“This…”

Looking at Dongmu Gong before him, the Matchmaker furrowed his brows, appearing somewhat troubled. “Well… um…”

The two were currently sitting in the side hall of the Matchmaker’s Palace. Dongmu Gong leaned to one side, deliberately moving half a body length closer.

The Matchmaker was very familiar with this gesture. Generally, those who came to seek his help and didn’t want others to know would unconsciously make such movements.

Not only that, but Dongmu Gong’s manner of presenting the treasure pouch, and those evasive eyes while speaking…

The Matchmaker knew these signs all too well.

However, today, the request Dongmu Gong had put forward was truly unprecedented and placed the Matchmaker in an extremely difficult position.

If it were just pulling an ordinary red string, given Dongmu Gong’s status, position, and seniority, the Matchmaker certainly wouldn’t dare to refuse, even if it meant losing some merit.

But…

“Matchmaker, can you give me a definitive answer?” Dongmu Gong asked in a low voice, his eyes showing slight helplessness.

“Lord Dongmu,” the Matchmaker cupped his hands and said seriously, “To be frank, this humble immortal has indeed helped people connect red strings, but that was when two red strings were already close, with some mutual interest, making the connection possible.

This humble immortal has also cut red strings before, but that was when both clay figures were pulling in opposite directions, the red string nearly broken, giving them a clean break.

But this humble immortal absolutely cannot do something like cutting away all marriage fate clay figures completely.

This is the fate of a Star of Solitude, there must be enormous karmic consequences!”

Hearing the Matchmaker’s sincere words, Dongmu Gong pondered, while in his mind appeared the words of that ‘Old Master’.

‘If the first path doesn’t work, then Lord Dongmu might consider another approach – choose a good match and marry early;

Then find an excuse to request something like a plaque from His Majesty, blessing you and your wife as a match made in heaven, and afterward, appear in public frequently with your wife showing affection.

Wouldn’t that help avoid suspicion?’

Dongmu Gong naturally didn’t know that the ‘Old Master’ who gave him this advice had planned several times more complex than what he currently imagined…

After pondering for a moment, Dongmu Gong said:

“Then, could the Matchmaker show this poor Daoist my marriage fate?

This matter is of great importance. If the Matchmaker can lend me assistance, there will certainly be rewards in the future.”

The Matchmaker smiled bitterly and said: “Since Lord Dongmu has spoken, this humble immortal dare not refuse. Please follow me.”

With these words, the Matchmaker led Dongmu Gong to the rear hall, summoned Dongmu Gong’s clay figure, and brought along all the clay figures that could form a marriage bond with him.

Dongmu Gong’s eyes immediately lit up when he discovered that around his clay figure, there were four or five marriage fate clay figures, and the red strings from these figures were all reaching toward his figure.

“Does this poor Daoist receive such attention in daily life?”

“Lord Dongmu has His Majesty’s deep trust, and among male immortals…”

“Matchmaker, speak not of such things!”

Dongmu Gong cut off the Matchmaker’s flattery and thought carefully, searching meticulously among the clay figures reaching toward his own.

Perhaps it was divine inspiration or a stroke of good fortune, but suddenly a flash of insight crossed Dongmu Gong’s mind…

Some days ago, when he and His Majesty first met the Sea God of the South Sea, the Sea God had presented twelve pieces of advice to His Majesty. The last piece contained the phrase ‘borrow mediocrity to secure peace’.

Dongmu Gong pondered…

‘Borrow mediocrity’ meant to make oneself appear as ordinary as possible, to avoid arousing others’ vigilance;

Secure peace, secure peace…

“Matchmaker!”

Dongmu Gong suddenly raised his head, his eyes flashing with brilliance, his right hand gripping the Matchmaker’s arm, frightening the Matchmaker so much that his voice changed.

“Lord Dongmu, how… how do you wish to connect them?”

Dongmu Gong extended his left hand, slowly curling his five fingers from an open palm into a fist.

“I want them all!”

The Matchmaker trembled.

What had come over this Dongmu Gong? Earlier he wanted to become a complete bachelor, avoiding any marriage fate, but now…

Truly a person of great wisdom!

With Dongmu Gong’s high position and authority, a minor immortal like himself truly dared not say anything.

Moreover, the marriage fate clay figures the Matchmaker had just summoned could indeed form marriage bonds with Dongmu Gong. It was just that Dongmu Gong’s cultivation was profound, and if he didn’t harbor such thoughts, the clay figures’ red strings couldn’t connect.

“Ah… ah, this humble immortal will begin right away.”

The Matchmaker agreed in a low voice and immediately began bustling about.

…

At the Beast Enclosure of the Degree Immortal Gate, which had just been renovated one-third of the way.

These three female Qi Practitioners, eighteen years old plus several hundred thousand months, finally realized that if they continued to play while cultivating, it might take ten or twenty years to complete this place.

So, Ling’e discussed with You Qin Xuan Ya, and after getting Little Senior Uncle drunk, the two took action…

Their efficiency immediately increased by far more than tenfold!

In just three months, one-third of the renovation had been completed!

In recent days, You Qin Xuan Ya was urged by her master to return for several months of cultivation, so Ling’e was left to busy herself alone in various parts of the Beast Enclosure.

Still one thousand six hundred recitations of the Stability Scripture to go;

The Beast Enclosure would need at least another half year of work…

Thinking of this, Ling’e sighed softly, holding her skirt as she knelt on the grass beside the pond where the Spirit Food Jade Frogs were being cultivated.

Really…

If it weren’t for wanting to break through Senior Brother’s defenses early and make him develop some thoughts about men and women, she wouldn’t have to suffer along with Little Senior Uncle and Senior Sister You Qin.

With Senior Brother’s troublesome personality, Ling’e felt that she alone probably couldn’t handle it.

“Ling’e?”

A familiar question suddenly came from beside her ear, and Ling’e instinctively jumped up, staring at her Senior Brother.

“Senior Brother! How do you walk without making any sound now!”

“Isn’t this how I always walk?” Li Changshou frowned and said, “Rather, what were you spacing out about? You had completely emptied your mind. What if an enemy attacked, how would you respond?”

Ling’e stuck out the tip of her tongue and said somewhat aggrievedly:

“I’ve been too tired lately…

Besides, Senior Brother, you’re always on the peak, how could anyone possibly sneak attack?”

Li Changshou’s furrowed brows relaxed slightly, and his gaze lost some of its sternness. “Help me with something later, then go cultivate. Leave the Beast Enclosure for Senior Uncle Jiu Wu to do.”

Ling’e immediately smiled with pursed lips, “Oh… how can I help you, Senior Brother?”

Li Changshou thought for a moment and said: “Follow me.”

With these words, Li Changshou and Ling’e went together to the pavilion on the side.

This pavilion was built quite meticulously, using high-quality materials and paint. If Li Changshou remembered correctly, the decorations and furnishings here were all done by You Qin Xuan Ya personally…

As expected of someone with a mortal world princess background, she had built this chess and card room with an air of royal gambling house nobility!

Li Changshou took out a portrait from his sleeve, showing a handsome and attractive man, which he used for ‘styling’ his paper dolls.

Then, he secretly hung the portrait and placed an incense pouch behind it, asking Ling’e to examine the portrait with her divine sense…

After a while, Li Changshou asked: “How is it?”

“What do you mean, how is it?” Ling’e blinked weakly.

Li Changshou said: “Didn’t some images appear in your mind?”

“Hm?” Ling’e tilted her head, “This portrait is just a portrait, what images should… appear?”

Li Changshou frowned and said: “Continue examining it.”

“Oh,” Ling’e obediently responded, simply sitting cross-legged and continuing to search the portrait with her divine sense.

Li Changshou carefully sensed that Ling’e indeed showed no changes.

“This doesn’t make sense,” Li Changshou put away the portrait and took back the incense pouch into his hand, then was about to open the seal on the pouch to contain the pills inside…

Just then, there was a soft “mm” sound, and Ling’e’s face turned completely red as she softly exhaled, biting her lip hard, “Senior Brother…”

Li Changshou immediately sealed the pouch and pointed out a Clear Mind Pill, directly dissolving its power and kneading its medicinal properties into mist, sending it into Ling’e’s nose.

A moment later…

Ling’e let out a breath of relief, looking at Li Changshou with some trepidation, but her cheeks gradually reddened again as she stammered:

“Senior Brother, what did you just do?

If you… if you… there’s no need for such methods…

Just say something…”

Li Changshou looked up at the sky and said: “Focus on cultivation, don’t think too much. I was just testing these pills meant for Master.”

Then, Li Changshou walked away with a puzzled expression.

Do these pills not work on people who already have someone in their hearts?

Then, earlier when Senior Uncle Jiu Wu came to get the Masculine Heart Pills, and Li Changshou had him look at a beautiful woman’s portrait with this pill behind it, why did Senior Uncle Jiu Wu…

Was it unstable medicine, or was it Senior Uncle Jiu Wu himself…

Hiss—

This is not good, not good at all.

“Senior Brother!”

Ling’e chased out of the pavilion, holding onto the doorframe as she called out softly:

“Why don’t I carry that thing, and you try using divine sense to test it?

Only by experiencing it yourself will you know the effect~”

Li Changshou’s footsteps paused, and he raised his hand to wave, floating away on a cloud toward the pill room.

“Hmph! I knew you wouldn’t dare, just knew you’d be so stable, stable, stable.”

Ling’e humphed, rolled her eyes, and walked with light steps back to her room in this pavilion…

However, at this moment, Li Changshou had already begun constantly pondering how to improve these two types of pills he had just created.

Divine Sense Poison Pills should be considered Elder Wan Lin Yun’s innovation. Li Changshou merely stood on the strong branches of a giant tree and developed a side branch…

He had now created two types of Divine Sense Pills, spending a large batch of medicinal herbs and treasures earned through substantial wealth, but the results were evident, with his trump card library once again having a small expansion.

The type of pill that Li Changshou directly put away was the orthodox Anti-Divine Sense Investigation Spirit Pill, named [Counter-Investigation Pill], which Li Changshou wasn’t planning to give to anyone.

Otherwise, if this type of pill were to spread, it might be used on himself.

When wearing the Counter-Investigation Pill, if someone uses divine sense to investigate oneself, a wisp of spirit mist so faint it’s nearly invisible would appear around the investigator.

This spirit mist would help Li Changshou lock onto the person investigating him.

The second type of Divine Sense Pill was named by him as [Heart-Burning Pill].

Li Changshou got inspiration from charm magic, using emotion stones and emotion wine as base materials. After hundreds of attempts over several months, he found the ‘correct’ pill formula by chance.

Elder Wan Lin Yun’s Divine Sense Poison Pills relied on ‘Jade Crystal Spirit-Piercing Insects’, whose special toxins could wound the investigator’s primordial spirit through divine sense.

Li Changshou’s own [Heart-Burning Pill] changed the ‘Jade Crystal Spirit-Piercing Insects’ into ’emotion worms’ and borrowed some charm methods.

By the way, to research charm methods, Li Changshou specifically went to find the True Immortal fox demon trapped in the earth vein formation, with his master’s permission, using his master’s image.

He observed and summarized several times, and cleverly resolved the karmic connection between the fox demon and his Little Qiong Peak.

As for the process…

That’s not important, the other party had taken a Great Dao oath anyway.

After adjusting the medicinal properties of [Heart-Burning Pill] for another two months, Li Changshou placed a paper doll, a [Heart-Burning Pill], and a [Counter-Investigation Pill] together in a specially treated incense pouch.

Later, his master would only need to wear the incense pouch and wander around;

If encountering divine sense investigation, Li Changshou would judge the other party through the paper doll, and if he felt they were suitable, he would release the seal on the Heart-Burning Pill.

His uncle’s reincarnation needed to be found;

But to help his master come out of isolation early, greetings and recognition from unfamiliar female Qi Practitioners would surely lift his master’s spirits considerably.

As a disciple, this was all he could do for his master.

Li Changshou organized the incense pouch and rode a cloud toward his master’s thatched cottage;

Seeing the three beautiful figures once again busily working together near the Beast Enclosure, much more seriously than before, Li Changshou couldn’t help but show a slight smile.

However, before Li Changshou could fly to the cottage, he suddenly had a premonition.

Calculating with his fingers, Dongmu Gong was waiting in that Sea God Temple again…

Speaking of which, he now had… had… ahem, six thousand six hundred and ninety-two temples, why did Dongmu Gong always go to that one?

Couldn’t he go to other more hidden temples?

Stealing wool by only targeting one sheep—sooner or later someone would notice.

Li Changshou inwardly complained, deciding to remind Dongmu Gong later to remember to conceal his whereabouts the next time he came.

Making a turn on the cloud, he returned to his thatched cottage.

At the same time, dividing his attention three ways, he used a paper doll to check on Old Master Wan Lin Yun, who was searching for poisonous insects in the North Continent. Finding that the Poison Elder was safe and sound, he then activated the paper doll under the Sea God Temple…