Thud!

A muffled sound rang out as the ground shook several times.

Li Changshou moved with lightning speed, his body motionless as his left hand pressed down on her small head and robust body, directly imprinting her face into the grass!

If he hadn’t acted quickly enough just now, she would have shouted out those words “Sea God”!

What to do?

She said “Sea,” was he supposed to respond with “Hello”!?

With so many eyes watching here, he couldn’t possibly just use the Three Profound True Flames to dispose of her…

In an instant, Li Changshou made his decision!

He secretly used his immortal consciousness to transmit a message to the maiden while outwardly showing an excited expression, calling out:

“Lingli! How did I meet you here!”

Secretly transmitting:

‘If you dare say those two words, I’ll have your village chief deal with you tomorrow!

Quick, call me… Cousin!

I have matters here concerning the life and death of Bear Village, if you expose my identity, Bear Village will be in danger!

If you understand, grunt three times!’

Bear Lingli’s robust limbs trembled, making “grunt grunt grunt” sounds in the ground.

Did she… understand?

At this time, the nearby Xiaoyao Immortal Sect people had reacted, frowning as they looked over, while those disciples who had come with Bear Lingli all showed shocked expressions;

The Du Xian Gate crowd also looked toward Li Changshou…

Releasing his hand, Li Changshou smiled with a nostalgic look;

Bear Lingli pressed both hands against the ground and pulled her face out of the surface.

Her face, clearly drawn in the style of a cute big-eyed long-lashed maiden, was now covered in dirt and grass, yet she looked excitedly at Li Changshou and was about to shout:

“Lo-“

Li Changshou glared, and Bear Lingli instantly shrank her neck submissively, changing her words to: “Cousin…”

“Lingli, ah, haven’t seen you in many years, you’ve grown quite a bit taller.”

Li Changshou smiled, while Bear Lingli nodded repeatedly, inexplicably getting teary-eyed as she muttered softly:

“I, I didn’t sell you out, and didn’t lose you either.”

The surrounding elders, officials, and disciples from Xiaoyao Immortal Sect, Du Xian Gate, and some unimportant neighboring Human Path sect all grew question mark mushrooms above their heads.

Jiu Yu, who had held back from bothering Li Changshou the whole way, and You Qin Xuanya, who had been ice-cold at the front, had both stood up now, staring at this scene.

What was going on?

Li Changshou inwardly calculated that considering various factors, he would rather expose a small part of his cultivation foundation than expose that he was the South Sea God!

Affecting his “credibility” with the Jade Emperor was one thing, but if he drew the Western School’s attention, it would seriously threaten his little life’s safety!

So, Li Changshou could only continue along with Bear Lingli’s words.

“Ah, that time I insisted on leaving to seek immortality,” Li Changshou sighed, “I’ve wronged you, Lingli, you must have been scolded by your village chief.”

But secretly he continued transmitting via immortal consciousness:

‘Don’t mention this matter, I am indeed the Sea God, but I’m just one of the Sea God’s incarnations.

The Sea God saves those in suffering and difficulty, and has tens of thousands of incarnations, and this incarnation of mine also has its mission, Lingli, tell me about your recent situation.’

Bear Lingli blinked, those big eyes full of worship.

Li Changshou smiled again and asked: “But Lingli, how are you here?”

Bear Lingli’s expression became more pitiful as she said softly: “Cousin, my parents had another brother, so they sent me here to find a master to learn magic.

It’s just like what the Sixth Uncle next door said, once they have a younger one they don’t love the older one anymore!”

Li Changshou: …

What was all this about?

Back then, before Li Changshou sent out his paper puppet army to resolve the South Sea God’s hidden troubles, Bear Lingli had already been sent to the Middle Continent to join an immortal sect.

Li Changshou truly hadn’t expected that Bear Lingli would join the Xiaoyao Immortal Sect.

Looking at her appearance, she seemed somewhat dissatisfied with this situation, still indignant and fixated on her parents favoring the younger child.

Li Changshou smiled and casually summoned a stream of clear spring water, offering it to her;

Bear Lingli blinked, looking at Li Changshou.

Li Changshou smiled and nodded, gesturing for her to wash her face.

However, Bear Lingli opened her small mouth and directly gulped down the clear water, even forcefully sucking to draw the spring water into her mouth, making gulping sounds as she swallowed it down.

This was… the Sea God’s blessing!

Li Changshou’s forehead grew several black lines as he suddenly realized…

Little Master Uncle Jiu Yu sometimes appeared not so clever because she was often drunk, her personality constantly mixed with a bit of drunkenness, though she was quite sharp when serious.

But this Bear Lingli before him, growing up in Bear Village’s environment of “close-kin marriage”…

Was truly… iron-clad simple.

This type of person was hardest to handle, who knew if she might casually blurt out that he was the Sea God!

What to do? Find a place to dispose of her.

Bear Village was now directly under his command, treating Bear Lingli this way would be too inappropriate.

He was steady, but not heartless.

Li Changshou pondered for a moment, and could only on one hand cement his relationship as Lingli’s cousin, while on the other hand giving her some psychological suggestions, making “cousin” the first word to come out when she thought of him.

Li Changshou summoned another stream of spring water and said gently: “This is for washing your face.”

Bear Lingli scratched her head, suddenly grinning sheepishly, saying: “Thank you…”

‘Call me cousin.’

‘Cousin!’

“Yes,” Li Changshou showed a fatherly loving smile, helping Bear Lingli wash her face with the clear water, even thoughtfully taking out a handkerchief that was originally prepared for drugging people.

Beside them, the several Xiaoyao Immortal Sect disciples who had been walking with Bear Lingli gathered around…

“Junior Sister Bear, this is your… cousin?”

“Mm!” Bear Lingli jumped up from the ground, instantly becoming a wall in front of Li Changshou.

Bear Lingli scratched her head, her tied-up long hair somewhat messy, revealing a slightly embarrassed smile as she said delicately:

“This is my… cousin.”

Li Changshou stood up and made a Daoist bow to the several Xiaoyao Immortal Sect disciples, saying: “My cousin has troubled you fellow Daoists.”

These disciples returned the gesture, with one having an extremely complex expression as he rubbed his chest and smiled bitterly: “No trouble, just pain.”

A female disciple beside him glared at this fellow, immediately giving Li Changshou a gentle smile, “Apart from being a bit strong, Junior Sister Lingli gets along very well with us and is deeply valued by the sect.”

Bear Lingli stood by shyly smiling, like a child who had received praise.

Li Changshou exchanged a few more pleasantries, then asked where Bear Lingli’s master was, saying he wanted to pay his respects.

—This was just to fit the cousin persona.

However, several Xiaoyao Immortal Sect disciples suddenly showed strange expressions, each hemming and hawing.

Bear Lingli’s mouth turned down as she said softly: “Cousin, I accidentally injured my master, so they didn’t come this time…”

Li Changshou: …

“Cousin, how could you! How could you injure your own master?”

The young disciples beside them also felt quite awkward, but that gentle senior sister still said: “The sect has already punished Lingli for this matter… May I ask how to address this Daoist friend?”

Li Changshou smiled and said: “Changshou, Li Changshou, disciple of Du Xian Gate.”

“Then, Lingli, do you want to catch up with your cousin here?”

“Can I?”

Bear Lingli’s eyes immediately lit up as she asked sweetly.

The Xiaoyao Immortal Sect disciples nodded in unison, their movements perfectly coordinated as if they had practiced many times.

Seeing this, Li Changshou roughly understood something.

Thus, Bear Lingli temporarily stayed to catch up, while Li Changshou transmitted messages emphasizing the importance of calling him cousin rather than Sea God;

Based on Bear Village’s geography and Bear Lingli’s mother, he fabricated a simple story of cross-continent cousin relations—”The Second Aunt’s Distant Marriage.”

Bear Lingli took out a meditation cushion as big as a mattress and obediently sat beside Li Changshou.

Because her thighs were too thick to sit cross-legged comfortably, Bear Lingli simply sat down with her legs curled up, using her extra-large iron-armored “delicate hands” to press down the hem of her battle skirt.

Nearby, Jiu Yu had initially wanted to come over and fuss, but remembering little Ling’e’s reminders before departure, could only shake her head and sit there boredly swinging her legs.

This also made Li Changshou feel somewhat strange.

You Qin Xuanya were impressive…

‘Senior Brother Changshou’s cousin… is also so outstanding.’

She thought for a moment but didn’t come forward to greet them, letting the cousins have a moment of warmth.

When Martial Uncle Jiu Wu walked back from afar, he was also startled, initially thinking a fake mountain had appeared beside Li Changshou; looking closely, he saw a small maiden’s head on top of that fake mountain.

Slightly shocked.

This short Daoist immediately frowned in concentration and discovered that from Xiaoyao Immortal Sect to their own Du Xian Gate and several neighboring lineages, many gazes were openly and secretly looking toward Li Changshou and this strange maiden.

He had just gone out for a moment, what situation had occurred?

Could it be that this maiden saw that Junior Nephew Changshou was clear-eyed and handsome, intelligent and resourceful, cultured and polite, and forcefully came over?

How could this be allowed, little Yu’s lifelong happiness?

“Ahem,” Jiu Wu coughed once and continued stepping forward.

As Jiu Wu got closer, he heard that maiden muttering resentfully.

“…Later my parents didn’t like me anymore, so they threw me to the north, telling me not to come back if I couldn’t find a master.

At that time I searched and searched, but no one would take me.

Fortunately, I learned hunting skills, so I wouldn’t go hungry living on roasted meat from hunting in the mountains every day.

And cousin, do you know, some big wild beasts can even transform into humans!”

Jiu Wu stumbled, while Li Changshou also choked, coughing several times.

This should be…

[A barbarian hunting demons, seeking human lineages for the immortal way?]

Bear Lingli continued muttering pitifully:

“Later, finally an immortal sect took me in, they let me do chores, but gave me food to eat, so, of course, I had to agree.

Mother said eating only meat isn’t good.

But later while hunting in the mountains, I accidentally roasted and ate their mountain-protecting spirit beast.

At the time I didn’t know you couldn’t eat living things in the mountain, so they drove me out again…”

[Mistakenly ate the mountain-protecting spirit beast, then was driven out of the immortal sect?]

Jiu Wu sat down nearby without showing any reaction, continuing to listen.

Bear Lingli sighed again, continuing to tell of her difficult journey seeking masters.

“Later, I wandered in the mountains for several years, hunting until there was no prey left in one area, so I thought about changing locations…

People can’t let themselves starve to death, right?

One day I saw a big long worm fighting with an old immortal, so I followed what my father taught me, picked up a small stone, and threw it from the side, knocking down that long worm.

Then, cousin, guess what happened?”

Li Changshou smiled and said: “Could it be the old immortal who took you as a disciple?”

“Mm mm!” Bear Lingli nodded heavily, “That was my first master!”

“First!”

Li Changshou nearly choked, almost kneeling before their big sister beside him.

Bear Lingli sighed and continued:

“Since going up the mountain, I’ve changed four masters…

My first master said we had destiny, took me back to the mountain, passed on immortal methods to me, letting me learn techniques.”

At this point, Bear Lingli was already at the first stage of the Returning Void realm, and calculating the time, her cultivation aptitude was at the level of quality immortal seedling.

“Then what?”

Li Changshou asked with a strange expression.

Bear Lingli muttered: “When learning cloud riding, I accidentally fell from the cloud and broke the master’s elixir furnace.

I panicked at the time and wanted to secretly throw the furnace behind the mountain, but when throwing it I accidentally used too much strength and knocked out my master who was cultivating in a tree.

Then… two grandfathers in the sect came to talk to me and had me take a second master…”

Li Changshou couldn’t help holding his forehead.

Though barbarian bloodlines were human, they had half-barbarian power, and in moments of battle eruption, even if the opponent was prepared, they could still destroy Yuan Immortals and injure True Immortals.

Bear Lingli’s first master really should have considered carefully before directly taking a half-barbarian disciple…

“Ah,” Bear Lingli sighed softly and said, “Maybe after things are done here and I go back, I’ll have my fifth master…

Cousin, what do you think I should do about this.”

Li Changshou thought for a moment and transmitted: “Don’t think about anything else, mentally recite ‘cousin’ three hundred times.”

“Okay!” Bear Lingli nodded in agreement, obediently reciting in her heart.

Then, Li Changshou struggled to lean toward the side, finally finding the “small and delicate” Martial Uncle Jiu Wu on the other side of the “big and sturdy” Bear Lingli.

Li Changshou transmitted: “Martial Uncle, do you… need a disciple?”

Jiu Wu immediately trembled, his face turning somewhat pale.