Chapter 318: Little Qiong Peak's Longevity Scattering Peach, Three Immortal Island Fairy's Suspicion

In the underground secret room of Xiaoqiong Peak,

Two lamps made from Donghai night-luminous pearls were lit, adding a touch of ethereal and transcendent ambiance to the narrow room that knew no day or night.

A paper effigy was tossed out, pulling out an erhu to play the melodious and soothing tune of "Erquan Yingyue."

On the table, several pan peaches sat, enveloped in a haze of spiritual energy.

Picking up a dagger, he slowly turned it around a pan peach, peeling the thin skin into a shape that even ordinary golden immortals couldn't enjoy.

The reason for peeling the pan peach wasn't that the skin lacked nutrition—it was simply to let the nearby paper effigy know that his peaches...

Were abundant.

—From Shouxu's dull diary.

Biting into the fresh and juicy peach flesh, savoring the waves of spiritual energy spreading slowly through his mouth, Li Changshou couldn't help but let out a few soft murmurs.

What a worthy innate spiritual fruit—this texture, this flavor!

It was still a bit lacking compared to when the paper effigy ate pan peaches on Sanxian Island...

Thinking of this, Li Changshou pictured the fairy peeling the peach, her movements so gentle and delicate.

A ray of sunlight fell on her hand, making the peach flesh seem far less radiant than her fingertips...

Li Changshou lifted his forehead and shook his head vigorously.

Cause and effect, cause and effect—just eat the peach.

After slowly finishing one peach, Li Changshou put the pit away and pondered it carefully.

One bite of a pan peach, and you understand what a spiritual fruit truly is.

The profound Dao rhythms contained within seemed to carry echoes of the Great Dao from the birth of heaven and earth.

Li Changshou quickly summarized—

This pan peach should boost his master's cultivation and add several hundred to a few thousand years to his lifespan, without causing any harm.

It would be fine for Ling'e to use two; it would increase her lifespan, enhance her cultivation, purify her immortal power, make her immortal body flawless and light, and even whiten and nourish her skin, leaving it smooth and radiant...

The benefits were indeed plentiful.

Li Changshou had brought the pan peaches back to the mountain gate three months ago, and only today, after repeatedly confirming that his acquisition of them hadn't been exposed, did he plan to distribute them.

Calculating the time, the "longevity wine" he had brewed earlier was now ready to be uncorked.

Li Changshou looked at the three remaining pan peaches on the table;

He had originally planned to eat more himself, but realized that for someone at his current level, they offered nothing beyond taste, so he decided to save more for Ling'e and the others.

The so-called longevity wine was fruit wine made from pan peaches, and through his efforts, it retained about eighty percent of the peaches' spiritual power.

He had brewed two jars in total: one for Uncle Jiu, and the other for Uncle Jiuwu, Ancestor Jiang Lin'er, and Master Wangqing.

Carefully counting, Uncle Jiuwu had essentially enjoyed the equivalent of three pan peaches himself...

Well, that was absolutely necessary—if he didn't get enough nourishment, how could he keep his "deeply indebted" little uncle from getting too thin!

Li Changshou went straight to the hidden wine cellar outside the pill room and took out the two jars of fruit wine.

He broke the seal and opened the jars.

Dipping his finger in a bit of the liquid for analysis, he found that the medicinal properties and spiritual power were even stronger than he had anticipated, with minimal loss of "nutrients."

Li Changshou fetched a few small jars and divided one jar into three portions;

He then sent out a message paper crane to summon Uncle Jiuwu, handing over the three small jars of pan peach longevity wine and repeatedly instructing him to present the other two to his master and mistress.

"What's this wine? Why are you being so secretive about it?"

Uncle Jiuwu picked up the three jars, sniffing them curiously as he laughed. "My master and mistress don't drink much usually—you might as well save it all for little Jiu."

"I've already prepared a share for Uncle Jiu," Li Changshou replied with a smile. "This wine can extend lifespan—it's from some spiritual herbs I accidentally obtained and refined.

Don't ask too much, Uncle; it's just a token of my respect for our ancestors.

It's probably hard to make more in the future."

"Ah, alright!"

Uncle Jiuwu agreed with a smile, not pressing for more details.

Although spiritual herbs that increase lifespan were extremely precious, for some reason, even if Li Changshou had pulled out two pills claiming they were Laojun's Nine-Turn Golden Elixirs, Uncle Jiuwu wouldn't have been surprised...

He was just numb to it; there was no helping it.

Watching Uncle Jiuwu fly away on his cloud, Li Changshou used his immortal sense to keep an eye on things for a while, only relaxing once he saw Uncle Jiuwu deliver the two small jars of longevity wine to the Wangqing Residence.

'I wonder when Uncle Jiu will come out of seclusion...'

Before the thought fully formed in Li Changshou's mind, a distant yawn carried over on the mountain wind.

Sweeping his immortal sense over, he saw a window on the second floor of the gaming hall being pushed open, and a graceful figure stretching lazily.

Her big eyes hadn't even opened yet, but she wrinkled her nose slightly, as if catching a scent, and smacked her lips a few times...

"Wine..."

What a nose she had.

Li Changshou chuckled, poured the remaining jar of longevity wine into a silver flask, and drifted away.

In the gaming hall, the old woman who had been watching over Jiu Yushi used earth escape to vanish.

Jiu Yushi had just started on the path of cultivation, so the spiritual power of the pan peaches was too strong for even a sip; she would have to miss this opportunity...

Flying on his cloud to near the gaming hall, Li Changshou called out with a smile:

"Uncle, out of wine again?"

Jiu Jiu, who had been listlessly slumped over the windowsill on the second floor, perked up at once, standing and leaning out to look, her eyes quickly fixing on the flask in Li Changshou's hand.

"Little Shoushou!"

Jiu Jiu cheered joyfully, full of emotion, and leaped from the windowsill, arms outstretched like a hungry cat pouncing.

Li Changshou felt playful and dodged back half a step, tucking the flask into his storage treasure;

Jiu Jiu lunged too eagerly, letting out an "ouch," and landed face-first in the grass behind him, sliding forward half a zhang and flattening a patch of small grass in a particularly devastated area.

For some reason, Jiu Jiu lay there motionless, pretending to be dead and staying silent.

Just like... wherever she fell, she'd lie there for a bit.

"What happened?"

Li Changshou asked gently, summoning a white cloud to lift her up.

"Ah..."

Jiu Jiu face-planted into the cloud, her limbs stiff, and began a lifeless monologue:

"Here I am, the elder, yet relying on a junior like you to support me—ah, what a failure as an immortal...

I've been cultivating for so many years, but compared to you, I'm completely useless—ah, what a failure as an immortal...

All my senior brothers and sisters have partners, and the youngest sister even reincarnated with romantic ties—look at me, ah, what a failure as an immortal."

Li Changshou sighed inwardly, feeling that his uncle was under too much pressure;

Just as he was about to comfort her, a small hand reached out from the cloud.

"So, just give me the wine already, and let me drown my sorrows!"

Li Changshou: ...

His uncle's layered schemes.

"Uncle, let's talk about something serious."

"Hmm?"

Jiu Jiu struggled to lift her head and look at Li Changshou, seeing his serious expression, and quickly straightened up, jumping out of the cloud to sit cross-legged.

"What serious matter?"

Li Changshou took out the flask and handed it to Jiu Jiu, saying with a smile: "This is the highest-quality fruit wine I've brewed so far.

I made two jars originally—one went to our ancestors and grand uncles—and this one's for you as a sign of respect.

Remember, don't treat it like ordinary immortal wine; its effects are extraordinary. It's best to drink it in three doses, and go into seclusion after each one."

"Um..."

Jiu Jiu blinked, biting her lip slightly, her pretty face showing a hint of awkwardness.

She suddenly shifted her gaze from the flask to Li Changshou and asked softly: "Little Shoushou, tell me the truth—are you... up to something with me?"

Li Changshou was caught off guard and laughed. "Uncle, what are you talking about?"

"No ulterior motives?"

"Why would you be disappointed about that?"

"Hee-hee-hee," Jiu Jiu smirked, then cleared her throat and said seriously:

"I was thinking, if you did have motives, I'd half-heartedly go along with it. After all, you seem pretty good, and then I could openly get wine from you.

But freeload like this, and my Dao heart might go astray!

Or you could just give me some tasks, like helping you plant beans or something!"

Li Changshou thought for a moment and said: "Uncle, you don't need to feel bad about it, but since you've brought it up, I do need some help.

Planting beans is too menial, though—you're a beauty among the sect's fairies; you can't be swinging a hoe.

How about this... help me collect some millennium-old spiritual tree sap for making paper effigies.

But please keep it confidential; don't mention it to anyone."

Jiu Jiu pouted and complained: "You really have the heart to put me to work!"

"Well..."

"Hee-hee, just kidding," Jiu Jiu quickly brightened up, patting her chest firmly. "Don't worry, nephew; from now on, getting tree sap will be my main job!

Millennium-old is enough? I know some peaks have ancient trees that are almost turning into spirits—ten-thousand-year-old ones!"

Li Changshou discreetly averted his gaze, silently reciting images of aged beauties to clear his mind.

"Uncle, remember to drink it in three doses. Here are samples of the other three original brews."

"Right, right! Let me try this first...

Wow, what kind of wine is this?

It tastes so different—did you add medicine to it?"

Li Changshou: ...

No medicine, just a few pan peaches—from an innate spiritual root.

Li Changshou hadn't expected the pan peaches to have such outstanding effects on non-golden immortal cultivators!

Jiu Jiu, who had just emerged from seclusion, drank what was equivalent to one pan peach's worth and immediately entered a trance state again, her immortal power surging and propelling her through realm after realm.

After Jiu Jiu went into seclusion, Li Changshou had his master eat one.

Qi Yuan had still been half a realm away from True Immortal, but after consuming the pan peach, he advanced on the spot, officially reaching the end of the Earth Immortal realm—True Immortal.

The path had come to an end.

He had reached the peak of his immortal life!

Yet Qi Yuan sat there, not rejoicing; instead, a wave of emptiness and helplessness washed over him as he looked at his hands.

Now a True Immortal, but his strength was only equivalent to the late Yuan Immortal stage of the Heavenly Immortal path...

His lifespan hadn't increased much, seeming stuck at the level when he first entered the Turbid Immortal realm;

The lifespan boost from advancing realms was even less than the pan peach's bonus, which had added about six or seven hundred years...

Was this the entirety of his life?

Li Changshou hadn't anticipated that advancing from Turbid Immortal wouldn't increase lifespan.

He quickly had his master take a second one; the cultivation boost was minimal, but it extended his lifespan by several more centuries.

The pan peach's life-extending effects were quite impressive.

So, Li Changshou quietly brought out the third one...

Qi Yuan waved his hands repeatedly. "Changshou, don't give me any more!

That's enough, enough!

Save such treasures for your junior sister!"

"Master, I have more," Li Changshou said seriously. "This came from Tianting—don't mention it to anyone; it took a lot of effort to get.

Keep this one with you; use it after you've digested the other two."

Qi Yuan was filled with emotion and sighed: "In this life, the only two things I did right were taking you and your junior sister as disciples..."

"Master, don't overthink it," Li Changshou said with a smile. "There's still a long road ahead. If you head to Tianting for some merits, you can extend your lifespan again.

Here's a plan: in a decade or so, go report to Tianting.

I'll arrange things quietly for you—see if you can get a position as a mountain god or land spirit, and place your jurisdiction near Duxian Sect.

That way, you can cultivate in the mountains while earning merits to extend your life."

Qi Yuan was stunned. "You can do it that way?"

"Of course," Li Changshou laughed. "Leave it to me, Master. Just relax—keep cultivating, and feel free to chat with your... well, with Uncle Jiu Yushi."

He didn't say the last part out loud—

If your lifespan runs short, we can always start over; just give Mengpo a little extra, and she'll stir the soup a few more times.

After comforting his master, Li Changshou circled around Ling'e's thatched hut;

Seeing no sign she was coming out of seclusion, he placed a pouch containing three pan peaches by her hand and left a note.

Then, he went to the spirit beast pen and called out to Xiong Lingli, who was bonding with the spirits awaiting slaughter, tossing a peach her way.

Xiong Lingli giggled, wiped the peach, and took two big bites.

"Thanks, Cousin! Wow, this peach is so sweet!"

"Go ahead and eat it all."

Li Changshou watched from the side as she did.

Soon, he noticed the anomaly in Xiong Lingli's body—the spiritual power that should have turned into magical force was strangely converting into vital energy!

Whoosh—

Xiong Lingli's body expanded visibly, bursting through her battle skirt!

Beneath her bulging muscles, waves of wild aura surged...

"Cousin!"

Xiong Lingli's eyes widened in panic. "I've gotten bigger again!"

"Yes," Li Changshou nodded with a smile. "The world is full of dangers; being stronger isn't bad."

Xiong Lingli's mouth drooped, her cute face full of grievance, and she burst into tears with a wail, like a five- or six-hundred-jin child...

Li Changshou comforted her a bit before flying back to the pill room on his cloud.

He sent out another message paper crane, this time to invite Youqin Xuanya for a meeting...

Meanwhile, on Sanxian Island,

In that warm pavilion wrapped in clouds and draped with curtains,

The fairy in meditation slowly opened her eyes, gazing absentmindedly at the painting on the wall for a moment, then smiling softly...

But then she sighed.

She didn't quite understand why her state of mind was so subtle.

'Could it be Master is scheming something?'

She pondered endlessly, feeling that things shouldn't be this way, yet they were.

Unable to figure it out, her state of mind grew more turbulent, and that figure in her heart became even clearer.

'Forget it; I'll ask my teacher for clarification to avoid any mistakes.

If I've developed these feelings, I won't shy away;

But if someone else is scheming, that would just lead to false hope for him.'

With that thought, the fairy's graceful form vanished in a breeze, leaving only a faint sigh behind.