Chapter 147: He Qing

A fine drizzle had fallen only last night.

The forest was veiled in a hazy mist, and water droplets hung like crystals.

Qingyuan sat beneath a tree, letting the rain fall upon him while heat surged within his body, curling wisps of white steam rising from him.

After a long while, the agitation finally subsided.

He sat cross-legged, preparing to initiate his escaping technique, but pausing momentarily upon recalling a certain matter.

After about half a shichen, the sound of footsteps approached.

He Qing came running over, holding an oiled-paper umbrella in her arms and carrying a basket of fruit.

"You..."

Upon seeing Qingyuan, He Qing could not help but part her lips in wonder. Convinced that he would be drenched into a drowned rat by the rain, she had hurried over with the oiled-paper umbrella, only to find Qingyuan completely clean, without a trace of wretchedness.

Qingyuan chuckled and said, "I went to take shelter from the rain earlier."

Only then did realization dawn on He Qing, followed by a look of joy. "You're all right now?"

Qingyuan paused slightly, then nodded. "I'm fine. I'll be leaving this place soon."

"You're leaving?" He Qing's initial joy instantly vanished, her mood sinking a little. She felt an inexplicable sense of loss in her heart and asked, "Are we considered friends?"

Qingyuan was momentarily taken aback, then smiled and said, "We are."

He Qing asked again, "Then can we meet again?"

Qingyuan nodded. "We can."

Hearing this, He Qing patted her chest, her spirits lifting somewhat. She then held out the basket and handed it to Qingyuan.

Qingyuan sat beneath the tree without getting up, picked up a fruit, and took a bite.

He Qing sat a little further away, the distance between them nearly a zhang.

The little girl seemed to have something on her mind.

As they chatted, the topic unexpectedly turned to the war.

A flash of surprise crossed Qingyuan's eyes. He probed with indirect questions and discovered to his astonishment that this little girl was quite well-informed about many matters.

Logically speaking, Jiang Baijian's defeat would certainly be heavily publicized within the borders of Southern Liang, but not much time had passed since the incident occurred. For the news to spread this far, all the way to Jingxiu County, should have been difficult. Moreover, for ordinary people, many details ought to be vague and unclear, yet this little girl was remarkably well-informed.

Qingyuan carefully sized her up. Her attire was plain, and every day she was either gathering herbs or picking fruit; she did not look like someone from a wealthy household.

"You..." Qingyuan hesitated slightly before finally asking, "Where did you hear about these things?"

Hearing his question, a trace of panic flashed across He Qing's face.

Qingyuan did not mind, smiling as he said, "Is it inconvenient to say? Then you don't have to... I'm not all that curious anyway."

"It's not that," He Qing lowered her voice and said. "I know about these things because of my father."

Qingyuan asked, "What is your father's occupation?"

He Qing replied, "He is the magistrate of Jingxiu County."

Only then did a sense of realization dawn upon Qingyuan. He looked at He Qing and asked, "Then you..."

"Me?" He Qing looked down at herself, then giggled and said proudly, "My father is an upright official, you know. Look at these clothes of mine—I've been wearing them for many years. They are all old clothes given to us by relatives in the past. Also, our family picks herbs and gathers fruit every day because my father's salary is entirely spent on the food, clothing, housing, and transportation of the common people."

When speaking of these matters, she lacked the vanity common to children of her age; instead, she appeared rather proud of them.

"Though impoverished, he lacks not integrity; he is a good official."

Qingyuan withdrew his gaze from her. Recalling He Qing's awe toward her father over the past few days, a quiet understanding dawned upon him. "He may be a good official, but he is not necessarily a good father."

...

"Umm..." He Qing blinked, her eyes filled with intense curiosity. Having endured for many days until the very day of Qingyuan's departure, she could finally hold back no longer and asked, "Not far from here, a bandit was killed a few days ago. Did that have something to do with you?"

Hearing this, Qingyuan glanced at her and nodded. "Yes."

A slight awkwardness appeared on He Qing's small face, but she simply asked, "How could you kill someone?"

Qingyuan spread his hands slightly and said, "He wanted to kill me, so I had no choice but to kill him. Otherwise, it wouldn't do to simply let him kill me, would it?"

He Qing troubledly said, "You could have captured him and handed him over to the authorities for investigation."

Qingyuan felt that this young girl was somewhat eccentric, yet he did not take it to heart. He merely pointed at himself and smiled, "I've had trouble walking these past few days and have been sitting under this tree for ages. Do you really think I could have captured someone and handed them over to the authorities?"

"That's true too..." He Qing thought about it, then earnestly admonished, "You must never tell anyone else that you've killed people."

Qingyuan vaguely understood her intent and nodded. "I understand."

Having received his response, He Qing seemed to heave a sigh of relief. She squatted down, placed the fruit beside Qingyuan, picked up her basket, and said, "I'm leaving now?"

"Wait. During these days, you've brought me plenty of fruits to sustain me, so I should give you something in return." Qingyuan called her to a halt, then reached his hand into his robe—in truth, reaching into the ancient mirror—and retrieved a bottle of medicinal pills.

These pills were items from the Seven Spirits Sect, stolen by Wu Nan from the sect. However, unaware of the background, Qingyuan had examined them closely and found that their grade was low and of little use to himself, so he had disregarded them.

He Qing took the medicinal bottle. Upon opening it, a wisp of fragrance drifted into her nose, and she could not help asking, "What is this?"

Qingyuan smiled gently. "In your leisure time, if your mouth feels bland, you can eat one or two. The taste is rather sweet and quite pleasant."

These pills could nourish qi and blood and strengthen the body. Although their grade was low and their effects were ordinary, making them of little use to a cultivator at the peak of the Triple Heaven realm, their utility for ordinary people was by no means small.

For the elderly, they could invigorate the blood and clear the meridians and organs, thereby bestowing the effect of prolonging life. Consequently, among ordinary cultivators, their status was slightly elevated, and they were respectfully referred to as Longevity Pills. For ordinary folk, such pills were also of great benefit.

He Qing was full of curiosity, looking at the bottle from left to right. Then she shook it and inquisitively asked, "How many are inside?"

Qingyuan replied, "Thirty-two pills."

He Qing acknowledged this, put the bottle away, and said, "I'll take them back and let my father and mother try them."

Qingyuan merely smiled. "It is good that you have such a filial heart."

"Then..." He Qing waved her hand with a trace of reluctance, "I'm really leaving now?"

Qingyuan nodded toward her and waved back.

...

As He Qing's figure faded into the distance, Qingyuan formed a hand seal and chanted an incantation under his breath.

"Escape!"

He stepped backward, pressing his back against the tree trunk.

In the next instant, his entire body sank straight into the tree.

The wind brushed the treetops, making a gentle rustling sound.

Birds alighted upon the branches, then flew away.

Wild hares and boars passed by the spot.

No one knew that there was a person hidden inside the tree.

And the tree remained lush and verdant, just as it had always been. (To be continued.)