Gu Qingyun’s eyes lit up.
“Look, although my martial strength isn’t bad, I lack an escape technique. If you ever ask me for help one day and I’m too far away to rush over, what will we do?”
The big golden fish stared at Gu Qingyun for a good while before finally speaking:
“Human, are you trying to take advantage of me? Don’t Daoist arts have Shrinking Ground to an Inch? Borrowing the power of the earth veins to cross a thousand li in a single step. You’re a cultivator—don’t tell me you don’t know it.”
“We spirit creatures aren’t like you cultivators. We can’t use the power of the earth veins; it naturally restrains us.”
Gu Qingyun felt a little guilty. “With my current spiritual power, casting it consumes quite a lot. Wasn’t I just thinking of your safety?”
Not knowing her true thoughts, the big golden fish said in a dejected tone, “Human, there’s nothing I can do either. If that day truly comes, I won’t blame you. It’ll just be my fate.”
Gu Qingyun’s conscience pricked a little. How could she keep trying to fleece a goldfish? She quickly said:
“Don’t lose heart. In a little while, casting Shrinking Ground to an Inch won’t be so strenuous for me anymore. You know humans are the spirit of all creation; our cultivation speed is the fastest among all living things. If that day really comes, I’ll be able to make it in time.”
“You and Bai Zhu’er cultivate well here in this Huai River. Don’t wander about for no reason on ordinary days, lest you get caught by an expert.
If you manage this river so that the wind and rain are favorable, who knows, maybe one day you’ll shed your mortal frame, attain godhood, and no longer be a mere spirit creature.”
The big golden fish blew a bubble and sighed.
“Human, why do you sound just like the elders of my clan? Gaining the recognition of heaven and earth to attain godhood—who knows how long that will take?
Still, you’re right. As long as I do good deeds, maybe one day the common folk will recognize me. Once I gather enough incense faith, I can shed this demon body.”
Gu Qingyun said, “Right. A demon’s got to have goals! When the day comes that you shed your mortal frame, I’ll bring fine wine and delicious food to celebrate with you.”
The big golden fish thought for a moment and shook its head.
“No need for fine wine and delicious food. The steamed bun you brought today was pretty good. I like that.”
Gu Qingyun fought hard to suppress a laugh.
“By the way, why aren’t you cultivating with your clan?”
“Sigh. Those who have awakened their intelligence and can truly be called clansmen number fewer than a hundred. Aside from a few elders who failed their dragon transformation, the rest are just like me—lacking in cultivation. Last time, a formidable demon scattered our clan. A demon out on its own can only rely on itself.”
“But I’m not scared anymore. Human, are we friends?”
“Of course.” Gu Qingyun nodded.
The big golden fish happily swam two circles.
“Human, since we’re friends, come visit me and Zhu’er more often. I’ll scour the riverbed for shiny gold trinkets for you, even bigger than the ones today.”
Gu Qingyun cupped her hands.
“Xiaojin, you can just call me Gu Qingyun. We’re friends. If anything happens in the future, I certainly won’t shirk my duty.” It was definitely not for the sake of gold or silver; the two of them simply hit it off, bound by fate.
While she and Xiaojin were still chatting away, half a shichen quickly passed. Bai Zhu’er drifted over from the other side. Gu Qingyun paused in surprise.
“Miss Zhu’er, are you two done talking?”
Bai Zhu’er smiled through her tears.
“Yes. Being able to meet my brother again leaves me with no regrets. After all, the living and the dead are separated. Meeting too often would be bad for my brother’s health.”
“Benefactor, if my brother wants to see me again in the future, please don’t agree. This is already very good. They also need to look ahead and live their own lives well.
When my cultivation achieves success one day and poses no harm to them, I will naturally meet them again.”
Gu Qingyun gave a quiet sigh.
“All right.”
...
Gu Qingyun bid farewell to the ghost and the fish, then walked over to Bai Shuyuan’s side.
“All right, let’s head back. Your sister is doing this for your own good. Take good care of your family. If you truly can’t put your mind at ease, you can occasionally come by the riverbank to burn some offerings for her; she’ll surely appreciate it.”
With that said, she grabbed Bai Shuyuan and swiftly dashed toward the county, completely indifferent to whether he could handle the ride. Dodging everyone along the way, she delivered Bai Shuyuan to his doorstep in less than half a shichen.
Poor Bai Shuyuan had his hair blown completely out of shape by the wind, his head spinning and dizzy. Gu Qingyun felt a little guilty. Tossing him by the door, she said:
“Your physique is a bit too weak. You really need to train more.”
Without waiting for his response, she swiftly ran toward the county yamen, leaving only her dashing silhouette in Bai Shuyuan’s sight.
...
Inside the county yamen, seeing Gu Qingyun return, Bai Fan hurriedly grabbed her.
“Sister Yun, why did you take so long?”
Gu Qingyun took a sip of water, her voice calm and steady.
“I went to the banks of the Huai River. Bai Zhu’er and Bai Shuyuan chatted for a bit longer, so it delayed things.”
Hearing this, Bai Fan’s hair stood on end.
“Is it what I think it means? The two of them spoke face-to-face?”
Gu Qingyun offered a half-smile.
“What do you think?”
Bai Fan wrapped his arms around himself, his eyes darting left and right.
“Sister Yun, I’m scared.”
Gu Qingyun gave him a kick.
“Look at that rat-like courage of yours. Don’t forget, you have the talisman I drew on you.”
Bai Fan paused, then rubbed his chest and grinned.
“I almost forgot.”
Gu Qingyun set her belongings on the table.
“While I was away just now, did you take Little Black on patrol?”
Bai Fan rubbed his hands sheepishly.
“I only patrolled the few streets closest to our county yamen. You have no idea—everyone in the county is talking about the Bai family matter right now. I got creeped out, so I didn't patrol too far. But it shouldn't matter, right? Don't the night watchmen patrol as well?”
Gu Qingyun glanced at him.
“If the night watchmen discover a problem and we aren't there, who's going to handle it? All right, let’s go. Walk the rest of the areas you didn't patrol.”
Bai Fan nodded and followed her out the door. Once no one was around, he leaned in close to her.
“Sister Yun, the other night constables are just going through the motions; they haven't patrolled more than a few streets either. Do we really need to be this diligent? Look, after all this time, nothing has happened.”
Gu Qingyun directly kicked him.
“No matter what, we just need to do our own job well. Caution never hurt anyone.”
...
Although it was just patrolling back and forth every day, Gu Qingyun had already grown accustomed to it.
Time passed quickly. Over ten days had gone by since the Bai family incident. The weather grew steadily colder, and Bai Fan had already donned a thin padded jacket.
Every time he saw Gu Qingyun still wearing that black outfit gifted by the Liu residence, he would click his tongue in wonder, envying her lack of fear toward the cold.
Little Black’s cultivation speed had also picked up significantly thanks to the breathing technique taught by the big golden fish. The cat was much smarter than before and could understand all of Gu Qingyun’s instructions. Presumably, the day it awakened its intelligence was not far off.
On this night, darkness hung heavy. Gu Qingyun and Bai Fan walked through the chilly wind carrying lanterns. The days that were neither too hot nor too cold were gone for good. Bai Fan stomped his feet and blew a puff of warm air onto his hands.
“Aiyo, there are still several months left of winter. I don’t even know how I’m going to get through it. Patrolling at night is pure torture.”
Gu Qingyun walked forward calmly without looking back.
“If you’re cold, wear more layers. I feel fine.”
However, she really did need to buy some fabric to make winter clothes for her family.
She had good health, but most of her family were frail women. If they accidentally caught a cold, they would not only suffer but also spend silver on medicine, which far exceeded the cost of a winter coat.
Rate on N.U.
