Su Qing’s mouth twitched slightly. She asked again, “What did you call me?”
Su Yudie’s eyes shone brightly as she simply replied, “Mother?”
Su Qing felt a pang of helplessness at the address, but looking at the cute, innocently foolish girl, she couldn’t bring herself to scold her.
She simply pinched the child’s nose and said, “I’m not your mother. Call me ‘big sister,’ or ‘master’ is fine too.”
She hadn’t even had her first intimate experience, yet now a child was calling her ‘mother.’
It was rather disheartening.
Yudie seemed to be contemplating Su Qing’s words. She tilted her head, then stated with an innocent face, “No, it’s Mother!”
Hearing this, Su Qing’s mouth twitched again involuntarily.
“Alright, it looks like correcting her address won’t be a one-day affair.”
Su Qing, however, was equally perplexed.
“What was with this silly sword spirit? Why did she call her ‘mother’ right upon meeting?”
Unable to figure it out, Su Qing simply turned to look at Leng Xiang, who was smiling broadly.
Leng Xiang had nurtured this sword spirit, so she should know best.
Seeing Su Qing’s gaze, Leng Xiang knew what she was asking.
With a faint smile, she explained, “Yudie’s intelligence isn’t very high right now. She recognizes people purely by feeling.”
“What does that have to do with her calling me ‘mother’? Is it just because I was the first one she saw?” Su Qing asked.
If that were truly the case, Su Qing would feel the urge to complain vehemently.
“Was this sword spirit a baby animal?”
“The first person it sees upon opening its eyes becomes its mother.”
In response, Leng Xiang asked, “Does Master remember when I once asked for a wisp of your longing?”
“You mean, she calls me ‘mother’ because of that wisp of longing?” Su Qing raised an eyebrow slightly, reaching out to gently push away Yudie, who was trying to nuzzle her face, and asked.
Leng Xiang nodded and said:
“Yes, Master.”
“Because that wisp of longing I requested from you back then was one of the forces used to forge the sword spirit.”
“So she is naturally very close to Master… it’s not surprising she treats Master as her mother upon meeting you.”
“In fact, in a sense, Master truly is her mother.”
“After all, her existence originates from Master’s longing.”
“I merely nurtured her a little.”
Su Qing nodded slightly as she listened, stroking her chin in deep thought.
Leng Xiang then continued:
“However, a sword spirit being like this is not a bad thing.”
“Quite the opposite, in fact, because it means the sword spirit has been nurtured exceptionally well.”
“For a sword spirit, the more they resemble a human, the higher their future potential, as their intelligence will also increase.”
“Even if they stray from the path later and don’t reach their full potential, their minimum capabilities will still far surpass ordinary sword spirits.”
“Of course, there’s also this… her closeness to Master means that when Master uses her, there will be no hindrance or lack of fluidity.”
“She will probably be as convenient and easy to use as another arm!”
“Hmm, either way, for Master, it should be considered a good thing, right?”
After speaking, Leng Xiang stood silently to the side, a smile on her face, waiting for Su Qing to ask more questions.
After listening to Leng Xiang’s explanation, Su Qing simply nodded slightly, now understanding more.
Su Qing gazed at the little one in her arms, lost in thought.
She gently pinched the little one’s cheek and said, “Call me Master.”
“Mother!”
Su Qing: “……”
“Never mind. Just keep calling me that for now! We’ll gradually work on changing the address.”
Su Qing sighed softly, looking at the sword spirit’s gaze, which was pure but a little innocently foolish.
“Ah, who can blame you when you’re this cute!”
“Still… you’re both silly girls, so why was Gongsun Zhixue so irritating when she was little?”
Su Qing reached out and lifted Yudie, speaking almost to herself.
No sooner had she finished speaking than a snowball flew from the side, landing on Leng Xiang’s hand.
Along with it came Gongsun Zhixue’s displeased voice:
“You’re the silly girl! Back then, you were the one who annoyed me, alright? You’re awful, stop always comparing me to another dumbass, alright?”
Su Qing merely chuckled happily at that.
Then, with a thought, she said, “Yudie, return to the short sword.”
Yudie might not understand much else, but she could comprehend the command to return to the sword.
After all, she was a sword spirit!
Yudie yawned, then vanished from Su Qing’s hand the next instant, returning to the short sword resting on her lap.
Su Qing picked up the short sword and gave it a slight swish.
Indeed.
Leng Xiang was right; this sword felt like an extension of her own hand, incredibly comfortable to wield.
Although the strange sensation of gaining an unexpected daughter was somewhat peculiar…
…the sword itself was undeniably excellent.
As for its only drawback, it was merely that the short sword itself was somewhat incomplete.
Su Qing put away the Yudie Sword, then stretched lazily.
“Hey, what’s it like to suddenly become a mother?” Gongsun Zhixue, seeing Su Qing rise, couldn’t help but ask out of curiosity.
Su Qing smiled faintly at the question and replied, “No particular feeling, it’s just a sword spirit after all. But… the little one really is quite cute~ Cuter than you.”
“Hey, can you stop comparing me to her every time?!”
“Besides comparing you, who else is there to compare? Who told you that you’re the only little one in the house?”
“What about the other Little Sparrows? Aren’t they little ones too?”
“But they’re birds!”
“……” Gongsun Zhixue thought for a moment and realized it was indeed a valid point. Annoyed, she pursed her lips and said, “Fine, I won’t argue with you anymore, I can never win anyway! By the way, how about going to the hot springs later? Soaking in hot springs in winter is incredibly comfortable!”
“Oh? Sure, I’m free anyway. Let’s invite Ao Ying too!”
Seeing Su Qing agree, Gongsun Zhixue chirped happily, “It seems you don’t just bully people, after all.”
Su Qing rolled her eyes and said, “When have I ever bullied ‘people’? You’re a demon.”
“……” For a moment, Gongsun Zhixue was at a loss for how to respond.
After all, Su Qing was absolutely right on that point.
She was a demon.
She certainly wasn’t human.
“Hmph! Aren’t you the same?”
“That’s right~ I never said I was human.”
“……Aaargh, never mind, I’m not talking to you anymore. I’m going to find Ao Ying.” Gongsun Zhixue gave up the conversation entirely and turned to leave.
Su Qing watched her, smiling faintly. “This girl is still a bit impatient, isn’t she? But she’s not as tsundere as before! What a pity, teasing the old tsundere Gongsun Zhixue used to be even cuter.”
“Master is getting naughtier and naughtier,” Leng Xiang commented resignedly from the side.
Hearing that, Su Qing stuck out her tongue, then took the short sword and went inside.
Seeing Su Qing go indoors, Leng Xiang merely smiled and continued sweeping the snow from the ground.
She had already given the short sword to Su Qing; naturally, she wouldn’t take it back.
She herself was a sword, and being able to nurture a sword spirit to this state was already her limit.
Subsequent nurturing of the sword spirit could only be handled by Su Qing herself. Leng Xiang’s help would merely consist of talking to Su Qing more often, to ensure the sword spirit wasn’t “raised crooked.”
However, Leng Xiang genuinely cared about the sword spirit.
After all, in a sense, she was also the sword spirit’s ‘mother’!
Time flew by quickly.
In the blink of an eye, night had fallen, hazy and dim.
After Su Qing finished dinner,
She joined everyone else for a trip to the hot springs.
They decided to have a good soak before the snow began to fall.
While it was possible to bathe even after the snow started, it wasn’t as peaceful as soaking without the snow falling.
After all, it was an open-air hot spring.
Su Qing sat in the hot spring, leaning against a stone at the edge of the pool. Beside her, a wooden basin held wine brought back from down the mountain.
Clearly, she had come fully prepared for her bath.
Even the wine was ready.
Gongsun Zhixue glanced at Su Qing, who was bathing and drinking wine, looking utterly content. She couldn’t help but purse her lips.
“Hey, I want some wine too!”
“Why would a child drink wine? Go play with the Little Sparrows.”
“??? Big Sister, I’m hundreds of years old.”
“But in my eyes, you’re still a child.” Su Qing gave her a dismissive look, then called out the sword spirit Yudie. “If you’re not playing with the Little Sparrows, then play with her for a while! And help me correct her address.”
Su Qing had already intended to let the sword spirit out to play, and seeing Gongsun Zhixue looking bored, she decided to casually pass the sword spirit to her, letting her chat with Yudie.
It would also let her teach the sword spirit a thing or two…
After all, if Su Qing had to do it herself, she admitted she wasn’t very good at it.
“??”
Gongsun Zhixue was completely dumbfounded by Su Qing’s maneuver.
She looked at the little one clinging to Su Qing’s neck, her mouth twitching.
“Aren’t you afraid I’ll lead her astray?” Gongsun Zhixue said, speechless. “Besides, dumping your kid on me just because you don’t want to teach her yourself, isn’t that a little shameless?”
Su Qing smiled faintly at that, rubbing the sword spirit’s head. “You aren’t that ‘astray’ yourself, so why would I worry about you leading her astray?”
“……Don’t think that just because you say nice things about me, I’ll help you babysit!”
“Come on~ You’re so capable, looking after a child won’t be a problem. Besides, don’t you usually play with the Little Sparrows?”
“……” Gongsun Zhixue stared at Su Qing, speechless, then said, “Fine, since you asked so nicely, I don’t mind helping you! But I still want to say, I’m not a child anymore; I’m old enough to drink.”
“Yes, yes, yes~” Su Qing nodded perfunctorily, then took the little one from around her neck and said, “Yudie, go play with Aunt Zhixue!”
Gongsun Zhixue froze at that, then complained in annoyance, “You just called me a child, and now I’m an aunt?”
Su Qing answered with a mischievous grin, “Because for this little one, you really are an aunt! Just look at how many years separate you two.”
Gongsun Zhixue pouted, waving a fist at Su Qing with a displeased expression, but for the moment, she couldn’t think of how to refute Su Qing.
She simply took the little girl from Su Qing’s hands and said, “Come on, let’s go play with Big Sister, and ignore this bad grown-up!”
Yudie looked utterly confused, then looked at Gongsun Zhixue and shouted, “Bad grown-up?”
Su Qing, watching from the side, found it amusing and said, “Yes, she’s the bad grown-up!”
“Su Qing!!!” Gongsun Zhixue was fuming, and stomped off, carrying the little one.
Su Qing, meanwhile, turned with a smile to Ao Ying and said, “Ying, now it’s just Leng Xiang and me. If you have anything to ask, just ask! Don’t be shy.”
Su Qing had actually been observing Ao Ying since dinner.
She kept looking at little Yudie as if she had something to ask…
But for some reason, she hadn’t voiced it.
Su Qing probably knew what she wanted to ask…
So, Su Qing simply took the opportunity while bathing that night to get everyone else out of the way, giving Ao Ying a good chance to ask.
Ao Ying froze at that, then peeked out from the side. She saw Su Qing, holding a wine cup and smiling at her, and again found herself at a loss for words.
Yet, what needed to be asked, had to be asked; otherwise, she would surely regret it bitterly if the chance passed.
“Big Sister Xiao Qing… what exactly is going on with that child?”
Su Qing heard her, smiled faintly, and said, “As you can see, she’s a sword spirit. Just a newly born one, so her intelligence is still quite low! She’s very much like how Gongsun Zhixue used to be, quite innocently foolish. But she’s rather cute, wouldn’t you say?”
Ao Ying was silent for a moment, then continued, “I… I know she’s a sword spirit. I was just curious how she came to be.”
Su Qing paused slightly at the question, then turned to Leng Xiang, signaling her to explain to Ao Ying.
After all, Leng Xiang could explain it more clearly than she could.
Leng Xiang nodded faintly at the cue, then briefly explained the process to Ao Ying.
Soon, Leng Xiang had finished her explanation.
Ao Ying then emerged from her silence, saying, “So… that’s how it is! I thought…”
“Thought what?”
“Oh, nothing!” Ao Ying smiled, changing the subject. “That little girl is quite cute.”
“Children always are! Before they start being mischievous, they’re all pretty adorable,” Su Qing said softly, looking at Ao Ying.
She knew what Ao Ying hadn’t finished saying, which was why she didn’t press the issue, choosing to let it go.
Now that her questions were answered, Ao Ying returned to her usual self…
It seemed as if nothing had changed.
But what truly lay in Ao Ying’s heart, only Ao Ying herself would ever know.
The bathing time passed swiftly.
Su Qing’s wine was also consumed quickly.
Soon enough, the wine was finished, and Su Qing was done with her bath.
Instead of returning alone, she sat on a nearby stone, admiring the moon while waiting for the others.
She looked remarkably at ease.
But where one found leisure, another found vexation.
And the most vexed of all was probably Gongsun Zhixue, who was ‘babysitting’…
Even though Su Qing was some distance away from Gongsun Zhixue, she could still hear Gongsun Zhixue’s exasperated voice.
Hearing the sound, Su Qing couldn’t help but chuckle softly. She looked at the bright moon in the sky and thought, “It seems they’re getting along quite well!”
Rate on N.U.
