“Ahhh—
That hit the spot!”
Jiujiu, who had just downed several gulps of wine, slumped over the low table, her cheeks flushed red. Holding an empty wine jug, she let out two soft, satisfied sighs.
Beside her, Ling’e couldn’t help but laugh awkwardly and gently chided,
“Martial Aunt, you rely too much on alcohol.”
“Hehehe,” Jiujiu chuckled softly, “This is my one true love! How could I give it up so easily?
Without it, I’d have no energy or spirit!”
She turned her slightly tipsy gaze to Ling’e and grinned,
“Little Ling’e, haven’t seen you in a few years—you’ve gotten even prettier.
Come, let your Martial Aunt have a good look!”
“Martial Aunt, the formation outside broke, please don’t mess around…”
Ling’e smiled helplessly and dodged aside lightly. Fortunately, the half-drunk Jiujiu didn’t push it—she just gave Ling’e’s cheek a playful pinch before flopping back down.
For Martial Aunt Jiujiu, sitting up was exhausting. Lying down was always more comfortable.
“Ling’e, what’s your Senior Brother doing up at Breaking Sky Peak?”
“I think he went to the Dao Archive Hall. He should be back soon.”
“Oh… the Dao Archive Hall, huh…”
Ling’e smoothed her robes and gracefully knelt by the side, preparing a fresh pot of Immortal’s Drunken Delight for Jiujiu.
Thankfully, her Senior Brother had left behind some sedatives—ahem, wine base—or else, with how things were going earlier, Ling’e had honestly feared her little Martial Aunt might slip into a qi deviation.
“Thanks, Ling’e!
Hehehe, I just love Little Qiong Peak. Everyone here’s so nice, they speak kindly, and there’s always good wine. I love it here.”
Jiujiu muttered under her breath,
“When it comes to cultivating the Dao, everyone has their path. My Dao is wine—isn’t that perfectly valid?”
Ling’e chuckled lightly, “Of course it is.”
Jiujiu lifted the jug and tilted it toward her lips to catch the last drops of wine, smacking her lips and giving them a quick lick.
She’d drunk a bit too quickly just now, and now sleepiness was starting to settle in.
“Ling’e, I’m gonna borrow your bed for a bit…”
Before she even finished the sentence, Jiujiu was already carrying her gourd over to the bed. She flopped down, rolled over, and promptly started snoring.
Ling’e sighed, gathered the cups and dishes from the table, and sat back down, dazedly staring at her little Martial Aunt’s “messy crimes”…
Eventually, she let out a long sigh and took her cushion to the front of the cottage to meditate.
The protective formation outside had been broken when Martial Aunt Jiujiu barged in.
And when Jiujiu drank too much and fell asleep, she had a strange talent for tossing her undergarments around in random places…
Ling’e had to stand guard and make sure no one accidentally got a “free look” at her Martial Aunt.
She meditated. She pondered the Dao.
Specifically—the Dao of a teacher… and thoughts of her Senior Brother.
Soon, her mind drifted again as she began wondering: What kind of girls does Senior Brother actually like…?
But this time, Ling’e had guessed wrong.
Li Changshou had gone to the Dao Archive Hall… and didn’t return for half a month.
After Jiujiu woke up, she and Ling’e played around with “Simulated Immortal Life,” moved on to dressing up dolls, and eventually transitioned to dressing themselves up…
Finally, after they had exhausted all the wine reserves on Ling’e’s side, Jiujiu grew bored again.
She’d waited half a month just to show off her cultivation progress and score some more wine from Li Changshou. But now, she couldn’t take it anymore.
“That guy! How can a trip to the Dao Archive take this long?
I’m going to find him myself!”
“Wait—Martial Aunt…”
Before Ling’e could stop her, Jiujiu had already launched into the air, straddling the front of her massive gourd as she flew straight toward Breaking Sky Peak, stormy with frustration!
But after circling the outer hall of the Dao Archive twice, she still didn’t see any sign of Li Changshou.
Even after sweeping the area with her spiritual senses, she couldn’t detect the slightest trace of him.
Did he go somewhere else?
Jiujiu, carrying her large gourd on her back, tiptoed toward the inner hall and sneaked up beside Elder Qiling. Then, suddenly—
“Elder!”
Elder Qiling slowly opened his eyes. His gaze was a bit dull at first, but when he saw Jiujiu, a spark of amusement lit up in them and a faint smile appeared.
“Little Jiu, did you lose something again?
Let me get it for you.”
“Elder, have you seen a disciple at the Nascent Soul stage?
His name’s Li Changshou, from Little Qiong Peak. He’s about… this tall!”
Jiujiu stood on tiptoe and held up a hand to show Li Changshou’s height.
“He looks all neat and proper, but he’s rotten on the inside! He’s always using good wine to blackmail his cute and innocent little Martial Aunt into doing this and doing that!”
Elder Qiling thought for a moment, then smiled.
“He’s in the inner hall.”
Jiujiu blinked. “You let him into the inner hall?”
“He had a clearance token…”
Qiling murmured, just about to say more—but when he turned, Jiujiu was already gone.
The doors to the inner hall were flung open. Jiujiu leaned sideways and peeked inside a few times, but still didn’t spot any trace of Li Changshou.
“Hm? He’s not here anymore?”
Jiujiu released her spiritual sense and scanned the area thoroughly. Eventually, she spotted Li Changshou tucked away in an inconspicuous corner, leaning against the wall and reading a jade slip…
“Hmph, hiding that deep? What’s he reading, some kind of forbidden scroll?”
Jiujiu’s eyes narrowed as a mischievous grin spread across her face—clearly, she was up to no good.
“Elder, I’m heading inside.”
“Go on, go on,” Elder Qiling waved her off without turning around, eyes still closed in meditation, though a small smile lingered on his lips.
Jiujiu tiptoed into the inner hall, skillfully slipping between bookshelves and supply racks as she stealthily crept toward Li Changshou’s corner.
There were a few other figures in the hall—all true immortals of the sect—either browsing through texts or quietly meditating in the corners.
The inner hall was much smaller than the outer one, but the texts here were? Even copying one page could be exchanged in the market for a fortune in spirit herbs and materials.
Aside from the Wu Wei Sutra and the private collections of each peak’s head and elders, nearly all the high-grade techniques of Du’xian Sect could be found here.
For example, the jade slip Li Changshou was currently studying, Heavenly Mortal Restriction Codex, contained advanced refining seals—techniques that could be used to forge powerful immortal treasures.
—Of course, you’d still need the skills and high-quality materials to do it.
Even the jade slip itself was a magical artifact. The polished bamboo strips emitted a faint, divine glow, preserving the engraved content from decay through the ages.
Peeking from behind a shelf, Jiujiu licked her lips. She could already picture the startled reaction of her little Martial Nephew when she jumped him out of nowhere…
Now or never!
With a flash of movement, Jiujiu darted around the bookshelf, lifted her hand, made a spooky face, and prepared to unleash her aura—
“Ah!”
But—
Before she could do anything, Li Changshou casually flicked his left hand. A small, light-blue pill flew straight into her mouth with perfect accuracy.
“Mmgh?”
She stopped in front of him, tilted her head, and instinctively bit down on the pill.
Crunch, crunch.
As she chewed, a rich aroma of wine swirled through her chest. A wave of sweet liquid slid down her throat, silky smooth. Spirit energy flowed through her body with gentle warmth…
The soft, tipsy sensation made her hum lightly in pleasure, a faint blush blooming on her cheeks.
“Whoa… that’s delicious! What is that?!”
“Shh.”
Li Changshou made a quieting gesture, setting down the jade slip. Seeing his long-absent little Martial Aunt in front of him, he was this close to reaching out and patting her head.
Cough. The seniority gap held him back.
She was finally out of seclusion.
He smiled and explained, “It’s called a Spiritwine Pill. Made from twelve different herbs and concentrated wine essence. Its main effect is to replenish vitality—but the taste is pretty great, right?”
Jiujiu immediately held out her small hand, glancing around the room like a thief. Once she confirmed no one was looking their way, she whispered,
“Gimme a few more!”
She did have some pride, after all—being fed by her junior like this was a tiny bit embarrassing.
Li Changshou pulled out a treasure pouch and handed it over. “Sixty inside. A little gift to celebrate your return.”
“Now that’s how you treat your elders!”
Jiujiu beamed, giving Li Changshou’s arm a satisfied slap. She took the pouch, pulled out a porcelain bottle, and stashed the pills inside.
Then she took off the giant gourd on her back, set it aside, and sat against the smooth stone wall just like Li Changshou—matching posture and all.
Sam Williams On TYMIMA Chapter 152