Jiang Ziya shook his head and said to Qingnu, "Ziya was thinking about matters of state..."
Qingnu held a small knife, pried open a shell, picked out the meat inside, and swallowed it whole, exhaling a puff of hot steam.
She blew on the steam and glanced at Jiang Ziya.
"Let's hear it."
"The late king has recently passed, and the crown prince has ascended the throne at a young age. I fear the lords of the world may have certain... thoughts in their hearts."
With a worried expression, Jiang Ziya looked toward Qingnu.
"Does the teacher have any brilliant plans?"
Qingnu clapped her hands together to clear away the debris. "I'll teach you a saying: the younger generation will find their own way! Don't think so much. When do we start our lessons, Teacher Jiang?"
"Ziya is but a mortal and cannot escape worldly concerns, unlike the teacher, who can remain detached from the world."
Jiang Ziya sighed.
As long as one lived in this world, there were always ties that bound them!
There was likely no second exiled immortal like Qingnu, who lived alone and free of all attachments.
Under Qingnu’s urging, Jiang Ziya spent all his spare time outside of handling the State of Qi's affairs teaching her the art of divination. This ensured that those 'brother turtles' had not sacrificed their shells in vain.
Later, exactly as Jiang Ziya had feared, the Rebellion of the Three Guards broke out.
The King ordered him to lead the army and suppress the rebellion alongside the Duke of Zhou.
Qingnu lay slumped over the table, looking up at Jiang Ziya as he donned his armor, and stretched languidly.
"Remember to come back and keep teaching me."
"The battlefield is treacherous. I do not know what the outcome will be once I depart,"
Jiang Ziya gave a helpless smile upon hearing her words. "If I return safely, I shall continue to teach the teacher."
"You will return."
Qingnu rattled the tortoise shell and said, "This time, I divined it myself."
Hearing this, Jiang Ziya laughed and said, "With this, the teacher is already fit to graduate."
Qingnu curled her lip.
Graduate?
She was too lazy to take on disciples or be a master. Of all things to be, why be a teacher? Wouldn't one be worried to death by those little brats?
Jiang Ziya led the army of the State of Qi to suppress the rebellion.
Left alone in Yingqiu, Qingnu grew bored. To test the results of her studies, she set up a fortune-telling stall in the city.
She didn't take money; she specialized in telling fortunes for free.
She hadn't expected this move to cause a chain reaction.
The reputation of the 'Immortal Maiden in Green' spread further and further!
Even people from outside the State of Qi came, drawn by her name, seeking a divination.
Seeing more and more people coming every day—even for trivial matters like how much rice to eat for dinner or which foot to step with first tomorrow—the besieged Qingnu grew very angry.
If not for the fact that her serpentine nature had been suppressed significantly over the last millennium or two, she would have wanted to bite their heads off looking at the clamoring crowd.
She couldn't bite them, and she couldn't drive them away. To this, Qingnu had one tactic.
She skedaddled.
The fortune-telling stall was cleared out overnight, as if it had never existed. Those who came to visit the Immortal Maiden the next day were left in stunned disbelief, wondering if they had seen a hallucination.
Inside the palace of the State of Qi, Qingnu lay perched on a tree.
Her bare, pale feet dangled down, swaying in the wind like a snake's tail.
"Such infuriating people!"
Qingnu balled up her fist and shook it at Jiang Ziya, who had returned from suppressing the rebellion.
"You people of Qi spread news far too fast! A few days ago, I even met several people from Haojing who wanted me to divine their marriage prospects."
"The people of Qi are skilled in trade, so news naturally travels quickly."
Jiang Ziya looked up, watching the lithe figure of Qingnu among the tree's shadows.
"Of course, the main reason is that the teacher's divination skills are profound, which is why so many people came for you."
"Even if you praise me, I'm not going to visit your grave to sweep it."
Qingnu tilted her head, adjusting herself into a more comfortable position.
Hearing this half-joking remark, Jiang Ziya chuckled. He lightly stroked his beard and shook his head. "I would not dare to hope for the teacher to sweep my grave."
"Don't worry. We've known each other for a while, after all. If I ever run out of money in the future, I'll come and rob your tomb."
"The State of Qi is wealthy. Remember to have your descendants stuff your grave with plenty of treasures."
Qingnu flipped down from the tree and patted Jiang Ziya on the shoulder.
Jiang Ziya looked at her and smiled. "The teacher truly is an exiled immortal, not sharing the typical mortal's awe and fear of ghosts and gods."
He didn't mind the idea of Qingnu robbing his tomb.
If Qingnu truly visited his grave hundreds or thousands of years later, that would be his good fortune!
"I told you, I'm an immortal snake, but you won't listen!"
Qingnu rolled her eyes at him and waved a hand as she walked outward. "Let's go to the seaside to catch some fish."
Jiang Ziya quickly offered a reminder.
"Yingqiu is a two or three-day journey from the sea!"
Qingnu walked a few steps, then turned around to return to his side. "Then have your people roast a few oxen for me to eat."
"The teacher's appetite seems much larger than before I left for the campaign."
Jiang Ziya looked at her with surprise. He had never seen anyone count beef by the whole animal.
"It's getting cold. Eating more makes it easier to sleep."
Although Qingnu had taken human form, she still retained many habits of a snake.
She liked the shade and hated both extreme cold and heat.
Jiang Ziya nodded. "However, livestock are precious. Even as the ruler of Qi, I can at most find one old ox for the teacher. Please forgive me."
Qingnu waved it off, indifferent.
"As long as there's food, it's fine. I'm not picky."
As winter arrived, the clouds over Yingqiu grew heavy, bringing the first snow of the year.
The pure white snow covered every house in the city.
Qingnu nestled inside a room, her feet stretched out toward the hearth fire. She tucked her animal-skin blanket tighter and muttered to herself, "Why didn't I realize the weather was this cold before?"
Jiang Ziya entered from outside, dusting the snow off his clothes as he heard her complaint.
"Yingqiu has not seen such heavy snow in years past. Surely it is because of the teacher that the heavens have bestowed this auspicious snow."
"Damn heavens,"
Qingnu cursed.
In this era, only Qingnu would dare to curse the heavens so recklessly.
Jiang Ziya shook his head with a smile upon hearing her curse. He took down several bamboo slips from a shelf, spread them on the table, and began recording something with a carving knife.
Qingnu half-opened her eyes and glanced at him.
"I see you working every day. Aren't you tired?"
"State affairs are busy. I cannot be as leisurely and free as the teacher."
Jiang Ziya focused intently on carving the bamboo slips.
Qingnu rolled over and stretched her back. "Hasn't the Rebellion of the Three Guards been suppressed? Where do all these matters come from?"
"The King has summoned the lords of the world to select craftsmen. A new capital is to be built on the banks of the Luo River!"
Jiang Ziya looked at Qingnu and explained.
"Construction starts next year!"
"By the end of this year, we must have all the necessary craftsmen and materials ready."
Qingnu kept her eyes closed, lying comfortably as she said casually, "Can't you just let your subordinates handle that? If you insist on doing everything yourself, you won't live long."
Jiang Ziya merely laughed.
"Ziya has lived long enough. I only wish to do more for the Great Zhou."
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