The moment he realized Li Niansheng might be interested in Yixiu, the Linglong Sect Leader instantly conceived several plans.
"Nephew Yixiu, how has your master, Meditation Master Huihai, been lately?"
Seeing the Linglong Sect Leader greeting him so warmly, Yixiu was bewildered. He couldn't understand why the famously aloof Longevity Fairy would favor such an ordinary wooden carving. And everyone seemed to be misunderstanding something.
"Replying to the Sect Leader, my master is in good health. It was due to a recent enlightenment that he sent this junior here."
"Neither haughty nor humble, truly a famed master produces a distinguished disciple. We elders won't interfere in you young people's affairs. A hundred years from now, when your realm has stabilized, remember to come to Linglong Sect to propose."
Yixiu: ???
"Sect Leader, you've misunderstood, I'm not—"
Hearing this, Yixiu panicked and hurriedly tried to explain. But before he could finish, the Linglong Sect Leader interrupted him.
"Ah! Young people, don't be so indecisive! And don't feel embarrassed just because your strength is temporarily a bit lacking. As the saying goes, 'An older wife by three years brings gold bricks; by thirty years, she brings a kingdom; by three thousand, she positions you among the immortals.' My closed-door disciple may be fifty years your senior, but that's no major issue for cultivators. As for your master, I, Zhao Dezhu, will speak to him personally. It's not like Tianfo Temple has no precedent for taking Dao companions. Your master will have to give me this much face; after all, we've known each other for over three hundred years."
Seeing the situation getting increasingly misconstrued the more he explained, Yixiu immediately stopped trying. For now, the only plan was to wait until he could explain clearly during his private meeting with Elder-Master Longevity.
Li Niansheng returned to the Elder's seat, and the Linglong Sect's ceremony continued.
...
Linglong Town.
"Elder-Master, that's the situation. This wooden carving isn't mine. There really was a coffin shop here before, you have to believe me!"
Looking at the completely empty coffin shop, Yixiu was on the verge of tears. That scoundrel Chen Changsheng had vanished without a trace, and now Yixiu felt he couldn't clear his name even with a hundred mouths.
After the ceremony ended, Yixiu had rushed to find Li Niansheng to explain. To make her believe him, he truthfully recounted all his encounters with Chen Changsheng over the years. But just when he brought Li Niansheng to see Chen Changsheng to prove his innocence, the former coffin shop was gone. All traces of Chen Changsheng's life had vanished, leaving only an empty storefront. It was as if Chen Changsheng had never existed.
However, faced with Yixiu's anxiety, Li Niansheng remained calm from start to finish.
After a long while, Li Niansheng spoke. "Yixiu, do you wish to become my Dao companion?"
The moment these words were spoken, Yixiu's eyelids began twitching wildly.
"No. I don't wish it now, and I won't wish it in the future."
"That's for the best," Li Niansheng nodded. "If you dare entertain such a thought, I will pluck your bald head from your shoulders. From now on, no matter who asks you, you are not to mention the name Chen Changsheng. If you dare reveal even half a word, your life will be forfeit."
Faced with Li Niansheng's murderous threat, Yixiu immediately realized something was amiss. Elder-Master Longevity seemed to know Chen Changsheng, and by the looks of it, had known him for a very long time!
"Elder-Master, rest assured. This junior guarantees I will not reveal half a word. But... this junior often came here. If someone investigates thoroughly, they might find some clues. How should this junior respond then?"
Upon hearing this, Li Niansheng thought for a moment. "You can truthfully recount your experiences with him, but conceal his appearance and name. If someone insists on knowing how he referred to himself, say he called himself 'The Undertaker'."
"This junior understands. Then... will this junior be able to see him again?"
"You probably will. After all, he is a person who values old connections."
Having said that, Li Niansheng turned and left.
Yixiu glanced at Li Niansheng's retreating figure, then looked again at the empty coffin shop. Many questions had accumulated in his heart, but there was no one to answer them. Perhaps the only way to resolve these questions was time itself.
...
Somewhere in the wilderness.
"Green Dragon to the left, White Tiger to the right, Vermilion Bird in front, Black Tortoise behind. It truly is an auspicious geomantic site."
After checking the compass in his hand once more, Chen Changsheng excitedly slapped his thigh. After the teleportation array activated, he had been sent to this desolate place. Upon arrival, Chen Changsheng immediately set about finding a suitable "geomantic treasure site".
Accompanying Niansheng as she grew up had taken eight years. The journey to the Linglong Sect took fifty years. After arriving near the Linglong Sect, he had stayed in Linglong Town for another twenty years. Of his eighty-year lifespan, only two years remained now. As he was about to begin his slumber, finding a "good place" was natural.
Once the location was determined, Chen Changsheng immediately began digging. However, this digging lasted a full year.
...
Tsk tsk!
"Simply perfect. How did I come up with such a brilliant idea?"
Pacing back and forth inside the cave, Chen Changsheng couldn't suppress his smile. He had spent a year painstakingly digging a cave into the mountainside. To prevent disturbance during his slumber, he had created a foolproof disguise for the entrance.
Above the cave entrance, Chen Changsheng had piled a large amount of soil mixed with numerous seeds. As soon as it rained, the loose soil above would wash down. This eroded soil would then adhere to the stone blocking the entrance. After the seeds naturally grew for a year or two, all traces of human excavation would vanish without a trace.
After briefly admiring his own design, Chen Changsheng took a jade coffin from his system space. The jade coffin was filled with a liquid emitting a medicinal aroma. This was the second task before his slumber: the Artificial Spirit Root.
"System, will this method really work?"
"Whether it works or not, Host, you will know once you try. The consequence of failure is merely wasting slumber time, which you care little about anyway."
Hearing this, Chen Changsheng nodded. "True. Even if it fails, I lose nothing."
With that, Chen Changsheng took off his clothes, climbed into the jade coffin filled with medicinal liquid, and began his eighty-year slumber.
After obtaining the Blood Demon Patriarch's memoir, Chen Changsheng had continuously pondered the concept of an Artificial Spirit Root. After pondering for ten years, he had actually devised a safe and reliable method.