"Once Sister Iceberg Overlord Woman wakes up, remember to tell her that I've reached Purple Mansion!"
Qi Yuan dropped a message in the Divine Flower Society group chat and exited.
Walking along the paths of the Divine Light Sect, all the cultivators—whether disciples or elders—wore looks of reverent awe when they saw Qi Yuan.
Evidently, today's Qi Yuan had become a legendary figure in the Divine Light Sect.
"Is that Eldest Senior Brother?"
"I heard he's even stronger than Senior Brother Kang Fulu!"
"Didn't Senior Brother Kang make it onto the Eastern Lands Heavenly Pride Roll?"
Several disciples exclaimed in surprise.
Never mind the Eastern Lands Heavenly Pride Roll, even the Great Shang Prodigy Ranking was an unattainable height for them.
"What's the Eastern Lands Heavenly Pride Roll? Senior Brother Qi Yuan has been on... the Canglan Heavenly Pride Roll!"
"Ah? What ranking is that?"
"Heh heh, you don't know, do you? The brother of my uncle's nephew told me he saw with his own eyes that Qi Yuan made it onto the mysterious Canglan Heavenly Pride Roll!"
"I don't believe it. That's definitely a rumor! Senior Brother Kang Fulu is the foremost prodigy of the Divine Light Sect—he dares to... peek at junior sisters bathing!"
"Senior Brother Qi Yuan is the real deal—he dared to steal a beautiful elder's undergarments!"
The crowd somehow broke into an argument over this.
Watching the scene unfold, Qi Yuan felt utterly helpless. "Hey, I have never stolen a beautiful elder's undergarments. Please refrain from spreading rumors!"
"Eldest Senior Brother!" The disciples hurriedly bowed in greeting.
The female disciple who had spoken up for Qi Yuan earlier declared with immense pride, "Senior Brother Qi Yuan didn't steal a beautiful elder's undergarments—the beautiful elder personally delivered them in the middle of the night!"
She felt exceedingly proud of her quick wit, preventing Senior Brother Qi Yuan from being painted as a thief.
"Oh..."
Qi Yuan was at a loss for words.
Something like that... seemed to have actually happened.
However, that was caused by the bouts of madness and chaos throughout the Divine Light Sect while he was refining the qi of the five elements.
It couldn't be taken seriously.
"You, ah, you. It's been three years, and you've made some progress, becoming an official disciple. Stop spreading wild rumors! Official disciples represent the face of the Divine Light Sect, too."
Qi Yuan tossed a casual remark to this fan of his, and his figure dissolved into thin air.
Hearing this, pleasant surprise flashed in the woman's eyes. "Senior Brother Qi Yuan... actually remembers me!"
Back then, she had been an errand disciple on Divine Medicine Peak in charge of reception. When Senior Brother Qi Yuan went to Divine Medicine Peak to request herbs, she had received him and recommended Elder Xuanchong.
Later, Senior Brother Qi Yuan had even pointed out the flaw in her physical cultivation, allowing her to resolve it, advance her cultivation, and become an official disciple.
...
Back on Seven Colors Peak, Qi Yuan was in quite a good mood.
Having reached Purple Mansion, his prestige and class naturally had to be upgraded.
He could not tolerate seeing any house in the Divine Light Sect with more class than his own.
True Monarch Kumu had taken Qi Yuan's blueprint designs and gone off to gather workers, preparing to break ground and build Qi Yuan a modern multi-story house.
"Only with a modern house can it match my status. When my wives move in, they won't have to worry about lacking their own independent bedrooms!" Qi Yuan thought to himself.
And of course, there was his daughter Qi Jianjun, who ran around all over the place every day doing reckless fishing.
Currently, he had no idea where his daughter Qi Jianjun had run off to fish.
As for Shen Wushen, he was likely still in the Upper Realm; according to Qi Yuan's calculations, it would not be long before he descended to deliver a divine art to Qi Yuan.
Thinking of Shen Wushen, Qi Yuan couldn't help glancing toward the palatial pavilions atop Seven Colors Peak and that gigantic Ancient Qi Toon Tree.
"Shen Wushen once said it would take three years for the letter to reach Jin Li's hands, and two and a half years have already passed..."
In half a year, Jin Li would receive his letter.
A faint ripple stirred in Qi Yuan's heart.
He recalled the petite figure of the Yue Nü beside July Lake, as well as Empress Jin Li, whom he had never met.
"Eldest Senior Brother, run!"
Just then, an urgent cry rang out. Jiang Lingsu, wrapped up tightly in clothes, darted over to Qi Yuan's side and clamped tightly onto his arm.
Jiang Lingsu's voice instantly snapped Qi Yuan out of his melancholy.
"What is it?" he asked. "Why such a rush? Did the sky collapse or something?"
Now that Qi Yuan was a legendary Purple Mansion grand cultivator, he naturally had to maintain his composure—remaining calm even if Mount Tai crumbled before him.
"My dad is coming!" Jiang Lingsu cried anxiously.
In Qi Yuan's mind, the image of that enthusiastic middle-aged man instantly surfaced.
Back then on the spirit boat, that uncle had been exceedingly warm.
To fulfill his grand scheme of "tricking" everyone into uploading cultivation techniques to the Divine Flower Society, Qi Yuan had personally fabricated stories under the account Origin Celestial Venerable.
Tales about being of humble birth, looked down upon and scorned by senior brothers.
Then, uploading techniques to the Divine Flower Society, exchanging them for powerful arts, and winning endless favors—a cold, aloof senior sister casting flirtatious glances, and a busty junior sister sneaking into his room in the dead of night.
At the time, Jiang Ruhua had taken Origin Celestial Venerable's story as gospel and personally used his own life experience to advise Qi Yuan to choose the busty junior sister.
As for what if the busty junior sister's father objected?
Just cook the raw rice into cooked rice—have the busty junior sister show up with a pregnant belly, and that old fossil of a father would have no choice but to pinch his nose and accept it!
Sharing life experience with a junior and indulging in playing teacher was immensely satisfying.
Except... when that busty junior sister's father turned out to be himself, Jiang Ruhua broke down.
He neglected his businesses and took up direct residence in Great Shang.
The moment he heard Qi Yuan had awakened, he rushed over here immediately.
Hearing that it was Jiang Ruhua, Qi Yuan lost his cool as well. "We really do need to run. Otherwise... it'll be too awkward!"
Qi Yuan had severe social anxiety and didn't dare face Jiang Ruhua again.
How awkward would that reunion be?
"Run!" Qi Yuan grabbed Jiang Lingsu and dissolved into a blur, vanishing from sight.
Outside Seven Colors Peak, Jiang Ruhua, dressed in a green robe, looked at the streak of light in the sky and couldn't help cursing furiously, "You little brat, what are you running for?!"
He sorely wished he could slash out with a sword.
Yet his daughter was right there!
"Little brat! You even had me muted on the Divine Flower Society! Zero respect for your elders!"
Jiang Ruhua fumed with resentment.
He had originally planned to spread rumors on the Divine Flower Society forum, only to find that the moment he cursed Origin Celestial Venerable, his account was muted.
"Sigh, what a miscalculation! I passed down dragon-slaying skills to that kid, only to find out I'm the dragon!"
...
Helan Continent, situated in the north of the Eastern Lands, ranked lower-middle among the Thirteen Continents of the Eastern Lands.
At this moment, on an upper floor of an attic pavilion, a man in a blood-red robe leaned against the railing, his gaze drifting over the cultivators passing below from time to time, his eyes filled with contemplation.
Beside him, Jiang Lingsu held a messaging jade slip, seemingly chattering away a storm of complaints to someone.
After an unknown amount of time, Qi Yuan stretched his arms. "I truly am far too hardworking and diligent."
Ever since arriving in Helan Continent, Qi Yuan spent every day using his eyes to "peek" at the world's cultivators.
Anyone at Foundation Establishment or above bore a mark within their body.
His eyes provided an informative prompt each day when examining a person's mark.
Thus, his "peeking" into the marks inside the bodies of people across the world was aimed at discovering a method to eliminate or seal the mark.
"Good thing I'm looking from afar. Otherwise, if this were on a subway, wouldn't I be exposed all over the internet?"
Qi Yuan counted his blessings that he lived in an era without subways.
Otherwise, with his high-intensity scanning, he would surely be caught and branded a sleazeball taking creepshots.
Naturally, Qi Yuan was no sleazeball; though he peeked, he strictly inspected only the marks, never glancing at a single extraneous detail.
During these days, having examined so many marks, his gains were not particularly numerous.
Even so, he had developed a few ideas and backup plans.
"Senior Brother, how did it go?" Seeing that her senior brother was no longer lost in deep thought, Jiang Lingsu inquired.
In truth, her urge to vent was bursting at the seams right now, and she had just been waiting for Qi Yuan to finish his serious business.
Though she had no idea what Eldest Senior Brother was up to, she was always willing to be a good listener.
"Regarding sealing the mark, I have two plans.
"The first plan is to use my origin divine ability, the Great Oblivion Heart Scripture, chanting scriptures to the mark every day until it forgets it's poisonous.
"The second plan is a bit cruel: kill everyone with a mark. A person's death is like a snuffed-out lamp, so wouldn't the mark vanish? Then, I'll establish a Netherworld and have them resurrect inside it—wouldn't that be wonderful?"
Jiang Lingsu froze for a second, then looked at Qi Yuan and said in all earnestness, "Eldest Senior Brother, did you... actually come up with these two plans? Why do they look like something your brain couldn't possibly conceive?"
"Ahem, I, Origin Celestial Venerable, never plagiarize!" Qi Yuan sophistically argued, though he soon added, "Both plans carry tremendous risks. If anything goes slightly awry... sigh."
"Senior Brother, will you keep observing, then?" Jiang Lingsu asked eagerly.
"No more observing. I've finished looking at every cultivator in Helan Continent; I'm taking a break." Qi Yuan's prolonged viewing had naturally not been confined to the cultivators walking through this city.
Every cultivator in all of Helan Continent at Foundation Establishment or above had been peeked at by him.
"Senior Brother, you really know how to brag—even better than Qiong Yunting!" Jiang Lingsu rolled her eyes at him.
Even if Eldest Senior Brother had advanced to Purple Mansion, there was no way he could scan every single cultivator in Helan Continent with a casual glance.
"What did that 'sister' of yours brag about this time?" Qi Yuan asked with a smile.
During their past few days in Helan Continent, that painter had been away and hadn't returned.
Consequently, Qi Yuan stayed at the Jiang family's estate in Helan Continent.
Upon learning of Jiang Lingsu's arrival, a "sister" of hers kept inviting Jiang Lingsu out under the guise of hanging out, but in reality, she was bragging about how incredible a Dao companion she had snagged.
At first, when Qiong Yunting saw Qi Yuan, her eyes glowed, assuming he was Jiang Lingsu's sweetheart.
Later, however, when she heard that Qi Yuan hailed from a petty realm that didn't even possess a Purple Mansion cultivator, her glowing eyes turned into glances of disdain.
She nonetheless visited Jiang Lingsu daily just to flaunt her fiancé.
"Sister my foot!" Jiang Lingsu fumed. "Her fiancé came out of secluded cultivation and stepped into the Divine Infant Realm."
"Aren't you sisters?" Qi Yuan asked in surprise. "Didn't you two get along quite harmoniously before?"
Qi Yuan recalled when Jiang Lingsu and Qiong Yunting met earlier.
Qiong Yunting had praised Jiang Lingsu for eating so much yet keeping such a great figure, saying how envious she was; she herself ate so little every day, managed her figure, and weighed under a hundred jin, so why couldn't she have such a fantastic body?
Jiang Lingsu had also praised Qiong Yunting for looking so adorable and having such fair skin.
The two had showered each other with flattery in seemingly great harmony.
"Harmonious? Hmph! She's nothing but a green tea bitch!" Jiang Lingsu grumbled angrily.
The phrase "green tea" was something Jiang Lingsu had picked up from Qi Yuan.
"Is that so?" Qi Yuan didn't dwell on it.
After all, thinking too much made one grow a brain.
Far too exhausting.
Just then, a soft, seductive voice drifted over as a woman in an ornate palace gown approached. "Little Sister Lingsu, I knew you were here. Oh my, that wine-red gown of yours today truly suits you wonderfully. It's just a bit green. Once you grow up a bit more and mature, it will surely look magnificent on you!"
Jiang Lingsu wore a genial smile, but behind gritted teeth, she was already transmitting her voice to Qi Yuan:
"She says I'll look good once I grow up, but she's actually saying I don't look good now and that I'm pretending to be mature!"
Even as she sent the voice transmission, Jiang Lingsu replied in a soft, gentle whisper, "I couldn't possibly compare to you, Older Sister. At your age, you're still so adorable. As for this gown, it's really quite ordinary. In fact, I don't think you could ever wear it in this lifetime, Sister—if you wore it, it'd look like a little girl wearing an overcoat, making it rather hard to tell front from back! I truly envy you, Sister; when you buy clothes, you never have to worry about size. And when you slay highwayman cultivators, you can even wear the robes taken straight from the men!"
The smile on Qiong Yunting's face stiffened slightly before smoothing out into a grin. "Though my background isn't as grand as yours, Little Sister, I have good fortune—I found a wonderful husband. As for those highwayman robes, I've long grown past caring for them. Sigh, it's quite a headache, really. I actually miss the days when I was poor; slaying a single highwayman and finding a few dozen spirit stones in their storage bag made me thrilled beyond belief. Not anymore. That's why, sigh, Older Sister envies you two—slaying a random highwayman and opening their storage bag still keeps you happy for days on end. Sigh, sometimes being rich truly isn't great; so many simple joys just disappear."
Qiong Yunting spoke with supreme humblebragging finesse.
Jiang Lingsu rolled her eyes wildly on the inside.
The woman was calling her and Eldest Senior Brother poor.
Still, a benign smile remained on her face as she organized her words, preparing a counterattack.
Right then, Qi Yuan spoke up. "I just love killing highwaymen. They are my enemies, my white moonlight! As the ancients said: 'The passage of time flows on like this river, never ceasing day or night!' I only hope my enemies do just like that verse says—dying day and night without end, and surrendering all their life's savings to me. I'm just too short on money. Sigh, being poor is tough; I can't even afford a plot of land."
Hearing Qi Yuan's words, Qiong Yunting was momentarily taken aback.
Much of what he said went completely over her head.
However, she understood part of it, and disdain stirred in her heart.
People from petty backwaters truly lacked vision.
And were strapped for cash.
"Junior Brother Qi, how many spirit stones are you short on? My husband's family in Yuntian City is fairly well-to-do; taking out tens of thousands or even over a hundred thousand spirit stones casually is no trouble at all. Out of consideration for my years of friendship with Lingsu, lending you some spirit stones is no issue."
"For real?" Qi Yuan's face lit up with pleasant surprise.
He truly was short on money.
Short on money to buy land for the Netherworld, and short on money to buy the Arch Star.
"As it happens, my husband is hosting a Divine Infant Banquet tonight. You two can just prepare a small congratulatory gift and offer a few flattering words. Once I whisper in my husband's ear, we can certainly lend you plenty of spirit stones. Given all these years of friendship between Lingsu and me, would I ever deceive you?"
"Your sisterly affection truly runs deep as the ocean!" Qi Yuan said cheerfully. "Since we have nothing else to do, visiting the Divine Infant Banquet sounds great—a perfect chance to borrow some money."
Seeing Qi Yuan act like this, Qiong Yunting felt all the more smug.
When the time came, she and her husband would play good cop, bad cop, tossing out a few thousand spirit stones to dismiss them.
"Little Sister, you absolutely must attend this Divine Infant Banquet. Many prominent figures in Helan Continent will be there. Your Jiang family's businesses in Helan Continent are in quite a mess right now, almost on the verge of being driven out of Helan Continent. If you can get acquainted with some powerful grand cultivators, you might just resolve your Jiang family's troubles!"
Chapter 383