After Su Qing left, Gongsun Zhixue's figure appeared on the ginkgo tree.
Gongsun Zhixue looked in the direction Su Qing had left, waved her pink fists, and said through gritted teeth:
“If you dare not come back, when I cultivate into human form, I will definitely give you a good beating.”
Finally, she looked at the empty courtyard again and sighed softly.
“I got used to them being here; now that it’s suddenly empty, I’m really not used to it!”
Gongsun Zhixue jumped down from the tree, looked at the Bodhi tree seedling nearby, and walked over.
“Hey, were you also left at home? How pitiful! But it’s okay, I’ll keep you company.”
“It’s a pity you haven’t developed a spirit yet. If you had sentience… you’d probably be a better playmate, wouldn’t you?”
Gongsun Zhixue squatted in front of the seedling, talking to herself.
Suddenly.
The seedling shook its leaves, scattering specks of shimmering light, and actually grew a bit taller.
This startled Gongsun Zhixue, who couldn't help but stare at the seedling and exclaim:
“How come this tree grew as soon as Sister left? So what do you eat to grow? It didn’t grow for so long before, but today it suddenly grew?”
Naturally, no one could answer Gongsun Zhixue’s words, and the seedling itself couldn’t answer Gongsun Zhixue either.
Zhixue pouted and then turned and disappeared.
Su Qing, riding the Somersault Cloud, quickly arrived at Aolai Kingdom.
Aolai Kingdom, being close to the sea, was naturally quite prosperous.
Coming to the Mortal World once again, Su Qing was naturally quite excited.
Walking on the street, looking here and there, she was quite curious about the changes in this human world…
“Leng Xiang, aren’t you going to stay by my side? Why don’t you show your body and go shopping with me?” Su Qing asked with a smile.
Ever since arriving on this bustling human street, Leng Xiang had shyly hidden herself again, showing no intention of appearing.
On the contrary, several Little Sparrows were quite joyful… flying around everywhere. If Su Qing hadn't told them not to fly far, they probably would have flown off to who knows where.
“I… I’m sorry, Master… there are just too many people here. I’m a little scared…” Leng Xiang said, feeling slightly embarrassed.
Originally, after a hundred years of mortal life, Leng Xiang’s social anxiety had improved somewhat.
But it seemed that after decades of quiet cultivation, Leng Xiang’s social anxiety had worsened again.
Upon hearing this, Su Qing smiled helplessly and said, “Never mind, if you don’t want to come out, then don’t! It’s just that I feel a bit regretful; I was really looking forward to shopping with you.”
Hearing Su Qing’s words, Leng Xiang quickly said, “Ma… Master… I will try my best to overcome it.”
Su Qing smiled and said nothing more, only, “Alright, alright, just take your time.”
If Leng Xiang didn't want to come out, Su Qing naturally wouldn't force her.
She just walked alone on the street, observing the mortal world's prosperity.
As she walked, Su Qing suddenly heard a little girl’s cry of pain, accompanied by a cat’s meow.
Su Qing paused, turned her head to look in the direction of the sound, and saw an old farmer holding a small fox by its tail and hitting it.
He was shouting: “Yell, all you do is yell! If you were a bit bigger, I could sell your fur, but why are you so small, only fit for meat! Do you know how many copper coins I’ve lost because of this! And you’re still yelling! I haven’t even yelled yet!”
The old farmer said, stomping his foot, seemingly quite angry.
Seeing this, Su Qing pondered for a moment, then walked up and asked:
“Old man, where did you catch this fox?”
The old farmer heard this, looked up at Su Qing, and seeing her dressed in extraordinary clothes, like a wealthy person, his expression immediately changed.
“I caught it in the chicken coop in the middle of the night a few days ago!”
“Oh? Did this little thing steal your chickens?”
“Yes, this little thing killed two of my laying hens.”
The old farmer spoke of this with indignation and sorrow:
“Alas, I had planned to sell this little thing to the fur store to get some money to buy a few more hens, but I didn’t expect this fox to be too small; the fur store didn’t want it, saying there weren’t enough pieces of fur to take off.”
“However, this little thing looks quite adorable. Miss, why not be benevolent and buy it as a pet?”
Upon hearing this, Su Qing couldn't help but smile and said, “This little thing is indeed somewhat cute. Old man, how much is this fox?”
“Not expensive, not expensive, 50 coins is enough!”
“That’s not expensive.” Su Qing nodded slightly, took fifty copper coins from her sleeve, and handed them to the old man.
“Thank you, Miss, thank you, Miss!” The old man quickly thanked her after receiving the coins.
He then handed the fox to Su Qing, reminding her: “Miss, please be careful, although this fox is small, its bite can be quite painful.”
“Mm.”
Su Qing nodded slightly and took the fox.
The fox had long since developed sentience and naturally knew Su Qing was saving it.
Once it was in Su Qing’s hands, it immediately became docile, neither crying nor making a fuss.
The old man looked at Su Qing rather strangely, then said, “How odd, how odd. Miss, could you be a Bodhisattva reincarnated? This fox, which had been yelling all day, is so quiet in your hands.”
Upon hearing this, Su Qing smiled and said, “I am no Bodhisattva reincarnated. Perhaps this fox is sentient and knows I bear no ill will.”
With that, Su Qing said goodbye to the old man, turned, and left, holding the little fox.
The little fox seemed tired. It looked up at Su Qing, thanked her, and soon fell asleep.
“Why did Little Green Sister pick up a fox?”
“Is this fox also a demon? Like us?”
“Little Green Sister…”
The Little Sparrows, seeing the fox in Su Qing’s arms, couldn't help but chirp and ask.
Su Qing smiled helplessly and said, “Yes, this little fellow, like you all, is a sentient demon.”
In truth, this little thing could barely be called a demon; at most, it was just a sentient animal.
Su Qing saving this fox was merely an act of convenience.
If she had to give a reason…
It was probably because she was able to live to this day thanks to someone’s help in the past.
So, when she saw similar situations, Su Qing would also lend a hand…
Moreover, saving this fox was not difficult at all, just fifty copper coins.
Chatting, Su Qing unknowingly left the city.
She patted the fox in her arms, woke it up, and said, “Little fellow… wake up.”
The little fox woke up, looked up at Su Qing, and after a long moment, said:
“Thank you, Sister, for saving me… but my cultivation is low now, I can’t even beat a mortal, and I don’t know how to repay you.”
“It was just a small effort, why talk about repayment? Alright, your injuries aren’t serious, and the pill I just fed you is enough for you to recover. Now, go back to the mountains.”
Su Qing shook her head slightly. Saving her was just a small effort and didn't require any repayment.
The little fox quickly shook its head upon hearing this, saying:
“No, no, I heard people say that kindness must be repaid. If not, one cannot achieve true fruition, so I must repay you, Sister. Why don’t you tell me your name, and when I succeed in cultivation later, I will repay you!”
Su Qing smiled helplessly, truly feeling a bit exasperated; why were all the demons and humans she encountered like this?
She laughed, “You can just call me Su Qing… Now that you know my name, go on. Don’t steal chickens again, lest you get caught.”
“I won’t dare, I won’t dare!”
The fox heard this, bowed to Su Qing in a human-like manner, and then swiftly ran back into the forest.
Seeing this, Su Qing chuckled and muttered to herself:
“I’ll go shopping again… and think about where to go next. I should have made my travel plans more detailed.”
Rate on N.U.
