Night Meeting with 'Old Father'

Night Meeting with 'Old Father'

The breeze was gentle, the sun bright and warm.

The residence of the Nine Immortals of the Wine Character on one side of Sky-Breaking Peak...

Jiu Wu held his aching lower back and gently swayed his five-foot-tall Daoist body in front of his own small pavilion. With a slight circulation of immortal power, that fatigue was already gone.

It had been three days since he and Jiu Shi returned from Lesser Qiong Peak. Having just sent his Dao companion into seclusion, he was weighing whether to cultivate next or take a stroll through the Hall of Hundred Affairs.

Just then, a Large Gourd descended from the sky.

Jiu Wu immediately perked up. He clasped his hands behind his back, resumed his usual solemn appearance, cleared his throat, and called aloud:

"Little Nine, come over to your senior brother's place."

"Senior Brother? I was just looking for you. I brought back what you wanted... yawn..."

Jiu Jiu poked her head out from atop the Large Gourd and could not help covering her mouth as she yawned, looking equally listless.

The Large Gourd curved through the air and landed directly before Jiu Wu's pavilion.

Among the nine martial siblings, aside from their exceptional aptitude and cultivation that stood at the peak among their peers, each of them—except Jiu Jiu—had developed their own 'side business.'

Jiu Shi was skilled in artifact forging and treasure refining, while Jiu Wu excelled at brewing wine and refining pills. Thus, the ground floor of Jiu Wu's little building was piled everywhere with wine jars, precious materials, and pill furnaces, every corner packed to the brim.

Clearly, Jiu Jiu had learned her dislike of tidying up from here, only carrying it forward to even greater heights.

Jiu Jiu yawned. Once she arrived, she acted as though she had returned to her own room, sitting herself down beside a round table and tossing the small cage in her hand to Jiu Wu.

"The little spiders you wanted, Senior Brother. Don't raise them to death this time...

You make me ask a junior for things all day long. Aren't you embarrassed?"

"Rare indeed—you actually remembered," Jiu Wu said. He lifted the black cloth covering the wooden cage and took a look, immediately beaming.

Inside was a pair of separated spiders, each as large as a meat bun, with three heads, many eyes, and double pupils.

Jiu Jiu yawned tiredly. "If there's nothing else, Senior Brother, I'm heading back."

"Wait a moment. I need to find a few things." Jiu Wu trotted over, hung the spiders in a shaded spot, then turned and ran toward a bookshelf.

Jiu Jiu sprawled lifelessly across the table. "What are you doing, Senior Brother? I'm so tired right now. I want to go back, drink something, and sleep for a few days."

Tired?

Jiu Wu, standing by a bookshelf, turned his head and carefully studied Jiu Jiu. He remembered that he could no longer see through his little junior sister's cultivation directly, much less discern her physical condition.

Yet when he recalled what he had seen in that little pill-refining chamber, Jiu Wu sighed inwardly, overcome by the sorrow of an old father.

So be it. Once a girl grew up, she could not be kept at home.

With Dao companions being all the rage within the sect, his little junior sister would inevitably be swept up in the trend...

And where had this trend come from?

That had to be traced back to the older generation of Celestial Immortals. Among Du Xian Sect's dozen or so elders, there were four loving Dao companion couples who had grown old together. Those above set the example, and those below followed suit—there was truly no one else like them.

Jiu Jiu sighed helplessly as she lay there, recalling the past few days she had spent helping a certain martial nephew refine Poison Pills...

It had been quite interesting and novel, and that martial nephew had given her more than enough benefits, even sharing many Poison Pills capable of poisoning True Immortals with her.

But she had needed to stay tense the whole time, unable to relax in the slightest. It had indeed drained her mental energy considerably.

When had she ever been this tired? Jiu Jiu murmured gloomily:

"He's clearly just a little guy in the Void Returning Realm, but he's worn me out for so long. I'm so tired."

Clack!

The Jade Card in Jiu Wu's hand accidentally slipped to the ground. The short Daoist raised his head with a long sigh, his eyes actually becoming slightly moist.

Little Nine had truly... grown up...

As Fifth Senior Brother, who also served as half an old father, he would finally have to let her enjoy the beautiful life of cultivation.

He drew the Jade Card back into his hand and glanced at the large words written upon it:

"Array Formation Compendium—Wangqing Sanren"

He casually took another two Jade Cards from the corner of the bookshelf before turning toward Jiu Jiu.

"Little Nine, help me bring these things to Martial Nephew Changshou," Jiu Wu said gently, sending the Jade Cards before his junior sister with immortal power. "This is an outline of array formations written by Master, along with some insights into array formations that your Third Senior Sister and I have studied over the years."

"Hm?" Jiu Jiu took the Jade Cards and casually tossed them into her Storage magic treasure. Puzzled, she asked, "Senior Brother, why are you suddenly so concerned about Little Shou Shou?"

Little... Little Shou Shou...

Wasn't that the sort of name he used only during tender moments with Little Shi Shi?

Jiu Wu inhaled deeply, then put on a kindly smile again. "After seeing Martial Nephew Changshou in the Northern Continent last time, I felt he was quite a steady young junior.

"Oh, and your Fourth Senior Sister refined several new outfits for you."

Jiu Wu took out a Treasure Pouch and handed it to Jiu Jiu.

"There are also some rouge, face powder, and jewelry for women inside.

"If you like them, have your senior sister refine more for you..."

"Clothes? What clothes?"

Jiu Jiu took the Treasure Pouch and casually refined it. She pulled out a thin gauze dress, and several black lines immediately appeared across her forehead.

"Senior Brother... when have I ever worn something like this..."

"Ahem. Don't blame your senior brother for talking too much, but although you were born beautiful, Junior Sister, you should still dress yourself up a little.

"By the way, you and Martial Nephew Changshou... did you start... these past two years?"

"The past two years? Started?"

Jiu Jiu shot Jiu Wu a glance. Suddenly frowning and pursing her lips, she stuffed the gauze dress back into the Treasure Pouch and asked with a laugh that was neither tears nor laughter, "Don't tell me you all think Little Shou Shou and I got together?"

Jiu Wu was stunned. "You didn't?"

"Tch." Jiu Jiu's face filled with disdain. "What kind of person do you take your junior sister for? Am I the sort who would lay hands on a younger martial nephew? I could never do something like an old bull eating tender grass!"

Jiu Wu's eyes widened. "Then why have you kept going to Lesser Qiong Peak for no reason these past two years?"

"To help set up array formations." Jiu Jiu spread her hands. "I was punished with three years of abstaining from wine, and my martial nephew has some good things that can replace wine.

"As repayment, I helped him set up array formations."

Jiu Wu's eyes went round. "The array formations on Lesser Qiong Peak were set up by you, Junior Sister?"

"That's right. I did them with my own hands!"

Jiu Jiu proudly raised her brows, but soon admitted truthfully, "Senior Brother, you know I'm not interested in array formations.

"Changshou just told me what to put where, and when the array formation was about to take shape, I was only responsible for slightly suppressing the surging spiritual energy.

"But there's no need to set up any more array formations now. I couldn't just take his things for nothing, could I? So these past few days, I helped him refine some pills...

"Senior Brother?

"Fifth Senior Brother, what's wrong? Your expression is so strange."

"So that's how it was!"

Jiu Wu suddenly understood. He rose and paced back and forth. "So that Chain Array had not been set up by someone who had yet to become immortal. No wonder they were all relatively simple illusion arrays and trapping arrays!

"Using one's own schemes while borrowing another's hand—such an idea, brilliant, truly brilliant!

"This Li Changshou, though his aptitude cannot be called top-tier, reached the Void Returning Realm in a hundred years after entering the sect, which is still above average. If he is properly nurtured, becoming immortal will not be a problem. He is a talent worth shaping."

Beside him, Jiu Jiu yawned, silently stood up, lowered her head, bowed, let her arms hang down, and drifted toward the door.

"Senior Brother, I'm going back to rest. Pill refining and all that is so tiring."

"Hey, Little Nine, those three Jade Cards I gave you just now!" Jiu Wu hurriedly said. "You'd better give them back to me. They count as treasures of our lineage and can't be passed around casually."

"It's only a few insights. Why are you being so stingy?" Jiu Jiu rolled her eyes and casually flung two Porcelain bottles back at him. "I'll make the decision, then. We'll trade the Poison Pills Little Shou Shou refined for a bit of your Cultivation insights. Is that acceptable?

"These are Poison Pills that can knock down True Immortals! We put in some effort too."

"Those aren't ordinary insights... Poison Pills?"

Jiu Wu caught the Porcelain bottles and frowned as he examined them.

Jiu Jiu had already used this opening to drift out of Jiu Wu's little building, return to her own pavilion, and activate the grand array outside...

Jiu Wu laughed soundlessly. It was no harm if Ninth Junior Sister wanted to give them away; after all, Li Changshou was also a disciple of their sect.

Several layers of immortal power wrapped around him. He placed the Porcelain bottles several yards away, opened them from a distance, and looked inside. Each bottle held three vermilion-red pills, giving off a faint fragrance.

"They're actually Bone-Corroding Heart-Eroding Pills and Soul-Dissolving Life-Seizing Pills?

"The quality is quite good. Though they are Poison Pills, they are genuinely of immortal-pill grade...

"These too were refined with Little Nine's help? This Li Changshou has some real skill."

Jiu Wu could not help laughing. Then he noticed something on the Porcelain bottles, drew them closer, and carefully examined their surfaces.

There were two lines of small characters. When the two Porcelain bottles were placed together, they formed a matching couplet.

The immortal road holds three parts hidden gloom; not admiring empty splendor, a gentleman's resolve stands firm.

The short Daoist held the Porcelain bottles and pondered for a while before a faint smile gradually appeared.

"So the little fellow did notice Shi Shi and me before, which was why he deliberately opened the grand array.

"The meaning of these two lines is that he and Little Nine share the friendship of gentlemen, telling us not to worry.

"No, could he have calculated that these two Porcelain bottles would eventually end up in my or Shi Shi's hands?

"Little Nine definitely would not notice handwriting like this. Even if she did, she would not care. It was clearly meant for us, and it must have been fused on with Dharma power not long ago, with a faint trace still remaining.

"The implication is that he wants this poor Daoist to pretend not to have discovered all his unusual traits?"

The short Daoist put away the Porcelain bottles, walked to the round table with his hands behind his back, and stroked his chin in deep thought.

Jiu Wu recalled the many arrangements he had accidentally discovered within a hundred-mile radius when he found traces of Li Changshou and Youqin Xuanya in the Northern Continent...

Then he looked up at the wooden cage hanging in the shade.

These Demon Spiders were extremely difficult to raise, yet over there they could reproduce litter after litter without end...

Adding the Chain Array and Poison Pills that had appeared these past days...

Jiu Wu sighed softly. "What an impressive young junior.

"You hide your mountain and conceal your waters. Before going to the Northern Continent, scarcely anyone in the sect had even heard your Daoist title, and there was no trace of you in the younger generation's rankings.

"You do not wish to draw attention and want to cultivate in quiet seclusion. This Martial Uncle naturally does not wish to disturb you. Yet as a deacon of Du Xian Sect, I cannot help feeling somewhat uneasy about you.

"Tsk. Three parts hidden gloom, a gentleman's resolve... when man's resolve is fixed, shall we meet at the third quarter?"

After a moment of stunned silence, Jiu Wu broke into a soundless laugh.

At the third quarter of the Hour of the Pig, Jiu Wu rode a white cloud and drifted onto Lesser Qiong Peak.

The array formations around the pill-refining chamber had already been shut down. A tall, slender figure stood before its doors and bowed toward Jiu Wu from afar.

Jiu Wu's eyes immediately crinkled with a smile. He descended on his cloud, and before even entering the pill-refining chamber, he could already smell the rich fragrance of wine.

Li Changshou bowed. "This disciple greets Martial Uncle."

"What a Gentleman's Resolve and Three Parts Hidden Gloom." Jiu Wu smiled and shook his head, sighing lightly. "Were you not afraid this poor Daoist would refuse to come and simply send you to the Hall of Discipline to answer for yourself?"

"This..." Li Changshou maintained his bow and spoke slowly. "This disciple was not entirely certain either. Ever since encountering Martial Uncle in the Northern Continent, this disciple had been worrying over this matter. Yet this disciple knew that Martial Uncle was highly virtuous and respected, and would never deliberately make things difficult for a junior within the sect.

"Moreover, this disciple merely does not wish to attract attention and bears absolutely no disloyalty toward Du Xian Sect. This disciple also knows the responsibility of being a Du Xian Sect disciple: conduct oneself uprightly and stand straight, fearing no inquiry.

"Please enter and rest, Martial Uncle.

"This disciple knows Martial Uncle is a master brewer, so this disciple had Junior Sister prepare several dishes to accompany the wine, and boldly invites Martial Uncle to taste this disciple's home-brewed wine.

"If Martial Uncle has any questions, please ask freely tonight. This disciple will answer with due consideration and speak truthfully, wishing only to dispel Martial Uncle's doubts and allow this disciple to continue cultivating in peace as before."

Jiu Wu nodded with a smile and entered the pill-refining chamber with his hands behind his back.

Beneath a windowsill, in the bright moonlight, a low table was laden with delicacies, and a Night-shining cup had already been filled with fine wine.

It was actually Ganges Water Old Bai Gan brewed for Jiu Jiu, of which Li Changshou had opened a small jar in advance.