Chapter Twenty-Nine 'Assisting Master in Crossing Tribulation' Second Plan
The moon hung over the western mountains, and the tableware lay in disorder.
Li Changshou stood in front of the alchemy room, gazing in the direction that Jiǔ Wū had left, his smile gradually fading from his face.
It seemed that he had temporarily stabilized this senior brother.
Since the day at Beizhou when Jiǔ Wū gave him that meaningful glance, Li Changshou knew that this meticulous-minded Daoist had developed some "curiosity" about him.
Plus, during this period, he had been getting close to Senior Uncle Jiǔ, asking him for help with many things, which would inevitably pique Senior Brother Jiǔ Wū's even greater "interest."
Curiosity and interest could easily develop into suspicion, which was a potential threat to himself.
How to eliminate Senior Brother Jiǔ Wū's threat to himself?
Simple, just kill him.
Ahem, just kidding.
He had no grudge with Senior Brother Jiǔ Wū, and besides, Senior Brother Jiǔ Wū was powerful, and he was also a respected steward within the sect.
If something happened to Jiǔ Wū, it would cause a major upheaval within the sect.
Attempting to assassinate Jiǔ Wū would be asking for trouble.
Among the remaining methods, the most prudent and reliable was to invite this senior brother to come and have an open and frank conversation.
In front of Senior Brother Jiǔ Wū, make a solemn vow and promise not to do anything harmful to the sect.
And incidentally reveal a bit of his hidden cultivation, making Senior Brother Jiǔ Wū think that he had already figured out the bottom line of this little junior nephew...
In this way, not only could he make Senior Brother Jiǔ Wū worry less about him, but he could also win a little favor from this senior within the sect.
This time, he took the initiative to turn a future crisis into a slight opportunity.
Li Changshou recalled the detailed conversation with Jiǔ Wū, reviewing it in his mind frame by frame like a slow-motion movie.
The topics of their conversation, the rhythm and direction of the conversation, and even the subtle changes in expression and demeanor were all repeatedly deduced by Li Changshou beforehand.
After confirming once again, there shouldn't be any extra information revealed, nor would it cause Senior Brother to have any other associations.
"Could any of my words have caused any other misunderstandings?" Li Changshou was still a little worried, continuing to recall and ponder over every word and sentence he spoke.
He also touched his own cheeks, recalling every movement and expression he made previously, as well as the constantly changing gaze of Senior Brother Jiǔ Wū...
It should be fine.
A faint pink figure appeared at the edge of his vision. Li Changshou turned his head to look, only to see Líng Ér flying over the forest on a white cloud; her three thousand green silk danced lightly in the wind, her pale pink dress reflecting the crimson of the flowers.
She carried an empty bamboo basket and jumped in front of Li Changshou. Her face, lightly made up, looked incredibly beautiful under the candlelight.
"Elder Brother! How did it go? Did you handle that senior brother?" she asked.
"Barely," Li Changshou replied with a smile. "Actually, this is just a small aftermath from the last time we went to Beizhou. As long as I don't go out, I won't attract the attention of these senior experts."
Lán Líng Ér blinked. "Elder Brother, how did you do it? Did you reveal your hidden cultivation to Senior Brother Jiǔ Wū?"
Li Changshou glared at his junior sister, somewhat helplessly transmitting his voice, "I revealed a part of it, otherwise it wouldn't have worked. How many times have I told you not to speak these words openly! Walls have ears, and the wind has spirit. In these ten years of teaching you, you seem to have not grasped half of what I've taught you. What if someone is eavesdropping?"
"Oh," Lán Líng Ér pouted, feeling a little frustrated. "I didn't mean to. I just care about you. I'll go tidy up the dishes..."
She took a few steps forward, then suddenly turned her head, leaned over, and whispered in her elder brother's ear, her delicate hand resting on Li Changshou's shoulder, "Elder Brother, what realm is your cultivation at now? Have you caught up with Master? Are you about to become an immortal?"
"Guess," Li Changshou glanced at her, then hummed a tune and walked out of the small building with his hands behind his back.
Lán Líng Ér made a face at Li Changshou's back and went to tidy up the empty dishes on the other side.
Meanwhile, on the white cloud returning to Pòtiānfēng...
"This wine is quite potent. It truly lives up to its name as the old wine from the Ganges. It's a bit intoxicating," Jiǔ Wū's cheeks flushed, slightly tipsy, but his eyes were still clear.
He had used a technique to keep his consciousness clear despite the alcohol.
Approaching Pòtiānfēng, Jiǔ Wū chuckled, but deep down, he felt a sense of emotion:
This junior nephew, Lǐ Chángshòu, had unexpectedly reached the Fifth Stage of Return to Void! Among the disciples of this generation, he was among the top few!
To achieve this realm after practicing for just over a hundred years, his talent was extraordinary!
His comprehension was equally astonishing. When he tested his understanding of formations before, many aspects were immediately clear to him.
Most importantly, his character was excellent, unlike those disciples who were like mud compared to jade.
Jiǔ Wū sighed in admiration, whispering to himself:
"Although he didn't say it, how could I not guess the reason why Chángshòu concealed his cultivation? When drinking, he clearly hesitated several times, and those hidden expressions already revealed his inner helplessness.
Chángshòu must have concealed his cultivation because he didn't want to attract more trouble to the already thinly populated Qiáojiōng Peak. Even if he himself couldn't get the special attention of the sect, he didn't want Senior Brother Qí Yuán to have any unnecessary trouble.
What a good disciple. What a good disciple indeed.
If Qí Yuán fails in his tribulation, I will ask the eldest senior brother to come out of seclusion and bring Chángshòu and his junior sister to Pòtiānfēng."
He sighed repeatedly as Pòtiānfēng came into view.
Jiǔ Wū glanced at his little junior sister's loft, noticing that she had activated the protective formation, indicating that she was already resting.
"I'll let my little junior sister bring some classics to Chángshòu later.
Hmm, I'll go find the Elder of Transmission and chat with him another day. With such talent, starting to practice the 'Wú Wéi Classic' before becoming an immortal shouldn't be a problem.
Qiáojiōng Peak...
Qí Yuán has taken in a good disciple. It's truly enviable."
Shaking his head with emotion, Jiǔ Wū returned to his own loft, casually activating the surrounding formations, and floated to the bed that still had a faint fragrance lingering on it, then began to meditate and practice.
...
Two days passed since the night talk with Jiǔ Wū.
Li Changshou finally confirmed that this senior brother hadn't done anything extra.
This made him feel somewhat relieved. His cultivation life had finally returned to the calmness that had lasted for a hundred years.
All these minor disturbances were actually caused by two small fairy grasses; now that the Immortal-Melting Pellet had been successfully refined and the disturbance had subsided, Li Changshou was satisfied with both the process and the result.
In the afternoon, Li Changshou was in the alchemy room, wrapping a Melted Immortal Pellet with a specially made sugar coating; thus, the work required for the first plan was considered a great success.
Then Li Changshou looked at the eleven Melted Immortal Pellets he had refined, divided them into three portions, and carefully put them away.
These things were rarely refined, but they were treasures for those who had no hope of becoming immortals, helping them avoid heavenly tribulation and prolong their lives. If there was an opportunity, he would sell a few in some lively towns and exchange them for other precious materials for refining formations.
Of course, he would keep two as backup.
Although he was eighty percent confident in surviving the heavenly tribulation at this point, and his confidence would gradually increase with accumulation, and his junior sister's success rate in breaking through to the realm of immortals would definitely be over sixty percent;
But...
The world was unpredictable, and no one could say what would happen later.
Having a spare Melted Immortal Pellet for himself could at least ensure that even if there was a sudden storm during the heavenly tribulation, he could survive;
Leaving a Melted Immortal Pellet for his junior sister could at least allow her to replicate their master's old-age plan.
As a disciple, as an elder brother, this was the furthest he could help them.
However, as he looked at this Melted Immortal Pellet, Li Changshou fell into deep thought...
Just in case, just in case, what if their master couldn't even withstand the first heavenly tribulation and was directly destroyed by the heavenly thunder? What should they do then?
"Although the first plan is complete, let's proceed with the second and third plans simultaneously.
If Master suddenly has an epiphany and successfully passes the heavenly tribulation to become a normal immortal, that would be the best outcome," he sighed, and Li Changshou got up, putting the Melted Immortal Pellet wrapped in sugar coating into his sleeve, and began to prepare for the supplementary plan of this set.
And the supplementary part of the second plan was quite remarkable...
Li Changshou took out a treasure bag marked with 'Xuán Thirty-Two,' and from it, he took out several three-foot-long purple woods and six six-foot-long rainbow-colored metal rods, and began to work diligently.
[Lei Falling Wood]: A commonly used treasure for arranging thunder-based formations, capable of guiding the power of thunder.
[Seven God Irons Bearing Thunder]: Also a commonly used treasure for arranging thunder-based formations, capable of storing and dispersing the power of thunder.
According to the "knowledge" Li Changshou now possessed, the destructive power of heavenly tribulation on cultivators mostly came from the power of thunder, with only a small portion coming from the impact of the Dao.
If he could create a "Secondary Transfer Thunder Needle," when the tribulation struck the body of the one undergoing tribulation, it would extract most of the power of thunder from the tribulator's body, possibly increasing the chances of successfully crossing the tribulation.
And theoretically, it wouldn't increase the power of the heavenly tribulation.
Regardless, there was only one way to find out if it would work.