Chapter 16 - Scattering

Chapter 16 - Scattering.

Su Qing's words made the woman breathe a sigh of relief, feeling a little pleasantly surprised. She couldn't help but thank her repeatedly...

The little girl, however, still looked like she hadn't processed what was happening. She stood there in a daze, led by her mother to kowtow and kneel together.

Su Qing flicked her tongue, telling them to stop bowing. Then she said faintly, "There is an old well in the courtyard behind. Although the rope has rotted, there is still water inside, and it's usable."

Since Su Qing had softened and let the mother and daughter stay, she might as well be a good snake to the end. Besides, it was just a matter of pointing out a place to get water.

Seeing the woman about to kneel and thank her again, Su Qing helplessly wagged her tail. Why do ancient people kneel at the drop of a hat!

She coiled her body up again and instructed the two not to make too much noise and disturb her sleep. Then she couldn't be bothered with them anymore.

In any case, the woman didn't have much time left. Su Qing didn't know if this ability of hers was worth mentioning... but she could indeed sense a person's condition to a certain extent.

It was hard to say about other aspects... but she could roughly tell how far someone was from death. This feeling had become even more acute, especially after the incident with the Cat Immortal...

Now that she could sense a trace of deathly aura from the woman, it was clear that her illness was likely not as simple as a common cold.

If she couldn't get treatment... death was most likely the only path.

However, Su Qing knew this, and that was all. She didn't have the ability to treat others' illnesses. She knew nothing of Chinese medicine... she didn't even have hands. So, Su Qing was completely helpless.

The only thing she could do was to let them stay here for the time being, to avoid traveling that would worsen the illness and lead to a quicker death. Anyway, she would be leaving in a few days... having two more people around wouldn't be a bother for too long. She would just treat it as a daily good deed.

After Su Qing's instructions, the mother and daughter were indeed much quieter. They did not disturb Su Qing's second sleep.

After a comfortable second sleep... Su Qing was finally woken by hunger in the evening. After a whole winter, Su Qing had actually been starving for a long time.

If she hadn't been so sleepy, Su Qing might have gone out to find food before her nap. But just like someone who sleeps through lunch... she always felt she could hold out a little longer... and wait to eat with dinner.

So, it was only now that she left the ruined temple to hunt for food. Seeing Su Qing leave the temple, the mother and daughter silently breathed a sigh of relief... knowing that the Willow Immortal was truly a good demon... at least she didn't treat them as food when she got hungry.

If Su Qing knew what the woman was thinking, she would probably roast her a bit... after all, if she weren't a good demon, they would have committed a capital offense just by disturbing her.

Winter passed, and the weather grew warmer. Most animals were no longer hiding in their dens... so, when Su Qing hunted, the difficulty was significantly lower.

It only took a little while for Su Qing to eat until she was half-full. She didn't plan to eat her fill; if she did, she would get drowsy and might just find a random place to sleep on the way back.

On the way back, after a moment of thought, Su Qing casually caught a half-grown wild piglet. She tossed it to the mother and daughter, lest they starve to death before the illness could kill them...

"Take it! For the sake of your daughter's filial piety." Su Qing seemed to want to maintain her lofty persona as the Willow Immortal. "Tell me about the mortal world... Why did you run to my place? Instead of staying safely at home, what are you doing out here in the desolate wilderness?"

Perhaps Su Qing felt that wasn't enough, or maybe she was simply bored and wanted to hear a story. In any case, that's what she said to the mother and daughter.

Seeing the wild piglet, the mother and daughter's eyes lit up... as if they wanted to grab it and start gnawing on it right away... It was unclear if they had even heard Su Qing's words.

Seeing this, Su Qing shook her head slightly. She knew that common people in this era did not live well... but she hadn't expected this mother and daughter to have it even worse. They probably hadn't seen meat in a very long time, right? Who knew?

Su Qing flicked her tongue... she didn't interrupt, just quietly waited for the mother and daughter's excitement to pass. Fortunately, although the two were excited, they hadn't forgotten the great snake beside them... they still remembered who had brought it.

The mother and daughter quickly suppressed their excitement and began to kowtow in thanks again. This made Su Qing feel helpless once more... she had no interest in watching people kneel to her, nor in these repetitive thanks. She just urged the two to hurry up and tell her about the mortal world...

Seeing this, the mother and daughter quickly began to speak of worldly affairs. The woman had clearly never been to any faraway places... she only knew of a few major events. What she knew best was merely the tragedy that had befallen her.

"Starting a war in winter? Have the brains of those kings and generals been kicked by a donkey?" Su Qing flicked her tongue in confusion...

Although it sounded incredible, it didn't seem impossible. Who knew what hidden story lay behind it?

The world is so vast; the only reason this mother and daughter knew about the war was because their own family had suffered from it... If the disaster hadn't reached them, perhaps the two wouldn't even have known a war had started, right? Read at Novels Haven (novelshaven.com)

Su Qing shook her head. The war had nothing to do with her... which nation fell, which nation was born. For a mountain spirit like her... at most, she would just sigh at the changes of history.

The many affairs of the human world were unrelated to her... She might be interested, but she wouldn't get involved easily. Su Qing's thinking had never changed... to be a great demon, occupy a small mountain, and be a great demon who cultivates in peace. Protecting the people of one area along the way was also acceptable. As for meddling in the affairs of kings and generals, that was purely asking for trouble.

"However, with the chaos of war... that old monk's journey to spread the scriptures will probably be even more difficult, right? I wonder if he can achieve his goal of spreading the scriptures before his fated time is up."

Su Qing shook her head inwardly. Spreading Buddhist teachings is naturally not difficult in times of peace. But in an era of war... that's another story.

"I also wonder if Li Lianyu's granddaughter's family will be affected by the war... But they are so far away, it probably won't be a big problem, right?"

Su Qing didn't want to return only to find that she couldn't even see the descendants of her old friend. Unfortunately, there was nothing Su Qing could do... she could only wait until she had achieved spiritual attainment before going back to see.

Indeed, without power, one is restricted in everything they do. Su Qing sighed inwardly, deciding to rest for two more days and then continue her journey. She had been lazy long enough! It was time to work harder.

After listening to the story for a while, Su Qing went back to her coiled spot. As for what the mother and daughter would do next, Su Qing couldn't be bothered to manage it. She just instructed them not to burn down the small courtyard...

The mother and daughter were quite obedient... and didn't cause any trouble.

The next day, Su Qing woke up. She found that the woman's complexion had improved a little, but the deathly aura had not diminished; instead, it had increased. Su Qing couldn't help but flick her tongue. She knew... this woman's days were numbered.

However, Su Qing didn't mention it... People are better off living in ignorance. Knowing you only have a few days left to live... now that would be truly agonizing!

In the afternoon, Su Qing called the two over and said, "I will be leaving in a few days. After I'm gone, you can have this place."

"If you don't want to stay here, there's a county town twenty li to the east. Going there isn't a bad choice either... it's much better than staying in this ruined temple."