After Su Qing stepped in to break the awkward silence, the two women nodded and headed into the parlor together.
Ye Qingyu dismissed all her maids and guards to ensure that no one besides the three of them could overhear the conversation. While it wouldn't necessarily be a disaster if the maids heard something—they wouldn't dare gossip—it was always better to be safe than sorry. Moreover, she was about to converse with a demon about rather sensitive topics.
Once the room was cleared, Ye Qingyu and Liu Qian began their discussion.
At first, Ye Qingyu maintained a degree of psychological wariness toward Liu Qian, avoiding the 'treasonous capital crimes' right at the start. Fortunately, Su Qing interjected a few times, helping Ye Qingyu let go of her remaining reservations.
After that, the two of them officially began discussing 'serious business.'
As they delved into those matters, Su Qing fell silent, sitting quietly to the side and watching them talk. The process was slightly tedious, and eventually, Su Qing's mind began to wander elsewhere.
Time slipped by.
Two or three hours passed in a flash. By the time Su Qing snapped back to reality, Ye Qingyu and Liu Qian seemed to have become the best of sisters.
Su Qing wasn't particularly surprised by this scene. If Ye Qingyu wanted to make good use of Liu Qian, building a good relationship was necessary. Conversely, if Liu Qian wanted to earn Ye Qingyu's trust and avoid having Su Qing 'deal' with her, she also had to get on the Princess's good side.
Since both had the goal of building rapport, they naturally became 'inseparable best friends' very quickly.
As for whether these feelings were genuine or fake, everyone present was well aware of the truth.
Having talked for so long, they had naturally covered everything that needed to be said. Even if they tried to force the conversation further, there was nothing left to discuss, so it was time to part ways.
As they prepared to say goodbye, they put on a show of reluctance, promising to meet again whenever they had free time. They truly looked like sisters with a deep bond.
Watching from the side, Su Qing could tell it was mostly surface-level politeness. She could guess roughly how they truly felt.
Once Liu Qian left, Ye Qingyu let out a long breath, her expression relaxing.
Seeing her look of relief, Su Qing gave a light chuckle but didn't say much. She didn't plan to micromanage Ye Qingyu in this regard; she believed the Princess had enough ability to adjust.
"Alright, it's time for me to head back as well," Su Qing said, standing up and stretching her back. "Sitting here for so long has made me quite stiff."
"Sister is leaving already?" Ye Qingyu hurriedly stood up and said, "Why not stay for a meal before you go?"
Su Qing shook her head and declined the offer. "No, no, I still have things to do!"
"I see... very well then."
Seeing Su Qing's refusal, Ye Qingyu didn't push further. "Then I shall have someone escort Sister back!"
"That... works too." Su Qing didn't refuse this time. It wasn't that she needed an escort, but she simply didn't want to reject every single gesture of hospitality.
Ye Qingyu nodded and quickly made the arrangements.
Just before she left, while there was still no one else around, Su Qing suddenly remembered something and asked, "How does it feel to have a demon as a subordinate?"
"She... probably doesn't count as a subordinate, does she?" Ye Qingyu blinked, then quickly replied, "Our relationship should be more of a cooperation."
Hearing Ye Qingyu's answer, Su Qing couldn't help but laugh. She nodded and said, "True, it is indeed a cooperation. So, how does it feel?"
"It's subtle... I just feel like the pressure has increased quite a bit. At the same time, I don't know if I can truly keep her under control."
"Don't worry. As long as I'm here, you'll be able to control her." Su Qing reassured Ye Qingyu. As long as she remained, Liu Qian wouldn't have the capability to rebel even if she had the heart to.
Receiving these words from Su Qing, Ye Qingyu couldn't help but feel a warmth in her heart. Although Su Qing and she were also technically in a cooperative relationship, she was deeply grateful to her emotionally. After all, Su Qing hadn't just saved her life once!
"With Sister's word, I am naturally at ease," Ye Qingyu said with a smile and a nod.
"That's good then..."
As they were speaking, the guard previously summoned finally approached. Clearly, everything was ready.
Seeing this, Su Qing stopped chatting and said, "Alright, it looks like it really is time to go!"
"Sister... have a safe journey." Ye Qingyu was silent for a moment before smiling as she saw her off.
Su Qing gave a light laugh and waved her hand as she departed.
A short while later, Su Qing returned to the funeral parlor's medical clinic.
There were still many people seeking medical consultations today. Clearly, business was quite good.
'Truly... no matter how much time passes, a medical clinic never lacks business,' Su Qing thought as she watched the crowd. 'Especially in a central city like this.'
'However... the progress of gathering Incense Power here is noticeably slower, far behind the Northern Continent. I suppose the collection rate will only start to pick up once the Princess completely secures that throne.'
Su Qing pondered this as she bypassed the crowd and went to the backyard.
In the backyard, Su Qingyu was practicing her swordplay as usual. Having practiced for so long, her sword moves finally looked decent. Moreover, her training wasn't just for show. In terms of actual combat power, this girl was likely without an equal among her peers.
"Master, watch this!" Seeing Su Qing return, Su Qingyu suddenly lunged toward her. Perhaps she had grown overconfident after mastering a few moves, or perhaps she simply wanted to see how large the gap was between her and Su Qing.
Regardless of the reason, the strike was already coming, and Su Qing had to give some sort of response. Even though the attack was, in her eyes, riddled with flaws.
Ultimately, it was just a child's attack. Let alone taking it seriously, even giving a response was considered a courtesy.
Su Qing casually reached out her fingers and effortlessly caught Su Qingyu's sword. At the same time, she applied a bit of force... and Su Qingyu watched helplessly as the wooden sword was snatched from her hand.
"You little brat, you've only learned a move and a half, and you're already thinking of sparring with me?" Su Qing smiled as she tucked the sword behind her back. She leaned down and peered at Su Qingyu's slightly embarrassed expression. "What? Do you want me to get a little serious and play with you for a bit?"
"No... no need. Master, you're so powerful. If I really fought you seriously, my bottom would be beaten black and blue." Su Qingyu knew that Su Qing was a bit annoyed. If she confidently insisted on a fight now, a thrashing would be the least of her worries. If she truly provoked Su Qing, she'd end up with a pile of math problems waiting for her—each one harder than the last, enough to give anyone a splitting headache.
To be honest, she'd rather take a beating than touch those things. Was that something a martial artist should even learn? It was practically lethal...
She really didn't understand how Rendong managed to study them.
Su Qing gave a cold snort and pinched the girl's cheek. "You're certainly quick to surrender! Fine, go back to your practice. I'll watch from the side for a while."
Su Qing didn't actually intend to punish the girl; after all, it was normal for children to be playful. Besides, given the girl's combat strength, let alone hurting Su Qing, there was no one in the entire clinic she could beat except for the other children. So, she couldn't really hurt anyone.
As for hurting the other children, Su Qingyu knew her limits. If she truly hurt them, she would have no friends left. She already had so few friends; losing them would be truly terrible.
Hearing that Su Qing had let her off, Su Qingyu immediately breathed a sigh of relief.
"Hehehe, I'm going, I'm going! Thank you for your mercy, Master!" Su Qingyu said hurriedly.
Su Qing curled her lip and gave her a light tap on the head. "No more cheekiness. Go practice. Once you're done, go find Ao Ying and review your medicinal herb knowledge."
"Aaaah??" Su Qingyu began to wallow in misery.
But since Su Qing had given the order, no matter how much it pained her or how unwilling she was, she had no chance to refuse. She could only obediently follow orders.
Soon, Su Qingyu continued her sword practice in the backyard, while Su Qing held Coal Ball and lay on the rocking chair, watching her cultivation.
Gradually, her mind drifted far away.
At this moment, on Changbai Mountain.
After Su Qing's clone had responded to some of the commoners' prayers, she finally had some time to rest.
Just as she was preparing to head down the mountain for a good drink, she suddenly sensed a guest arriving on the mountain.
With no other choice, Su Qing had to return first to see which guest had come. Normally, most people knew her true body wasn't on Changbai Mountain; if they wanted to find her, they would usually go to the Northern Continent. Those coming to Changbai Mountain now either had business with her clone or truly didn't know her main body had left.
Su Qing thought about this as she quickly returned to the courtyard on the mountain.
As soon as she stepped into the courtyard, she saw a pair of massive bull horns. Seeing them, Su Qing immediately knew who the visitor was.
"So, Brother Bull has come!" Although she was curious about why he was here, Su Qing greeted him with a smile.
Niu Mowang scratched his horns and said, "I hope I haven't disturbed you with this sudden visit, Little Sister. My apologies..."
The current Niu Mowang was very different from the one in the original stories. Whether in personality or experience, much had changed. There were many reasons for this, including Su Qing altering some of his past experiences. It was also due to Rakshasi.
Because Su Qing and Rakshasi were very close, Rakshasi had naturally been influenced by her. Her already strong personality had become even more assertive. If provoked, she wouldn't hesitate to give even Niu Mowang a piece of her mind. Consequently, Niu Mowang had become something of a henpecked husband.
Of course, in terms of raw strength, Niu Mowang definitely outmatched Rakshasi, but he truly loved his wife, so he naturally deferred to her.
Su Qing sat down opposite Niu Mowang with a calm mind and said, "Brother Bull, you rarely come here to find me. To visit so suddenly, is there something the matter?"
"There is indeed something," Niu Mowang nodded. "I've recently found a potential job, and I wanted you to help me look into it."
Su Qing blinked in surprise. "Why find me for that? Could you and Rakshasi not come to a conclusion?"
Niu Mowang rubbed his horns. "The job I found is related to the Buddhist Court. Since you happen to be a Bodhisattva, I wanted to consult you to see if this job is worth taking."
Hearing this, Su Qing's brow furrowed. Was this something Niu Mowang would actually say? He was giving up being a mountain king to work for the Buddhists? Was there some mistake?
"Brother Bull, are you sure your brain hasn't been fried? With your personality, how could you be willing to go to a place as strictly regulated as the Buddhist Court? Besides, what's the point of giving up being a Great King to work for them?" Su Qing asked, bewildered.
Even if Niu Mowang's personality had changed, it couldn't have changed this much. There had to be a reason for this. Otherwise, he was either possessed or his mind was truly gone.
Niu Mowang wasn't surprised by Su Qing's confusion. Instead, he explained calmly, "It's not that my brain is fried. It's just that a few days ago, while I was idle, I performed some star-gazing divination. I suddenly calculated that I will inevitably face a calamity in the future. If it were just my own tribulation, that would be one thing, but this Great Tribulation will affect both my wife and child. I cannot ignore it, so I had to find a way to avoid it.''
"After calculating back and forth, I found that the only way to survive this tribulation is to join either the Buddhist Court or the Daoist Sect. The Daoist Sect is too far from me, while the Buddhist Court is quite close. Plus, my wife has deeper ties with the Buddhists, so I decided to seek a position there.''
"As it happens, when I went to look for a job, I ran into Medicine Master Lapis Lazuli Light Buddha. That Medicine Master Buddha promised me an easy and free position. As long as I join the Buddhist Court, he won't restrict my freedom too much, nor will he require me to follow mundane rules like shaving my head. He only asks that I behave myself and stop committing heinous acts.''
"I figured I'm a vegetarian anyway and don't enjoy doing evil, so the requirements aren't hard for me.''
"However, my wife and I can't quite make up our minds, so I came to ask for your opinion."
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