*My Senior Brother also has something going on with this stunningly beautiful Senior Sister Youqin?*
Inside Blue Ling'e's thatched cottage, the only genuine junior sister of Li Changshou sat cross-legged on a cushion behind a low table, cradling a steaming teacup in her hands, her mind racing.
A glance to the left: the ice-cold beauty Youqin Xuanya, who had only just arrived, sat in a composed kneeling posture with her eyes closed, quietly awaiting the senior brother's appearance.
A glance to the right: Auntie Jiu Jiu lay draped across the table, letting out soft snores — the picture of someone profoundly short on sleep.
The atmosphere was, to put it mildly, a touch awkward.
How was it that they had both come looking for *her* Senior Brother?
Her Senior Brother had ventured just once to the Northern Jambu Continent to gather herbs, and had been "marked" by two female Qi Refiners who happened to accompany him? If the training assembly came around next year and he went out again — would there even be room for her to sit here?
A quiet sigh welled up from the depths of Ling'e's heart. She truly could not fathom what her Senior Brother possessed that attracted women. His personality was so cautious and cowardly — how could anyone besides herself find him appealing?
And moreover, the one on her left was the most dazzling star among their generation of disciples.
Still, thinking about it seriously...
*Senior Sister Youqin really is stunning. Even sitting down like that, she is captivating. If I were Senior Brother, I could not resist her charm either.*
*Ugh — no, that is not right either. Senior Brother probably just likes—*
Ling'e turned to glance at the right side again, because Auntie Jiu Jiu's sideways slouch across the table made a certain asset rather more prominent than usual.
Then Ling'e lifted her gaze, caught sight of herself in the bronze mirror behind the door, and could not help pressing a hand to her forehead.
*There is still time for me to develop further in the future, right?*
*Probably.*
Setting her Senior Brother's romantic entanglements aside, as the owner of this thatched cottage, Ling'e felt she could not let the awkwardness continue any longer.
"Senior Sister Youqin," Ling'e said with a smile, her voice soft, "what brings you to our Little Qiong Peak?"
Youqin Xuanya opened her eyes and answered gently: "After returning to the mountain last time, I was punished with solitary reflection in Potian Peak and could not find an opportunity to come thank Senior Brother Li Changshou. Today, having just emerged from meditation, I learned that my punishment period had ended. I received my master's permission and came to Little Qiong Peak to formally express my gratitude."
Ling'e could not help tilting her head slightly. "What did my Senior Brother do... that warrants your thanks, Senior Sister?"
"He saved my life," Youqin Xuanya replied, pressing her lips together lightly and inclining her head just slightly. A faint light flickered in her gem-like eyes. "Twice."
Ling'e blinked...
That expression on Youqin Xuanya's face — it was the same look Ling'e herself often wore when staring into the bronze mirror, thinking of her Senior Brother.
One Auntie Jiu Jiu was already causing enormous pressure. And now Youqin Xuanya had dropped from the sky without warning!
Ling'e pressed her hand to her forehead, her heart alternating between righteous fury and plaintive sorrow. She was not feeling well at all.
*I really do need to claim my Senior Brother by any means necessary before this drags on any further...*
"Eh? Little Ya, what are you doing here too?"
Jiu Jiu suddenly asked in a groggy murmur, rubbing her eyes as she sat up.
Youqin Xuanya respectfully repeated what she had just said, rose to bow to Jiu Jiu, received her permission, and sat down again.
Then Jiu Jiu looked at Ling'e, covered a yawn with her small hand, and asked, "Is the grand formation at the back opened yet?"
Ling'e answered quickly, "No, Auntie. Senior Brother seems to be refining pills or cultivating. I sent him a message charm earlier, but he did not reply."
"Fine. It was supposed to be his pill-refining time... Maybe he had an insight of some sort."
Jiu Jiu studied Ling'e, then glanced at Youqin Xuanya, as if something had just occurred to her. She smiled: "Little Ya happens to be here too. Ling'e — let us play that game!"
Ling'e asked softly, "Which game, Auntie?"
Jiu Jiu's eyes lit up even further. "The one we played with your Senior Brother last month! Wasn't it supposed to be Little Qiong Peak's signature entertainment?"
"Well, of course we can. One moment, Auntie." Ling'e extended a slender finger, pushing the low table toward the door and opening up a broad space between the three of them. She produced a clean beast-hide mat from a storage artifact and spread it before them. Painted on the hide was a long "Cloud Road," divided into small squares, with mountains and great lakes illustrated along the way.
Ling'e asked, "Would you like to play too, Senior Sister Youqin?"
Youqin Xuanya hesitated slightly, gazing at the "map" with visible confusion.
Jiu Jiu added from the side, "Little Changshou made it. It is quite fun."
At those words, Youqin Xuanya nodded at once. "If it is Senior Brother Li Changshou's handiwork, please do allow me to join."
"Senior Sister, please look — the rules are written here."
Following Ling'e's finger, Youqin Xuanya immediately recognized the familiar handwriting and read aloud in a soft voice:
"*Ascension Road* — also known as 'Simulated Immortal Life' or 'Immortal Monopoly'...
Each participant places a wooden figurine representing themselves at the starting point of the Ascension Road and rolls dice to move forward. Each landing square triggers events along the Ascension Road.
At the start, each player receives three hundred spirit-stone points, denoted numerically. The first to reach the Immortality Finish Line wins; or, when any participant wishes to end the game, victory is determined by spirit-stone count.
Note: No immortal sense or spiritual sense may be used to peek into the various treasure chests, and not a single wisp of mana may be used to control the dice."
Youqin Xuanya had barely finished reading when Ling'e placed several colorful wooden boxes to the side, each containing small square tiles bearing a dizzying array of labels. She then set three differently colored wooden figurines at the Cloud Road's starting point and produced a six-sided die.
Everything was ready.
Youqin Xuanya had never seen anything like this. She looked on in mild bewilderment.
Jiu Jiu laughed: "You will understand after one round, Xuanya! Come, come — let us begin! I will roll first!"
Ling'e hastened to say, "We have to play rock-paper-scissors to decide who rolls first."
"Fine, fine. You two youngsters have no respect for your elders — very well, rock-paper-scissors it is!"
Youqin Xuanya watched this somewhat hyperactive Auntie Jiu Jiu, and beside her, the dead-serious Blue Ling'e lecturing her aunt. Though she felt slightly out of her element, she cooperated — playing rock-paper-scissors and arranging the dice order...
And she won the rock-paper-scissors.
Youqin Xuanya rolled first and got a five. She moved her figurine five squares along the Cloud Road and read the label beneath its feet.
*"You performed admirably while sweeping the mountain gate steps and received a reward of twenty spirit stones from a senior."*
"Senior Sister, write plus twenty next to your spirit-stone total!"
"Oh — very well." Youqin Xuanya did as instructed, having grasped the general rules by now.
Beside her, Jiu Jiu snatched up the die, huffed on her palm for good luck, and tossed it carefully. Seeing the die settle with "three" facing up, Jiu Jiu broke into a grin. Her figurine advanced three squares, landing in a square marked with a purple star.
"Quick — the purple treasure chest! Draw a card, draw a card!"
Ling'e handed over the purple chest, and Jiu Jiu fished around inside it. Before long she pulled out a wooden tile.
"Good stuff, good stuff! Ling'e — your turn. Roll! Roll a Golden Pill for your Auntie!"
Youqin Xuanya studied the tile carefully. On its front were four characters: **[Same Here]**. On the back, two lines of explanation read:
*"Automatically triggered after the current participant completes their turn. The holder may forcibly copy the gains of any other participant this round."*
"My turn! Heh heh!"
Ling'e rolled a two — a blank square, yielding nothing.
Jiu Jiu immediately pulled a disgusted face, aimed the tile at Youqin Xuanya, and shouted: "[Same Here]! What a letdown — I finally drew this card, and it only nets me twenty spirit stones."
Youqin Xuanya could not help but laugh softly. She picked up the die and rolled naturally, this time triggering a random event. From a blue wooden chest she drew a bamboo tile.
**[Found a Soulmate]**: You have found the partner with whom you will spend your entire life. A wedding banquet is held; collect one hundred spirit-stone gifts from each of the other participants.
Jiu Jiu and Ling'e immediately launched into a chorus of complaints...
Youqin Xuanya, however, murmured in admiration, "May I take a look at these tiles? Senior Brother Li Changshou is truly brimming with ingenuity."
The two others, deep in the fun, had no choice but to pause the game and show Youqin Xuanya all the bamboo tiles, wooden tiles, copper tiles, and jade tiles from the various boxes.
The four kinds of tiles each came in twelve varieties, corresponding to "Skills," "Positive Random Events," "Negative Random Events," and "Treasures."
Such as...
**[Life Is So Hard]**: You reflect on the hardships of your cultivation journey and are overcome with grief at how hard-won your progress has been. The other players, to comfort you, each give you fifty spirit stones.
**[Epiphany]**: Advance one square.
**[Addicted to Trivia]**: You have become obsessed with poetry, song, dance, and soft entertainment, neglecting your cultivation. You forfeit your next two dice rolls.
**[Grand Hustle Card]**: You activate the Dao technique "Grand Hustle Art" and successfully swindle your previous target out of two hundred spirit stones or one treasure of your choice.
And so on.
"Did Senior Brother Li Changshou really make all of these?" Youqin Xuanya asked, her eyes wide with wonder. The other two had no choice but to nod confirmation again and again.
"Stop staring, Little Ya — let us continue!"
"Forgive me, Auntie. I was being rude. This is truly quite fascinating."
"Tch tch — watch me! Hah — another card draw! Come forth, [Same Here]!"
"Auntie Jiu Jiu, no cheating."
"As if I would. Would I need to cheat against two little juniors like you?"
Gradually, the thatched cottage filled with laughter, and every trace of the earlier awkwardness vanished.
By the time evening fell, Li Changshou — who had just broken through to a new minor sub-stage after glimpsing the upper volume of the *Wuwei Scripture* — was strolling back from the forest. He had previously been in his underground chamber and had now stabilized his aura so that no one could detect any discrepancy.
From a distance he could hear the laughter drifting from the cottage. His spiritual sense confirmed Youqin Xuanya's presence.
*Toxic — why is she here?*
After a moment's thought, Li Changshou silently turned around and walked back toward the pill chamber. The sounds of laughter chased after him on the wind.
Jiu Jiu's laughter was characteristically boisterous: "Ha ha ha ha! [Same Here]! Your Auntie is rich, rich, rich!"
Youqin Xuanya's laughter was restrained, and it was rare to hear her complain: "Alas, I truly am unlucky. I am addicted to trivia again."
And Blue Ling'e, who had just won a round, smirked triumphantly at the other two and declared: "Life is so hard. Time to collect my spirit stones."
Li Changshou could not help but chuckle softly. He activated the outer formations, his thoughts already turning to the East Sea — only a few days away.
He should go check his reserves.
With Auntie Jiu Jiu's help over these past years, he had refined a great many poison pills capable of killing True Immortals. He still needed to process them into powder or liquid form for ease of use in combat.
This time there would likely be no need for them — but one could never be too prepared.