A Bit of Fun

Su Qing was in no hurry to deal with the source of the gaze behind her...

Firstly, Su Qing was a reasonable person. Since the other party hadn't made a move yet, she naturally wouldn't strike first.

Secondly, the other party wasn't worth fearing.

After all, it was merely a mortal. Even if it was a mortal who knew some martial arts, they were no match for three cultivators. The two sides were simply not on the same level, so there was no need for fear.

If the other party wanted to play hardball, Su Qing didn't mind sending him directly to see King Yama. It just so happened that she had a bit of a connection with King Yama; perhaps she could even arrange for him to be reincarnated as something other than human in his next life!

With that, Su Qing brought the little girl back to the inn...

Once Su Qing stepped inside, the gaze briefly vanished. She cast a slightly surprised glance toward the direction where the gaze had disappeared, but then paid it no more mind. That fellow wasn't worth much of her concern.

Inside the inn.

Seeing Su Qing return with the little one, Ao Yiyi knew that the Su family hadn't taken the child in.

"Then, Sister Su... what should we do?" Ao Yiyi asked a similar question once again. She said, "How about we go and have a face-to-face talk with the Su family?"

Su Qing was taken aback for a moment before saying with a smile, "Oh? I didn't think you would come up with a plan to coerce them, Yiyi!"

Ao Yiyi froze and hurriedly shook her head, indicating that wasn't what she meant. "I just want to have a proper talk and reason with the Su family, not coerce them."

Su Qing chuckled, then said half-jokingly, "I understand, I understand. Winning people over with virtue!"

Seeing that Su Qing 'understood' her meaning, Ao Yiyi couldn't help but sigh in relief and nod, saying, "Mhm, mhm, that's exactly what I meant."

Clearly, Ao Yiyi didn't know exactly what kind of 'winning people over with virtue' Su Qing was referring to. She just foolishly nodded, thinking Su Qing was right...

This made Su Qing find it a bit amusing, but she didn't expose the truth, only nodding with a smile.

Then she said, "There's no need to go to them... Since they have already clearly refused to take the child, it would be pointless even if we went back. In fact, it would be a bit undignified. Besides, if we forced the child onto them, this little one's future would definitely not be very bright."

Ao Yiyi wasn't stupid and quickly understood what Su Qing meant. She nodded and asked, "Then... what should be done?"

"Let's just keep her by our side for a few years," Su Qing said calmly as she sat in a chair. "It just so happens that I intend to temporarily settle down here."

"Huh?"

"Didn't the waiter say it earlier? War is coming," Su Qing said with a smile. "So for now, we'll just stay here... I'll open a medical clinic and properly hone my medical skills. After all, I can't just give a Spirit Pill to every patient I encounter."

Ao Yiyi looked at Su Qing and then nodded. Su Qing's decision was somewhat unexpected, but it seemed to make sense... so she wasn't particularly surprised.

"Opening a medical clinic?" Ao Yiyi rubbed her chin and said, "That's actually not bad... It's perfect timing; I'll follow you and learn some medicine as well, Sister Su."

Su Qing looked at her and smiled. "If you want to learn, there's naturally no problem."

Ao Yiyi wanting to learn medicine was actually a good thing. For Su Qing, once the clinic opened, she might not be able to handle everything on her own.

"Right, how long do you plan to stay in Linzhou City, Sister Su?" Ao Yiyi tilted her head and asked.

Su Qing looked at the babbling little one in her arms, who was happy for some unknown reason, and said, "Ten years! With my education, this girl should be able to be independent in ten years. It won't be too late to leave then... After all, the medical clinic is just a side project; taking care of this little trouble is the main reason!"

"I see..." Ao Yiyi nodded. This didn't fall outside her understanding of Su Qing. She couldn't help but tease, "I really didn't expect Sister Su to stay in this city for such a little one! I thought you were in a hurry to collect Incense Power, Sister."

"Collecting Incense Power is never something that can be achieved through haste..." Su Qing shook her head and said, "This is something destined to be accumulated over time. I want lasting Incense Power, not the kind that is fleeting."

"I feel like... Sister Su has set her goals very high!" Ao Yiyi said, stunned.

"Not high, not high. If there's a short-term harvest to reap, I certainly won't let it pass," Su Qing said with a smile, shaking her head. "I'm not one to turn my nose up at anything!"

Ao Yiyi looked at Su Qing and nodded. Su Qing was indeed a very... casual person.

Seeing Ao Yiyi's little expression, Su Qing smiled faintly and then turned her gaze out the window. In truth, she was staying in this city because she felt that being here... there would be plenty of fun to be found.

"I wonder what that fellow plans to do?" Su Qing thought of the martial artist who had been watching her earlier, feeling a bit curious about his plans.

However, she only thought about it briefly. Because a moment later, she could no longer think as the little one in her arms began to fuss...

The little one was hungry again.

Su Qing sighed helplessly and handed her over to Hu Lin'er. Of course, Hu Lin'er wasn't a wet nurse. After all, as a maiden who had never experienced the ways of the world, how could she have milk? She was only responsible for feeding the little one some goat milk. Additionally, she would feed the little one some congee... to slowly get her used to it.

'But compared to demon children, mortal children really are a bit of a hassle!' Su Qing looked at the little one, feeling a slight sense of helplessness in her heart.

Although she had raised a child before, that was Ao Ying's child. Setting aside how naughty that little one was now, she had actually been quite well-behaved when she was small. She didn't know where things had gone wrong; the girl was more troublesome now than when she was a baby.

Shaking her head, Su Qing pulled herself away from her memories.

'I wonder if that fellow will make a move tonight...' Su Qing's thoughts began to wander again.

Time passed quickly.

In the blink of an eye, it was late at night.

Because Su Qing found the little one a bit too noisy, she had placed her with Hu Lin'er. She wasn't worried that Hu Lin'er wouldn't be able to protect the child. No matter how weak Hu Lin'er was, she was still a demon in the Divine Immortal Realm. How could a mere mortal be her match?

Moreover, Su Qing had already told Hu Lin'er about the matter. As long as she wasn't stupid, she would know to be more vigilant at night.

During the night, everyone was fast asleep. The little one was sleeping exceptionally soundly at this moment.

Meanwhile, outside the inn, a person dressed in night-traveling clothes was silently approaching the room where Hu Lin'er was staying.

Indeed, he was the one who had been following Su Qing during the day. His purpose for this trip was naturally to get rid of the little one. Although it was quite dishonorable for a martial arts master to strike at a little girl, this was his job after all. Having taken the money, he had to do his best.

"Don't blame me, I'm only following orders." The man blew some Knockout Smoke into the room. This stuff wasn't lethal, but it could make a person sleep more deeply, ensuring they wouldn't be woken up by small movements.

When he felt the time was right, he silently entered the room. Although he knew there was only one woman and an infant inside, his professionalism prevented him from showing even the slightest carelessness.

The man cautiously approached the crib and looked at the infant inside by the moonlight filtering through the window. After whispering an 'Amitabha' in his heart, he took out some poison and prepared to smear it on the infant's lips.

Using a knife would certainly be faster, but that would make it obvious that someone had assassinated the infant. That was why he used poison. This poison was colorless and odorless, a rare thing in the world and a perfect tool for murder and plunder. Let alone a small child, even an adult would lose their life on the spot after consuming just a tiny bit. Afterward, even the most skilled doctor would find it difficult to detect what kind of poison it was. This thing never failed; it was very useful.

However, just as he was about to reach out toward the child, he found that his hand suddenly couldn't move.

At that very moment, a soft 'shhh' sounded in the room, and all the lights flickered on.

The assassin was greatly alarmed by the sight. He hurriedly tried to pull back and retreat. He knew that his actions had likely been exposed. At the same time, it seemed he had stumbled into a formidable trouble.

"What's the rush to leave? Since you've come, stay and chat with me for a bit." Just as he was about to flee, his feet felt as if they were glued to the floor, rendering him completely unable to move.

At the same time, an inhuman creature appeared before his eyes.

It was a monster with a human body and a fox's head! The fox-headed monster had a bloody maw, yet it spoke with an exceptionally soft and charming voice...

This intense contrast made him feel as if he had been plunged into an ice cellar, his entire body shivering with cold.

"A... A demon!"

"A demon? You call me a demon? I'm so beautiful, can't you tell?" the fox-headed demon said, still in that charming voice.

At the same time, she slowly walked toward the assassin. She reached out a 'hand' that was neither quite a hand nor quite a claw and stroked his face. Her sharp nails instantly sliced through his skin, scaring him out of his wits.

"Am I not beautiful?"

The demon spoke again.

Meanwhile, in the same room, Hu Lin'er was soothing the awakened Su Qingyu back to sleep. Simultaneously, her free hand was forming a hand seal.

Not far from her, a man in night-traveling clothes lay with a hideous expression... He was sleeping soundly, though it seemed he was having a nightmare.

"I thought the Young Miss was tricking me when she said someone would come looking for trouble tonight. I didn't expect someone would actually dare to come!"

Hu Lin'er looked at the man lying on the ground, struggling but unable to leave the dreamscape, and couldn't help but sneer coldly, muttering to herself, "A mere mortal dares to look for trouble? He really isn't afraid of death."

Hu Lin'er was indeed the weakest among the three, but that didn't mean she was weak compared to others. If one looked at the general environment, her strength could be considered mid-tier. It was just... who could blame her when those around her were monsters? One was a truly special existence, and the other was a disciple of Guanyin Bodhisattva. It would be strange if a little demon like her could compare.

After a long while, once Hu Lin'er had coaxed the little one back to sleep, she said to herself, "But... what should I do next? Should I just kill him? Or should I keep him and let the Young Miss interrogate him tomorrow? What a headache..."

She thought about it for a good while. In the end, she chose the safest method: she would do nothing for now and keep the man trapped in the illusion for the night. She would wait until Su Qing woke up tomorrow morning and hand him over for interrogation. After all, if she did nothing, she couldn't do it wrong!

Time passed quickly. Su Qing had a peaceful night's sleep. After waking up, Su Qing stretched and then walked to Hu Lin'er's door and knocked.

"Young Miss... I have something to report." Hu Lin'er was still very attentive toward Su Qing.

Su Qing nodded. After listening briefly to Hu Lin'er's words, she said, "Actually, there's no need to keep him. Just kill him. After all, I already know exactly who is behind him."

"Huh?" Hu Lin'er was stunned for a moment, then asked, "Then... I should kill him?"

Su Qing nodded again and said, "Mhm. But your Illusion Arts are quite well-mastered."

"I'm quite useless... I can't learn most powerful spells, so I can only use some Illusion Arts to bully mortals." Although Hu Lin'er was happy to be praised, she remained composed and humble on the surface.

Su Qing smiled and didn't continue that line of conversation, only saying, "Right, remember to dispose of the body afterward. This is an inn, after all. If there's a corpse, people will report it to the officials. While it's not a big deal, it's a bit of a hassle."

Hu Lin'er nodded slightly; she could manage disposing of a body.

"Don't worry, Young Miss, I'll handle these things properly." After saying that, Hu Lin'er thought of something else and asked, "Then... should we go and seek revenge on the mastermind? After all, that fellow wanted to kill this little girl!"

"Revenge?" Su Qing rubbed her chin and said with a smile, "Why should we go to him? We'll wait until this little one grows up and then tell her about it! Wouldn't it be more interesting to let her seek revenge herself?"

"Huh?" Hu Lin'er was confused again. She had always thought Su Qing was the type to settle a grudge immediately.

'Perhaps, in the Young Miss's eyes, this little girl isn't considered one of our own?'

Hu Lin'er suddenly felt she couldn't quite understand Su Qing. Su Qing saw her bewildered expression but didn't explain further. She just patted her shoulder and said, "Just do your work well."

After saying that, she turned and left.

Hu Lin'er could probably rack her brains and still never guess that the reason Su Qing was too lazy to seek revenge herself was truly just for the fun of it...

After all... this little one's own grudges should be settled by her. She wasn't a nanny.