If there was anyone besides Li Yichou who could best help Su Qingyu and the others after Su Qing left, the only person Su Qing could think of was Ye Qingyu.
After all, Ye Qingyu was the Empress of this nation, the highest authority in the land, and she happened to reside right here in Xingyang City.
Therefore, with her help, Su Qingyu would undoubtedly be much safer.
Listening to Su Qing’s request, Ye Qingyu nodded slightly and said, "You want me to look after Su Qingyu and the others? That... shouldn't be a problem. But what exactly should I do?"
"It’s nothing too special, really. I just hope you can lend a hand when they are in genuine trouble," Su Qing said with a light chuckle and a shake of her head.
Su Qing didn't want to ask too much of Ye Qingyu; after all, the Empress had no real connection to Su Qingyu and the others. Being willing to help at all was already quite generous. As long as she could intervene in times of crisis, that would be enough.
And if they encountered trouble that even Ye Qingyu couldn't resolve, Su Qing would find a way to act if necessary. After all, this city was filled with her incense power.
Ye Qingyu fell silent for a moment before nodding. "I understand... I will do my best."
Su Qing hadn't made any particularly difficult demands, so there was no reason to refuse. Besides, she quite liked Su Qingyu. Even without Su Qing’s request, she would have helped the girl as much as possible if danger arose.
Seeing this, Su Qing thanked her. "Thank you."
"I'm only doing what I should," Ye Qingyu replied, shaking her head.
Su Qing chuckled softly. She didn't think this was something anyone 'should' do. She shook her head and said, "It’s about time. I should be going... I'll come by to chat when I'm free next time."
Hearing this, Ye Qingyu said petulantly, "You said the same thing last time, Big Green Sister! But you didn't come to see me for half a year!"
Though she hadn't mentioned it before, she was more or less dissatisfied with that.
Su Qing gave a helpless smile. "Don't worry, it definitely won't be like that this time. I didn't come before because I was worried about disturbing you."
Ye Qingyu didn't take the explanation seriously, simply crossing her arms. "I don't care about being disturbed. As long as you come, that's what matters. Besides, I never feel like you're disturbing me... and even if you were, I’d want you to disturb me more often."
Su Qing smiled, finding the phrasing a bit subtle. However, Ye Qingyu didn't have any hidden motives; it was mostly just the simple longing of a friend. She had few friends before, and now that she was Empress, she had even fewer. Only Liu Qian and Su Qing truly counted as her close friends. Under such circumstances, how could she not miss them?
After all, the pressure of being Empress was immense. Only when chatting and gossiping with Su Qing and Liu Qian could she truly relax. Naturally, she hoped Su Qing would visit more often to keep her company.
Su Qing looked at Ye Qingyu and nodded. "Fine, fine. As long as you don't find me annoying."
Ye Qingyu shook her head. "You must be joking, Sister. How could I ever find you annoying? You can come as many times as you like."
She meant it from the bottom of her heart. She wished Su Qing would seek her out more often.
Su Qing smiled and said, "Remember those words! Alright, I really must go now."
With that, Su Qing waved and departed alone.
Seeing this, Liu Qian glanced at Ye Qingyu. Seeing the Empress nod, she stepped forward to see Su Qing out. Liu Qian called for the carriage driver and, after Su Qing boarded, escorted her all the way back to the medical clinic.
At this hour, the clinic had not yet closed, and there were still a few patients inside. Su Qing’s return caused no stir. After nodding in satisfaction, she bid Liu Qian farewell and walked into the clinic to take her usual place.
'Still, with Su Qingyu gone, the clinic really has become much quieter!' Su Qing thought with a helpless smile. 'Everyone is a bit overwhelmed with the work!'
Despite this, Su Qing had no intention of hiring more staff. She was going to leave sooner or later anyway; it was better to maintain the status quo.
As she pondered, the mystic black cat, Coal Ball, climbed onto her. The warm little creature curled up in Su Qing’s lap and fell asleep as usual.
'This silly child really does nothing but eat and sleep.' Su Qing stroked her head, smiling inwardly. In the past, this child would at least practice her spells properly. Now, she was too lazy to even do that, spending her days even more languidly than Su Qing herself.
'Well, what can you do? She is a cat, after all,' Su Qing thought helplessly.
In the days that followed, life remained peaceful. However, Su Qing’s life became slightly more varied than before. She no longer spent every single day sitting in the medical clinic like a stone statue. Instead, she would head to the palace every so often to chat with Empress Ye Qingyu.
Every time Su Qing visited, Ye Qingyu would look delighted and happily share all sorts of messy gossip. As Empress, the amount of information reaching her ears was staggering, and many officials used their memorials to file petty reports. She knew more gossip than anyone could imagine. Consequently, every time Su Qing visited, Ye Qingyu could talk for hours.
Regardless of the topic, she never lacked things to discuss. Sometimes Su Qing barely had a chance to get a word in—though that was also partly because she was too lazy to interrupt. Listening to gossip was quite entertaining.
Perhaps the gossip was truly interesting, or perhaps humans are simply gossipy by nature. Because of these stories, Su Qing grew to enjoy her trips to the palace. Her visits became more frequent, and the bond between the two grew closer, gradually returning to the way it had been before Ye Qingyu became Empress.
However, after hearing so much gossip, Su Qing felt she still didn't understand the mortal world well enough. The things mortals were capable of left even her astonished; people actually did things she wouldn't even dare to imagine. It was truly an eye-opener for an old fogey like her, who was nearly two thousand years old. Some of it was even more outrageous than the people from her past life. Who said the ancients weren't open-minded?
Of course, gossip was just gossip. Su Qing mostly listened for amusement, believing very little of it.
The days passed one by one. They were ordinary but never boring.
In the blink of an eye, another year passed. Over the course of that year, many things happened in Xingyang City, though most weren't much trouble. There were two minor demon outbreaks within the country, but Su Qing resolved them in passing. The demons were weak and happened to be causing trouble within her jurisdiction. Though her incense avatars weren't incredibly powerful, they could easily handle low-level demons.
Thus, before the demons could cause any major disaster—and before Liu Qian even had a chance to act—Su Qing had already cleaned them up.
Aside from that, Su Qingyu’s shop was doing better and better. While it hadn't grown into anything legendary, it maintained a steady revenue and never lost money, so there was no risk of it closing down. At the same time, the girl had grown significantly in other areas. A year of training can truly change a person, and Su Qing was quite satisfied with the results.
This had made Su Qingyu incredibly confident, and her tone when speaking to Su Qing had become much bolder. Su Qing didn't mind, simply offering a few words of praise. However, she also warned her never to become overconfident. Carelessness was always a fatal mistake. Su Qing didn't want the girl to suffer an accident because of arrogance after she left, so she was ruthless when it came to such warnings.
Su Qingyu promised to keep the warnings firmly in mind. Though she could be unreliable at times, she was fundamentally a bright child. She knew which of Su Qing’s words were for her own good, so she wouldn't throw a tantrum or act out against her master.
One day, Su Qing was sitting under a tree, sipping tea. Jin Xin sat beside her, staring blankly at her.
"Why are you staring at me like that?" Su Qing asked, raising an eyebrow in curiosity.
"The books say that this makes it easier for a woman to fall in love with you, so I wanted to try it," Jin Xin explained with a beaming smile.
At this explanation, Su Qing frowned and sighed. "How many times have I told you? Don't read those useless books."
"I have to try!" Jin Xin ignored the advice, continuing to go her own way.
Su Qing shook her head helplessly. "Suit yourself."
She was powerless against Jin Xin and could only let her be. After all, she was just staring; it wasn't as if she was doing anything else.
Jin Xin continued to stare for a while before suddenly asking, "I heard from Ao Yiyi that you're planning to leave?"
"Hmm?" Su Qing paused. "Yes, I am indeed preparing to go. I didn't expect Ao Yiyi to have told you already..."
Jin Xin smiled. "I just happened to overhear it during some idle chat. Where do you plan to go? Are you taking me with you?"
Jin Xin didn't care where they were going; she only cared if she was going along.
Su Qing smiled. "Of course I have to take you. If I left you here alone without supervision, ghost knows what you'd get up to. There's no way I'm leaving you behind."
When she left, Su Qing would definitely take Jin Xin. Not just her, but all the demons and cultivators. They weren't the same as the mortals here; staying forever wasn't an option. Besides, Ao Yiyi was Guanyin Bodhisattva’s disciple; Su Qing had to keep her close. If she actually lost the girl, Guanyin would surely come to settle the score.
As for Hu Lin'er, she was Su Qing’s maid and assistant, so she was definitely coming along.
Hearing this, Jin Xin couldn't help but smile. "I thought you might make me stay here!"
Su Qing shook her head. "That wouldn't do. Besides, even if I wanted you to stay, would you be willing?"
"Of course not!" Jin Xin crossed her arms and shook her head.
Su Qing spread her hands. "See? Even if I wanted to leave you, you wouldn't agree. So why even ask?"
Regardless of the reason, Su Qing could never leave this troublemaker behind.
Jin Xin nodded. "That seems to be the case..."
Su Qing rolled her eyes and took a sip of tea, intending to end the topic. However, Jin Xin wasn't finished yet.
She asked, "By the way, when do you plan to leave?"
"Probably next year? Su Qingyu is almost ready, and Rendong has long been capable of standing on her own. Leaving next year should be about right," Su Qing said after some thought.
Rendong had been the first to go out for training, and her reputation in the city was now no less than Su Qing’s. Thus, Su Qing was very at ease regarding her. It was only Su Qingyu who still lacked a bit of refinement. Su Qing couldn't be entirely at peace yet, which was why she decided to wait until next year. Otherwise, she might have left this year. Of course, a part of her was also simply reluctant to leave.
Jin Xin nodded. "Next year, then? I see..."
"What do you see?" Su Qing asked with a helpless smile.
"I want to see if I can win you over before next year," Jin Xin said, rubbing her chin with a serious expression.
Su Qing found it hilarious. "You haven't managed to win me over in all this time, yet you think you can do it in such a short window?"
"I have to try," Jin Xin insisted.
"Suit yourself. But... same as always, don't go too far."
"When have I ever gone too far?" Jin Xin tilted her head, looking genuinely confused.
Su Qing gave a dry laugh. This girl really... had no idea how outrageous her past actions had been! Su Qing shook her head. "Too many times to count. I'm too lazy to list them for you. Just remember what I said... if I think you've gone too far, I'll tie you up."
"A bondage game? Hmm, I see. So Big Green Sister likes that sort of thing! How about I tie myself up and deliver myself to you?" Jin Xin said suddenly, her face full of earnestness.
Su Qing: "..."
Fine, she was still the same as ever. Su Qing shouldn't have held out any hope.
"Since you're not saying anything, I'll take that as a yes? I'll go get ready then," Jin Xin said, her face lighting up with a smile as she hurried to speak.
Su Qing’s mouth twitched. She quickly spoke up, "I don't like that at all, so don't waste your effort. If you tie yourself up, you'll just be left tied there all night."
Jin Xin tilted her head. "Then what does Big Green Sister like? Tell me? So I can make a plan!"
Jin Xin looked incredibly sincere, as if she were a student humbly seeking knowledge. This left Su Qing even more speechless. Couldn't this girl use this dedication for something useful?
Su Qing sighed. "I don't like anything! If you want to know, figure it out yourself."
Jin Xin blinked, then nodded with a smile before pulling out a book to study. Su Qing glanced at it and then looked away. Yep, another completely useless textbook. This girl was truly a theoretical expert.
Su Qing shook her head and went back to her own thoughts.
After that day, Su Qing’s life continued as usual. However, she created several mortal clones and gave them various identities, intending to use them to test Su Qingyu. She wanted to see just how far the girl had come.
Time flowed by day by day. Su Qing’s clones soon made contact with Su Qingyu and became her friends. Afterward, Su Qing gradually set traps for her, trying to see if she could snatch the shop away. However, perhaps because Su Qing was a bit too hasty, or perhaps because Su Qingyu really had grown, the girl noticed something was wrong during the process. In the end, the two 'friends' had a falling out.
Su Qing was quite satisfied with this result; the child had indeed matured. However, she didn't stop the testing entirely, simply switching to another clone to continue the trials.
In the blink of an eye, a new year arrived. It was New Year's Eve, and everyone was incredibly happy. The children, in particular, were overjoyed. Everyone stayed together, happily spending their last New Year as a group.
However, Su Qingyu and the others still didn't know that Su Qing and the others were leaving. Su Qing hadn't told them exactly when the adults would depart. Thus, neither Su Qingyu nor Rendong and the others knew that this would be their last New Year with Su Qing.
At that moment, Su Qingyu was sitting beside Su Qing, saying with a grin, "I originally planned to buy you an even better gift this year, Master, but when I was doing the accounts, I realized I didn't have enough spare cash. Otherwise, I definitely could have gotten you something even better! But it's okay. Next New Year, I'm going to buy the best gifts for you and Sister Yichou!"
For the New Year, Su Qingyu had given Su Qing a jade hairpin. It was crafted from high-quality jade with intricate, beautiful patterns, and its value was not low. That single hairpin was worth enough to feed an ordinary family of five for half a year.
Hearing this, Su Qing smiled. "Don't go to so much trouble. I'll like any gift you give me! By the way, I have something for you too. Here, take it."
Su Qing pulled out a long box and placed it in her hands. Su Qingyu blinked and opened the box. Inside was a longsword. It looked very plain, with nothing special about it. However, Su Qingyu had been practicing the sword for a long time and had some understanding of them. A flashy decoration didn't necessarily mean a good sword, and a plain one wasn't necessarily bad. Only by drawing it could one know its quality.
Su Qingyu gripped the hilt and drew the blade. For a moment, a cold light flashed, startling even Su Qingyu herself.
"Is this... really a sword for me?" Su Qingyu was exceptionally excited. This was indeed a magnificent sword. Even without using it, she could feel its sharpness. Naturally, she loved it immediately.
Su Qing nodded. "Didn't I say it was a gift? You're now someone who can stand on her own; you've earned the right to own such a sword."
Since she was leaving, Su Qing naturally wanted to leave something good for Su Qingyu’s protection, and this sword was one such item. For a cultivator, it might not be much, but for a mortal, it was superb. Su Qing had considered giving her an even better sword, but Su Qingyu wouldn't necessarily be able to use it. Without magic power, most superior swords couldn't even be drawn from their scabbards. Thus, she had chosen this one from her vast collection. It was the most suitable sword for her.
"Thank you, Master! Even though you bully me all the time, I've decided that for the sake of this sword, I won't hold a grudge against you anymore!" Su Qingyu said happily with a giggle. "But if you bully me again later, I'll definitely start keeping track again!"
Su Qing chuckled and shook her head. She really wanted to tell her that she might not have the chance to hold a grudge later. But now wasn't the time; she wouldn't say it. Besides, it was New Year's, a time for happiness. How could she say such things?
"Here, these are gifts for all of you." Su Qing smilingly presented gifts to everyone. She had carefully chosen each one, ensuring they were perfectly suited for the recipients. Everyone was delighted to receive them. Of course, it wasn't just Su Qing giving gifts; everyone had prepared something in return. Gifts were exchanged, and everyone received something special. Whether the gifts were practical or not didn't matter; the joy was real.
Su Qing felt genuinely happy as well, and the warmth even masked the slight melancholy in her heart.
'Right, I almost forgot Ye Qingyu and the others.'
Thinking of this, Su Qing brought out the messenger falcon, White Tail. She tied the gifts she wanted to send to its leg and sent it off to Ye Qingyu and Liu Qian.
After finishing all this, Su Qing let out a long breath. She turned her gaze back to Su Qingyu and the others, a smile playing on her lips.
Rate on N.U.
