Splitting Up

Su Qing wasn't entirely sure if her reverse psychology had truly worked.

However, she suspected it hadn't had much of an effect. Su Tingtong was a clever girl, clearly not someone who could be easily swayed by simple goading. The reason she had agreed was likely because she had no way to refuse.

Of course, it was also possible she feared she wouldn't be asked to help with future matters.

Regardless of the reason, the outcome was quite favorable.

"Good. I'll be watching, then. I hope you do a proper job! Also... I must remind you: if you encounter a great demon or any monster you can't handle, do not be reckless. I am more concerned about your safety than the outcome of this mission. If you get hurt just to prove a point, I will truly be disappointed in you."

Su Qing looked at Su Tingtong’s face, remained silent for a moment, and then ruffled her hair twice.

Su Tingtong nodded. "Don't worry, Mother. Do I look like the type to be reckless? If I can't handle something, I'll definitely stay away."

She wasn't stupid, nor did she enjoy being foolhardy. While she desperately wanted Su Qing to acknowledge her abilities, it would be counterproductive if she got hurt and caused her mother to worry.

Therefore, if she truly couldn't win, she would definitely retreat.

Seeing Su Tingtong’s steady expression, Su Qing sighed and nodded. "I know you aren't the type to be reckless, but as your mother, I still need to warn you. Alright, I believe in you—you must live up to that trust, understood?"

"Oh, Mother, stop nagging! It’s not like your usual self at all," Su Tingtong said, crossing her arms with a pout.

Su Qing gave a helpless smile and shook her head. "Say what you will. I'm only worried about you."

Su Tingtong looked at Su Qing with feigned annoyance, as if frustrated by her mother's lack of faith, but in reality, her heart was blooming with joy.

She actually quite enjoyed being doted on by her mother.

She just didn't want to show it. After all, if she showed it, her mother might act differently.

Su Qing stopped talking to her daughter and turned to the City God. "Then I shall leave my daughter in your care for the time being."

The City God bowed quickly. "Rest assured, Sovereign. I will do my utmost to protect the young miss and ensure she comes to no harm."

Su Tingtong glanced at the City God and remained silent. The City God’s strength was inferior to hers; when the time came, it was uncertain who would be protecting whom. However, since he was the City God and one of Su Qing’s subordinates, Su Tingtong held back her urge to retort, choosing to give him some face. She merely offered a faint smile.

Su Qing shook her head. "She doesn't need your protection. Your task is to tell her what needs to be done and... keep an eye on her so she doesn't run wild. That is all."

Hearing this, the City God breathed a sigh of relief.

If he truly had to protect Su Tingtong, the pressure would have been immense. She was Su Qing’s child, and Su Qing clearly adored her. If anything went wrong with the little princess, he likely wouldn't have a next life, let alone a future in this one.

Thus, although he had agreed readily, he had actually been nervous to death. He visibly relaxed when Su Qing stated he didn't need to protect her.

Seeing the City God’s reaction, Su Qing couldn't help but shake her head with a smile. In a sense, this City God was incredibly timid.

"In that case, I shall do exactly as the Sovereign requests," the City God said with a nod.

Su Qing gave a slight nod in return. "Alright, let's end the chatter here. There's no time to lose; the sooner this matter is resolved, the better. We'll split into two groups. Let's head out!"

She didn't want to drag this out. Besides, the sooner it ended, the sooner she could go back and rest.

The City God naturally didn't dare object and nodded quickly. "The Sovereign is right. We shall set out immediately!"

He also hoped for a swift resolution. After all, this was his jurisdiction; these were his people and his source of Incense Power. How could he not be anxious? If the matter could be solved in a single day, he would be more than happy.

Su Qing patted Su Tingtong’s shoulder in encouragement, then left with Yudie.

Once Su Qing was gone, the smile on Su Tingtong’s face vanished.

She turned to the City God and said calmly, "Let's move, then."

The City God was momentarily stunned by her sudden change in expression. However, he said nothing and simply nodded, leading Su Tingtong toward the mountains.

On the other side, Su Qing headed toward the mountain the City God had mentioned.

She arrived in short order.

The mountain wasn't high, but it was exceptionally large and spanned a vast area.

Su Qing already knew the location of the cold spring from the City God. She didn't need to hike through the mountains to find it; instead, she used her Cloud Soaring Technique and flew directly to the site.

The cold spring wasn't large and didn't look particularly special. The only notable thing was how cool and refreshing the area was, truly living up to the name 'cold spring.'

Yudie had already transformed into her human form and stood by Su Qing’s side.

She looked at the spring and felt it was exceptionally beautiful. The water was so clear that one could see the pebbles at the bottom and two silver fish swimming within. It felt like a scene from a painting.

But beyond that, Yudie couldn't see anything unusual.

"Mother, I can't see anything special about this spring," Yudie said.

Su Qing chuckled softly. "It's not surprising that you can't. For those unfamiliar with these things, it's indeed difficult to spot anything out of the ordinary."

The traces left behind were indeed very subtle. If she didn't deal with these matters regularly, she might not have been able to make heads or tails of it either.

"You saw something, Mother?" Yudie looked up at Su Qing, her curiosity piqued.

Su Qing nodded. "I've seen a few things... If I hadn't, I would have turned and left already."

Yudie looked at her mother with surprise. She hadn't expected her mother to find clues in such a place.

"Mother, you're truly amazing..." Yudie didn't know what else to say, so she simply offered praise.

Su Qing gave a helpless smile but said nothing more, fixing her gaze on the cold spring.

There were indeed lingering traces of 'that thing' within the water. Though faint, they were clear to Su Qing.

'The anomalies here don't seem particularly intense. Or rather, the nature of the anomaly here is different from before—it doesn't have the power to alter memories?' Su Qing wasn't entirely sure.

However, that didn't stop her from investigating the truth behind the spring.

Su Qing pondered for a moment, then performed a few hand seals.

Suddenly, a blast of intense flames struck the cold spring, evaporating a significant portion of the water. She didn't stop there, casting several more spells at the site of the pool.

Steam billowed into the air. Before long, the cold spring was completely evaporated.

"I thought one spell would be enough, but it took more time than expected. It seems there really is a secret hidden beneath!" Su Qing gave a cold smile, feeling a sense of relief. This meant her task had become much simpler.

She would just tear open the earth and see what exactly was under that pool.

With that thought, Su Qing first had Yudie return to her hand.

Though Yudie was a bit confused, she obediently complied. The reason Su Qing wanted her back was because she feared the girl wouldn't be able to withstand the pressure and might have her mind affected by whatever emerged next.

After all, according to the City God, the things here could influence one's sanity. While not as troublesome as memory alteration, having one's mind compromised was still a major issue.

With Yudie’s safety guaranteed, Su Qing could finally cut loose.

She performed a hand seal and leaped into the air.

Immediately after, the ground beneath her began to crack, revealing jagged, menacing fissures.

Su Qing looked down into the depths. Within those crevices, thick black matter swirled—looking like smoke, yet also like something else entirely.

"Just as I thought... It wasn't exhausted; it was all hidden underground. Although the anomalies here don't affect memory or divert attention, the intelligence seems higher than before?"

As she watched, Su Qing’s mind raced: 'This smoke looks a bit like the fog from when I tricked Erlang... Could there be a connection? No, that's unlikely. It's probably just a coincidence. That fog was completely cleared out back then. Even what couldn't be cleared should have been suppressed. There shouldn't be any remnants. However, rather than whether this is a remnant... I'm more worried about the intelligence of these anomalies. If their intelligence is gradually increasing... then the ones I encounter later will be even harder to deal with.'

As she pondered, the black fog in the fissures seemed to notice Su Qing in the sky.

The fog coalesced into long, sharp spikes and shot toward her, as if trying to impale her heart and finish her off instantly.

Seeing this, Yudie, from Su Qing’s hand, hurriedly warned her mother to dodge.

Su Qing only smiled. "I see them. No need to panic."

With a flick of her short sword, she sliced through the spikes, severing them one by one. Simultaneously, she performed a seal and spat out Samadhi True Fire, incinerating the severed black qi.

Though she didn't fully understand the underlying principles, Samadhi True Fire was effective against these things. Even if it burned slowly most of the time, it could eventually purge them completely.

Therefore, Su Qing now preferred to give these things a good roasting with True Fire first. If that didn't work, she would try other methods.

As for the current result... these things were indeed afraid of Samadhi True Fire. At the very least, they could be burned away.

"In that case, dealing with this will be much simpler," Su Qing said, a smile playing on her lips.

While she couldn't burn it all away instantly, she could certainly give it a thorough scorching. This way, she could suppress it while burning it down.

Su Qing stretched her limbs and began to focus more seriously on the battle.

On the other side, Su Tingtong was currently dealing with the demon horde alongside the City God.

Those demons weren't particularly strong; there were just many of them. For someone of Su Tingtong’s current strength, it was like mowing down grass. It was a highly satisfying experience.

However, she didn't let her guard down.

Her mother had said there were many powerful demons here. She didn't know if those strong ones were hiding among the weaklings. Thus, she was exceptionally serious when dealing with every single monster.

In the City God’s eyes, however, this was a completely different display.

To him, she looked like a natural-born warrior. She was truly Su Qing’s daughter. When dealing with demons that he and his subordinates found difficult to handle, she made it look effortless, almost like slicing through butter. And despite her overwhelming advantage, she didn't show the slightest hint of carelessness. It was a testament to her incredible temperament.

In the City God’s eyes, Su Tingtong looked magnificent, and he felt certain she would one day inherit all of Su Qing’s power.

However, he quickly pulled his thoughts back. While Su Tingtong could dispatch a demon with just a spell or two, he couldn't. He didn't have the power to one-shot them, so he had to stay focused.

Moreover, the truly great demons hadn't appeared yet. Those were the real trouble. These small fry were just an appetizer.

Just as he was thinking this, a terrifying pressure suddenly erupted from the forest.