My Senior Brother's Troublesome Personality

My Senior Brother's Troublesome Personality

"Ehh~"

"Ahh, why do I suddenly feel so disgusted..."

"Ehh, that's so revealing... Isn't this just one piece of cloth with two more pieces sewn behind it? Wearing this outside would be an insult to people's eyes, wouldn't it?"

"This one is even more outrageous—the most important places aren't even fully covered! Fourth Senior Sister wore this for Fifth Senior Brother to see?

"No, wait, it seems these are meant to be worn together..."

Rustle, rustle; giggle, hehe.

From dawn onward, Jiu Jiu had kept herself busy in her little tower. It was not until noon that she finally stood before her door, her slender hand resting on the latch, unable to pull it open for a time.

Just going out for a stroll!

Mm, just going out for a stroll...

Letting out a soft breath, Jiu Jiu slowly pulled open the Wooden door before her. The first thing to step outside was a small pair of embroidered blue-green cloth boots.

In an instant, a splash of color had been added to the mountain forests and pastoral fields beneath the great array.

Several gazes turned over at the sound...

With several clatters, a servant disciple carrying water to the pill room dropped his shoulder pole, a servant disciple weeding the flowerbeds dropped his hoe, and a young girl carrying several bottles of pills flung away the tray in her hands...

"Cough!"

Jiu Jiu cleared her throat, clasped her hands behind her back, and took half a step forward. Then she unconsciously puffed out her chest and lifted her chin, calmly sweeping her gaze around.

The male disciples hurriedly lowered their heads, not daring to look too much, yet secretly sneaked a few more glances. One youth who had only recently come up the mountain even found his face inexplicably turning red.

It's no big deal, is it? Isn't wearing anything all the same?

It's not like I'm corrupting public morals. This covers even more than the short skirts and tops I usually wear.

Jiu Jiu licked her lips with the tip of her tongue. Her eyes held a trace of hesitation, but she still swiftly made up her mind. With a casual gesture, she summoned over the Large Gourd she had nearly forgotten to bring outside, and it expanded to a length of ten feet.

She had originally intended to straddle it as usual, but recalling her current outfit—a light pink long skirt of some unknown, airy material—she felt that sitting astride it would seem rather awkward.

So she gathered her skirts, lightly crossed her jade-like feet, and sat sideways near the front of the Large Gourd before rising into the air...

Just after flying out of Sky-Breaking Peak, she spotted a short Daoist with two dark circles beneath his eyes, riding on a white cloud and drifting over slowly with a scroll in his hands.

Jiu Jiu immediately stopped her gourd, infused her voice with immortal power, and deliberately coughed:

"Cough! Cough, cough!"

Jiu Wu, who was passing nearby, looked up. He offered Jiu Jiu a polite smile, cupped his hands around the scroll in salute, and descended toward the middle of Sky-Breaking Peak.

Jiu Jiu froze for a moment, then rolled her eyes and continued onward atop her gourd.

But Jiu Wu, who had already entered the great array, suddenly turned his head.

"Did I just see... Little Junior Sister?

"No, Little Junior Sister has worn the same few outfits for hundreds of years. How could she possibly change into such an outfit?

"My eyes are playing tricks on me, they're playing tricks on me.

"Sigh, I've lost a bit too much lately. Good thing Senior Sister has finally gone into seclusion. At least I can replenish some Vital Energy."

With a sigh, Jiu Wu continued studying the scroll in his hands, Thirty-Two Methods for Nourishing Vital Energy and Stabilizing Qi, as he walked toward his little tower.

The moment he entered, the short Daoist caught that faint lingering fragrance of a fairy maiden and could not help shuddering.

A bodily reaction—purely a bodily reaction.

He was utterly devoted to his Fourth Senior Sister, his love as firm as gold and stone. He absolutely did not harbor the slightest fear!

Jiu Wu recalled his valiant performance over this period and immediately revealed a knowing smile...

Ever since he had drunk the Poison Dragon Wine concocted by his grandnephew Li Changshou, his waist might have gone soft, but his confidence before Senior Sister had grown. Their relationship as Dao companions had become more harmonious, and even their life of cultivating the Dao in pursuit of immortality had gained a little more amusement and color.

It was just that he had been toyed with by that fellow once last time, and he still felt somewhat displeased about it.

Jiu Wu pondered for a moment, then sat behind his desk and sank into thought.

Return the other's way unto him?

Develop some pills similar to that wine and lure him into a trapped array?

That fellow might genuinely endure it without making a fool of himself... Then should he have Little Nine help add fuel to the fire?

Er, no, no. Would that be sending him a benefit or playing a trick on him? If Little Junior Sister did not resist, wouldn't he suffer a ruinous loss?

Battling wits and courage with this fellow was now constrained by that oath, leaving him far fewer avenues. Still, that made it even more interesting.

"You little thief, just wait. This poor Daoist will find your weakness eventually!"

"Honestly, why did all those people I met on the way stare at others with such strange looks? Aren't they afraid of getting beaten?"

As she flew above Lesser Qiong Peak, Jiu Jiu curled her lips and could not help muttering.

The Large Gourd slowly descended. Her immortal sense swept over Lesser Qiong Peak, and she discovered that Li Changshou was teaching Lan Ling'e.

Jiu Jiu blinked lightly and deliberately concealed the fluctuations of her aura, wanting to see how these senior and junior disciples would react if she suddenly appeared.

Wouldn't they be startled?

Jiu Jiu's lovely brows furrowed, and she felt slightly helpless.

She quietly approached the thatched cottage and, from afar, heard a clear, mellow voice within:

"Let the spirit drift vast and boundless, and the Dao reveals itself within; let the qi return to the central sea, condensed in the primordial soul.

"Of this line, the hardest part to understand is actually 'let the qi return to the central sea.' The qi here does not refer to the Dharma power you cultivate, nor to Pure Qi or turbid qi. Rather, it refers to that trace of innate essence stored within your own body.

"This is a treasure brought from the mother's womb, and it is extremely important to Qi Refiners..."

Inside, Li Changshou sat in a round-backed chair, his posture quite relaxed, while Little Ling'e sat cross-legged on a Meditation Cushion, listening attentively.

Jiu Jiu tiptoed outside the door. With a turn, she raised her arms like tiger claws and charged inside with a loud cry of "Ura!"

Little Ling'e, who had been sitting there with her eyes closed, immediately could not help laughing. Li Changshou, meanwhile, somewhat helplessly set down the scripture in his hands and smiled at Jiu Jiu, who had suddenly changed her attire...

Jiu Jiu glared. "Why aren't you scared?"

"Ah! Martial Uncle scared me!"

Little Ling'e cried out in feigned panic, but as soon as she turned her head, her little mouth could not help voicing another exclamation of admiration. "Little Martial Uncle, why did you suddenly... suddenly start wearing a long skirt?"

"What? Can't I?"

Jiu Jiu secretly watched Li Changshou's reaction as she spun around before Little Ling'e. Her skirt hem and hair drifted gently, filling the room with a faint fragrance.

Ling'e was also secretly watching her senior brother's reaction. When she discovered that he was smiling and nodding, she quietly let out a small breath of relief.

It's good that Senior Brother wasn't dazzled by her.

Ling'e laughed softly. "Of course you can. Martial Uncle, you were already very beautiful normally. Now you're even more dazzling—I wouldn't even dare ride clouds beside you."

Jiu Jiu blinked at Li Changshou. "Little Changshou, what do you... think?"

"Very good," Li Changshou nodded in praise.

When a woman with whom one had a good relationship, such as the two before him—his Little Junior Sister and Little Martial Uncle—suddenly changed into a new skirt, added a new ornament, and wore an expression begging for praise, a man of grace should not be stingy with compliments.

But recalling the misunderstanding that might have arisen yesterday...

Li Changshou added, "It's just that seeing you like this so suddenly may take some getting used to."

"I see."

Jiu Jiu lowered her head to look at the outfit she had painstakingly chosen for so long, her expression carrying a slight trace of disappointment.

At the side, Ling'e sighed inwardly.

Senior Brother really was just like this...

With a temperament like Senior Brother's, one that wished to shut every karma and entanglement outside the door, getting close to him was truly too difficult.

What a troublesome personality.

Ling'e quickly revealed a faint smile and took the initiative to lean closer, whispering into Jiu Jiu's ear, "Martial Uncle, is this your first time wearing this sort of outfit?"

Jiu Jiu hurriedly said, "Mm, yes. I suddenly wanted to change my style of dress, that's all."

"When dressed like this, light makeup suits you better," Ling'e whispered a few words into Jiu Jiu's ear. Jiu Jiu's eyes immediately lit up, and she pulled Ling'e behind a screen at the side.

Li Changshou shook his head slightly at the sight. Picking up his bamboo slip, he continued reading. Listening to the quiet whispers beside him, he considered something inwardly, though his expression did not change.

Before long, amid Ling'e's continuous praises, Jiu Jiu emerged from behind the screen once more and looked at Li Changshou triumphantly.

"How is it!"

Li Changshou looked up at her, and his smile grew even warmer.

At this moment, Little Martial Uncle seemed like a different person. She had skillfully applied powder and rouge, delicately drawn her brows, lightly tinted her cheeks, and moistened her vermilion lips. With her gauze skirt and lined jacket, her hair piled like phoenix tails amid clouds, she had gained several degrees of refinement and even more of a woman's innate softness and charm.

"Not bad." Li Changshou raised a thumbs-up. "Among all the women I've seen, your beauty would absolutely rank in the top three!"

"Really?"

Jiu Jiu blinked. Somehow, the strange and subtle feeling that had wound around her heart these past two days quietly dissipated, leaving her mood happy and relaxed.

"Of course it's true. Could it be that Martial Uncle misunderstands her own charm?"

Li Changshou smiled. "When you don't dress up normally, Martial Uncle, you are already the object of admiration for quite a few male disciples in the sect."

"Pah, as if," Jiu Jiu rolled her eyes, yet the corners of her lips could not stop rising slightly. She said calmly, "This Martial Uncle doesn't care much about such things anyway. Cultivating the Dao and seeking immortality are the proper business.

"Enough of that. Are you two still having class?

"If not, let's play Fight the Great Gods together!"

Li Changshou said, "Teaching is proper business after all..."

"Martial Uncle rarely comes by!" Ling'e immediately hugged Jiu Jiu's arm from behind. "Fight the Great Gods!"

Li Changshou could not help pressing a hand to his forehead. She came seven or eight times a month on average—how was that "rarely"?

Jiu Jiu decisively echoed, "Fight the Great Gods!"

"Fine. Since you two are so enthusiastic, I'll find another chance to make up Ling'e's lesson later."

Li Changshou shook his head. The two beside him were already cheering in celebration, skillfully arranging a low table and soft cushions.

When it came time to sit down, Jiu Jiu felt somewhat awkward. So she borrowed the neighboring thatched cottage of Li Changshou, changed back into her most comfortable outfit of coarse linen short shirt and short skirt, replaced her embroidered shoes with soft, comfortable custom-made Straw Sandals, and removed her light makeup.

This grass was no ordinary grass. It was also immortal grass meticulously cultivated by Jiu Wu...

This was much more comfortable.

Before leaving the thatched cottage, Li Changshou's earlier words echoed in Jiu Jiu's heart...

Your beauty would absolutely rank in the top three!

The corners of Jiu Jiu's lips unconsciously rose, and she muttered, "That fellow really is outrageously disrespectful. He even dares say things like that."

Pulling open the door, Jiu Jiu rushed like the wind toward the thatched cottage next door. Before long, a burst of scrambling voices came from within...

"Snatch the Great Gods!"

"Double!"

"Super double!"

"In this round, Ling'e is the Great God. Martial Uncle and I are Lesser Immortals. With super double, the stakes are already twelve spirit stones."

"Heh heh, make your move, Little Ling'e!

"This Martial Uncle has seventeen cards. Can you really defeat me in one move today?"

Late at night, when all was quiet, Li Changshou left the thatched cottage with his hands clasped behind his back.

Little Martial Uncle and Little Junior Sister had each drunk a little wine and were now sleeping soundly on the bed. He was responsible for closing the doors and activating the array, so that their bedraggled state the next morning would not be seen by others.

Returning to the pill room and entering the underground secret chamber, Li Changshou sat on the Meditation Cushion in the corner. He closed his eyes and focused his mind, his hands embracing the origin and returning to unity.

Between his palms, a ball of orange-red flame slowly condensed. It was then drawn into his body, where it began to circulate gradually, tempering and forging his primordial soul and Dao body...

Lotus flowers with nine petals slowly revolved around him. These lotuses were already the size of fists, their patterns incomparably clear. The Dao contained within them was nearing perfection, their mysterious Dao resonance vast and unfixed.

Yet he still felt something was lacking...

He remained unwilling to step into the Ninth Realm of Dao Attainment.

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