Master, My Senior Brother Actually...

Master, My Senior Brother Actually...

Th-this place...

Was this really the Lesser Qiong Peak this old Daoist knew?

Within a trapping array on the outskirts of the alchemy room, Daoist Master Qi Yuan, Du Xian Sect's newly ascended immortal, stood in disarray. His gaze was unfocused, his Daoist robe rumpled, as he stared blankly at the three narrow paths before him.

It had been days, yet he still could not find his way out...

He had actually spent many years studying arrays, but his attainments in the Dao of arrays were quite limited.

After all, during the following several hundred years, Qi Yuan had spent most of his time repairing his Dao foundation. As for studying arrays, he had merely followed array diagrams to set them up several times. Once he remembered how to arrange them, he considered himself to have achieved minor comprehension.

Thus, faced with this maze-like Chain Array...

"Which expert set this up on my Lesser Qiong Peak? Is there some scheme at work?"

Old Daoist Qi Yuan muttered, forcing himself to recall the route he had taken while circling around.

Dazed and muddle-headed, Qi Yuan found another new path amid the confusion.

Ahead, the forest was lush and verdant. There was none of the white mist common to bewildering arrays, and the scenery was utterly ordinary.

Qi Yuan cautiously stepped forward. This time, he soon made a new discovery.

A wooden sign hung from a branch ahead, bearing three large characters:

Lost?

Qi Yuan nodded instinctively, then shuddered, his eyes filling with vigilance.

Why did this handwriting look so familiar?

Old Daoist Qi Yuan stared at the wooden sign for a while, then noticed another sign hanging from a tree behind him. He took two steps forward. The surrounding scenery changed slightly, yet the sign behind him remained.

Another sentence was written on that sign...

What business does Your Excellency have at Lesser Qiong Peak?

"This old Daoist lives here!"

Qi Yuan snapped irritably, though his hands could not help trembling.

Could it be...

Could this be the legendary Temporal Rift?

Ancient tales spoke of Innate beings entering a gorge, only to emerge from the other side tens of thousands of years later, without sensing the passage of time themselves.

Could such an absurd thing have happened to this old Daoist as well?

Was the Lesser Qiong Peak of this moment no longer the Lesser Qiong Peak from when he had lived here? Had several hundred or even several thousand years already passed?

Seeing another sign behind him, Qi Yuan followed the signs forward once more. Every time he stopped before the next sign, the scenery around him changed slightly, as though space itself had shifted—a transformation of the array.

Beyond one wooden sign lay another.

And the writing upon each sign became more and more familiar to Old Daoist Qi Yuan...

It was as though a shadow followed behind him, murmuring questions into his ear, driving him ever closer to some trap—yet he did not dare retreat.

Is Your Excellency a member of my Du Xian Sect?

This array exists solely to protect the important grounds of the alchemy room and complies with the restrictions of our Sect Rules.

The alchemy room? He seemed to vaguely recall his disciple mentioning it.

Did Your Excellency enter Lesser Qiong Peak without permission?

Why would this old Daoist need to enter it? This old Daoist is the peak master of Lesser Qiong Peak!

Please do not damage a single blade of grass or tree here. This path leads to an open space without soundproofing arrays.

Eh? Was this an exit left behind by the one who set up the array?

This is a filler guide sign.

The open space is right ahead.

You have arrived. Please take three steps forward.

Qi Yuan halted, instinctively holding his breath. Before him stood a large tree. Suspicious, he took another three steps forward.

The scenery before him changed once more. An open space surrounded by thick brush appeared before Qi Yuan. Fallen leaves carpeted the ground, and a low table stood there with a bucket of spirit spring water beside it.

"Th-this... what place is this?"

Seeing another wooden sign ahead, Qi Yuan walked over and looked at the writing upon it—writing he knew so well, yet could not remember where he had seen before...

Please wait here for a moment. If this old Daoist fails to arrive promptly, he should be in Secluded Cultivation or at a critical moment of alchemy.

If Your Excellency cannot wait, you may use immortal power here to shout outside for someone to come, cry for help, and so on.

Lesser Qiong Peak sincerely welcomes Your Excellency's visit, but next time, please come directly to the door rather than mistakenly entering the vicinity of the alchemy room.

Qi Yuan, Peak Master of Lesser Qiong Peak, respectfully inscribed.

Qi Yuan's hands trembled. He staggered back two steps, only for his back to strike a tree trunk.

At some point, his retreat had already been sealed off.

Th-this was set up by this old Daoist himself?

Old Daoist Qi Yuan's eyes widened as if he had seen a ghost. The faint traces of drunkenness still lingering in him instantly vanished. His gaze swept across his surroundings, and he felt slightly lightheaded.

Had this old Daoist encountered something evil?

No, that was not right. Could it be because a turbid immortal was not pure enough?

When he had been drinking earlier, a senior within the sect had reminded him that turbid immortals were easily tainted by earth qi, and their Dao hearts could easily develop demonic obstructions.

Could it be... could it be that this old Daoist was merely the heart demon of the real Daoist Master Qi Yuan?

Old Daoist Qi Yuan's hands began trembling uncontrollably. He rushed back to the wooden sign and stared at its writing, his eyes filled with disbelief.

The handwriting on these wooden signs...

Was it not... was it not his own handwriting!

His feet slipped, and Old Daoist Qi Yuan landed heavily amid the fallen leaves. His gaze was vacant, his eyes unfocused, and his already disordered gray-white hair seemed even more of a mess.

Temporal Rift, turbid immortal, heart demon...

Temporal Rift, turbid immortal, heart demon...

"Who exactly is this old Daoist? Could this old Daoist truly be nothing more than his own heart demon?

"No, that is impossible. This old Daoist is absolutely no heart demon. This old Daoist is Qi Yuan.

"I am Qi Yuan. Qi Yuan is me. I entered a Temporal Rift—it is impossible for me to be a heart demon!

"No, no!

"No, no...

"No—"

Old Daoist Qi Yuan clutched his head with both hands and suddenly threw back his head with a shout. Flocks of birds took flight throughout Lesser Qiong Peak, and several figures passing through the distant sky glanced curiously toward the forested peak.

Suddenly, a woman's voice came from the side, tinged with surprise.

"Master?"

Qi Yuan's shout stopped abruptly. He asked in a trembling voice, "Ling'e?"

"Master, are you trapped inside the array?"

"Are you truly Ling'e?"

"Yes, Master. Could your disciple be mistaken?"

"No, no, you may be a heart demon... this master's heart demon..."

Outside the array, Ling'e, who had just arrived, could not help raising a hand to her forehead.

It was over. Senior Brother had broken Master.

After murmuring to herself, she immediately had an idea and hurriedly said, "Please do not move around. There are many arrays inside!

"And do not walk toward where Ling'e's voice is coming from. If you leave that small area, you will no longer be able to hear voices from outside!

"This disciple will go in and find you right away!

"But this disciple needs time to find an array passage leading to your location. Only Senior Brother can undo the arrays here; all of this was arranged by Senior Brother. Master, please wait peacefully for a while."

Old Daoist Qi Yuan was slightly stunned. Soon, he heard an "Aiyaa" from outside.

What had his youngest disciple just said?

Senior Brother?

These arrangements had been made by Changshou?

Qi Yuan's eyes were full of confusion, but as he sank into thought, he gradually calmed down.

Half an hour later, Lan Ling'e appeared before her master, covered in grass clippings and fallen leaves, with a bruised and swollen face. She wore a bitter smile as she gave him a Daoist salute.

"Master, this disciple has come to find you."

Qi Yuan could not help staring intently at Lan Ling'e. Calm and composed, Lan Ling'e cast several minor spells, all of which Old Daoist Qi Yuan had taught her before.

"Master, it truly is Ling'e..."

Qi Yuan relaxed slightly and asked with a wry smile, "What exactly is going on?"

"Mm." Ling'e bit her lip and pondered for a moment, considering how she could cover for Senior Brother.

She quickly took out a Treasure Pouch, walked briskly to the low table, and retrieved two cushions, a teapot, and porcelain cups. Smiling, she said, "Master, please come rest first. Allow this disciple to explain slowly."

Suspicion still lingered in Qi Yuan's eyes, but once he sat on a cushion and watched Lan Ling'e's familiar tea-brewing method, much of the doubt in his heart faded.

The woods were silent, save for the rustling of leaves whenever the breeze brushed the treetops.

Looking upward from here, with the surrounding trees blocking the view, even the azure sky seemed reduced to this little patch...

In a daze, the old Daoist understood something.

His gaze swept over the area as he asked softly, "This place was all arranged by your Senior Brother?"

Ling'e said, "It would be more accurate to say it was designed by Senior Brother and set up by Martial Uncle Jiu Jiu of Sky-Breaking Peak, a True Immortal."

"Oh, no wonder." Qi Yuan smiled wryly. "So Junior Sister Jiu Jiu helped set it up."

"Actually, Martial Uncle Jiu Jiu does not understand arrays at all. Senior Brother told Martial Uncle sentence by sentence: put this here, put that there."

Ling'e paused, lowered her head, and said, "Master, did you truly... never notice?"

Qi Yuan lifted his teacup and took a sip. It was indeed his favorite chrysanthemum Lotus Seed tea.

"Notice what? That you like your Senior Brother?"

"Aiyaa!" Ling'e's pretty face instantly flushed red.

Old Daoist Qi Yuan frowned as he stared at her. "Could it be that you do not like Changshou?"

"Well... you cannot say that directly. This disciple will be embarrassed..."

Ling'e quickly regained her composure and said softly, "Senior Brother... is actually very extraordinary."

"Oh?"

Old Daoist Qi Yuan's eyes carried a hint of indulgence as he smiled. "In your eyes, your Senior Brother is naturally extraordinary."

"No, Master." Ling'e raised a hand to tuck a loose strand of hair behind her ear. "Senior Brother is actually far more promising than you think.

"For instance, the arrays here—Senior Brother made this Chain Array entirely from basic arrays.

"Though Senior Brother asked Martial Uncle Jiu Jiu for help, even if he had arranged this place alone, it would not have been much different."

Old Daoist Qi Yuan was stunned again.

Ling'e continued.

"For more than ten years since this disciple entered the sect, Senior Brother has taught this disciple many things.

"Many times, after Master explained the Dao, this disciple would be muddled and unable to understand its principles. Senior Brother would always come and explain the essence to this disciple.

"Often, Senior Brother could reveal the true meaning in just one or two sentences. That was why this disciple has made such progress."

Qi Yuan's brows knit tightly as he looked at Ling'e, not knowing what to say for a moment.

Ling'e said gently, "Also, Master, look. What level is this disciple's cultivation now?"

Qi Yuan stroked his beard and pondered for a moment. "Ninth stage of Qi Refinement?"

Ling'e brought both hands together in a Sword Finger gesture and formed a complex hand seal. The aura around her suddenly surged outward. "Then... what about now?"

Qi Yuan's eyes widened. "Fifth stage of Spirit Transformation! Ling'e, when did you—"

Ling'e made a silencing gesture. Her hands formed another seal, and the aura around her rapidly withdrew.

She said in a low voice, "This is the Turtle Breath Qi Harmonizing Art Senior Brother taught this disciple. It can conceal one's cultivation. So long as one is not physically touched by someone at the True Immortal level, it can remain hidden, while also imitating whatever realm one wishes to display."

Only shock remained on Old Daoist Qi Yuan's face.

"Master, Senior Brother entered the sect a hundred years ago. You spent most of that time in Secluded Cultivation, striving to reach the immortal realm. You truly know and care too little about Senior Brother."

Ling'e lifted her teacup, supporting its bottom with two slender fingers of her left hand while holding the cup with her right. She gently took a sip, and the hesitation in her eyes was gone.

"While Senior Brother has been tricked by Martial Uncle Jiu Wu into going to the Eastern Sea, this disciple wants to make these matters clear to you.

"This disciple has watched Senior Brother do many things for you, Master, but you knew nothing of them. Every time you saw Senior Brother, you either scolded him or spoke of how inadequate he was.

"Master, Senior Brother is likely not far from becoming immortal now.

"And if this disciple's guess is correct, the Melting Immortal Pill you used for Liberation by Violence was made from Immortal-Resolving Grass that Senior Brother personally dug from deep within the Northern Continent of Julu during the Training Assembly several years ago.

"Master, you worried over your Immortal Ascension Tribulation, while what Senior Brother cared about most was also your heavenly tribulation. He made many efforts for it.

"What you saw was only that Mage Birdcage... In truth, over the past two years, Senior Brother also made more than ten treasures to resist heavenly tribulations, but all proved ineffective in subsequent tests.

"The only few times this disciple saw Senior Brother frustrated were when he crouched before those treasures ruined by tribulation lightning.

"The only time this disciple saw Senior Brother nervous was in the moment before Master underwent your tribulation."

Ling'e looked at Old Daoist Qi Yuan, but his eyes had already gone blank as he sat there, rigid as wood.

"Master, Senior Brother truly is extraordinary. This disciple is not speaking recklessly..."

Slowly, Ling'e told him what she knew about Senior Brother.

Though she concealed many things because of Senior Brother's instructions, there was not the slightest exaggeration in her words.

Qi Yuan gradually returned to his senses. He had Ling'e cast the Turtle Breath Qi Harmonizing Art once more, then examined the numerous immortal pills and Poison Pills she carried. The old Daoist sat there again, lost in thought.

A moment later.

Qi Yuan asked somewhat uneasily, "Ling'e, tell this master... what should this master do? When your Senior Brother returns, should I praise him?"

"Master, it would be best if you simply pretended this disciple had not said anything today, as though none of this had happened. Treat things as you normally would," Ling'e said with a smile. "When Senior Brother comes in to fetch us later, just take the Fly Whisk and swat his backside...

"But do not actually use much force.

"Whenever Master wanted to hit Senior Brother, Senior Brother was actually deliberately exposing an opening for Master to catch."

Several black lines appeared across Qi Yuan's forehead. He smiled bitterly. "Is this master really so inadequate?"

"Uh..." Ling'e hurriedly cried, "Master is wise and mighty! Your immortal methods are boundless!"

Qi Yuan hesitated. "Then... should your master pretend he never heard any of this?"

"Senior Brother's greatest wish is for no one to pay attention to him, so he can quietly make a fortune," Ling'e said, puffing out her cheeks. "Now I even have to deliberately act a little foolish around him. I have to play dumb when I should, or he'll definitely distance himself from me bit by bit..."

Ling'e abruptly changed the subject and began listing all the ways Li Changshou usually bullied her, his little junior sister, trying to ease the gloom in her master's heart.

Before long, Qi Yuan was laughing again and again at her teasing, his Essence, Qi, and Spirit full once more.

"You rascal! Hahaha!"

Qi Yuan rose and walked to one side, looking over the various arrangements of the formations here that he could not make heads or tails of, unwilling to let his youngest disciple see the moisture in the corners of his eyes.

"I, as your master, have been too selfish. All I thought about was overcoming the tribulation, all I thought about was secluded cultivation. Sigh, after bringing your senior brother into the sect and passing the cultivation method on to him, I kept going into seclusion, over and over. After surviving this heavenly tribulation, I had thought I would properly guide you two in your cultivation. Yet I discovered that I was the one who had been cared for all along. Forget it, forget it. Your master will stop meddling and minding everything. With disciples like you, I can also bring comfort to the ancestors of Lesser Qiong Peak's lineage!"

With that, Qi Yuan turned to Ling'e and smiled. "And my youngest disciple has become so sensible now as well."

Ling'e smiled somewhat bashfully and muttered softly, "To be worthy of Senior Brother, this disciple has been working very hard."

"Oh?"

"Er, Master, have some tea. The tea's gone cold! Whatever this disciple said today, Master, you absolutely must not expose it!"

"Fine, fine. We'll act dumb together and put on a show before your senior brother," Qi Yuan said as he returned behind the low table and took out his Fly Whisk. "Later, when your master teaches your senior brother a lesson, you can lend a hand too and get a feel for it."

Ling'e's eyes immediately lit up. "Can I, Master?"

"Of course. He's been making a monkey out of his master for so many years. Naturally, we have to give him a proper cleaning-up!"

Lan Ling'e immediately cheered with delight, practically itching to try.

Qi Yuan added, "Don't worry. Later, your master will enter seclusion to comprehend the Turbid Immortal Cultivation Method. From now on, you brother and sister can toss Lesser Qiong Peak around however you please."

As he spoke, Qi Yuan looked at the tea before him, at the aged face reflected within it, and could not help shaking his head with a soft laugh.

Truly...

Wonderful beyond words.

PS: The book's grand featured promotion vanished for half a day, and this hard-luck author let out a wail and burst into tears.

This is a combined two-in-one chapter, counting as the six o'clock chapter this afternoon, with extra material and extra volume!

Also, there is a post in the comments explaining this book's inspiration in detail. Please use the Cautious Hero meme in moderation; it has caused the author some trouble.