Inside the medical clinic's backyard.
Su Qingyu immediately brightened up when she saw Hu Lin'er return.
She had already been practicing for longer than originally planned. If Hu Lin'er hadn't returned soon, she would have lost even more of her rest time, so she was naturally overjoyed to see her.
As for the person Hu Lin'er brought back, she didn't pay them much mind.
All she cared about was being able to rest.
She looked at Su Qing, and upon seeing her nod, she sheathed her sword and skipped over to Hu Lin'er's side.
She hugged Hu Lin'er and said, "Sister Lin'er, you're finally back! I missed you so much!"
Hearing this, Hu Lin'er was a bit speechless. She knew the girl must have made a bet with Su Qing and lost.
She helplessly rubbed Su Qingyu's head and said, "You little brat... you never learn!"
Su Qingyu stuck out her tongue, then greeted Ye Qingyu with an adorable expression.
Attempting to muddle through, she asked, "Sister Commandery Princess! Why are you here?"
Ye Qingyu laughed and replied, "Because your master called for me. She prepared some medicinal herbs to nourish my body, so I came to pick them up!"
Ye Qingyu knew Su Qing likely had other matters to discuss...
However, when faced with a child's question, she chose to use the cover story.
After all, she didn't know the full details of the situation herself, so she didn't know what else to tell the girl.
Su Qingyu rubbed her head and nodded. "Sister's body does indeed need some nourishment! You're a bit Qi-deficient."
Ye Qingyu was slightly stunned by those words...
On one hand, she was surprised that Su Qingyu, at such a young age, could tell she was Qi-deficient. On the other hand, she wondered if she had misunderstood and Su Qing really had just called her over for medicine.
Nevertheless, she remained composed.
"That's why your master called me over!" Ye Qingyu said to Su Qingyu with a smile.
At that moment, Su Qing walked over and gave Su Qingyu a light tap on the head. "Didn't you want to rest? You can rest now, so go quickly! Don't disturb me while I'm treating Sister Ye. If you insist on playing here, be careful or I'll catch you and make you practice more."
Su Qing was worried the girl wouldn't listen, so she used a small threat to make her behave and run off.
Su Qingyu was momentarily taken aback by Su Qing's words...
Then she said indignantly, "We had a deal! I could go play as soon as Sister Lin'er returned."
"In that case, go play quickly! Don't disturb my work," Su Qing said, tapping her head again.
Su Qingyu pouted and said, "Hmph, hmph, hmph~ I'm going then!"
"You aren't allowed to leave the clinic," Su Qing added.
Su Qingyu nodded at that...
She didn't have any objections to that rule.
After all, she didn't have any friends her own age. Even if she left the clinic, she had nowhere to go, so she naturally wasn't dissatisfied.
However, before leaving, she didn't forget to make a face at Su Qing.
Su Qing sighed helplessly, not bothering to scold her.
She simply turned to the Commandery Princess and said, "I apologize for that."
Seeing Su Qing address her, Ye Qingyu smiled and shook her head.
"The girl is quite cute... what is there to apologize for? Unfortunately, I have no plans to marry or have children, so I'm likely destined never to have such a lovely little girl of my own."
Ye Qingyu naturally wouldn't speak ill of the child...
After all, speaking ill of someone's child to their face was a rather poor thing to do.
Moreover, the child hadn't actually done anything wrong.
Su Qing shook her head and asked, "Sister, you have no plans to marry and have children?"
Su Qing was slightly surprised by this...
"No, at least not for the time being," the Commandery Princess said with a smile. "As you know, my current goal is to fight for the high throne. Therefore, marriage and children are superfluous to me."
Su Qing pondered for a moment before nodding. "Sister is indeed noble."
Ye Qingyu smiled and asked, "So, why did Sister call me over? I imagine it wasn't purely to give me some restorative herbs?"
Seeing that Su Qing hadn't started on the main business, Ye Qingyu couldn't help but remind her, lest Su Qing forget the important matters while chatting.
Su Qing knew the girl was anxious.
However, she wasn't in a hurry and said, "Why don't we sit down before we talk?"
Seeing this, Ye Qingyu couldn't say much. She could only nod and follow Su Qing to the table in the backyard.
Once they were seated, Su Qing didn't waste any more words and took out a black jade plaque.
"This is?" Ye Qingyu asked curiously.
Su Qing wasn't surprised by her curiosity and said with a smile, "This is a jade plaque for transmitting information. In the future, if you encounter danger, simply crush this plaque, and I will naturally know your location! Then, I can come to your rescue."
Ye Qingyu was stunned for a moment and asked, "Specifically, what kind of dangers?"
"First, life-threatening danger. Second, if you encounter a demon! There's no need for further explanation, is there?" Su Qing said with a smile, holding up two fingers.
She wouldn't help her with too many things...
She would only step in if she was in danger or encountered a demon.
Hearing this, Ye Qingyu wasn't too surprised; after all, this had been agreed upon earlier.
She simply followed up by asking, "Does it work regardless of the distance?"
"Yes, that's right... no matter the distance, it will work! However, you must remember... this is a one-time use item. Once it's broken, it must be replaced with a new one."
"Then... if we are very far apart, how long will it take for Sister to arrive?"
"It depends... but I can usually arrive within the time it takes to drink a cup of tea! Unless I am tied down by something I cannot leave..." Su Qing didn't make her promise too absolute.
After all, if she promised too much, there would be no pleasant surprise even if she arrived quickly, but if she was slow, she would lose her credibility.
Ye Qingyu was quite surprised, thinking Su Qing's words were a bit bold. But then she remembered that Su Qing was the Earthly Manifestation of One-Leaf Bodhisattva, and suddenly she felt that Su Qing's words might not be an exaggeration at all. Perhaps Su Qing really could arrive in such a short time.
However, what Ye Qingyu didn't know...
Was that if Su Qing knew what she was thinking, she would definitely laugh at her for having such a limited imagination.
"You can arrive that quickly?" Ye Qingyu mused. "In that case, it's equivalent to having a protective talisman, isn't it?"
Su Qing chuckled and said, "In a sense, this item isn't as good as a protective talisman, as it cannot directly help you resist any damage. During the time it takes for me to arrive, you will still need to rely on yourself to deal with the danger. Therefore, I've also prepared this for you..."
As Su Qing spoke, she took out a silver bracelet and placed it on the table...
Although Su Qing was very fast and could reach Ye Qingyu's side in a short while...
no matter how fast she was, she couldn't arrive instantaneously.
So, to prevent the girl from dying before she arrived,
Su Qing had prepared another life-saving object.
However, preparing this was actually easier than the mother-child jade plaque.
After all, Su Qing had many ready-made items in her possession.
As a wealthy hoarder of treasures, she had countless miscellaneous defensive Dharma treasures.
Finding a protective treasure suitable for a mortal was incredibly simple.
Su Qing pushed the bracelet toward Ye Qingyu and said calmly:
"Keep this bracelet safe. If you encounter danger, you only need to clasp it tightly and chant my name in your heart. It will protect you for half the time it takes for an incense stick to burn..."
"This way, you can rely on the bracelet to survive ordinary crises, and when you encounter demons you cannot handle, you can use it to hold them off for a while until I arrive."
"However, although this bracelet can protect you for that time, it doesn't mean you can rest easy. This bracelet isn't a high-grade Dharma treasure and cannot withstand the attacks of very powerful demons."
"So, you still need to run when you should. Don't think about standing your ground just because you have this bracelet! Though, I imagine you wouldn't do something so foolish, Sister Ye?"
Hearing Su Qing's words, Ye Qingyu was dazed.
She didn't even know how to express her surprise anymore...
She hadn't expected that besides the jade plaque, Su Qing would also give her such a life-saving item.
She didn't know how precious a treasure that could block a demon's attack was, but she was certain it was by no means simple or cheap.
For a moment, she felt as though she was unknowingly becoming indebted to Su Qing.
It was supposed to be an equal exchange at the start.
Yet for some reason, she had suddenly become the party simply receiving help.
'It seems... I have no choice but to take that throne. If I fail to live up to Su Qing's kindness, it would truly be disgraceful,' Ye Qingyu thought helplessly to herself.
Ye Qingyu took the items and nodded to Su Qing, saying:
"Rest assured, Sister, I am not a reckless person! Even with a life-saving treasure, I certainly won't try to stand my ground needlessly."
Su Qing nodded, then spoke again:
"One more thing to remind you: this item can only be used three times. After three uses, the Dharmic power within the bracelet will be exhausted. When that happens, return it to me, and I will restore it to a usable state for you."
Since Ye Qingyu had no Dharmic power of her own...
This item utilized the Dharmic power Su Qing had stored inside it.
This was also why the bracelet could only last for half an incense stick's time and could only be used three times.
Even so, it was more than enough for Ye Qingyu.
After all, she only needed to hold out until Su Qing arrived to support her...
Upon hearing this, Ye Qingyu hurriedly nodded and said, "Yes, I've committed it to memory."
She didn't dare ignore a single word Su Qing said now...
This concerned her future safety. If she missed something, she would be the one to suffer later.
For the sake of her own safety, remembering and listening carefully was the only correct course of action.
Seeing this, Su Qing also nodded with satisfaction...
This Commandery Princess was truly easy to deal with.
She was far better than those useless people who couldn't be helped.
Su Qing looked at the Commandery Princess and said, "Alright, that's everything I called you over to give you this time. Oh, right, I almost forgot—there's also your medicine. This is the prescription... you can go directly to Rendong to have it filled later."
After finishing what she had to say, Su Qing felt there was nothing left to discuss.
So she handed over the prescription, intending to see her guest out.
Ye Qingyu naturally understood Su Qing's intent. After putting the items away, she cupped her hands to Su Qing and said, "I owe the Goddess Doctor another favor..."
Su Qing shook her head and said, "Didn't you say we should call each other sisters? Alright, go get your medicine. Your body is still a bit weak; taking some restorative tonics will be good for you."
Ye Qingyu's body did indeed still have some issues...
It seemed she hadn't taken all the pills Su Qing had left for her previously, which resulted in her body not being fully restored and remaining somewhat weak.
However, it wasn't a major problem. Even if left alone, given the Commandery Princess's luxurious diet and various medicinal meals, her body would recover before long.
Su Qing only gave her the restorative tonic to conveniently maintain the cover story.
At those words, the Commandery Princess nodded and said, "Rest assured, Sister, I will faithfully fill the prescription and take the medicine. Then, I shall take my leave..."
Su Qing had no objection and simply nodded, saying, "Mhm, be careful on your way back."
"Set your mind at ease, Sister. In this capital city, no one dares to harm me," the Commandery Princess said with a smile.
Su Qing said no more...
She simply watched the Commandery Princess leave the backyard.
After leaving the backyard, the Commandery Princess followed Su Qing's instructions to get her medicine...
After getting a dose of restorative tonic, she boarded her carriage, left the clinic, and returned to her residence in the capital.
After the Commandery Princess left,
There was nothing urgent left to do here.
So Su Qing found a spot where she could soak up the sun, lying down to enjoy the autumn breeze and the sunlight...
The autumn sun wasn't harsh; it felt warm and quite comfortable.
While things were settling down here,
On the other side, in the Northern Continent, after half a month of travel, the city walls finally came into view in the distance.
Upon seeing the distant city walls, Yudie stood on her tiptoes and shaded her eyes with her hand, peering ahead...
"Mother, that's High Eagle City over there," Yudie said, pointing at the city walls.
Su Qing glanced at her and said, "I don't need you to tell me; we all know that's High Eagle City..."
Yudie pouted and said, "I was just reminding you!"
Su Qing rubbed her head and said, "Fine, fine, fine. Do I need to thank you too?"
"If Mother wants to thank me, I won't mind!"
"You really are a shameless girl!"
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