Easy Aftermath

Su Qing naturally didn't care about the little sparrow’s stubborn protests. After all these years, she was too tired to even bother teasing this group of stubborn fellows. No matter how much they talked back, she wouldn't change her mind.

These birds really needed to lose weight. In the past, she had been too soft-hearted, which was why every attempt had failed. But Red Boy was different; she wouldn't hesitate. That girl was incredibly persistent—the type who wouldn't stop until she reached her goal.

Thus, Su Qing was quite at ease with the arrangement.

"Your opinion doesn't matter! Just train hard," Su Qing said, poking the sparrow's head. "But don't worry, she won't actually turn you into a roasted sparrow in the future."

Hearing this, the little sparrow flapped its wings in dissatisfaction, flying back and forth in front of Su Qing while chirping incessantly to express its extreme displeasure. Unfortunately, Su Qing clearly had no intention of listening. The matter was settled.

She turned to Red Boy and said, "Then I’ll leave it to you."

Red Boy naturally had no objections. She nodded and looked at the little sparrow with a beaming smile. "Leave it to me! I guarantee I’ll complete the task Sister Su gave me."

Hearing their exchange, the little sparrow was so furious it pecked directly at Red Boy. As for why it didn't peck Su Qing—it simply didn't dare to act out against her.

As they were chatting, Ao Ying’s voice came from behind them. She looked at the group and said, "What are you all talking about? Stop for now; it’s almost time for dinner. Leng Xiang has finished cooking, and we’re just waiting for you."

Su Qing nodded slightly. "Understood, we’re coming."

She stretched her limbs and said to Red Boy, "Alright, let’s stop here for today. We’ll eat first before worrying about anything else!"

Red Boy agreed. She reached out and grabbed the little sparrow that was still pecking at her hand, carrying it along to dinner.

Although the Little Sparrows had decent cultivation realms, they lacked any means of attack. Su Qing had tried to teach them, but they were unwilling to learn. Their current strength could only be described as extremely weak—at least compared to others in the same realm. Fortunately, they had no trouble bullying those even weaker than themselves.

The matters on Changbai Mountain were settled for the time being.

Meanwhile, in Linzhou City, Su Qing’s clone was nudged by Hu Lin'er. Hu Lin'er said to her, "Miss... I’ve found where those people are located."

Su Qing hadn't placed all her focus on her main body; she had left a portion of her mind here. Although she looked like she was napping, she woke up as soon as she was called. She regained her focus and looked at Hu Lin'er. "Mhm, not bad... Take action immediately. Don't worry too much about the details; just make sure you don't leave any traces that mortals could discover."

Hu Lin'er nodded. "I... I understand. I’ll head out now! By the way, what about this fellow? Should I deal with him now?"

"This guy? Leave him for Li Yichou! I recall he has a deep grudge against her. It’ll be more interesting to let her settle it herself," Su Qing said with a faint smile. "Though, I wonder if she’ll feel a sense of accomplishment doing it this way?"

"I feel like I can’t quite keep up with your train of thought, Miss." Hu Lin'er felt a bit dazed by Su Qing's words. She felt that Su Qing’s mind was always filled with strange things she couldn't understand, so she decided to stop guessing. "But never mind. Since the Miss wants to leave him for Li Yichou, then so be it. It doesn't matter to me."

Su Qing crossed her arms and smiled. "You don't necessarily have to keep up with my thoughts. Sometimes, even I don't know what I’m thinking."

Hu Lin'er nodded thoughtfully. Indeed, Su Qing sometimes did things quite inexplicably, as if acting purely on a whim or a sudden flight of fancy. She said helplessly, "Then, Miss, I’ll be going?"

"Go ahead~ I wish you martial fortune."

"Miss... it’s just dealing with a few ordinary people. There’s no need for such a blessing." Hu Lin'er gave a helpless smile and left the medical hall to hunt down the remaining men.

Su Qing stretched, then turned to find Li Yichou. Although letting Li Yichou settle the score with this man was a spur-of-the-moment decision, she was a woman of action. She might hesitate occasionally before acting, but once decided, she moved quickly.

Su Qing found Li Yichou in the inner room. The elderly woman had fallen asleep again, and Li Yichou was reading the medical texts Su Qing had left for her. Clearly, she was a hardworking girl.

"Miss, why are you here?" Li Yichou asked curiously.

Su Qing didn't waste words and explained her reason for coming: "You should still remember that man named Guo. I can't remember his full name... anyway, he’s been knocked unconscious by me. How about it? Do you want to end him with your own hands? I remember you have a grudge against him, don't you?"

Li Yichou was stunned by Su Qing’s words. She hadn't expected Su Qing to take action so suddenly, nor had she expected Su Qing to hand the opportunity for revenge over to her.

But if asked whether she wanted to kill the man herself... the answer was naturally yes. After all, he was indeed her enemy. Although Su Qing’s intervention made her revenge simple and perhaps lacked a bit of the 'struggle,' what did that matter? As long as her enemy died, it was enough.

She took a deep breath and said, "Thank you... Miss."

Su Qing smiled. "So, what’s your plan?"

"Please hand him over to me! I want to kill him with my own hands," Li Yichou said, a trace of killing intent flickering in her eyes.

Su Qing nodded. "I thought you might feel a lack of accomplishment if I just handed him to you on a silver platter."

"Miss... I’m not that kind of person!" Li Yichou gave a helpless laugh and joked, "If possible, I’d even wish for the Miss to help me kill all my enemies!"

Su Qing shook her head. "Killing them all would be too much trouble~ You should settle the rest of your enemies yourself in the future! I don't like meddling in too many things."

Su Qing was telling the truth. She had no interest in overextending herself. If an enemy shoved their face in front of her, she wouldn't mind throwing a punch, but she wasn't about to go out of her way to seek them out. That was too much effort.

"Of course... actually, even if the Miss wanted to help, I wouldn't want you to go to such lengths. Revenge is my own business. However... I must thank you for this time! If not for the Miss, I’m afraid I wouldn't have had the confidence to save Sister Zhou, let alone the certainty of dealing with that man named Guo alone."

Li Yichou spoke seriously to Su Qing, "I truly am grateful to you... you’ve helped me so much that I really don't know how to repay you."

Su Qing didn't care much for the gratitude. To her, she hadn't exerted much effort; many of these things were just done in passing. She said nonchalantly, "No need to thank me. I’ve said it several times—this is just your employee benefit! But if you really insist on thanking me, why not marry me? That way, I’ll never have to pay you a salary."

Li Yichou gave a helpless smile. "Miss... I don't have a salary as it is."

Su Qing curled her lip and said dismissively, "I know, I know~ I’ll still give you pocket money! Alright, since you want to kill him yourself, go ahead. But remember, don't kill him in front of Su Qingyu. Even though that girl isn't afraid of blood, she’s still a child; we have to preserve some of her innocence."

"The Miss can rest assured on that. I have a sense of proportion; how could I kill someone in front of a child?" Li Yichou smiled helplessly, then asked, "By the way, is anyone in the backyard?"

"Ao Yiyi is in the backyard teaching the little one to recognize medicinal herbs. Just drag him somewhere else to kill him. Also, if the body is hard to deal with, take this. This thing can help you clean up the corpse."

Su Qing chuckled and tossed her a vial of liquid. "I named it Corpse-Dissolving Powder. Just pour some on the body, and in a short while, it will turn into a pool of liquid. Oh, and remember to clean it up well; that stuff smells terrible."

"Understood, Miss..." Li Yichou nodded, looking at the vial in her hand. "Thank you, Miss. You always think of everything so thoroughly."

Su Qing smiled and said nothing more, turning to leave the room. Li Yichou followed her out, but she was stepping out to drag Guo Yu to his doom.

Soon, the main hall of the medical hall became quiet again. Su Qing sat in the hall with a smile on her face, muttering to herself, "Today has been quite busy! But being busy has its perks. Without realizing it, I’ve settled quite a few troubles."

She pulled out a medical book to read for fun. Time flew by, and in the blink of an eye, Li Yichou returned. She had a few bloodstains on her clothes and a lingering trace of killing intent on her face, but it vanished in an instant. When she saw Su Qing, she returned to her usual calm self.

"Looks like it’s over?" Su Qing asked.

Li Yichou nodded. "Thanks to the Miss."

Su Qing waved her hand and didn't say more, only saying, "Alright, since your side is settled, let’s head back!"

"I won't be going back today. I need to stay at the medical hall to watch over Sister Zhou," Li Yichou said, shaking her head.

Su Qing propped her head on her hand. "I have no objection to that. If you want to watch the shop, then watch the shop. But speaking of that elder... how do you plan to handle her once her injuries are healed? You can't keep her by your side forever, can you?"

Li Yichou had naturally considered Su Qing’s point. After all, she hadn't spent the whole day just staring into space.

"I plan to buy a courtyard outside the city once Sister Zhou recovers and settle her there," Li Yichou said.

Su Qing nodded. "But wouldn't that be a bit dangerous? Those people will likely come looking for you again in the future, right?"

Li Yichou gave a helpless smile. "That’s why I want to ask the Miss for a favor!"

"You want me to help her change her appearance?" Su Qing knew what she was thinking and spoke directly. "That’s not a problem... it’s a simple matter. But I’m curious—do you have the silver to buy a courtyard?"

"I have some..." Li Yichou said. "I was once the Sect Leader of the Yue-Nu Sect, after all. Although I didn't bring much silver when I left, I still have some. I also have some jewelry I can exchange for silver... so it shouldn't be a big problem."

Su Qing was momentarily stunned; she had actually forgotten that fact. This girl usually didn't show any of the prestige of a Sect Leader. She had adapted to her new identity remarkably fast.

Su Qing nodded. "Mhm, that’s a good plan. As long as you’re okay with it, that’s fine."

Li Yichou smiled. "I’ll have to trouble the Miss when the time comes."

"Small matter." Su Qing waved her hand. "Alright, since that’s settled, I’ll go get Ao Yiyi and Su Qingyu so we can leave."

"By the way, where is Miss Hu?"

"Her? She had some business and went back first," Su Qing said naturally. "There’s still some cleanup work to handle, after all."

Li Yichou was stunned for a moment. At first, she thought Hu Lin'er had simply gone home, but after analyzing Su Qing’s words, she understood what was being said.

"Can Miss Hu handle those people alone?" Li Yichou knew Hu Lin'er had gone to deal with the remaining men, so she couldn't help but feel worried. As for how Hu Lin'er knew where they were, Li Yichou didn't ask. Sometimes, prying too much only invites annoyance. Moreover, the Miss and her family were all very peculiar recluses; it wasn't strange for them to have strange methods. Like her own face... so she naturally wouldn't ask.

Su Qing spread her hands. "Naturally, there’s no problem. If she couldn't handle it, I wouldn't have let her go."

Hearing this, Li Yichou stopped asking. She nodded and said, "Since the Miss feels there’s no problem, then there shouldn't be any."

She knew that with Su Qing’s personality, she wouldn't lie about such things. If she felt Hu Lin'er could handle it, then there was definitely no problem.

"You certainly trust my word."

"Because I trust the Miss."

"Haha." Su Qing laughed, patted her shoulder, and turned to find Ao Yiyi and the others.

After gathering them, Su Qing led them away from the medical hall. Once they left, Li Yichou stayed behind and closed the doors. If any patients came after Su Qing left, she wouldn't be able to treat them anyway; her medical skills weren't up to par. As for patients in truly urgent need, they wouldn't come here; they would go directly to Su Qing’s home. Where Su Qing lived was no secret.

Upon returning to her courtyard, Su Qing set about making dinner. Although her main body had already eaten, the group here hadn't yet. Besides, even if she didn't need to eat, little Su Qingyu still did. The child was still growing and couldn't be left hungry.

Before long, Su Qing had finished cooking. Seasonings in the mortal world weren't as easy to come by as on Changbai Mountain. On the mountain, if Su Qing wanted something, she could search the whole world for it, but here in the mortal world, she couldn't exactly go flying around on a Somersault Cloud to find ingredients. Fortunately, despite the fewer seasonings, Su Qing’s skills were excellent. She still managed to create several great dishes. At the very least, Su Qingyu ate very happily. This little girl only seemed to lose her fear of Su Qing when she was eating her cooking.

As they were eating, the courtyard gate was suddenly pushed open. The person who returned was none other than Hu Lin'er.

"Looks like things went smoothly?" Su Qing asked, looking at her.

"It was indeed quite smooth..." Hu Lin'er nodded. "After all, the others weren't as vigilant as that Guo Yu... so it took much less time."

Su Qing nodded slightly. "By the way, when you pulled Guo Yu into the illusion, did you ask him anything?"

Hu Lin'er replied, "I did ask... however, what I found out might be a bit different from what you previously knew."

Su Qing raised an eyebrow. "Oh? Tell me, how is it different?"

"It seems the person behind this isn't trying to steal some ancient martial arts manual, but rather some immortal art," Hu Lin'er said, spreading her hands. "Though that actually makes more sense."

Su Qing was slightly surprised, then found it a bit amusing. "What is there to steal? I suspect that if they actually saw the thing, they wouldn't even think it’s an immortal art."

Hu Lin'er gave a helpless smile. "I wouldn't know about that. After all, I haven't studied much of those things."

"It doesn't matter. It’s fine if you don't know; it’s all boring stuff anyway," Su Qing said, waving her hand. "But those guys are quite interesting, going to such lengths for something like that."

"Miss... what you see as trash might be a treasure in the eyes of others."

"But that thing is trash even in the eyes of ordinary people," Su Qing said with a helpless smile. "If one doesn't recognize it, how could they see the profound mystery within? Oh well, we don't need to care too much about this matter anymore. We’ll just play the rest by ear."

"I thought the Miss intended to see it through to the end."

"No need. I’m not some saint; let Li Yichou handle her own business!" Su Qing said. "Oh, right, there’s a portion of dinner for you too! Go get your own bowl and chopsticks; we’ve just started."

Hu Lin'er said nothing, simply nodding and going to get her utensils. She wasn't particularly concerned about Li Yichou’s affairs. If it weren't for the Miss’s orders, she wouldn't have even bothered. She’d rather spend her time playing with Su Qingyu; the child was much more fun.

Li Yichou’s troubles were settled for now.

In the following period, Su Qing’s life continued as usual—sometimes peaceful, sometimes busy. Occasionally, patients would travel from far away to seek her treatment. Su Qing naturally accepted all of them. Of course, besides treating patients, she didn't forget to collect Incense Power.

However, Su Qing’s method of collecting Incense Power was no longer as singular as before. Besides occasionally promoting Bi Ling Yuanjun, she would also promote One-Leaf Bodhisattva to others. Furthermore, Ao Yiyi would also promote One-Leaf Bodhisattva. After all, Ao Yiyi was a member of the Buddhist faith, so she was naturally more effective in this regard.

Beyond these two, Su Qing would occasionally promote other names while out wandering, though less frequently. After all, the titles of One-Leaf Bodhisattva and Bi Ling Yuanjun were more powerful. Others couldn't compare to these two.

Of course, Su Qing didn't particularly care which 'self' people worshipped. As long as there was Incense Power, it was fine.

Just like that, several more months of Su Qing’s daily life passed. In the blink of an eye, winter had arrived. Winter in Linzhou City was very cold—just as its summers were always very hot. The place was quite extreme. However, no matter how cold it got, it had no significant impact on Su Qing.

Over these past few months, Su Qing and the others hadn't encountered any more trouble. It seemed Li Yichou’s enemies hadn't realized what had happened yet. Su Qing found this quite nice; it was very peaceful.

One day, in Yunmengze, within the territory of the Yue-Nu Sect...

The black-robed man from before angrily smashed the teacup in his hand against the face of the person kneeling before him.

"Why did you only come to inform me now?! Huh? What on earth are you all doing?!" the black-robed man asked furiously.

"Al—Alliance Leader, spare me! We only just found out about this..."

"Only just found out? Then you really are impressive. People have been missing for months, and you only just realized they’re gone!" The black-robed man was clearly livid, his words sounding like they were being squeezed through gritted teeth.

"This... this can’t be blamed on us! Boss Guo usually doesn't contact us unless there’s news. At most, he’d maintain basic contact once a month, and sometimes he’d even forget that," the person kneeling on the ground said, trembling.

The black-robed man let out a long sigh, then waved his hand. "So, have you investigated anything?"

"Yes!" Seeing the Alliance Leader calm down slightly, the person on the ground hurriedly spoke.