After Rebirth, the Heroine is Consumed by Overwhelming Regret Chapter 44

What exactly happened?
Qi Qing continued to read and discovered that Wang Da’s half-month-old child had fallen ill. On the way to see a doctor in an ox-cart, the ox somehow went mad. The family of three were all thrown to the ground and trampled into mincemeat by the frenzied ox.
Wang Da was working that day and didn’t go with them.
When someone informed him that his family had met with an accident, he dropped his work and ran there. Upon arriving, he saw three burlap sacks, large and small, lying quietly on the ground. There was blood beside them. He was a little afraid to approach and begged the people nearby to look for him.
No one dared to respond.
Wang Da could only crawl over slowly—his legs had gone so soft he couldn’t walk. Even before seeing anything, he was trembling like a leaf. He seemed to have anticipated something, but he didn’t dare to face it. Yet, the three sacks were right there, leaving him no choice but to look.
His old mother, who had just started to recover, his son, not even a month old, and his wife, still in her postnatal confinement period with her head wrapped in a scarf, had all turned into cold corpses.
That alone would have been bad enough, but they were all mangled beyond recognition.
The cart driver was seriously injured, and the mad ox had run off.
He slumped to the ground. When he looked up and saw the cart driver, he wanted to go and hit him but was held back by the people nearby. He asked again and again, his teeth clenched, repeating the words hollowly.
“With so many people on the cart, why did only his family of three die?”
“Why did a perfectly fine ox suddenly go mad?”
Trying to find the root cause was meaningless, because everyone could see this wasn’t about the ox, nor was it about any person. This was Heaven playing a cruel joke; it was fate!
These words, however, reminded him. He scrambled to his feet, ran all the way to the Goddess Temple, and asked why, when he had traded his lifespan, this was the result? Why save someone only to take them away again in such a cruel manner?
The Goddess shed no tears, so he smashed her statue.
This temple usually had no visitors. Even if someone came and saw the broken statue, they would merely mutter a few words about what happened. The timid ones would leave directly, while the bold ones would stay the night as planned. Nothing happened, and no one investigated who had done it.
It wasn’t until Qi Qing and her companion saw it that Wang Da was found.
By then, Wang Da was all alone, with no one left in his family. He had lost all motivation to earn money. He pawned or sold everything in his house. He spent his days drunk, unwilling to be sober. This fate was too cruel, too painful.
So even in his dreams, he was asleep.
He seemed alive, but in reality, he was already dead.
Was his fate truly meant to be this way?
Yu Yan took out the Register of Mortals and found his entry. It recorded that he only had five years of lifespan left. Previously, ten years had been crossed out, and then another twenty. But there was no record of why they were crossed out.
His old mother was supposed to die that day but lived for over half a month more. His wife was also supposed to die in childbirth, but she too lived for another half a month. As for his child, it was never meant to be born.
“Life exchange,” Qi Qing said. “He did succeed, but he was tricked. It only achieved the literal meaning of ‘living a few more days’ and ‘surviving childbirth.’ Once those events passed, retribution came immediately. Besides you, who else could do such a thing?”
Yu Yan shook her head. After a moment, she suddenly said, “After I descended to the mortal realm, someone must have temporarily taken over my duties, but I wasn’t told who it was…”
“Then that person must be responsible,” Qi Qing said. “You should report this to the Celestial Emperor. If more things like this happen, your reputation will be ruined for ages.”
Yu Yan nodded and stepped aside to contact the Emperor.
But she couldn’t reach him immediately—which wasn’t surprising, as he managed countless affairs daily and wasn’t always free. She couldn’t very well send a barrage of urgent messages, so she returned to speak with Qi Qing first.
Qi Qing sighed and said, “So Heaven can be busy too. Never mind, let’s continue downwards and see if there’s anything else.”
So the two of them continued downwards. The further they went, the more bizarre and inexplicable things they discovered. Most involved people praying to a deity, having their prayers answered, only to have it snatched away in an even more tragic manner. It was as if they had encountered a demon god, not a goddess.
Gossip and criticism were rampant among the common folk, no wonder the front of the temple was deserted. The two could only try to find ways to remedy the situation. But remedies were just remedies; the tragedies had already occurred. No matter what they did, it would be difficult to make up for the pain of losing loved ones, savings, and everything else.
The two were worried sick. Qi Qing said, “If your reputation declines, will it affect you?”
“It will. Divine officials essentially rely on the offerings of the common people. If everyone is full of grievances, I will be stripped of my status as a divine official.” Yu Yan paused. “I might be demoted, or possibly exiled.”
“Exiled?”
“Cast into the mortal realm, something like that.”
“So you’d become a mortal and never be able to return?”
“No, it’s crueler than becoming a mortal. I might fall into the path of beasts…” Speaking of this, Yu Yan finally realized the severity of the situation. Entering the mortal realm wasn’t terrifying, but if she were reincarnated as an animal, she would truly be doomed beyond redemption.
Who exactly was this person who took over her duties? How could their intentions be so malicious? Although it wouldn’t be difficult to trace and find the person afterwards, as the de facto divine official and nominal responsible party, she couldn’t escape involvement. The punishment might be light, but it couldn’t be avoided entirely.
If the mess was big enough, a heavy punishment wouldn’t be surprising.
No, she couldn’t just sit and wait for disaster.
If she couldn’t find the Emperor, she could ask other colleagues. It wouldn’t be hard to find out who had taken over. For this person to dare to act this way, they either had an absolute way to escape blame or they were purely reckless. Either way, she couldn’t let this continue.
Soon, she contacted other divine officials. Upon inquiring, her blood vessels nearly burst—
“The Emperor handed everything over to Jiu Chan. Didn’t you know?”
“…It’s her!” Yu Yan ended the voice transmission and said hatefully, “Stinky fox, don’t let me catch your fox tail!”
Hearing her mention a fox, Qi Qing guessed most of it. Actually, she had asked before, but Yu Yan hadn’t wanted to say much. She only said that this person was also a divine official, but because she was a demon cultivator, her status was lower than hers, and the two had some past grievances, and so on.
“Can you contact her?” Qi Qing asked.
“No need. If I make any mistake, she’ll pop out immediately.” Yu Yan pondered for a moment. “But conversely, if she knows I’m looking for her faults, she definitely won’t show herself. Perhaps she’s secretly observing us nearby right now, but…”
But for the moment, she really had no way to find her.
The two looked at each other for a moment, an idea already forming in their minds.
“Sneaky, as expected of a fox.” Qi Qing said with a hint of mockery. “Indeed, foxes can’t change their nature, no matter where they go.”
Yu Yan said, “It seems like you know foxes very well?”
“Isn’t Hua Yayun a fox?” Qi Qing said. “Think about how she tricked me. Let me tell you, no fox is any good. They’re insidious, cunning, and hold grudges. They also stink, just like dogs, but aren’t as loyal as dogs. Ungrateful wretches you can’t tame. They only obey if you beat them into submission, otherwise they’ll take a mile if you give an inch…”
Before she could finish speaking, a crimson figure flew down from the treetops, aiming straight for her neck. Yu Yan was prepared and had already deployed a magic artifact. With quick eyes and deft hands, she locked it onto the claw.
Speaking of which, this magic artifact was obtained from Hua Yayun. It was a divine-grade artifact; binding a mere fox immortal was no problem at all.
Jiu Chan’s limbs were bound, but she still craned her neck, glaring hatefully at Qi Qing. She cursed repeatedly: “What do you know about foxes! What do you understand! Foxes are not dogs! Don’t compare me to a dog! I hate it most when people compare me to dogs! How dare you! How dare you…”
She panted, clearly furious.
But Qi Qing and Yu Yan merely looked at her with clear eyes.
She fell silent for a moment, then realized she had fallen for their goading. But she truly hated it when people lumped her together with dogs. Even if she knew it was a trick, she couldn’t help but jump out. So, she gritted her teeth and said, “Cunning!”
“This is called outsmarting, fox.” Qi Qing crouched down, held the Register of Mortals before her eyes, and asked, “Is this your handiwork?”
Jiu Chan turned her face away and said nothing, her tail thumping restlessly on the ground.
Yu Yan said, “You should know what kind of punishment you’ll face if I report this truthfully to the Emperor, right?”
“Why should I be punished?” Jiu Chan said righteously. “Was there anything wrong with what I did? He wanted his old mother to live a few more days, and I let her live. He wanted his wife to survive childbirth, and I let her survive. I even let his child live a few more days. Isn’t that merciful enough?”
“Your mercy was to let them all die tragically half a month later?” Qi Qing asked. “What were you thinking? Was there really no element of revenge?”
“I have no grievance or enmity with him, why would I seek revenge?” Jiu Chan said angrily. “They were meant to die anyway. What’s the difference if they die together or separately? I couldn’t possibly go to the trouble of creating separate accidents to make them die three different times, could I?”
Qi Qing and Yu Yan exchanged a look and sighed simultaneously.
It seemed Jiu Chan genuinely believed she had done nothing wrong. She hadn’t even understood that when Qi Qing mentioned “revenge,” she was referring to revenge against Yu Yan, not Wang Da.
How to put it… she didn’t seem to understand human nature very well.
So, her actions weren’t a well-thought-out plan to bring Yu Yan down, but rather she genuinely felt things should be done this way. And from her perspective, her logic actually made sense.
“I told you, she’s a bit foolish,” Yu Yan said.
“Who are you calling foolish!” Jiu Chan snapped, but couldn’t retaliate because she was tied up.
Qi Qing said, “Do you know that because of this, Wang Da smashed Yu Yan’s statue?”
Jiu Chan’s expression immediately deflated. It was clear she had known all along and felt a little guilty. She just mumbled, “Well, I couldn’t kill him for it, could I?”
“Who asked you to kill him?” Qi Qing slapped her forehead, finding it truly exhausting to communicate with her. So there were foolish foxes too. She wondered how this one had managed to ascend.
The fox, of course, didn’t know what she was thinking. She still craned her neck to look at her, as if asking: If you don’t want me to kill him, then what do you mean?
Qi Qing was silent for a moment, then said, “First, you took over Yu Yan’s duties. If problems arise, you can’t escape responsibility. You’re both grasshoppers on the same rope now, understand?”
Jiu Chan nodded blankly.
“Second, the Celestial Emperor doesn’t know about this yet. We still have a chance to remedy it. If we handle it properly, we might still be able to hide it. So, we need to work together now, understand?”
Jiu Chan looked reluctant and glanced at Yu Yan.
Yu Yan made a move to hit her, and Jiu Chan quickly covered her head and dodged.
Qi Qing stopped Yu Yan and said, “Finally, you’re the one who did this, so the main responsibility lies with you. If you don’t cooperate, we’ll report it right now. It’s not a huge deal, so Yu Yan won’t be too implicated. But as for you, it’s hard to say.”
Jiu Chan’s eyes widened in fear. She suddenly asked, “Is the problem really that big?”
Qi Qing and Yu Yan both nodded heavily at the same time.
She slumped down and asked, “Why?”
She wasn’t being stubborn anymore.
Seeing that she was finally listening, Qi Qing said, “What Wang Da wanted was definitely not just for his mother to live a few more days and then die, nor for his wife to survive childbirth and then die. Even if they were to die, it should have been a gradual process, not a sudden, violent death. Besides, you took thirty years of his lifespan. This was clearly an unfair trade. That’s why he felt cheated.”
“But those were his exact words,” Jiu Chan said. “He said he wanted to trade ten years of his lifespan for his mother to live a few more days. I fulfilled his wish. He should be thanking me.”
“That was a prayer made in desperation; it can’t be taken literally,” Qi Qing said. “Perhaps if you hadn’t listened and just let his mother die a natural death, it would have been easier for him to accept.”
“So it turns out it’s my fault then,” Jiu Chan said angrily. “Humans love to lie. They beg and pray for something, but when you give it to them, they say it’s not right. What on earth did he want? I don’t understand!”
“Let’s use an analogy. Say you’re extremely hungry right now, feeling like you’re about to starve to death. You think, ‘Just give me a bite to eat, and I’ll do anything,’” Qi Qing said. “Then someone comes, gives you a bite to eat, and says they’ll feed you every day from now on, but you have to be their guard dog. How would you feel?”
Jiu Chan thought for a moment, then immediately bared her teeth and said, “Don’t even think about it!”
“You said you’d do anything,” Qi Qing said, spreading her hands.
Jiu Chan somewhat understood. This ‘anything’ wasn’t really ‘anything.’ But no one is that clear when making a wish. What they say and what they truly mean in their hearts are not always the same thing.
Her ears drooped. “Then what should I do?”
Qi Qing thought for a moment and said, “Next time something like this happens, explain it clearly beforehand. Only proceed if they accept the terms. Otherwise, do nothing.”
Before Jiu Chan could speak, Yu Yan said first, “No.”
“Why?”
“Divine officials cannot communicate directly with mortals.”
Qi Qing didn’t know there was such a rule and said, “But if that’s the case, there will inevitably be communication problems. Sooner or later, these kinds of inexplicable errors will occur again.”
Yu Yan said, “But those are the rules.”
“Ha, this is your fault for being incompetent and not having a divine envoy.” Jiu Chan didn’t forget to take the opportunity to mock.
Qi Qing asked, “What’s a divine envoy?”
“A divine envoy, well, only mortals can be one,” Jiu Chan said.
“Aren’t I a mortal?” Qi Qing said. “I can do it. What are the rules?”
Yu Yan said, “It’s actually a temple keeper.”
Qi Qing paused, then asked, “Do I have to shave my head?”
“That’s not necessary,” Yu Yan said. “You just have to wear Daoist robes or something similar, acting as a bridge between the divine official and mortals.”
“What’s so difficult about that?” Qi Qing said. “As long as it solves the problem. Besides, I’m already your disciple. It’s reasonable for me to be your divine envoy.”
…
Half an hour later, Qi Qing emerged, neatly dressed.
The Daoist robe was as white as snow. On Qi Qing, it was truly stunning, making one’s eyes light up. She usually had a gentler, more graceful demeanor, but as she looked down from the steps, she surprisingly projected an air of disdainful arrogance, as if looking down upon the world.
A stern-faced Qi Qing was very striking.
This was something Yu Yan had never imagined. Especially when being looked down upon like this, it made one feel an irresistible urge to submit. Even Jiu Chan was stunned, and only after a long while did she manage to say, “How did she suddenly become so good-looking… I can understand why you like her now.”
Qi Qing had indeed changed a lot, even she herself knew it. She was now decisive and ruthless, no longer possessing her previous weakness and confusion. Coupled with her superior intellect and repeated successes, she had developed a kind of detachment and composure that surpassed ordinary mortals.
It was just that.
As she looked down at Yu Yan, a trace of sadness welled up in her heart. If only I could have become stronger sooner, then Yu Yan wouldn’t have had to sacrifice so much for me, so much that I can never repay her.
No matter why Yu Yan was good to her, the fact that she was good to her was undeniable. Could she deny all of this just because of that possible outcome?
To deny this would be to deny her past self.
Because back then, she too had approached Ling Aorui with utilitarian motives. So many things happened later; she fell in love, then fell into hate. But even during the best of times, she had also thought, if only their meeting hadn’t been arranged by the system.
Had Yu Yan thought so too?
Qi Qing didn’t know. She no longer cared about life or death now; after all, she had already died once. But before she died again, she wanted to know if Yu Yan’s kindness towards her contained even a tiny shred of sincerity.
Even if it was just a shred, she would die without regrets.
…
In any case, the small temple with two gods and one envoy was temporarily re-established. The first task was to correct all the messes Jiu Chan had made. Because Jiu Chan was the current acting divine official, only she had the authority to modify the Register of Mortals at will.
Naturally, this included modifying memories and lifespans.
Wang Da’s lifespan was changed back to thirty-five years remaining. His memories were altered to his mother dying of illness and his wife dying in childbirth. As compensation, the outcome of both his wife and child dying was changed so that the child survived.
Wang Da woke up one morning to find that it had all been a dream. Although his mother and wife were gone, his child was still there, and so was hope. So, he entrusted his child to a neighboring aunty and worked desperately every day, just to create a prosperous life for his child.
The wishes of others were also more or less rectified. Although it wasn’t perfect, at least they were no longer as desperate as before. The common folk at the bottom were very resilient. As long as they were given a little hope, they could survive and live a decent life.
The second task was to re-establish their prestige.
Yu Yan’s previous work could only be considered average. The temple had incense offerings, but it wasn’t very prosperous. Jiu Chan, on the other hand, just scribbled nonsense. Among the three of them, only Qi Qing had some experience.
Qi Qing wasn’t exceptionally gifted either. It was just that she had lived longer in the modern world and had more channels for acquiring information. She knew what ordinary people needed most: nothing more than health, enough food to eat, and to live and work in peace and contentment.
There were no natural disasters in this place, and harvests were sufficient for people to eat. The only things that troubled people were illness and man-made disasters. Man-made disasters were easier to deal with. Jiu Chan wandered the streets every day, and if she saw anyone bullying others, she would deliver a punch of justice. Everyone said a hero had appeared in the area. If anyone dared to do evil, this hero would be the first to not spare them.
As for illnesses, there was much more to be done.
At first, they distributed medicine at the temple, but Qi Qing didn’t have much medicine on her. Even if she took out a furnace to refine more, it wouldn’t be enough for so many people.
Jiu Chan said it wasn’t difficult; she could cure everyone immediately.
Qi Qing shook her head, saying it wasn’t a long-term solution.
She wanted to teach the common people how to refine medicine.
Now, those magic treasures obtained from the mystic realm all came in handy—most of the magic artifacts Hua Yayun had collected were related to healing. There were pill furnaces and spiritual herb seeds, everything one could wish for.
First was acquiring land, hiring people, planting herbs, nurturing them, processing, refining, and packaging. This entire series of processes required manpower. They weren’t short of money, so they started from scratch. Once the medicinal pills could be sold, this industrial chain would have a source of income, and they wouldn’t need to manage it anymore.
This was a good deed that accumulated merit, and many people were willing to do it voluntarily. Qi Qing prioritized hiring the old, weak, sick, and disabled. These people had no source of income; giving them a way to make a living would allow them to survive.
People seeking medicine saw what she was doing and praised her as a living Bodhisattva. Even the local government heard about it and asked if she needed help.
Qi Qing smiled and said it wasn’t necessary, but she would need their cooperation on some paperwork, such as buying land. Most land in this era belonged to landlords, and many landlords, seeing her buy so much, got ideas about raising prices on the spot. Although they weren’t short of money, they didn’t want to be taken for fools.
The local magistrate here was relatively upright, so he let her buy as she pleased. If anyone dared to ask for a price higher than the market rate, he would definitely punish them severely without leniency.
Once these words got out, it became much easier for Qi Qing to buy land.
They bought all the land near the temple. They hired more of the old, weak, sick, and disabled to look after and process the medicinal herbs. Pill refining was more specialized, so they had to pick some clever children, teach them to read, identify herbs, and finally, to refine them. There were many unwanted children in the local orphanage, so she took them all in. The clever ones went to refine pills, and the less clever ones handled packaging.
They stayed there for several months.
Because some medicinal herbs had long growth cycles, they had to stay at least until the industrial chain was formed. During this time, Yu Yan and Jiu Chan also decided to show themselves, disguised as mortals, each managing a section of the work. Qi Qing, on the other hand, found herself with more leisure, only responsible for external communications, seeing patients, and distributing medicine.
Jiu Chan had a livelier personality and quickly mingled with the people in the herb garden. Yu Yan was more serious and trained them very strictly, scaring away two herb boys. But more children knew that strictness was for their own good; things used for healing had to be handled with utmost care.
The children learned quickly. In just two or three months, a few of them were doing quite well. Among them was one named Xue’er, who looked quiet and gentle, was very meticulous in her work, and also highly talented.
Yu Yan thought highly of her and taught her many extra things.
She learned very diligently, practically thirsty for knowledge. One day, when only she and Yu Yan were in the pill-refining room, she suddenly walked up to Yu Yan, her face flushed, and asked if Yu Yan had a beloved.
Yu Yan smiled and said, “Why are you asking this?”
“…I know that you and Lady Jiu Chan from the herb garden are not ordinary people. You will leave here sooner or later, right?”
Yu Yan knew she couldn’t deceive her, so she nodded.
“I want to express my feelings before Master leaves. I know that Master and I are not from the same world, but my affection for Master is absolutely genuine and second to none. If Master doesn’t have someone she likes, then… could you be my first love?”
She spoke haltingly, completely lacking her usual composure.
Yu Yan stared at her for a moment, then suddenly said, “Xue’er, you are a good child, very outstanding, and very well-behaved. Master likes you very much too. However, I have someone I love very much. We have been together in name for a long time, but our hearts are very far apart. I don’t know when I can break down this barrier. I long for that day, yet I also fear it, because sooner or later, I will leave. I don’t know how to say goodbye to her, and I don’t know… if I can even bring myself to say goodbye…”
Xue’er was silent for a moment, then said, “Then what if you don’t say goodbye?”
“What?”
“Don’t separate. Stay here forever, wouldn’t that be good?”
“Stay here…”
It wasn’t that Yu Yan hadn’t considered this possibility. She also yearned for a mortal life, but… to give up the fruition of her ascension to godhood and stay in the mortal realm forever was not something she could easily decide. It would be fine if Qi Qing truly loved her, but what if they couldn’t make it to the end?
Was she to give up her divine status for an uncertain love?
But as for laying a hand on Qi Qing to kill her, she absolutely couldn’t do it.
“You’ll be all alone when you go back, won’t you feel lonely? If you leave, won’t you also never be able to return here?”
Xue’er’s words reminded Yu Yan. That’s right, if Qi Qing died, how could she live on alone in the heavens?
How could she accept such a remaining life?
“We humans,” Xue’er suddenly said. “Our human lifespans are very short. So, if we like someone, we will definitely let them know as soon as possible, because we’re afraid that if too much time passes, it will be too late. If the person Master likes is also a mortal, then go and tell them sooner. If you tell them sooner, you can be together sooner…”
As she spoke, she started to cry uncontrollably. This was her first love, ending without a resolution like this. Although she had long anticipated this outcome, indeed, it was still so sad.
Yu Yan patted her head and comforted her.
“I will go. Don’t cry anymore.”
This long conversation was overheard by Qi Qing outside the door. She stood there, the snow beneath her feet slowly melting. Her face was a bit icy, numb from the cold, but her chest was warm because she was holding a hot water bottle filled for Yu Yan.
Yu Yan was afraid of the cold. This was the first snow of the year.
She looked back; the ground was covered in a silvery-white blanket of snow. Wisps of thin smoke rose from the roof of the distant medicine shed. That was the plastic greenhouse she had made, with a stove lit inside. It was a good way to ensure the supply of medicinal herbs in winter.
Never mind, it’s not suitable to go in now.
She left quietly and headed for the medicine shed.
Upon entering the shed, she immediately saw Jiu Chan. Perhaps it was too cold from staying in the heavens for so long, this fox also had a penchant for warming herself by the fire. Seeing her enter, Jiu Chan even greeted her and offered her a satsuma mandarin.
The whole shed smelled of roasted mandarins, sweet and fragrant.
Qi Qing took the mandarin and sat down. She saw Jiu Chan wearing a brightly patterned cotton-padded jacket and a dog-fur hat, hugging her own tail while leisurely drinking tea. She smiled and asked, “Aren’t your ears cold?”
Her entire body was covered except for her ears.
Jiu Chan touched her ears and said, “It’s just a thin layer of skin, and besides, there’s so much fur on them. Why are you sweating so much when you’re wearing so little?… Hey, why is your stomach so big? Are you pregnant?”
Qi Qing rolled her eyes at her and took out the hot water bottle to show her.
“Good stuff.” Jiu Chan touched it; it was hot to her paw. She then said, “Isn’t this for Yu Yan? What are you doing bringing it to me?”
“A little disciple confessed to her.” Qi Qing picked up a cup of tea and drank it herself. This Jiu Chan didn’t know much about tea; she drank ordinary floral tea, which tasted average, but it was good enough for warmth, and one wouldn’t feel bad drinking it casually.
Jiu Chan was dumbfounded for a moment, then whispered, “In front of you? That’s too brazen! Doesn’t she care about you, the main wife?”
Qi Qing was so annoyed she laughed. “Who said I’m the main wife?”
“Haven’t you two been together for a long time?” Jiu Chan said. “To tell you the truth, I’ve been following you two around. I even saw you two kissing. Still trying to pretend with me? What’s there to pretend? You can’t fool me!”
Qi Qing hadn’t expected her to be so blunt and blushed for a moment. She said, “We’re together in name, but actually…”
“I can understand your thoughts too,” Jiu Chan said seriously. “If she wants to go back, she must kill you. Anyone would be apprehensive about that. But I think she definitely won’t be able to do it. Sooner or later, she’ll have to stay in the mortal realm for you.”
“…” Qi Qing hadn’t expected her to dare say such things to her face. Since it was out in the open, she said, “Is there really no other way besides killing me?”
“There is.”
“What?”
“You become a god too.”
“…”
Easier said than done. If it were really that easy, would love tribulations be so difficult to pass? Qi Qing didn’t want to bother with her and just silently rolled her eyes.
“Why not? Becoming a god is very easy,” Jiu Chan said. “Your current magic power is already close to the Void Transformation realm. If you cultivate diligently, pass the Mahayana stage, pass the Tribulation Transcendence stage, endure one more tribulation, and you can ascend.”
Just as Qi Qing was about to speak, someone suddenly knocked on the door. She called out, but no one answered. Jiu Chan reacted faster than her, ran over, and opened the door. It was Mute Uncle.
Mute Uncle had been hired by Qi Qing; he was mute, so no wonder he didn’t speak. She walked over and asked him what was wrong. He only hummed and hawed, unable to speak clearly. Jiu Chan interacted with him more often. After watching his gestures for a moment, she said, “He says someone outside is looking for you.”
Mute Uncle nodded repeatedly.
“Who’s looking for me?”
Mute Uncle then started shaking his head.
“What’s so strange? So many people look for you every day. They’re probably seeking medical treatment or medicine. Hurry up and go. It’s so cold, don’t keep them waiting.” Jiu Chan pushed her out, afraid that if she lingered, all the warm air in the shed would escape.
When Qi Qing left, Jiu Chan was pulling Mute Uncle inside to warm up. She rolled her eyes and walked straight out of the temple grounds.
There was no one outside the temple; it was quiet. She had just sent off a batch of people seeking medicine. It was snowing heavily today; if it wasn’t an emergency, no one should be so anxious to see her. She looked around but didn’t see anyone, and thought perhaps Mute Uncle had made a mistake.
Never mind, it’s so cold. I should go back.
But just as she took a step, she heard a familiar voice from behind her—distant, cold, and hoarse, as if filled with a bellyful of frost and snow.
“Qingqing, we meet again.”