Su Qing was indeed a bit surprised.
It was rare for her to encounter someone with genuine ability in the mortal world. Most people were either street performers or charlatans. Truly capable individuals seldom traveled the world as itinerant entertainers.
As for someone like herself... Su Qing figured she was probably a special case.
The old man walked up to Su Qing and bowed politely. "Does the young lady wish to buy my dog? To be honest, this dog... I’m afraid I cannot sell it to you, no matter how much money is offered."
Su Qing caught the scent. This old man also carried a thick stench of blood and malevolent qi, and the smell of medicinal herbs was even stronger on him.
'This old man is likely not as simple as he looks,' Su Qing thought. She then looked at the dog held by the performer with a smile, maintaining her pleasant demeanor. "I see that this child seems very eager to come with me... Ten gold taels. I’ll take it. What do you say?"
Hearing this, the old man’s eyes flickered, appearing somewhat tempted. However, he eventually gritted his teeth and shook his head. "I’m afraid it’s not possible..."
In fact, it wasn’t just the old man who was tempted; everyone in the troupe was incredibly moved by the price. But they couldn’t change the leader’s mind and could only watch from the side, not daring to speak.
"Is it truly impossible? Or is the price not right?" Su Qing raised an eyebrow and asked.
For her, money was a minor issue. Having been an immortal for so long, she truly never lacked for funds. Just her accumulated incense power alone... she didn't even know how much it amounted to. She hadn't even used any of it yet!
The old man gritted his teeth and shook his head. "No, I am truly sorry. This dog is really not for sale."
Seeing this, Su Qing gave a helpless smile and spread her hands. "Fine. If it’s not for sale, then so be it. I’m not one to bully others with my status. However, may I at least pet the dog? I quite like it! It’s a pity, a real pity."
Seeing Su Qing relent, the old man breathed a small sigh of relief. The dog certainly couldn't be sold. But letting someone pet it was no problem at all.
After all, he had already refused her offer to buy; if he refused such a small request as well, it would make him seem incredibly petty. Thus, he had no reason to decline.
Of course, another reason he agreed was that, in his eyes, the Su Qing before him was an ordinary person. Conversely, the child she was leading seemed slightly special—perhaps a candidate for cultivation. Unfortunately, his own cultivation was too shallow to see much more than that.
Su Qing didn't care what the old man was thinking. She simply said with a smile, "Then, thank you."
With that, Su Qing walked up to the large dog, knelt down, and stroked its head. When her eyes met the dog’s, she clearly saw human emotions within them...
It was an expression of disappointment and sorrow, as if the dog were deeply saddened that she hadn't succeeded in buying it.
However, Su Qing didn't pay it much mind. While stroking the dog, she used her mana to perform a quiet inspection of its body.
Su Qing did all of this silently and invisibly. Unless someone stronger than her were present, it was impossible to see what she had done. The old man, naturally, sensed nothing. At most, he thought Su Qing really just liked the dog.
Su Qing’s mana quickly scanned the dog’s body... but after a brief check, her expression stiffened, and the smile on her face froze. A surge of fury ignited in her heart.
She had originally been curious and wanted to see what those stitched wounds were about, but she hadn't expected to make such a discovery. Where did her anger come from? It was because her inspection revealed that the dog was indeed problematic—extremely so.
The reason this dog was so smart and could show such human expressions wasn't because it was well-trained or naturally gifted. It was because this dog was not a dog at all—it was a human!
A human who had been twisted and transformed into a dog using a vile spell!
To be more precise, it was a little girl. A little girl who had been stripped of her own skin, had her limbs twisted, and was then draped in a dog’s hide.
The discovery made her nauseated and filled her with burning rage. She truly never imagined that such a sinister method existed in the mortal world.
"Truly... they deserve to die."
"No wonder they wouldn't sell it to me no matter what."
"Heh..."
Su Qing spoke to herself internally. She had already sentenced these people to death. For her, killing them would be incredibly easy. It was simply a matter of when.
Su Qing exhaled a breath of turbid air and maintained her smile as she withdrew her hand. "Thank you. By the way, where will your troupe be staying? I plan to invite you to my home in a few days to perform specifically for my sister! Don't worry, the price... is negotiable."
Su Qing spoke casually. Hearing this, the old man went silent for a moment before saying, "We performers make our home wherever we go, so we don't have a permanent residence. However, for the next few days, we won't be leaving. We are staying temporarily at a place called Anhe Inn outside the city. If you need us, miss, you can send someone to call for us at any time. As for the price, we will certainly give you a fair one; we wouldn't dream of overcharging you."
The old man did not suspect Su Qing’s words; he only thought she truly liked the dog. It was impossible for him to see through Su Qing. After all, though he looked older and more experienced, he was no different from a child in front of Su Qing. When it came to acting, how could he be a match for her?
Su Qing nodded with a smile. "That sounds perfect. We’ll take our leave then, and I’ll send someone to notify you in a few days."
As she spoke, in order to put them at ease—or rather, to pacify them—Su Qing tossed the old man a gold piece weighing about one tael. "Consider this a deposit," Su Qing said with a smile, maintaining her persona of a wealthy, free-spending lady.
Catching the gold, the old man beamed with joy and nodded. "Thank you, miss! Thank you!"
Su Qing waved her hand and left without looking back.
Once Su Qing was gone, the old man dropped his fawning expression and shouted displeasurably at the troupe members, "Remember, this dog... and the other dogs and animals, none of them can be sold. If they are sold, we will be exposed, and then... hmph."
"Please calm down, manager. We understand that, of course... it’s just that the lady... she offered so much. we couldn't make the decision, which is why we asked you to step in!"
"Hmph, enough. As long as nothing went wrong this time, it’s fine. That eldest miss isn't a cultivator; she didn't see anything unusual about our dogs. If she had really noticed something, we’d be in for a lot of trouble," the old man snorted.
Hearing this, the troupe members looked at each other strangely but said nothing more. To be honest, they were all very willing to sell the dog. In their view, even if the dog were given to those people, they would never discover anything abnormal. Besides, even if they did, they could just leave. Their manager was an immortal with real ability... how could a few government soldiers possibly deal with him?
However, what they didn't expect was that the manager was even more cautious than they were. It truly left them bewildered. But regardless of their confusion, they didn't dare defy him. After all, the manager’s power was great, and they couldn't afford to provoke him. If they didn't want to die, they had to work honestly.
On the other side, after Su Qing left, she took Coal Ball back with her. On the way, Coal Ball expressed her desire to keep looking around, but Su Qing refused. Su Qing didn't tell Coal Ball anything about the matter. After all, for the little one, it was a bit too advanced... there was no need to speak of it.
Furthermore, although Coal Ball still wanted to play, once Su Qing made a decision, she wouldn't say anything more. She certainly wouldn't act spoiled or pester Su Qing to keep wandering. After all... this child was very concerned with her dignity.
Soon, Su Qing returned to the courtyard. Coal Ball transformed back into a cat and went to play with the horse. Su Qing ignored her, sitting there instead to contemplate how to clean up those people...
"Hmm, but before that... I should ask Laojun what kind of bizarre method that actually is."
Although Su Qing didn't fear the opponent and could crush him with one hand, she still wanted to ask Taishang Laojun to see if he knew anything about this, and whether there was a way to save the children who had been turned into dogs.
Her clone did not have the copper mirror to contact Taishang Laojun. Therefore, it was Su Qing’s true body that made the contact.
She performed the secret technique. Laojun’s figure soon appeared in the mirror. Seeing Su Qing, he immediately said with a chuckle, "Heh, I wondered who was contacting me. It’s you, girl! To contact me again so soon, have you discovered something?"
Su Qing nodded and told Taishang Laojun everything her clone had seen today. Laojun had been listening cheerfully, but as he heard more, his expression turned visibly grim.
"How has such an evil art surfaced in the mortal world again? A whole batch of them were killed back then; I thought the lineage had been severed. To think another has appeared now—and there’s likely more than one. Where there is one such person, there is a second..."
Seeing Taishang Laojun fuming with rage, Su Qing knew he was clearly aware of these people. She couldn't help but ask, "What kind of evil art are they practicing? And what benefit is there for them to do such things? Can't they just cultivate properly? Why must they do this?"
"Hmph, just the petty tricks of mortals who lack karmic affinity! A unorthodox path walked by a group of people who will stop at nothing for longevity. If they truly had talent or ability, they would have sought the orthodox path..." Laojun gave a cold laugh and continued, "But it is these people on the fringe who are the most disgusting and infuriating."
"As for the benefits? Hehe, to gain longevity, to enter the path of the immortals—is that not enough? For a mortal who cannot cultivate, that is the greatest temptation."
Su Qing went silent for a moment before nodding. Taishang Laojun was right; why did there need to be so many reasons? Sometimes a very simple reason was enough for some people to do outrageous things. She sighed and said, "Laojun, do you think the appearance of these people is related to the Great Tribulation?"
"You’re overthinking it. These people have existed since ancient times; they were just rarely seen under the heavy pressure of the Heavenly Court. It’s just that in recent years, the Heavenly Court has been busy beyond measure, and its management and constraints over the mortal world have weakened slightly, so they’ve cropped up again."
Laojun shook his head and said, "You can just kill such people directly; there’s no need to worry too much."
Su Qing nodded. She had originally intended to just kill them and be done with it... she hadn't planned on letting them live past tonight. Coming to Taishang Laojun wasn't to tell him she was going to kill someone. Su Qing then asked, "Can those who were transformed be saved?"
Su Qing ultimately felt that those innocent people were pitiable and wanted to help if she could. Hearing this, Laojun nodded and said, "They can be saved, but only some of them. For the rest, it’s better to let them reincarnate."
"Yes, I understand. I never expected to save everyone. My power is limited; I will only do what I can."
Su Qing was not someone with universal love for the world; she only cared about the places she could see. Those she couldn't see, she couldn't help even if she wanted to.
Seeing Su Qing’s clarity, Taishang Laojun breathed a small sigh of relief. In his eyes, Su Qing was very kind, and he was worried the child would get stuck in a dead end, insisting on saving everyone before she was satisfied. That was why he had spoken those words.
"That is good. I will transmit some elixirs and spells to you; these can help you save those who can be saved." Laojun nodded with satisfaction and began the transmission.
Su Qing had a good memory and quickly memorized everything Taishang Laojun taught her. "Little friend, remember, if you encounter such people again in the future, just kill them directly," Laojun reminded her again after finishing the transmission.
Su Qing nodded. "There is no need for you to say it, senior. I will do so."
Su Qing would never show mercy to such people. With that, the image on the copper mirror vanished. Su Qing put away the mirror and exhaled.
"The world is becoming more and more chaotic!" Su Qing thought helplessly. "I only hope everything is well in Xingyang City."
On the other side, Su Qing tapped the table and then called Hu Lin'er to her side. "Lin'er, help me handle something."
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