He wore a smile, but the clarity in his eyes was gone.
Qingnu had seen this look before.
Many who had discovered her special nature in the past had shown this same expression—one of excitement and avarice.
The only thing missing was the warmth and familiarity they had once shared.
"The current King of Huainan is no longer the sincere lad who sought immortals and the Dao with all his heart."
Qingnu's gaze fell upon Liu An at the doorway. She sighed softly and tapped the head of the Hongluan on her shoulder with a reproving tone.
"Sister Bird, someone arrived and you didn't even make a sound!"
"Pah!"
Hongluan flapped its wings and spat, counter-questioning, "Are you actually afraid of him?"
"Naturally, I am not."
Qingnu set down the bamboo slips in her hand and looked at Liu An. "Boy, what is your purpose for luring me here?"
Liu An felt somewhat awkward as he laughed. "As expected, nothing escapes the eyes of a deity!"
He took a few steps forward, gazing at Qingnu. "When Our Lady the Jade Maiden advised me years ago to focus on writing my book and think of nothing else, was it because you already foresaw the Rebellion of the Seven States and that the King of Wu would ask me to deploy troops?"
Qingnu composed her emotions and asked slowly, "If I did, what of it? If I didn't, what then? Let me ask you: did you listen to that piece of advice before I left?"
When she asked this, Liu An’s expression became sheepish.
"It's obvious you didn't."
Qingnu’s eyes darkened. Liu An changed the subject, saying, "I am willing to offer the entire bounty of the State of Huainan as a gift to request Our Lady the Jade Maiden to grace us with her presence permanently!"
After a period of silence, Qingnu broke into a shallow smile.
"In this world, there are good people and there are evil people."
"In this floating world of three thousand years, I have seen countless good people and no small number of evil ones."
She walked slowly toward Liu An, speaking as she moved.
When she was only a step away from him, Qingnu stopped and met his gaze, asking softly, "Liu An, do you think you are a good person or an evil one?"
Liu An remained silent. Qingnu bypassed him and walked outside, muttering to herself, "Naturally, you don't count as a good person!"
Liu An gritted his teeth, turned around, and said, "I have already ordered the construction of the Temple of the Jade Maiden of the Azure Heavens! My Lady, this is an officially established temple of the State of Huainan."
At these words, Qingnu stopped in her tracks.
She turned to look at Liu An. In the blink of an eye, she was right in front of him, her fingers pressed against his forehead like a sword.
"Where did you learn of such things?"
"From your retainers?"
Liu An forced a smile and said, "If Our Lady the Jade Maiden stays in Huainan to lend me a hand, I shall..."
Before he could finish his sentence, frost and snow drifted in, crawling over his body.
In moments, Liu An was covered in ice.
"Nothing more than a vassal king with little providence left. Your book is finished, and Heaven no longer protects you, yet you dare threaten this jiao? You seek death!"
Qingnu grumbled a few words. Looking at the now lifeless Liu An, she fell silent again.
After a long while, she let out a long sigh.
"Decades have passed in the blink of an eye. Looking back, it feels like only yesterday. Time moves too slowly for the world to have truly changed, but it's a pity people don't remain young."
"He was cuter as a child..."
After killing Liu An, Qingnu remained in Shouchun.
She sat in a shop on the streets of Shouchun and ordered a bowl of tofu pudding, seasoned with spicy condiments.
As she was eating, large groups of soldiers filed out of the royal palace!
Hongluan descended from the sky, landing on Qingnu's shoulder and leaning its small head toward her ear to whisper a few words.
Qingnu finished her tofu pudding, laid out the coins on the table, and picked up her bamboo hat to put it on.
She lightly dusted her dress and walked toward the palace.
"Lady, this is too much money..."
Behind her, the shopkeeper cried out in alarm.
With her back turned, Qingnu waved her hand and said, "I'll be back to eat again. Just keep the change for next time."
As for how long it would be until next time, she didn't know herself.
Inside the royal palace, Liu An's three thousand retainers had surrounded the library inside and out. The sight of the frost-covered Liu An terrified them; they all wondered which deity the King of Huainan had offended to be frozen to death in the middle of summer.
There were many people gathered, and they were all present—it saved Qingnu the trouble of finding them one by one.
She jumped onto the roof of a side corridor and gave a light cough.
The retainers turned to look at the roof. Seeing a figure like a celestial goddess leaning casually against the tiles, they were even more astonished.
"The Jade Maiden of the Azure Heavens! It's the Jade Maiden of the Azure Heavens!"
Soon, someone cried out in shock.
This exclamation immediately drew the attention of Qingnu and everyone else.
Qingnu's gaze fell on the man. She smiled and took off her bamboo hat, resting it against her leg. "The villain has jumped out on his own. You are one! Who else?"
The man, questioned by Qingnu, retreated in haste, but there were too many people—where could he possibly run?
Among the three thousand retainers, people of all sorts were mixed in. There were bound to be some from the Yin Yang School.
Since they enjoyed plotting against a jiao, she might as well kill them all.
Qingnu demanded they turn each other in.
Those who wanted to live had to point out the members of the Yin Yang School. Otherwise, they would be considered members themselves!
Though the jiao girl had a good temper, she wasn't someone to be pushed around.
After packing up all the Yin Yang School members from the retainers to be taken to the Mt. Xiao to feed the wolves, and tearing down the temple here, Qingnu returned to Mt. Tai.
Atop Jade Emperor Peak.
The palaces and pavilions were swept spotlessly clean. Chunyu Tiying, in her forties, looked like a young girl not even twenty years old. When she saw Qingnu return, she was overjoyed.
"Our Lady the Jade Maiden!"
Seeing that Chunyu Tiying was still there, Qingnu had a feeling of 'as expected,' but she still asked, "After all these years, why haven't you gone down the mountain?"
The ravages of war had long ended. The land of Qi was now peaceful and its people prosperous. What was she still doing on the mountain?
Chunyu Tiying bowed to Qingnu and replied, "When Our Lady the Jade Maiden bestowed upon me the title of Medicine-Dispensing Fairy, I made up my mind to remain on Mt. Tai for the rest of my life to spread the name of the Goddess of Mt. Tai, the Celestial Jade Maiden."
"Why must you tie your whole life to me?"
Qingnu sighed. Since Chunyu Tiying was willing to stay, she wouldn't drive her away.
Besides, she intended to stay on Mt. Tai for a while herself. Having someone to cook and tend the fire wasn't a bad thing.
But after only a few days, Chunyu Tiying packed her bags to go down the mountain for free medical consultations.
She truly was spreading 'divine virtue'!
It would be more accurate to say that the title 'Jade Maiden of Mt. Tai' referred to Chunyu Tiying rather than Qingnu.
Unfortunately, regarding providence, the matter of titles was quite strict.
As the Medicine-Dispensing Fairy, everything Chunyu Tiying did was naturally credited to Qingnu.
Was the jiao girl getting a free laborer?
Qingnu waited on Mt. Tai for over two or three months before Chunyu Tiying finally returned.
She brought back rumors from below, saying that the King of Huainan, Liu An, had died after offending a goddess. When this news reached Chang'an, Emperor Liu Che decided to conduct an Eastern Inspection to visit Huainan personally.
Chunyu Tiying asked, "Did my Lady punish the King of Huainan?"
Qingnu gave an affirmative sound and said, "Indeed, it was I. Not only that, I also dealt with some of his retainers. Do you think I was wrong to punish them as I pleased?"
Chunyu Tiying did not hesitate, shaking her head. "Everything my Lady does is naturally a righteous act following the Heavenly Dao!"
Qingnu looked at her and suddenly pounced on her.
"Little Tiying, you're still the best!"
Chunyu Tiying's pupils shrank, and she hurriedly said, "My Lady! I am over forty years old!"
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