“Yuan Qing, Xuan Ya – you two rank second and sixth in cultivation among this generation of disciples. Why are you both rushing to gather herbs? Du Linfeng and Liu Yaner, Wang Qi from Small Spirit Peak… hmm… all ranked within the top twenty talented disciples. Why are you all hurrying to go to the Chaotic Miasma Treasure Forest? Has our sect become so stingy with young disciples nowadays? The Northern Luzhou is no friendly territory – no one went there the last two times… Hmm?”

In a corner of the Hundred Mundane Hall, the wine-reeking female immortal tilted her head, glaring at Li Changshou who stood behind the four brilliant young disciples. She glanced down at the bamboo strip in her hand, then back at Li Changshou, repeating this twice as her expression gradually darkened.

“Small Jade Peak, Li Changshou. What’s your cultivation level? Why are you going to the Chaotic Miasma Treasure Forest when you’ve just reached the ninth stage of Chi Shen? Go on! Go fight those shrimp demons in the East Sea instead!”

The female immortal spoke bluntly without any concern for face, but her words were quite reasonable, clearly showing concern for Li Changshou’s safety.

Two wine gourds hung at her waist – one large and one small. Her attire was remarkably simple: pants and a short garment, with light brown medium-length hair that made her a rare exception among female cultivators with their traditional three thousand black strands and flowing long hair. In appearance and temperament, she strongly resembled an overworked menial disciple who had given up on themselves.

Fortunately, her cloth-bound slender waist, almost-bursting hemp garment, and the occasional pressure emanating from her body revealed her true nature as a female immortal of considerable strength.

Her Daoist title was Master Jiu, a disciple of Breaking Heaven Peak. Though appearing only in her early twenties, she was eight or nine hundred years old, having been an immortal for over six hundred years. She stood out among the disciples who had entered the sect with her and could now handle matters independently. That she was the only sect guardian assigned to escort them to Northern Luzhou’s Chaotic Miasma Treasure Forest spoke volumes about her capabilities.

Li Changshou maintained a solemn expression as he bowed to this renowned Wine Immortal: “Master Jiu, this disciple needs to find several medicinal herbs. One can only be found in Northern Luzhou. I must trouble Master Jiu with this task.”

“What herbs?” The female immortal’s mouth twisted her quite a beautiful face showing traces of disdain. “I have some connection with your master. Take this and find Elder Qiling at the Dao Repository Hall.” As she spoke, she fished out a jade tablet from her wine-stained short garment and casually tossed it to Li Changshou.

“Tell them to take it from my monthly allowance and get your herbs! How can someone at the ninth stage of Chi Shen go to Northern Luzhou? If you die there, they’ll dock my wine money for ten years, and your cry-baby master will come crying to me… Ugh, just thinking about it gives me a headache!”

The two young men and women nearby looked surprised, their gazes falling on the jade tablet. A sect elder’s identity tablet, given so casually to a ninth-stage Chi Shen disciple from another peak?

“Master,” Li Changshou smiled bitterly, holding the tablet and stepping forward to return it to the female immortal, “If I had a choice, I wouldn’t want to risk going to Northern Luzhou either. But this time I truly have no alternative. According to sect rules, the Master cannot refuse a disciple’s request for outside training. Please grant this request.”

Master Jiu frowned slightly, observing the young disciple bowing before her, snorted, and snatched back the jade tablet.

“Now! Hey, Yuan Qing, Xuan Ya!”

The young woman in the fire-red immortal dress and the refined young male cultivator both bowed and responded simultaneously: “Disciple present!”

Master Jiu said irritably: “You two help keep an eye on him if you can spare the effort.”

“Disciple accepts the command,” Qin Xuan Ya responded expressionlessly.

“Master need not worry,” Yuan Qing cast a somewhat kindly glance at Li Changshou, his smile gentle, “I will certainly take good care of Junior Brother Changshou.”

Master Jiu couldn’t help but hold her head with one hand and complained about Li Changshou: “He entered the sect before both you and Xuan Ya. Li Changshou, how did you manage to not reach the Return to Void realm after cultivating for over a hundred years… Well, given your Small Jade Peak’s conditions, being able to keep up with most disciples is already not bad.”

“Ah,” Yuan Qing looked embarrassed but quickly bowed, “My apologies, Senior Brother Changshou, please don’t take offense.”

Li Changshou smiled and shook his head, feeling somewhat emotional inside.

The expressionless woman and the warm-hearted man made quite a matching pair…

Though it had nothing to do with him.

Li Changshou suddenly felt two not-so-friendly gazes, but he didn’t investigate further. He calmly thanked Master Jiu, then turned to bow to Qin Xuan Ya and Yuan Qing before retreating to stand quietly behind the four.

Those two gazes naturally came from the others – Liu Yaner in her light yellow silk dress and Wang Qi in his blue Daoist robe, both top-ranked Return to Void realm talents among this generation of disciples.

Though their gazes lacked goodwill, they also weren’t particularly malicious – at most showing some disdain.

Li Changshou stood quietly, listening to the continuous sounds of breaking air outside as batch after batch of disciples rose into the sky under various immortals’ protection.

He also divided out a strand of spiritual consciousness to check the several storage artifacts on his person.

This wasn’t due to a habit of organization, keeping pills, magical tools and such classified separately; the items stored in these few magical tools were all identical – pills, magical tools, spirit stones, and so on, all divided equally into three portions.

The bracelet on his left wrist was the main storage artifact. To be prepared for the unexpected, the pendant on his neck was the backup storage artifact. To be prepared for the unexpected of the unexpected, the cloth bag tied to his thigh was the backup of the backup storage artifact…

For outside training, being over-prepared was never wrong, especially when heading to dangerous territory like Northern Luzhou.

This time, Li Changshou had brought along most of his possessions.

The remainder, he had given to his junior sister for protection.

Half a day later, a giant gourd slowly rose into the sky before the hall.

Master Jiu stood cross-armed atop the gourd’s mouth, cutting quite an impressive figure. Several young disciples stood quietly at various spots on the gourd, all maintaining steady stances.

After the gourd flew out of the great formation, Master Jiu formed hand seals, causing the wine gourd to emit strands of pale green light, forming a thin membrane around the outside that blocked external wind noise.

Then her finger pointed northwest, and the wine gourd began slowly accelerating.

“Everyone relax, don’t be tense. There aren’t so many rules once we’re out of the mountain gate.”

Master Jiu yawned and sat down casually at the gourd’s mouth, dangling her legs on either side. She leaned back without any concern for appearances and picked up the wine gourd from her waist, satisfaction already showing in her smile.

Slowly taking a sip, Master Jiu’s cheeks flushed slightly. She let out a moan that dissolved into the wind, her whole being radiating a sense of satisfaction and comfort. Then she turned to observe the five young disciples behind her.

Furthest from her was Li Changshou, sitting at the gourd’s rear end.

Li Changshou maintained some distance from the others, his body remaining tense. Unlike the others who were meditating, his left fingertip pressed against two yellow paper talismans.

Liu Yaner and Wang Qi were in the middle of the gourd, both quietly regulating their breath.

Closest to Master Jiu was Qin Xuan Ya, meditating just a foot behind her with that great sword laid across her front.

Behind Qin Xuan Ya, the graceful Yuan Qing was saying warmly: “Junior Sister, I will help you find the Fire-Repelling Heart-Clarifying Grass this time.”

Qin Xuan Ya frowned slightly and replied coolly: “Senior Brother Yuan Qing need not trouble himself. This concerns my cultivation and requires no outside interference.”

Yuan Qing smiled gently, “Having one more person means one more chance.”

Qin Xuan Ya said nothing more, continuing her meditation with strands of flame-like energy surrounding her, beautiful from every angle.

“Tsk,” Master Jiu watched with amusement and raised an eyebrow at Yuan Qing.

Yuan Qing made a helpless expression and continued meditating three feet behind Qin Xuan Ya, the smile gradually fading from his lips.

‘Ah, another play of falling leaves having feeling while flowing water has none.’

Master Jiu took a sip of immortal wine, savoring it endlessly yet reluctantly hanging the gourd back at her waist.

She leaned against the edge of the gourd’s mouth, looking up at the blue sky’s drifting clouds, somewhat lost in thought.

After flying this way for a while, Master Jiu couldn’t resist reaching for the gourd at her waist again, but hesitated and stopped, saying: “It’s still two days and three nights to Northern Luzhou – are you all just going to meditate like this? Wang Qi, sing your master a tune.”

“Master Jiu…” Wang Qi hurriedly replied from behind, “I don’t know how to sing!”

Master Jiu immediately showed a look of disdain, “Then who can? Changshou, can you?”

Li Changshou solemnly shook his head, instead using sound transmission to warn Master Jiu: “Master, there seems to be a figure in the clouds above and behind us.”

“Hmm?”

Master Jiu glanced up and used sound transmission to reply to Li Changshou: “In the vast Five Regions, there are countless cultivators who can fly through the heavens. Don’t make a fuss over nothing – we’re not far from our Degree Immortal Sect anyway.”

Nevertheless, Master Jiu spread out her immortal consciousness, and before long, the large gourd’s flying speed began steadily decreasing.

Moments later, the large gourd hung motionless in the air. Master Jiu still sat there loosely and called out loudly: “Unknown friend in the clouds who has followed us so long, what business do you have?”

Immediately, the four meditating on the gourd opened their eyes, while Li Changshou, who had been observing the rear, withdrew his right hand into his sleeve, fingers gripping his storage artifact.

From the clouds behind, a towering figure flew out. The man wore chain mail armor and had rough features, his entire being emanating thick and solid energy. A giant axe hung on his back.

‘An immortal?’

Li Changshou carefully sensed that this person seemed to have only recently become immortal and didn’t give him much pressure.

A hundred zhang away, the burly man cupped his hands toward Master Jiu and called out: “I am the Palace Guard Commander of Hong Lin Kingdom in Eastern Divine Continent, here specially to protect the Sixth Princess. If I have given offense, please forgive me, Immortal Master!”

“Sixth Princess?”

Master Jiu tilted her head, examining the two female disciples behind her.

Li Changshou’s gaze unconsciously fell on Liu Yaner with her slightly round face and trace of mortal air, but Liu Yaner directly looked toward the other young female disciple…

Then they heard Qin Xuan Ya speak in an extremely cold tone:

“Go back. There’s no need to trouble yourself over me.”

Princess? Palace Guard Commander?

Suddenly appearing when they were about to go to Northern Luzhou?

Li Changshou’s nose twitched slightly as he caught the scent of… some kind of setup.