Exhausted

Su Qingyu beamed and nodded vigorously upon hearing the news. "Yay!"

Although she had overheard the conversation between Su Qing and Li Yichou, she didn't mind at all. She knew Li Yichou doted on her and wouldn't push her to the point of collapse.

As for the goal of being the best...

That had been her intention from the very start. Since she was going to practice martial arts, she had to become a great hero just like her master! If she couldn't even beat her master after all that training, then what was the point?

After all, her primary motivation for learning martial arts was to one day be able to defeat her master and finally get revenge for all those times she’d been spanked!

Seeing Su Qingyu so excited, Li Yichou could only manage a helpless smile. She suspected the girl wouldn't be smiling for much longer. Martial arts was never an easy path.

Li Yichou led Su Qingyu to an open space in the courtyard and asked, "Are you ready, Qingyu?"

Su Qingyu nodded firmly.

Li Yichou continued, "Good. In that case, we’ll start with the horse stance!"

Su Qingyu froze, tilting her head in confusion. "Aren't you going to teach me sword techniques directly?"

Li Yichou shook her head. "I told you, we’re starting from the very basics, and the horse stance is the foundation of everything. If you want to be a master, your foundation must be rock-solid. Do you understand?"

Su Qingyu stood stunned for a moment but eventually nodded. "As long as I build a good foundation, I’ll be able to beat Master in the future, right?"

The corner of Li Yichou’s mouth twitched. She screamed internally, I can't even beat Su Qing myself! How am I supposed to teach you to beat her? Your only hope of winning is to outlast her until she dies of old age. At least you have youth on your side!

In Li Yichou’s eyes, Su Qing’s martial arts were already at the absolute peak of the world. Therefore, winning against her was essentially impossible. The only way to 'win' was to have a longer lifespan...

But given Su Qing’s terrifying medical skills, she likely had more than one way to extend her own life. Even if they tried to outlast her, they might not succeed.

Of course, Li Yichou couldn't say any of that out loud. It would be far too damaging to the little girl’s enthusiasm for training. Thus, she had no choice but to go against her conscience and say, "Don't worry. As long as you work hard, you’ll definitely be able to beat your master! But your master is very powerful. If you aren't diligent enough, it won't happen. The foundation is the most important part. Do you understand?"

Even though hoodwinking a little girl made her conscience sting just a bit, she knew that if she didn't, the girl wouldn't take her training seriously.

Hearing this, Su Qingyu nodded determinedly. "I understand! I’ll work hard..."

Li Yichou nodded and patted her head. "Good. Then we’ll practice until dinner. We have about an hour, so you’ll hold the horse stance for thirty minutes! First, I’ll teach you how to hold a standard horse stance."

Su Qingyu’s eyes were filled with resolve as she nodded and began to follow Li Yichou’s instructions with great focus.

Meanwhile, after entering the study, Su Qing began to pull out some simple cultivation techniques.

While she couldn't teach the girl martial arts personally, providing her with cultivation manuals was no problem at all.

"Hmm... I’ll simplify the cultivation techniques into a martial arts manual first, then give it to Li Yichou to refine," Su Qing mused, rubbing her chin. "Li Yichou has practiced martial arts for decades; she definitely understands that side of things better than I do."

"However, if Li Yichou has a better technique of her own, I’ll just let her teach that to Su Qingyu instead."

Su Qing wasn't so arrogant as to force her own creations on the girl if they were inferior. She wanted Su Qingyu to reach the highest possible realm, so she had to learn the best.

Time flew by as she delved into her research. In what felt like a blink of an eye, there was a knock on the study door. Su Qing’s simplification work wasn't even half-finished.

She smiled helplessly to herself. "I guess this isn't a simple task after all. It really wasn't easy for that girl back then to simplify and adapt cultivation techniques into martial arts."

Su Qing shook her head, undeterred. She stood up and walked out of the study.

"Is it time to eat?" Su Qing asked with a smile.

Ao Yiyi nodded. "Yes, dinner is ready. We were just waiting for you, Sister Su."

Su Qing chuckled. "I’m coming."

Ao Yiyi said no more and followed Su Qing to the dining table.

As soon as Su Qing arrived, the first thing she saw was Su Qingyu slumped in her seat, looking utterly exhausted. She was constantly massaging her own legs.

Curious, Su Qing asked, "What’s wrong with the little one?"

Li Yichou shrugged. "She held a horse stance for less than an hour, and this is the result."

Upon hearing the answer, Su Qing couldn't help but laugh. She walked over to the girl and patted her head. "Well? How does the first day of martial arts feel?"

Su Qingyu looked up at her and huffed, "Hmph, it wasn't hard at all."

In truth, she wanted to complain about how exhausting the horse stance was, but she was afraid that if she did, Su Qing would stop her from practicing. If that happened, she’d never have the chance to defeat her master.

Su Qing smiled. "Oh? Not hard, you say? In that case, Li Yichou... don't show any mercy in her future training."

Hearing this, Su Qingyu snapped her head up and snorted. "I don't need mercy! I’m going to become a martial arts master! When that happens, I’ll show Master just how formidable I am!"

The smile on Su Qing’s face deepened. "Is that so? I’ll be looking forward to it then."

Seeing that Su Qing wasn't intimidated in the least, Su Qingyu pouted and went back to massaging her legs. She vowed to give Su Qing a massive surprise—otherwise, all this effort would be for nothing!

Li Yichou looked at Su Qing helplessly. Su Qing really did love teasing Su Qingyu. However, she didn't plan on calling her out. Once everyone was seated, she picked up her chopsticks and began to eat. Filling her stomach was the priority.

During the meal, Su Qing said, "Ao Yiyi, after dinner, help me prepare some herbs. I’m going to set up a medicinal bath for the little one."

Ao Yiyi nodded. She knew Su Qing wouldn't just sit by and do nothing. Although Su Qing loved to tease the girl, she also doted on her. Seeing her in pain, Su Qing would definitely intervene.

Li Yichou wasn't surprised either and continued eating.

After dinner, Su Qing gave the prescription to Ao Yiyi and instructed Rendong and Moli to decoct the medicine and heat the water. Once that was settled, Su Qing returned to her study to continue simplifying the techniques.

Soon, the moon hung high in the sky.

Su Qing finally finished simplifying one manual. "That was not easy..." She rubbed her neck, feeling stiff after looking down for so long. "It’s done, but it still needs refinement. I’ll show it to Li Yichou tomorrow and have her help me polish it."

With that thought, Su Qing stretched and headed off to bed. After a long day, even an immortal wanted to rest—especially since she was currently managing triple-threaded work across her clones.

The next day, Su Qing handed the completed manual to Li Yichou.

"Miss... what is this?" Li Yichou asked, looking at the manual in her hands with a dazed expression.

Su Qing yawned. "I had some free time yesterday, so I put together a martial arts manual. Take a look and see if you can refine it."

Li Yichou blinked, then stared at her in total confusion. "Huh?"

"What is it?"

"Miss, you... you made this yesterday?"

"Yes," Su Qing said with a shrug. "Is there a problem?"

Li Yichou was silent for a long moment before letting out a long breath. "No... it’s nothing. I’ll see if I can refine it for you. By the way, why did you suddenly make this manual?"

Su Qing explained, "I can't teach Su Qingyu martial arts myself, so I have to help out in other ways."

"So you just... made up a manual?"

Su Qing nodded. "It’s quite crude, though. I don't know much about martial arts, after all."

Li Yichou’s mouth twitched. You really don't know much about martial arts? You created an entire manual in less than a day... and you call that 'not much'?

She desperately wanted to complain. Even if the manual Su Qing created was poor, it wasn't something a person with only a surface-level understanding could produce. This was not the work of someone ignorant of the martial path.

"Yes, I really don't know much..." Su Qing nodded. "I’m just naturally quite powerful. Besides, I don't think I ever said I was a martial artist, did I?"

Li Yichou thought back. Indeed, Su Qing had never claimed to be a martial artist. She had told her to treat her as a reclusive master, but never explicitly stated she was a practitioner of martial arts.

Li Yichou was speechless for a moment. "Miss, you really are full of mysteries."

Su Qing laughed. "It’s not like you just found out today. Anyway, don't worry about me. Just look at the manual."

Li Yichou sighed and lowered her head to study the manual seriously. She soon discovered that while it appeared simple on the surface, it was exceptionally profound. Compared to the techniques she currently practiced, it was barely inferior—in fact, it might even be better, as it seemed easier to cultivate than the techniques of the Yue-Nu Sect.

It was a case of 'the Great Dao is simple,' yet infinitely subtle.

Li Yichou sighed. "Miss... do you really not know much about the Martial Dao?"

Su Qing nodded. "I really don't."

Li Yichou was at a loss for words. She gave up on trying to understand Su Qing and said, "This manual is incredible. With my abilities, I can't make it any better. Even as it is, it’s more than enough for Su Qingyu to practice."

Su Qing was slightly surprised. She hadn't expected her simplified version to be so functional. However, she kept her expression calm and nodded. "In that case, good. Let Su Qingyu practice this technique. Also, if you like it, you can have it too! When the Yue-Nu Sect is restored, you can use it to stock your library."

Li Yichou was stunned, then looked up at Su Qing’s unfazed expression. She suspected that Su Qing had known the quality of the manual all along. She guessed that Su Qing’s request for her to 'refine' it was likely just an excuse to give her the technique as well.

For a moment, Li Yichou felt a bit guilty for complaining about Su Qing in her head.

But a guess was just a guess. She had no way of knowing the truth. After all, Su Qing was a master of deception; no one knew how much of what she said was actually true.

After a long silence, Li Yichou exhaled. "I understand, Miss. I will teach Qingyu well."

Su Qing glanced at Li Yichou, wondering what was going through her head. Seeing her commitment, she smiled and nodded. "Then I’ll leave it to you!"

"Yes!"

"It’s getting late. Let’s head to the clinic," Su Qing said, stretching. "Su Qingyu’s education is important, but the clinic’s work can't be neglected either."

Li Yichou nodded and followed Su Qing and the others to the clinic.

And so, the day proceeded as usual. Su Qingyu studied in the rear courtyard while Su Qing and the others performed consultations in the clinic.

Everything was going smoothly in the capital.

However, in Great Emperor Zhenwu’s monastery, an uninvited guest arrived.

This guest wasn't Wukong, who visited frequently. Instead, it was a friend who rarely sought Su Qing out. This friend was none other than the mistress of the Moon Palace, the big drunkard, Chang'e.

Chang'e followed Liu Xixi into Su Qing’s courtyard. Seeing Su Qing’s stunned expression, she didn't hide her amusement.

She smiled and asked, "Well? Are you surprised to see me?"

Su Qing was indeed very surprised. Usually, it was Su Qing who went to find her. Aside from visiting when Su Qing got married, Chang'e had never come here. She wondered what could have brought her here today.