Chapter 61: Small Poor Peak

The trouble Ling E caused this time will undoubtedly cost her a significant amount of her destiny. Grounding her for twenty years to avoid further incidents should help make up for some of it.

In the pill room, Li Changshou sat in his rocking chair, his eyes slightly narrowed as he pondered deeply in his heart.

This matter had nothing to do with him as her senior brother, and he didn't need to clean up after it.

It was just Ling E's temperament...

Perhaps he and their master had been too indulgent with her in daily life; it was time to arrange for her to face some hardships.

The phrase "the world is full of dangers" wouldn't sink in no matter how many times he said it as her senior brother—it had to be experienced firsthand.

As he thought this, Li Changshou gently tapped his fingers on the armrest of the rocking chair.

Nearby, he heard the rustling of leaves in the forest; in the distance, the wind whispered emptily.

Suddenly feeling a touch of poetic inspiration, he murmured,

"So poor."

Maybe he could cultivate Ling E in virtues, wisdom, physique, and the arts—poetry, songs, and all that—so she could "accidentally" meet some wealthy magnate from the Honghuang era and marry into his family, then pocket some bride price and secretly keep the sect's dowry?

Just kidding, just kidding—it was purely out of frustration with his junior sister; he wouldn't actually throw her out.

Now that he had become an immortal and had some time before ascension, it was time to limit how much Ling E knew.

In the eyes of others, he was just an outstanding disciple at the fourth stage of Fanxu.

In the eyes of Jiu U, he might be seen as a promising immortal seedling at the seventh or eighth stage of Fanxu.

In Ling E's eyes, he should be a Yuanxian...

That was enough.

A secret was only a secret if he alone knew it; as soon as one more person found out, it became just "news."

After sitting idly for half a day, his immortal sense caught Ling E diligently copying scriptures under the tree, which eased his irritation a bit.

The story Ling E had told him about their master...

If it was true, then the incident with Wang, Liuliu, and the third person was very similar to their master's experience eight or nine hundred years ago, but the outcomes were completely different.

Back then, their master...

Had his love stolen away by force.

That rival had shattered their master's Dao foundation, trying to ruin him completely, but the sect's punishment was merely making that person face the wall in reflection for a hundred years.

And during that hundred years, the rival successfully passed their tribulation and became an immortal.

From what he knew so far, that was all the information.

Since it was an embarrassing matter, it had been suppressed, and now, nearly nine hundred years later, no one mentioned it anymore...

In their master's generation, Xiaoqiong Peak actually had two disciples. Their master had a senior sister, and Li Changshou and Ling E should have had a grand martial uncle.

Qi Yuan and his senior sister—Li Changshou's grand martial uncle—had grown up together like childhood sweethearts.

But before their master was ambushed, that senior sister had left the sect, saying she was going to find their grandmaster. Just like the grandmaster, she never returned...

No one knew what had happened.

That said, was it really okay for Renjiao, a school that upholds the Dao, to have such a chaotic atmosphere?

Had Du Xian Men been deliberately sabotaged?

Or maybe someone in the Heavenly Court—that overlooked figure, Yue Lao—had tangled a mess of red strings around the disciples of Renjiao?

Among the three schools of Daoism, a closer analysis revealed each had its "shortcomings."

The immortals of Chanism were mostly skilled in scheming, giving off an air of being overly calculating.

Jiejiao was a mix of all sorts, with lax rules, creating an impression of a disorganized crowd.

As for Renjiao, which should embody non-action and avoid karma, it had few disciples on the path yet was inexplicably swept up in a craze for Dao companions, as if under some curse!

If the sect had techniques like Yin-Yang Derivation Art, Converging Streams Heart Technique, Wolf-like Tiger Zen, or Solitude is Too Hard Chant, that might make sense.

But for Du Xian Men, which used the Wuwei Scripture as its core inheritance, to have such a culture...

Shouldn't the normal ethos be that most cultivators in the sect focus on stable cultivation on their own peaks, avoiding all karma, and even find managing the sect to be a hassle?

"If I get the chance, I should investigate those Renjiao immortal sects in Central Divine State and see if they're all like this."

Li Changshou muttered to himself, noting the matter in his mind.

Of course, he couldn't worry about others too much. Being able to keep himself out of such troubles was already quite good.

His master's situation needed long-term planning, but now that he had some leads, he didn't have to stumble around blindly with guesses anymore.

If his master really had such a deadly enemy, as his disciple, he had to plan carefully.

Avoiding karma wasn't the same as fearing it.

He had been plotting this for years.

A thousand years ago, that enemy had cultivation similar to his master's.

He had once heard that in his master's generation, the one with the best talent was Jiu Jiu.

For now, he'd treat his master's enemy as being at the late stage of Zhenxian; if the enemy had hidden their power, they might even be a Tianxian.

As things stood, if he could get his hands on some potent poisonous herbs, he could refine pills capable of killing a Tianxian...

In the future, he could prepare a massive amount of such pills and poisons for his master as protection. Once the time was right, he'd have his master act a bit more active; if the enemy couldn't resist striking again, his master could counterattack, which would also satisfy the sect's expectations...

He'd need to figure out which peak the enemy was backed by and how to handle the aftermath.

His advantage lay in secrecy; the enemy probably looked down on Xiaoqiong Peak anyway.

As for how far he should go, it all depended on his master's wishes.

If his master wanted revenge for what happened back then, as the eldest disciple, he would secretly do everything in his power to help.

If his master didn't want revenge, then he'd just fulfill his duty as a disciple by crippling the enemy's cultivation base.

The enemy had become a Tianxian, while his master would only ever be a Zhuoxian.

When you think about it, his master had still suffered a loss.

After all, they had lost a grand martial uncle...

This karma, Li Changshou didn't want to avoid and was even willing to reveal part of his hidden cards for it.

If he acted, it would be decisive, leaving the enemy no chance to fight back.

He closed his eyes and continued his deliberations.

Gradually, layer upon layer of arrays outside the pill room quietly activated.

After lying dormant for over three years, Xiaoqiong Peak began gathering spiritual energy once more...

After copying the "Stability Scripture" three hundred times, Ling E went to Xiao Ling Peak to apologize to Liu Yan and ask for her forgiveness.

When Ling E returned to the pill room, Li Changshou scolded her a few more times, gave her the second version of the Turtle Breath Calming Qi Technique, taught her immortal cultivation lessons for two days, and officially began her twenty-year punishment of not leaving Xiaoqiong Peak.

"This time's matter, I hope you take it as a warning."

"I know, Senior Brother," Ling E bit her lip, "I will copy the scriptures every day from now on."

Li Changshou handed her a precious pouch and sighed, "It's not that I'm being strict with you, but you grew up in the sect and as a child in a secular noble family, so you really don't understand how harsh the world can be.

Just take my recent trip outside as an example. I... forget it."

"Hmm?" Ling E blinked, her eyes showing a bit more curiosity, "Senior Brother, what happened to you?"

Li Changshou stood with his hands behind his back, tilting his head slightly and giving a bitter laugh, "Go back and cultivate... Ling E?"

"Yes!"

"Focus on your cultivation and don't think about other things.

You should aim to reach the fifth stage of Guiduo Realm before the next mountain-opening ceremony, so the sect will pay more attention to you."

Li Changshou rubbed his brow and sighed softly, "That way, if I ever disappear one day, you'll still get the sect's care in your cultivation."

Ling E asked quietly, "Senior Brother, are you... planning to run away?"

"What do you mean, run away? Go back and rest. I need to start refining pills."

Li Changshou chuckled lightly, leaving Ling E a bit puzzled.

As she left the pill room, Ling E tilted her head in thought for a while, glancing back at the room...

Why did she feel that her senior brother was acting a little strange?

In the pill room, Li Changshou skillfully started the furnace to refine "Clear Turbidity" immortal pills for his master. The materials didn't have any toxicity, so he didn't need to wear protective gear.

Once the furnace fire stabilized, his mind turned to another major issue.

Making money.

"Xiaoqiong Peak, oh Xiaoqiong Peak, it's driving the younger generation to desperation with poverty."

He needed a massive amount of treasures and spirit stones; otherwise, everything he did would be hampered.

He wasn't looking for a quick windfall but a stable "income stream" beyond the sect's monthly allowances for disciples.

Staying safely in the mountains...

Ahem, staying steadily in the mountains had one big advantage: safety. But it had a downside—getting treasures and spirit stones was nearly impossible.

Could he use some sleight-of-hand trick on those idols by the South Sea to turn them into incense merit harvesters and then sell them to Western Teachings?

Forget it; that would be practically suicide. Better to steer clear of the South Sea for the rest of his life.

So, how to make money?

'The things that would benefit me most right now are, first, gaining access to the inner cabinet of the Dao Repository Hall, which only sect immortals can enter—that's hard to achieve.

Second, taking on some contract work for the sect to refine pills, earning some extra cash that way. Using my success rate in pill refining, I could get some herbs over time, and the accumulated gains would be quite substantial.'

In the coming decades, he wouldn't need to go into long seclusion. Although he'd absorbed the insights from his ascension, he hadn't fully digested them yet, so spending a few hours a day refining pills wouldn't be a problem.

For contract pill refining, he could register at the Hall of Hundreds of Affairs and get tasks assigned by the sect—lots of peaks did this...

But he needed to discuss this properly with his master. On his own, he couldn't take on "immortal pill" orders.

Why not partner with Jiu Jiu? It wasn't that he didn't trust her; she was in seclusion right now and didn't know much about pill refining. Plus, she was too well-known in the sect, which could raise suspicions.

Moreover, getting his master more active would also lure out his old enemy—killing two birds with one stone.

Li Changshou stroked his chin as he thought, noticing the furnace fire was a bit unsteady, so he casually tossed in a wisp of true flame.

But his movement suddenly halted.

Had he just used his actual Sanmei Zhenyan?

Crack, crack...

Boom!

The pill room shook violently, and the roof was instantly blown off!

A moment later, Li Changshou's face was covered in soot as he opened his mouth, speechless and inwardly bitter.

Staring at the pile of twisted metal that looked like a blooming lotus, he thought about how much effort he had put into repairing that pill furnace...

Ha, haha...

Indeed, making a deal with Western Teachings for incense would be faster...

We solemnly promise: we don't produce incense; we're just porters of incense...

"Truly a poor little peak—now even poorer."

Li Changshou couldn't help but laugh at himself, shaking his head with a smile as he got up to clean up the wreckage of the pill furnace.

Luckily, it was just a wisp of Sanmei Zhenyan; if he'd thrown in a full cluster, the pill room could have been demolished on the spot, ready for rebuilding tomorrow.

...

In the place where the nine heavens' clouds gently fade, immortal islands connect with the starry seas.

The Heavenly Court, established not long after the Honghuang era began, floated directly above Central Divine State, suppressing the Honghuang world's destiny.

At this time, the Heavenly Court still seemed quite desolate. The five great heavenly gates leading to the five continents each had guards, but within the Heavenly Court and its ninefold heavenly palaces, there were empty treasures everywhere.

If not for the Supreme Purity Saint, who had created an incarnation as Taishang Laojun right after the Heavenly Court's establishment to protect it and support the Jade Emperor...

This vast Heavenly Court might have already been seized by those ambitious ancient demons.

The Heavenly Court revered the Dao schools, with the ninth heaven reserved as a Dao field for the Three Purities, filled with wafting immortal light but only a small Daoist temple—that was where the Supreme Purity Saint, Laozi, cultivated daily.

The Lingxiao Treasure Hall was on the eighth heaven, magnificent yet not very prominent in the Honghuang world.

Surrounding the Lingxiao Treasure Hall were numerous garrison areas, as the Jade Emperor, who had served as an attendant to Dao Ancestor Hongjun for tens of thousands of years, was clearly concerned about his own safety.

On the seventh heaven were the Heavenly Court's various "external affairs" departments and the residences of many immortals, including Laojun's Doushuai Palace.

In a somewhat unassuming corner of the seventh heaven, an elegantly styled immortal hall stood on an immortal island floating in the sea of clouds...

What stood out about this hall wasn't its architecture but the large red silk banners hanging everywhere.

Was there a wedding for some Heavenly Court immortal or god?

Not at all. This was precisely the place in the Heavenly Court that managed marriages across the three realms, with a gold-inlaid jade plaque above it reading:

Heaven and Earth Matchmaking

Yue Lao's Hall.