*'The trouble Ling'e caused this time will certainly cut into her fortune. Twenty years of house arrest without causing more trouble should restore some of it.'*
In the pill chamber, Li Changshou sat in his rocking chair, eyes slightly narrowed, pondering quietly.
This matter actually had nothing to do with him as her senior brother, nor did he need to handle the aftermath.
But Ling'e's temperament...
Perhaps he and their master had indulged her too much over the years. It was time to arrange some trials for her.
The phrase "the world is harsh" — no matter how many times he repeated it as her senior brother, it couldn't compare to her experiencing it firsthand.
Thinking this, Li Changshou's fingers lightly tapped the armrest of the rocking chair;
Nearby, he heard the rustle of forest leaves, and far away, the whisper of wind.
Suddenly feeling a touch of poetic inspiration, he uttered:
"So poor."
Perhaps he should cultivate his junior sister in virtue, wisdom, physique, and aesthetics — poetry, songs, and fu — and have her "coincidentally" marry into a wealthy Primordial family, securing some dowry?
A joke, just a joke. He was merely angry at his little junior sister; he wouldn't go so far as to cast her out.
Now that he had become an immortal and had experienced a period of ascension, it was time to lower his junior sister's clearance level.
In others' eyes, he was currently an excellent fourth-rank Return-to-Void disciple;
In Jiu Wu's eyes, he should be considered an immortal seedling at the seventh or eighth rank of Return-to-Void;
In his junior sister's eyes, he should be a Primordial Immortal...
That was enough.
A secret known only to oneself was truly a secret. Once another person knew, it should be called "news."
Sitting idly for half a day, his immortal sense detected Ling'e copying scriptures under the tree the entire time, and Li Changshou's anger faded considerably.
The rumor Ling'e had told him about their master...
If true, then the incident with Wang, Liu, and Liu this time bore striking similarities to their master's experience eight or nine hundred years ago, but with a completely different outcome.
Their master had been robbed of his love back then.
The rival had shattered their master's Dao Foundation, intending to cripple him entirely, while the sect's punishment was merely to have the perpetrator reflect on his mistakes for a hundred years of solitary confinement;
And during those hundred years of reflection, the rival had passed his tribulation and become an immortal.
Currently, these were the only details he had learned.
Because it was an inglorious matter, it had been suppressed, and for nearly nine hundred years since, no one had mentioned it again...
Xiaoqiong Peak, in their master's generation, had actually produced two disciples. Their master had an elder martial sister, and Li Changshou and Blue Ling'e should have had an elder martial aunt.
Qi Yuan and his martial sister — Li Changshou's martial aunt — had also been childhood sweethearts;
But before their master was ambushed, this martial aunt had left the sect, claiming she was going to find their grandmaster. Like the grandmaster, she had never returned...
No one knew what had happened.
By the way — as the orthodox lineage of the Human Teaching, was it really okay for the sect to have such chaotic relations?
Had the Du Xian Sect been deliberately sabotaged?
Could it be that someone had the Matchmaker in the Heavenly Court, who hadn't yet gained much attention, tie a bunch of red threads for the disciples of the Human Teaching?
The Three Teachings of the Dao, upon careful analysis, each had their own "shortcomings."
Most immortals of the Chan Teaching were skilled in calculation, giving the impression of being overly scheming;
The Jie Teaching was a mixed bag with lax rules, giving a sense of a motley crew;
And the Human Teaching, which should have been actionless and unconstrained, untainted by karma — with its already scarce number of practitioners — was, as if cursed, promoting romantic partnerships within the sect!
If the sect possessed techniques like the "Yin-Yang Celestial Derivation Art," the "Merging Stream Heart Convergence Technique," the "Ravenous Wolf Zen," or the "Solitude Is Too Hard Incantation," that would be understandable.
But with the "Wuwei Scripture" as the sect's core teaching, this kind of atmosphere...
Shouldn't the normal sect culture involve the vast majority of Qi Refiners cultivating peacefully on their respective peaks, avoiding all karma, and finding the management of sect affairs quite troublesome?
"If there's an opportunity, I should investigate those Human Teaching sects in Central Shenzhou to see if they're the same," Li Changshou muttered, committing the matter to memory.
Of course, he couldn't control others too much. Being able to manage his own affairs without inviting such troublesome matters was already quite good.
Their master's situation required long-term planning, but now that there was a lead, there was no need to be completely in the dark as before.
If their master truly had such a deadly enemy, he, as a disciple, must plan carefully.
Avoiding karma was not fearing karma;
Li Changshou had been planning for this matter for many years.
The enemy had been at roughly the same cultivation level as their master a thousand years ago;
And he had heard that among their master's generation, Jiu Jiu, the Martial Aunt, had the best aptitude...
For now, he would treat their master's enemy as a late-stage True Immortal. If the opponent had hidden their cultivation, then consider them a Heavenly Immortal.
As for himself, as long as he could obtain potent toxic herbs, he could now refine pills capable of killing Heavenly Immortals...
In the future, he would prepare a bit of such pills and poison powders for his master's defense. When the time was right, he would have his master deliberately act more active; if the enemy couldn't resist attacking their master again, then their master could counterattack, which would also satisfy the sect...
The enemy was likely backed by one of the sect's peaks. He also needed to consider how to handle subsequent matters;
His advantage lay in "secrecy," and the enemy would likely look down on Xiaoqiong Peak.
As for how far he needed to go, that would depend entirely on their master's wishes.
If their master wanted revenge for what happened back then, he, as the eldest disciple, would secretly assist with all his might;
If their master didn't want revenge, then he would simply fulfill his duty as a disciple and destroy the enemy's cultivation foundation.
The enemy had already attained the Heavenly Immortal Path, while their master could only become a muddy immortal.
Calculating carefully, their master had still suffered a loss.
After all, they had also lost an elder martial aunt...
This karma, Li Changshou did not want to avoid, and he was willing to expose some of his trump cards for it.
If he didn't move, fine; but once he moved, he would leave the opponent unable to fight back.
He closed his eyes and continued to contemplate and plan;
Gradually, layer upon layer of formations outside the pill chamber quietly activated;
Xiaoqiong Peak, which had been silent for over three years, once again began to gather spiritual energy...
After copying the Scripture of Stability three hundred times, Ling'e went to Xiaoling Peak to apologize to Liu Yan'er and ask for forgiveness.
When Ling'e came to the pill chamber, Li Changshou scolded her a few more times, gave her the second version of the Turtle Breath Calming Technique, lectured her for two days on cultivation lessons, and officially began her twenty-year punishment of not leaving Xiaoqiong Peak.
"Let this matter be a lesson to you," he said.
"I understand, Senior Brother," Ling'e bit her lip. "I'll copy the scriptures once every day from now on."
Li Changshou handed her a treasure pouch and sighed: "It's not that your senior brother is strict with you. It's because you grew up within the sect since childhood and also spent your early years in a wealthy mortal household — you truly don't understand how harsh the world can be.
Take my recent trip outside. I... never mind."
"Hmm?" Ling'e blinked, curiosity brightening her eyes. "What happened, Senior Brother?"
Li Changshou stood with his hands clasped behind his back, looking up with a bitter smile: "Go back and cultivate... Ling'e?"
"Yes!"
"Cultivate diligently. Don't distract yourself with other matters.
You should aim to reach the fifth rank of Return to the Dao before the next Mountain-Gate Opening Ceremony. That way, the sect will value you."
Li Changshou rubbed his brow and sighed softly: "That way, if I ever disappear one day, you'll still receive the sect's care for your cultivation."
Ling'e asked quietly: "Senior Brother, are you... going to run?"
"Run where? Go rest. I need to start refining pills."
Li Changshou chuckled, leaving Ling'e somewhat bewildered.
As she left the pill chamber, Ling'e tilted her head in thought for a moment, then looked back at the chamber...
Something felt a bit off about her senior brother.
Inside the pill chamber, Li Changshou skillfully opened the furnace to refine pills. He was making the "Clear and Murky" immortal pills for their master, using materials that weren't particularly toxic, so he didn't need to wear his safety suit.
Once the furnace fire stabilized, Li Changshou's mind turned to another important matter.
Making money.
"Xiaoqiong Peak, Xiaoqiong Peak — truly a peak destined for poverty in the younger generation."
He needed a large amount of precious materials and spirit stones, otherwise he was hamstrung in everything he did.
It wasn't that he wanted to make a fortune, but rather that he wanted a stable source of "wealth" beyond the monthly stipend for sect disciples.
Hiding in the mountains...
Ahem, staying steadily in the mountains — one great advantage was safety, but a drawback was the inability to obtain precious materials and spirit stones.
Could those divine statues by the South Sea be used in a bait-and-switch to become incense-merit harvesting machines, then sold to the Western Teaching?
Forget it — that would be practically suicide. In this lifetime, it was better to avoid the South Sea entirely.
How to make money?
*'Currently, the two things that would benefit him most were: first, gaining access to the inner hall of the Dao Treasury Pavilion, restricted to sect immortals — this was difficult to achieve.*
*Second, taking on some pill-refining contracts for the sect, using this to earn extra income. By leveraging his pill success rate, he could acquire medicinal herbs. Accumulated over time, this would be quite a substantial profit.'*
He wouldn't need to go into extended seclusion for the next few decades. Although he had accepted the insights from ascension, he hadn't fully digested them yet. Spending several hours each day refining pills would be no problem.
Taking on pill-refining contracts — he could register at Baifan Hall to receive sect-assigned tasks. Various peaks had people doing this...
But this matter required careful planning with his master. On his own, he couldn't take on "immortal pill" orders;
Why not partner with Martial Aunt Jiu Jiu?
It wasn't that he didn't trust Jiu Jiu — she was currently in seclusion, didn't understand pill-refining, and was too well-known within the sect, making her more likely to arouse suspicion.
Moreover, getting their master to become more active would also lure the old enemy into revealing himself — killing multiple birds with one stone.
Li Changshou stroked his chin in thought for a while, then noticed the furnace fire becoming unstable and casually flicked a wisp of true flame toward it.
But he suddenly froze.
Had he just... used his true Threefold True Flame?
Crack, crack...
Boom!
The pill chamber shook violently, and the roof was instantly blown off!
A moment later, Li Changshou, his face covered in soot, opened his mouth speechlessly, bitterness in his heart.
Looking at the iron lump before him, now resembling a blooming lotus, he thought about how much effort he had spent repairing this pill furnace originally...
Heh, heh heh...
Indeed, it would be faster to make a deal with the Western Teaching for incense merit...
We solemnly promise: we do not produce incense merit; we merely transport incense merit...
"Truly Xiaoqiong Peak — now even poorer."
Li Changshou laughed at himself, shaking his head with a smile as he rose to clean up the scrapped pill furnace.
Fortunately, he had only used a wisp of Threefold True Flame. If he had thrown in a whole ball of it, the pill chamber could have been demolished on the spot and rebuilt tomorrow.
......
Where the nine heavens' wispy clouds extinguish, immortal islands stretch toward the sea of stars.
The Heavenly Court, newly established in the Primordial, floated above Central Shenzhou, suppressing the Primordial's fortune.
At this time, the Heavenly Court still appeared somewhat desolate. The five great gates leading to the Five Divisions each had soldiers and generals guarding them, but within the Heavenly Court, across the nine heavenly palaces, precious grounds lay empty and abandoned everywhere.
If the Higher Pure Sage hadn't, right when the Heavenly Court was first established, immediately created an avatar as the Supreme Elder Laojun to protect the Heavenly Court and bolster the Jade Emperor's authority...
Perhaps this vast Heavenly Court would have already been conquered by those ambitious old demons of the Demon Clan.
The Heavenly Court honored the Dao. The ninth heaven was reserved as the Dao realm for the Three Pure Ones, within which immortal light wisped, but only a small Daoist temple stood — the place where the Higher Pure Sage, Laozi, cultivated daily.
The Celestial Majesty Hall stood in the eighth heaven, magnificent and splendid, though in the Primordial it had little presence.
Surrounding the Celestial Majesty Hall were numerous garrison locations. The Jade Emperor, who had been the attending boy of the Patriarch of the Dao, Hongjun, for merely tens of thousands of years, was evidently somewhat concerned about his personal safety.
In the seventh heaven were the Heavenly Court's many "external affairs departments" and the residences of various immortals. Elder Laojun's Tushita Palace was located here.
In some inconspicuous corner of the seventh heaven, an elegantly designed immortal palace stood on an immortal island, the island floating in a sea of clouds...
The most striking feature of this immortal palace was not its architectural style, but the large red silks hanging everywhere.
Could it be that some celestial being in the Heavenly Court was getting married?
Not so — this was precisely the place in the Heavenly Court that governed marriages across the Three Realms. Above it hung a gilded jade-inlaid plaque:
[Heaven and Earth Matrimony]
The Matchmaker's palace.
......
Li Changshou's eyes narrowed slightly.
The Matchmaker was one of the Heavenly Court's officials, in charge of marriages between immortals and mortals across the Three Realms. But in the Primordial, this official had no real power — the Dao had not yet granted the Matchmaker's office authority over marriage destinies.
However, the Matchmaker did hold something useful — the red threads of fate.
Li Changshou thought for a while, then shook his head.
He couldn't possibly go steal red threads from the Matchmaker. That would be too risky, and besides, he didn't even know how the red threads worked.
"Forget it. I shouldn't get involved with the Heavenly Court's affairs."
He let out a soft sigh, then turned his attention back to the pill furnace.
The furnace fire burned steadily, and the medicinal ingredients inside gradually began to fuse.
Li Changshou's mind drifted once more to the matter of money.
Xiaoqiong Peak was truly poor. As the youngest peak of the Du Xian Sect, it had always been overlooked. Their master, Qi Yuan, was an introverted and quiet person who never competed for resources. As a result, Xiaoqiong Peak received the smallest share of the sect's monthly stipend.
And now, with Ling'e's punishment requiring twenty years of house arrest, the peak's expenses would only increase.
"I need to find a way to make money," Li Changshou muttered to himself.
He thought about the pill-refining contracts again. It was a viable option, but it required his master's cooperation. Without an immortal's backing, he couldn't take on high-level pill orders.
"Master is currently in seclusion comprehending the Wuwei Scripture. I shouldn't disturb him lightly..."
Li Changshou sighed, then suddenly remembered something.
The Spirit Fish!
He had previously used connections at Baifan Hall to acquire a batch of discarded pill furnaces by trading with the Spirit Fish. The Spirit Fish were a rare resource in the East Sea, and they could be traded for various materials.
But the Spirit Fish were also limited in number, and he couldn't keep exploiting them.
"What other options do I have?"
Li Changshou tapped his chin, lost in thought.
Suddenly, a thought struck him.
The South Sea!
Those divine statues by the South Sea — couldn't he use them to harvest incense merit?
No, no. He had already decided to avoid the South Sea. The risk was too great.
But what if...
Li Changshou's eyes gradually brightened.
What if he didn't go to the South Sea himself, but instead sent someone else?
No, that was still too risky. Anyone he sent could be traced back to him.
"Think, think..."
Li Changshou closed his eyes, his mind racing.
After a long while, he opened his eyes, a faint smile playing on his lips.
"I've got it."
He had thought of a method — one that was safe, effective, and wouldn't expose him.
But it would require time to prepare, and he would need to gather specific materials.
"For now, let's focus on the pill-refining contracts. The other plan can wait."
Li Changshou nodded to himself, then turned his full attention back to the furnace.
The pill-refining process continued, and the fragrance of medicinal herbs gradually filled the chamber.
Outside, the formations around Xiaoqiong Peak hummed quietly, gathering spiritual energy from the surrounding area.
Xiaoqiong Peak, once silent and neglected, was slowly beginning to stir with new life.
And Li Changshou, the seemingly ordinary disciple of this overlooked peak, continued his quiet preparations — unaware that his actions would soon set in motion a chain of events that would shake the entire Du Xian Sect.
But that was a story for another day.
For now, he had pills to refine, money to make, and a junior sister to watch over.
The world was harsh, but Li Changshou was prepared.
After all, stability was his middle name.
......
*The Scripture of Stability*
*The Primordial · Anonymous*
*In life's coming and going, meddle not in others' affairs. Once the immortal foundation is solid, competing for precedence is fruitless.*
*When you encounter injustice, rely on yourself. When hardship strikes, look inward.*
*With many friends, trouble finds you. With few friends, disaster is averted.*
*Never make enemies — enemies are certain death. Strike first, or you'll turn to ash.*
*Do not be arrogant; do not be fearful. When all is stable, peace follows.*
*On a divergent path, retreat becomes advance. Seize opportunity through planning.*
*(The final hundred characters omitted)*