The Half-Demon

Hearing Li Shan Lao Mu's words, Su Qing gave a helpless smile and said, "Senior, I haven't been a child for a long time! I'm already several hundred years old."

"I naturally know you're no longer a child... I just feel that you've grown a lot more compared to the past. Mmm, you truly gained quite a lot from this journey to the west."

Li Shan Lao Mu laughed heartily, patted her shoulder, and said, "This is good... I'll feel even more at ease when I hand the white girl over to you in the future."

"Uh... Xiao Bai is already my wife. In a sense, she's already been handed over to me, hasn't she?"

"Isn't the girl still staying here with me? What I mean is... after she leaves Li Shan, she will follow you to the Changbai Mountains."

"Please rest assured on that point, Old Mother. I definitely won't mistreat Xiao Bai," Su Qing said with a solemn nod.

"Rest assured? I am naturally at ease," Li Shan Lao Mu chuckled. "Alright, I've said about all I wanted to say. Let's leave it at that! You should head back quickly as well."

Seeing that Li Shan Lao Mu did not intend to chat further, Su Qing naturally nodded.

She said, "Then Senior, I shall take my leave."

"Mmm, go on, go on! By the way, if you have time later, go find Taishang Laojun. You might be able to reap some special benefits..."

Hearing this, the corner of Su Qing's mouth twitched slightly.

She didn't particularly care about 'benefits' and the like. As for finding Taishang Laojun...

Well, she didn't really like looking for that old rascal.

But since the Old Mother had put it that way... she would go see him when she had time later. She had a feeling the Old Mother was subtly reminding her of something.

"This junior understands," Su Qing said with a cupped-fist bow. "Then I shall bid you farewell."

The Old Mother nodded, then gave a slight wave of her hand, and the door to the side hall opened.

Seeing the door open, Su Qing said no more. She turned and left the side hall.

Outside the door, the Little Sparrows were chatting excitedly with the Daoist boy. Yudie sat to the side, her mind seemingly wandering elsewhere, not participating in the idle chatter.

Seeing Su Qing return, the sparrows flew over excitedly, complaining to her about what had happened while they were with the Daoist boy yesterday.

Su Qing didn't care much for it, giving only a few perfunctory replies before saying, "We're preparing to head back. It will probably be a while before we can come again."

The little Daoist boy naturally didn't mind much. She nodded and said, "Then Big Green Snake, remember to bring me some delicious food next time!"

Su Qing nodded slightly, indicating she wouldn't forget. Seeing Su Qing agree, the little Daoist boy happily bid her farewell, already looking forward to Su Qing's next visit—or rather, looking forward to the delicious food Su Qing would bring.

After bidding farewell to the little Daoist boy, Su Qing boarded the Somersault Cloud. She carried Yudie and the Little Sparrows toward the Changbai Mountains at extreme speed.

The scenery before her eyes receded rapidly like a tide. Before long, Su Qing had returned to the Changbai Mountains.

She didn't waste much time outside. She had already seen what needed to be seen in the Changbai Mountains; nothing would change in just a day. As for the remaining matters, there was no rush. Doing them this afternoon or tomorrow was the same. There was no need to be overly impatient.

So, she naturally went straight back to the courtyard on the mountain.

Su Qing lowered the cloud and landed in the courtyard a moment later. However, as soon as she returned, she noticed that the courtyard was slightly different from before. It had been expanded.

"Huh, strange... several hundred years have passed without the courtyard being expanded. I only left for a day, so why did Leng Xiang and Ao Ying expand it?" Su Qing's brow quirked, her mind unable to figure it out.

But it didn't matter if she couldn't understand. She would just ask Leng Xiang and Ao Ying directly in a moment.

"Go play by yourselves! I'm going to find your mother to ask about some things." Su Qing patted Yudie's head, telling her to go find Su Ying'er with the sparrows.

Yudie had no objections. Once she received the order to move freely, she ran off with a pitter-patter of footsteps.

Walking into the house, Su Qing didn't see Leng Xiang. She estimated that Leng Xiang had probably gone to patrol the mountains, so she turned and headed toward the Heaven Lake.

There was a pavilion by the Heaven Lake, and Ao Ying happened to be there fishing.

Seeing Su Qing return, she stood up with a smile and walked over. "Sister, you're back so soon? I thought you'd stay at Xiao Bai's place for a few more days!"

"There are still many matters to complete in the Changbai Mountains... naturally, I couldn't stay at Xiao Bai's for too long," Su Qing said, shaking her head.

"True. Now that you're back, you really do need to handle many of the Changbai Mountains' affairs personally." Ao Ying nodded thoughtfully.

Su Qing smiled and nodded, then asked about the expansion. Ao Ying naturally told her about Morning Glory's arrival.

"Oh? I didn't expect that girl Morning Glory to actually run all the way to the Changbai Mountains," Su Qing said with a hint of surprise. "I thought she would stay obediently with Guanyin Bodhisattva to cultivate!"

Su Qing had actually anticipated that Morning Glory would come looking for her. What truly surprised her was that she had come so early. After all, it hadn't been many days since they parted.

Could that girl really be unable to bear the loneliness? It seemed she truly held quite a bit of weight in that girl's eyes. She felt somewhat gratified by this; she hadn't doted on her in vain all these years!

However, although she was gratified, she didn't want the girl to stay here long-term. It wasn't that Su Qing disliked her or found her to be in the way. It was because staying by Guanyin's side was the only way for her to cultivate better.

Her three souls and seven spirits were incomplete... she still needed that protective Bodhisattva to help her repair them properly! If Morning Glory stayed here, Su Qing could see her every day, but it would also mean the difficulty of Guanyin repairing her soul would increase.

Therefore, at least until her soul was fully restored, she definitely couldn't stay here for long—especially now, with not much time left before the Great Tribulation of Heaven and Earth. The earlier the restoration was completed, the better.

Ao Ying naturally couldn't guess what Su Qing was thinking. After hearing Su Qing's words, she simply said, "You've indeed taken in a very cute goddaughter. I like her quite a bit too."

"That girl is indeed very well-behaved... but speaking of which, how does she address you?"

"She calls us whatever she calls you!"

"In that case, this girl seems to have quite a few godmothers."

At this point, Ao Ying couldn't help but reach out and pinch the soft flesh at Su Qing's waist. "Whose fault is that, exactly?"

Su Qing's mouth twitched. She quickly changed the subject, saying, "By the way, where is she? I didn't see her in the house just now!"

Ao Ying knew Su Qing was changing the subject to avoid being lectured. However, she didn't bother to press the issue. If she really wanted to lecture Su Qing, she would have started long ago.

"That girl? She was probably dragged out to play by Ying'er! You know what kind of personality that little one has... she can't sit still." Ao Ying thought for a moment before answering.

Su Ying'er had a bright personality and was a lively, easy-to-understand child. Naturally, she wouldn't stay obediently at home. Although they needed permission from Su Qing or Ao Ying to go down the mountain, they could wander around the mountains as they pleased.

"I see... then she might be hard to find," Su Qing said with a helpless laugh.

She said it was hard to find, but it wasn't truly that difficult. If Su Qing were willing to take a moment to calculate her location, she would find her very quickly.

"You're just too lazy to go... but it's fine. When it's time for lunch, the two girls will naturally come back."

Ao Ying gave Su Qing a sidelong glance and said, "Speaking of which, let's have fish for lunch today. I happened to catch a few here. But that girl Morning Glory probably only eats vegetarian food, right? Mmm, I'll prepare some vegetarian dishes for her then."

"Mmm, you're very thoughtful."

"The girl is a guest, after all. Naturally, I have to be more considerate," Ao Ying said calmly.

Su Qing smiled and nodded. "Since everything is well, I'll go handle some affairs in the Changbai Mountains first! You keep fishing; I'm heading off."

Ao Ying gave her a helpless look. "Fine, fine~ I know."

Watching Su Qing walk away with a chuckle, Ao Ying looked at the float in the water, her mind occupied with other thoughts.

She thought that since Su Qing was finally back, it was time to 'punish' her! However, she would wait until tomorrow night. Looking at Su Qing, she had likely been tossed around quite a bit by Xiao Bai yesterday.

"It's the perfect time to try out that Dragon Clan secret manual mother sent over a few days ago..." Ao Ying thought to herself.

On the other side, Su Qing, who had walked quite a distance, suddenly felt a slight chill on her back. She turned to look around, but saw nothing but the forest.

"Am I overthinking?" Su Qing shook her head slightly and exhaled a breath of turbid air.

"I'll go check out the Daoist temple at the foot of the mountain first! I only caught a glimpse of it from afar before, and many things weren't clear. I ultimately need to see it for myself..."

Su Qing stretched, yawned, and slowly walked down the mountain.

Her pace wasn't fast, but she reached the Daoist temple at the foot of the mountain in no time. The temple enshrined herself, Leng Xiang, and Ao Ying. The temple was still flourishing with offerings. After all, it was a place she had managed for hundreds of years; it was only normal for the incense power to be abundant. If it weren't, that would be the real trouble!

Su Qing performed a hand seal, concealing her aura and making herself invisible to the mortals around her. Bypassing the Daoist boy at the entrance, she walked straight into the courtyard.

In the courtyard, a large incense burner was filled with burning or spent incense sticks. Many commoners were kneeling in front of it, bowing or making wishes. Su Qing had heard too many wishes over the years and had long since lost interest. Although she would occasionally fulfill one or two, most were ignored. Manifesting miracles was necessary, but doing it every single time would make her feel like a mere utility god.

Walking to the main hall, Su Qing saw a transformed demon kneeling before her statue, offering incense and making a wish.

There were many transformed demons in the Changbai Mountains, but their strength was generally mediocre—or rather, very weak. This was because most of these demons had transformed by consuming Transformation Pills. Consequently, most of them could not reach the Divine Immortal Realm.

Su Qing had once established a rule here: any demon who followed the regulations and completed certain tasks could receive a Transformation Pill to take human form. Of course, to live in the human world, they had to fulfill other requirements, take an oath, and be subject to certain restrictions. In short, there were layers of checks to prevent evil demons from mingling with humans to eat them.

As for where these Transformation Pills came from, they naturally came from Su Qing's own hand. In the past, when she practiced making Transformation Pills, she had produced many defective pills. These pills weren't ineffective; they simply couldn't allow a demon to transform as perfectly as a flawless pill would. Adhering to the principle of not letting things go to waste, Su Qing had established such a rule.

Firstly, it prevented the mountain from becoming overcrowded with demons, which would lead to infighting. Secondly, it avoided overly high-pressure control that might cause the demons to rebel and act out recklessly. Thirdly, although the Changbai Mountains were large, they couldn't house an infinite number of demons. Sending some out helped prevent excessive demon density from causing issues. In short, there were many benefits to this practice, and it also allowed Su Qing to conduct some experiments.

That was roughly how things worked. This was also why transformed demons occasionally appeared near the Changbai Mountains.

Su Qing yawned and listened to the demon's wish. This time, however, she perked up slightly. The demon was praying for his wife to have a smooth delivery.

"Mmm? This fellow... actually married a mortal? And that mortal is pregnant? Hiss... I'm actually quite curious to see what a child born from a demon and a mortal will look like. Will it look human, like a demon, or like a half-demon?"

Su Qing stroked her chin, her curiosity piqued. Although she had read many stories about this, she had never actually witnessed it. "I'm also curious... does his wife know he's a demon? If she doesn't and gives birth to a 'freak,' will it cause trouble?"

Su Qing had been excited and found it interesting, but she quickly snapped out of it and considered other aspects. A half-demon child was interesting, but the consequences couldn't be ignored. She rubbed her brow, thought for a moment, and then sent out a spiritual energy mark to record the demon's identity.

"When his wife is about to give birth, I'll transform into a midwife to deliver the baby... that way, I'll have more room to maneuver."

Thinking this, Su Qing shook her head helplessly. "I was ultimately being a bit inconsiderate..."

After watching the demon leave, Su Qing smiled and prepared to depart as well. However, as she turned to leave the main hall, her gaze was drawn to a certain father and daughter.

"Oh? Why are those two here?"