Can You Beat Me?

Jin Xin had her own reasons for staying, reasons she couldn't quite voice.

If not for those reasons, why would she remain in a place so densely populated by immortals? For a demon like her, this place was genuinely dangerous.

Unfortunately, while she had stayed with a purpose, it was clear those goals wouldn't be realized. There were simply too many people here, and with everyone’s eyes on her, she had no opportunity to act.

Most importantly, Su Qing was constantly flanked by her three wives. With those three around, Jin Xin couldn't get close, let alone attempt a night raid.

Thus, no matter how much she wanted to try, she could only give up. If she were caught red-handed in such an endeavor, she might actually be beaten to death. She liked to push boundaries, but she wasn't about to gamble with her life.

Jin Xin let out a helpless sigh, thinking to herself, 'I thought I could use this chance to deepen our relationship, but I didn't expect this outcome. What a pity.'

While Jin Xin felt it was a shame, Su Qing would have breathed a massive sigh of relief had she known. She would have been grateful that the woman had abandoned such a plan; otherwise, she would have been beyond frustrated.

Jin Xin leaned back in her chair, staring at the ceiling with a resigned thought: 'It seems I can only use the clone as a breakthrough point. I have to conquer the clone first before I can conquer the original! But how exactly do I make her fall in love with me? Once she loves me, I'll finally understand what it feels like to love and be loved, right?'

Jin Xin had already somewhat misinterpreted the meaning behind Su Qing's words from before. Unfortunately, since she hadn't mentioned it to Su Qing or asked for clarification, Su Qing had no idea her words had been twisted.

'I just don't get it. She clearly has so many wives, so why won't she fall for me? Where exactly am I lacking?' Jin Xin wondered gloomily.

Lost in thought, she looked down at her figure and then checked herself in the mirror. She didn't seem to be lacking much at all.

Time flowed quickly amidst her contemplation.

Night deepened, and everyone eventually drifted off to sleep.

The next morning.

Su Qing woke up, rubbed her head, and let out a yawn. 'That’s a surprise. Jin Xin actually behaved herself for a whole day? I guess she really can be well-behaved when she wants to. I suppose I misjudged her.'

Su Qing hadn't slept deeply the previous night, specifically to avoid a certain troublesome person trying to pull a night raid. After all, back in Xingyang City, Jin Xin had done such things more than once. Whenever the whim struck her, she would try to sneak in.

So, Su Qing had been quite worried about last night. However, the result was unexpected; the woman hadn't done a thing.

'While it’s certainly a good thing, it’s also a bit unlike her,' Su Qing thought with a slight, amused smile. 'But I truly hope she’s changed for the better. It would be best if she never does that again.'

After getting out of bed, Su Qing quickly changed and finished washing up. She wasn't in a hurry to find Jin Xin to send her back. Instead, she followed her usual routine and went to play with the little one first.

Looking into those unique eyes, Su Qing felt an immense surge of affection. "Grow up quickly," she said with a smile, pinching the little one’s cheek.

She truly adored this child. After playing with her for a while, it was time for breakfast.

Su Qing instructed the dragon girl attendants to wake everyone up. Even if she was going to send Jin Xin back, she had to wait until the woman had eaten. There was no sense in sending someone away on an empty stomach.

Breakfast was already prepared, and the dragon girls quickly gathered everyone. The meal was prepared according to the headcount, so there was no risk of running short. It was this kind of reliability that made Su Qing find these dragon girls so dependable.

At the dining table, Su Qing mentioned that she would be sending Jin Xin back.

Jin Xin wasn't surprised by the news. She didn't ask to stay a few more days; she simply nodded calmly. This caught Su Qing off guard, but she also felt relieved. It meant there would be much less arguing.

"Then after breakfast, I'll take you back," Su Qing said.

Jin Xin continued to nod calmly without saying a word. Seeing this, Su Qing didn't press further and simply continued eating with the others, chatting about various random topics. Since it was just casual conversation, the atmosphere was quite relaxed.

After the meal, Su Qing followed through on her word. She performed a hand seal to summon the Somersault Cloud and escorted Jin Xin toward Xingyang City.

The journey wasn't long. Along the way, Jin Xin remained remarkably quiet. Su Qing wanted to say something, but in the end, she couldn't find the words. It was a difficult situation—she didn't really know what to ask.

As for small talk, she felt that if she started chatting, Jin Xin would inevitably drop a dirty joke or two. That woman’s mouth was incredibly foul, even more so than Su Qing’s, despite Su Qing's wealth of experience.

Helplessly, Su Qing completed the quiet trip to Xingyang City. She lowered the cloud and landed in a secluded corner of the city. It was very quiet with no passersby, so they didn't even need to use an invisibility spell.

"Wait here for a bit. My clone will be here to pick you up shortly," Su Qing said after a moment of silence. "Also, while your arrival was a bit exasperating, you actually did quite well afterward."

Jin Xin found the praise somewhat baffling, but after a short silence, she smiled. "Thank you for the compliment, Big Green Sister. However, I won't always behave this well."

Su Qing was stunned for a moment, then nodded. "Don't worry, I won't let you get away with it."

With that, Su Qing waved her hand. "I'm leaving. Help me out with the medical practice here, and stop trying to make moves on my clone."

"I understand, Big Green Sister. I won't remember that," Jin Xin said after a pause, flashing her signature smile.

Su Qing couldn't find fault with that standard smile, but she shook her head with a chuckle anyway. Then, she ascended on her cloud and departed.

After Su Qing left, Jin Xin looked up at the sky. She decided to walk around the streets instead of just waiting there.

However, to her surprise, just as she stepped out of the small alley, Su Qing was already waiting for her.

"I didn't expect us to meet again so soon, Big Green Sister," Jin Xin said. Though she was momentarily startled, she quickly recovered and flashed that same smile.

Su Qing looked at her, remained silent for a beat, and then nodded. "You didn't expect me to arrive so quickly, did you?"

"Indeed, I didn't anticipate it," Jin Xin admitted with a nod.

"Why do you think I chose this specific spot to land?" Su Qing asked with a chuckle.

"Fine, it seems Big Green Sister had everything planned out! Then why did you tell me to wait inside for a bit?"

"Because I actually hadn't arrived yet at that moment, so I told you to wait," Su Qing said, spreading her hands. "I have no interest in playing tricks on you."

Hearing this, Jin Xin scratched her head and laughed. "Alright, it seems I overthought it. I thought Big Green Sister had started wanting to tease me!"

Su Qing rolled her eyes; she had no such inclination. She simply said, "Let's go. The clinic isn't far from here. We can just walk over."

Jin Xin nodded and followed behind Su Qing as they headed toward the clinic.

The clinic was as bustling as ever. Even though Su Qing was a divine doctor, there were always people falling ill. Moreover, many sick people traveled from far away specifically to be treated by her. Thus, there was never a shortage of patients.

Su Qing walked into the clinic. Coal Ball, who had grown significantly rounder, leaped into Su Qing's arms. It rubbed its head against her chest and said, "This Great General caught a few more ill-intentioned rats today~ You better thank me properly."

Su Qing stroked Coal Ball’s head and nodded with a smile. "Don't worry, I'll definitely thank you! How about a few extra dried fish today?"

"I want to eat live fish!"

"Deal."

Su Qing smiled; this little one's requests were always the easiest to satisfy.

"Meow~"

Little Coal Ball purred happily, letting out a comfortable sound. Su Qingyu, who was taking a break, saw this and became disgruntled. "Little Coal Ball, come into my arms! Don't stay with that old hag, she's just going to bully you in a minute."

Coal Ball ignored Su Qingyu. Because Su Qingyu couldn't understand its speech, it didn't like her much and preferred staying with Su Qing. As for Su Qing bullying it... well, that was true, but it wasn't anything serious, so it didn't really mind.

Su Qing heard Su Qingyu’s words and shot her a smiling glance. "Qingyu, it seems you're quite idle today? You have time to play with the cat? Should I add some more practice for you?"

Seeing Su Qing look over, Su Qingyu froze. She then crossed her arms, tilted her nose up, and said, "I'm going to be busy now. Don't bother me anymore."

With that, she fled toward the backyard.

Su Qing chuckled at the sight. Although Su Qingyu had grown and matured quite a bit and wasn't as easy to fool as before, she was still no match for Su Qing. A few words were all it took to make her true colors show.

Standing to the side, Jin Xin remarked, "Qingyu really does love bickering with you, Big Green Sister."

"She just likes to talk back. Aside from bickering, she can't do much else," Su Qing said, stroking Coal Ball in her arms before sitting down in her exclusive spot behind the counter. "She's still too small."

Hearing this, Jin Xin stood beside Su Qing, leaning over to look at her and the kitten in her arms. "I'm not small. I kind of want to do something to you," she inquired.

Su Qing was stunned for a moment. She looked up at her and then gave a helpless smile. "I don't want that! But isn't this a bit too fast? You really didn't remember a single word I said!"

"Huh? What words? I don't know what you're talking about," Jin Xin said, tilting her head.

Su Qing laughed helplessly. "You really are something else."

Su Qing was a bit speechless, but she couldn't be bothered to say more. She simply waved her hand and said, "Alright, alright, let's stop this nonsense. Go and help out."

Seeing Su Qing say that, Jin Xin smiled and nodded, no longer bothering her. She was the type who knew when to stop; she knew exactly when she had pushed far enough.

She left Su Qing's side to help the others in the clinic with their work.

After watching them for a while, Su Qing walked to the backyard to check if Su Qingyu was practicing her martial arts properly.

She entered the backyard to the familiar scent of herbs and a familiar silhouette. To her surprise, the girl wasn't slacking off; she was actually training hard.

"Not bad! You've made some progress again. Your talent for martial arts is truly something others would envy," Su Qing said, not holding back her praise.

In truth, she didn't know much about martial arts and didn't really know how to judge talent. She just figured she should offer some praise when appropriate; it was only a bit of breath wasted, after all.

Hearing Su Qing's words, Su Qingyu curled her lip. "Master, you always say the same few things. I'm tired of hearing them! Can't you switch it up for once?!"

Because Su Qing used almost the exact same words every time she praised her, Su Qingyu had been motivated at first and worked harder. But after hearing it so many times, she gradually realized Su Qing was just using those words to trick her into working hard. She had become immune to it.

And yet, even though she was immune, Su Qing still used the same lines to 'motivate' her.

It was truly... even lazier than herself.

Su Qing wasn't embarrassed by the remark. She just laughed and said, "I can't be bothered to think of anything else. So just listen to it, pretend you're touched, and keep working hard."

Su Qingyu rolled her eyes. "Master, can you be any more shameless?! You talk about me, but this is way too much!"

Su Qing spread her hands and sat down in the rocking chair. "Well, can you beat me? If you can beat me, then I'll think of as many different praises as you want!"

"Forget it! If I could beat you, would I still call you Master?! Hmph! I'm so unlucky to have a master like you. All you do is bully me."

Despite her words, she loved her master and everyone here more than anyone else. It was only because Su Qing teased her so often that she enjoyed being contrary.