Red Boy's Rotten Idea

However...

Thinking about it carefully, it wasn't really strange that they lacked any sort of presence.

For one, under Red Boy’s education, this girl hadn't wreaked havoc on the mortal world, nor had she gone around eating people like other demons.

At most, she was just a bit mischievous.

Secondly, those minor demons were simply too weak...

Forget about wreaking havoc; in this day and age, any random Daoist priest could probably give these little demons a painful lesson.

Add to that Red Boy’s strict control, and it was naturally impossible for them to run around harassing travelers.

So, it would actually be strange if such a group had any significant presence.

Of course, this was indeed a good thing...

After all, their honesty meant that the local residents didn't have to live in constant fear like people in other regions.

However...

While these little fellows hadn't harassed the commoners, Su Qing didn't believe they were truly that well-behaved.

Recalling the original story for reference...

Su Qing felt that the local Earth God had likely been tormented quite miserably by them.

As Su Qing was thinking, she suddenly felt someone tugging at her sleeve.

Coming back to her senses, she turned to look at Yudie, who said, "Mother, what are you dazing off for? Honghong is calling you!"

Hearing this, Su Qing gave a faint smile and shook her head, then looked up toward Red Boy.

Red Boy was standing on a high platform, waving at Su Qing and signaling for her to come over.

Su Qing glanced at the girl, nodded helplessly, and took a step forward onto the stage... to play along with the girl's performance.

Calling it a performance was perhaps less accurate than calling it showing off...

It was also a way to introduce Su Qing.

Su Qing wasn't embarrassed by this; she had long since developed a thick skin. Cooperating with Red Boy’s performance wasn't a difficult task.

While Su Qing was busy, Chaoyan, who was watching from the side, was currently a bit dazed.

She wasn't focused on Su Qing, but rather on the little demons who were cheering enthusiastically alongside Red Boy.

She had originally thought... that the demons under Red Boy would be like the ones she had encountered along the way.

But looking at them now...

It seemed they were completely different.

They were very weak, and... they seemed to be rare, good demons.

She practiced Buddhist cultivation, so she was naturally extra sensitive to things like bloodlust and baleful qi.

Yet even she...

Could not detect any baleful qi from those demons.

This was definitely unexpected.

"Amitabha... these little demons have truly found a kind master."

Thinking this, Chaoyan couldn't help but turn her gaze toward Su Qing...

In that moment, she seemed to understand why this place had become like this.

It was likely because of Su Qing, wasn't it?

As Chaoyan thought this, her respect for Su Qing deepened.

However, Chaoyan felt that the more she understood Su Qing, the less she actually knew her. She felt that Su Qing harbored many secrets.

"I truly hope... that one day, I can truly understand you." Chaoyan’s eyes softened as she chanted another "Amitabha."

Beside her, Jingyue’s eyes flickered slightly.

She also looked up at Su Qing in the distance...

"If this girl weren't a Buddhist practitioner... I’m afraid her 'filial piety' would have changed into something else by now," Liu Jingyue thought with a helpless smile.

Before long...

Red Boy had finished her introduction of Su Qing...

She then led Su Qing and the others into the depths of the cave.

While the main hall of the cave looked ordinary and wasn't particularly stunning, once they entered the inner depths, they discovered a true immortal-like atmosphere.

It even felt vaguely... familiar to Su Qing.

Su Qing smiled gracefully and said, "This decor... you didn't happen to copy it from the Changbai Mountains, did you?"

Facing Su Qing’s question, Red Boy didn't hide it. She nodded with a chuckle and said, "Yeah! Since there’s a good design available to use directly, why wouldn't I use it?"

"Besides, since I came here, I haven't been able to see you, Sister. When I missed you and the Changbai Mountains, I decided to set it up like this! How is it? Not bad, right?"

Su Qing nodded and said, "It is indeed not bad... you really made it look the part."

"Of course! Look who did it! I’ve captured the essence."

Red Boy rubbed her nose with a proud look, but after saying that, she couldn't help but sigh:

"Sigh, I really don't understand why my father insists on making me stay here. I clearly feel that following you to cultivate, Sister, would also be a good choice."

Hearing this, Su Qing reached out to rub her head and said:

"Your father surely has his own considerations... so don't resent him too much. He likely does it for your own good! If you really don't want to stay here, then just cultivate hard. Once you have the strength, you’ll naturally be free to go wherever you want."

Red Boy curled her lip and turned around, saying:

"I obviously know that logic. Sister, I’m not stupid! But! Staying here is really boring. Compared to being a mountain king here, I’d much rather follow you to cultivate. Being with you is much more interesting than being here."

Su Qing gave a helpless smile and said, "But unfortunately, you cannot follow me to cultivate right now. If your father found out, he would surely drag you back."

Red Boy sighed helplessly, then plopped down into a chair and said:

"Yeah~ Who told me to be so weak right now that my father can still control me! Sigh, is there any way? How about I just go to the Western Heaven with you!"

Su Qing shook her head and said, "Do you think that’s possible? If you follow me to the Western Heaven, could your father possibly not know?"

Red Boy curled her lip in frustration and sighed again.

She knew it wasn't feasible...

Bringing up that idea was just her talking casually.

"There’s no solution for now. However, I can stay here and play with you for a few days. Although going to Spirit Mountain in the West is a must, staying for a few days won't delay us too much," Su Qing said with a smile. "Alright, don't worry about such things anymore. Worrying like this is meaningless."

Hearing Su Qing’s words, Red Boy threw up her hands and said, "Fine, fine! Since you’ve put it that way, Sister, I won't say anything more!"

Su Qing smiled helplessly and rubbed the girl's head.

This little girl was truly someone people both loved and found exasperating.

Time passed quickly.

Before they knew it...

The sky gradually began to darken.

Red Boy called the little demons to start preparing dinner.

Originally, Su Qing had planned to just eat whatever was provided.

But after seeing the process of the little demons cooking...

Su Qing could only abandon the idea of eating a ready-made meal.

It wasn't just Su Qing; even Chaoyan, Yudie, and Jingyue lost their appetites after seeing it.

Red Boy chuckled and said, "They usually eat things raw. It seems asking them to cook is indeed making things difficult for them..."

Clearly, Red Boy usually never had these little demons cook for her.

Even if they did, it was mostly just making some barbecue.

Su Qing cooking for herself wasn't a hassle.

She naturally had all the kitchen utensils needed.

So, she easily prepared dinner for the group.

Eating the food Su Qing made, Red Boy had a look of pure satisfaction and said, "It’s been so long since I’ve eaten food like this. Like I said, it’s much more interesting to follow Sister Su."

Su Qing’s mouth twitched slightly upon hearing this...

The food was probably a huge reason why this girl hated staying here.

"Eat slower!"

Su Qing said helplessly.

After dinner.

The sky had completely darkened.

When Red Boy saw the darkness outside, she suddenly found Su Qing and pulled her, saying, "Sister Su, come with me to a place. I have a great treasure to show you."

"Hmm?" Su Qing was stunned for a moment.

She didn't know what the girl was talking about for a second.

"What are you going to show me?" Su Qing asked, her eyebrows arching.

"Something interesting! You definitely won't hate it, Sister." Red Boy pulled Su Qing along as she spoke.

Su Qing found it mysterious, but she still followed the girl out of the cave and deep into the forest.

They followed a path through the woods and arrived at a strange rock at the top of the mountain.

Once there, Su Qing couldn't help but ask again, "So what exactly is it?"

Red Boy pointed at the stars in the sky and said, "There! Those are it. This mountaintop is perfect for stargazing! I remember you used to love looking at the stars and the moon, Sister, so I found a place like this for you."

Su Qing was stunned. What was going on in this girl's head?

She asked helplessly, "You just found this?"

"No... I actually found it a long time ago, but usually, it’s just me here alone," Red Boy said with a smile.

Su Qing looked at her and sat down on the rock, saying, "I see... but did you call me out here really just for this?"

"You saw through me~" Red Boy stuck out her tongue and said with a bit of embarrassment, "Sigh, truly nothing can be hidden from you."

Su Qing couldn't help but laugh. She had guessed the girl had something on her mind.

After all, no matter how bored she was, she wouldn't drag Su Qing out specifically just to show her a stargazing spot.

Su Qing said, "Sit down. Accompany me to look at the stars. So, what exactly is the matter?"

Facing Su Qing’s inquiry.

Red Boy said with a smile, "Actually... I just thought of a way I could follow you out to play. But this method is a bit embarrassing to say in front of so many people around you, Sister."

Su Qing’s brow arched. "Do you really not want to stay here that much?"

Red Boy was silent for two seconds before saying, "That’s only one part of it. The other part is because I want to be with you, Sister."

Su Qing smiled and said, "Then tell me your rotten idea."

"You haven't even heard it yet, how do you know it’s a rotten idea?"

"If you’re too embarrassed to say it in front of others, how could it not be a rotten idea?"

"It’s really not! Actually, I was thinking, why don't you marry me, Sister? That way, wouldn't it be perfectly natural for me to follow you?"

Su Qing’s mouth twitched as she heard this. "It really is a rotten idea... no wonder you didn't dare say it in front of Yudie and the others. You treat Yudie as a friend, yet you want to be Yudie’s mother?"

Su Qing’s words made Red Boy curl her lip.

She made a face at Su Qing and said, "What! I didn't mean it like that!"

Su Qing laughed and said, "What kind of messy things are going on in that head of yours? Is it worth using such a ridiculous method just to leave this place? Besides... if I really married you, our generational hierarchy would be completely messed up."

"Tch, we can each have our own way of addressing each other!" Red Boy said seriously with her arms crossed.

This made Su Qing a bit helpless. She rubbed Red Boy’s head and said, "Leaving aside whether I agree or whether Yudie agrees, can you even get past your father?"

"..." Red Boy was silent for a moment, then said, "What does that matter? Act first and report later. My father won't be able to do anything to me then."

Su Qing shook her head with a smile and said, "You really are stubborn... fine, even if you could get past your father, could you... get past Leng Xiang and Ao Ying? So, stop thinking about such rotten ideas."

Su Qing said this as she patted Red Boy’s head. "Alright, I’m going back first. If you still want to look at the stars, stay here a while longer."

Red Boy couldn't stop Su Qing.

She could only watch her slowly walk away.

After watching her leave, Red Boy curled her lip and exhaled a long breath.

"Sister Su really treated my words as a nonsensical rotten idea... I knew it was definitely a rotten idea."

Red Boy sighed deeply and lay back on the strange rock, looking at the stars in the sky.

After Su Qing left, she returned to the cave.

Although she didn't know why Red Boy had suddenly thought of such a rotten idea, no matter how she had thought of it, she absolutely could not agree.

After all, it really would mess up the generational seniority.

Besides, if she agreed, she would likely suffer for it when she went back...

Who knew what kind of hellish scene it would be if Leng Xiang, Ao Ying, and Suzhen found out about this.

She didn't dare imagine it.

Back in the cave, Su Qing chatted with Chaoyan and Jingyue for a while longer.

Once Red Boy returned, they all went to sleep.

Time flowed by, drop by drop, in this leisurely manner.

After the previous incident, Red Boy didn't mention leaving again...

She simply took Su Qing around the area to play and relax.

Such happy times passed quickly.

In the blink of an eye, Su Qing and the others had stayed at Red Boy’s place for two or three days.

After staying for those few days...

It was naturally time for Su Qing and the others to leave.

The journey to the West certainly couldn't stop here. No matter how fun this place was, when it was time to go, they had to go.

In a flash, another morning arrived.