Chapter 23: Returning to the Sect for Arduous Cultivation

  A few days later, I entered Jiuhua Mountain and saw off the senior fellow practitioners such as Lv Fang. In that beautiful scenery of mountains and lakes, more than 200 junior brothers and sisters stood in a row, holding their fists and shouting:

  "Long live Master! Long live Master! The younger brothers and sisters' admiration for you is like the endless Yangtze River!"

  "Wah~ Haha... " Xiaodou had a smug and sly smile on his face: "No big deal, no big deal at all, just so-so, hehehe..."

  Xiao Mei's face was filled with a defeated expression as she asked: "Xiao Xiao, is this the negotiation skill you taught him? Or is it Shuixian who taught him how to behave and interact with others? My heart can't take it anymore~"

  Narcissus looked distressed and said: "It's not me, if I had this skill, I wouldn't have just knelt down to beg Master Lv, Xiaoxiao, you're really amazing!"

  Suddenly, a small face collapsed and let out a miserable cry: "How can he be so fast to surpass me? I'm so angry! The most unforgivable thing is that I, such a clever kid, from start to finish, actually needed such a stupid guy to show off his wisdom, bravery, and divine power to save me. Ah~ I'm going to die~"

  Everyone returned to Xianyao Peak, Shansheng Valley, with laughter and chatter. The three girls, Shuixian, Xiaoxiao, and Xiaomei, also followed along. After returning to Shansheng Valley, Xiaodou couldn't help but feel a pang of disappointment in her heart - that master still hadn't appeared. She habitually brewed a pot of barley tea, sat on the wooden board in front of her house, and quietly savored the ordinary...

  Suddenly, little Dou who was drinking tea got punched on the head and shouted loudly in a fit of rage:

  "Are you kidding me, Little Bean? You have such a vast and extraordinary spiritual energy site all to yourself, and you're just drinking tea? Don't you need to complete your sect's tasks? Don't you need to work? Don't you know how to utilize this place for cultivation?"

  In the medicine garden, a water lily with puffed up energy was arguing: "Stupid little bean sprout, what is this you've planted? Is it spiritual grass or something from the Zhuang family? How can you plant them so densely? What kind of thing is this? Is it rice? Unforgivable! This is an insult to us alchemists!"

  Stole honey, little beauty's face was stung by a bee with a big package, but at this time she was holding a small bowl and eating sweetly, with a happy expression saying:

  "The azuki beans, the honey from the beehive behind the house are all mine! And I want to take a bath, that refreshing little pool is also mine. And the fruits in the backyard, they're all mine!"

  "Alright, alright, stop blaming me! As I said, since we parted ways, I've been leading a group of kids on my own, without anyone's help. We didn't ask for anyone's assistance either. To be honest, we don't even know the basics of cultivation. Now that you're here, you can guide us! Three seniors, as long as you don't squeeze into my bed with me, do whatever you want!" After saying this, she immediately received a beating from three girls.

  Four friends sat on a wooden board in front of the house, Shuixian took a sip of tea and smiled lightly:

  "No wonder Xiao Dou can form a Xianmen team, here there is no intrigue and infighting, no flashing swords and shadows, only deep brotherly love, only childhood joy and perseverance, all of this - is so beautiful!"

  "Ah, yes! After staying here for a while, I don't even want to kill people and steal treasures anymore. It's really a strange feeling!"

  Xiao Mei smiled foolishly: "So, does Xiao's vow to become a poison master the other day still count or not?"

  " Humph~" Xiaoxiao clenched her small fist and shouted loudly: "I absolutely can't bear this humiliation, I'll put aside the formation for now and learn it later. I've decided to study poison and puppetry, both of which can be combined. That stinky old man, sooner or later I'll poison him to death!"

  Xiao Dou smiled happily: "Great, with a poison user on our side, we'll be much safer in the future! Xiao Xiao, Shui Ling Shi Bo from Piaoyifeng is an expert in using poison and is quite easy-going. Of course, apart from her expertise in poison, she's also very approachable. When my junior brother was bitten by a snake when I was young, I carried him to find her and she saved him without hesitation. You go find her and learn from her with humility, you'll definitely gain a lot!"

  "Things have been settled after our adventure, great! Xiaoxiao, you should help them with the Spirit Gathering Array first and speed up their cultivation. These materials, Xiaomei, please handle them for now. As for these five treasure boxes, let's study them together!"

  Xiao Mei took the materials and said with a gloomy face, "Shuixian, we just relied on that shocking move at the end, can the industry in the mortal world hold up? I don't think so!"

  Xiao Xiao shouted: "Forget it, let's go back now. Don't mention you guys, that old Daoist with a cow nose will definitely kill me!"

  "Don't worry, the property deeds are all in my hands. No matter how they make a fuss, they won't be able to stir up any trouble. Thirty years from now, that old man will naturally not waste his time looking for us again. Even if we run into each other thirty years later, who's going to bother with whom? Hmph! My temper isn't good either!"

  "Xiaodou, it's this kind of courage and daring to take action that I like. No matter how formidable a person is, as long as you have the guts to face them, there's already a 50% chance of success!"

  Xiao Mei smiled foolishly and said: "Xiao Dou, you looked really cool leaning against the door frame drinking tea and enjoying the view earlier. Honestly, have any of your female classmates had a special liking for you all these years?"

  "Cut it out, you guys! Stop testing me. I get it - a man without strong willpower can't achieve great things. For the sake of being able to savor the same pot of hot tea together many years from now, I won't let personal feelings get in the way. Besides, do you think any woman would like a man named Xiao Dou?"

  "Haha... *giggle*... Oh my gosh!!! Three girls burst out laughing at the same time and teased him together."

  Look at his dejected appearance, Shuixian immediately took out five small boxes and said:

  "In the box is a must-have elixir for the foundation-building period - Foundation Elixir, with 21 pills. I reckon this was prepared by that old Daoist master for his daughter. To be able to afford such a large quantity of Foundation Elixir, which can guarantee success in reaching the foundation-building period, is truly a grand gesture. If we were to put just one of these elixirs among our Qi-refining disciples, it would stir up quite a commotion. And yet, this master casually prepares 21 pills for his own daughter... Hmph! With this kind of treatment, even someone as untalented as Xiaodou might have a chance at reaching the foundation-building period. There's also a Red Mist Jade Pendant, a precious mid-grade defensive artifact with the ability to specifically counter evil spirits. And another item is the Netherworld Flying Dagger, a high-grade artifact that guarantees success in sneak attacks against Qi-refining cultivators at a rate of over 95%. The other two boxes contain two thousand-year-old Spirit Grasses - their value doesn't need to be explained. As for the remaining items, they're all materials for refining low-grade spirit medicines... Hehe, we really should have more patrons like that young mistress - everything she has is ours now! Xiaodou, if you dare not succeed in the future, I'll throw you into that mistress's arms and let her take care of you!"

  Xiao Dou pouted and said: "Shui Xian, spare me, otherwise I'll support returning this flying dagger to you!"

  "No way!" Xiaoxiao shouted like a little explosive: "This flying knife is mine, who dares to compete with me? Water Fairy? I'll bite you!"

  Watching Shuixian lower her head and laugh miserably, Xiaomei hastily coaxed a smile and said:

  "Alright, Xiaoxiao, this flying dagger is yours, Xianzi, how about we distribute the rest?"

  "Isn't this simple? The jade pendant belongs to Xiaomei, and in the future when you're forging, you can also calm your mind down. It's a pity that you worry about this and that every day, the success rate of forging is very important! My refining material - Lingcao, please take good care of it, don't ruin it, my heart will ache to death... Hmm, these two Lingcao will belong to Xiaodou, one Qixing Lianzhu, one Jiuyel Xuelian. I hope that with these two Lingcao, a miracle can happen! However, this thing must be kept here, I declare in advance, if you use it yourself, I won't say anything, but if you give it to those disciples of yours, don't even think about it, I absolutely can do nothing to help. As for me, having obtained Qing Song's mid-tier refining cauldron and the inheritance - alchemy, as well as so many materials, without a doubt, the one who benefits the most is me! Do you have any objections?"

  Xiao Xiao and Xiao Mei nodded in agreement one after another, while Xiao Dou smiled faintly and said:

  "I have no objection, but you must promise me, Wuxian. All the elixirs you refine must be given to me. I won't give up on any of them. Don't worry about lacking materials either. Whatever is needed, just wait for a decade or so. As long as I reach the initial stage of Qi Refining, I'll dare to help you conquer the world!"

  Suddenly, Shuixian's eyes turned red, her lively face left two tear marks, and she let out a heart-wrenching wail:

  "Ben Xiao Dou, do you know that everyone here cultivates faster than you? The fastest ones are me, Xiao Xiao and Xiao Mei, Yun Rui Yao, Yun Xiao Qiao, Li Tong Tong, Zhao Kai... seven people have already reached the late stage of Qi Refining. Most others are in the middle stage of Qi Refining, and only a dozen or so slowpokes have reached the early stage of Qi Refining. But you, you're still nothing, do you know that in Shui Xian's heart, after three lifetimes, the one she least wants to lose is you, my adorable little brother?"

  Xiao Dou's heart was moved at the same time, and he couldn't help but sigh and smile.

  "All things in life can't be forced, I'm just an ordinary person, and it's already a great joy to have obtained the three lives and three worlds of a foundation period cultivator by chance. I hope that in the days to come, I can still see everyone together, happy and carefree. I am willing to protect you all until... the last moment of my life!"

  In the following days, three girls led more than 200 junior brothers and sisters to force Xiao Dou to practice hard in a bad temper, and it was a closed-door practice. Xiao Xiao set up a spiritual gathering array in a small valley, which allowed Xiao Dou's cultivation speed to increase by 30% to 50%. Having such a large piece of superior land for cultivating immortals is really not given in vain!

  Dispose of those useless materials and collect some spirit stones, which were cast into the Xiaodou's longing bangle without spending any money. Xiaomei said: "It can support two hundred years of use now!"

  The crowd once again helped Xiaodou put on the magical artifact, the Longing Bracelet. Holding several bottles of elixirs, after checking that each of his junior brothers and sisters had enough elixirs to reach the late stage of Qi Refining, Xiaodou returned to the small valley, started circulating his Innate Divine Art, and quietly entered a state of seclusion...