MSBITRS Chapter 83 V2

Earlier, he’d had his master risk his life” to go out and secretly plant seven paper constructs outside the protective formation—in hidden mountain valleys and near spiritual veins.

Each Paper Person carried a stash of original paper dolls and plenty of poison pill supplies.

Li Changshou’s thinking was simple:

If an enemy broke through the defensive formation, he could use those seven Paper People for a surprise pincer attack from the rear, catching the enemy off-guard with poison-based ambushes.

On top of that, both his master and Ling’e carried a Paper Person each for personal protection.

Senior Uncles Jiuwu and Jiushi had already visited Dan Ding Peak to meet Elder Wan Lingjun.

And as instructed, Elder Wan had handed over the “Cry Word Technique” emergency pouch to Jiuwu, using very stern language to make it clear it should only be opened if the sect faced a life-or-death crisis.

For stage two of the preparation, Li Changshou and Elder Wan were going to work together to scout the surrounding terrain.

He’s here.

Li Changshou sensed a streak of light flying toward Dan Ding Peak—it was Elder Wan, coming straight to Little Qiong Peak.

He glanced down at his current form, a Paper Person substitute…

It probably wouldn’t be exposed.

As long as Elder Wan didn’t physically touch this body—

Forget it, better to just come clean. He’d explain that this was a special body made through paper art.

People like Elder Wan, honest and straightforward, were the very ones you shouldn’t deceive.

Before the elder landed, Li Changshou was already rising into the sky to greet him.

Meanwhile, back in the underground chamber, his real body paused from cutting paper, lifting his head slightly.

Time to focus on operating the Paper Person.

Even though he’d trained in multitasking for over a hundred years, he didn’t want to risk acting distracted in front of the elder.

Elder Wan’s warning probably had some effect.

There were more guards than usual at the mountain gate.

Li Changshou followed behind Elder Wan. The gatekeepers bowed together and asked, “Elder, are you heading out?”

“Mm,” Elder Wan replied with a faint, cold smile.

The guards stiffened instantly and lowered their heads, activating the formation controls to open the sect gate and respectfully seeing the elder off.

As for why the Poison Elder was going out or what he was up to, not a single one of them dared to ask.

Once outside the formation, Li Changshou’s connection with the seven hidden Paper People grew stronger.

Elder Wan glanced back at Li Changshou. His gaunt face softened slightly as he asked in a low voice, “Where should we begin our inspection?”

“Let’s start in the east, Elder,” Li Changshou smiled. “We’ll need to keep a low profile. Could you emit some fluctuations that mimic the aura of a True Immortal?”

“Mm, easy.”

Elder Wan tapped his copper staff, instantly adjusting his spiritual presence.

They flew eastward, Li Changshou silently studying the surrounding terrain.

Soon, they were a thousand miles out from the sect, slowing down to carefully survey the area.

Elder Wan suddenly pointed. “That valley over there looks well hidden. Could enemies be hiding inside?”

“Elder,” Li Changshou said, handing over a small pendant, “this is a little trinket I made in my free time. I call it the ‘Detection Stone.’

Its only purpose is to detect if anyone’s spiritual or divine senses are focusing on us.

As you can see, right now it’s pale blue—that’s just my spiritual sense and yours probing the surroundings.

If it darkens, it means someone else is watching us.”

“Oh?”

The elder looked intrigued. He examined the stone, then chuckled. “It’s just the sap from a chameleon flower that changes color when touched by the spiritual sense.”

“You’ve got a sharp eye, Elder,” Li Changshou grinned. “Not all tools need fancy enchantments—you always taught us to learn creatively and apply what we know. Isn’t this a good example?”

Elder Wan laughed heartily, stroking his beard.

They continued inspecting the eastern region before heading north.

The real purpose of the trip was for Li Changshou to personally scout out potential ambush zones.

If an enemy tried to sneak attack, they wouldn’t come flying straight through the sky. They’d use the terrain to get close.

And more than likely, they’d have a large group of “puppets” ready to strike from some hidden staging point.

Stage two of the war prep was built around the strategy of: If I were the enemy, where would I hide?

If he could catch the ambush before it happened, their chances of winning would skyrocket.

East, then north, then west…

Back in his underground chamber, Li Changshou’s main body was already sketching out a detailed map of everything within several thousand miles of the sect.

But when the two of them reached the southwest…

Both of their Detection Stones changed color and darkened instantly.

“Changshou, look—”

“Elder, act like we didn’t notice anything,” Li Changshou said immediately via voice transmission.

Elder Wan Lingjun, who normally preferred to keep a stoic expression, remained completely calm and emotionless.

The two of them continued flying along their previous route, drifting on clouds as they surveyed the area. Almost simultaneously, Li Changshou and Elder Wan both noticed something strange in a sunlit forest on a hillside.

There were faint fluctuations in spiritual energy.

Elder Wan transmitted a message, “So there are people spying on Du’xianguan. Changshou, you head back first. I’ll go confront them myself!”

“Elder, it’s not wise to alert them just yet,” Li Changshou responded. “Judging by how far they’re hiding, they’re not ready to make a move. If we act too soon, we’ll tip them off. Let’s finish our patrol like normal, return to the sect, and then sneak back out to catch them off guard. That’s the way to strike clean and hard.”

“Good! Sound reasoning!” Elder Wan nodded.

He glanced at Li Changshou again and gave his signature cold smile.

“I may be far older than you, but when it comes to scheming… I can’t compare.”

Li Changshou gave a wry smile. “Elder, I just use a bit of cleverness. Your achievements in the Dao of Alchemy are unmatched in the entire history of Du’xianguan.”

Elder Wan smiled and shook his head, letting out a sigh. “It’s just a shame our late master didn’t live to see it.

So, Changshou—what’s next?”

“We’ll just…”

And so, the two outlined their plan in hushed tones.

The two poison-laced figures gradually floated away from the hillside, deliberately acting like they hadn’t noticed anything unusual.

Roughly a thousand miles out, they were still being watched. Two separate spiritual senses continued to track them, even back to the mountain gate, before finally fading away.

Li Changshou sent a message, “Elder, I suspect at least two Heaven Immortals are hiding out there. Should we call for backup?”

“No need. Even two more wouldn’t make a difference,” Elder Wan replied calmly. “You just focus on the strategy. When it’s time to fight, that’s my job.”

“Don’t forget, Elder,” Li Changshou reminded him with a grin, “the one beside you now is just a paper construct formed from my Cutting Paper into Human form technique. I’m mostly here to witness your mighty display when you wipe them out.”

Elder Wan chuckled and nodded. The two exchanged a glance after re-entering the sect—no more words were needed.

Less than half an hour later, two wisps of green smoke quietly slipped out from the mountain gate, burrowing silently underground.

Meanwhile, the gatekeeping immortals were being watched closely by two stewards from the Bai Fan Hall. No one dared to speak or even move.

There were some precautions, Li Changshou believed, that simply couldn’t be overlooked.