The Benefactor

The young lady shook her head and said, "There is no need to thank me. I am merely doing a small favor."

She truly appeared to be terminally ill. As she spoke, she couldn't help but cough several times, her face growing even paler. The handkerchief she used to cover her mouth was stained with several spots of blood.

The maid then took the handkerchief away...

Seeing this, Su Qing restrained her habit from her long years as a doctor and did not speak up about the matter. Instead, she simply shook her head and said:

"Regardless, since you have allowed us to stay here, we must thank you properly. If you hadn't been willing to take us in, we would have likely had to camp out in the wilderness."

The lady looked at Su Qing and shook her head helplessly, looking as if she wanted to say something but hesitated. In the end, she said nothing more, only offering:

"Cough, cough... Fine, I shall accept your thanks. Please, have a seat... Don't just stand there."

Su Qing nodded and found a place to sit. However, as soon as she sat down, she noticed that the girl who had been chatting with the sickly lady was staring at her intently.

Noticing this, Su Qing raised an eyebrow, feeling a bit strange. Why was this person staring at her?

'Is she thinking about how to eat me?' Su Qing thought amusedly.

However, she didn't make a scene. She simply turned to the sickly lady and asked, "By the way, I haven't asked for your name yet!"

"My name? Cough, cough... My surname is Zhu. You can just call me Miss Zhu," she replied after a moment's thought.

Clearly, this Miss Zhu did not wish to reveal her full name to Su Qing. Seeing this, Su Qing did not press her and simply said:

"So it is Miss Zhu! My name is Su Qing, and this is my daughter, Yudie!"

"I see."

Miss Zhu nodded and looked at Yudie. "Your daughter is very cute, Sister Su... If my body weren't in this state, perhaps I would have such a lovely daughter as well."

"With proper care, your body will surely recover," Su Qing said with a smile.

Miss Zhu shook her head. "I am a dying person barely hanging on. No matter how much I care for myself, it will only grant me a few more days."

"You shouldn't say that... Even if a cure cannot be found, living a few more days is still a good thing," Su Qing countered, shaking her head. "As for a treatment, a way will eventually be found."

Miss Zhu gave a hollow laugh. "If living is nothing but pain, then it is better to be dead!"

Seeing her attitude, Su Qing found it difficult to say more. For some people, death truly was a welcome release. She shook her head with a smile and fell silent.

Just as the conversation between Su Qing and Miss Zhu ended, the woman who had been staring at Su Qing suddenly spoke up. "Excuse me... is your name really Su Qing?"

Hearing the question, Su Qing glanced at her and said, "Of course! Why do you ask?"

Seeing Su Qing admit it, a flash of excitement appeared on the woman's face. She hurriedly asked, "Then, did you come from the Changbai Mountains?"

Su Qing's brows quirked slightly. She nodded and said, "Indeed, Yudie and I walked all the way from the Changbai Mountains. Is... there a problem? Do you know me?"

As she asked, Su Qing searched her memories to see if she knew someone like this. After thinking for a while, she still couldn't recall ever meeting her. As for why the woman recognized her, Su Qing figured it was likely because of her name and Yudie.

Even though she was currently using a clone, she still used her own name, and Yudie's appearance was her own. It wasn't strange to be recognized.

However, Su Qing found it odd that while the woman knew her, she couldn't remember seeing this face anywhere. She watched as the woman began talking to herself happily, seemingly ecstatic to confirm her identity.

"I know you! I definitely know you! Though you probably don't recognize me anymore," the woman said joyfully before answering Su Qing's question. "I knew the Bodhisattva wouldn't lie to me... she said I would meet you here, and I truly did."

Su Qing was momentarily stunned. Her mind, usually capable of multi-threaded processing, suddenly stalled. Not only was Su Qing confused, but Chen Mei and Ruan Shuxiang were also bewildered, unable to grasp the situation. Even Miss Zhu looked at the girl in surprise; she clearly hadn't known about this either.

However, though Su Qing's mind had briefly lagged, she quickly analyzed the situation.

First, this woman truly knew her and had been guided to the Northern Continent by a Bodhisattva. Furthermore, she didn't seem to be part of the ghosts here; like them, she was likely just a guest.

After a moment of thought, Su Qing looked at the woman and tried to speak calmly. "So... who exactly are you? I'm sorry, I really can't remember. If we knew each other before, please stop speaking in riddles."

She didn't care which bored Bodhisattva had tricked this woman into coming here. She was more interested in the woman's identity and her reason for seeking her out.

The woman didn't answer immediately. Instead, she said, "My benefactor truly doesn't remember me! But that's alright, I'll help you recall."

Su Qing raised an eyebrow. She had asked her to stop speaking in riddles, yet here she was, doing it again. She couldn't be bothered to complain and simply watched her.

The woman met her gaze with a smile and said, "Sister... do you remember the fox you saved from a farmer all those years ago?"

Su Qing's brow furrowed, then she nodded slightly. Although it had happened countless years ago, she did have an impression of it since the woman mentioned it. After all, not long ago at the Banana Leaf Cave, the Bull Demon King had helped her recall that event. Since it hadn't been that long, she remembered it quickly.

However, speaking of foxes, she remembered something else. Guanyin had told her that a fox demon would come to repay a favor in the Northern Continent. Guanyin hadn't specified the fox's identity or name, and Su Qing hadn't taken it to heart, leaving it to fate.

Connecting the dots, Su Qing realized this was likely the person Guanyin had directed to find her! A fox, saved by her, guided by a Bodhisattva, coming from another continent... Everything matched perfectly.

Su Qing felt a bit of a headache coming on. The situation had completely defied her initial expectations. She had originally just wanted to find some amusement and stay the night. Who would have thought that not only was the situation here stranger than expected, but she would also run into a little fox sent by Guanyin Bodhisattva to repay a favor?

The matter of the mansion was easy enough to handle, but the little fox was her biggest headache. If she wasn't careful, her identity might be exposed.

Fortunately, her identity hadn't been revealed during their conversation yet, nor had any critical information been leaked. Everything she had said was consistent with what she had told Chen Mei. As long as she handled things properly from here, everything would be fine.

Relieved, she said, "You... are that fox from back then?"

The girl didn't know that Su Qing had processed so much in such a short time. Seeing that Su Qing remembered, she nodded with a smile. "My benefactor finally remembers!"

Su Qing nodded. "I remember. I did save a little chicken-stealing fox from a farmer's hands back then."

After speaking, Su Qing immediately used sound transmission to speak to the woman:

'Do not expose my identity... Yudie and I are currently traveling as mortals. Do not reveal our true natures. We can talk about the past later... I have quite a few things I want to ask you as well.'

Hearing Su Qing's transmission, the woman was startled for a moment, then nodded silently. After thinking of a response, she said aloud, "Yes... if you hadn't saved me back then, I'm afraid I would have been turned into a fur coat long ago."

Seeing that she understood, Su Qing smiled and said, "I just didn't expect that the little fox from back then would grow into such a graceful beauty."

"I am still far behind you, Benefactor."

"By the way, I haven't asked your name yet!"

"My name is Bai Rou'er. If you don't mind, you can just call me Rou'er," Bai Rou'er said with a beaming smile.

Su Qing nodded. "How could I mind?"

The two of them chatted back and forth. Meanwhile, Chen Mei was full of questions. Her brain had completely short-circuited; she found the current situation impossible to understand. The only thing she had managed to grasp was that Su Qing had saved Bai Rou'er in the past.

Unlike Chen Mei, Ruan Shuxiang looked delighted, as if she had figured everything out. She suddenly spoke up: "This is just like the fox demon stories in the novellas! Sister Su is the scholar who saves a life, and Miss Bai is the white fox who returns to repay the favor! Hehehe... I wonder if Miss Bai will give herself to you in marriage?"

Ruan Shuxiang's muttering wasn't hidden at all. Everyone present heard her clearly and turned to look at her in unison. Noticing everyone's gaze, Ruan Shuxiang panicked and quickly covered her face with her hands, like an ostrich burying its head in the sand.

Su Qing laughed helplessly. "You girl, just how many messy novellas did you read with your master?"

Ruan Shuxiang chuckled but didn't dare speak. Beside her, Chen Mei, prompted by Ruan Shuxiang's reminder, finally understood the general situation and began to think things over.

Bai Rou'er then spoke up: "Actually... if Sister doesn't mind, giving myself to you in marriage wouldn't be a problem! After all, for a life-saving favor... I can't think of any better way to repay you."

Hearing this, Su Qing's mouth twitched. "We are both women. How could you give yourself to me in marriage?"

Yudie: "..."

It was truly amusing to see her mother lying through her teeth with a straight face.

"I... naturally understand that," Bai Rou'er said with a smile. "I was only mentioning it in passing."

Su Qing smiled and nodded. "That's good then!"

Su Qing could bet that if she actually accepted the offer and brought this girl back, it wouldn't just be one jar of vinegar being overturned; several would go at once. When that time came, she would have a massive headache. After all, once those girls got jealous, they would torment her relentlessly. They could take turns, but as the one being tormented, she wouldn't get a break! The thought made Su Qing shiver. Even pleasant things could become a bad experience if they happened too many times in a row.

Ruan Shuxiang, of course, was listening to the conversation between Su Qing and Bai Rou'er. Hearing about the repayment of the favor, she suddenly thought of her own benefactor.

'Perhaps I can also give myself in marriage to repay the favor?'

Thinking of this, Ruan Shuxiang shook her head. 'I'm so weak. Even if I offered, Lady Azure Spirit would likely find me a nuisance... But perhaps I could be a little maid who serves tea and water for her. Sigh... I'm too weak; I don't even know how to repay her!'

Su Qing was unaware of Ruan Shuxiang's worries; she was focused on chatting with Bai Rou'er.

"Regardless, you saved my life, and I must repay that debt no matter what," Bai Rou'er said, looking at Su Qing with a smile. "How about I stay by your side and protect you? You saved my life, so I shall guard your safety for a lifetime. While it's not as good as marriage, it should be enough to repay a portion of the debt."

Su Qing's mouth twitched again. She really wanted to complain, but as she was currently a mortal, she couldn't say what she was thinking.

"That wouldn't be right, would it? You have your own life," Su Qing said, shaking her head. "Besides... saving you was just a small effort."