The Little White Rat is Terrified

After leaving the Bhikkhu Kingdom, Su Qing and her companions continued their journey westward.

Many days passed in this manner.

Along the way, things were far from peaceful; they constantly encountered various troubles, both large and small. Fortunately, these obstacles weren't particularly difficult to handle. With a little effort, they were easily resolved, and so their progress remained relatively smooth.

Time flew by.

In the blink of an eye, winter faded into the end of spring.

One day, after traveling along a main road, their path was blocked by a range of towering, rugged mountains. Since the mountains stood in their way, they naturally had to cross them to continue forward.

Su Qing and the others weren't worried about demons lurking in the mountains. After all, they had already purified over a thousand evil spirits on this journey. They felt no fear toward such creatures; they only hoped there wouldn't be any other strange or tedious complications.

As usual, Su Qing led the way on her white horse. Morning Glory, Yudie, and Jingyue followed steadily behind her.

The mountain was indeed magnificent, but having seen and crossed so many lofty and treacherous peaks, the group was long past the point of marveling at them.

This mountain was clearly seldom visited by humans, as there were almost no paths to speak of. Consequently, the trek was not an easy one; they had to clear a path as they went.

Luckily, none of them were ordinary people, so the task of clearing the way wasn't difficult. Su Qing didn't even need to lift a finger. Yudie, the sword lady who was bored out of her mind, naturally took the initiative to handle the work.

Thus, Su Qing, having nothing to do while riding, found her mind wandering to other matters. She knew exactly where they were and, consequently, what kind of demon they might encounter here.

"I wonder if we'll run into that Golden-Nosed White-Haired Rat Spirit this time... Though, with Morning Glory here... if that rat spirit tries to locate the pilgrim through divination, she might actually get the wrong person."

Thinking this, she couldn't help but glance back at Morning Glory. This girl's fate was truly interesting.

Noticing Su Qing's gaze, Morning Glory looked up in confusion. "Godmother? Is something the matter?"

"It's nothing. I just felt like looking at you," Su Qing said with a faint smile.

Morning Glory didn't understand, but she didn't press further. If her godmother wanted to look at her, she was more than happy to let her. It was good to be looked at.

Seeing that Morning Glory had no more questions, Su Qing smiled and continued her musings.

They walked and cleared the path for a long time, and before they knew it, noon had arrived. They happened upon a clearing and decided to stop for lunch before continuing.

Since they had been on the main road a few days prior and had passed through a county town, they had replenished their dry rations. They didn't bother starting a fire and simply ate where they sat.

While they were eating, a faint cry for help drifted from the distant woods.

Hearing the cry, Morning Glory was the first to stand up, searching for the source of the sound.

Su Qing, however, frowned slightly upon hearing the commotion.

"Did we really just run into that white-haired rat?" After a moment of surprise, Su Qing raised an eyebrow and looked at Morning Glory.

This girl's fate was truly entangled with that of the pilgrim. If Su Qing hadn't watched her grow up and didn't know the actual protagonist was still behind them, she might have believed Morning Glory really was the pilgrim of this lifetime.

While Su Qing was thinking, Morning Glory came over to ask if they should go help. Perhaps sensing that the person might not be good, Morning Glory seemed a bit hesitant.

Her intuition was correct, of course. However, since they had encountered her and the white-haired rat wasn't particularly strong, there was no harm in meeting her.

Su Qing nodded and said, "If you want to save her, then save her. There's no need to be so hesitant. Even if the other party is a demon in disguise, so what? It's not like we can't beat her."

Hearing this, Morning Glory felt relieved. Since her godmother had said so, she had nothing to worry about.

She stood up and walked toward the source of the sound. Before long, she found a woman tied to a tree, with the lower half of her body buried in the ground. The cries for help had clearly come from her.

As Morning Glory looked at the woman, she couldn't help but notice how truly beautiful she was. Such a face would be considered a beauty capable of toppling kingdoms anywhere.

"Are you alright, miss? Why are you tied up in such a desolate place?" Morning Glory asked as she began untying the woman.

The white-haired rat spirit tied to the tree was also stunned when she saw Su Qing and the other women. A flash of surprise crossed her eyes; it seemed she hadn't calculated that the pilgrim would be a woman.

However, the play had already begun, so she had to see it through. Moreover, two people in this group looked like they were not to be trifled with. Exposing her identity prematurely would likely land her in deep trouble.

Su Qing leaned against a nearby tree, watching Morning Glory rescue the Golden-Nosed White-Haired Rat Spirit while curiously wondering how the creature planned to lie.

The rat spirit feigned a weak state and said, "A few days ago, I was traveling with my family to visit ancestral graves when we encountered bandits... Seeing my beauty, those bandits wanted to seize me to be their chieftain's wife. However, several of the bandit leaders wanted me for themselves, and they fell into a heated argument. In the end, unable to reach a resolution and unwilling to ruin their brotherhood, they tied me up here..."

"It has been several days now... Fortunately, dew would occasionally drip from this tree, allowing me to survive until now. If I hadn't met you all, I surely would have perished here."

The corners of Su Qing's mouth twitched slightly. Bandits really were the go-to scapegoats for everything! The key was that people found them so easy to believe.

She shook her head inwardly and settled in to watch the show.

Hearing this, Morning Glory felt a surge of indignation. Her own parents had died at the hands of bandits, so she harbored a deep-seated hatred for them. Consequently, she didn't stop to consider the holes in the rat spirit's story.

"Those bandits are truly despicable... Sister, can you tell me where they went? I will capture them and take them to the authorities to face justice."

"How could I possibly know where they went? I've been tied here for so many days." Since the bandits were entirely made up, the rat spirit naturally didn't know where they were and couldn't tell Morning Glory.

Hearing this, Morning Glory sighed softly. "That was a lapse in my judgment."

"Do not blame yourself. You were simply concerned, and concern leads to confusion."

Morning Glory shook her head and asked, "Right, I have some dry rations and water here. You haven't eaten for days, so eat and drink slowly to avoid hurting yourself."

"Thank you, little master." The rat spirit continued her act of weakness, looking so pitiful that it was hard not to feel for her.

Su Qing, watching from the side, said, "By the way, we haven't asked for your name yet, sister."

While eating and drinking, the rat spirit replied with a practiced air, "In response to the elder sister, this humble girl is named Bai Cha..."

Su Qing nodded slightly. "That is a rare name."

"Speaking of which, I have been so focused on eating that I haven't asked who you all are or where you come from!"

Su Qing didn't mind sharing her name, and Morning Glory told the rat spirit where they had come from.

When Bai Cha heard that they were truly from the Eastern Land of Great Tang and were heading to the Western Heaven to seek scriptures, the last sliver of hope that she had miscalculated was extinguished. The rumored pilgrim really was a woman.

However, when she heard Su Qing's name... she couldn't help but find it familiar. It seemed she had heard her godfather and godbrother mention it before. But so much time had passed that she couldn't recall exactly what kind of existence this person was.

After all, it had been a long time since she had dared to visit her godfather and godbrother.

Nevertheless, even though she couldn't remember Su Qing's identity, she guessed that the woman's strength and status were anything but simple. She was definitely someone she couldn't afford to provoke.

They chatted for a while, and once the woman had recovered some strength, they set off again. Bai Cha didn't dare expose herself, so she continued to feign weakness, acting as if she could barely walk.

Seeing her continue the act, Su Qing decided to play along. She said, "Since you cannot walk, come and ride with me."

"How could I impose like that?"

"Why be so modest? You can't walk, and we can't force you to. If I let my goddaughter or daughters carry you, they might not have the strength to get you down the mountain. I'll have to trouble you to ride with me."

Bai Cha didn't dare refuse any further and replied, "It is no trouble at all; I am only afraid that the dirt on my clothes will soil yours, sister."

"It's fine." Su Qing shook her head and then reached out, pulling her directly onto the horse.

Bai Cha hadn't expected Su Qing to be so direct, taking action before she even finished her reply. She let out a startled cry. By the time she regained her senses, she had been placed in front of Su Qing, facing her.

"Did I startle you?" Su Qing chuckled. "Don't worry, this horse is intelligent; it won't throw you off! But you must sit steady and hold on tight. It wouldn't be good if you fell off on your own."

For a moment, Bai Cha didn't know whether to hold on or not. Sitting so close to this woman made her heart race. It wasn't the fluttering of a heart in love, however; it was pure terror.

At such a close distance, even if she tried her best to hide her demonic aura, it couldn't be completely erased. If the other party discovered her identity, she would be in deep trouble.

What terrified her even more was what she realized upon being so close to her. This woman wasn't just strong; she was unfathomable. Her strength wasn't just far beyond her own; even her godfather and godbrother might not be a match for her.

If one were targeted by someone of such power, the consequences were easy to imagine.

Most importantly... she smelled the scent of a natural enemy on the woman. There was a hint of a cat, but even more so, the scent of a snake. Whether it was a snake or a cat, both were natural predators of a mouse like her.

Facing a natural enemy, one was at a disadvantage even at the same realm of power, let alone when there was a vast difference in their cultivation levels.

With all these factors combined, no matter how bold Bai Cha usually was, she was starting to lose her composure. What kind of monster had she run into today?

Su Qing didn't know exactly what the other was thinking, but she could guess the gist of it, as most of what the demon sensed was intentionally projected by her. She chuckled and said, "Sister, your heart is beating so fast... Could it be that you're frightened?"

"N-no... it's just that being so close to you makes me feel a bit shy."

"I see. There's no need to be shy. We are both women; it's not like I'm going to eat you," Su Qing said with a smile.

Bai Cha's mouth twitched. You really could eat me. In every sense of the word.

However, Bai Cha still didn't dare reveal herself and continued to feign, saying, "I understand, of course. It's just that I'm still shy!"

Seeing Bai Cha acting so affected, Su Qing smiled helplessly to herself. It seemed this creature intended to keep the act going until the end.

Well, if she wanted to play, she would play along. After all, the demon had clearly given up on her plan to steal Primal Yang. Of course, there were only women here; even if she wanted to, there was no Primal Yang to take. What choice did she have but to give up?

As for why she was still acting... Su Qing suspected the creature was genuinely terrified of her.

"Alright, don't be shy. We're all girls; what's there to be embarrassed about? Hold on tight and sit steady!" Su Qing said with a faint smile.

Beside them, Jingyue looked at Su Qing with a strange expression. Surely her sister hadn't taken a liking to this woman? Although her sister was a bit of a romantic, she shouldn't have reached this level yet.

"What is sister thinking?" Curious, Jingyue asked directly via voice transmission.

Su Qing didn't hide anything and told her the truth. Upon learning the reason, Jingyue, who had been slightly disgruntled, finally relaxed. Her sister hadn't gone that far yet; she could rest easy.

They continued on their way. Before long, the sky began to grow dark. Seeing the fading light, they began to worry about where they would spend the night.

Just as they were fretting, they happened to spot the layered roofs of buildings in the distance.

Morning Glory grew excited at the sight and said, "That looks like a temple. Godmother, let's go there to ask for a night's lodging."

Su Qing didn't object and nodded slightly. "That sounds perfect! What do you think?"

Bai Cha naturally had no objections and didn't dare have any. She was only thinking about how to escape under the cover of night so she could go to her godfather, the Pagoda-Bearing Heavenly King Li, to find out more about this Su Qing.

Unaware of her thoughts, Su Qing rode her horse, leading the group toward the distant temple.