Chapter 118 Let's get this straight: During my time at the Divine Palace, many things happened...

During my time at the shrine, a multitude of matters arose one after another, keeping me constantly busy, and before I knew it, the days had flown by.

Not long after Lu Qing left the mountain gate, he encountered several groups of disciples returning to the Divine Palace. It wasn't until he got onto the main road and headed towards Fuxian Lake that things quieted down.

Qi Ying thought of the Divine Palace disciples who had perished in the Western Wilderness. Things had changed, and a pang of sorrow gripped her heart. Her spirits sank, and she became much quieter.

Only Lao Hei (she resolutely refused to use the name Qi Rui) hadn't seen green mountains and clear waters for a long time. She found even a pheasant colorful and a wild rabbit incredibly cute. She shouted and looked around, falling to the very back.

Lu Qing didn't care about her. Anyway, with the peace bell in hand, even if Lao Hei slipped away to the ends of the earth, Lu Qing could just ring the bell and Lao Hei would still have to come back.

The three continued their journey until it grew dark, at which point Qi Ying led them to a small town to rest.

The town was quite large, and because of its proximity to the shrine, it had always been peaceful, attracting many merchants. The main street was bustling with activity; as soon as it got dark, the lanterns in front of every house were hung up, red and green, creating a lively scene.

The inn and the brothel were at opposite ends of the street, one at one end and the other at the other, facing each other without disturbing each other. Qi Ying was very familiar with the place and led the two of them on horseback through the middle of the street to the inn at the other end. Qi Ying was quite handsome, which made the courtesans in the brothel noisy, waving their handkerchiefs at him and calling out with laughter.

Old Hei had always despised and loathed courtesans from the bottom of his heart, and he rolled his eyes at them several times. This provoked several fierce courtesans to spit back in retort.

This little display of cosmetics, so full of rouge, startled the guests drinking upstairs.

This person was none other than Zhang Xiong Ying, who had broken the Broken Flame Blade.

He was utterly humiliated by Lu Qing, losing all face and dignity. Unable to remain on Nukun Peak any longer, he stormed down the mountain, found a town, and went to a brothel to vent his anger on the courtesans. The courtesan was suffering terribly from his torment, but greedy for his generosity, she brought along several of her sisters to fawn over him and flatter him. When she saw Zhao Xiong Ying's gaze fall on Lu Qing, the courtesan feigned jealousy, "Sir, why are you looking at her? Am I not prettier than that girl?"

Zhao Xiong Ying thought bitterly, "That girl... one day, I'll teach her a lesson!"

The flower seller, always adept at reading people, went along with his words, saying, "That girl looks ordinary, is there anything special about her?"

Zhao Xiong Ying snorted, "She's just relying on her man's power."

The flower girls laughed.

Zhao Xiong Ying angrily retorted, "What are you laughing at!"

The woman beside him gently nudged him. “Sir, you don’t need to use brute force to deal with women. Even if she can’t beat you, she can still rely on her connections. But if her connections fall, alas, how much better can she be than us sisters?”

A woman nearby laughed, "With her looks, she's probably not even as good-looking as us sisters."

A thought suddenly struck Zhao Xiong Ying, "What do you mean by that?"

The courtesans covered their mouths and giggled.

Zhao Xiong Ying slammed her hand on the table and said, "I will reward anyone who can give me a practical idea."

The woman beside him eagerly chimed in, "There's a saying that when husband and wife are of one mind, their strength can break metal. But if they're not of one mind, even the most loving couple can turn into the most formidable enemies in the blink of an eye. At that point, they won't even need anyone else to tear down the house; there will be plenty of laughs to be had."

"How do you centrifuge?" Zhao Xiong Ying pressed.

The flower maid beside her, also thinking about his reward money, hurriedly said, "How can he be alienated? As long as we bring her husband here, I guarantee he will never want to leave again."

"You guys?" Zhao Xiong Ying had that much self-awareness.

Some people understood his implication and cursed him inwardly, thinking, "He doesn't like us, but he still comes here. A leopard can't change its spots." But they said sweetly, "Of course we can't. Master can find a beautiful and clever woman to give to his husband. How could anyone refuse a beauty that's offered to him?"

Zhao Xiong Ying thought about it and felt it made a lot of sense. Moreover, he really did think of a very suitable candidate. In his excitement, he took out a handful of silver and scattered it on the table, which caused the courtesans to rush over and scramble for it.

Zhao Xiong Ying laughed heartily, eager to see Wu Chen and Lu Qing turn against each other.

Lu Qing had no idea that her defeated opponent was hiding in a brothel, indulging in pipe dreams. The three of them settled into the inn, and Qi Ying had the waiter bring hot water to their room for them to wash up.

When Lao Hei saw the bucket of steaming water, his contempt was palpable. "If you ask me, you're a complete idiot!"

Lu Qing sat down in the chair like a mountain king, without even raising her head. "Do you know how to speak? If you don't, I don't mind teaching you. Also, you can choose between being Wu Chen's apprentice or becoming my maid. Once you've chosen, don't regret it."

"Who wants to be that smiling tiger's apprentice?" Old Hei said with a sour face. "He's not as old as me, and his cultivation isn't as high as mine, yet he has the nerve to be my master." This girl may be cunning, but she should be easier to deal with than Wu Chen. "Let me tell you, no matter how sweet a man's words are, you can't believe them. You have to look at his actions. He says he likes you, cares about you, and showers you with sweet talk. But when you go out, he leaves Qi Ying to accompany you alone. Does that look like serving someone? I think it's more like supervising them!"

Lu Qing picked up the teapot that Qi Ying had just brought in, smelled it, took out some spiritual tea, and began to brew tea on her own.

Old Hei continued, "Look at her, she's not even married to the priest yet, and she's already living in such a poor place. She has to use well water to bathe. Where's the perfume, hair oil, and hair-drying spices?"

Lu Qing took a small bottle of fragrant dew from her pouch and tossed it to her, saying, "Here, I made it myself. From now on, it's your job."

So they really intend to treat her like a maid! Old Hei gripped the perfume bottle tightly and said fiercely, "Aren't you afraid I'll poison you and we'll both die!"

Lu Qing finally raised her head and looked directly at her. "There's no one here, so let's get this straight today. I know you don't care about killing, and frankly, I don't either. To be honest, I've always wanted to kill you. It was Wu Chen who spoke up, and that's why I held back. But," Lu Qing smiled, her expression malicious, even somewhat expectant, "if you dare to lay a hand on me, even if we both know it won't work, even if you only make a slight attempt, I'll send you to the Abyss of Fire in the Western Wilderness. Believe me, you won't die, but once you get there, you'll genuinely want to die."

Old Hei suddenly shivered. She knew Lu Qing was not someone to be trifled with, but she didn't expect that Lu Qing would lack all the naivety, innocence, soft-heartedness, and foolishness that one would expect at this age.

Lu Qing rested her chin on her hand. "You say Wu Chen is bad. But at least you should be grateful. If it weren't for him, you probably wouldn't have had the chance to start over. As you are now, you can't die, you can't come back to life, and you can't resurrect or possess someone else. You'll always be a monster. Follow me, and you'll either find a way to die or a way to live. But since you're human, you have to choose the right path."

Old Hei was speechless, but felt stifled if he didn't retort. He held the perfume bottle tightly for a long time, then asked, "How do you know I can't possess someone?"

"If you could possess another body, why would you have created so many corpses in the tomb?" Lu Qing mocked.

If Lao Hei hadn't run out of blood to vomit, she would have loved to vomit two buckets full. She couldn't argue with Lu Qing, nor could she beat her; being under Lu Qing's roof, she had no choice but to...

She bowed her head. In her lifetime, she was pampered and spoiled, consuming countless luxuries. Now, with nowhere else to vent her frustrations, she could only direct them at this.

She said, "What happened to the things you looted from my grave?"

Lu Qing rolled her eyes. "I don't use things that dead people have used."

"You were disgusted, yet you still looted everything!" Old Black roared angrily. "Besides, those things were all brand new. I'm dead, how am I supposed to use them?"

Lu Qing then took out a spirit pouch and tossed it to her.

After fussing over himself for a while, Lao Hei felt that the bathing conditions were about the same as his old ones, so he called out to Lu Qing, "Come and take a bath."

Lu Qing then leisurely allowed her to bathe. After changing into the clothes that Lao Hei had chosen for her, Lu Qing looked at herself in the bronze mirror and felt that she vaguely resembled a beauty.

It seems that keeping this old black man around isn't entirely without its merits.

Qiying brought dinner.

Old Hei, standing to the side, practically criticized the food as worse than pig slop, saying, "...Let me tell you, young lady, don't be fooled by a few nice words that come out of nowhere. If he really cared about you, would he let you eat this?"

If Lu Qing followed her words blindly, then she wouldn't be Lu Qing.

Moreover, although the inn's chef's presentation wasn't great, the taste was actually quite good. Lu Qing picked up a piece and tasted it slowly and casually. "I think it tastes pretty good. Why don't you try some?"

Old Hei left with a dark face! That brat, she knew perfectly well that she couldn't eat or drink right now. Even if she could, she was already full of anger, what was the point of eating!

-----------------------

Author's Note: I had a headache yesterday, so the update is late. Thank you to all the little angels who voted for me or watered my plants between 18:40:46 on October 7th and 00:15:58 on October 9th, 2020!

Thank you to the little angels who watered the nutrient solution: Flowing Clouds and Water (5 bottles);

Thank you so much for your support! I will continue to work hard!