Chapter 20

Translator: Atlas Studios  Editor: Atlas Studios

“Changshou! Xuanya!”

“Changshou! Aiya! Why did you come to such a dangerous place?”

As Li Changshou stood at the cave entrance, he could not resist a smile when he saw the two silhouettes rushing down from the clouds.

He did not expect that his master would join the search party.

His old master was very emotional. He grabbed the familiar horsetail whisk and looked as though he was about to give Li Changshou a warm beating on his buttocks. Despite so, Li Changshou was still very touched to see his master.

Li Changshou did not plan to hide away from the beating in front of the seniors in the sect. He wanted to allow his master to hit him a few times to appease his anger.

He would not be hurt by that anyway.

Jiu Jiu jumped down from the clouds along with Qi Yuan. Jiu Jiu had originally wanted to check if Li Changshou was alright. However, she remembered that Qi Yuan was also there. Therefore, she rushed to Youqin Xuanya instead.

Seeing that his master lifted his horsetail whisk and was about to land a blow, Li Changshou showed a bitter expression. He closed his eyes and was prepared to be hit. However, the horsetail whisk only landed softly on his shoulder. His master did not use much force.

Li Changshou heard Qi Yuan chide. “Why did you come to the dangerous North Continent? If Ling’e did not wake me up, you would be dead by now. I would not even know where I could find your corpse!”

Li Changshou lowered his head and answered politely, “Master, I have been cultivating quietly in the sect for a long time and wanted to move around. Please forgive me for not informing you before I left.” Then his gaze turned to the corner of his eyes.

Jiu Jiu lifted Youqin Xuanya up with a hug and was spinning in circles. She was smiling like a child. Youqin Xuanya’s cheeks were faintly red. She shouted, “Aunt-Master” multiple times, but was still unable to escape from her hug.

Their dresses danced in the wind along with their long, black hair. This ‘Two-People Rotation’ looked extremely pretty.

…

Objectively speaking, Youqin Xuanya had a perfect figure. Her curves were also impeccable. Compared to Youqin Xuanya, Aunt-Master Jiu was a little short. Her face was also a little round. They had completely opposite styles.

Li Changshou stopped looking only after a glance. He listened attentively to his master’s neverending scoldings. The critics that he had just now were merely a habit that he had in his previous life as a gentleman. There were no inherent meanings to that.

On the flip side, Li Changshou was more concerned about the actions of the short Daoist priest.

Jiu Wu dragged the old Daoist priest that had been knocked unconscious and dropped him in front of them.

When he saw that Li Changshou and Youqin Xuanya were completely fine, the short Daoist priest secretly shook his wrist. The old Daoist priest that he was carrying using his hand twitched. His aura soon disappeared.

If Li Changshou was not wrong, that old Daoist priest’s essence spirit was directly shattered by that move.

Jiu Wu acted like nothing had happened. He threw the old Daoist priest’s corpse into a nearby forest and looked at the reunion scene with a smile.

‘This is a scary person. Killing people was as easy as killing an insect to him.’

Li Changshou’s fingers that were hidden inside his sleeve pinched together as he cast a Dharma spell to predict the identity of that short Daoist priest. News about this priest surfaced in his mind. He categorized the information he knew.

‘Jiu Wu, the Fifth Senior Brother of Aunt-Master Jiu Jiu. He is a biological disciple of the powerful Exalted Wang Qing in the Immortal Du Sect. He had been cultivating in the sect for about 2,000 years. His cultivation has reached the peak of the Perfected Immortal Realm and is a half-step to the Heaven Immortal Realm. He has a childlike personality and likes to fool around with people. However, in reality, he is very intelligent and also a little cunning. He is very loyal to the sect. He often leaves the sect to handle all kinds of matters, and he has many friends both within and outside of the sect. He likes to make wine and refine pills. His weakness is not very obvious.’

Li Changshou quickly concluded that he did not have to make friends with him deliberately. It was sufficient that he did his part as a disciple of the sect.

On the other side, Jiu Jiu had finally let Youqin Xuanya down. She lifted her head and was grateful that she could probably keep most of her wine money.

Youqin Xuanya heard Qi Yuan scold Li Changshou.

“What were you thinking? What gave you the courage to come here when you are only at the Soul Formation Realm? Were you hindering others?”

“Uncle-Master Qi Yuan!”

Youqin Xuanya cut him off. She spoke in a serious tone. “Senior Brother Changshou did not hinder anyone. It was the complete opposite, actually. He had helped me several times—”

“That’s right. I did not hinder anyone. I have been very helpful.” Li Changshou cut Youqin Xuanya off. He showed a smug expression on his face, smiled, and said, “Master, I have news for you. I have achieved a breakthrough and have reached the Void Return Realm because of this priming trip.”

As Li Changshou spoke, he emitted his aura, which indicated that he was at the First Stage of the Void Return Realm.

His aura was still a little shaky. It appeared as though he had just achieved a breakthrough.

Youqin Xuanya was a little confused.

‘Why does Senior Brother… seem like a completely different person? He appeared calm and steady earlier, yet he was now a little frivolous.’

Li Changshou winked at her. Youqin Xuanya was a little stunned. She suddenly recalled what Li Changshou had told her earlier.

She pursed her lips and did not know what to say.

“Changshou, you have achieved a breakthrough?”

Qi Yuan was very emotional. He sensed Li Changshou’s aura carefully, and a smile crept up his face while his eyes lit up.

However, before Qi Yuan’s smile blossomed completely, his expression turned angry immediately. “You have only gained enlightenment and reached the Void Return Realm after 100 years! How dare you be so complacent!? Look at Xuanya! She is your Junior Sister, but she has already reached the Fourth Stage of the Void Return Realm!”

Li Changshou smiled awkwardly. He seemed a little upset that his master scolded him. In reality, he was not at all upset internally. He even found it a little funny.

“It is impressive to have reached the Void Return Realm in 100 years. That is already a superior-class talent.” Jiu Wu smiled at the sides and said, “Junior Brother Qi Yuan, my Second Senior Brother had only reached the Void Return Realm after 200 years. After that, he experienced a quantum leap after those years of accumulation. Within 20 years, he had survived the tribulation and had become an immortal. Cultivation depends largely on fate. Do not be so hard on your disciple. Oh right, Xuanya, do you know where Yuan Qing is?”

Youqin Xuanya’s expression darkened. She took two steps backward and knelt on one knee with the large sword on her back. She cupped her hands, lowered her head, and said, “Yuan Qing is dead. I killed him. Please punish me, Uncle-Master!”

Jiu Wu furrowed his eyebrows and asked, “Did you kill him personally?”

“Yes. My four swords pierced through his body and shattered his essence soul.” Youqin Xuanya lowered her head and added, “This was entirely my fault. It has nothing to do with Senior Brother Changshou. He merely helped me to escape and saved my life using the Earth Escape technique. I am willing to accept all punishments by the sect!”

Jiu Wu frowned and sank into deep thought.

Jiu Jiu jumped towards Li Changshou. She had originally wanted to poke him using her elbow but decided against that. She did not touch Li Changshou’s arm.

“Hey. What happened?” she asked softly.

Li Changshou shook his head and remained silent.

Jiu Wu heard Jiu Jiu’s question and looked over. The short Daoist priest’s gaze appeared like two sharp arrows that were about to pierce Li Changshou’s eyes.

Jiu Wu asked solemnly, “Martial Nephew, why aren’t you saying anything for Xuanya?”

“I do not know exactly what happened,” replied Li Changshou. He looked back at Jiu Wu collectedly.

“You seem really collected,” said Jiu Wu and sighed. “Actually, I had already searched through that Essence Immortal’s spirit and soul on the way here. I know what happened roughly. Yuan Qing had an evil plan of bringing the battle of the mortal world’s monarchy into the Immortal Du Sect. That is an unforgivable crime in itself. However, Martial Niece Xuanya, it is a huge offense to kill your fellow sect member. Whatever the reason may be, this is an indisputable crime…”

Jiu Jiu scolded him in an annoyed tone, “We can simply change this stupid rule. Yuan Qing made the first move, didn’t he? Xuanya was only retaliating!”

Youqin Xuanya pursed her lips and remained silent.

Seeing that, Li Changshou coughed and said, “Uncle-Master Jiu Wu, why don’t we leave this place first? We can first meet up with the other Uncle-Masters and Aunt-Masters. Junior Sister Xuanya can then explain the entire story to everyone. As long as Junior Sister Xuanya tells the truth, I believe that the sect will understand her actions.”

The last part of the sentence was actually directed at Youqin Xuanya.

Youqin Xuanya looked at Li Changshou. Her eyes showed how helpless and bitter she was.

Li Changshou sighed internally. He displayed a faint smile and gave her a slight nod.

He could treat it like he was giving her some encouragement.

Jiu Wu said, “We’ll follow your suggestion. Let’s first meet up with the others.”

After he finished his sentence, Jiu Wu scratched his head. He was also thinking of a way that could exempt Youqin Xuanya from the punishment.

However, he recalled that Yuan Qing’s master was also there—that gave him a headache.

The short Daoist priest produced a white cloud and made them come on board. He also reminded Youqin Xuanya to follow behind him closely to look out for her.

Li Changshou followed his master closely. They stepped onto the white cloud and sat cross-legged.

Qi Yuan was completely different from how drained he previously appeared. He appeared as though he had lost his parents when he had arrived. Now, he looked as though everything in life was going smoothly.

He was now the master of a disciple who was at the Void Return Realm!

Before the white cloud had lifted into the air, Jiu Wu seemed to have thought of something. He turned his body to face Li Changshou and asked while smiling, “Martial Nephew Changshou?”

“I’m here.”

Jiu Wu asked nonchalantly, “Why didn’t you collect the spiderwebs of the Strong-Pupil Three-Headed Spiders? These are incredibly rare items.”

Li Changshou gave a natural smile and replied, “Thank you for the concern. It is hard to collect these back after they were used. I have kept a few nests of Strong-Pupil Three-Headed Spiders as pets in the Little Qiong Peak. If you are interested in these strange things, I can give you a nest when we return to the sect.”

Jiu Wu raised one of his eyebrows. “I shall not decline the offer then. You have great potential, little guy. We should get to know each other more in the future.”

“At your orders,” Li Changshou smiled warmly and amiably. He did not say anything else.

The more he said, the more mistakes he might make. Jiu Wu seemed to have seen through him a little. However, he asked for a ‘sum of money’ to make him keep quiet. That meant that Jiu Wu did not want to interfere with the cultivation of the disciples in the sect.

However, Qi Yuan furrowed his eyebrows and looked at Li Changshou. His expression was solemn as he said, “How can you be so selfish? If your Uncle-Master did not come over to save you, who knows what could have happened to you!? How many immortal spider nests do you have? You should keep one nest and give the rest to Uncle-Master Jiu Wu!”

“Cough!”

A breath of air in his dantian gushed upwards. Li Changshou covered his mouth and coughed a few times.

He tried to maintain his smile while he bit his molars harshly and said, “Yes… At your order…”

Jiu Wu was sitting at the front. The situation behind him was hilarious to him. He sat there and laughed out loud. However, he did not say anything.

A round face peeked over from beside him. Jiu Jiu had shifted behind the old Daoist priest Qi Yuan. She leaned forward from Li Changshou’s left-hand side and stared at him.

Li Changshou leaned backward instinctively.

As he had expected, when he leaned back, his field of vision was much clearer. He could see directly from the collars of the linen robe.

“Cough.”

He could effectively guard against Aunt-Master’s sudden pranks.

Jiu Jiu blinked her eyes. “What are the spiderwebs that you were talking about? I feel like there is something weird with you and Fifth Brother.”

Li Changshou replied, “It’s a rare material. I can’t really explain it clearly. Why don’t you ask Uncle-Master Jiu Wu?”

“Hmph. You don’t want to explain it? Fine.”

Jiu Jiu sat with her back straight. Suddenly, she seemed to have recalled something. She slapped her knees forcefully and said seriously, “Oh, right! Senior Brother Qi Yuan! Fifth Senior Brother! Look, look at Changshou’s symptoms. Did something go wrong with his cultivation? Is he suffering from some mental demons?”

“Mental demons?”

Qi Yuan, Jiu Wu, and Youqin Xuanya looked over at the same time. Jiu Jiu lifted her hand and poked Li Changshou’s ear lobe.

Her actions were extremely fluid. She had already lifted her hand when she was talking. There was no time for Li Changshou to react.

Li Changshou was engulfed in black lines. His left hand trembled, making the muscles in his entire body shiver as well. His eyes rolled, and white foam appeared in his mouth. He sounded as though he was choking and out of breath.

‘F*ck!’

Was this Aunt-Master toxic as well?

No. This cloud itself was toxic! Everyone with the word Jiu in their Dao name had something wrong with them!