Chapter 312: Sea God, do you lack a female disciple?

On the way back from the Lingxiao Baodian to the Haishen Fu, Li Changshou narrowed his eyes and smiled.

He had bent the rules a bit for personal gain, and it felt pretty good…

No, wait, that wasn't right. How could something that benefited both public and private interests be called bending the rules?

Glancing at the golden-glowing Dayu Zhishui Tu in his sleeve, Li Changshou felt utterly content.

This saved him a huge amount of gongde power!

With a little refining, this treasure would become a top-grade acquired gongde lingbao, perfect for both offense and defense.

Moreover, based on Li Changshou's calculations, once he completed surveying the rivers, lakes, and seas, Heaven's Way would grant more gongde, potentially elevating this treasure even further!

So, when he left the Lingxiao Baodian earlier and saw the Jade Emperor's emotional and grateful gaze, Li Changshou felt a bit…

Embarrassed.

The twelve-year dragon collection plan was now fully underway, and Li Changshou had arranged everything that needed to be done.

Next, he wouldn't micromanage; after visiting the Chan Jiao and Jie Jiao schools, he'd stop by the Dragon Palace to greet the East Sea Dragon King, then take a leisure trip on a public boat to tour the Southern Continent, waiting for the Pan Tao Banquet to begin.

Whether this plan was the most effective was up for debate.

But for Li Changshou, it was the steadiest option, and the one that kept him from offending either side…

Back at the Haishen Fu, Li Changshou placed the Tiandi Zhanmo Jian in the most prominent spot in the main hall and bowed in respect.

Then, he brought out a rocking chair, basked in the Tian Court sun, and waited for Dongmu Gong to deliver the peaches.

Heavenly generals brought tea, and fairies from the Yao Chi delivered fruit platters gifted by Wangmu Niangniang, allowing Li Changshou to enjoy the moment in leisure…

Though his paper avatar couldn't fully savor the taste, he still had to put on a show.

If he didn't have so many paper avatars and his true self were here, life in the Tian Court would probably be incredibly idle, comfortable, and boring.

Speaking of Wangmu Niangniang, Li Changshou hadn't seen her true appearance since arriving in the heavens.

—Actually, he had deliberately avoided her and never gone to pay his respects.

Was it to avoid suspicion?

Not really.

Li Changshou wasn't arrogant enough to think that his elderly paper avatar could lead to any misunderstandings. In his daily life, he barely interacted with female immortals, at most exchanging lighthearted banter with the heavenly generals.

The real reason he didn't visit Wangmu Niangniang was his concern that the Jade Emperor and Wangmu might have conflicts over the "great authority of the Tian Court."

Wangmu Niangniang and the Jade Emperor had similar origins, appointed by the Dao Ancestor to manage the Tian Court together.

In name, Wangmu's authority was not beneath the Jade Emperor's.

Now, Li Changshou wasn't sure about the exact relationship between the Jade Emperor and Wangmu, but all the major powers of the Tian Court were concentrated in the Jade Emperor's hands, while Wangmu simply cultivated in the Yao Chi.

Thus, taking the initiative to visit Wangmu could risk being misunderstood by the Jade Emperor. On the other hand, not visiting her meant no losses for him.

Weighing the two, it was better to choose the safer path, emphasizing stability above all.

As these thoughts crossed his mind, Li Changshou chuckled lightly, and his paper avatar as an old immortal closed his eyes to rest.

The wind carried whispers from beyond the walls, the orderly footsteps of patrolling heavenly soldiers, and the light laughter of fairies from some distant immortal mountain.

These sounds reached his ears but didn't disturb his heart.

Visiting the leaders of the Chan Jiao and Jie Jiao schools meant seeking audiences with Guang Chengzi and Duobao Daoren.

The Jie Jiao side would be easy to meet, but the Chan Jiao side had the Ran Deng deputy leader, so Li Changshou needed to prepare in advance to avoid any tricks.

Earlier, Dongmu Gong had mentioned that previous Pan Tao Banquets in the Tian Court had few guests, leading to a severe surplus of peaches in the Yao Chi treasury. Many had exceeded a thousand years and dissipated into spiritual energy, causing significant waste.

So, when delivering gifts to the Chan Jiao and Jie Jiao schools this time, the Tian Court probably wouldn't be stingy.

'How should I hint to His Majesty that I'd like some peaches too?'

Though the peaches weren't very useful for him personally, they would be highly beneficial for his master, junior sister, uncle, master ancestor, and future master mother if they consumed them.

Once his junior sister ascended and emerged from seclusion, bringing some peaches back for celebration would be quite fitting.

While thinking this, Li Changshou split his focus: a small part remained in the Tian Court Haishen Fu, while the majority returned to his true body.

He scanned the mountain gate with his immortal sense, confirming everything was normal and no heart demons were stirring, before retracting his gaze in peace.

Just then, a graceful figure flew out from Potian Peak, heading toward Xiao Qiong Peak.

She stepped on colorful clouds, wearing a serene ice-blue long skirt. Her long hair was simply tied in a ponytail, and when her jade-like face was cold, it was stunningly beautiful, making one wonder what she looked like when she smiled.

'Has Youqin not started her seclusion yet?'

Li Changshou was a bit puzzled.

He had just helped her deal with her heart demon, a time when insights should be flourishing, so why was she out and about?

Was there still some unresolved knot in her heart?

'Well, I'll see it through to the end—after all, we're already in this mess with the Buddhists.'

Li Changshou sighed lightly, stepped out, stood outside the alchemy room, deactivated the various arrays, and quietly waited for Youqin Xuanya to arrive.

Youqin Xuanya, who had been heading straight for the gaming room, noticed Li Changshou's figure and immediately steered her white clouds toward the alchemy room, landing gracefully…

As she leaped down from the clouds, her skirt fluttered slightly, and her jade feet were flawless and elegant.

"Changshou shixiong."

Youqin Xuanya cupped her hands in a salute, her lips pursed slightly as a faint smile appeared at the corners of her mouth. Her eyes, clearer than the night sky, reflected the peace and joy in her heart.

"Youqin shimei," Li Changshou returned the gesture with a smile, "Have you encountered any difficulties in your cultivation lately?"

Youqin Xuanya hesitated briefly, then nodded seriously, her expression tinged with a hint of shame…

Shame?

"I'm sorry to disappoint you, shixiong," Youqin Xuanya said, her face full of regret. "During my cultivation, I nearly fell to a heart demon. Though my Dao heart is stable now, this was truly…"

Li Changshou laughed. "A heart demon is something most qi refiners experience; don't dwell on it.

Instead, you should reflect on why there were gaps in your Dao heart, so you can prevent heart demons from exploiting them in the future."

"Everything you say, Changshou shixiong, I will remember."

Youqin Xuanya looked up at Li Changshou and said softly, "Could we take a walk around the mountain? I have a few doubts related to those gaps in my Dao heart that I'd like to ask you about."

Li Changshou: …

Was she going to share her heart demon experiences with him?

Indeed, she was.

As Li Changshou and Youqin Xuanya strolled casually through the forests around the alchemy room, he listened to Youqin Xuanya describe the general circumstances of her heart demon.

Without holding back, and enduring her shyness, she even mentioned how she and the heart demon disguised as 'Changshou shixiong' had happily cultivated together.

It was all very pure.

"Changshou shixiong," Youqin Xuanya turned to look at his profile and asked softly, "There's something I don't understand.

That heart demon once acted improperly toward me, specifically by…"

"You don't need to go into details!"

Li Changshou interrupted with a smile. "I get the general idea.

The dual cultivation life you yearn for is one of cultivating together, discussing the Dao, living as free spirits with qin and xiao music, walking the path of immortality side by side.

This is what many qi refiners envision for a Dao companion—serene and elegant, quite admirable."

Youqin Xuanya blinked and whispered, "Shixiong, that's not what I meant to ask…"

Li Changshou smiled. "Then what is it?"

"Well…"

Youqin Xuanya pondered for a moment, her teeth lightly biting her lip, her eyes shimmering as a gentle breeze blew through the forest. She said softly:

"I asked my master earlier, and he said that what the heart demon showed was actually my obsessions.

I also consulted my inner self, but I'm still confused, so I came to seek your answer, shixiong."

"Understood," Li Changshou said seriously. "Go ahead and ask. If I can give you an answer, I will."

"Then… well…"

Youqin Xuanya murmured gently, her hands clasped in front of her, fingers intertwined.

Her heart raced like a fawn, and after a moment, she finally said:

"Changshou shixiong… I might… have some feelings for you that go beyond those of Dao companions…"

Li Changshou couldn't help but press his hand to his forehead.

Did she mistake the heart demon's 'An Lushan-like' advance as her own obsession?

That made sense, but it was just—cough—just an intense method he used to scare her.

And in the heart demon illusion, he had only pretended; he hadn't crossed any real lines!

What to do now…

Should he treat her like a child and tell her such thoughts were wrong, impure, and make her feel guilty?

That would be too unkind.

Li Changshou carefully chose his words, clasped his hands behind his back, and gazed at the white clouds through the gaps in the trees.

He said warmly:

"Shimei, before we cultivated, we were all mortals.

Mortals are fragile and rely on reproduction to maintain their clans and extend their bloodlines.

So, certain things are ingrained in our blood, including matters of human procreation.

The thoughts in your heart are actually quite normal. Even golden immortals, unless they cut off all emotions and desires, can't be completely free of them. So, don't feel ashamed or think you're impure.

Desire, emotion, and the heart are all parts of you. Learning to control, face, and overcome them is also a form of cultivation."

Youqin Xuanya listened intently, pondering deeply, and couldn't help but let out a soft sigh of relief.

The knot in her heart had indeed loosened.

Li Changshou smiled. "Besides, your feelings are truly very pure.

For example, do you know how mortal couples specifically act to have children?"

Youqin Xuanya replied immediately:

"I've read about it in books. It should involve the fusion of yin and yang energies to nurture life.

Generally, the two sit facing each other, palms pressed together, each circulating their magic or immortal power, using their innate yin and yang energies as a catalyst to condense the essence of life into the woman's abdomen."

Li Changshou's forehead filled with question marks. "Who taught you that? It's a misunderstanding."

Youqin Xuanya blinked in confusion and bowed to him with a serious expression.

"Please teach me, Changshou shixiong!"

"I'll teach you!"

Li Changshou felt his face flush slightly and quickly said, "You should ask your master about this, or go to Ling E or Jiu Shishu. We're of different genders; it's not something I can easily explain."

Youqin Xuanya grew even more puzzled, but Li Changshou smoothly changed the topic, starting to discuss the future paths of their fellow disciples.

As the chief senior disciple of Duxian Men, Youqin Xuanya was naturally interested in this and was easily distracted.

Half an hour later, she returned to Potian Peak with her lingering doubts.

Li Changshou wiped the sweat from his forehead and sighed inwardly, wondering if he should submit a memorial to the Jade Emperor to promote some basic education in the Honghuang world.

It might even earn some gongde… probably.

Speaking of which, when the Dao Ancestor established the Tian Court and the saints set the great affairs of heaven and earth, the Nüwa Saint used her innate spiritual treasure, the Red Embroidered Ball, to determine matters of marriage and established the three marriages of heaven, earth, and humanity.

The heavenly marriage referred to the Jade Emperor and Wangmu Niangniang, who set the example as master and disciple, becoming the model for marital unions in the three realms. However, because the Tian Court was still weak, it didn't have much influence and simply inscribed the marriage template into Heaven's Way.

From then on, various races established their marriage rituals.

Unlike the ancient times of the witch and human races, where people mainly found partners at tribal gatherings, and the custom was for women to initiate by launching a surprise attack—knocking out the man they liked and carrying him back to their tent.

When Li Changshou read about that custom in ancient texts, he couldn't help but imagine:

If a tribe had a handsome man and women swarmed him, wouldn't he end up with his head smashed in by repeated blows?

Ah, Honghuang…

Not just women—men needed to protect themselves too.

After seeing Youqin Xuanya off, Li Changshou waited for half a day.

As dusk fell and the Taiyin Star was about to rise above the sea of clouds, Dongmu Gong arrived on clouds with a team of heavenly soldiers.

Upon seeing Li Changshou, Dongmu Gong exchanged a few pleasantries and produced two treasure pouches.

"In total, three hundred of the finest peaches," Dongmu Gong said with a smile. "A hundred each for the Chan Jiao and Jie Jiao schools, and a hundred for the Ren Jiao.

This was decided by Wangmu Niangniang."

He winked lightly, and Li Changshou instantly understood the implication.

Who was in the Ren Jiao?

Besides the Saint himself, it was just him and the Grand Pure One.

These hundred peaches were clearly meant for Li Changshou!

He felt a wave of emotion in his heart but kept his expression calm as he stored the peaches away. "Does Dongmu Gong have any other instructions? I'll head to Jin'ao Island first thing tomorrow."

"Well," Dongmu Gong glanced at the Haishen Fu gates and whispered, "There's a small matter, also entrusted by Wangmu Niangniang.

Sea God, do you need a disciple?

Not for passing on cultivation, but for strategy and wisdom, unrelated to the Ren Jiao lineage.

If you do, just say the word, and I'll send one over right away."

Li Changshou frowned slightly and whispered, "Who could prompt Wangmu Niangniang to make such a request?"

Dongmu Gong transmitted his voice: "It's a princess, the Jade Emperor's cherished one and Wangmu Niangniang's darling, though they haven't announced it publicly…"

Li Changshou pondered for a moment. "What does His Majesty think about this?"

"This was His Majesty's idea."

"In that case, it's fine," Li Changshou said with a smile. "If His Majesty orders it, how could I refuse?

Where is this princess? I'll go pay my respects now."

"She's right outside," Dongmu Gong turned and called toward the gate. "Princess Longji, come in. The Sea God has agreed!"