Chapter 281: Intentionally Seeking Treasure but Gaining Nothing, Unintentionally Planting Willows and Causing a Major Stir

In the pill room.

Li Changshou sat before the pill furnace, gazing at the few clusters of flames flickering gently. Part of his mind controlled the coachman paper effigy, guiding it over mountains and ridges as it hurried toward Southern Jambu Continent.

In the early days of the Honghuang's formation, treasures were everywhere in the Great Wilderness; one could casually pick up innate items just by walking a few steps. After all, the entire Honghuang was born from the innate Dao. But now, after countless yuan hui, wave after wave of great calamities had struck, and innate beings, dragons and phoenixes, witches and demons, and the human race had endured several great eras... Unborn innate spiritual treasures were as rare as phoenix feathers and unicorn horns, truly scarce among the scarce. Actually, that's not quite right; in the Honghuang, there were probably quite a few collectors of such rare items. Nowadays, to seek treasures, the first choice should be Central Divine Continent, where the chances of finding them are higher. However, Li Changshou had no desire to stumble upon opportunities aimlessly.

Just as he had initially won over Elder Wan Linjun's favor through careful calculations, thorough research, catering to preferences, and laying hidden groundwork, ultimately gaining the poison scripture for protection, treasure hunting required the same meticulous planning.

First, he wrote a "Handbook of Treasure Hunting Guidelines." The core of this handbook consisted of just three rules: calculate the gains and losses of karma, consider moral implications, and avoid bringing shame to the Renjiao tradition.

Second, he needed to set a primary goal. This time, Li Changshou's main target was the treasure that ranked among the top three in causing misfortune for Zhao Gongming—the Luo Bao Jin Qian, also known as "Falling Treasure Coin."

Third, he required a comprehensive plan. Before the treasure-hunting paper effigy group set out, the entire plan was already complete, and it had used up over ten rolls of silk cloth. Fortunately, he didn't need to make new versions of the "Hundred Beauties Illustrations" or "Autumn Palace Pictures" lately, so the silk was put to good use.

Beyond these three points, Li Changshou had a fourth preparation: the "Self-Comfort Therapy for When You Gain Nothing at All." This time, he had little confidence in finding the Luo Bao Jin Qian. Even before the treasure-hunting paper effigy group departed, he was prepared for returning empty-handed. As long as no karma was incurred, this venture would not be a loss. But if karma was entangled with no gains, that would be a huge loss!

The Luo Bao Jin Qian was a coin prototype created by a certain human emperor, the earliest two coins in the Honghuang, imbued with heavenly merit and considerable spirituality. Li Changshou possessed two such coins, which shared a deep connection with the Luo Bao Jin Qian; they were the first edition of human race coins, carrying a trace of merit power, essentially like the "children" of the Luo Bao Jin Qian. So, this journey was essentially a...

Coin-seeking-mother adventure!

Li Changshou truly felt like visiting the Doushuai Palace to pay respects, holding his two coins and calling out to the Laojun:

"Laojun! Please take pity on these two children and let them bring their parents to live together!"

Cough, just a joke, just a joke.

The Luo Bao Jin Qian could be used for divination, but its greatest function was to seize innate spiritual treasures. Its most glorious moment was during the Fengshen calamity, when it snatched away the Dinghai Shenzhu. At that time, Zhao Gongming, emerging after several of the Shi Tianjun were killed or injured, relied on the Dinghai Shenzhu to sweep through several Jiejiao experts and relentlessly pursue the deputy leader Ran Deng. As the fight continued, Ran Deng fled to Wuyi Mountain and encountered two old men playing chess in a corner. Spotting the deputy leader of Jiejiao being beaten, these two old men thought to curry favor and used the Luo Bao Jin Qian against Zhao Gongming's Dinghai Shenzhu. Once the Luo Bao Jin Qian appeared, the Dinghai Shenzhu and the Suolong Sheng were instantly seized, leaving Zhao Gongming caught off guard and staring helplessly. In his haste to retrieve them, Zhao Gongming struck one of the old men dead with a whip, but without the Dinghai Shenzhu, he was forced back by Ran Deng. From then on, the twenty-four Dinghai Shenzhu fell into Ran Deng's hands, giving him the audacity to later betray his sect...

By the way, the two old men were named Xiao Sheng and Cao Bao. In the original Fengshen story, they later ascended to the Heavenly Court and became subordinates of Zhao Gongming, known as the Zhao Bao Tianzun and the Na Zhen Tianzun. As for the later amusing events in the Heavenly Court, Li Changshou hadn't heard much, but they were probably quite entertaining.

Now, regarding the search for the Luo Bao Jin Qian. To find it, one first had to consider locating its original holders from the Fengshen calamity, Xiao Sheng and Cao Bao. Where was Wuyi Mountain in the Honghuang? Li Changshou checked several versions of the "Central Divine Continent Gazetteer," but found no trace of it. Instead, he discovered a few places named Wuyi Mountain in Southern Jambu Continent. After careful thought, since the main battlefield of the Fengshen calamity was likely in Southern Jambu Continent and Zhao Gongming's pursuit of Ran Deng occurred there, Xiao Sheng and Cao Bao didn't seem like they had a genuine "chance encounter." That scene might have been entirely orchestrated by Ran Deng.

There was another issue Li Changshou had to clarify: if he truly obtained the Luo Bao Jin Qian, what impact would it have on the Fengshen calamity? Zhao Gongming was cursed to death by Lu Ya's Ding Tou Qi Jian Shu, and while it was related to the Luo Bao Jin Qian, the connection wasn't major. Back then, after losing the Dinghai Shenzhu, Zhao Gongming borrowed the Jin Jiao Jian and continued dominating the Jiejiao side, which led to the opportunity for the Ding Tou Qi Jian Shu. But if he took the Luo Bao Jin Qian, it might eliminate the event of Zhao Gongming losing the Dinghai Shenzhu and going to Sanxian Island for more treasures, potentially...

Allowing Yunxiao to have less involvement in the Fengshen calamity.

However, as long as Zhao Gongming was fated to die, those destined to ascend would still do so, making this problem hard to resolve.

Seven days after the treasure-hunting paper effigy group set out, they had already scouted several places in Southern Jambu Continent associated with the name "Wuyi." As Li Changshou expected, those were mundane areas with no trace of cultivators. For safety, he controlled the paper effigies to search those places thoroughly; he even had them carry the two "first-edition" coins that could ward off divination, increasing the chances of encountering treasures. Yet, despite all this, they found nothing in Southern Jambu Continent.

"Since this lead isn't working, we'll have to pursue the other ones."

Li Changshou sighed lightly, skillfully managing the furnace flames and savoring the wonders of pill formation, while directing the treasure-hunting paper effigy group to change course toward Central Divine Continent... Now, no one knew how far away the Fengshen calamity was; Li Changshou hadn't seen many signs of it, and Southern Jambu Continent lacked major events like the "Xuan Bird giving birth to the Shang." In the Honghuang, time was mostly measured in thousands or tens of thousands of years.

Among the remaining options, the most reliable were three:

A, Search for the whereabouts of Cao Bao and Xiao Sheng;

B, Investigate rumors related to the Luo Bao Jin Qian;

C, Ask his own master to divine the location of the Luo Bao Jin Qian...

A and B were definitely worth doing, but C was troublesome. Having his master handle something like treasure hunting would be too insecure; it might make his master think he was indirectly asking for treasures, damaging the excellent disciple image he had carefully built. So, if A and B failed, Li Changshou could only choose option D: Use the Jade Emperor's name to visit the Huoyun Cave, pay respects to the human race sages, explore ways for harmony between humans and the Heavenly Court, and incidentally inquire about the Luo Bao Jin Qian.

For the next half-year, Li Changshou's treasure-hunting paper effigy group wandered across Central Divine Continent. To improve efficiency, over twenty paper effigies acted separately, under the guise of compiling the "Honghuang Spiritual Treasures Catalog," gathering various rumors and messages. In the end, they only collected information on a pile of spiritual treasures Li Changshou had never heard of, with no sign of the Luo Bao Jin Qian. Ironically, the "Honghuang Spiritual Treasures Catalog" turned out quite polished, almost ready for publication... As for Cao Bao and Xiao Sheng, their traces were elusive, leaving no clue where to find them.

Though this half-year wasn't entirely fruitless, the results still left Li Changshou a bit disheartened. There was no denying it; treasure hunting in these times was just that difficult.

"Let's go to the Huoyun Cave."

Without further delay, Li Changshou had his Hai Shen paper effigy leave the Hai Shen Mansion and ride the clouds toward the Lingxiao Treasure Hall.

Speaking of the Huoyun Cave, one couldn't help but mention the famous good-natured figure from the Honghuang, the classic counterexample in all editions of the "Book of Steadiness"—Hongyun Laozu! After Hongyun Laozu was ambushed by Kun Peng and severely injured, leading to his reincarnation, the Huoyun Cave was left vacant and later became the retirement haven for the Sanhuang and Wudi after they achieved sagehood.

Here, "sage" referred to sagehood in the sense of wise sages, different from the Honghuang saints. Li Changshou had heard this account in his early years: After the lectures at Zixiao Palace, Hongyun Laozu obtained a strand of Hongmeng Zi Qi. But due to the incident where Hongyun yielded his seat to the two from the West, forcing Kun Peng to yield as well, Kun Peng lost his chance at sainthood, and Hongyun Laozu was attacked by the demon teacher Kun Peng. As Hongyun Laozu lay dying, he was saved by the Sanqing and Zhenyuan Zi, who blocked Kun Peng, allowing a wisp of Hongyun's soul to escape into the Six Paths of Reincarnation. That Hongmeng Zi Qi was reclaimed by Daozu.

By the time the witches and demons fell and the human race rose, with the Sanhuang emerging and the Wudi taking their places, the human race became the protagonists of heaven and earth. Rumor had it that Hongyun had reincarnated as Shen Nong. That original Hongmeng Zi Qi belonging to Hongyun was divided into eight portions, shared among the Sanhuang and Wudi for their sagehood—the Sanhuang received a bit more, the Wudi a bit less. Thus, the Sanhuang and Wudi were not saints but were on the fringes of sainthood. They were the foundation of human race destiny and the human race's trump card, appearing only in times of life-or-death crisis.

Now, with the Heavenly Court on the rise and the human path under its jurisdiction, visiting the Huoyun Cave in the Jade Emperor's name to pay respects to the human race sages was a perfectly reasonable act. Most importantly, it wouldn't add any karma to Li Changshou; he was merely following orders.

The Jade Emperor was quite easy to convince... Cough, the Jade Emperor was understanding and fully agreed with Li Changshou's proposal. The Jade Emperor wrote a letter, stating that as the emperor ruling the Three Realms, he would offer considerable care to the human race as heaven and earth's protagonists. Additionally, he hoped the human race would support the Heavenly Court's work, promote sacrifices to heaven and the Heavenly Court among humans, and communicate promptly if any conflicts arose.

Carrying this letter and the Jade Emperor's instructions, Li Changshou asked Dong Mugong to prepare a gift, then left the Heavenly Court toward the Huoyun Cave in Central Divine Continent.

However, as soon as Li Changshou's Hai Shen paper effigy flew into the skies above Central Divine Continent, a wave of commotion alerted his main body. Li Changshou glanced over and furrowed his brow slightly. He landed the Hai Shen paper effigy in a mountain forest and used earth escape to hide near the earth veins, redirecting most of his focus back to Xiao Qiong Peak and quickly exiting the pill room.

The bell on Potian Peak rang out, and three golden immortal auras soared into the sky, with figures rising from various peaks! On Danding Peak, Elder Wan Linjun appeared with two other sect elders; near the spirit beast enclosure on Xiao Qiong Peak, Jiu Jiu hurriedly instructed Ling E to look after Jiu Yushi, then hugged her large gourd and headed toward the mountain gate.

This bell signified an enemy attack.

Li Changshou wasn't in a hurry; he rode a white cloud leisurely toward the mountain gate. The situation was about as he had anticipated.

Three thousand li south of Du Xian Men, a massive wooden ship broke through the air, surrounded by colorful mists, with lanterns and decorations everywhere. Aboard were handsome men and women, dressed in ways that were... at best, immodest, and at worst, utterly indecent.

Li Changshou observed carefully and internally offered a righteous critique.

Excessively provocative.

These individuals were naturally the demon clan group that Jiu Wu had mentioned earlier, with a complicated background and merit protecting them. Previously, Jiu Wu had spoken of the fox demon incident, and Li Changshou had given him a strategy. The strategy was straightforward: Du Xian Men would secretly spread the word, letting this clan know that the fox demon was safe but had been captured by a Renjiao lineage for running a brothel in Southern Jambu Continent and allowing demons to absorb human vital energy for cultivation.

Simple as it was, the strategy worked well. By clarifying that the fox demon was unharmed, it prevented the matter from escalating. As these demons investigated the various Renjiao lineages and were told no such fox demon had been captured, they would eventually trace it back to Du Xian Men.

Before arriving, these demons had thoroughly researched Du Xian Men, knowing it was in Eastern Shengshen Continent but under the protection of Xuan Du Shi from Renjiao, making it no ordinary sect. Thus, they were quite restrained. They halted their wooden ship at the two-thousand-li boundary of the sect's territory and sent a few heavenly immortal realm men and women ahead to state their purpose from afar.

It gave Li Changshou the vibe of, "Don't shoot; we're here to ransom our captive."

The rest proceeded smoothly. Du Xian Men had already discreetly checked on the fox demon and found her merely cultivating in the underground prison, her cultivation even stronger than when she was first imprisoned. The Hall of Rewards and Punishments had informed her in advance that her kin would soon come to retrieve her.

At the mountain gate.

Once these demons approached, presented gifts, and spoke flattering words, the Du Xian Men elders pondered for a moment, feigning difficulty, and made the demons swear an oath that the fox demon would no longer cause harm. After going through the motions, under the watchful eyes of many sect disciples, the fox demon was released from the earth vein prison by several attendants...

The fox demon seemed to have quite a status; her kin erupted in joy upon seeing her, with many female demons even weeping with delight.

Originally, the matter should have ended there, but to everyone's surprise...

"I can join Du Xian Men?"

The fox demon asked softly, her gaze pure and clear, radiating a fresh and spiritual aura, with little demonic energy about her.

Hidden in the crowd, Li Changshou suddenly felt an ominous premonition.

"This?"

An elder frowned and said, "Fellow Daoist, Du Xian Men is a Renjiao lineage and only accepts human disciples."

"I could be a mountain-guarding spirit beast or even a servant sweeping the floors."

The newly released fox demon spoke with urgency, stepping forward quickly amid her kin's puzzled gazes, her phoenix eyes pleading.

"If neither is possible, please let me see the Daoist who captured me back then. I have... some words I want to say to him."