Chapter Twenty-Four: True Immortals Don't Work Part-Time
Clang! Clang!
In the quiet afternoon, the silky and smooth protective mountain formation of the Du Xian Sect enveloped the area.
On the Xiaojiong Peak, which was dwarfed by the surrounding peaks, echoed a rhythmic percussion sound...
In the dense forest about ten miles north of the three cottages by the small lake, a towering tree trembled continuously with each beat.
Under the tree, a girl dressed in embroidered practice clothes with fragrant grass patterns and a light purple silk cloud scarf tied around her head was elegantly swinging a large axe with indescribable grace.
The girl gritted her teeth and uttered a familiar complaint:
"If I'm not allowed to use my magic, what am I supposed to do with these muscles on my legs and arms! I'm a female Qi cultivator!
Honestly, they said they wanted to watch me chop wood, and where are they now? They went back to meditate again!
Hmph, stinky senior brother, I'll cut you down, chop the tree to its roots, and ensure not a blade of grass grows!
Give it to me, cut!"
Click—
The old tree twisted and slowly tilted, startling flocks of birds in the forest.
Suddenly, a shout came from behind:
"You are... Xiaoling'e?"
Lan Ling'e became alert, lifted the giant axe, and jumped forward, turning around as she landed. She looked up at the figure floating in the air, feeling a sense of familiarity.
Sitting cross-legged on the gourd on the back of the tall tree, a female immortal in a somewhat dirty linen garment... Damn, even the short linen shirt is almost torn apart...
Oh, it's Senior Uncle Jiu...
Lan Ling'e quickly put down the axe, bowed respectfully, and selected one of the greeting templates her senior brother had set, softly saying:
"Disciple Ling'e pays respects to Senior Uncle Jiu. Disciple's cultivation is shallow, so I failed to welcome you in time. Please forgive me, Senior Uncle."
"It's okay, no need to be so polite," Jiu Jiu looked at the well-mannered and pleasant-speaking young disciple below, feeling quite fond of her.
Jiu Jiu put away the big gourd, jumped down from the air.
"Is your senior brother here? I have something to discuss with him."
"My senior brother should be cultivating," Lan Ling'e lowered her brows obediently, continuing softly, "Please wait here, Senior Uncle. I'll go and inform my master to come out and greet you. Our hospitality might not be perfect. I hope Senior Uncle can understand."
"Oh, no need for the trouble. I came specifically to find your senior brother; your master has become an immortal, so let him focus on his cultivation and not bother him."
Jiu Jiu waved his hand and turned to look around, "Xiaoling'e, what are you chopping wood for?"
"It's a way of cultivation, just a demonstration for Senior Uncle," Lan Ling'e's answer was still watertight, but she felt a slight doubt in her heart.
Why did this Senior Uncle come to find her senior brother?
After becoming an immortal, the lifespan of Qi cultivators was long, and there were many generations of fellow disciples in the sect; however, this Senior Uncle in front of her, with his beautiful face and graceful curves, although a bit unkempt, possessed natural beauty, which made him stand out even more...
The key point was that this Senior Uncle Jiu had gone out with her senior brother before...
There's something fishy.
Lan Ling'e became alert and wanted to indirectly inquire about Jiu Jiu's intentions.
But before she could speak, there were slight ripples in the ground not far away, and Li Changshou slowly emerged. He bowed to Jiu Jiu...
A moment later, in Li Changshou's cottage, Jiu Jiu and Li Changshou sat cross-legged on opposite sides of a low table.
Jiu Jiu had come to receive the rewards for the training event and had also brought the gratitude gift entrusted by Jiang Jingshan, placing two storage treasures on the table.
Li Changshou accepted them directly.
Seeing the treasures and the pile of precious materials and spirit stones in the storage ring given by Elder Jiang, Li Changshou felt a slight sense of relief.
When he was investigating the spiritual veins of the Xiaojiong Peak just now, he was worried about the materials needed to build various large formations. With this gratitude gift, most of the problems were solved.
Li Changshou asked, "Senior Uncle, why didn't you go to the Southern Continent with us?"
"Ah," Jiu Jiu sighed heavily, leaning weakly on the table, his eyes gradually losing their luster, "I originally planned to go and have some fun, but when I returned to the mountain, I was detained and questioned until now. I just came out of the Hall of Rewards and Punishments.
Now I'm in trouble.
Several elders actually sentenced me to abstain from alcohol for three years. Ah, it's worse than being tied to the thunder pole and split for three years..."
Li Changshou couldn't help but smile. He just noticed that Jiu Jiu's small gourd treasure was missing, probably confiscated by the elders in the sect.
Just then, Lan Ling'e entered with tea. Seeing this scene, she pursed her lips.
Jiu Jiu, with his casual posture and pleasant conversation with her senior brother, seemed to get along very well...
This Senior Uncle really had some issues.
After serving the tea, Lan Ling'e placed her cushion beside her senior brother and knelt down with a docile look, intentionally pressing her arm against her senior brother's.
Seeing this, Jiu Jiu narrowed his eyes, "Hey? Changshou, are you ill?"
"It's fine for Junior Sister to touch me. It's probably because of the time we spend together day and night," Li Changshou calmly explained, "When I touch other women besides Junior Sister, symptoms like convulsions may occur."
"Cough! Cough!"
Lan Ling'e coughed, looking slightly pained, definitely because it was too hard to suppress laughter.
"Oh, is that so?"
Jiu Jiu didn't suspect anything, just sighed lightly and lost his energy, lying down on the table. He then muttered weakly:
"Three years, how am I going to endure these three years...
Without alcohol, how can I meditate and cultivate? I can't even sleep, I have no energy to do anything...
This nonsense Qingyuan, messing around like this, dragging me into trouble for three years..."
Li Changshou pondered with lowered brows, rubbing his chin in thought.
Lan Ling'e, seeing her senior brother's expression at this moment, subconsciously moved aside, sitting up straight and not daring to speak.
She sneaked a glance at the curvature of Li Changshou's eyebrows, confirming that this was a sign that her senior brother wanted to trick someone!
Whenever her senior brother showed this expression, either she or her master would be assigned something!
"Senior Uncle, how about we discuss something?"
"Hmm? What's there to discuss?" Jiu Jiu responded weakly.
"You can't drink for three years, and if you can't cultivate, how about helping me set up some formations?" Li Changshou said seriously, "In return, I'll help you brew three kinds of extinct fine wines. Three years later, you can enjoy them. And among them, there's one drink that can replace alcohol."
"Extinct fine wines? A drink that can replace alcohol?" Jiu Jiu suddenly became spirited, sitting up straight, "What is it? Aren't you trying to trick me into doing free labor for you? Let me make it clear first, I know nothing about formations."
"As long as Senior Uncle helps stabilize the formation base with immortal power and suppresses the spiritual fluctuations," Li Changshou smiled calmly, asking back, "Do you prefer drinking or tasting wine? Do you like the taste of wine, or the feeling of being tipsy?"
"Well..." Jiu Jiu pondered for a moment, "Both, I guess. When I was three years old, I entered the mountain. It happened that my fifth senior brother, who was responsible for taking care of me, liked to brew wine. Once, he accidentally threw me into a wine barrel for a bath, and since then, I couldn't let go of this drink. Speaking of which, the taste of wine is important, as well as the light tipsy feeling when you're comfortable."
"Senior Uncle, please take a look."
Li Changshou pointed to the teacup in front of him and took out a delicate jade pot from his sleeve, opening it and dropping a drop of light green liquid into the teacup.
Instantly, a faint fragrance dispersed, and the cup of tea turned into a light green color.
Li Changshou smiled, "Senior Uncle, try it and see if it gives you a slight tipsy feeling."
"Oh?" Jiu Jiu blinked lightly, holding up the teacup, sniffing it in front of his nose tentatively, only smelling a light fragrance. Then he lowered his head and took a small sip, his eyes immediately lighting up.
He lifted the cup, finishing the tea in one gulp.
A slight flush appeared on Jiu Jiu's pretty face, and his eyes began to look a little blurred, his mouth curling into a constant smile.
"Good stuff... Quite potent..."
Bang, the teacup fell on the table, and Jiu Jiu slowly lay down, rolling on the ground, emitting bursts of light laughter, muttering:
"Seventh Senior Brother, you shameless guy, sticking to Sixth Senior Sister every day, after so many years of cultivation together, you still can't produce a little baby..."
"All of you paired up, and I'm the only one who's single as the ninth... Hmph, when I become a celestial immortal, I'll snatch a few handsome men back and pour wine and bathe them every day..."
"Little Changshou... you must never underestimate your master... your master was amazing back then..."
Gradually, his snoring became lighter, and Jiu Jiu hugged the cushion, lying on the ground and fell into a deep sleep.
Lan Ling'e curiously asked, "Senior Brother, what is this?"
"Divine Intoxication," Li Changshou transmitted his voice back, "It's both a kind of drug and a fine wine, but it doesn't carry the smell of alcohol itself. Besides making people drunk, it has no other effects. Originally, it was something I discarded.
According to ancient records, many immortals who liked alcoholic beverages would try this divine brewing in ancient times. However, they all drank it directly from the mouth of the bottle because of their strong addiction to alcohol.
It's brewed using similar techniques to winemaking, but while winemaking mostly uses celestial fruits and grains, the ingredients for Divine Intoxication are thirty-two kinds of medicinal herbs."
Lan Ling'e asked worriedly, "Is this enough for three kinds?"
Li Changshou nodded with a smile, looking at Jiu Jiu, who was already asleep, and thinking about the alchemy room he was about to complete, transmitting his voice, "Not to mention three kinds, I can make thirteen kinds.
If there's a true immortal to help, many ideas that couldn't be realized before now have a chance. After the alchemy room is completed, the safety factor will be greatly enhanced."
"Alright," Lan Ling'e pursed her lips, looking at the unexpectedly adorable Senior Uncle who had fallen asleep, feeling a small... sense of crisis.
Two years later...
Bang!
The wooden door of Li Changshou's cottage was kicked open, and Jiu Jiu, dressed in linen clothes and looking anxious, rushed in.
"Hurry! This month's Divine Intoxication and Enchanting Woman..."
"Not here?
Ah, why did he go to make pills again! I'll tie you to the medicine furnace!"
Jiu Jiu stamped his foot, muttered a couple of curses under his breath, and turned around, jumping into the air, immediately rushing towards the dense forest behind the cottage.
But his figure suddenly stopped, tilting his head to stare at the dense and deep woods ahead, feeling the flowing aura within, his forehead full of black lines.
He recalled the more than a dozen embarrassing experiences he had been trapped in there over the past half year...
If he hadn't known what was ahead, he wouldn't have been able to see the twenty-eight bright arrays and seventy-six dark arrays, all of them interconnected trapping arrays and illusion arrays...
"Where's the entrance? Did I really set this up? Is it here? Doesn't seem right. Or here? Ah! These formations are really annoying!
Hurry up, Li Changshou! Otherwise, I'll tear down your mountain!"
In the woods, a gentle breeze swept through, causing the trees to sway lightly. The spiritual energy within also seemed to flow more freely. "Alright, the formation has been dispelled," came the voice of Li Changshou, carried by the wind. "I'm currently tending to the alchemy furnace and can't come out to greet you." Blinking her eyes, Jiujiu carefully moved forward about ten yards, making sure she was still safe. With that assurance, she confidently flew straight toward the center of the dense forest. There, a quaint little building stood silently, emitting wisps of clean air and the fragrance of medicinal herbs permeating the surroundings.