“It’s all thanks to Mother’s excellent teaching!”
Seeing Su Qing speak like that, Yudie didn’t hesitate to plant her hands on her hips and put on a proud expression, not feeling the least bit embarrassed by her own shamelessness.
Watching the girl’s triumphant look, Su Qing was momentarily speechless.
She reached out and pinched the girl’s cheek, saying with a fake smile, “You’ve certainly grown bold, haven’t you, you little brat? Careful, or Mother will have to discipline you!”
Hearing this, Yudie didn’t show any fear. Instead, she braved Su Qing’s threat and said, “Mother loves me so much, she would never discipline me!”
The expression on Su Qing’s face stiffened slightly. She couldn’t help but squeeze her cheek harder, saying, “When it comes to being thick-skinned, you really are something else!”
Su Qing swore she had never taught this girl to be so shameless.
It was just that the girl was becoming increasingly uncontainable.
While Su Qing was pondering how to teach the brat a lesson…
Chen Mei, standing to the side, wore a look of sorrow.
She said in a melancholy tone, “We’ve arrived at High Eagle City so quickly! It feels like time has passed in a flash. Before I knew it, we’re about to part ways.”
Chen Mei couldn’t help but feel reluctant about the separation.
After all, they had bonded over the course of their journey.
Of course, she didn’t share much of a bond with Bai Rou’er.
In fact, there had even been some slight unpleasantness between them.
Hearing Chen Mei’s words, Su Qing turned to look at her and gave her a reassuring look.
“Don’t worry. Our karmic ties are not yet severed. Even if we part ways now, we will surely meet again in the future. Besides, we aren’t parting as soon as we enter High Eagle City. We still have to find that divine doctor you mentioned!”
As for whether they would actually meet again in the future…
Su Qing wasn’t entirely sure.
However, that didn’t stop her from making an empty promise to soothe Chen Mei.
Chen Mei shook her head upon hearing this, then forced herself to brighten up, offering a strained smile. “Sister Su is right… our fate hasn’t ended yet. There will still be chances to meet again in the future.”
She said the words, but Chen Mei didn’t even believe them herself.
She knew that once they parted, the world was vast, and it would be incredibly difficult to cross paths again. That was the source of her distress.
“Alright, let’s not dally. We should enter the city quickly!” Bai Rou’er walked over at this moment, reminding everyone to keep moving.
She didn’t want to linger in sentimentality for too long.
Compared to such things, what she wanted most was to see Bi Ling Yuanjun.
Her true… savior.
Although the Su Qing here was still a clone of Bi Ling Yuanjun, a clone was ultimately just a clone. Even if it contained a portion of Su Qing’s consciousness, it was still a manifestation… not Su Qing’s true self.
She wanted to see the real Su Qing.
Therefore, her mood was completely different from Chen Mei’s.
Chen Mei didn’t want to go faster, while Bai Rou’er wished they could be even quicker.
“She’s right! Let’s go.” Seeing Bai Rou’er speak up, Su Qing followed suit. “Let’s find a place to stay in the city first before discussing anything else!”
Chen Mei didn’t have any other objections. She merely gave a slight, almost imperceptible nod and uttered a soft “Mhm,” her voice as quiet as a mosquito.
Su Qing sighed inwardly, but it wasn’t convenient to say more, so she simply led the way.
Even the shameless Yudie sensed that the atmosphere wasn’t quite right, so she quieted down and became exceptionally well-behaved.
After all, if she said the wrong thing now, she would definitely be scolded.
As for Ruan Shuxiang…
She remained exactly the same as always.
She was neither anxious nor sad.
It seemed that to her, parting was no big deal.
Or perhaps, in her view, there really would be a chance to meet again in the future after this separation.
Regardless, Ruan Shuxiang’s state was indeed somewhat unexpected.
It especially caught Chen Mei off guard.
However, Chen Mei didn’t ask her about it at that moment.
Instead, she followed Su Qing toward High Eagle City.
She planned to ask once they reached the city.
The group’s pace wasn’t slow.
In a short while, they reached the city gates.
They encountered no trouble entering. After paying a small city entry fee, they made their way inside.
Although High Eagle City was quite prosperous, Su Qing and the others each had their own preoccupations, so they weren’t in the mood to wander around.
They simply found a random inn along the street and checked in.
On one hand, it was to rest and reorganize; on the other, it was to prepare for what was to come.
Su Qing was doing the same…
Though the things she was preparing were different from the others.
“Does Mother intend to finish the entire performance?” Yudie sat barefoot on the bed, swinging her fair little feet as she questioned Su Qing.
Sitting by the window, watching the pedestrians outside as she usually did while contemplating matters, Su Qing turned to glance at her after hearing the question.
She replied, “A play must be performed in its entirety, of course. Although I want to return sooner, I still have to finish this last bit of acting. Since we’ve already come this far, spending a little more time doesn’t matter much.”
Yudie put a finger to her lips, looking thoughtful. “Then do I need to act like I can’t be cured?”
If Su Qing wanted to act, Yudie naturally had to cooperate. After all, if the ruse was exposed, Su Qing would definitely give her a real discipline, rather than just a simple scolding like before.
She didn't want her butt beaten to a pulp.
Having experienced it once, Yudie never wanted to experience it again.
That sensation was not pleasant at all.
However, while she was going to cooperate, Yudie also wanted to see if she could gain some extra benefits from it.
After all, it was a rare opportunity to play a trick on her mother. If she didn’t seize it, her future self would surely regret it.
As Yudie plotted, Su Qing nodded and said, “Exactly… only then will we have an excuse to leave.”
Hearing this, Yudie immediately broke into a sly grin and said giggling, “Then… Mother, you wouldn't want your daughter to fail to cooperate properly, would you?”
Su Qing’s brows furrowed at those words.
Where on earth did this girl learn such things?
She didn’t recall teaching her these messy tricks.
Su Qing curled her lip and couldn’t help but ask, “You little brat, are you trying to scheme against your own mother?”
She knew her daughter well. As soon as the girl spoke and showed that expression, Su Qing knew exactly what was going through her mind.
This wasn't like the scenarios from those old movies in her past life…
The girl simply wanted some special benefits.
As for what those benefits were?
One could guess even with their toes.
Aside from wanting something delicious to eat, the girl had no greater ambitions.
Yudie chuckled but shook her head. “Not at all! Your daughter just wants a few benefits! After all, Mother is the one asking for cooperation! If you want the horse to run, you have to let it graze, right?”
Hearing this, Su Qing thought to herself, As expected.
She said, “So, what kind of grass does this lazy horse of mine want to eat?”
“Delicious grass, of course!” Yudie immediately looked as if her scheme had succeeded and said hurriedly, “I knew Mother was the best and couldn't bear to see her daughter go hungry.”
Su Qing chuckled and simply nodded. “Then, once everything is over, I’ll find some delicious grass for you!”
Su Qing didn’t give Yudie any immediate benefits; she just painted a metaphorical pie for now.
To Yudie, this didn’t feel like an empty promise. She felt her tactic had worked and immediately began nodding happily like a chicken pecking at rice.
“Great, great! Then it’s a deal. Mother, you aren't allowed to go back on your word!” To prevent Su Qing from tricking her, Yudie added quickly, “Pinky swear, a hundred years, never change!”
This was something Yudie had learned from Su Qing. Whenever she wanted to make a pact with someone, she always insisted on a pinky swear.
Seeing this, the corners of Su Qing’s mouth curled almost imperceptibly as she engaged in the pinky swear with Yudie.
Once the mother and daughter had sealed the deal…
The agreement was set.
Yudie began rolling around on the bed in joy…
Her mind was already fantasizing about what delicious things she would get to eat later.
Unfortunately, what Yudie didn’t know was that the moment Su Qing sensed her thoughts, she had already fallen into Su Qing’s trap. Yet here she was, only thinking about her happiness!
Seeing her so happy, Su Qing’s mood was also quite good.
She was already starting to feel a faint curiosity about what kind of expression the girl would have later.
Su Qing shook her head and turned back to gaze at the crowd in a daze…
This helped her main body’s spirit consume less energy.
While things had quieted down here…
On the other side, Chen Mei had found Ruan Shuxiang.
“Ruan Shuxiang… what do you think about the fact that we’re about to separate?” Chen Mei asked curiously.
Ruan Shuxiang rubbed her head, looking a bit simple-minded. She said, “Big Sister said our karmic ties haven't been severed and there will be a chance to meet again in the future! So, of course, I don't have any special thoughts! After all, there's a chance to meet again; it's not like this is a final farewell.”
Chen Mei was stunned.
She had thought Ruan Shuxiang was just mentally strong, or had become more mature after previous events, or some other possibility.
But she never expected that she simply believed Su Qing’s words unconditionally.
“You haven't doubted it at all?”
“Why should I doubt her?” Hearing Chen Mei’s words, Ruan Shuxiang tilted her head and asked, “Sister Su wouldn't lie to me.”
“…” Chen Mei was speechless.
She gave up.
This result was unexpected and disappointing to her.
She had originally… wanted to get a useful answer from Ruan Shuxiang to help herself come to terms with it.
But who knew this child was just simply a bit slow…
No, one couldn’t say she was slow.
After all, she could be quite clever when she wanted to be.
To be more accurate…
Ruan Shuxiang trusted Su Qing far too much.
“Forget it. It’s a good thing you can think that way,” Chen Mei said, shaking her head.
Ruan Shuxiang tilted her head at her, unable to figure out why Chen Mei was saying these things.
She simply said, “Anyway, since it's a good thing, there shouldn't be a problem, right? Also, I feel like you could trust Sister Su a bit more, Sister Chen Mei. She never lies.”
In Ruan Shuxiang’s eyes, Su Qing’s credibility was exceptional.
Even though she had questioned Su Qing once back at that Luanzanggang.
But that was under special circumstances, which led her to have doubts.
And that one time she doubted, she had been wrong.
Because Su Qing hadn’t lied to her at all… even in that situation, she hadn’t lied. Thus, in Ruan Shuxiang’s view, Su Qing was someone who absolutely would not tell a lie.
Therefore, she believed Su Qing completely this time as well.
However, Chen Mei was different.
Upon hearing Ruan Shuxiang’s words, she could only keep her mouth from twitching.
Even though she tried her best to restrain herself, she couldn't hide her speechlessness.
Because she knew that Su Qing was not someone who couldn't lie; when she needed to lie, she could fill the air with falsehoods.
So, she didn’t quite believe this explanation.
However, she didn’t go out of her way to destroy Su Qing’s image in Ruan Shuxiang’s heart.
She merely let out a long sigh and said, “Mhm, I will… Alright, I need to rest for a bit. You should rest well too! Tomorrow, we’ll accompany Sister Su to find Divine Doctor Liang and treat Yudie’s strange illness!”
Ruan Shuxiang nodded quickly and said, “That’s true… Yudie’s illness is more important. Sigh, I wonder if Yudie can be cured this time… It’s a pity that even though I’m a demon, I don’t know the first thing about medicine. Otherwise, I would really want to help.”
Chen Mei shook her head and said, “Let’s hope so!”
With that, Chen Mei got up and left the room.
After returning to her own room, Chen Mei continued to fret over the future.
And so…
Time flowed by, second by second.
In the blink of an eye, the next morning arrived.
After everyone had performed their simple morning ablutions and eaten breakfast…
They set out according to plan to find the divine doctor who could treat Yudie.
“Speaking of which, where exactly in High Eagle City is this divine doctor?” Su Qing asked Chen Mei.
Chen Mei replied, “It’s not far. It’s about half a day’s journey away.”
“Half a day’s journey? The divine doctor isn't in the city?”
“Mhm. The divine doctor likes peace and quiet, so she doesn't live in the city. Instead, she lives in a mountain outside High Eagle City.”
Chen Mei nodded and said:
“But don't worry. Although the divine doctor likes quiet, she is quite easy to talk to. As long as someone seeks her for treatment, she will help… and she loves challenging difficult-to-cure diseases. The stranger the illness, the more she likes to treat it. For a strange illness like Yudie’s, the divine doctor definitely won't refuse.”
Hearing this, Su Qing couldn’t help but raise an eyebrow. Why did this way of doing things sound more and more familiar the more she heard it?
She couldn’t help but think to herself, 'This divine doctor is somewhat similar to me, also liking to treat strange illnesses. I wonder if this divine doctor is also a cultivator like me.'
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