Of course, what Su Qing taught was bound to be useful...
After all, while she didn't fully understand the intricacies of mortal martial arts, she possessed over a thousand years of experience in pure swordsmanship and combat techniques.
Furthermore, beyond just teaching techniques...
Su Qing could actually provide some guidance on their cultivation methods as well.
According to Li Yichou, her sect's cultivation method was originally derived from the one Su Qing had taught Xu Xuan'er. Therefore, Su Qing was more than capable of helping her refine and improve it.
However, the prerequisite was that Li Yichou had to trust her enough to show her the manual.
Otherwise, it was all empty talk.
Upon hearing Su Qing’s offer, Li Yichou was momentarily stunned.
After a brief silence, she nodded and said, “If you are willing to teach me, Miss, I am naturally very eager to learn! After all, I know how formidable you are.”
Su Qing smiled at her words. “Since you’re willing to learn, that makes things easy. But I must warn you beforehand—I am very strict. If you don't perform well, I won't go easy on you.”
Li Yichou nodded. “Please rest assured, Miss. I am no longer a child; I understand this.”
Su Qing nodded in satisfaction. “Good.”
“When do you plan to start, Miss?”
“Hmm, let’s wait a couple of days!” Su Qing smiled. “There’s plenty of time; no need to rush.”
As she spoke, Su Qing stretched her limbs and turned to look at the little girl, who was currently counting on her fingers. A smile played on Su Qing's lips.
She thought to herself, 'Raising a human child is a completely different experience compared to raising a demon child!'
The little girl seemed to notice Su Qing’s gaze. She looked up at Su Qing, then quickly averted her eyes and went back to her task.
She put on a front as if she hadn't been slacking off at all.
Su Qing gave a helpless smile and stopped watching her, returning to her own business.
Although her clone was feeling a bit bored, her main body still had plenty to do.
The advantage of the Body Outside Body Technique was that as long as one side was occupied, Su Qing wouldn't feel bored.
Life in Linzhou City was relatively peaceful.
Her main body wasn't bored either.
This kind of life was quite enjoyable...
However, unlike Su Qing’s relaxed state, there was someone in Yunmengze whose mood was far from pleasant.
Inside the former Library of Sutras of the Yue-Nu Sect...
A man dressed in red robes resentfully threw the book in his hand to the ground.
“No, no! This cultivation method can't possibly allow a martial artist to break through the shackles of a Great Grandmaster...” the man said through gritted teeth. “That old thing lied to me... this method is definitely not the one Xu Xuan'er practiced.”
The man was exceptionally irritable. In a fit of rage, he struck a nearby bookshelf with his palm, instantly turning the entire shelf into dust.
This was the power of a mortal martial arts Great Grandmaster.
However, this was also the limit of a Great Grandmaster...
“Damn it, truly damn it...” the man muttered angrily. Then he shouted, “Someone! Go and kill that old thing in the dungeon... No, forget it! That person is still useful.”
He was indeed furious, but he hadn't completely lost his mind.
This was one of the last few Yue-Nu Sect disciples he had in his hands. If this one died too, it would be even harder to find that legendary cultivation method.
“Where is it... where is it? Where exactly is that immortal method given by the immortal that Xu Xuan'er practiced?” the man muttered to himself.
What he sought was naturally not just an ordinary martial arts manual.
Everyone assumed he wanted the original manuscript of the Yue-Nu Sect’s martial arts.
But in reality, he wanted the original of the original!
That was the legendary immortal method Xu Xuan'er had received from an immortal.
A method to achieve immortality!
Not some mere martial arts technique!
As a Great Grandmaster, he knew exactly where the limits of martial arts lay.
Therefore, he had long ago given up on breaking through the shackles of a Great Grandmaster through martial arts. Instead, he wanted to find that immortal method...
By practicing that method, he hoped to transcend his limits and become an immortal.
“Someone!” After calming down for a moment, the man called out to the door.
A moment later, a man in black robes entered, bowed to the man, and said, “Alliance Leader, what are your orders?”
“Is there any news of Li Anran yet?” the man asked, his brow furrowing slightly.
The black-robed man shook his head. “There are still no leads for the time being...”
“What about the people who initially pursued her?”
“The same. However, they are likely dead! If they were still alive, they would have left some trace.”
Seeing the red-robed man's expression turn grim, the black-robed man remained calm and said:
“Alliance Leader, there is no need to be anxious. We have already sent people to Linzhou City to look for clues... If a person has been there, they will inevitably leave a trace. It is impossible to vanish into thin air!”
“Hoo... Regardless, we must find that person. I want to see her alive, or her corpse if she’s dead.” After a moment of silence, the red-robed man forced himself to calm down. “Also, bring that old thing in the dungeon with you... she might be of some use. Oh, and she’s still valuable, so don't let her die.”
“Yes!” The black-robed man nodded.
“Alright, dismissed! In short, I don't care what method you use. As long as you find Li Anran and bring her to me, I will not go back on the promises I made you.” The red-robed man waved his hand.
The black-robed man said nothing more, nodded, and departed to carry out the orders.
Time passed quickly, and in the blink of an eye, another half-month had gone by.
During this half-month, Su Qing’s medical hall remained very peaceful.
But Su Qing wasn't bored either...
There were plenty of things to do every day.
On one hand, she spent time training Li Yichou, and on the other, she treated patients who came to the hall.
Perhaps because Su Qing’s reputation was growing...
Although there were fewer local patients in Linzhou City because of her treatments, more and more people were coming from afar, drawn by her fame.
Most of those patients traveled thousands of miles to see her, and the ailments they suffered from were varied and strange.
This made Su Qing’s daily life slightly busier.
However, being busy naturally came with generous rewards.
After all, most people who could afford to travel thousands of miles for medical treatment were either wealthy or of high status.
Naturally, they weren't stingy with their rewards for Su Qing.
Admittedly, Su Qing’s need for money wasn't particularly high...
But the satisfaction that came from earning it was something she particularly enjoyed.
Today, it was noon again.
Su Qing had a simple lunch in the medical hall.
She sat there watching Li Yichou study acupuncture and acupoints.
Although Li Yichou mainly helped with chores, since she worked in a medical hall, she needed to learn at least a bit of medicine.
So, in addition to learning swordsmanship from Su Qing, she now had to study medicine as well.
Even more tragically, while she was learning, she also had to help Ao Yiyi and Hu Lin’er teach Su Qingyu.
However, she didn't have to teach Su Qingyu at the moment, as Ao Yiyi and Hu Lin’er had taken the girl out to relax.
Watching Li Yichou, Su Qing had to admit that her learning ability was quite good.
Even though she had only been studying acupuncture for a few days, she had already memorized most of the acupoints.
While she was still a long way from being able to perform it herself, her learning speed and serious attitude were quite satisfying to Su Qing.
While Su Qing was watching her work hard...
The previously quiet medical hall was suddenly entered by two people.
Su Qing’s brow twitched slightly as she looked toward them.
It was a man and a woman. One was an elderly woman over fifty years old. Her hair was white at the temples, her expression was dazed, and her eyes were cloudy. She was covered in injuries, and there was dirt on her face that hadn't been fully washed away. She looked as if she were at death's door, having clearly endured some kind of terrible torture.
The other person was a young man, appearing to be in his twenties, with fairly handsome features.
However, more than his looks, this man seemed to be a martial artist, and his strength was not weak.
Su Qing looked at this strange pair with a bit of confusion and curiosity.
Noticing someone had arrived, Li Yichou also looked up.
But with that one look, her pupils shrank. She nearly threw the silver needle in her hand at the man like a concealed weapon.
That man was none other than the one who had wounded her. It was his poison that had greatly reduced her strength, nearly causing her to die in that ambush.
As for the elderly woman, Li Yichou didn't recognize her at first glance.
But after looking closely for a few moments, she immediately realized who it was.
This was a senior from the Yue-Nu Sect...
Her strength wasn't great, but Li Yichou had practically grown up under her care.
Therefore, her feelings for this elder were quite strong.
For a moment, Li Yichou’s brow furrowed, and her breathing became slightly heavy.
However, she quickly remembered that she was currently in disguise. Even if she wanted to save the old woman, she absolutely could not reveal her identity.
Otherwise, if that man escaped, it would bring immense trouble to the medical hall.
Although she believed Su Qing could certainly handle any enemy, she couldn't proactively bring trouble to her for that reason.
After all, Su Qing was her savior.
She absolutely could not repay kindness with enmity.
Furthermore, she didn't want to be exposed yet, nor did she want to leave the medical hall...
because she saw an opportunity to increase her strength here.
Only by increasing her strength could she hope to avenge her sect in the future.
After a brief internal struggle...
Li Yichou quickly suppressed her breathing and made herself appear much calmer.
Everything happened very quickly and was extremely subtle.
But Su Qing still noticed.
After all, she was no mortal.
Having observed the change in Li Yichou, Su Qing couldn't help but think to herself, 'It looks like these two are people Li Yichou knows. But... I wonder what their relationship is. Well, I’ll ask her later.'
Li Yichou was Su Qing’s employee. Su Qing would naturally look after her employees' affairs.
Su Qing wasn't the type of person who only exploited her workers.
She was a very 'kind' person.
The man didn't notice the change in Li Yichou’s emotions.
Naturally, he didn't recognize that Li Yichou was actually Li Anran.
In her current form, not even the old woman who had watched her grow up could recognize her at first glance, let alone this man.
One would have to spend a significant amount of time with her and guess based on her daily habits to figure it out.
The man stared at Su Qing and Li Yichou for a moment, inwardly admiring their beauty.
Then he spoke up:
“Doctor... are you busy right now?”
He wasn't here to cause trouble, so he wouldn't use his strength to bully others.
Furthermore, making a move in the city was equivalent to defying the imperial court. No matter how powerful these martial artists were, they were still mortals. Before the iron hooves of the imperial army, they would still be crushed.
Perhaps their individual combat power was strong.
Taking on a hundred men was no problem.
But what about a thousand?
Especially elites equipped with powerful crossbows?
It would be pure suicide.
So, unless absolutely necessary, they wouldn't openly make a move in the city.
It was better to keep a low profile.
Wuxia heroes were not immortals.
They weren't that powerful.
Su Qing shook her head and said, “I’m quite free... May I ask what you need?”
“Isn't that obvious, Doctor? I naturally hope you can treat this elderly woman,” the man said with a smile. “I heard this is the best medical hall in the city, so I brought her here. Don't worry, even though she has no money, I do. I won't fall behind on the medical fees.”
“Fees are a small matter.” Su Qing glanced at the elderly woman and asked with a look of confusion, “Treating her is no problem; a medical hall exists to save lives. It’s just... I’m curious. What exactly happened? Why is she in such a state?”
The man had already anticipated that a doctor would ask such questions...
So, he had already prepared a story on the way here.
He gave a helpless smile and said, “That’s a long story.”
“Please, keep it short,” Su Qing said, raising an eyebrow.
“Of course. It goes like this: yesterday, while I was passing by a mountain, I was surrounded by several bandits. I happen to have some martial arts training, so I dealt with them. Then I called some friends and we wiped out the bandits' nest. You could say I was doing a service for the people!”
As the man spoke, he turned to look at the old woman beside him and said:
“And this old woman was found in the bandits' dungeon... I saw she was badly injured, dazed, and seemed to be at death's door. I couldn't bear to see it, so I thought I’d bring her to the city for treatment. After all, doesn't everyone have an elder at home?”
Rate on N.U.
