“It seems I don’t need to worry about the Commandery Princess anymore.”
Su Qing watched from the shadows as the Princess and her guards sprinted away. She thought to herself, Now I just need to wait for her to get far enough away before I deal with this pavilion.
With that thought, Su Qing followed them out.
She watched as the Princess regrouped with the others.
“How is the burial coming along?” the Princess asked.
“They are mostly in the ground. It’s a bit crude, but given the circumstances, we have to make do,” one of them replied, panting heavily.
The group had exerted every ounce of strength to bury the dead, terrified that if they moved too slowly, more ghosts would crawl out of the building.
Furthermore, their bodies were already severely depleted from being possessed by the spirits.
That was why they were so utterly exhausted now.
However, they didn't dare rest. They only wanted to get the dead into the earth as quickly as possible and flee this cursed place.
They didn't want to spend a single minute more here.
The Princess looked at the gasping men and nodded. “You’ve worked hard... Since our fallen brothers have been laid to rest, let us leave! Once we are fully prepared in the future, we will return to relocate their graves to a better place.”
The others naturally had no objections. Everyone was desperate to get away.
To them, carrying the bodies out and burying them was already the height of duty. Expecting them to stay and keep a vigil was absolutely out of the question.
“The Princess is most gracious! There’s no time to lose, let us leave quickly!” one of them urged.
The Princess nodded. “Very well, we leave now!”
The carriage and horses were still there.
Since the ghosts' targets were the people and not the animals, the horses and the carriage remained untouched. They could still ride out instead of having to walk all the way to Xingyang City.
At the Princess’s nod, the men mounted their horses, and the Princess stepped into the carriage.
Since the original driver had died in the pavilion, the most loyal guard took his place on the bench as the new coachman.
With a sharp “Hyah!” the group set off, gradually disappearing into the distance as they left the haunted pavilion behind.
Standing atop the building, Su Qing watched them go and then retracted her gaze.
“This matter is finally concluded.” Su Qing nodded and murmured to herself, “Now, the next thing to deal with... is you.”
Su Qing lightly tapped the tall building with the tip of her toe.
Immediately, the structure emitted a shrill, piercing 'scream.'
The entire pavilion began to shudder violently.
A moment later, the whole building fell apart, disintegrating into a heap of fine powder.
Su Qing looked at the clouds of dust filling the air and found it quite stifling. She performed a hand seal, causing the dust to settle and gather into a single pile.
Then, with a flick of Samadhi True Fire, she burned it all to nothing.
She had no intention of leaving any of this behind. Aside from the risk of some lingering remnant escaping, leaving a massive pile of dust in the middle of nowhere would look incredibly suspicious.
It was much more direct to simply incinerate it with Samadhi True Fire.
Su Qing’s Samadhi True Fire burned through things rapidly. Even the corpse of the Golden-Winged Great Peng would burn quickly, let alone a pile of ordinary debris.
In just a short while, the heap of wood dust was completely consumed.
Once everything was cleared, Su Qing rubbed her chin and thought for a moment. She performed another spell to restore the environment, making the traces of the pavilion’s existence extremely faint.
Unless someone was specifically looking for it, they likely wouldn't notice anything unusual about the spot.
Having finished her work, Su Qing brushed off non-existent dust from her hands. “That should do it... I’ll leave the rest to time!”
She looked up at the sky.
“Mm, it’s just past noon... I haven't wasted too much time.” Su Qing nodded in satisfaction.
Of course, if she had actually had the patience to wait for them to wake up naturally, she certainly wouldn't be heading back so soon. But her patience was a bit thin; after waiting a while, she couldn't take it anymore and woke them up herself, which was why she could return so early.
Su Qing understood this, but she didn't care.
She stretched her limbs and then performed a hand seal to summon the Somersault Cloud. She hopped on and steered it back toward Xingyang City.
In Xingyang City, the number of patients at the clinic had dwindled significantly, finally allowing everyone a bit of rest.
When Ao Yiyi saw Su Qing return, she walked over to ask, “Sister Su, what did you go out for this time? You left in such a hurry that you didn't even say more than two words to me.”
Su Qing nodded. “It was indeed an urgent matter. Someone was in danger and needed a rescue. I was in such a rush that I didn't have time to explain.”
“I see... So, who was in danger?” Ao Yiyi wasn't surprised or upset; she knew such things were often time-sensitive. However, she was still curious about who could make Su Qing so anxious.
It couldn't have been a relative. If it were, Su Qing would have gone in her true body rather than controlling a clone. So, it was clearly someone else.
Su Qing didn't hide the truth. She used Sound Transmission to tell Ao Yiyi the whole story.
After listening, Ao Yiyi nodded slightly.
So that was who it was—the Commandery Princess. If it was her, it wasn't strange that Su Qing had rushed to save her.
Many of Su Qing’s future plans were inextricably linked to this Princess, so she naturally couldn't stand by and watch her lose her life. If the Princess died, many of the subsequent steps would be difficult to carry out.
“So it was the Princess! Is she out of danger now?” Ao Yiyi asked.
Su Qing nodded. “Of course. Since I’m back, everything went smoothly, and she is out of danger. If nothing unexpected happens, she’ll come looking for us in a few days.”
Ao Yiyi smiled. “I suppose I asked a foolish question. How could there be anything Sister Su couldn't handle?”
“There you go, praising me again... But since it’s a compliment, I won't hold it against you.” Su Qing smiled at Ao Yiyi and then said, “Alright, back to work. I’m going to see what that girl Su Qingyu is up to.”
Ao Yiyi pursed her lips and thought for a moment. “Su Qingyu is practicing her martial arts. After you left, Li Yichou saw she was bored and that there weren't many patients, so she went to the backyard to supervise her training.”
Li Yichou might pamper Su Qingyu in other areas, but she was incredibly strict when it came to martial arts—hardly any less demanding than Su Qing herself.
Su Qing nodded at the news. “I see. I’ll go have a look then.”
Ao Yiyi didn't say anything more and simply nodded. “Go ahead, Sister Su. Jin Xin and I will handle the diagnostics for the remaining patients.”
“Thanks for the hard work~”
“If Sister Su really thinks we’re working hard, please try not to be so lazy!” Ao Yiyi teased, unable to help herself.
Su Qing laughed but didn't offer a rebuttal. After all, she couldn't really be blamed for being lazy; it was part of her persona. She was a divine doctor—she couldn't just go around saving everyone at a whim. The prestige of a divine doctor had to be maintained.
Su Qing left the main hall and went to the backyard.
In the yard, Su Qingyu was practicing her martial arts in the shade. She was still performing the same moves, but they were much more fluid now.
Having a martial arts master like Li Yichou personally teaching her was certainly yielding better results.
“Miss, you’re back!” Li Yichou called out when she saw Su Qing.
Su Qing nodded and looked at Su Qingyu. “Why don't you focus on teaching her here from now on? You don't need to help with the front of the house anymore.”
Li Yichou was a bit dazed. “That wouldn't be right, would it? If I do that... everyone is already so busy, wouldn't they be even more overwhelmed?”
Su Qing rubbed her chin and nodded. “That is a good point...”
“How about this? I’ll help in the front when it’s busy. When things are quiet, I’ll come to the backyard to teach the girl.”
“Won’t that be too exhausting for you?”
“It’s nothing... To me, watching this girl practice is actually a form of rest.” Li Yichou smiled. “In terms of martial arts, this girl is much more obedient than the young disciples back in the Yue-Nu Sect. Teaching her is quite easy... she just needs someone to keep an eye on her.”
Su Qing gave a helpless smile. “Very well, have it your way then...”
Su Qing couldn't win an argument against Li Yichou, so she chose to yield. Li Yichou knew her own limits best.
However, to be safe, Su Qing added, “But remember, if trying to do both becomes too much, just let one go. I can also take turns with you to watch over her.”
“Don't worry, Miss, I know my limits,” Li Yichou promised.
Seeing that she understood, Su Qing dropped the subject and said, “By the way, I plan to start teaching Rendong more about medicine in a few days.”
“You plan to teach Rendong medicine?”
“Yes. The girl is clever; she has the makings of a doctor. We can’t hide things from her just because she’s a servant... It would be a real shame to let such good talent go to waste,” Su Qing said with a smile.
Su Qing didn't care much for social status or hierarchies. She had always favored those with ability and talent. If someone had the potential, she didn't mind teaching them.
Moreover, teaching Rendong medicine had been part of her plan for a while. Having Rendong help in the shop was actually the beginning of her training—teaching her to recognize herbs. After all this time, Rendong could already distinguish many medicinal ingredients and knew their effects.
So, it was time to move on to deeper medical knowledge.
However, learning medicine was a process of gradual accumulation; it couldn't be achieved overnight. Su Qing didn't know how far she could teach Rendong before she eventually had to leave.
“I don't mind Rendong’s status. I was an orphan myself, so I don't care about social standing,” Li Yichou explained, shaking her head. “I was just a bit surprised.”
“Surprised by what? That I don't care about her being a servant?” Su Qing asked, amused.
Li Yichou gave an embarrassed smile but nodded. That was indeed what she had thought, so she didn't deny it.
Su Qing shook her head. “Like you, I don't care about those things...”
“I understand now.”
“But honestly, while I want to teach her, I haven't quite figured out how to start,” Su Qing admitted helplessly, pursing her lips. “Teaching is like feeding someone—if you give them too big a mouthful, they’ll choke.”
“I’m afraid I can’t help with that, Miss. I know how to teach martial arts, but I know nothing about teaching medicine. After all, my medical skills were taught to me by you,” Li Yichou said. “Why don't you just use the same method you used to teach me?”
“That won't work. The situation between the two of you is different,” Su Qing said, shaking her head.
Li Yichou scratched her head, not knowing how to respond.
Su Qing smiled. “Alright, alright, let’s leave it at that for now. You go and get some rest. I’ll stay here and watch this brat practice while I think about where to begin her lessons.”
Li Yichou wanted to say something, but seeing Su Qing’s firm expression, she simply nodded and left the backyard.
However, she didn't stay idle; after leaving the yard, she went to help out in the front.
Sitting on a chair in the backyard, Su Qing watched Su Qingyu, her mind filled with a thousand thoughts.
Time flowed slowly.
In the blink of an eye, three or four days passed.
During these days, nothing special happened at the clinic. The Rat Prime Minister’s so-called apology never arrived... it seemed he had long since forgotten about it.
But Su Qing didn't really care. She hadn't expected the fellow to actually apologize. In fact, it was better that he didn't come; it saved her from having to put on an act for a while longer.
On this day, the clinic opened as usual.
Su Qing sat behind the counter, petting the cat as she always did. Everything seemed exactly the same as any other day...
However, today was indeed different.
Because early this morning, a very special guest arrived.
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