The Commandery Princess

For Su Qing to tail a few martial arts experts was, of course, no difficult task.

Nor was it possible for those men to discover her. If she, a divine immortal, were to be noticed while following a few mortals, it would be truly laughable.

Su Qing followed the group silently and soon arrived at the Commandery Princess’s manor. The architectural style of the manor was somewhat similar to the Suzhou-style gardens, making it quite a sight to behold.

However, she hadn't come here to admire the scenery. She was here for the person.

"Since they've come here... they're likely here to carry out an assassination, aren't they?" Su Qing mused as she looked at the manor.

Just as the thought crossed her mind, she sensed a wave of Incense Power drifting from within the manor...

Sensing this, Su Qing’s eyebrows twitched. "Talk about a coincidence! To think this Commandery Princess is actually one of my laywomen. Heh, in that case, would saving her count as fulfilling a vow?"

Su Qing thought to herself with a hint of amusement.

She truly hadn't expected the Commandery Princess to be her follower. But thinking back on it... among the dignitaries she had treated, there were indeed several with the status of a princess. It wasn't strange for one of them to be this princess, whose manor was not far from Linzhou City.

Since the woman was her believer, Su Qing was even more inclined to save her. It was partly to avoid trouble and partly to ensure her follower didn't meet a tragic end.

"I really am a benevolent immortal!" Su Qing thought as she continued to follow the assassins to watch the show.

Since she had decided to save the woman rather than simply making the trouble vanish, she couldn't kill the assassins before they made their move. After all, a performance is meaningless without an audience.

And so, Su Qing waited and waited...

Finally, in the dead of night, after everyone had retired for the evening, the assassins who had long been hidden within the manor finally prepared to strike.

Seeing them move, Su Qing let out a sigh of relief. She had been waiting so long that she felt like she was wilting.

However, Su Qing felt that the manor’s defenses were far too lax. They had already suffered several assassination attempts; how could their guard still be so thin that assassins could slip in so easily? Were the guards just there for show?

"Forget it, why am I worrying about this... it has nothing to do with me. I'm just here to save someone on the way."

Su Qing shook her head, stopping her stray thoughts, and followed the assassins.

Their skills were indeed quite good—definitely in the upper echelons of the martial world. While they couldn't compare to Li Yichou, they probably weren't far off.

In Su Qing's eyes, Li Yichou wasn't particularly powerful to begin with, so she didn't have a precise measure of how much weaker these men were.

Before long, the assassins reached the vicinity of the room where the Commandery Princess was resting and blew knockout smoke inside. Su Qing didn't rush to act, silently watching the 'performance.'

Only when the assassins entered the room did Su Qing make her move.

She didn't even need to form a hand seal; she simply released a few strands of magic power, easily capturing the assassins and killing them before they could even struggle. The entire process took less than a single breath.

Yes, it was just that simple and casual.

After all, they were merely mortals who knew a bit of martial arts. Killing them was beyond easy; it required no flashy techniques whatsoever.

Looking at the assassins slumped dead on the floor, Su Qing let out a yawn. Waiting for them to act had taken quite a while.

But her work wasn't finished just because the assassins were dead. The Commandery Princess was currently fast asleep—how would she know who had saved her?

She had to deliver a divine dream.

Su Qing walked to the princess's bedside, formed a seal with her hand, and initiated the dream.

Calling it a 'divine dream' was a bit of a stretch; in reality, she was just playing a pre-set dream sequence in the woman's mind. While such a dream was a bit rigid, it was efficient.

Once everything was settled, Su Qing departed.

As for the rest, there was no need to rush; she could let the situation ferment naturally.

Back at the inn.

Su Qing looked at Su Qingyu, who was sleeping in a star shape on the bed, and felt somewhat speechless. This girl's sleeping posture was truly something else.

"Well, I've seen people with worse sleeping habits. This girl is actually considered decent."

Su Qing shook her head. The girl's posture was indeed terrible, but compared to Su Ying'er, it was nothing. Su Qing remembered seeing her in the most absurd position once—she was practically sleeping upside down. Though Su Qing had no idea how she managed it, the girl had been sleeping quite soundly.

Su Qing tossed the brat toward the inner side of the bed and climbed in to sleep herself.

During the night, the Commandery Princess, who had been given a 'divine dream' by Su Qing, suddenly jolted awake.

She had experienced a nightmare, dreaming that she was being assassinated again. This was a recurring nightmare for her lately. Because of the constant attempts on her life, she had been living in a state of constant anxiety. As the saying goes, 'what you think about by day, you dream of by night,' so dreaming of being stabbed wasn't unusual.

However, unlike before, this time was different.

Though she had dreamed of being attacked again, she had also been saved. And the person who saved her was none other than the One-Leaf Bodhisattva, whom she had been worshipping lately.

"The... the Bodhisattva has manifested! It must be a manifestation of the Bodhisattva," the princess murmured to herself.

At the thought, she scrambled out of bed, wanting to light incense for the Bodhisattva to thank her for the salvation in her dream. But when she relit the lamp, she realized...

She wasn't the only one in the room.

There were several dead bodies. And as it happened, their faces were exactly the same as the assassins in her dream.

In that moment, the truth dawned on her. The Bodhisattva hadn't just saved her in a dream; she had saved her in reality. The dream was merely a notification.

For a moment, the Commandery Princess didn't care that there was no statue present; she simply bowed toward the heavens.

Only after she finished did she summon her maids and guards.

Su Qing was unaware of what was happening at the manor. Even if she had known, she wouldn't have cared much. At this moment, she was busy sleeping soundly!

She had three bodies; two were exhausted from travel, and one was working hard every night, so she naturally slept very well.

The next morning, sunlight spilled into the room at the inn, waking Su Qing from her comfortable slumber. She let out a yawn and sensed that the Incense Power coming from the manor had become even more refined.

Clearly, after the events of the previous night, the Commandery Princess had become even more devout.

"Hmm... although it's just one person, she is the Commandery Princess of this prefecture. Now that she's more devout, she will inevitably build a temple for me and lead others to worship. I'll be able to collect Incense Power from others as well."

Su Qing nodded to herself and muttered, "While I'm not entirely certain about the future, logically speaking, there shouldn't be any major issues. If this succeeds, I should try to develop more in this direction."

"However... the rule that immortals cannot interfere too much in mortal affairs is a bit of a hassle. I'll have to ask the Jade Emperor and the others about it later. Hopefully, everything goes smoothly!"

Though her travels lately seemed like an ordinary vacation, Su Qing hadn't forgotten her true purpose for coming out. It was for Incense Power and faith. If an opportunity arose, she would never let it pass. Every bit of Incense Power would be an extra layer of protection when the Great Tribulation arrived. It could also mean saving one more loved one.

Su Qing didn't want to be in a position where she had to choose who to save when that time came.

After a moment of thought, Su Qing stretched and got out of bed. Of course, before getting up, she had to wake the little lazybones beside her. If she didn't, who knew how long the girl would sleep.

"Master? Let me sleep for another half hour," Su Qingyu muttered groggily after being woken. Clearly, the girl wanted to linger in bed.

However, Su Qing wasn't about to let her. When it was time to get up, one had to get up obediently. Thus, Su Qing eventually dragged her out of bed.

No matter how much Su Qingyu wanted to stay in bed, she stood no chance against Su Qing. Even after being pulled up, Su Qingyu remained in a daze—this was her daily state, and Su Qing didn't mind it much.

Su Qing simply found Ao Yiyi and the others to go down to the first floor for breakfast, while discussing the day's tasks. They weren't planning to settle here; they intended to restock on necessities and purchase another carriage.

Although their current carriage could fit everyone, it was still a bit cramped. If they could get another one, it was better to do so.

"Let's split up for the shopping then! Let's try to get everything done within the next two days," Su Qing said with a smile, clapping her hands.

They were all adults with martial arts or magic at their disposal; they could protect themselves, so Su Qing didn't need to watch them every second. In fact, rather than worrying about them being bullied, it was more likely they would be the ones doing the bullying.

Well, except for Ao Yiyi. That girl was quite honest and indeed easy to bully or cheat. However, Su Qing had noticed that since following her, Ao Yiyi was becoming less 'honest.' Most strangely, she wasn't just getting smarter; she even pulled the occasional prank. Su Qing had no idea what had caused the change. She didn't recall teaching her anything untoward. It was truly strange.

Returning to the matter at hand, after Su Qing briefly assigned the tasks, everyone went their separate ways. However, while the adults didn't need looking after, Su Qingyu did. So, Su Qingyu was stuck with Su Qing today.

Su Qing led Su Qingyu down the street; they planned to buy some horses today. After all, a carriage needed horses to pull it. And not just one, but two or three. Ordinary horses weren't like Su Qing's demon horse; their strength was far inferior. It would take two or three sturdy horses to pull the carriage for long periods.

"Master, where are we going to buy horses?" Su Qingyu asked, holding Su Qing's hand.

Su Qing looked down and said flatly, "At a place that sells horses."

"..." Su Qingyu was speechless. No matter how slow she was, she could tell Su Qing was being perfunctory. She said, "Master, don't tell me you don't know where to buy them either?"

Su Qing patted her head and said, "Ah, you caught me!"

Seeing that her attempt to provoke her failed, Su Qingyu puffed out her cheeks. Su Qing was truly impenetrable; she didn't want to chat at all.

Su Qingyu had been bored to death these past few days. Although she was relieved to have no homework, the lack of work meant she had absolutely nothing to do, which was equally stifling. Today was shaping up to be another eventless day, which was why she was asking so many questions. Unfortunately, Su Qing didn't intend to indulge her in idle chatter, much to her frustration.

Seeing her unhappy expression, Su Qing shook her head helplessly and simply led her toward the horse market. It wasn't that she was unwilling to chat; she was just preoccupied with other thoughts and didn't have the mental energy for it.

Fortunately, though Su Qingyu had her moods, she was still quite obedient. She didn't throw a tantrum like an ordinary child, let alone roll around on the ground. Su Qing might not be an expert at raising children, but she had some educational methods to ensure the girl didn't turn into a brat.

The two walked slowly, buying some snacks along the way—tanghulu for the girl and some mixed candies. Then, as usual, the little girl stopped dwelling on her previous annoyance.

Soon, Su Qing reached the horse market, only to be sadly informed that all the horses had been bought by the Commandery Princess’s manor.

"Is that so?" Su Qing felt a bit of a headache upon hearing this. If they couldn't buy horses, it would be very troublesome.

"Miss... the war is intensifying lately. Where would one find good horses outside? Especially since the rebels have already reached Linzhou City; we might be next. So, almost all the horses have been bought by the government."

The shopkeeper shook his head and said helplessly, "The Commandery Princess has even faced several assassination attempts recently. It's likely the rebels are planning to attack us. After all, once the princess is dead, this place will fall into chaos. Fortunately, the heavens are kind and didn't let those bastards succeed."

Su Qing nodded slightly and sighed. "That's true... sigh, even buying a horse is a hassle nowadays!"

"Tell me about it. Forget horses; even farm tools are hard to come by. Most of the iron is being used to forge weapons. This war is truly a headache."

"Indeed! Oh, I heard the Commandery Princess faced another assassination attempt last night."

"Is she alright?"

"She's fine. If something had really happened, the news wouldn't have gotten out like this."

"Oh? Then?"

"The assassins were killed. They're hanging outside the manor right now as a public warning!"

"Then the manor's defenses are quite good."

"Hahaha, yes! The Commandery Princess is truly favored by destiny; she's survived several attempts now. This time, she was even protected by a Bodhisattva!"

As he spoke, the shopkeeper couldn't help but marvel. He was a superstitious man, and hearing that the princess had been saved by a Bodhisattva only reinforced his belief that she was chosen by heaven.

"Favored by destiny?"

"Yes, how could surviving death so many times not be considered favored? You must be from out of town, right? You don't know about the princess's past."

"Tell me?"

"The princess used to have terrible health. She sought out all sorts of doctors, but none could cure her chronic illness. The doctors all said she wouldn't live past twenty. Do you know how old she is this year? Twenty-one! And she's completely recovered."

"Oh? What happened?"

"Hehe, guess what? When she was nineteen, a divine doctor suddenly appeared in the neighboring Linzhou City! The princess went to see that doctor, and they were truly incredible—a miracle worker. Just a few days of medicine cured her completely, without any lingering effects. Tsk tsk, speaking of which, this One-Leaf Bodhisattva was also something that divine doctor told her about! If she weren't favored by destiny, how could she be so lucky every time?"

"Oh? Then she truly is favored by destiny."

Su Qing chuckled and said, "Thank you for telling me all this, shopkeeper."

"No problem. I don't have much else to do anyway. It's my luck to be able to chat with a beautiful lady like yourself."

"Since we can't buy horses, we'll have to head back for now."

"Understood. Safe travels, you two."

Su Qing nodded and left with Su Qingyu.

After leaving the shop, Su Qingyu looked up at Su Qing and asked, "Master... are we not buying horses anymore?"

Su Qing shook her head. "We still need to buy them, but we'll have to go somewhere else."

"Where? Didn't he say there are none left outside?" Su Qingyu asked. Though she was young, she wasn't stupid; she understood what the shopkeeper meant.

"We'll go buy them from the Commandery Princess’s manor!" Su Qing patted her head. "Since all the horses went there, we'll just go find the princess and buy them from her."

"Huh?" Su Qingyu was confused. "Would she sell them to us?"

"The princess owes me a favor; she'll sell them to us." Su Qing smiled. "After all, I did save her life!"

"Master, are you the One-Leaf Bodhisattva?!" Su Qingyu suddenly had a wild realization.

Su Qing tapped her on the head. "What kind of logic is that? Do I look like an immortal to you?"

Su Qingyu looked at Su Qing, thought for a moment, and said, "Master is as beautiful as a celestial!"

"Flattery won't get you another tanghulu. You're still growing; you can't eat too much sugar."

"..."

Finding her goal exposed, Su Qingyu stuck out her tongue to try and play it off. Su Qing shook her head with a smile. "The reason I say she owes me a favor is because she once received treatment from me. In a sense, I did save her life. After all, if I hadn't cured her, she would likely be dead by now. So, if I go to buy horses from her, she should give me some face, right?"

In truth, Su Qing didn't know if the woman would give her face, but she had to try! One had to try everything to know if it would work; it would be a pity to give up without even attempting it.

Su Qingyu looked at Su Qing and gave a cheeky grin. "By the way, Master~ where are we planning to go after this?"

"The Commandery Princess’s manor! Didn't I just say that?"

"Not that! I mean our final destination!"

"I haven't decided yet."

"Eh?!"

"That's how it is," Su Qing said flatly. "Alright, let's head to the manor! Can you still walk?"

It was quite a distance from the inn to here, and Su Qing was curious if the girl's legs were holding up.

Su Qingyu put her hands on her hips and said, "I'm going to be a martial arts expert; how could I not be able to walk this little bit?"

"Good, because the manor is quite far from here."

"Ah?!"

Su Qingyu was stunned for a moment but didn't think too much of it. However, she soon regretted her confidence. The manor really was very far away.

Fortunately, they eventually reached the Commandery Princess’s manor. Outside, the bodies of several assassins were hanging from the gate pillars as a deterrent.

Interestingly, the passing commoners weren't frightened by the sight; instead, they threw stones at the corpses. One could only say that these commoners had had their courage tempered by "extra ancient entertainment" like public executions at the market.

Of course, this lack of fear was predicated on the fact that the people hanging up there weren't them.

Su Qing shook her head slightly. "Girl, are you scared?"

Su Qingyu tilted her head. "Scared of what?"

"The dead people on the pillars!"

"I'm not scared!"

"Why?"

"With Master here, there's nothing to be afraid of. Master is much scarier than these dead people," Su Qingyu said with a cheeky grin.

Su Qing rolled her eyes at the girl. "Once we get back, you'll find out exactly how scary I can be."

Su Qingyu’s smile instantly froze.

Su Qing was actually a bit surprised that the girl wasn't afraid of corpses at all. She had thought the girl would have a natural fear of such things, like most children. She hadn't expected the girl to have the presence of mind to joke with her.

"Is it because she's learned a lot of medical knowledge and watched me perform surgeries?" Su Qing mused, stroking her chin. "Regardless, I really did underestimate this girl. I thought she just wasn't afraid of blood!"

Su Qing shook her head and looked away from the corpses. She hadn't come to see the state of the people she had killed; she was here to buy horses.

"Please announce my arrival. Tell the princess that Su Qing from Linzhou City is here to discuss a matter."