The small building stood ten zhang tall, divided into upper and lower levels. From afar, it resembled a large gourd—’chief designer’ Li Changshou’s inspiration came from Jiu Jiu’s companion treasure, the Evil-Vanquishing Ruyi Sword.

—That size-changing gourd that could carry people through the air.

The building stood in a pond, with a well exactly eighty zhang from its front door, the pond and well waters interconnected;

Viewed from above, a hundred-zhang-diameter Taiji diagram was embedded in the forest, with the pond forming the shape of the yin-yang fish, and the building and well serving as the two eyes.

This was a feng shui array that could stabilize fortune and ward off evil; moreover, Du Xian Men belonged to the Human Path tradition, where the yin-yang Taiji diagram held special significance.

Landing before the small building, one could see a wooden plaque bearing five large characters: “Little Qiong Peak Pill Chamber”;

Looking carefully, there were two vertical lines of smaller characters below: “Construction of pill refining chamber approved by the Hundred Mortal Hall.”

In simple terms, this was a properly licensed building!

Entering through the main door, one first encountered a wooden screen, behind which stood the six-zhang-tall giant pill furnace.

The furnace occupied considerable space, wider at the bottom and narrower at the top, forged from large pieces of purple gold and carved with auspicious clouds and hundreds of medicinal plants, possessing numerous restrictions;

However, the upper half of the furnace had many ‘patches,’ giving it a somewhat shabby appearance.

This was originally an abandoned furnace, but only its upper half had exploded. Li Changshou had used his connections with Spirit Fish to acquire it from the Hundred Mortal Hall, then spent half a year continuously repairing it until it could be used again.

The furnace had three legs, two handles, and a round belly, with yin-yang fish-shaped ‘windows’ on all four sides. The main restrictions below, such as the fire-condensing array and spirit-equalizing array, were all quite complete.

After Li Changshou’s repairs, the furnace’s current power was only thirty percent less than its original undamaged state.

More remarkably, he had acquired this furnace at practically no cost;

The large pieces of purple gold could naturally suppress the properties of most spirit medicines, making this furnace currently the most valuable treasure on Little Qiong Peak.

The entire building was constructed around the furnace;

Around it were several shelves filled with jade bottles, gourds, and jade boxes of various sizes, containing many spirit pills and miraculous medicines refined in this furnace, though all were common varieties.

The place had been kept very orderly by Lan Ling’e, who was currently in secluded cultivation, working hard to improve her cultivation realm.

When Jiu Jiu jumped in from outside, Li Changshou, wearing a light blue robe, stood beside the furnace with about ten light golden pills floating above his palm, contemplating his recent pill-refining experience.

“Little Changshou, what new pills have you refined?” Jiu Jiu curiously moved closer.

“Would Senior Aunt like to try? Freshly refined Clear Mind Spirit-Focusing Pills, with slightly improved flavor, the medicinal effects should be good too.”

Li Changshou casually asked as two-spirit pills slowly floated before Jiu Jiu, who immediately swallowed them, crunching them with gusto before letting out a satisfied burp that released a fresh fragrance.

“So sweet,” Jiu Jiu stretched out her right hand: “Give me a few more!”

Li Changshou casually retrieved a white jade porcelain bottle, placed all the pills inside, and handed the bottle to Jiu Jiu.

Jiu Jiu’s small hand remained outstretched, “This month’s Immortal’s Intoxication and Beauty’s Enchantment!”

“Rest assured, I haven’t forgotten about Senior Aunt.”

Li Changshou chuckled softly, dutifully handing over two palm-sized jade flasks.

Jiu Jiu eagerly opened them and took a sniff, letting out a deeply satisfied sigh.

“Not bad, Changshou, your pill-refining skills have completely caught up with your wine-brewing abilities.

What do you need my help with today?

You haven’t been building arrays these past two months, I can’t keep taking things from you for free.”

“Not today,” Li Changshou smiled, “In twenty days, I plan to start refining a rather difficult immortal pill, and would like to request Senior Aunt’s assistance.”

Jiu Jiu heartily patted her chest, making her hemp short jacket sway noticeably.

“No problem! Leave it to me!

In twenty days, right?”

“Correct, in twenty days,” Li Changshou said seriously, “The pill I’ll be refining is very important to this disciple, and once preparations begin, they cannot be stopped.

If Senior Aunt is unavailable then, please let this disciple know in advance.

Also, I wonder if Senior Aunt could keep this matter confidential.”

“What kind of pill is it, being so mysterious?”

“A type of poison pill called Immortal Melter.”

Jiu Jiu was startled: “Immortal Melting Pill? Isn’t that something that can poison True Immortals to death?

I think I heard Fifth Senior Brother mention this thing long ago, why are you refining this?”

Li Changshou smiled, “Poison is just another type of medicinal property, like how food can be sour, sweet, or spicy.

Poison pills can be used to kill people, but also to save them;

Rest assured, Senior Aunt, this disciple has no enemies and loves the cultivation life, I won’t do anything harmful to heaven and earth.

If the Immortal Melting Pill is successfully refined, this disciple will offer one year’s worth of Beauty’s Enchantment as thanks, separate from our agreement.”

“Deal!”

Jiu Jiu extended her right fist toward Li Changshou, who raised his fist to bump hers gently, making Jiu Jiu beam with joy.

“I’ll come back in twenty days then.”

“Safe travels, Senior Aunt.”

Amid cheerful words, Jiu Jiu sat on her large gourd and soared skyward, flying up above Little Qiong Peak.

Looking back, she saw thin mist rising in patches from the forest she had just left. Almost instantly, the mist enveloped the entire forest, but when a gentle breeze blew past, the white mist completely vanished.

The dense forest within thirty li seemed unchanged from before, but Jiu Jiu knew that the layers of grand arrays inside had begun operating.

“In the future, I can lure Old Seven and Old Eight here when I want to tease them.”

Jiu Jiu muttered softly, but then thought of Li Changshou’s perpetually serious face, “Still need to check with this fellow first, otherwise he’ll start passionately lecturing about principles again.”

Shaking her head, Jiu Jiu rode her large gourd through the void, quickly returning to Breaking Heaven Peak’s back mountain, flying into several overlapping grand arrays and disappearing.

That was where Forgotten Emotions Senior’s nine disciples cultivated in seclusion, with a stretch of connected pavilion buildings built according to the mountain’s terrain.

Although the ‘Nine Wine Immortals’ were just a ‘branch’ of Breaking Heaven Peak’s lineage, even Jiu Jiu, their lowest-ranked and most recently joined member, was in the True Immortal realm, so their treatment naturally couldn’t be compared to Qi Yuan master and disciples.

Not only did the place have excellent spirit-gathering arrays, but it also had many menial disciples, and several restricted protective arrays forbidden by sect rules had been built around the pavilions, making it quite an ideal place for cultivation.

Jiu Jiu was the youngest and quite spoiled by her senior brothers and sisters. Her residence was close to Jiu Wu’s, subtly protected within the surrounding residences of her other senior brothers and sisters.

If Jiu Jiu went into seclusion, the others naturally formed a protective formation.

Under the secret gazes of several menial disciples, Jiu Jiu flew back to her pavilion, kicked off her cloth shoes, jumped barefoot onto the bed carved from jasper, hugged the two jade flasks she had just received and giggled softly…

“Should I drink you first, or you first?

Little Shou-shou is quite good, actually able to make such nice things.

Three years will soon be over, and that ‘Ganges Old White Wine’ he buried is almost ready to be dug up, I must drink to my heart’s content then!

Slurp, let’s favor Beauty’s Enchantment today.”

“Ahem! Ahem ahem!”

Outside the pavilion, a five-chi-tall short Daoist coughed a few times. Jiu Jiu, lying on the bed, immediately covered the two jade flasks in her hands and alertly glared outside, relaxing slightly when she saw who it was.

“Oh, it’s Fifth Senior Brother, you could have just come in, I hadn’t activated the arrays.”

“I was just scolded by Big Senior Sister, and while we’re close, we still need to maintain proper etiquette,” Jiu Wu said with a smile, walking forward two steps before suddenly stopping.

There was simply nowhere to step.

Looking at the scattered wine jars, short jackets, and undergarments before him… Jiu Wu patted his forehead and complained: “Little Jiu, you’re eight hundred-some years old now, don’t you know how to keep your room tidy?”

Jiu Jiu sniffed a few times and waved her hand, “There aren’t any strange smells, it’s fine.”

She casually stored the jade flasks in her storage treasure and sat cross-legged on the bed;

Jiu Wu arduously cleared a path through the mess on the floor and sat at the low table, pondering for a moment.

“Recently, Jiu Jiu, you’ve been going to Little Qiong Peak quite frequently,” Jiu Wu smiled, “What exactly are you doing there?”

“Just playing around, what else could I be doing,” Jiu Jiu blinked, “Fifth Senior Brother, why are you suddenly asking about this?”

“Nothing, nothing,” Jiu Wu waved his hands repeatedly, then scratched his head, thinking of the task entrusted to him by his senior and junior sisters, finding it difficult to speak.

How to say this?

He couldn’t just directly ask his little junior sister if she had developed romantic feelings for someone on Little Qiong Peak, could he?

Jiu Wu rallied his spirits, “Ahem! I remember, in your first few decades after joining the sect, you were quite close with Junior Brother Qi Yuan from Little Qiong Peak.”

“Yes,” Jiu Jiu nodded, “Brother Qi Yuan took good care of me back then.”

Jiu Wu hesitated, “Then are you… are you…”

Jiu Jiu frowned, “What’s wrong with you today, Fifth Senior Brother? You’re being so hesitant.”

“I, I… Ah!”

Jiu Wu stamped his foot, “Then this poor Daoist will ask plainly!

Recently, you’ve been running to Little Qiong Peak every day? Even while being punished with alcohol prohibition, you’re still so energetic every day!

Your senior sisters were wondering if… um, if…”

“If what?”

“You!”

“Me?” Jiu Jiu frowned deeply, her eyes full of confusion.

Jiu Wu held his breath to the point of choking, steeled his resolve, and turned it into a demanding question:

“Are you!

About to break through or something…”

“How could breaking through be so easy,” Jiu Jiu rolled her eyes, “Tell the senior sisters not to worry, if I encounter any bottlenecks I’ll ask for your guidance, I won’t recklessly try to break through on my own.”

“That’s good, that’s good, then I’ll head back now, you continue cultivating.”

Jiu Wu fled in panic, quickly walking to the door before turning back to ask: “By the way, Little Jiu, those two nests of spiders you brought back from Little Qiong Peak before died under my care, ask that nephew Changshou if he has any more, I can trade treasures and pills with him.”

“Mm, got it, I’ll ask for you next time I go.”

Jiu Wu immediately smiled slightly.

Tsk, ever since Jiu Jiu brought back a nest of three Triple-Pupil Spiders two years ago, he had obtained spider silk that could remotely view things.

Especially when arranging the spider silk near the pond where his Dao companion often bathed, that scene…

“Tsk tsk,” Jiu Wu hurried away with his head down, wind following his path.

“Fifth Senior Brother is so strange today, well, he probably fought with Fourth Senior Sister.”

Jiu Jiu shook her head, then activated the arrays outside the pavilion, lay down on the bed, took out the two jade flasks, and continued her happy moment of indecision.

…

Little Qiong Peak, Pill Chamber.

Li Changshou stood before the furnace, having already added the medicinal ingredients for the next batch of pills, and turned toward the meditation cushion on the left.

His left hand held a jade tablet as he carefully sensed the changes in the grand arrays, repeatedly confirming there was no danger before casually activating the furnace’s restrictions, immediately causing several flames to appear within.

As he moved to sit on the meditation cushion to the furnace’s left, a puff of cyan smoke suddenly exploded around him, his form instantly vanishing, leaving only a paper figure.

The paper figure in the cyan smoke immediately transformed into Li Changshou’s appearance, while this wisp of cyan smoke quickly seeped into a small hole beneath the meditation cushion, disappearing.

The Shape-Shifting Art, Old Daoist Qi Yuan’s ‘specialty’—his eldest disciple had naturally mastered it long ago.

The number of things he could transform into now exceeded his master’s by… several times.