chapter 44

‘Is this… this place truly the Little Qiong Peak that I’m familiar with?’

On a trapping array formation in the periphery of the Pill Chamber, the new immortal of the Immortal Du Sect, Daoist Priest Qi Yuan, was wearing a messy Daoist robe and had a flustered gaze. He was looking at the three small paths in front of him while feeling at a loss and helpless.

A few days later, he still could not walk out of it…

He had actually spent many years studying the array formation. However, he had limited skills in the array formation.

After all, in the past hundreds of years, Qi Yuan had spent most of his time mending his Dao base. To study the array formation method, he had also taken the array diagrams, set them up several times, and remembered how to set them up, which was considered having initial success in enlightenment.

Therefore, when he faced the trapping chain array formations…

“Which expert set this up at the Little Qiong Peak? What plans does he have?” Qi Yuan mumbled in a low voice and tried to recall his previous itinerary.

While Qi Yuan was in a daze, and at a loss, he found another new path.

The forest up ahead was verdant. There were no misleading white mists, and the scenery was very ordinary.

Qi Yuan cautiously moved forward and very soon found something new.

There was a wooden sign hung on the treetop up ahead with three words written: ‘Are you lost?’

Qi Yuan subconsciously nodded his head before he then trembled and became vigilant.

Why did the handwriting seem so familiar?

Qi Yuan stared at the wooden sign for a while and saw another wooden sign hung on the tree behind. He took two steps forward, and there were some changes in his surrounding scenery. However, the wooden sign behind was still there.

On the wooden sign, it was written: ‘What brings you here to the Little Qiong Peak, Sir?’

“I live here!” Qi Yuan berated furiously, but his hands kept trembling.

Could it be… Could it be that this was the passage of time as in the legends?

In ancient legends, a connate person had entered a canyon. After he had walked out from the other side of the canyon tens of thousands of years later, he had not felt that he had aged.

Could it be that such an absurd thing also happened to him?

Had the current Little Qiong Peak no longer been the Little Qiong Peak when he was still around? Had it been the Little Qiong Peak thousands or hundreds of years later?

Upon seeing that there was still a wooden sign behind, Qi Yuan once again went towards it. When he stood before the wooden sign, the surrounding scenery changed again as though it was teleportation. The array formations were changing.

Behind the wooden sign was another wooden sign.

Qi Yuan found the handwritings on those wooden signs increasingly familiar. It was as if there was a shadow following him and kept faintly asking him questions beside his ears. It was driving him to a certain trap, but he actually did not dare to retreat.

‘Are you someone from the Immortal Du Sect, Sir?

‘This array formation is to protect an important place like the Pill Chamber, and it is in accordance with the sect rules.’

Pill Chamber? He seemed to have heard it from his disciple.

‘Did you enter the Little Qiong Peak without permission, Sir?’

“Do I still need to barge? I am the Peak Leader of Little Qiong Peak!”

‘Please do not destroy the grasses and trees here. This path leads to an open space without sound isolation array formations.’

Huh? This was an exit left by the person who had set up the array formation?

‘This is an improvised guide sign.’

‘The open space is up ahead.’

‘You have reached. Please take three steps forward.’

Qi Yuan stopped in his tracks and subconsciously held his breath. He looked at the huge tree in front and took three steps forward doubtfully.

The scenery before his eyes changed again. An open space surrounded by overgrowth appeared before his eyes. There were stacks of fallen leaves on the ground and a small table with a bucket of spiritual spring water at the side.

“What… What is this place?”

Qi Yuan saw another wooden sign up ahead and walked over. He found the handwriting on the wooden sign very familiar, and yet, he could recall where he had seen it.

‘Sir, please wait here. If I can’t rush over in time, I should be in seclusion or at a crucial period in alchemy. If you are unable to wait, you can use your immortal powers to call someone over to save you. The Little Qiong Peak sincerely welcomes your arrival, but do visit directly next time. Do not go near the Pill Chamber. Little Qiong Peak’s Peak Leader, Qi Yuan, pays respect here.’

Qi Yuan’s hands trembled, and he took two steps back before hitting onto a tree.

His retreat had unconsciously been blocked.

“Was… Was this set up by myself?”

Qi Yuan’s eyes widened as if he had seen a ghost, and his drunkenness had been obliterated instantly. He scanned the whole area and could only slightly sense his head spinning.

Could it be that that person had been possessed?

No, that was not right. Could it be because a Turbid Immortal was impure?

When he had been drinking just now, a senior from the sect had reminded him that Turbid Immortals were easily contaminated by the Earth Qi, and their Dao Heart would easily meet evil spirits.

‘Could it be… Could it be that I’m just a mental demon in the true Qi Yuan?’

Qi Yuan’s hands could not help but start trembling. He rushed to the wooden sign again to look at the handwriting on it. Then, he was in disbelief.

Wasn’t the handwriting on this wooden sign his own handwriting!?

Qi Yuan slipped and landed on his butt on the ground, which was full of fallen leaves. He looked stunned with a flustered gaze, and his long, messy grayish-white hair looked even worse.

Passage of time, Turbid Immortal, mental demon…

Passage of time, Turbid Immortal, mental demon…

“Who am I? Could it be that I’m actually my mental demon?

“No, that is impossible. I’m not a mental demon but Qi Yuan.

“I am Qi Yuan, Qi Yuan is me. I have stepped into the passage of time, so I cannot be a mental demon!

“No, that is not right!

“No, no…

“No…”

Qi Yuan put his hand on his head and suddenly raised his head before screaming loudly, which shocked the birds in the distance of the Little Qiong Peak. It had also occasionally made the few figures, who were passing by in the sky, to look at the forest of the Little Qiong Peak curiously.

All of a sudden, a startled female voice was heard.

“Master?”

Qi Yuan stopped shouting and asked in a tremble, “Ling’e?”

“Master, are you trapped in the array formation?”

“Are you really Ling’e?”

“Yes, Master. How can I be fake?”

“No, no. You can be a mental demon… My mental demon…”

Outside the array formation, Lan Ling’e, who had rushed over, could not help but cup her forehead.

She was done for. Her master had been ruined by her senior brother.

She groaned in a low voice and had an idea. She quickly said, “Don’t move! There are a lot of array formations here!

“Don’t move toward Ling’e’s voice either! If you leave that small area, you cannot hear anything from the outside!

“I will go in to find you!

“However, I need to spend some time to find the array formation path to your location. Only Senior Brother can undo this array formation. This place is set up by him. Master, wait patiently for a while.”

Qi Yuan froze slightly. Very soon, he heard an ‘Aiya’ from outside.

Just now, what had his disciple said?

‘Senior Brother? This place had been set up by Changshou?’

Qi Yuan was full of doubts. Since he was lost in thoughts, he gradually calmed down.

After one hour, Lan Ling’e, who had fallen leaves on her and a badly battered face, appeared before her master with a bitter smile. She then did a Dao salute to him.

“Master, I have found you.”

Qi Yuan could not help but stare at Lan Ling’e. While being unperturbed, she executed a few Dharma spells, which were all taught by Qi Yuan.

“Master, I’m really Ling’e…”

Qi Yuan was relieved and replied with a bitter smile, “What exactly is going on?”

“Okay.” Ling’e bit her lips and muttered to herself. She was thinking about how she was going to help her senior brother.

Soon, she took out a storage sack and walked to the side of the short table. She then took out two cushions and teapots and said with a smile, “Master, have a rest here first. Let me slowly report to you.”

Qi Yuan was still looking very doubtful. However, when he sat on the cushion and saw Lan Ling’e’s familiar skill of brewing tea, many of his doubts had vanished.

The forest was extremely quiet, and only the rustling of the breeze on the treetops could be heard.

Since the surrounding trees had been covered, the azure sky seemed to be only left with this small area.

In a flash, this old Daoist priest understood what was going on.

He sized up the place and asked in a low voice, “This place was set up by your Senior Brother?”

Lan Ling’e answered, “It should be said that he had designed this place, while the Perfected Immortal of the Heaven-Breaking Peak, Martial Aunt Jiu Jiu, set this up.”

“Oh, no wonder,” Qi Yuan answered with a bitter smile. “So, Junior Sister Jiu Jiu helped with it.”

“Actually, Martial Aunt Jiu Jiu is not proficient in array formations. Senior Brother was the one telling her to put this here and put that there.”

Lan Ling’e paused and lowered her head before she said, “Master, have you never realized that?”

Qi Yuan held up his teacup and sipped a mouthful of tea. It was indeed his favorite chrysanthemum lotus seed tea.

“Realize what? That you like your Senior Brother?”

“Oh, god!” Lan Ling’e instantly blushed.

Qi Yuan frowned and fixed his eyes on her. “Don’t you like Changshou?”

“I… can’t tell you this directly. I will feel shy…”

Lan Ling’e soon calmed down and said softly, “Senior Brother is actually not ordinary.”

“Oh?”

Qi Yuan looked at her with a pampering look and said with a smile, “In your eyes, your Senior Brother is naturally not ordinary.”

“That’s not it, Master.” Lan Ling’e lifted her hand to tidy up the strand of hair at the side of her ear. “Senior Brother is actually much more competent than you think he is.

“For example, he had used these basic array formations to set up a chain array here.

“Although he allowed Martial Aunt Jiu Jiu to help him, there would be no difference even if he set up this place alone.”

Qi Yuan froze at once.

Lan Ling’e added, “For more than 10 years after I joined the sect, Senior Brother has taught me a lot of things.

“Many instances, I would be confused after you talked about the Dao. Senior Brother would always come over to explain the quintessence to me.

“Often, he could point out the true meaning in one or two sentences. Therefore, I am at such a cultivation level.”

Qi Yuan frowned and looked at her, not knowing what to say at the moment.

Lan Ling’e said gently, “Look, Master. What stage is my cultivation currently at?”

Qi Yuan stroked his beard and mumbled before answering, “Ninth Stage of the Qi Refinement Realm?”

Lan Ling’e picked up the sword with both hands and performed a complex seal. Her surrounding aura suddenly rushed outward. “What about now?”

Qi Yuan widened his eyes. “Fifth Stage of the Soul Formation Realm! Lan Ling’e, when did you!?”

Lan Ling’e made a silent gesture and once again performed a seal with both hands. Her surrounding aura was rapidly restrained.

She said in a low voice, “This is the Qi-Calming Turtle Breathing Mantra that Senior Brother has imparted to me. It can hide my cultivation level as long as I don’t come into contact with any Perfected Immortals. I can also reveal whatever cultivation realm I want.”

There was only shock on Qi Yuan’s face.

“Master, Senior Brother has entered the sect for 100 years. You spent most of your time in seclusion to break through to the Immortal Realm. Your understanding and concern towards him are simply too insufficient.”

While Lan Ling’e supported the teacup base with her left hand, her right hand took the teacup, and she gently sipped a mouthful of tea. She no longer looked doubtful.

“While Senior Brother has been taken to the East Ocean by Martial Uncle Jiu Wu, I want to let you know about these clearly.

“I’ve always been watching him at the side do many things for you, but you don’t know anything about it. Every time you meet him, it’s either you scold him or say how bad he is.

“Master, Senior Brother is probably not far from Immortal Ascension.

“If my guess is right, the Immortal-Melting Pill that you used was also refined from the Immortal-Emancipating Herbs that Senior Brother had dug up after going to the Priming Meet a few years ago.

“Master, you were worried about Immortal Ascension. Senior Brother was also most concerned about your Heavenly Tribulation and had put in a lot of effort for that.

“What you only saw was a Faraday Cage… Actually, Senior Brother has created more than 10 treasures to resist against the Heavenly Tribulation in the past two years. However, they were ineffective in the follow-up tests.

“I’ve seen him being vexed a few times. He squatted in front of the treasure that had been struck by the Thunder Tribulation.

“The only time I saw him got nervous was the moment you went through Tribulation Transcendence.”

Lan Ling’e looked at Qi Yuan. The latter was at a loss as he sat there.

“Master, Senior Brother is really not ordinary. I’m not just spouting nonsense…”

Slowly, Lan Ling’e talked about what she knew about her senior brother.

Although she had concealed a lot of things that he had told her, she had not exaggerated anything.

Qi Yuan gradually came back to his senses. When she asked Lan Ling’e to execute another Qi-Calming Turtle Breathing Mantra, he saw that she had a lot of immortal pills and poisonous pills. As a result, he sat there and immersed himself in thoughts.

A moment later, Qi Yuan asked while feeling uneasy, “Ling’e, tell me… tell me what I should do? Should I reward your Senior Brother when he returns?”

“Master, you’d better take it as if I didn’t say anything today and pretend nothing happened. Treat him as you usually do,” Lan Ling’e replied with a smile. “When he comes in to receive us in a moment, whack his butt with the horsetail whisk…

“But don’t use all your strength.

“Every time you want to beat him, he actually deliberately exposed his flaws for you to catch him on purpose.”

Qi Yuan was shocked and said with a bitter smile, “Am I that horrible?”

“Um…” Lan Ling’e quickly shouted, “Master, you are wise and heroic! Your immortal techniques are endless!”

Qi Yuan hesitated to reply, “Then I will pretend that I didn’t hear anything?”

“What Senior Brother wants the most is for people to not notice him. Afterward, he would have amassed wealth while keeping a low profile.” Lan Ling’e pouted. “I need to pretend to be more stupid in front of him. I will pretend to be muddled when I need to. Otherwise, he will definitely drift apart from me…”

Lan Ling’e then started to criticize how Li Changshou usually bullied her, trying to relieve the sadness in her master’s heart.

Very soon, Qi Yuan was full of smiles thanks to her and was energetic again.

“You! Hahaha!”

Qi Yuan got up and walked to the side. He looked at the array formations set up at this place, which he did not understand, without allowing his disciple to see the tears at the side of his eyes.

“As his Master, I’ve been too selfish. I’ve only thought about Tribulation Transcendence and seclusion.

“After I took in your Senior Brother and imparted cultivation techniques to him, I’ve always been in seclusion.

“I thought that after going through the Heavenly Tribulation this time, I would teach both of you to cultivate well. However, I realized that I’ve always been the one getting all the attention.

“Forget it, forget it. I don’t care. I won’t care anymore.

“With such a disciple, I can comfortably tell all the ancestors of the Little Qiong Peak!”

Qi Yuan then turned to look at Lan Ling’e and said with a smile, “My little disciple is also now so intelligent.”

Lan Ling’e laughed embarrassingly and mumbled softly, “I’ve always been working hard so that I can be a match for Senior Brother.”

“Oh?”

“Um, have tea, Master! The tea is getting cold! Don’t reveal anything I’ve told you today!”

“Alright, alright. We will both pretend to be stupid and put on an act before your Senior Brother.” After Qi Yuan sat back at the short table, he took out the horsetail whisk. “I will teach him a lesson later on. Join me and see what it feels like.”

Lan Ling’e’s eyes lit up. “Can I, Master?”

“Of course. After deceiving me for so many years, I have to teach him a proper lesson!”

Lan Ling’e cheered excitedly and was eager to give it a try.

Qi Yuan said, “Don’t worry. I will later enter seclusion to be enlightened on the cultivation technique of a Turbid Immortal. From today onward, the Little Qiong Peak is all for the both of you.”

He then looked at the tea before him. As he looked at his reflection, he could not help but shake his head and smile lightly.

Seriously… it was wonderful!