Hearing Li Yichou’s voice, Su Qingyu instinctively turned her head to look at her.
"Sister Yichou? Is something the matter?"
Seeing Li Yichou’s solemn expression, a flicker of unease rose in Su Qingyu’s heart.
Although she didn't yet know exactly what Li Yichou wanted to say, she already felt that whatever it was would surely make her feel a bit distressed.
Li Yichou fell silent for a moment before finally speaking. "I plan to leave for a period of time."
"Sister Yichou... you’re planning to leave too?" Su Qingyu was stunned, looking at Li Yichou in disbelief.
But as she briefly recalled the events of the day Su Qing left, she remembered that this matter had already been mentioned...
"Yes, that’s right." Li Yichou nodded and said, "I will likely be gone for about half a year to a year. Once I have taken my revenge, I will naturally return."
Revenge was Li Yichou’s obsession; even after all these years, she had never forgotten her hatred.
If this hatred wasn't settled, she would always feel she had failed the many sisters of the Yue-Nu Sect who had died...
Furthermore, she would be failing Su Qing’s cultivation of her and her own hard work.
Therefore, this time, she had to go no matter what.
Li Yichou’s words caused Su Qingyu to fall silent for a while. Finally, she let out a long sigh and said, "Then... I understand. I will wait for your return. However, once you leave, I’m afraid one of the medical clinics will have to close."
Ever since Su Qing and the others left, the medical clinic had already been overwhelmed...
It was only because Li Yichou was holding things together that it hadn't closed.
Now that Li Yichou was leaving as well, the clinic would have to be shut down.
"It’s fine; it can reopen once I return. Besides, Rendong can also train some disciples to pass on your master’s medical skills in the future," Li Yichou said with a nod.
Her mind was made up; she certainly wouldn't change it for anything.
"I understand." Su Qingyu forced herself to remain as calm as possible. "I will make the arrangements."
Perhaps because she had experienced so much acceptance lately, she was gradually becoming less distressed than she had been on that first day.
"You’ve grown up," Li Yichou said, patting her on the head.
Su Qingyu didn't know whether to laugh or cry. "I actually wish... I didn't have to grow up so fast!"
"Hahaha, the fact that you’re thinking that way already proves... you have grown up," Li Yichou said with a laugh. "While I am away, take good care of yourself and the other sisters. Also..."
Li Yichou rambled on quite a bit...
Su Qingyu simply asked, "Do you also plan to be like Master—leaving the same day you say it?"
"As you can see, I’m not... I haven't even picked up my sword yet," Li Yichou said, shaking her head. "I just wanted to tell you about it."
Su Qingyu let out a sigh of relief upon hearing this. "I thought you were going to be just like Master..."
"I won't." Li Yichou gave a helpless smile. "I won't leave until tomorrow..."
Su Qingyu nodded and said, "Then how about accompanying us for a stroll today?"
"That works." Li Yichou did not refuse.
And so, after the two of them tidied up, they headed out.
That day, Li Yichou and Su Qingyu wandered through the places in the city they were familiar with...
It wasn't until evening, when they were tired from walking, that they returned home.
After returning home, Li Yichou finished her dinner and went to pack.
In her room, Li Yichou took out the short dagger Su Qing had given her.
This had been Su Qing’s New Year’s gift...
As she unsheathed the dagger, the cold glint caused the temperature in the entire room to drop slightly.
"With this dagger, no matter how powerful that fellow is, I should be able to take my revenge, right?" Li Yichou exhaled a breath of turbid air and muttered to herself.
When Su Qing gave her this dagger, she had said it was for self-defense, but it was actually for her revenge.
Because after so many years together, Su Qing knew very well that although Li Yichou didn't show it day-to-day, she still cared deeply about that grudge. It had completely become an obsession.
Therefore, rather than acting like a Bodhisattva and telling her to let go of her hatred...
It was better to let her go and take her revenge directly.
Only then could the hatred truly be laid to rest.
She put the dagger away and went to bed to rest.
Her things were basically packed.
Tomorrow... she could set out.
The next day, before dawn, Li Yichou departed.
She didn't say goodbye to Su Qingyu again...
When Su Qingyu woke up and didn't see Li Yichou by breakfast, she understood that she had already left.
"Sigh, honestly, it’s not like I would have forced her to stay," Su Qingyu said with a helpless smile.
Upon hearing this, Rendong said calmly, "Perhaps she was afraid that seeing you watch her leave would make you even sadder?"
"Leaving without saying goodbye is even more irritating, okay?" Su Qingyu said, speechless.
"I wouldn't know about that. After all, I’m not leaving this place," Rendong said, shaking her head.
"Forget it. After we eat, let's get to work! We can't let the foundation Master left us go to ruin!" Su Qingyu sighed.
"Don't worry, I will definitely work hard," Rendong said with a nod.
Su Qingyu nodded, then finished her meal while lost in thought.
Time flowed on.
In the blink of an eye, another half a year or so had passed.
On this day, heavy snow was falling.
Su Qing and the others had arrived at a small town they had never visited before.
This town was called Heqing Town. It wasn't large, but it was quite populated and could be considered moderately prosperous and lively.
It was a good place where people lived and worked in peace.
Inside an inn, Su Qing looked at the falling snow and couldn't help but remark, "The snow is quite heavy this year!"
She continued, "Should we stay and live here for a while? There are no incense temples of mine here; I plan to start from this place this time."
Ao Yiyi said indifferently, "I’ll just follow whatever arrangements you make, Sister. I don't really mind..."
Hu Lin’er and Jin Xin naturally had no objections either.
Seeing this, Su Qing nodded and said, "Then... let's build a Daoist temple!"
Her goal was to spread her incense power and faith, not just to travel. Therefore, when it was time to build a temple, she had to do so.
"Why a Daoist temple?" Ao Yiyi asked curiously. "Weren't you building Buddhist temples before?"
"Well, after building so many Buddhist temples, I want to build a few Daoist ones too." Su Qing spread her hands and said, "After all, I’m not just a Bodhisattva; I’m also a member of the Daoist gates, aren't I?"
Su Qing had many identities: Mountain God, Yuanjun, Bodhisattva, and so on...
Therefore, she could build whatever kind of temple she wanted.
It all depended on how she intended to persuade the people.
Hearing this, Ao Yiyi said nothing more. After all, what kind of temple was built was Su Qing’s own business...
Her hope for Su Qing to build Buddhist temples was only because she herself was of the Buddhist faith, so she naturally preferred to see more of them. Moreover, as a member of the Buddhist faith, living in a Buddhist temple felt slightly more comfortable for her.
"In that case, what kind of responsibility do you plan for this Daoist temple to undertake, Big Green Sister?" Ao Yiyi inquired.
This was a slightly unusual way to phrase the question. A more accurate inquiry would be: which of the believers' wishes did she intend for the version of herself enshrined in this temple to primarily fulfill? What 'responsibility' would she take on?
Because deities were somewhat abstract concepts.
Even though many places might worship the same deity, the reasons for their faith varied from place to place, and the legends left behind were vastly different.
In some places, a deity might be treated as a martial god who exorcises demons; in others, a god of wealth; and in others, a god who grants peace...
Different locations assigned different responsibilities based on the legends that persisted there.
Furthermore, because of these differences, the number of believers they attracted also varied.
Sometimes, even though people in different places clearly worshipped the same deity, as stories were passed down, a male deity might turn into a female one, or vice versa.
The world was vast... and human minds were complex.
Faith was truly a wondrous thing.
Upon hearing Ao Yiyi’s question, Su Qing pondered for a moment and said, "Hmm, I am a female immortal. If I want people to believe in me more quickly and become devout, I suppose I should start with the Child-Sending aspect!"
In this era, what people cared about most were nothing more than money and heirs—and among those, heirs were the absolute priority...
Because they always held a nearly paranoid obsession with continuing the family line, the most frequent prayers in a city, aside from those for peace and safety, were often for children.
Sometimes, even the City God, who did not hold the function of granting children, would receive many prayers regarding Child-Sending.
Of course, a City God couldn't grant children; those prayers could only be left ignored while nature took its course.
However... Su Qing was different.
Because she actually knew the spells for Child-Sending...
Er, as for why she knew them, it was naturally because so many commoners had begged her for children that she had no choice but to learn from the Child-Sending Guanyin.
She couldn't help it; she was too kind-hearted. Wanting to help her believers a bit more, she simply went and learned a bit more.
In any case, it was just a matter of casting a spell.
Of course, this spell wasn't omnipotent. If someone was a lesbian like her, there was indeed nothing to be done...
She could only take a detour and send them an orphan.
"In that case... when do we begin building the temple?" Ao Yiyi asked again.
"In a few days? Let's get settled first. After all, we can't stay in an inn forever, can we?" Su Qing spread her hands and said, "And we can't use magic to build the temple; we have to hire workers. After all... while having a temple appear overnight is miraculous, it isn't necessarily suitable for developing incense power. Incense power is something that is better off developing slowly."
Su Qing, after all, was someone who already possessed so many incense temples; she naturally had a good grasp of these matters...
Therefore, she was very clear on what needed to be done and how to do it.
"Then does Big Green Sister have a plan?" Ao Yiyi followed up.
"Of course I do!" Su Qing nodded and said calmly, "If I didn't, I wouldn't have brought it up!"
Su Qing had planned everything out, which was why she had raised the subject.
Hearing this, Ao Yiyi asked, "Then where do we plan to live first?"
"Naturally, we’ll find a middleman to buy a house! Anyway, we aren't short on money!" Su Qing smiled thinly and said, "Once the snow starts to let up today, we can head out."
The snow was still very heavy. Although heading out now wouldn't be a problem, Su Qing didn't like walking and strolling in such a blizzard.
Some might think that walking in the snow with an umbrella is poetic... and creates a beautiful scene.
Especially... that a beautiful woman walking in the snow would look stunning.
But in reality, walking in the snow like that would only result in the cold wind blowing one's hair into a complete mess.
Furthermore, it wasn't fun at all.
If she liked snow, it would be one thing.
But Su Qing wasn't that fond of snow to begin with...
After all, on the Li Shan Mount Li, snow was a frequent sight.
She was even a bit tired of looking at it.
Many times, Su Qing wished it wouldn't snow so much in this place.
As for Su Qing’s decision, no one was unwilling...
After all, no one enjoyed moving around in heavy snow.
The room fell silent.
Seeing this, Jin Xin suddenly seemed to think of something and slowly walked over to Su Qing’s side.
She looked at Su Qing and said, "Sister Xiao Qing, do you want me to warm your hands for you?"
Su Qing was a bit dazed by Jin Xin’s words...
However, considering that this fellow would occasionally have a mental lapse, it didn't seem too strange for her to do something odd.
Su Qing looked at her and asked, "So, why do you think my hands are cold?"
Seeing that Su Qing wasn't surprised but was instead asking her with a face full of curiosity, Jin Xin immediately broke into a smile.
She said, "In such cold weather, and since you are a green snake, Sister Xiao Qing, you are naturally someone who gets cold easily. So isn't it normal for your hands to be cold? Is there a problem with your younger sister worrying about you?"
Jin Xin spoke with logic and reason, seemingly making it difficult to refute.
But Su Qing only gave a helpless smile and said, "That may be true, but I am at the peak of the Earthly Immortal realm! Besides... this clone of mine isn't actually a snake demon; it only carries the aura of a snake demon from my original body. It has nothing to do with being a snake demon itself! So, tell me, why would I be cold?"
Jin Xin stared at Su Qing for a moment after hearing this, then smiled, completely ignoring Su Qing’s previous explanation.
With a beaming smile, she took Su Qing’s hand and said, "If your hands are cold, Sister Xiao Qing, you can put them inside my clothes to warm them up!"
Su Qing: "..."
Fine, fine, fine—this fellow was getting more and more shameless.
And she hadn't improved one bit.
Su Qing reflexively gave the fellow’s head a light smack, pulled her hand back, and said, "Go play elsewhere! Once the snow lets up, we need to go find a middleman."
Su Qing really couldn't be bothered to bicker with her...
She simply turned and walked away.
Seeing this, Jin Xin wasn't particularly surprised.
She only followed her back and sat down with a beaming smile.
She hadn't expected to succeed this time; she just suddenly wanted to act a bit crazy to get some attention.
'But how wonderful it would be if it actually worked! Why is Sister Xiao Qing so hard to win over? Could it be... she’s playing hard to get? She clearly made a move last time!'
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