Gentle

Listening to the cat girl's words, Su Qing wasn't surprised. Everything was within her expectations.

She looked at the cat girl and asked, "You want to follow me and learn immortal arts?"

"Yes! I want to follow you, Sovereign, and learn immortal arts," the cat girl said with a firm tone. "I don't ask the Sovereign to do anything for me; I only want to have strength of my own. Only then... can I do the things I want to do."

"Is that so?"

Su Qing smiled and said, "I can teach you immortal arts. However, you cannot stay here to learn; you must go to the place I specify."

"Furthermore, I do not care what you intend to do once you obtain power, as long as... you do not do evil. To me, it doesn't matter."

"Finally, you are not my disciple, nor are you an outer disciple."

"I do not take disciples."

"Unless..."

"Your talent is truly exceptional."

As soon as Su Qing finished speaking, the cat girl immediately bowed down and said, "Disciple greets Master!"

"I told you, I am not your master," Su Qing said flatly. "By the way, what is your name?"

"This humble girl is named Bai Qingrou," the cat girl replied.

"Oh? Bai Qingrou? That's a nice name."

Su Qing recalled for a moment but didn't bother to distinguish whether the name was real or fake. She simply nodded, took out a stick of incense, and gave it to her, saying, "Alright, take this incense. Tomorrow, once you are ready, light it and follow its blue smoke to the place I mentioned."

After handing the item to Bai Qingrou, Su Qing turned and vanished, giving her no chance to ask further questions.

After Su Qing left, Bai Qingrou looked at the incense in her hand, still somewhat dazed.

She felt as if everything was unreal.

"Ah, I'm dreaming in the first place!" Bai Qingrou smiled helplessly and muttered to herself, "I just wonder where this stick of incense will appear once I wake up."

After leaving, Su Qing returned directly to the Changbai Mountains.

In the courtyard, Bai Zhu had not yet gone to sleep and was still waiting for her.

Su Qing slowly landed in the courtyard. Seeing Bai Zhu, she couldn't help but find it funny. "There was no need to wait for me. If you're tired, you should sleep. There's much to do tomorrow!"

Hearing this, Bai Zhu smiled and shook her head. "That won't do. I have to wait for Big Green Sister so we can rest together. Besides, I'm a bit curious about what you went to do!"

"Waiting for me to rest together is a lie; being curious about what I did is the truth, isn't it?" Su Qing said with a chuckle.

Bai Zhu didn't defend herself at all; whatever Su Qing said was fine by her.

"So, what exactly did you go to do, Big Green Sister?"

Su Qing smiled and explained the situation.

After listening, Bai Zhu was silent for a moment before saying, "Big Green Sister, you really are... a bit too kind-hearted. Honestly, there was no need to involve yourself in such matters..."

Su Qing shrugged and said, "I was the one who planted the seed. Now that it has sprouted and found its way to me, I naturally cannot sit by and do nothing. Besides... in a sense, my influence played a part in her birth."

"Ah? Big Green Sister is her mother?" Bai Zhu was stunned and asked subconsciously, "Big Green Sister... you didn't happen to favor some mortal woman, did you?"

Su Qing rolled her eyes and said, "Do you think mortals are like gods and demons? I only said her birth involved my influence; I never said she was my child."

Su Qing's tone was inevitably helpless. She sighed and explained, "The reason I said that is because her father is a demon who left from the Changbai Mountains, a demon I allowed to live in the mortal world. Furthermore, I was the one who delivered her. In short, there is a significant amount of karma between her and me..."

Bai Zhu let out a sigh of relief and patted her chest. Her flat chest made a thumping sound as she patted it, showing no cushioning at all.

She said, "I thought Big Green Sister had actually favored some mortal woman! But then again, a mortal wouldn't have the ability to bear the child of a powerhouse like Big Green Sister... and even if they did, with Big Green Sister's personality, you wouldn't just leave them to fend for themselves."

Although Bai Zhu hadn't been with Su Qing for very long, she had a fair understanding of her.

She knew very well that while Su Qing was a woman of many affections, she was by no means heartless... she was simply promiscuous.

If it were truly her own child, she certainly wouldn't leave them to suffer in the mortal world.

Su Qing gave a somewhat helpless smile at Bai Zhu's words. "You, don't treat me like some loose woman! But whatever, as long as you understand now, that's enough."

Bai Zhu stuck out her tongue, putting on an adorable look.

Her nature wasn't naturally as cute as her appearance suggested, but being by Su Qing's side, she had grown skilled at acting the part.

Sometimes, even she wasn't sure if she truly had such a cute personality.

However, she didn't mind much; whatever her personality was, it was still her.

Seeing her like this, Su Qing smiled helplessly and shook her head, then said, "You've asked enough questions, and it's getting late. Come, it's time to rest."

Bai Zhu naturally had no objections. She nodded and went back to rest.

Time passed quickly.

In the blink of an eye, it was the next morning.

Once Bai Qingrou woke from her dream, she searched around her.

Sure enough, she found an ordinary-looking stick of incense.

However, Bai Qingrou didn't think it was anything ordinary. Since this was the tool the Azure Spirit Sovereign had given her last night to find her, her usually gloomy expression immediately broke into a smile when she found it.

"I knew it!"

Finding the incense finally put Bai Qingrou's racing heart at ease.

In fact, if she hadn't been unable to wake up voluntarily during the night, she would have wanted to wake up the moment Su Qing left to see where the item was.

Only then could her somewhat uneasy heart be completely settled.

As for why she couldn't wake up from her own dream... how could Bai Qingrou understand that?

Her only guess was that her own ability was limited, so she couldn't do it. If she truly wanted to figure it out, she would have to ask Su Qing.

Bai Qingrou let out a long breath, then carefully put the incense away.

She wasn't in a hurry to set off immediately.

Before leaving, there was one thing she needed to do: tell her family. If she left without a word and stayed away for a long, long time, her family would surely be very worried.

No matter how anxious she was, she had to speak with her family before she could leave.

Bai Qingrou briefly explained the events of the previous night to her family.

She had thought they might not believe her, but when they learned of it, they showed expressions of relief and even strongly supported her setting off for the Changbai Mountains.

While this surprised her, it also made her sigh with relief. Since her family was comfortable with her going and encouraged it, she could go with a clear mind.

After breakfast, she bid farewell to her home.

Bai Qingrou set out on the road to the Changbai Mountains.

She wasn't in a hurry to light the incense. The incense was only so long; if she lit it the moment she stepped out the door, it would be burnt out by the time she reached the mountains. How would she find the place the Sovereign mentioned then?

Therefore, she planned to light it once she reached the foot of the mountain.

Bai Qingrou moved quickly, walking as if she were carried by the wind. Before long, by midday, she had already reached the foot of the Changbai Mountains.

She looked up at the vast mountains. Just like the first time she saw them, she felt a massive sense of pressure.

She took a deep breath.

"I must learn immortal arts, then take my parents away from this place to live a better life."

Bai Qingrou's original intention for learning immortal arts was simple. On one hand, it was the prediction and advice of a certain gentleman from the past; on the other, it was to change her life, to make herself better, and to make her parents' lives better.

At the same time, if she could change the views of the people of this world, that would be even better. After all, she knew there were many people in the world similar to her.

Bai Qingrou took out a fire starter and lit the stick of incense.

Once lit, the blue smoke rose in wisps and slowly drifted toward a certain spot in the forest.

Seeing this, Bai Qingrou hurriedly followed. She followed very intently, as if terrified of losing the trail.

The incense burned slowly.

Bai Qingrou followed the smoke as it twisted and turned through the forest for an unknown amount of time. She walked and walked until she had even forgotten how to get back.

Yet she still hadn't reached her destination.

Looking at the dense forest, Bai Qingrou wiped the sweat from her forehead and panted, "How much further?"

She was tired, but no matter how tired she was, she had to keep going until she reached her destination. She absolutely could not give up such an opportunity.

Steeling her spirit, Bai Qingrou continued following the blue smoke.

After walking for another unknown amount of time, the sky began to gradually dim.

Finally, Bai Qingrou saw a small town in the distance. To find such a town in a place like this was, in any sense, incredible.

Seeing this, a look of joy finally appeared on Bai Qingrou's face.

"I've walked so long, I finally made it! This must be the place Lady Azure Spirit mentioned."

Bai Qingrou looked at the incense; it had just finished burning, and the last wisp of blue smoke drifted toward the town.

"That's it!" Bai Qingrou sighed in relief, though she couldn't help but think, "This place is truly far... it took so long to arrive. And with so many twists and turns along the way, it's no wonder the Sovereign gave me such a tool."

Looking at the town, Bai Qingrou massaged her thighs twice, then let out a long breath and headed toward it.

Arriving at the entrance of the town, Bai Qingrou looked up at its name.

The name was simple: Changbai Town.

It seemed to be because the town was situated deep within the Changbai Mountains.

It was very straightforward.

Bai Qingrou poked her head in to look at the town... and was immediately shocked by the sight before her.

Not a single person in that town was normal. Every one of them was a being like herself.

No, some were even more beast-like than she was. Some looked like a forced combination of human and beast, quite strange... having a human body but looking exactly like a beast on the outside.

Compared to them, someone like her looked very human.

Looking at the people in the town, Bai Qingrou's mind stalled. She had thought the town would be inhabited by various immortals and the like, but who would have guessed it was filled entirely with outcasts like herself?

No, in this town, such people were not outcasts.

Bai Qingrou let out a breath, a flash of confusion appearing in her eyes... but it was soon replaced by determination!

No matter what this place was like, it wouldn't change her desire to learn immortal arts.

She took a breath and stepped into the town.

Her arrival didn't cause any commotion. Very few people even paid her any attention; most didn't even bother to spare her a glance.

This made her feel more at ease, yet at the same time, she felt a bit lost. She didn't know what she was supposed to do next. In the dream last night, Lady Azure Spirit had only told her to come here and said nothing else. Thus, she was currently aimless.

However, just as she was feeling lost, an old man leaning on a cane walked over. As he approached, the people around him instinctively moved aside and showed him great respect. Clearly, this old man held significant prestige in the town.

"I've been waiting for you for a long time. You've finally arrived," the old man said with a smile as he approached Bai Qingrou. "The Sovereign ordered me to arrange your lodging, so please come with me. I've already prepared a place for you."

Bai Qingrou was stunned for a moment, then hurriedly nodded and followed behind the old man.

"Don't you have anything you want to ask?" the old man asked curiously, seeing how quiet Bai Qingrou was along the way.

At this, Bai Qingrou asked, "May I ask?"

"Of course you can. After all, whether you ask is your business; whether I answer is mine," the old man said with a chuckle.

"Then... is the senior the Town Head here?" Bai Qingrou asked tentatively.

She had many things she wanted to ask, and she only asked this because she felt it might be inappropriate to dive into the deeper questions immediately. She wanted to start with some small talk first.

"Town Head? No, I'm just helping to watch over this village by order of the Sovereign," the old man said, shaking his head with a smile.