The Setup

Miss Zhu looked at Su Qing, shook her head calmly, and said, "I will not harm you, nor do I have any reason to... As for the other ghosts and spirits, you need not worry about them either. They are not strong; in fact, they cannot even get close to you. The vitality emanating from your bodies is far too intense. To them, approaching you is like being scorched by fire. So, please, put your minds at ease. We truly have no intention of harming anyone. Besides, if I wanted to hurt you, I wouldn't have told you all this."

Su Qing smiled at those words. Fixing her gaze on the woman, she said playfully, "See? You said it yourself, Miss. Why should I have any reason to be afraid?"

Although Su Qing lacked the ability to read minds, she was a decent judge of character. She could tell that the young lady wasn't lying. However, she didn't rule out the possibility that the woman was a master of deception and disguise—someone even she might struggle to see through. Thus, while she sensed no falsehood, she still kept a sliver of caution in her heart.

As for the purpose behind all this? Who knew? Su Qing certainly didn't.

Upon hearing Su Qing’s response, Miss Zhu couldn't help but let a smile grace her lips. She wasn't laughing at the answer itself, but rather because she realized Su Qing was telling the truth—there wasn't a trace of fear or deceit in her. In fact, while Su Qing had been observing Miss Zhu, Miss Zhu had been observing Su Qing, trying to gauge her true intentions. Discovering that Su Qing was indeed speaking from the heart left her somewhat surprised.

Miss Zhu looked at Su Qing and said with a smile, "People like you, Sister Su, are truly rare."

Su Qing shook her head. "Not rare. It's just that you rarely interact with others, Miss, so you think people like me are few and far between."

Miss Zhu shook her head in disagreement. "No, I have seen many people. But someone like you, Sister, is indeed a rare sight. Especially among women... most people flee in terror once they learn the truth of my situation. Only you, Sister Su, are able to converse with me so normally."

Su Qing chuckled. "That is only because I am secure in the knowledge of having support! After all, others don't have a white fox protecting them like I do!"

Bai Rou’er let out a little giggle at that. She knew full well she didn't actually need to protect Su Qing—she was little more than a decoration. Still, she was happy to be mentioned. To her, it meant Su Qing had truly accepted her.

"Regardless, I am still very grateful for your attitude, Sister Su—treating me like an ordinary person," Miss Zhu said with a smile.

"What is there to be grateful for?" Su Qing shook her head and smiled. "If even something like this deserves gratitude, then you have far too many things to be thankful for, Miss."

Miss Zhu let out a soft laugh. "You're joking, Sister... I'm just genuinely a bit happy."

Seeing this, Su Qing smiled and shook her head, not taking it too seriously. Miss Zhu then turned her smiling gaze toward Chen Mei. "And you? Are you willing to believe my words?"

Seeing the gaze fall upon her, Chen Mei merely gave a slight nod. What she was actually thinking, however, was anyone's guess. Seeing the nod, Miss Zhu smiled. Whether Chen Mei was truly at ease didn't matter; she had said all she could say.

Miss Zhu turned back to Su Qing and asked, "Then... does Sister Su have any other questions?" She wanted to see if Su Qing had anything else on her mind. If she did, she hoped to address them all at once.

Su Qing shook her head. "I have nothing left to ask."

Miss Zhu nodded. "In that case, let us eat! We've chatted for so long that the food will likely go cold if we wait any longer."

"Mhm, sounds good!"

"Yes! It'll get cold if we don't eat now." Hearing that it was finally time for the meal, Yudie, who had been moping earlier, suddenly sat up straight and said with a grin, "I've been waiting for so long! I'm starving!"

Su Qing glanced at the girl, unable to help but feel amused by her beaming face. This girl likely hadn't listened to a single word of the conversation; her heart had probably been set on that one bite of food the entire time. In truth, Su Qing’s guess was spot on—Yudie hadn't listened, nor did she particularly care about the situation here.

Helpless, Su Qing reached out and patted the girl's head. "Please excuse her, Miss Zhu. My daughter is a bit too fond of her food."

Miss Zhu shook her head. "What is there to excuse? It is not a bad thing for a child to have a healthy appetite. As the saying goes, to be able to eat is a blessing. A good appetite means a healthy body! If she were like me, it would be quite troublesome." As she spoke, Miss Zhu couldn't help but cough twice, as if suggesting her own poor health was a result of not eating enough.

Beside them, Yudie looked at her mother and said, "See! Sister Zhu said being able to eat is a blessing! So let's hurry up and eat~"

Miss Zhu merely smiled. "Sister Su, please eat quickly as well. The dishes won't taste as good if they get cold."

Yudie didn't stand on ceremony and immediately picked up her chopsticks. Su Qing gave a helpless smile, nodded, and followed suit.

And so, the dinner proceeded slowly amidst casual conversation. The food tasted excellent—though the cook was likely a ghost, their skills were certainly worthy of praise.

After dinner was finished, the maid beside Miss Zhu spoke up. "Miss, it is time for your medicinal bath."

Miss Zhu nodded and said to Su Qing and the others, "My apologies, I cannot continue our chat. Cough, cough, cough... someone will lead you to your quarters shortly."

"It's no matter. Your health comes first, Miss Zhu," Su Qing said with a smile.

Miss Zhu nodded and left with her maid. Su Qing, Yudie, and the others remained in the courtyard, looking at the original state of the mansion beneath the illusion-constructed facade.

At that moment, Bai Rou’er walked over and sat beside Su Qing, asking via sound transmission: 'Speaking of which... does my benefactor have any plans for this place?'

Su Qing glanced at her and shook her head, replying via transmission: 'No plans... why? Are you worried I'm going to physically "liberate" this place?'

Bai Rou’er shook her head. 'I don't think so... I just feel like you have a great deal of interest in this place, Benefactor.'

'Yes, I am indeed very interested... because everything here reeks of the bizarre,' Su Qing replied with a nod.

'Because it's full of ghosts?'

'I wish it were that simple! But my intuition tells me it's not that straightforward.' Su Qing looked up at the moon, which was gradually revealing itself.

Bai Rou’er was left scratching her head in confusion and fell silent. Seeing her silence, Su Qing didn't say more. She stretched her back, stood up, and said, "Let's go. The ghost who will take us to our quarters is here."

Bai Rou’er followed Su Qing’s gaze and saw a hunched old ghost slowly approaching them, stopping a good distance away. He spoke respectfully, "Please follow me, everyone!"

Su Qing nodded and followed. Before long, they passed through a dilapidated corridor and arrived at a wing that was still relatively intact. However, there weren't many rooms—only two were in good condition—so they were destined to squeeze together tonight. The old ghost apologized to Su Qing and the others for the arrangement.

Su Qing waved it off. "As long as there's a place to stay, it's fine."

Bai Rou’er nodded as well. "Mhm, a place to stay is good enough! Then I'll squeeze into one room with my benefactor."

Chen Mei: "..."

She was speechless. She had originally planned to squeeze in with Su Qing. After all, sleeping while hugging Su Qing was a true delight—she was fragrant and soft, ensuring a very sound sleep. Alas, the opportunity had been snatched away.

Ruan Shuxiang looked at Chen Mei and said, "I... I don't need to sleep."

Chen Mei was even more speechless. Though she knew Ruan Shuxiang likely meant well by offering the bed, she couldn't help but feel that Ruan Shuxiang was only doing it because she was too timid to sleep with her. Was she really that scary? For a moment, Chen Mei’s already cluttered thoughts became even more tangled.

Su Qing had no idea what Chen Mei was thinking. She merely gave Bai Rou’er a speechless look. Bai Rou’er just smiled and said nothing. The old ghost didn't participate in their conversation; once his task was complete, he quietly slipped away. Su Qing noticed this but didn't pay it much mind, quickly stepping into the room.

Looking around the room, Su Qing found nothing unusual. It was exceptionally clean—not an illusion, but genuine cleanliness. It was clear the ghosts had put quite a bit of effort into it.

"Benefactor!" Bai Rou’er leaned over and called out.

Su Qing reached out and pinched her face, laughing. "Stop calling me 'Benefactor' all the time. Just call me Su Qing."

"That... wouldn't be right, would it? You are my life-saver, after all."

"Then don't call me that constantly."

"Fine! But calling you by your name directly isn't good either. Why don't I do what that young lady did and call you 'Sister' instead?" Bai Rou’er said with a grin.

Su Qing nodded. "That works... at least it's a normal form of address."

Seeing that Su Qing didn't refuse, Bai Rou’er couldn't help but smile. "Then from now on, I'll call you Sister!"

"Mhm." Su Qing sighed helplessly, then asked, "Alright, what did you want to say when you called me just now?"

Bai Rou’er snapped back to attention. "Oh, I just wanted to ask if you needed me to warm the bed for you, Sister!"

Su Qing rolled her eyes at the girl. "There is no need for that!"

"Hehehe!" After a silly laugh, Bai Rou’er asked, "By the way, are you still curious about Miss Zhu, Sister?"

"Not so much anymore," Su Qing replied, shaking her head.

"Why?"

"No reason!" Su Qing stretched. "I just suddenly stopped caring."

Seeing that Su Qing didn't want to answer, Bai Rou’er obediently stopped asking. She had only brought it up to find a topic to chat about, but since Su Qing wasn't in the mood for idle talk, she naturally said no more. After all, it was easy to become annoying that way. Sitting to the side, Bai Rou’er quietly watched Su Qing, her mind wandering as she wondered what kind of person Su Qing truly was. Although she had thought about giving herself to her in marriage as repayment, they had no emotional foundation. Of course, had Su Qing accepted at the time, she wouldn't have minded making up for that foundation later. Her offer back then hadn't been a joke.

"By the way... Sister Su, I want to ask you something!" Bai Rou’er suddenly remembered something and spoke up.

Su Qing snapped out of her thoughts. "What is it?"

"This is your clone, right?"

"Correct. It is one of my clones."

"Then... may I ask what you originally look like, Sister?"

Su Qing gave her a surprised look, then nodded. "No problem."

Su Qing then formed a hand seal, transforming into her original form. "This is my true appearance."

Bai Rou’er stared at Su Qing for a long while. Finally, she said, "The difference from your current look is so huge! I feel like your current appearance is a bit more gentle."

Su Qing nodded. "This is a form I crafted myself, so naturally, I created it to look the way I wanted."

"But... no matter which look it is, you are so beautiful, Sister," Bai Rou’er said, flattering her.

Su Qing gave a helpless smile and dispelled the transformation spell. She then tapped the girl on the head. "You certainly know how to flatter people."

Bai Rou’er giggled. "I'm just telling the truth."

Su Qing shook her head, then said, "Rou’er, you are the daughter of the Thousand-Year Fox King, right?"

Bai Rou’er was slightly surprised to hear this, but she didn't hide it. She nodded and said, "Mhm! I am the daughter of the Thousand-Year Fox King—Princess Jade-Face. But that was in the past. Ever since my father passed away, I haven't been Princess Jade-Face anymore. My strength is low, and I couldn't hold onto such wealth..."

"Was it stolen by others?"

"No... I simply gave it away in exchange for safety." Bai Rou’er smiled. "I can clearly distinguish between whether wealth is more important or my own life."

"I see..."

"It's just a pity for my father's legacy, to let it go to waste like that." Bai Rou’er shook her head. "It's also a pity I couldn't find you sooner, Sister. Otherwise, giving that legacy to you would have been better than giving it to others for safety."

Su Qing shook her head. "Wealth and such will come again sooner or later. Being alive is what matters most."

"Mhm! I think so too... If I weren't alive, I wouldn't have met Guanyin Bodhisattva, nor would I have met you, Sister." Bai Rou’er smiled.

Su Qing nodded slightly. Meanwhile, on the other side of the mansion, the sickly Miss Zhu was playing chess with her maid. The young lady spoke up, asking, "So... the three of us went through all this effort just to make the two of them meet?"