar willow tree.

Li Changsheng thought for a moment, then sent a voice transmission to Ling E, giving her some instructions.

Before long, Ling E flew on a cloud toward the lake and landed in front of the master's thatched hut. She woke up Qí Yuán, who was likely meditating inside, and spoke a few words to their master...

Qí Yuán glanced at the people under the tree and was stunned at first:

"Things are progressing this fast?"

Li Changsheng and Ling E: ...

Then, Qí Yuán smiled gently, his eyes filled with a touch of emotion and nostalgia.

He looked at his own master, Jiang Lin'er, as if she were... an old maiden who had guarded her empty chamber for thousands of years and was finally about to marry, just like that.

He felt immensely relieved, yet slightly reluctant.

"Master, let's go quickly," Ling E made a funny face, and Qí Yuán stroked his beard with a light laugh, nodding in agreement.

Afterward, the master and disciple headed toward the willow tree by the lake. After bowing to their grandmaster and Wàngqíng Shangren, Qí Yuán said:

"Master, Senior Uncle, your disciple has been thinking of focusing on cultivation and alchemy refining, so I'll stay over at the Dān Fáng for a while."

Jiang Lin'er immediately understood something and responded casually, though her ears had already turned bright red.

Ling E took out a jade talisman and respectfully handed it to Jiang Lin'er, saying softly:

"Grandmaster, this is the isolation array for around your hut. It was made by my senior brother and Jiǔ Jǐu Shīshu together."

"Ah, I see," Jiang Lin'er replied, her hands trembling slightly as she took the jade talisman.

Beside her, Wàngqíng Shangren said warmly: "Little Yuán, I have some alchemy methods. Do you need any?"

"No, no need," Qí Yuán replied quickly, "Your disciple just wants to try something new. I'll head over now."

With that, Qí Yuán and Ling E bowed again and flew on clouds toward the Dān Fáng.

Within a ten-li radius around the lake, only Jiang Lin'er and Wàngqíng Shangren remained...

They gazed at each other deeply and affectionately;

Words lingered on their lips, yet not fully spoken.

Wàngqíng Shangren said softly: "Lin'er, I've recently studied a set of cultivation techniques."

"Mm," Jiang Lin'er replied, looking down, "What kind of techniques?"

"Let's go inside. It's not convenient to show them out here."

"Al-alright..."

Jiang Lin'er's voice was as soft as a whisper. She stood up in a daze and led the way to her thatched hut.

As soon as Wàngqíng Shangren stepped into the hut, Jiang Lin'er quickly activated the arrays throughout the hut and added several layers of barriers with her immortal power.

She was a bit flustered in her movements.

Li Changsheng smiled calmly;

How could such minor barriers stump him? After all, he was a qi refiner who had self-severed his Dao realm several times, just a step away from perfecting the Tianxian realm.

He extended his immortal sense, only to find another stronger barrier inside, seemingly set by Wàngqíng Shangren.

Li Changsheng: ...

Well, he hadn't intended to pry into their privacy anyway; he just wanted to check how things were progressing and make sure nothing went wrong.

Since they didn't want him to see, he wouldn't.

As his master and Ling E flew back on clouds, Li Changsheng turned and began setting things up.

He brought out a specially made table with a hollow center holding an iron pot, divided into four sections by iron dividers.

His self-invented treasure—the fully automatic hot pot table!

The iron pot had a constant-temperature heating treasure prohibition, adjustable by the amount of immortal power infused to control the heat.

It also included anti-splatter barriers, anti-mixing flavors prohibitions, and various other small designs.

Once the table and chairs were arranged, Li Changsheng sent a voice transmission, asking Xiong Lingli to slaughter a few spirit beasts suitable for hot pot.

He then took out some previously prepared immortal herbs and spirit vegetables, poured immortal spring water into the pot, and started seasoning the broth base.

With good things happening over there, it was time to liven things up here too.

Though it wasn't as grand as the Dragon Palace or as crowded as mortal celebrations, they still needed a bit of a festive banquet feel...

By the time his master and Ling E arrived, the hot pot was mostly ready.

Ling E exclaimed happily: "Senior brother, what new gadget have you come up with?"

Li Changsheng laughed: "This is called... a hot pot. I still need to prepare some dipping sauces.

Ling E, go to Broken Sky Peak and invite Jiǔ Jǐu Shīshu over. She's been cooped up lately.

Today, let's have a great time and celebrate for Grandmaster and Senior Granduncle."

"Okay, I'm on it!"

Ling E turned and flew away on a cloud. Qí Yuán adjusted his sleeves and smiled: "Changsheng, what can I help with?"

Li Changsheng replied quickly: "Master, just sit and relax. I couldn't possibly let you do any work."

Qí Yuán shook his head with a smile and went to rest on a lounge chair outside.

Soon after, Xiong Lingli efficiently slaughtered, sliced, and plated several spirit beasts, carrying dozens of jin of fresh spirit beast meat over excitedly.

A moment later, Ling E arrived with Jiǔ Jǐu, both sitting on a large gourd;

However, following Jiǔ Jǐu were several of her senior brothers and sisters...

The immortals of the Jiǔ character generation had come to Little Qiongfeng again to freeload food and drink, and conveniently practice their gossip skills.

Li Changsheng, like a magician, produced another hot pot table. After a round of greetings, he arranged Jiǔ Wū, Jiǔ Shī, Jiǔ Lù'ér, and the other six at the neighboring table.

The Dān Fáng suddenly felt a bit crowded, but it was truly lively.

The relatives and friends of the newlyweds in the hut gathered here, serving as witnesses to this historic moment...

Jiǔ Wū pulled Li Changsheng's arm and whispered with a wink:

"Has it happened already? Or is it still happening?"

Li Changsheng just smiled without answering.

Truth be told, he wasn't entirely sure what those two were up to behind closed doors...

Though logically, they should be engaging in some indescribable activities;

But given that Wàngqíng Shangren had once mistaken an introductory manual for immortal cultivation, who knows how things might turn out.

Jiǔ Sǎn—Wàngqíng Shangren's third disciple, a beautiful and spirited female qi refiner at the peak of True Immortal realm, close to breaking through to Tianxian—made her first appearance at Little Qiongfeng. She laughed and said:

"Old Five, don't ask nonsense. Master has activated the major arrays, so it must have happened."

Jiǔ Wū sighed: "You all know Master's personality..."

Jiǔ Shī frowned slightly and whispered: "I'm really worried—does Master even understand this?

Sigh, if only we could hear what's going on inside."

Jiǔ Lù'ér blinked: "But we can't just... go and eavesdrop, right?"

The group suddenly brightened up.

"Ahem," Li Changsheng reminded, "Everyone, Senior Granduncle Wàngqíng's cultivation is profound and unfathomable. We probably can't sneak over without disturbing them...

That would just startle them."

"I have a way!"

Jiǔ Jǐu suddenly stood up with her hands on her hips: "I left a voice-transmitting conch in Jiang Lin'er's hut!

It was originally to find some weaknesses on her so we could counter her, but who knew it would come in handy now, hee hee..."

Without waiting for anyone to respond, Jiǔ Jǐu tapped the fist-sized, white jade conch in her sleeve and activated it.

The Dān Fáng fell silent enough to hear a pin drop as everyone held their breath, listening to the faint, intermittent voices from the conch...

"Is this really not a cultivation technique?" Wàngqíng Shangren asked.

"Of course not," Jiang Lin'er sighed, "Alright, I'll be straight with you.

This is something your disciple taught you about matters between men and women. If we want to have descendants, we have to follow this method!

Don't overthink it. I picked this up from those mortal towns during my travels..."

In the Dān Fáng, the group around the conch exchanged glances, each suppressing their laughter.

Then they heard Wàngqíng Shangren say:

"It's actually about this... Little Five went to so much trouble... Well, then, shall we..."

There was a sound like Jiang Lin'er slapping the table.

"Really! Stop dawdling! I've had enough! Tell me—do you want descendants? Answer me straight!"

"I-I... Lin'er, I'm about to face the Golden Immortal tribulation, and I'm not confident about it, so of course I want to leave behind my bloodline..."

"Come here, lie down, take off your clothes!"

Wàngqíng Shangren asked hurriedly: "Alright, what should I do?"

"Tch... Are you trying to embarrass me to death? At a time like this, you're still asking what to do!"

Jiang Lin'er couldn't help but laugh and scold, then stammered:

"You just... just... I heard from people that it's basically... go with the flow."

"I think I get it..."

Suddenly, in the Dān Fáng, a slender hand reached out from the side and covered the magical conch.

The group, who had been listening intently, looked up in anger, but when they saw the owner of the snowy-robed, elegant hand, they all shivered.

It was the cold-faced beauty, Jiǔ Yīyī!

"You lot!"

Jiǔ Yīyī scolded angrily and crushed the conch on the spot: "How dare you eavesdrop on Master and Mistress? Are you asking for a beating?

Really! Aren't you afraid Qí Yuán and the others will laugh at you?"

Jiǔ Wū and the others shivered in unison, while Qí Yuán beside them lowered his head in shame.

He had been listening eagerly too.

Jiǔ Yīyī was about to scold more, but Li Changsheng stepped forward and explained a few words, artfully smoothing things over.

Jiǔ Yīyī's expression softened a bit as she asked: "Are you all really just worried that Master might misunderstand?"

"Yes, yes," the group of immortals in the Dān Fáng nodded quickly.

"Then, drop it," Jiǔ Yīyī shook her head slightly, glancing at the steaming hot pot before adding, "Drink in moderation, don't neglect your cultivation."

With that, she turned and left without lingering.

Jiǔ Jǐu looked at the scattered conch fragments and pouted pitifully.

She was already poor, and getting this pair of listening treasures had cost her a fortune...

But then...

Jiǔ Wū muttered: "What was Senior Sister coming here for?"

The six Jiǔ character immortals exchanged glances and suddenly realized, their faces lighting up with smiles.

Perhaps because Wàngqíng Shangren was so reserved, some things needed Jiang Lin'er to take the initiative, and as his disciples, they felt a bit awkward about it.

During the rest of the hot pot banquet, Jiǔ Wū and the others kept toasting Qí Yuán, calling him "junior brother" repeatedly, almost renaming him "Jiǔ Shí" on the spot.

And when referring to Jiang Lin'er, they switched from "Senior Aunt" to "Mistress."

Li Changsheng, Ling E, and Xiong Lingli sat in the corner. Xiong Lingli just focused on eating and drinking, while the senior brother and sister exchanged glances and smiled.

Amid the noisy chatter in the hut, Ling E whispered:

"Senior brother, do you ever think about... having descendants..."

"Causality, trouble, thanks but no thanks, copy it a thousand times."

"Hmph!"

Ling E made a face, her cheeks flushing as she turned away to focus on dipping meat. "I was just asking casually, hmph..."

Li Changsheng narrowed his eyes with a smile.

Glasses clinked amid the strong wine aroma, steam rose as meat boiled.

In the Dān Fáng of Little Qiongfeng, the two tables of people mingled more and more—Jiǔ Wū chatted with Qí Yuán about wine, Jiǔ Jǐu dashed over to snatch meat from Xiong Lingli;

Ling E bustled around, constantly refilling dishes and drinks, and mixing various sauces.

Watching this scene, Li Changsheng felt a small wave of emotion—perhaps because the great calamity was approaching, just like in his previous life, seeing a group of people gathered together stirred something inexplicable in him...

'Teach Lord brother? Teach Lord brother?'

A faint call echoed in his heart. Li Changsheng, who was holding a wine cup, furrowed his brow slightly, gave Ling E a quick instruction, and quietly left the Dān Fáng.

Jiǔ Jǐu blinked in confusion: "Where did Little Changsheng go?"

Ling E replied hurriedly: "Senior brother went to prepare some new dishes."

"New dishes?" Jiǔ Jǐu giggled, patting her slightly bulging belly, which caused a small commotion. "Following Little Changsheng is the best—good food, good drinks, good fun, and nothing missing.

Practicing alone is so boring!"

Ling E laughed: "Who knows, maybe after today, my grandmaster will move to Broken Sky Peak."

Jiǔ Jǐu brightened up at that, ran over, and hugged Ling E in excitement, leaving the others puzzled.

Meanwhile, Li Changsheng sensed Áo Yǐ's divine thought transmission and immediately split a portion of his mind to the main god statue in Anshui City.

This second cult leader, according to dragon customs, shouldn't be leaving his residence for three months, right?

He probably wasn't about to flaunt some beauty in his arms to this old pure yang again...

But this time, it wasn't that.

Áo Yǐ looked anxious. After meeting Li Changsheng in the dream realm, he got straight to the point:

"Teach Lord brother, I just brought Sī Sī back to Jīn'áo Island, and now everyone's saying you manipulated Zhao Gongming Shūshu to stir up conflict between the Western Teachings and Jié Jiào!"

Li Changsheng raised an eyebrow.

The Western Teachings' move this time was quite sophisticated.

Li Changsheng laughed: "It's just a rumor. The wise won't worry."

"Some senior brothers wanted to come to the Sea God Temple to question you, but I stopped them," Áo Yǐ whispered, "Teach Lord brother, your reputation is being damaged—this might be their secret handiwork.

What should we do?"

"Don't worry," Li Changsheng said warmly, "Let me think of a strategy. You don't need to rush.

If it really causes problems, we can just ask Zhao Gongming Senior to clarify."

Áo Yǐ was stunned...

"Can we just invite that senior like that?"

"Otherwise?" Li Changsheng laughed, "Why do you think those fierce ones retreated that day?

There were a few Saint disciples from that side who wanted to go to the Dragon Palace to play the bad guys, but I had Zhao Gongming Senior block them.

That's probably why they're scheming like this now."

Áo Yǐ's eyes flickered, and he bowed his head in shame: "Brother, you've done so much... Teach Lord, please accept a bow from Áo Yǐ!"

"Don't bow," Li Changsheng said, raising his hand in a virtual gesture. With a plan in mind, he added, "You don't need to handle this. If any Jié Jiào immortals want to come, let them go to Anshui City. I'll be waiting."

Áo Yǐ nodded immediately and agreed before hurrying away.

Ending the divine thought exchange, Li Changsheng pondered briefly in his heart.

He wasn't as calm as he appeared in front of Áo Yǐ—in fact, while selecting new herbs in the Líng Cǎo Yard, he'd been thinking about how to counter this.

Had the Western Teachings changed their strategist?

This soft strike had put him in a passive position.

Half a day later, six Jié Jiào immortals indeed arrived in Anshui City, heading straight for the Sea God Temple, led by a Golden Immortal realm female immortal.

By then, the hot pot banquet on Little Qiongfeng had ended. Ling E, Jiǔ Jǐu, and Xiong Lingli had gone to the gaming room to play, while his master was meditating in the Dān Fáng.

The thatched hut by the lake...

Still no movement, with barriers tightly sealed.

Li Changsheng shook his head, closed his eyes to focus, and projected his mind to the Sea God Temple, activating a paper effigy.

Glancing at the landscape painting hanging in the main hall...

He already had a clear plan on how to respond.