Black Cat?

Hearing this, Su Qing naturally shook her head quickly and replied via Sound Transmission, "I'll pass. I don't want to mess with my own clone."

Seeing this, the Old Mother of Mount Li said with a chuckle, "Isn't there still the Abortion Spring? If it really happens, you can just go drink some of that spring water, can't you?"

It was true...

Although it took a great deal of effort for Tang Sanzang and his disciples to get the water from the Abortion Spring, Su Qing had no such necessity.

After all, she didn't need to undergo any tribulations.

And Guanyin Bodhisattva wouldn't intentionally set a trap for her or stop her from getting the Abortion Spring water.

So, the cost of trying it wasn't particularly high.

However...

Su Qing still shook her head and said, "I'll still pass! The side effects of that Abortion Spring are just too great. I don't want to be stuck in the latrine for half a day."

Seeing that Su Qing still refused, the Old Mother knew she wouldn't be able to prank her this time.

So, she didn't press the matter further, only saying, "Fine! It's a bit of a pity, though. I thought you might want to experience what it's like to be a mother."

"Emm... actually, I've already experienced it. After all, I already have two daughters..." Su Qing said, spreading her hands. "So there's no need to experience it again..."

"This is different from that." The Old Mother smiled faintly and then stopped talking.

In the blink of an eye, the sun was high in the sky.

Tang Sanzang and his disciples finally emerged from the latrine.

However, when Tang Sanzang came out, his steps were already somewhat unsteady... he looked as if he were completely exhausted.

Seeing this scene, Su Qing was even more certain that her decision was correct.

She would have to be a fool to try that.

Su Qing gained a new understanding of the fact that the Old Mother of Mount Li was truly someone who loved to watch a good show.

Since Tang Sanzang and his disciples were so exhausted, they naturally had no way to continue their journey that day.

So, they decided to stay for another night.

The Old Mother of Mount Li didn't refuse either... she let them stay.

The next day, the master and disciples finally recovered quite a bit.

After thanking the Old Mother of Mount Li, they set off again, heading toward the Women's Kingdom.

Once they were far away, Guanyin Bodhisattva returned to the small farm courtyard.

The Old Mother and the two Bodhisattvas also reverted to their original forms.

Seeing this, Su Qing knew they were preparing to leave...

Although she didn't know if they were involved in the later tribulations, this one had clearly come to an end.

"You've worked hard this time," the Old Mother of Mount Li said with a chuckle.

Su Qing shook her head slightly and said, "It was nothing... after all, I intended to come watch the play anyway."

"Haha, alright, my part is finished, so I'll take my leave first." The Old Mother didn't intend to chat much more with Su Qing. After a simple thanks, she proposed to leave.

Seeing this, Su Qing naturally wouldn't stop her.

She nodded and said, "Then, safe travels, Senior."

Hearing this, the Old Mother chuckled and departed on a propitious cloud.

Although the Old Mother had left, Guanyin, Puxian, and Wenshu Bodhisattva had not yet departed...

After watching the Old Mother leave, Su Qing turned to Guanyin and asked, "By the way, Senior... I'm a bit curious about something."

Hearing this, Guanyin Bodhisattva was also slightly puzzled and asked, "What is your question? Just ask."

Su Qing nodded and said, "Actually, it's nothing special... I'm just curious why you struck so hard this time, Senior?"

"No special reason, I just wanted to increase the difficulty for Wukong," Guanyin said calmly.

Su Qing rubbed her chin and didn't ask further. Anyway, it didn't have much to do with her; she was just curious.

"I see..."

"Do you have any other questions?"

"I have none, Senior," Su Qing said, shaking her head.

Guanyin nodded slightly.

Su Qing then added, "Is there anything else you need me to do, Senior?"

"No more. If you really want to do something, help me take care of my disciple. Don't let her suffer any grievances while following you. Also, as I said before..."

"I know, I know... Senior, please don't say it again!" Su Qing's ears were almost growing callouses from hearing it; she really didn't want to hear it anymore, so she said quickly, "In that case, I'll take my leave first. I still have to meet the Queen of Women's Kingdom later."

Guanyin waved her hand and said, "If you're going, go quickly. After you leave, I still need to clean up the aftermath."

Seeing that Guanyin was practically shooing her away, Su Qing didn't say more. After saying goodbye to Guanyin, she directly departed on a cloud.

It wasn't far from the palace of the Women's Kingdom of Xiliang...

So, in a short while, Su Qing arrived above the kingdom.

Not far before her was the massive palace of the Women's Kingdom of Xiliang.

However, Su Qing was in no hurry to go down...

Because she didn't actually plan to see Bai Yuhe.

She didn't intend to join in this time, but rather planned to simply watch the play.

So there was naturally no need to show herself.

Besides, she was currently here in the form of her clone...

There wasn't much point in seeing Bai Yuhe.

Even if she could transform into her true body's appearance to meet her, it was meaningless.

Because if she was going to do that, she might as well have come with her true body directly!

After thinking for a moment...

She decided to wait until the master and disciples arrived before deciding how to watch the play.

Before that, she visited a temple.

She wanted to see how her Incense Power was doing.

Then she found an inn to stay in.

The master and disciples wouldn't arrive here for a while, so Su Qing was in no hurry.

Additionally, there were other things to do back in Linzhou City.

At the medical clinic.

Su Qing woke up from a short nap and opened her eyes to look at Hu Lin'er, who had woken her.

"What's wrong? Is there a patient?" Su Qing asked as usual.

Hu Lin'er nodded upon hearing this, then shook her head.

"You're nodding and shaking your head... what's that supposed to mean?" Su Qing raised an eyebrow and asked helplessly.

Hu Lin'er said, "Li Yichou is injured... and that Sister Zhou of hers is also injured."

Su Qing frowned and asked, "Oh? What happened?"

Su Qing had previously focused most of her mental energy on the other side, leaving only a small portion here... she was essentially no different from being asleep.

So, she wasn't clear on what exactly had happened.

"I don't know..." Hu Lin'er shook her head and said, "When Li Yichou came back, she was covered in injuries and was carrying that injured old lady on her back."

Hearing this, Su Qing's frown deepened...

This Li Yichou's luck was truly something... how long had it been this time!

And she had run into such trouble again.

Hu Lin'er saw Su Qing frowning and couldn't help but add, "But fortunately, their injuries aren't heavy. They're mostly superficial. It's just that the old lady injured her bone and might need to rest for a while. Oh, Miss Yiyi is already helping with the bandages. They're in the inner room..."

Hearing this, Su Qing nodded, stood up, and stretched.

"Very well, I'll go ask them myself."

She didn't like guessing all the time, so it was better to go and ask the reason directly.

Besides, the person was awake now.

Su Qing walked into the inner room.

Ao Yiyi and Su Qingyu were helping to bandage the wounds.

Although Su Qingyu was young, because of Su Qing's special education methods, she could already help with many things.

Whether she did them well was one thing, but she certainly knew how to do them.

When Li Yichou saw Su Qing enter, she said, "Miss, you're awake?"

"Yes, I've been sleeping a lot lately!"

Su Qing nodded and said:

"What exactly is going on with you... how did you get injured like this? Don't tell me your enemies caught up to you again? Logically, they shouldn't have. You've changed your appearance and your name, and even your Sister Zhou has a new face. Finding you shouldn't be that simple."

However, Su Qing didn't state this as an absolute certainty...

After all, there were many ways to find someone like Li Yichou... one of which was through divination methods.

Although there were few truly capable Daoists walking the mortal world, they weren't entirely non-existent... they were just harder to find in Shanbuzhou Jambudvipa.

Like Su Qing herself... she was exactly that kind of person.

So, being found wasn't entirely strange.

Therefore...

If her enemies could find a Daoist who knew some spells or divination, such a thing could still be easily accomplished.

This was why Su Qing didn't speak so definitively.

Li Yichou nodded and said, "It indeed wasn't any enemies... Miss's disguise technique is incredibly powerful. Even that man named Guo couldn't recognize me, let alone anyone else."

Su Qing waved her hand and said, "Don't give me that useless talk. Just tell me directly how you ended up injured like this!"

"If I say it... Miss might not believe it."

"Just say it," Su Qing said calmly. "I've seen far more strange things than you have..."

Su Qing was telling the truth...

The world she had seen was far larger than what this girl Li Yichou had experienced.

After all, her age was right there.

Hearing this, Li Yichou no longer hesitated. She nodded and said, "We encountered a demon..."

Su Qing was stunned for a moment, tilted her head, and asked, "You're saying you encountered a demon?"

"Yes... it was a demon that looked like a black bear," Li Yichou said, nodding.

Hearing this, Su Qing's brow immediately furrowed.

Beside her, the helpful Su Qingyu immediately pricked up her ears...

But she didn't dare to appear too interested, since she was still helping.

Ao Yiyi was also slightly surprised to hear about a demon...

Although there were many demons in Shanbuzhou Jambudvipa, very few dared to come out and harm people at will.

After all, the nearby Mountain Gods and the like were not to be trifled with.

If a Mountain God discovered a demon eating people, they would either be shot and killed by the Mountain God... or the Mountain God would tell the City God, who would lead troops to hunt them down.

So a demon harming people in Shanbuzhou Jambudvipa was a low-probability event.

Unless the local Mountain God or City God was negligent, or simply didn't exist.

"Tell me about it in detail!" Su Qing said, raising an eyebrow.

Li Yichou then told Su Qing the detailed situation...

After listening, Su Qing couldn't help but marvel; this Li Yichou was truly bold.

She dared to fight a demon with just a kitchen knife.

However, the outcome was obvious...

Here she was, being bandaged right in front of her!

But Su Qing still had a bit of doubt and asked, "Since you didn't win, did you just carry this old lady and run away in the end?"

"No... someone stepped in to help us," Li Yichou said, shaking her head.

"Oh? Tell me about it?"

"The one who helped us wasn't a person."

"I know. If it were a person, they'd probably just have ended up as a side dish along with you."

"..." Li Yichou's mouth twitched slightly. She could clearly see that Su Qing was very dissatisfied with her trying to hack a demon with a kitchen knife.

However, she didn't say anything, only explaining who had saved them.

After listening to Li Yichou's words.

Su Qing narrowed her eyes and asked, "You're saying a cat... saved you? What kind of cat?"

"Uh... black, like coal," Li Yichou said after a moment of recollection. "Oh, right, that black cat seemed to call itself some kind of Cat Immortal, with a title like Black Mysterious Great General. It seemed to be a deity worshipped by people..."

Although Li Yichou had a small courtyard over there...

She rarely stayed there for long herself.

So she wasn't particularly well-informed about many things in the neighborhood.

She certainly didn't know about any Cat Immortal called the Black Mysterious Great General.

Besides, she wasn't someone who particularly believed in gods and immortals.

She certainly wouldn't go out of her way to learn about them.

However, after this incident...

Li Yichou would likely change somewhat.

"Oh? Interesting." Su Qing nodded, feeling that this matter was quite amusing. "By the way, what happened to the demon in the end?"

"It ran away! It probably felt it couldn't beat the black cat. After being scratched once by the cat, it fled." Li Yichou looked at Su Qing's expression and asked, "Miss doesn't seem to find it very surprising or miraculous?"

Li Yichou felt it was strange...

To be honest, when she saw the demon, her entire worldview had somewhat collapsed.

And when she was saved by a cat afterward, it collapsed even more thoroughly.

Now that she was back at the clinic, she felt much better.

Seeing Li Yichou's strange look, Su Qing just smiled and said, "Didn't I tell you? I've seen far more things than you have! It's just a demon, what's there to be surprised about?"

Li Yichou: "..."

She was momentarily speechless.

Because she could tell that Su Qing wasn't joking.

And Su Qingyu, on the side, was also a bit surprised...

She hadn't expected it at all.

Her fierce Master was actually so powerful that she had even seen demons.

"Master seems to be very powerful... when I grow up, will I be able to beat her? Will she still spank me? No, no, definitely not! I must learn martial arts from Auntie Yichou. Once I learn martial arts, I'll definitely be able to beat Master!"

Su Qingyu's mind was filled with a thousand thoughts...

Even though she was still a little tot.

She was already starting to think about revenge in the future.

However, what Su Qingyu likely didn't know was that no matter how big she grew, she would still end up getting a beating.

After all, even Li Yichou couldn't beat Su Qing.

"Miss... is truly amazing." Li Yichou's mouth twitched slightly, then she pinched Su Qingyu's face and said, "Easy there, you brat..."

After being pinched by Li Yichou.

Su Qingyu, who had been distracted, finally snapped back to reality.

She hurriedly apologized to her future martial arts teacher.

She was terrified that Li Yichou wouldn't teach her martial arts in the future and she wouldn't be able to beat Su Qing.

"I've just seen a few more things, that's all." Su Qing shook her head slightly and said, "I'm not much more powerful than you... however, don't go back to that place anymore. I'll give you some money; take her and buy another house in the city."

"This... using Miss's money, it doesn't feel right?"

"You've worked for me for so long; this little bit of money is nothing." Su Qing shook her head and said, "Besides, after all this time... how much money do you have left? Can you afford to buy a courtyard in the city? It's probably not enough, is it? So don't refuse; just consider it an advance on your wages."

Hearing this, Li Yichou smiled helplessly...

She actually really wanted to say that Su Qing had never paid her wages, so where would an advance come from?

However, she didn't say anything more.

After all, this was a gesture of goodwill from Su Qing; she should just accept it honestly.

Otherwise, it might make Su Qing unhappy.

"Then Yichou will obey." Li Yichou nodded and said, "Thank you, Miss."

Su Qing smiled and said, "It's a small matter... more importantly, just focus on recovering for now! But your luck, girl, is truly quite terrible."

Li Yichou was a bit embarrassed upon hearing this and said, "Actually, it's not that bad. If I were truly unlucky, I wouldn't have met Miss."

"Meeting me might be your bad luck too," Su Qing said, shaking her head.

"No, meeting Miss is the greatest luck of Yichou's life. After all, if I hadn't met Miss, I'm afraid I would have been a handful of yellow earth long ago." Li Yichou shook her head firmly.

These were her true words...

If she hadn't met Su Qing.

She would have died long ago.

In the state she was in back then.

Even if she had escaped in the end... the outcome certainly wouldn't have been much better.

Besides, without Su Qing's disguise technique, she would have been found eventually.

How could she be staying peacefully in a clinic like she was now?

Steadily improving her strength?

Su Qing couldn't help but chuckle upon hearing this, and then stopped saying anything to discourage her.

She only said, "In any case, get some good rest first!"

Li Yichou nodded and said, "I understand."

Su Qing waved her hand and went back to the main hall to sit and stare blankly...

She said she was staring blankly, but in reality, she was focusing her energy on the other side so she wouldn't be so idle.

Soon.

Ao Yiyi finished treating the wounds of both people...

And she came out with Su Qingyu.

She handed Su Qingyu over to Hu Lin'er, telling her to take the girl out for a stroll.

Then she woke Su Qing up again.

"Sister Su, how do you plan to handle that demon?" Ao Yiyi inquired.

Hearing this, Su Qing turned to look at her and said, "Tell the City God... let the City God go kill it."

Ao Yiyi was momentarily stunned and said strangely, "I thought Sister would take action personally!"

"Amitabha! I am the One-Leaf Bodhisattva, a monastic. How could I kill wantonly?" Su Qing said, putting on an act and reciting a Buddhist greeting.

"Hmph, as if I don't know that our Buddhist rules are basically just decorations to Sister Su. You don't follow the precepts at all!" Ao Yiyi curled her lip and said with a look of speechlessness.

Su Qing chuckled, nodded, and said, "They indeed can't control me!"

Then she added, "Actually! Going to the City God isn't just for that demon, but also for that black cat."

"That black cat?"

"Yes... I'm a bit interested in that black cat." Su Qing nodded and said, "That cat calls itself a Cat Immortal... I'm curious what kind of Cat Immortal it is—whether it's a conferred Cat Immortal or one worshipped by the people themselves."

Hearing this, Ao Yiyi tilted her head and asked, "Is there any difference between the two?"

"You are from the Western Buddhist Sect; you don't quite understand many of the Heavenly Court's rules... I can only tell you that there is a fundamental difference between the two, and... the latter runs the risk of being eliminated."

"Then what is Sister Su's plan?"

"I have some affection for beings like Cat Immortals, so if I can help, I'd like to. Besides, that little cat doesn't seem like a bad cat."

Hearing this, Ao Yiyi smiled and said, "Sister Su is actually very kind-hearted in this regard."

"I'm only ruthless to those who want to harm me..." Su Qing shook her head and said, "Don't think of me as some peerless villain!"

"Then when does Sister Su plan to find the City God?"

"I'll go after lunch!" Su Qing said, looking outside. "Once I arrange things on the other side, it'll be about time."

"Mhm... that sounds good." Ao Yiyi nodded and didn't say anything more.

She just turned to handle her daily work.

Time passed quickly.

Before long, it was time for lunch.

Hu Lin'er returned with Su Qingyu, bringing lunch for everyone as well.

However, during lunch, the girl Su Qingyu didn't eat much.

She said she was full after only a few bites.

Su Qing knew that this girl had clearly bought snacks while she was out.

Su Qing knew, but she didn't expose her.

Exposing her would be no fun...

After all, seeing the little girl's look of relief was also quite interesting.

After lunch.

Su Qing left the shop for the others to watch and headed out to the City God Temple.

In a short while.

Su Qing arrived at the City God Temple.

The Incense Power at the City God Temple was still good today...

Clearly, this war had made many people anxious, so they ran to the temple to burn incense and seek peace of mind.

Even her own temple had received much more Incense Power.

Walking into the City God Temple.

Before Su Qing could call him.

The City God emerged on his own.

"Sovereign, you have arrived! Please forgive me for not welcoming you sooner, forgive me!"

The City God knew Su Qing had come to find him, so he naturally didn't dare to be negligent...