The Chen Family

After Su Qing finished her calculations, she was at a loss for words.

How to put it? Besides being the biological father of the person she was looking for, Chen Anshan also had some other interesting connections.

This fellow... was related to a certain extraordinary figure in the future. He could be considered his relative, right?

Su Qing had just calculated that Chen Anshan had a younger brother named Chen Xinrui. Although the name sounded feminine, he was indeed a man. And if Su Qing remembered correctly, this Chen Xinrui was the biological father of Tang Sanzang in the future.

After recalling her past life's memories, Su Qing had diligently recorded them, especially the details concerning Journey to the West. That's why Su Qing found it so interesting.

This Chen family... truly had a deep connection with those Bodhisattvas in the West! Both of the scripture seekers came from the Chen family. This was truly unprecedented.

Of course, besides these discoveries, Su Qing had also figured out why Chen Anshan was shrouded in black aura. However, compared to the black aura, the fact that Chen Anshan was Chen Xinrui's elder brother was more important and surprising to her.

As for the origin of the black aura, it was a bit cliché. It was simply because he had been cursed by a demon. However, the origin of this curse was somewhat intriguing.

Naturally, it wouldn't be difficult for Su Qing to help him break the curse. After all, how many Heavenly Immortals and great demons walked the Mortal World? And how many could compare to her? While a Heavenly Immortal might only be considered a beginning for some, it was certainly enough for Su Qing to feel confident to a certain extent.

Su Qing chatted casually with Chen Anshan, her mind wandering. When the conversation turned to family, Su Qing smiled faintly, collecting her thoughts, and said, "Hahaha, I don't have a husband. To be precise, he died long ago. Now, it's just my daughter and I relying on each other."

Hearing this, Chen Anshan was startled and quickly apologized, "This... I'm truly sorry, I didn't know, Miss..."

"It's fine, it's fine..." Su Qing shook her head lightly and said, "He's been dead for a long time; I stopped caring ages ago. More importantly, have you been having trouble sleeping lately? Even when you do sleep, you often have nightmares and wake up startled in the middle of the night?"

"Hmm?"

Chen Anshan was puzzled. How did their conversation suddenly shift to this? Was the topic jump a bit too large? However, despite the large leap, the young lady before him, Miss Su, was correct. He indeed had these symptoms recently. Not only him, but his wife also had the same symptoms. But how did Miss Su know this?

For a moment, Chen Anshan was filled with many questions. Su Qing, however, smiled faintly and said, "You don't need to be too surprised. I learned some fortune-telling and aura-reading techniques from my master. Before I returned to secular life, I always stayed in a Daoist temple, so I have a few tricks up my sleeve. Although I haven't used them in a long time, I can still discern some things."

Su Qing didn't know if the other party would believe her, but she just went along with the deception, casually patching up her identity with some random details. Anyway, she had never spoken about her past, so how could he know? Of course, it would be best if he believed her, but if not, she still had ways.

Hearing Su Qing's words, Chen Anshan nodded skeptically and said, "Lately, it has indeed been as Miss said."

Chen Anshan described the situation in detail. His explanation was a bit convoluted, but Su Qing generally understood. She nodded slightly and said, "So that's how it is? It's not a difficult problem. However, if it's not resolved... well, I'll say something unpleasant: you and your wife probably won't make it through this year."

Though Su Qing's words were harsh, they weren't misleading. If the curse were allowed to develop further, let alone this year, they might not even last another month.

Chen Anshan was startled by her words, but upon closer thought, he immediately understood that the young lady before him indeed had a way to solve the problem. He quickly asked, "Does Miss have a solution? As for compensation, that can be discussed."

"Oh? You trust me so easily?"

"Besides trusting Miss, what else can I do? I've sought out other Daoists, but most of them couldn't explain the cause." Su Qing smiled faintly, then nodded, and said, "Since you trust me, I'll help you out! Yudie, fetch some brush and ink."

Hearing Su Qing's words, Yudie, who had been yawning, snapped back to attention, nodded, and scurried off to the study to retrieve the items.

Once the brush and ink were brought, Su Qing, putting on an act, drew a few talismans, then folded them into the shape of paper swords, and said mysteriously, "Place these under your pillows. In a few days, you should recover. However, if you hear any sounds at night during these days, absolutely do not get up to check. Remember this!"

Su Qing was indeed a seasoned deceiver. Her demeanor truly resembled that of an old mystic, completely bewildering Chen Anshan.

Hearing Su Qing's instructions, Chen Anshan nodded repeatedly, assuring her that he would strictly follow her words. Su Qing smiled faintly and said, "That's good then."

"Right, about the compensation..."

"There's no need to rush about compensation. What I want is actually very simple... After your child is born, just have them acknowledge me as their godmother." Su Qing said casually.

"This..."

"Is there something wrong?"

"Nothing wrong... just a little surprised. I thought Miss would want some gold, silver, or jewels."

"Do I look like someone who lacks money?" Su Qing smiled and shook her head, saying, "Actually, it wouldn't matter if I didn't take any compensation from you, but cultivators adhere to karma. Although I am no longer a cultivator, these rules must still be followed. By accepting your compensation, you won't owe me anything."

These words made Chen Anshan pause, then he nodded and said, "Miss is truly righteous." Su Qing smiled slightly, shaking her head, "I'm not so righteous... it's merely a small effort. As neighbors, helping each other is just a minor matter."

"In any case, thank you very much, Miss." Chen Anshan shook his head and said.

As they chatted, a servant began to remind Chen Anshan that it was time to return. So Chen Anshan nodded, bid farewell to Su Qing, and left Su Qing's large courtyard.

After Chen Anshan left, Yudie asked blankly, "Mother, can the talismans you gave that man truly save him?"

"How could it be that easy? These talismans are just to help him sleep better." Su Qing shook her head lightly and said.

"Then didn't Mother deceive him?"

"Not really... because I can indeed break the curse on him; it's just not as troublesome as using talismans."

"Then what does Mother plan to do?"

"Just kill the demon causing trouble..."

"This... Mother is truly simple and brutal." Yudie was slightly stunned by her words and couldn't help but say.

Su Qing smiled faintly, neither confirming nor denying.

"Alright! I'll leave this matter to you. You're usually idle anyway. But remember, don't cause too much of a commotion."

After some thought, Su Qing still handed the task to Yudie. A mature sword should learn to slay demons and vanquish devils on its own, instead of always relying on its master to wield it. And now, Yudie could certainly be considered a mature sword. Of course, she still couldn't compare to the one in the Changbai Mountains.

"Ah? Okay..." Yudie pouted. How could she refuse a task assigned by her mother?

Su Qing smiled, gently ruffled Yudie's head, then turned and returned to her study.

In truth, Su Qing still harbored some doubts about this family's predicament. Logically, this family, carrying the future 'scripture seeker', should have been protected by the Buddhist sect, both overtly and covertly. Why were they still targeted by a demon? Was it that the Buddhas simply didn't care, or was there another reason?

Lost in thought, Su Qing shook her head slightly and murmured to herself, "Forget it, no need to dwell on so many conspiracy theories. At least in this world, their family's trust in me has indeed increased..."

"To fulfill the agreement, it truly is a lot of trouble," Su Qing thought, stretching lazily.

Meanwhile, after Chen Anshan returned home, he told his wife, Luo Zijuan, about what happened at Su Qing's residence. After hearing these things, Luo Zijuan couldn't help but frown and say, "Husband, you are too simple-minded; don't let that woman deceive you."

"Whether I'm deceived or not isn't important. As long as that strange affliction can be broken, it's a good thing! I don't care, but you are pregnant now. If you can't even rest properly, how can that be?" Chen Anshan shook his head and said, "Besides, Miss Su doesn't seem like a bad person... she's probably truly a former cultivator."

Chen Anshan's wife was already pregnant for over three months, and her belly was already slightly rounded. She helplessly stroked her belly, sighed, and said, "You're just too trusting. But never mind... since she's not charging money, trusting her a little won't hurt."

Chen Anshan chuckled foolishly, then continued to discuss the child with his wife. Besides gender, they also talked about names. Chen Anshan's idea was simple: he would love the child regardless of whether it was a boy or a girl. This was because he wasn't the only son in the family, so there was no need to worry about being a single heir. Moreover, he wouldn't just have one child.

Thus, he chatted with his wife until evening. After dinner, he immediately placed the talisman Su Qing had given him under his pillow.

Night fell. The couple, who usually struggled to sleep, unexpectedly fell into a deep slumber very quickly tonight.

After they fell asleep, a delicate short sword appeared beside them. This short sword was, of course, Yudie. She was here to find the demon that had followed the couple to Chang'an City and was hiding inside the house.

Although Su Qing had given her some hints, they were somewhat vague, as if deliberately making it more difficult for her. But she was used to it; her mother often did such things. Besides, she didn't think this task would be very difficult. After all, the world was still mostly populated by minor demons.

The short sword circled the room. Soon, it found the hidden demon under the bed. It was a medium-sized rat demon, with a bald tail that was particularly eye-catching.

"Got you!" Yudie smiled slightly, and the sword slashed towards the rat demon. With a squeak, Yudie missed. Yudie was stunned and a little surprised: "I didn't expect you to be so fast!"

Although this rat demon wasn't strong, its skill at 'cat-dodging' was formidable. It dodged Yudie's attacks several times, which made Yudie a bit agitated.

"Hmph... if I wasn't worried about making too much noise and disturbing others, could you have dodged so many times?" Yudie thought, gritting her teeth. Then she became more focused. As she grew more serious, some of the furniture in Chen Anshan's house suffered. Two chairs and a table were cut, and several vases were ruined by Yudie.

Perhaps because the commotion was quite loud, Chen Anshan, who had been sleeping soundly, was also woken up. However, he still remembered Su Qing's words: don't look or interfere if you hear any noise. So he forcefully resisted getting up to check. But humans are curious. No matter how hard Chen Anshan tried, he couldn't help but squint his eyes and secretly peek.

What he saw shocked him deeply. He froze, not daring to move, and quickly closed his eyes. Because he saw a short sword, emitting a faint glow, pierce a large rat the size of a small cat through the heart. And after the large rat was pierced, it immediately turned into a puddle of blood and vanished.

"Miss Su... what she said was all true!? She really is a capable Daoist!" Chen Anshan's heart was no longer calm. "Tomorrow... I must... must..." As Chen Anshan thought, sleepiness suddenly rushed over him again. He had no resistance to it whatsoever. In a moment, he was completely asleep.

After Chen Anshan fell asleep, Yudie quickly repaired the damaged items and immediately returned home. This task had been botched, and she would definitely be scolded by her mother when she got back. All she could do was try her best to make amends.

In Su Qing's courtyard, the study light was still on. Su Qing hadn't slept; she was waiting for Yudie to return and inform her of the situation. Soon, Yudie returned. But seeing Yudie's embarrassed expression, Su Qing knew she had likely messed something up. So she asked about it.

Yudie didn't hide anything and honestly told Su Qing the full story. "The place was small, so I couldn't really hold back," Yudie pouted and said. Su Qing chuckled, shook her head, and patted her head, saying, "It's fine, it's fine. Even if you were seen, it's alright, as long as you weren't seen in your human form."

"It should be fine... they were sleeping soundly, and I didn't show my human form, so even if I was seen, it should only have been in sword form."

"Hmm? That's good then! No, rather, if you were seen, it would actually be a help."

"Ah?"