Chapter 48: Ton Ton Ton Ton Ton

Three months later, deep in the Donghai, above the Shui Jing Gong.

After a series of events, including the rebellious dragon prince, the dragon queen's plea, and the Dragon King's order for a thorough investigation, a fish spirit sea creature who had served as the dragon prince's tutor was ultimately held accountable. He was sliced on the spot and prepared with scallions, ginger, vinegar, and garlic…

What a pity, what a shame.

Even in the primordial chaos, there was no mustard, leaving the practice of sashimi incomplete.

At that moment, Ao Yi, the second prince of the Dragon Palace, was bound within a massive immortal conch vessel, accelerating towards the border between Nanhai and Donghai.

Besides Ao Yi, the ship carried only a few immortal flood dragon soldiers and an ancient turtle immortal with completely white eyebrows and beard.

This turtle immortal, who had retired many years prior, sat beside Ao Yi, sighing repeatedly as he offered counsel:

"Your Highness, why must you clash with that minor Du Xian Men?What merits does Du Xian Men possess? Even if His Majesty ordered you to become their disciple, they wouldn't dare accept you.

And you should consider His Majesty as well. He has already gone against the majority opinion, silencing all dissent, simply to allow you to go out and study under a saint's lineage!

This time, this old minister is setting aside his pride to take you to study under the great immortal Wu Yun Xian, who serves under the three saints of Daoism.

Although this great immortal isn't widely renowned, he holds the top position among the seven immortals attending Jie Jiao and is highly esteemed by the three saints of Daoism. His origin is also that of a Jin Ao, the same clan as this old minister, and we were acquainted in the past.

Your Highness, this is the extent to which we can accommodate your wishes.

Please, by no means, cause any further major incidents!"

Ao Yi turned his head away, his face still displaying a hint of reluctance.

But he was only ten years old after all, having been raised in the "egg doctrine" for many years and truly experiencing the world for only a decade.

With the old turtle's constant persuasion, Ao Yi gradually began to feel a bit hesitant.

"Does this great immortal possess any saintly wondrous methods?"

"Of course!"

Seizing the opportunity, the turtle immortal began recounting how impressive Wu Yun Xian was, how favored he was by Tong Tian Jiaozhu, and yet how extraordinarily low-key he remained, never boasting.

Soon, the turtle immortal sighed again and whispered to Ao Yi:

"Your Highness, this old minister can discern your thoughts, but it is not as simple as you imagine. It is not something you can merely stir up and achieve a favorable outcome from.

Illusions are akin to dreams; once you awaken, it is all cold reality—no one wishes to awaken from it.

You must understand His Majesty. He is the one in charge at the highest level of the dragon race; he cannot move easily. If he moves and fails, the entire structure will collapse."

Ao Yi looked thoughtful, then slowly nodded.

'In any case, once I am out of the Dragon Palace, the vast primordial world will be mine to roam freely!'

What is the point of studying under a great immortal, relying on my status as the second prince of the Dragon Palace? How does that resolve the dragon race's predicament?

How many other dragon palace descendants can study under such a great immortal?

What he sought was a path forward for the entire dragon race, not just for himself as the second prince of Donghai Dragon Palace!

For now, I will simply appease this old minister; we will deal with the rest later.

Amidst the howling sea wind, Ao Yi gradually revealed a slight smile, acting as innocently as his age, and the turtle immortal finally relaxed a bit.

...

Deep within the dense forest of Po Tian Peak at Du Xian Men, where the Jiu Zi Nine Immortals cultivated.

Jiu Jiu's large gourd floated back from the direction of Xiao Qiong Peak, and she appeared utterly drained of energy. She trudged dejectedly back to her small pavilion and slowly sat down on the wooden steps in front, then leaned back and lay down.

Her entire body went limp, like melted mud, as she hugged her large gourd and lay there, letting out prolonged sighs...

"How boring. Xiao Shou Shou has only been in seclusion for three months, but it feels like three years. No one to play with me anymore..."

"Sigh, my senior sister has her senior brother to keep her company, and he even goes with others. Senior Sister and Second Senior Brother, Fourth Senior Sister and Fifth Senior Brother, Sixth Senior Sister and Seventh Senior Brother—finally, it should be Eighth Senior Brother and Ninth Senior Sister, but Eighth Senior Brother went off like Third Senior Sister, turning his back on Po Tian Peak...

Sigh, poor old Ninth me, just because I'm an odd number, I have to be all alone with no one...

And on top of that, I'm Master's last disciple. Sigh..."

From the window of the neighboring pavilion, Jiu Shi, who was glowing with vitality and appeared as though she had grown younger by hundreds of years, leaned out and looked over. Hearing Jiu Jiu's muttering, she couldn't help but laugh.

Jiu Shi floated out from the window, like a fairy in a painting, and landed beside Jiu Jiu on the wooden steps. She reached out and pinched Jiu Jiu's nose.

"Senior Sister," Jiu Jiu hugged Jiu Shi in return, closing her eyes and wailing, "come with me to Xiao Qiong Peak. I want to play Fight the Great God, I want to play Simulated Immortal Life!"

Jiu Shi chuckled lightly and patted her junior sister's head. "Silly junior sister, is Xiao Qiong Peak a place I can simply go?"

"Huh? Why can't you go, Senior Sister?"

"If I go, won't you feel awkward?"

"Uh, awkward how?"

Jiu Jiu tilted her head. "Did you misunderstand something, Fourth Senior Sister? Xiao Shou Shou and I have a pure uncle-nephew relationship."

"Oh? Is that so?"

Jiu Shi smiled with narrowed eyes, her gaze full of assertiveness.

Jiu Jiu blinked and shrank her neck. "Isn't it?"

"Yes, a pure senior uncle and nephew who refine pills and set arrays together every day, spending all their time side by side."

"There's no 'side by side'! He's got issues!"

Jiu Shi paused, then asked quickly: "What issues? Does Chang Shou have some hidden ailment? That's a big problem."

"It's not a hidden ailment. Xiao Shou Shou cannot be touched by any woman except his senior sister, or his whole body convulses."

Jiu Jiu laughed. "But his senior sister grew up under his watch, so she's fine. With me, it's okay as long as it's just a fist bump or high five."

Jiu Shi folded her arms and pondered for a moment, then suddenly said: "How did this condition come about? Can you tell me more in detail?"

"Well, last time I took Xiao Shou Shou to Bei Ju Lu Zhou..."

A moment later, Jiu Shi hugged her ninth junior sister and laughed so hard she trembled, whispering something in Jiu Jiu's ear that made Jiu Jiu first startled, then cover her face with one hand.

"This guy dared to lie to me, his senior uncle!"

"Hey, calm down, Xiao Jiu. A man who guards his purity like jade is a rare treasure in the world. You mustn't miss out."

Jiu Jiu was utterly embarrassed and stomped her feet in frustration. "Senior Sister, what are you talking about? How could I possibly—!Ah, I'm going back to seclusion!"

"Aren't you supposed to be a guard for the training assembly in a few days?"

"Oh, right... Can I seclude myself for a few days first?"

Jiu Jiu turned and headed towards her pavilion, while Jiu Shi chuckled and floated after her.

"Xiao Jiu Jiu, why be shy with your Fourth Senior Sister? Let me teach you how to dress and style yourself..."

"Uh, no thanks."

"Come on, let your Fourth Senior Sister see how your figure has turned out, my little Jiu."

"Fourth Senior Sister, don't touch me randomly... Stop it, ah!"

As the sun set, the joyful chatter of the two immortal women echoed around.

In the neighboring pavilion, a short Daoist with sunken eyes and a haggard face shook his head and casually activated the array outside Jiu Jiu's pavilion.

Then, looking at the full spread of tonic dishes on the table in front of him, the short Daoist couldn't help but twitch his mouth...

For this training assembly, Jiu Jiu was assigned to Bei Ju Lu Zhou as a guard because of a minor issue last time, and the sect had added a true immortal to accompany her.

However, only two people were going this time.

On the day of the assembly, You Qin Xuan Ya, the current chief disciple whose reputation in the sect was rising, arrived on time with her great sword on her back and wearing her fiery red long skirt.

But after everyone was assigned teams, she did not join the training and instead returned to her cave for seclusion.

Thus, the two disciples heading to Bei Ju Lu Zhou received the exceptional treatment of having a true immortal as their exclusive covert guard...

The round trip to Bei Ju Lu Zhou took about a month, and in the following months, Jiu Jiu kept mulling over what her Fourth Senior Sister had said.

Gradually, Jiu Jiu, who had believed her feelings for Li Changshou were just pure fun, began to fall into self-doubt.

Could she have developed feelings for Xiao Chang Shou without realizing it?

That couldn't be, right? Although the senior uncle-junior nephew relationship was a bit thrilling, she had always treated Xiao Chang Shou as a junior to care for, only to end up being won over by his feeding her treats...

The more she thought about it, the more tangled she became, to the point where she couldn't calm her mind even in meditation.

A few more months passed, and when a paper crane carrying Li Changshou's invitation for her to refine pills arrived, Jiu Jiu jumped up in excitement.

Then she froze...

Was this her reaction?

"Could I really have fallen for a junior nephew who's only over a hundred years old?"

'Some things you only know once you ask.'

Her Fourth Senior Sister's laughter still echoed in her ears. Jiu Jiu sat on her bed, pondering for a while, then slammed her hand on the bedboard.

What's there to fear? I'll just ask!

Immediately, Jiu Jiu changed into a clean linen robe and rode her large gourd straight to Xiao Qiong Peak.

This time, Li Changshou was preparing to refine poisonous pills to better prepare for his upcoming tribulation.

When Jiu Jiu arrived, Li Changshou had already gathered various poisonous herbs and wrapped himself in layers of protective gear.

After trying on that bulky "protective suit" once, Jiu Jiu had refused to wear it again, so Li Changshou had to be extra careful each time to control the flow of the pill's toxins and avoid accidentally harming his senior uncle who was providing immortal power support.

As they refined the pills, they chatted casually, just like always.

But Jiu Jiu's mind was still tangled with her Fourth Senior Sister's words. Over the sixteen hours of refining, she tried to speak up dozens of times but could never find the right moment.

'It's just one question—why is it so hard to say?'

'Could I really...'

'No way! Am I the type to pursue someone younger?Ask! Once I ask, it will be fine!'

Jiu Jiu took a deep breath, smoothed the hair by her ear, and looked at Li Changshou, who was focused on the pill formation beside her.

Gathering all her courage, she spoke in a voice so soft it was barely audible:

"I... how did I do with this pill refining?"

"As always, extremely well," Li Changshou replied with a smile from inside his hood. "Your immortal power has been a huge help, Senior Uncle."

The poisonous pill trembled slightly, and Li Changshou quickly adjusted the medicinal energy.

Jiu Jiu blinked and lowered her voice even more:

"Then, Chang Shou... what do you think of me as your senior uncle..."

At that critical moment of pill formation, with Li Changshou fully focused on controlling the pill's properties and wearing so many anti-poison devices, he only caught snippets like "nephew" and "what do you think," and assumed they were still on the previous topic...

Li Changshou nodded lightly and replied without turning his head:

"Very strong,And incredibly stable,And what's even rarer is how pure it is—without any impurities at all."

He paused, furrowing his brow as he stared at the pill in the furnace, then added:

"If only I could have something like that."

Jiu Jiu's mouth fell open slightly, and she froze on the spot, pointing a trembling finger at Li Changshou.

"You... do you even know what you're saying?"

Li Changshou answered: "What's wrong? Is there something off?"

What's wrong?!

Very strong, and so pure without any impurities...If only I could have something like that...

Something like what?!

Is... is this that outrageous?

Jiu Jiu's slightly round face turned bright red in an instant, the flush spreading from her neck downward, with wisps of white smoke rising from her forehead.

She staggered back half a step, trying to say something, but only managed stammers. She turned and dashed away, leaping into the air after two steps and flying straight towards Po Tian Peak...

"Hmm?"

Distracted by the wind, Li Changshou turned his head in confusion.

She left? Without taking today's reward wine?

Jiu Jiu's immortal power was indeed steady, strong, and pure—otherwise, they wouldn't have reached the pill formation stage on the first try, saving the other eight sets of materials!

If only I could have immortal power like Senior Uncle's. But I'm about to face my tribulation anyway...

Uh, did Senior Uncle misunderstand something? Li Changshou quickly realized.

Never mind, focus and steady yourself—prepare for the pill to form!

These minor things can be explained later.

Amidst the peaks of Du Xian Men...

Jiu Jiu, flying swiftly on her large gourd, grabbed the wine gourd from her waist and chugged it down with gulps, then shot like an arrow straight into the forest on the waist of Po Tian Peak. The entire woods shook lightly, and birds scattered in panic...

In the forest, under the trees, on the grass and fallen leaves, the little immortal in her linen robe lay there, hands covering her face, breathing heavily for a while.

Soon, she let out a soft sigh, her pretty face still tinged with red. One fair arm covered her forehead, while the other hand lifted to block the dappled sunlight filtering through the treetops.

"So pure...Tsk, what nonsense."

She casually pulled out a storage pouch, which contained the colorful immortal skirts that her Fifth Senior Brother had brought from her Fourth Senior Sister...

"What am I even thinking? He's my junior nephew!"

Jiu Jiu quickly threw the pouch away, but after a moment, she turned her head to look at it again.

Maybe just trying them on wouldn't hurt—as long as no one sees...