Sovereignty

Su Qing felt quite helpless.

If her reputation hadn't been spread so ridiculously, she wouldn't have felt the need to explain herself so much.

However, she felt that after saying all that, everyone should have believed her by now. After all, her family knew what kind of person she really was.

In reality, everyone did believe her to some extent. It wasn't because they knew Su Qing wasn't the person from the rumors—her family actually thought she was that kind of person—but because they knew she usually didn't lie about these things. If there really were another 'sister,' Su Qing might beat around the bush, but she would eventually admit it.

Ao Ying sighed helplessly and said, "So it was the Buddha's idea. In that case, I won't nag you further. But since you've brought her back, how do you plan to handle her?"

Su Qing shrugged. "The Buddha told me to educate her well, but I haven't actually thought about how to go about that yet. I don't have any specific plans. For now, I'll just keep her here... she can be a gatekeeper."

"..." Ao Ying was slightly speechless at Su Qing's answer.

Yudie asked curiously, "Then, Mother, do you plan to make a move on her later? You know... do that to her first, and then turn her into a new concubine?"

Great. Lately, this girl really loved poking where it hurt.

Never mind whether she'd ever make a move on Chen Nianxin; right now, Su Qing wanted to make a move on this brat. She really wanted to knock a hole in the girl's head to see what was inside. And why did it feel like this brat was becoming more and more knowledgeable about these things lately? What on earth had she been looking at?

Su Qing didn't remember teaching Yudie any of this.

Furthermore... Su Qing felt that if her image at home was so poor, it wasn't just due to external factors; this brat was definitely one of the main culprits. It was truly infuriating.

Su Qing decided she couldn't take it anymore. She grabbed Yudie and pinched her cheek hard. "Does that mouth of yours ever stay shut? I'm not that bored... and I'm definitely not that depraved! You've been asking for a lesson lately! Watch out, or I'll hang you up and educate you myself! Also, what have you been reading lately? Out with it!"

Yudie mumbled a few words, but since Su Qing was pinching her cheeks, she couldn't speak clearly. Su Qing couldn't understand her anyway, so she didn't bother asking further.

"Forget it. Since you're so bored, go settle her living arrangements. Since I've brought her back, I can't exactly make her sleep in a doghouse."

Even though the Six-Eared Macaque was currently a prisoner, Su Qing had never enjoyed mistreating others. There was no need to go out of her way to be insulting. Her living quarters didn't need to be fancy, but they had to be decent.

Yudie rubbed her cheeks and nodded. "I get it, I get it... I'll go do it now, okay? But Mother, do you really have no plans?"

"I really don't!" Su Qing was nearly speechless. Was there no end to this?

Hearing this, Yudie seemed to breathe a sigh of relief and patted her chest. "That's good. I thought I was going to have another concubine!"

Su Qing: "..."

She didn't even want to talk anymore. She couldn't understand what was going on in that girl's head. She decided to stop thinking about it.

"Just go!"

Yudie giggled and quickly ran off.

Seeing her start working, Su Qing glanced at Su Ying. Su Ying immediately declared, "I... I'm going too!"

"..." Su Qing sighed. At least this one was behaving for once.

Su Qing shook her head and turned to Ao Ying and Leng Xiang. "I'll go settle the Six-Eared Macaque's matters first... I'll be back to help in a bit! Oh, right, I gave her a name: Chen Nianxin. Calling her 'Six-Eared Macaque' all the time isn't a long-term solution..."

Ao Ying nodded. "Whatever you like! But by the time you're done, Leng Xiang and I will probably be finished here."

"I'm just going to explain a few things; it'll be over quickly!" Su Qing shrugged.

Ao Ying nodded again. Su Qing then led Chen Nianxin into the living room.

Once inside, Su Qing said to her, "Alright, I won't restrict your movements anymore, but you'd better not leave the courtyard or say anything unnecessary. Also, if you dare try to manipulate my family, don't blame me for being merciless! I have a good personality, but that doesn't mean I can't be ruthless. Aside from that, you're free to do as you please."

Chen Nianxin nodded. Although Su Qing still placed many restrictions on her, this was actually quite good... she had expected the outcome to be much worse. She hadn't expected Su Qing to be relatively kind to her. Although she had lost her freedom, she at least retained some dignity.

"I understand... rest assured, I won't talk out of turn." Chen Nianxin nodded, then looked down at her own flat chest. "However... I wanted to ask, you... you wouldn't really do what your daughter said, and... um..."

Although Chen Nianxin had impersonated many people, her experience with 'human affairs' was a total blank. She knew of them, but she had never experienced them. While she was relieved Su Qing wasn't mistreating her, after hearing the conversation between Su Qing, the Buddha, and the daughter, she was slightly worried Su Qing might actually 'do' her.

Even though Su Qing was also a woman, she already had a daughter—and with another woman, at that—so she must have some strange secret technique. When the time came... who knew if Su Qing would let her animal instincts take over?

Hearing this, Su Qing's lips twitched. Although Chen Nianxin didn't finish her sentence, how could Su Qing not know what she meant?

Su Qing shook her head. "Don't worry, I'm not interested in your body. I'm not into 'flat boards,' so I won't make a move on you! Honestly, even if you tried to seduce me, I wouldn't touch you. I'm a person who guards my purity!"

Su Qing was very confident in this... unless she took the initiative, no one was getting anywhere with her! If she were that kind of loose woman, how could she have kept rejecting Jin Xin's advances? She would have 'done' her long ago!

So, Su Qing was very confident in her own chastity. Because she really was. It was just that the rumors outside were getting more and more ridiculous. She simply treated every girl with equal kindness; how did that turn into 'falling for everyone she sees' and now even 'doing everyone she sees'? It was absurd.

Thinking about it made Su Qing want to catch the rumor-monger and give them a piece of her mind.

However, while Su Qing was frustrated, Chen Nianxin was also a bit annoyed. She looked down at her chest; she could see her feet without any obstruction... The pitiful size, combined with Su Qing's words, felt like a sharp sting.

"..." Chen Nianxin gritted her teeth. "Small is great too, okay?!"

"Yes, yes, tiny is cute..." Su Qing said absentmindedly. "Anyway, relax! I'm not that interested in you, so I won't touch your body. You'll stay pure. For now, just wait here. Once the room is ready, you can move in. As for other rules, I'll tell you as I think of them."

Su Qing turned and left the living room without further small talk.

Once Su Qing was gone, Chen Nianxin touched her chest. Damn it, if my cultivation wasn't sealed, I'd transform into something huge just to scare you to death! she thought with a cold snort. Even if the transformation was fake, it would at least look real...

Unfortunately, she couldn't use a shred of her power right now. Since the Buddha himself had sealed it, even if Su Qing wanted to help her break it, it would take considerable effort. Of course, Su Qing wouldn't do something so pointless.

On the other side, Su Qing joined Ao Ying and Leng Xiang to help prepare the vegetables for the day.

Ao Ying had likely overheard the conversation. She teased, "You don't like small ones?"

Su Qing blinked and nodded helplessly. "Yeah! My favorites are still yours."

Su Qing didn't actually have a specific preference for chest size. She had just used it as an excuse to needle Chen Nianxin and put her mind at ease. As it turned out, it was somewhat effective.

"You're getting better at sweet-talking," Ao Ying said with a smile.

"I'm just telling the truth," Su Qing said earnestly.

Leng Xiang suddenly spoke up from the side. "Then... does Master want to try tonight?"

"Any night is fine with me," Su Qing said with a smile.

Leng Xiang nodded. "I understand."

Su Qing just nodded back. She knew that tonight would likely be another late night. But it didn't matter; it was a pleasant activity for her anyway. It was just a bit draining on her energy.

Inside the house, Chen Nianxin could hear the conversation outside. Although she couldn't use magic, her ears were naturally gifted. She could hear things from far away. The distance from the courtyard to the living room was nothing. She could hear them clearly and understood exactly what they meant.

She immediately turned beet-red. Did this family have no shame about an outsider listening in? She gnashed her teeth in frustration, but there was nothing she could do. She couldn't use magic, so she couldn't even dream of revenge, let alone making a move. Plus, she still had that hoop around her neck. She had no idea how to get it off.

Finally, Chen Nianxin forced herself to calm down. Whatever, I'll take it one step at a time, she thought, looking at the furnishings in the living room.

Time passed quickly. Before long, Su Qing and the others had finished cooking. Meanwhile, Yudie and Su Ying had worked together to finish the room. They hadn't just tidied a room—that wouldn't have taken so long—they had actually built a small new room, extending the courtyard's area.

Even though it was new, it wasn't lacking in essentials. The two girls were the type who couldn't sit still, so while building the room, they had also knocked together some furniture. It was simple, but functional.

When Chen Nianxin moved into the new room, she looked around. It was simple, but certainly better than any prison cell she'd ever seen.

Even though Su Qing is a bit strange, a bit lecherous, a bit much, and a bit annoying, it seems she's actually a decent person, Chen Nianxin thought. Then she shook her head. What am I thinking? I'm her prisoner! How can I think she's a good person just because of this?

She shook her head to clear out the messy thoughts and lay down in the simple room to rest.

However... in the middle of the night, her naturally extraordinary ears heard things they shouldn't have. It really wasn't her fault for eavesdropping. As a Six-Eared Macaque, her hearing was naturally acute. Even with her cultivation sealed, preventing her from hearing mortals from thousands of miles away as she used to, she could still hear very faint and distant sounds.

The distance to Su Qing's room wasn't that far. Even with decent soundproofing, some noise leaked out, and those sounds happened to fall right into her ears. Her whole brain felt like it was on fire. She hurriedly covered her ears. She was worried that if she kept listening, she wouldn't get any sleep tonight.

Damn it... is it really that hard to set up a soundproofing array? the Six-Eared Macaque complained inwardly. So annoying! I want to set one up myself, but I can't... I really can't do anything with my cultivation sealed.

Chen Nianxin truly wanted to cry but had no tears. Hearing those sounds, how was she supposed to fall asleep?