Speaking of Danfeng Peak, Li Changshou was most interested in two things: first, the new furnace he would soon acquire, and second, the poison-crafting master Wan Linyun who resided there.

Currently, most of Li Changshou’s theoretical knowledge of poison-crafting and nearly half of his poison formulas came from several poison manuscripts authored by Wan Linyun.

Elder Wan Linyun was a Celestial Immortal of Danfeng Peak within the sect and a Celestial who enjoyed crafting poisons. His true capabilities couldn’t be measured merely by cultivation level or magical treasures.

When Junior Sister went to the East Sea to poison the shrimp demon, one of Li Changshou’s considerations was to attract this master’s attention through the poison powder she scattered.

Though this Elder was a senior figure in the sect, and although he had taken the poison powder Li Changshou crafted from Ling’e’s hands, there had been no further movement afterward…

Li Changshou didn’t dare be too proactive.

For a disciple within the sect to actively seek guidance from the Elder most skilled in poison-crafting would raise suspicions about whether this disciple had a cold nature and intended to poison some enemy.

However, if reversed – where a poison-loving Elder within the sect insisted on teaching a disciple poison-crafting methods – the impression Li Changshou would leave would be much more ‘diluted’…

The subtle differences between being proactive versus passive were clear as day.

While riding the clouds with Jiuwu toward Danfeng Peak, Li Changshou was pondering in his heart – since he finally had a chance to visit Danfeng Peak, should he arrange an ‘encounter’ with this poison-crafting master…

It couldn’t be too deliberate, but also couldn’t be left entirely to chance.

If he could obtain some poison pills and poison manuscripts from Elder Wan Lin, that would truly be excellent, even if it meant drawing some attention.

As the white clouds passed two mountain peaks, Jiuwu said with a smile while holding his hands behind his back:

“Look, that’s Danfeng Peak.”

Li Changshou nodded with a smile, looking toward the wine jar-shaped mountain peak ahead, his gaze revealing some anticipation.

‘Let’s see if I can meet Elder Wan Linyun this time. Forcing it would only spoil things.’

Two flowers bloomed on Danfeng Peak – one for forging tools, one for refining pills.

The number of cultivators on this peak wasn’t particularly large, only about a hundred people;

This included three Celestial Immortal Elders, over thirty True Immortals and Prime Immortals, as well as more than ten disciples, with the rest being miscellaneous duty disciples.

When Li Changshou and Jiuwu landed at a small courtyard halfway up Danfeng Peak meant for receiving guests, a miscellaneous duty disciple came to guide them and serve tea.

Soon, a male True Immortal wearing an azure robe and an Eight Trigrams Daoist crown came to meet them. This immortal was somewhat round in build with a prosperous appearance, looking exactly like…

A side effect of consuming too many pills.

“Junior Brother Jiuwu, why have you visited less often these past few years?”

Jiuwu sighed, “Ah, I’m always being sent east and west, without a moment’s peace.”

“Isn’t that because the sect trusts you, Junior Brother!”

The round-faced immortal said with a smile, glanced at Li Changshou, then made a welcoming gesture, “The Baifan Palace has given the order, and we happen to have several idle furnaces. I’ll take you to select one.”

Li Changshou stood behind Jiuwu, and though he was much taller than Uncle Master Jiuwu, he remained as unobtrusive as air.

Jiuwu also introduced Li Changshou. This round-faced immortal was named Liu Feixian, and like Jiuwu, he was also a steward within the sect, normally responsible for handling miscellaneous affairs on Danfeng Peak.

Li Changshou bowed and called him Uncle Master, and Liu Feixian also smiled and encouraged Li Changshou with a few words, but had no further conversation with him afterward.

The three rode clouds from the small courtyard, unhurriedly floating toward a secluded valley.

Liu Feixian and Jiuwu chatted casually along the way, while Li Changshou followed behind, eyes on his nose, ears to his heart, not even looking much at the surrounding scenery.

The outskirts of the secluded valley had a grand formation that blocked external immortal sense probing and had some protective effects.

Entering the formation, the fragrance of flowers and bird songs entered their noses and ears, with immortal light flowing everywhere.

Several dozen small buildings and thatched cottages dotted a sparse forest. At this time, most had activated their exterior formations, and the immortals and disciples within were presumably cultivating.

Where winding paths led to secluded places, laughter accompanied them through the forest.

Compared to his own Little Jade Peak, this place certainly looked… somewhat wealthier.

Following the two True Immortals, they found a large building concealed by formations;

Liu Feixian quickly deactivated the formation and opened the door, revealing dust piled in various places inside, several ten-foot-tall pill furnaces placed in corners, and some meditation cushions and miscellaneous items scattered about.

Li Changshou immediately picked out one of the furnaces;

Though the furnace’s material quality wasn’t as good as his original repaired purple-gold furnace, it was a brand new treasure with all the necessary restrictions intact, and its overall power was slightly higher than the one that had exploded.

This was quite good already, after all, as a disciple who was openly only at the Return to Void realm, he couldn’t use too good a furnace…

Beside him, Jiuwu revealed a smile and scolded with a laugh:

“Elder Brother Liu, these few furnaces you’ve given are too stingy!

Nephew Changshou has rendered no small service this time, and the sect’s reward is to let him come to Danfeng Peak to choose a furnace himself.

On the way here, I put my face on the line, you can’t think to dismiss us so easily!”

Liu Feixian’s expression became somewhat embarrassed, and he hurriedly said: “Brother, you should have said so earlier, come, let’s go to another place.”

Li Changshou was internally thanking Jiuwu, and just as he was about to say these furnaces were sufficient, he suddenly heard a light “Oh?” from outside the door.

“Changshou?

Could it be, the disciple Changshou from Little Jade Peak?”

Jiuwu started, Liu Feixian was stunned, but Li Changshou was secretly delighted.

A breeze drifted past, and outside the door appeared a thin elderly man leaning on a walking stick.

The walking stick was wrapped in copper skin, and this elder’s wrinkled face was somewhat cold and rigid, but his eyes were bright and sharp, his gray-white long hair moved without wind, and his Daoist robe emitted a slightly pungent smell…

Elder Wan Linyun!

Liu Feixian and Jiuwu hurriedly stepped forward and bowed.

Jiuwu quickly transmitted to Li Changshou: “This is the Elder of Danfeng Peak! Just call him Grand Uncle Master.”

“Little Jade Peak disciple Li Changshou pays respects to Grand Uncle Master.”

The elder nodded in response, his lips trembling as he squeezed out a smile that looked… quite sinister.

Liu Feixian and Jiuwu both shuddered, unconsciously taking two steps back.

How had they… how had they offended this poison immortal who rarely ventured out?

However, Wan Linyun didn’t engage in any small talk, instead pointing directly at Li Changshou and asking: “How is Fox Heart Pill refined?”

Finally, the trap he had laid years ago was sprung!

Li Changshou pondered briefly, keeping his head lowered in a bow, speaking clearly but with a slightly nervous expression:

“According to the proportions of various medicines, take three parts blood from a spirit fox’s heart tip, one part Clouded Eye Grass, two parts Honey Crow Soul-Breaking Grass, one part Hong Yu Grass, supplemented with a little Fen Ze water, and a little Pure Powder…

Refine with cold fire for six hours to obtain the Fox Heart Pill.”

Elder Wan Linyun slowly nodded, his smile becoming more… frightening!

“If adding two parts Corpse Orchid Powder, changing to ghost fire, and refining for twelve hours, what would it be?”

Li Changshou answered: “Netherworld Fox Heart-Scattering Pill.”

“If removing the Honey Crow Soul-Breaking Grass, replacing it with three parts Sun Lotus Powder and two parts Frost Sand, using white bright fire to refine for twenty-four hours, what would it be?”

Li Changshou pondered for several moments, this time pondering slightly longer.

Beside him, Jiuwu immediately became somewhat anxious, repeatedly making eye signals to Liu Feixian;

Liu Feixian kept shaking his head slightly, indicating to Jiuwu that he absolutely must not speak…

This Elder could poison two True Immortals with just a nose-picking!

Outside the door, Elder Wan Linyun’s smile grew increasingly cold, and his eyes narrowed slightly, flashing with sharp light.

Jiuwu kept weighing his words carefully. He truly wasn’t familiar with this Elder, but looking at the Elder’s current expression…

No matter how you looked at it, it seemed like he wanted to melt Li Changshou!

And yet, at this moment, Li Changshou answered:

“A useless pill.”

Jiuwu’s mouth immediately twitched, and he was about to step forward to beg for mercy.

But Elder Wan Linyun’s smile disappeared at this moment, and with a serious expression, he asked: “Why useless?”

“The medicinal properties are neutralized,” Li Changshou frowned and said, “White bright fire is inherently gentle and belongs to neutral fire, and at this time the cold and heat in the pill formula neutralize each other, the medicinal properties of various materials cancel each other out…

Though it can form a pill, it’s a useless pill.”

“Oh?” Wan Linyun leaned on his walking stick and took half a step forward.

Jiuwu hurriedly stepped forward and bowed, “Elder, this young junior is deeply valued by my master. If he has offended you, please be lenient for the sake of my master’s face!”

Wan Linyun glanced at this short Daoist once, didn’t speak, but continued looking at Li Changshou and asked:

“You just mentioned the words ‘medicinal properties’, but these are poisons.”

Li Changshou showed a slightly nervous expression, but lowered his head and bowed, speaking the words that he had waited dozens of years to say – words that, based on this Elder’s life experiences, were most likely to touch this Elder’s heart:

“Poison is of the same class as medicine;

Just as cooking dishes have sour, sweet, bitter, and spicy flavors, so too does medicine.”

The large building immediately fell silent. Liu Feixian turned his head to stare at Li Changshou, his eyes also showing some urgency.

What nonsense was this?

How could poison and medicine be spoken of as one?

And Jiuwu felt a gaze fall from above his head. This short Daoist looked up and happened to see Wan Linyun’s narrow eyes, and…

The rigid cold smile at Wan Linyun’s mouth corner.

The elder said: “May I borrow him for a few days?”

“You… please do as you wish.”

“Mm,” Wan Linyun nodded and said to Li Changshou, “You, follow me.”

Li Changshou lowered his head and agreed, bowed to Jiuwu and Liu Feixian, then slowly left the place, following behind the elder with his head down.

Before they had walked more than a dozen steps, Elder Wan Linyun turned his head and asked another question:

“How is the Jade Netherworld Pill refined?”

“This disciple only knows part of the formula. The main materials are three parts Netherworld Forgetting River water, two flower cores from Eagle Sorrow Orchid of at least a thousand years but no more than three thousand years…”

“Why must the Eagle Sorrow Orchid be between one thousand and three thousand years?”

“Even if medicinal properties won’t conflict or neutralize each other, they inevitably influence each other. If the age is too high and the medicinal properties too fierce, it’s very easy to destroy the balance within the pill.

This disciple saw written in scripture that in pill refining, it’s not that older ingredients are always better – what’s appropriate is most important.”

“Where did you see that scripture?”

“In the outer hall of the Scriptures Palace, there are several bookshelves with many scriptures about pill refining. This disciple has carefully read and pondered many of them…

Could it be that those poison scriptures were authored by you, Elder?”

“Hehe, correct.”

In the sound of words carried by the gentle breeze, the figures of the old and young disappeared down a remote path.

“Whew…”

Jiuwu let out a long breath, wiping the cold sweat from his forehead.

Just now this Celestial Immortal Elder hadn’t revealed any Celestial dignity, but the five words “has poisoned Celestial Immortals” truly made one’s hair stand on end…

The slightly fat immortal beside him came closer and transmitted:

“This junior… what’s his background? I’ve never seen Grand Uncle so amiable!”

“You call that amiable?”

Jiuwu glared at Liu Feixian, was about to answer, then thought of something and immediately shook his head, “Don’t ask me, I can’t say anything.”

Liu Feixian tilted his head, frowning deeply.

…

Half a month later, at dusk.

Li Changshou rode white clouds, his expression calmed as he left Danfeng Peak, heading toward his own Little Jade Peak.

The journey was completely uneventful. When he returned to Little Jade Peak, You Qin Xuanya had already left.

Returning to the pill room, when he took out a twenty-foot-tall black pill furnace from his storage treasure, his expression still showed no change.

After he activated the various formations around him, performed the Steal Beams Replace Pillars technique, had paper servants guard this place, and crawled through a small hole into the underground secret chamber, keeping a straight face, he sat down at the desk.

His left hand swept across the desktop, and jade tablets and jade bottles filled the table surface…

Li Changshou smiled slightly, feeling deeply moved.

Finally, he had squeezed this Elder dry… of his poison scriptures!

And obtained a large batch of poison pills and spirit pills from this Elder!

But he also owed a great favor because of this and must find an opportunity to repay it in the future to settle this karmic debt.

These poison scriptures were very important to Li Changshou;

And these poison pills that Elder Wan Linyun let him take back as ‘samples, references’ were even more important!

Because they could solve one of Li Changshou’s major problems – how to explain to the sect where those poison pills that could poison Celestial Immortals, which he might need to use in the future, actually came from!

He could just say they were bestowed by Elder Wan Linyun.

In this world, where are there any freely picked opportunities? It’s nothing but a scheme spanning years or decades.

This Poison Immortal Elder…

As that trademark rigid cold smile of this Elder floated up in his mind, Li Changshou’s smile grew deeper.

His personality was quite lovely, being devoted to the Dao of pills and poisons, without too many complicated thoughts.

Suddenly, Li Changshou felt something between his thighs was somewhat… itchy?

— Similar to the itchiness that had often appeared in his armpits during this period.

Hiss…

What the hell?

Li Changshou tilted his head, hurriedly dispersing the image of this Elder from his mind, carefully sensing his own state, confirming that his orientation hadn’t experienced any problems.

It had given him quite a scare – he’d thought that from reading the ‘Hundred Beautiful Elder Paintings’ he had suddenly developed some strange preference.

Then Li Changshou frowned deeply.

What was wrong with him? Lately, his body had been having unexplainable reactions.

After becoming immortal, he needed to properly consolidate his immortal foundation.

…

Moments ago…

In the Heavenly Court, at the Moon Elder’s Palace.