Upon hearing Su Qing's warning, Chaoyan smiled and said, "I understand, Godmother. I’m not a child anymore; how could I not know that? As immortals, we must naturally keep a low profile when entering the mortal world."
Chaoyan had been cultivating for many years and had stayed by Su Qing’s side for just as long. It would be rather ridiculous if she didn't even know this basic rule.
Beside them, Red Boy crossed her arms and tilted her head back with a confident smirk. "Hehe, I don't need to change my appearance! No one in Chang'an knows me anyway. Even if I go as I am, no one will know who I am."
Hearing this, Su Qing reached out and lightly tapped her on the head. She gave the girl a flat look and said, "You have to change your appearance too. Your look is a bit too unique. Where in the mortal world would you find a little girl as pretty as you? Keep a low profile. We are entering the mortal world to play, not to show off."
Su Qing did not want their activities to become high-profile because of Red Boy’s antics. They were there for fun, not to cause trouble. Being discreet was the right way to go; if they attracted too much attention, it would only lead to unnecessary complications.
After being tapped by Su Qing, Red Boy looked up and glared at her indignantly. "Fine, I get it! Don't worry, I'll know when to stop."
Although Red Boy enjoyed being the center of attention, she would naturally listen since Su Qing had given the order. If anyone else had told her what to do, she would have treated it like hot air, but the person speaking was someone she cared about deeply. Su Qing was not only the person she liked but also her elder; she simply didn't have the ability to refuse.
Besides, hadn't Su Qing just praised her? If she was being called beautiful, what was there to refuse?
Seeing her agree so obediently, Su Qing nodded in satisfaction. Although this girl could be a troublemaker at times, she was usually quite well-behaved around her.
"Since you understand, let's head down," Su Qing said calmly.
She then performed a hand seal, concealing the forms of herself and the two girls. Once everything was prepared, Su Qing steered the Somersault Cloud down into Chang'an City.
They landed right outside the gate of her former residence. However, the group did not immediately lift their invisibility. Instead, they transformed first.
Su Qing took on the appearance she had used previously in Chang'an. Chaoyan, after calculating the passage of time, aged herself slightly and cast a spell to hide her Buddhist aura, preventing anyone from sensing she was a high-level cultivator of the Buddhist path. As for Red Boy, her change was simpler; she swapped her clothes and subtly altered her features to make them less stunning than before.
Of course, 'less stunning' was only relative to the group; to most ordinary people, Red Boy still looked exceptionally cute and pretty.
Once the preparations were complete, Su Qing lifted the invisibility spell and led them out of the shadows. There were no outsiders nearby, so their sudden appearance went unnoticed.
She walked to the gate and knocked gently. At first, no one came to answer. But after a short wait, the sound of hurried footsteps echoed from behind the door.
Then, accompanied by a voice from inside saying, "Coming, coming! Don't rush, don't rush, I'm here," the door opened a crack.
Behind the gap was a mature face. She wasn't ugly, but she certainly wasn't beautiful either; she had the look of someone who had experienced much and was weathered by the world. She appeared to be in her late forties or early fifties.
However, Su Qing knew this child was only about thirty years old.
"I'm back," Su Qing said, her eyes narrowing into a gentle smile.
The person behind the door froze for a moment upon hearing those words. Then, she threw the door wide in shock and said with a face full of joy, "Madam! You’ve finally returned! It’s been so many years since you last left; we all thought you had... passed away! Pui, pui, pui! How could someone as good as Madam pass away?"
The maid seemed to want to hug Su Qing, but hesitated due to the vast difference in their status. Fortunately, Su Qing didn't care about such things. She smiled tenderly and gave her a light hug.
Su Qing was not one to fixate on status, especially mortal status. Perhaps it was because she had lived for too long. No matter what rank a mortal held, there wasn't much difference in her eyes. Even the highest-ranking among them only had a lifespan of a hundred years, so what was there to care about? She treated everyone with the same calm indifference.
However, precisely because their lifespans were short, Su Qing was often very gentle when dealing with people, especially those she was fond of.
"You’ve worked hard while I was away... but I left quite a bit of money and property at the manor. Why do you look like you haven't been living well?"
Su Qing released the maid, her eyes unable to hide her confusion. She asked, "Did something happen during the years I was gone?"
The maid hesitated, her expression flickering before she forced a smile. "No... nothing. These years have been quite fine, actually. It’s just that we were unwilling to spend the money Madam left behind recklessly, so that’s why..."
"You're lying." Su Qing shook her head slightly. "If that were true, you wouldn't be so flustered, nor would your smile be so strained."
"..." The maid bit her lip. Finally, she let out a long sigh and put on a brave face. "Forget it, Madam. You’ve finally returned; please, come inside! Oh, and Miss Chaoyan too... and this..."
"I'm her fiancée!" Red Boy puffed out her chest and said proudly.
She was immediately met with a tap on the head from Su Qing, who corrected her, "She’s my friend’s daughter... you can call her Yin'er."
Su Qing’s tap wasn't light; even Red Boy felt the sting. Her eyes welled up as she glared at Su Qing, but she didn't dare to lash out. After all, if she didn't behave, she really would be punished. And even if Su Qing didn't do it herself, if she complained to Red Boy's father, she would still get it—and if her mother found out, it would be even worse. So, how could she dare to throw a tantrum?
The maid nodded slightly and lowered her head. "Miss Yin'er, please come into the courtyard as well."
Red Boy puffed out her cheeks, a tiny tear still clinging to the corner of her eye, as she followed them into the manor.
Once they were inside, Su Qing spoke up. "Changing the subject isn't right..."
"I'm sorry... Madam..." The maid knew those blunt words were directed at her.
She apologized immediately. Su Qing shook her head and said calmly, "You don't need to apologize. What I need is for you to tell me exactly what happened. This is my home, and you are my subordinate. It is necessary for me to know what transpired here during the years I was absent. Of course, it would be best if you could tell me simply and clearly."
Su Qing didn't mind a long explanation, but she preferred a concise summary.
The maid listened to Su Qing’s words and remained silent for a moment before sighing. But just as she was about to speak, Su Qing added, "Before you speak, let's sit down first."
Su Qing didn't want to chat while standing; being naturally lazy, she never stood when she could sit. Hearing this, the maid nodded silently and led Su Qing to the place she used to sit most often when she lived there—the back courtyard filled with potted plants.
To reach the back courtyard, they had to pass through the front hall and walk a considerable distance. This path was enough to give them a general view of the manor. During this walk, Su Qing noticed the state of ruin.
Although it was kept clean, Su Qing could sense a pervasive air of decay. Many of the things she had furnished the place with were gone. The expensive vases, calligraphy, and paintings had all vanished. Even the decorative jade stones embedded in the rockery had been pried away.
Aside from that, Su Qing discovered that besides this maid, the only other person left was Old Lady Yu, whose eyesight was failing.
Su Qing narrowed her eyes and glanced at the maid before looking away. She already had a few guesses about the situation.
They reached the back courtyard. There were still many potted plants here, but most of them were dead. What remained were mostly empty pots, and the soil inside had even hardened into crusts.
Su Qing watched all this, her mood remaining relatively calm. However, when Chaoyan saw the state of the place, her beautiful brows furrowed. Clearly, Chaoyan was much more furious than Su Qing. Or rather, Su Qing wasn't actually furious; only Chaoyan was truly angry.
To Chaoyan, this was her second home. Seeing her home turned into this, how could she remain emotionless? She couldn't maintain the same level of calm as Su Qing.
As for Red Boy, she had no sense of belonging to this place, but seeing Su Qing’s property in such a state still made her unhappy. Even though Su Qing had just hit her on the head, she would still be angry on Su Qing's behalf.
Su Qing could sense the emotions of both Chaoyan and Red Boy, but she didn't say anything yet. She simply sat down peacefully on the wooden floor of the corridor and asked the maid, "Now, tell me everything. You said you were unwilling to touch the family’s assets, yet my courtyard has been nearly stripped bare. You mentioned 'us,' but only you and Old Lady Yu are here... Tell me, what happened?"
Su Qing truly wasn't angry about the theft. She simply wanted to know what had happened and give those responsible a certain level of punishment. She was a reasonable person; if someone did something wrong, they had to be punished.
The maid let out a heavy breath and said, "Madam, you are just like you were in the past. No matter what happens, you always have such a calm expression."
Su Qing shook her head and said, "Things have already come to this; anger has no meaning."
The place was already like this; what was the point of being angry?
"Don't waste time and breath; hurry up and tell me," Su Qing said after a half-second of silence.
The maid nodded and slowly began to recount the events.
It turned out that because Su Qing had been gone for so long, everyone assumed she had met with an accident and would never return. Consequently, some people developed ulterior motives—or rather, greed. After all, the items Su Qing had left in the manor were far too numerous, and every single one was exceptionally precious. Selling just one would be enough to grant them a life of luxury, and there had been a whole room full of such items.
Living in such an environment, how could greed not take root? Thus, on a certain night, those who had grown greedy took action. They conspired with outsiders, disguising themselves as bandits to ransack the place.
As for why they conspired with outsiders to play the role of bandits, it was simply to avoid leaving behind any evidence or a bad reputation. Fortunately, these people only had greed in their hearts and lacked the courage to commit murder. After stealing the items, they fled without killing anyone in the manor. It was a stroke of luck; otherwise, not even the last two people would have remained.
Su Qing finished listening to the maid’s story. Her hand inside her sleeve was performing calculations. After a long while, Su Qing nodded, her expression still calm. "I see... but why didn't you leave?"
The maid gave a bitter smile and shook her head. "Both Old Lady Yu and I are people without homes. Madam took us in... naturally, we couldn't leave. Besides, if we left, where would we go?"
Su Qing nodded silently in response. Chaoyan merely clicked her tongue softly. As for Red Boy, her temper was more explosive. She said, "Do you know where those scumbags are? I’ll go find someone to turn those scumbags into actual trash right now! How dare they touch the things Sister Xiao Qing left in the mortal world?"
Red Boy didn't care what happened to others, but if Sister Xiao Qing suffered any grievance, she was entirely unwilling to let it slide. Even if Su Qing hadn't directly suffered and it was just some worldly possessions that were moved, it was enough to make Red Boy flare up.
Seeing this, Su Qing reached out and pulled her back. "Calm down... they are just mundane items, nothing of importance."
Hearing Su Qing say this, no matter how unhappy Red Boy was, she could only pout and sit back down. "But are we just going to leave it like this?"
"I know what I'm doing," Su Qing said with a light laugh. "It wasn't your things that were touched; why are you so angry?"
"I just can't stand seeing people mess with your things, Sister Xiao Qing!" Red Boy said. "I wouldn't care if it were me, but if it's you, it's not okay! I don't know why, but it just makes me really furious."
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