Chapter 43

Chapter 43: Fangirl

Hu Qing had never been arrogant enough to believe the suffering she’d endured was unique. In any world, there were people a thousand times, ten thousand times more miserable, and they still kept walking. Being miserable wasn’t a title that belonged to her alone.

She thought she’d lived fine. Free of burdens, alone, carefree.

And she wasn’t truly alone. She had Hu Nuan—someone worth loving with everything she had. In that sense, Hu Qing felt complete.

But the moment the problem involved Hu Nuan, it felt like the sky was falling.

Shui Xin’s stupid words echoed in her head. A born devil seed.

Did that mean Hu Nuan might fall into devilness someday?

For herself, “immortal” or “devil” didn’t matter. People should live as themselves and chase what they wanted. But if it was Hu Nuan—

No.

Hu Qing stared at Shui Xin and felt a fresh wave of exhaustion. If only this idiot had studied even a little psychology. Talking to him felt like playing music for a cow.

She tried to stand, and Shui Xin pulled her back down.

Night pressed in. Shui Xin looked straight into her eyes, uncharacteristically serious. “She’s in danger. The chance of her falling into devilness is very high.”

Hu Qing wiped her face with the back of her hand. “So what? Did I ever say I had to be an immortal?”

Shui Xin froze.

“As long as she’s alive,” Hu Qing said, voice low. “As long as she feels good.”

Shui Xin opened his mouth, then closed it again.

Hu Qing gave a small, tired smile. “Didn’t we talk about this before? It doesn’t matter.”

A long time ago, the two of them had talked about immortals and devils with careless indifference and decided it was nothing more than a label. As long as your heart went where it wanted, why be bound by words?

That was why they’d become friends.

“I thought you didn’t want Hu Nuan to be like that,” Shui Xin said.

Hu Qing hesitated, then finally said, “We’ll see.”

Accepting someone was easier than changing them. And she was her precious baby.

Shui Xin said he’d go report to Old Monk, and Hu Qing—after crying and dragging herself back into her “open-minded family head” mask—patted the dust off and went to find her daughter.

Behind her, Shui Xin clicked his tongue. If she truly didn’t care, would she have cried that ugly? Stubborn, all bark and no honesty.

Hu Qing pretended she didn’t care, but Master Qiao Yu couldn’t even pretend. He pulled her aside and demanded, “What are we going to do?”

Hu Qing blinked. “Do about what? Oh—right. The formation. Can we send them back in and change them back?”

Master Qiao Yu went silent for a long moment. “After they came out, the formation disappeared.”

Hu Qing spread her hands. “Then we raise them again. In a few decades, they’ll be fine.”

Master Qiao Yu stared.

“And this time I’ll raise them,” Hu Qing added quickly. “Last time was too much trouble for you.”

Even as the words left her mouth, Hu Qing felt like a terrible person. First, the idea of “last time” and “this time” was bizarre. Second, it sounded like she’d used him and tossed him aside.

Master Qiao Yu, unfortunately, had a working brain. “Let’s talk about her state-of-mind problem.”

“Sure,” Hu Qing said. “This time, I’ll stay by her side every step.”

Master Qiao Yu’s face twisted. “You don’t think she’ll get annoyed with you?”

Hu Qing’s mouth opened, then shut.

Master Qiao Yu pressed on. “The Immortal Realm has to have a solution.”

He looked like he was already packing his bags to haul his disciple straight into the Immortal Realm.

Hu Qing jolted and blurted, “Don’t go adding trouble. Little Li Realm is surrounded outside.”

Master Qiao Yu froze. His expression darkened. “The situation is that grim?”

Hu Qing stared back. “You don’t know anything?”

Master Qiao Yu hesitated. “We’re only at the Nascent Soul Stage.”

Hu Qing’s mouth twitched.

Master Qiao Yu’s voice went flat. “So are you.”

Hu Qing puffed out her chest. “I’m just a tiny bit better than most people.”

Master Qiao Yu ground his teeth. “Great. Then can you solve Hu Nuan’s problem?”

Hu Qing felt the slap of karma on her own face. “No problem. Hu Nuan doesn’t have a problem. She’s a kid. Kids come up with random things.”

Master Qiao Yu made a sound like he didn’t want to speak to her anymore.

Hu Qing escaped before he could.

She found Hu Nuan and the others in the middle of digging pits under a perfectly good mountain road.

Who were they trying to trap? Did they have no shame?

“Aunt,” Jin Xin said, face smeared with mud, “it’s not that we want to dig. Great-Ancestor Zhao Lu told us to play. He said there’s something fun down here.”

Zhao Lu. Great-Ancestor.

Just the name made Hu Qing’s scalp tighten.

After the last accident, the kids didn’t go anywhere without big monks following them. Little monks weren’t enough—if something went wrong, they couldn’t handle it.

A big monk sat under a tree with his sleeves tucked away, watching like this was entertainment. He nodded to Hu Qing politely. “Grandmaster Zhao Lu once buried many devil bones here. He told the children to dig them up for fun.”

Devil.

Hu Qing was at her limit with that word. “Why are devil bones buried here?”

“Devil bones contain the seven emotions and six desires,” the monk said, still smiling. “This road is called the Heart-Questioning Path. It’s used for daily cultivation. These bones are weak. With time, their aura disperses.”

Hu Qing’s heart jumped. Was this aimed at Hu Nuan?

She forced her voice steady. “May I ask… Grandmaster Zhao Lu is—”

“Oh.” The monk’s tone was casual, like he was talking about the weather. “Grandmaster Zhao Lu is at the Mahayana Stage. Recently he sensed something and went into seclusion. Today he came out to rest, met a few young friends, remembered old times, chatted for a bit, and already returned to meditate.”

Hu Qing’s mind raced. Little Li Realm had reconnected to the Immortal Realm. The laws and order had filled in. Of course cultivators at the Mahayana Stage would sense new chances to break through.

Old Monk was in seclusion trying to reach Spirit Immortal, and her troublemakers had interrupted him. Embarrassing. Truly embarrassing.

Hu Qing bowed toward the monk. “Thank you, masters, for your help these days. We’ve disturbed you long enough. We should take our leave.”

The monk’s smile vanished. “You’ve only been here a short while. How is that ‘long’? They still need to learn the Arhat Devil-Suppressing Formation. At the very least, they must dig up the devil bones and master the formation.”

Hu Qing turned and stared at the little monsters digging with their butts in the air, heave-ho, heave-ho. How much charm had they poured into these monks?

She tried to call them. She got a bored, annoyed look from her own daughter.

Hu Qing had no choice but to smile awkwardly at the monk. The monk looked smug, like he’d won a contest. See? Even the Buddhist Sect was loved by children.

Hu Qing stormed off to find the adults. “Call them and go home!”

She sat down in a huff, fanning herself with her hand.

The three men exchanged glances. Shuang Hua poured her tea and said quietly, “We already tried. They don’t want to leave, and the Buddhist Sect won’t let them go.”

She shot Hu Qing a look that said, Since when could a master force a disciple?

Chan Ming came over next. “Shui Cong said they have a way to help suppress Hu Nuan’s state-of-mind problem. How can we leave now?”

Hu Qing sprang up. “Then you can’t do it? Zhaohua Sect can’t do it?”

Chan Ming sighed and sat down again. “You didn’t see Hu Nuan when a group of big monks chanted together. She looked completely intoxicated.”

Hu Qing’s chest went cold.

Her precious baby… had become a monk fangirl.