Li Longshou looked at the three female cultivators before him – one large and two small…

Jiu Jiu was bleary-eyed, still stretching and yawning, her clothes somewhat disheveled.

Beside her, You Qin Xuanya looked directly at Li Longshou, her eyes clear and bright, accepting whatever punishment might come with the proper attitude.

Ling’e now stood by the bed with a lowered head, her face full of despair…

If you asked Ling’e, the person involved, about her current mood, she regretted it.

She shouldn’t have shown off her barbecue skills back then, causing Little Master Uncle and Senior Sister You Qin to succumb to temptation;

Even though she knew Senior Brother would scold her badly after coming out of seclusion, she still held onto the psychology of ‘brother won’t blame the group’…

Li Longshou closed his eyes and slowly exhaled.

“Senior Brother Longshou!”

You Qin Xuanya clasped her hands and bowed her head in admission of guilt, her ponytail swaying gently, “Xuanya was delighted seeing the spirit beasts, and thus encouraged Junior Sister Ling’e, finding various excuses to turn them into culinary delights.

Xuanya is willing to accept any punishment from Senior Brother!”

Li Longshou smiled slightly and asked softly: “Was it tasty?”

“Yes… um,” two traces of blush crossed You Qin Xuanya’s face, which should have been that of an ice-frost beauty.

Jiu Jiu yawned, “Little Longshou, it’s just eating some of your spirit beasts, Master Uncle can compensate you with treasure materials and spirit stones.”

Li Longshou calmly said: “Master Uncle, your treasure materials and spirit stones have already been transformed into another form, accompanying you.”

“Oh no! Almost forgot I used up everything!”

Jiu Jiu suddenly jolted awake, standing barefoot on the ground, pondering for a while.

Although she could be a bit ‘rough’ sometimes, as a Master Uncle, she wouldn’t go so far as to bully a little nephew disciple.

Ling’e sighed softly, and gently bit her lip, knowing that at this moment she had to unify the front and pull Master Uncle and Senior Sister You Qin into the same boat.

So, Ling’e said softly: “Senior Brother, this matter was entirely… entirely because of me…”

“Junior Sister, don’t be so nervous,” Li Longshou said with a smile, “after all, your Senior Brother isn’t some demon, why are you so afraid?”

Ling’e’s mouth twitched, and she unconsciously stepped back half a step.

“Leave Little Ling’e alone! If you have any issues, come at me!”

Jiu Jiu decisively protected Ling’e behind her, chest out and head high, “At worst we’ll work off the debt! Master Uncle will see it through to the end!”

“Master Uncle, don’t say such things,” Li Longshou frowned and said, “This disciple still respects you, and has no improper thoughts.”

“Pah! I meant helping you refine pills and formation bases!”

Jiu Jiu snorted lightly, her face had also reddened for a moment, but now she couldn’t let down her ‘dignity’ as Master Uncle, and stubbornly added:

“You dare have improper thoughts?

Why don’t you show us some proper thoughts about Ling’e, let Master Uncle learn something!”

Li Longshou’s mouth twitched slightly, but he lightly steered away from this topic.

Their Ascending Immortal Gate did have divine beasts, after all.

Li Longshou put his hands behind his back and sighed: “What’s eaten is eaten, I can’t make you spit it back out, can I?

But my Xiao Qiong Peak cannot suffer such losses for nothing. I’ve made detailed calculations of those spirit beasts’ value.

Now I’ll give you three other ways to compensate, look here.”

As he spoke, he took out two sheepskin scrolls from his sleeve, slowly unfolding them to reveal a complex design drawing.

“If you find this acceptable, each put your handprint on it and make an oath, then we can start work when the day comes.”

“What is this?”

Jiu Jiu was the first to crowd over, and the three were somewhat puzzled…

Thus, half a day later.

Outside the spirit beast enclosure, three beautiful figures with rolled-up sleeves and gathered skirts used immortal power and magical power to carry a pile of freshly processed lumber, slowly flying over from afar…

Soon, crisp feminine work chants echoed across Xiao Qiong Peak.

Inside the pill room, Li Longshou’s finger moved slightly, reinforcing two more layers of isolation formations around Xiao Qiong Peak.

Although he hadn’t done anything wrong, if other disciples happened to see the currently popular head disciple, who was like an iceberg in public, doing carpentry work on his Xiao Qiong Peak…

Those fellow disciples who held some beautiful fantasies about the head disciple would probably develop some heart demons.

Shaking his head secretly, Li Longshou continued refining pills.

With sufficient stock of Masculine Heart Pills, selling several batches of low-grade spirit pills to buy some spirit beast seedlings back was the right move;

Otherwise, with the spirit beast enclosure empty, it felt like something was missing, and Xiao Qiong Peak wasn’t quite complete.

This time, he’d buy some cheap ones that tasted good.

Currently, the spirit beast blood needed for pill refining required beasts of at least several thousand years of age to start with. Xiao Qiong Peak didn’t have such things, so he occasionally had to go to Pill Cauldron Peak to ask for some.

Half a month of pill refining, and half a month of bustling activity near the spirit beast enclosure.

Li Longshou hadn’t been too hard on the three of them, after all, one was his dear junior sister, one was his close Little Master Uncle, and one was his overly serious poisonous junior sister.

Li Longshou had only made them build a pavilion near the spirit beast enclosure, in a scenic spot, as their future place for play and recreation.

— The lakeside was his and Master’s rest area, it wouldn’t be appropriate to always let them go there.

Besides the pavilion, the overall project only included some minor Spirit Beast enclosure renovation plans;

At their current efficiency, tsk, it should be completed within thirty years, and wouldn’t affect You Qin Xuanya’s attendance at the Three Teachings Origin Conference.

Playing while working, a pavilion that could have been built in half a day was dragged out to half a month…

Li Longshou felt deeply powerless about this and decided to maintain a certain distance from the three of them in the future to avoid such contamination.

…

Several months later, on Pill Cauldron Peak.

Following his usual practice, Li Longshou came to visit Old Master Wan Linyun after some time.

The two strolled through the woods of Pill Cauldron Peak, with dancing tree shadows and winding paths, stepping on the gently swaying spots of light on the ground, which had its elegance.

“Longshou, recently I had an inspiration, also inspired by your sensing stone, and conceived a type of poison pill.”

“Oh?” Li Longshou smiled, “For Elder to have an inspiration is no small matter. Is this pill poison related to immortal consciousness?”

Elder Wan Linyun gave a ‘cold’ smile and said softly: “Correct. Longshou, do you know what spiritual consciousness and immortal consciousness are?”

Li Longshou replied:

“Disciple has seen in our sect’s scriptures that spiritual consciousness and immortal consciousness are divine thoughts emanated from the primordial spirit, the primordial spirit’s sensing of heaven and earth.

According to the Good Immortal Scripture, the primordial spirit is the companion of the heart, and spiritual consciousness and immortal consciousness are the consciousness of the heart.

Ordinary people rely on eyes, ears, noses, and tongues, their mortal hearts are clouded, and do not recognize the Great Dao.

Cultivators observe heaven and earth with their hearts, thus it is called spiritual consciousness.”

Elder Wan Linyun’s smile grew increasingly cold and rigid, his eyes showing some appreciation.

Though any other sect disciple could probably give a similar answer.

Elder Wan Linyun said:

“Since seeing your sensing stone last time, I’ve searched through ancient texts, thoroughly read the sect’s Daoist canon, and pondered several times with several elders skilled in pill refining.

The juice of the color-containing flower changes color when encountering spiritual or immortal consciousness probing;

The sap of the jade excellent spirit-containing wood splits into a web pattern when encountering spiritual or immortal consciousness probing.

Besides these, there are seven or eight other substances that can react to spiritual or immortal consciousness.

I tried them one by one, and finally settled on this pill formula.”

As he spoke, Elder Wan Linyun handed a paper to Li Longshou, coldly smiling: “Take a look, what do you think?”

Although Li Longshou had grown used to Elder Wan Linyun’s signature smile, sometimes he was still slightly scared.

Taking the formula, Li Longshou looked at it carefully, pondering in his heart, sometimes frowning, showing realization, and finally nodded lightly.

Li Longshou said: “This formula should be feasible. Whether it’s the medicinal properties or principles, it gives the disciple a sense of sudden enlightenment.”

“Next is to explore the proportions and refining method,” Elder Wan Linyun said, “Soon I will go to North Uttarakuru Continent to search for Jade Crystal Spirit-Piercing Insects. If I can catch several more, this pill can be completed in three years.”

“Elder wants to personally go to North Uttarakuru Continent?”

“Yes, I had the juniors of Pill Cauldron Peak search everywhere, but Jade Crystal Spirit-Piercing Insects cannot be found in East Victory Divine Continent.”

Elder Wan Linyun leaned on his bronze cane, his gaze fixed on the dense green woods, “Immortal consciousness poison is rarely seen in the world. If we can refine it, that would truly be heart-comforting.

Longshou, half of my Celestial Immortal lifespan has already passed, but the opportunity for longevity hasn’t appeared. I estimate I won’t obtain the fruit of longevity.

If I can leave behind several poison classics and create several completely new pill formulas in my remaining lifetime, then this journey won’t have been in vain.”

Hearing this, Li Longshou also felt somewhat emotional but didn’t say much, just smiled and listened.

“By the way Longshou, your Masculine Heart Pills…”

“Ahem!”

Li Longshou hadn’t expected the topic to turn so quickly.

“Elder, do you need some?

After the sect competition, I refined many, but those pills were all taken by Elder Jiu Wu. I’ve just started soaking in new emotional water recently. If Elder needs some, I’ll send them over once I’ve refined them.”

Elder Wan Linyun waved his hand and said: “What would I use them for? I have no such heart.”

“You scared this disciple…”

“Hehe, your Masculine Heart Pills seem to be refined from emotion stones transformed from emotion worms,” Elder Wan Linyun said seriously, “I got one from Liu Feixian and studied its medicinal principles.

This thing isn’t only effective for male cultivators with indifferent hearts but works the same for female cultivators.

You should instruct those who take the pills not to cause harm and trouble.”

“Disciple will remember,” Li Longshou smiled and said, “Elder, you could determine the main ingredient was emotion stone just from one pill, disciple… truly admires this greatly.

Recently disciple has also been thinking of improving the formula, adding two herbs that stabilize yang energy.”

Wan Linyun smiled and said: “That’s not bad indeed, good that you know this matter.”

Li Longshou thought for a moment, took out a treasure pouch from his chest, and said: “Elder, when you go to North Uttarakuru Continent, please take this with you.

The North Continent is dangerous. Although disciple can’t help much, there are two paper people inside that aren’t afraid of poisonous miasma.”

“Mm,” Wan Linyun took the treasure pouch and placed it quite solemnly inside his sleeve.

This point was purely giving face to Li Longshou.

After returning from Pill Cauldron Peak, Li Longshou kept thinking about the ‘immortal consciousness poison’ Elder Wan Linyun had conceived.

This poison pill, once refined, could be worn on the body like the sensing stone;

Its effect was to counter-damage those who probed themselves with immortal consciousness, but the damage wasn’t great, at most causing headaches and dizziness.

Li Longshou instead felt this poison pill was somewhat superfluous.

If the main ingredient ‘Jade Crystal Spirit-Piercing Insect’ was replaced with other herbs, achieving the effect of [secretly marking the source of immortal consciousness], that would be killing people and taking their treasures…

Ahem, that would be an essential product for ‘counter-surveillance’!

“What could be used as a replacement?”

Li Longshou unconsciously fell into deep thought. His knowledge in this area wasn’t as rich as Elder Wan Linyun’s, and he also wasn’t as free to move about as Elder Wan Linyun…

Hmm?

Li Longshou suddenly thought of something.

That fox demon he and Elder Jiu Wu had caught…

The fox demon’s charm technique…

The emotion stones he currently had at hand…

Immortal consciousness was the consciousness of the heart… marking the probe, affecting the prober’s heart and spirit…

“Indeed, could work on this aspect…”

Li Longshou pondered for several moments, already casually grabbing a book scroll, sitting in the rocking chair in front of the pill room, and starting to write and draw with an engraving knife.

Soon, a conception for an immortal consciousness poison pill temporarily named [One Look At Me And You’ll Be Marked And Your Heart Will Burn] gradually took shape under his engraving knife.

The highest realm of poisoning was making the target take the initiative and fall into the trap without knowing.

After being busy for half a day, Li Longshou also felt somewhat dizzy. His immortal consciousness swept over the figures in the spirit beast enclosure…

The three beautiful figures there were busy chopping wood, cutting trees, and digging soil, each much more industrious than before.

Li Longshou looked at their figures, also somewhat lost in thought, secretly smiling in his heart.

‘Indeed, laborers are the most beautiful, those who came later did not deceive me.’

…

Heavenly Court, Old Man Under the Moon’s Palace.

Lord East Wood’s figure looked left and right, sneaking in carefully.