"Since you’re not a disciple of the national teacher, you probably heard some bad things about them. I've teamed up with Li Qinglin to deal with monsters three times now, and just last night we took down a corpse bug monster. Why do you think someone who deals with monsters shouldn't associate with Li Qinglin? What kind of bias is that?"
"Did you deal with the corpse bug monster?" Ming He replied calmly, "It got away; I dealt with it."
Qin Yi was speechless.
"Last night, I wanted to check on Prince Qinglin to confirm a few things, and unexpectedly came across the three of you at the farm." Ming He said lightly, "Li Qinglin clearly has the ability to deal with monsters, yet pretends to be helpless and lets the monsters escape. His only concern is solving the mystery of the farm, and whether the monster escapes or dies doesn't matter to him. He is a schemer, not a monster hunter."
Qin Yi felt embarrassed. It was true; Li Qinglin was not the type to heroically fight monsters. If it were Li Qingjun, that would be different. But he couldn't blame Li Qinglin; everyone has their own path.
He sighed, "So, Daoist Ming He, what are you trying to say?"
"I want to say that someone like Li Qinglin would cooperate with monsters if it benefits him."
"That's nonsense," Qin Yi said unhappily. "The one truly cooperating with monsters is..."
He stopped mid-sentence. After all, they were at the entrance of the Changsheng Temple, and he couldn't just say anything.
But his expression made his attitude clear. Ming He shook her head slightly, "I personally saw the national teacher deal with monsters, and he was ruthless, showing no mercy. In contrast, on the night the prince was attacked, there was a monstrous aura like lightning around the prince's residence, and it still lingers there. I went to see Prince Qinglin to verify this."
Qin Yi was taken aback, processing this in his mind several times before suddenly widening his eyes.
Ming He continued, "I saw you can wield a stick to deal with monsters and break the Eight Gates Golden Lock, so you are clearly a cultivator. You also directly called Li Qinglin by name, which means you are not his subordinate. If you still have some thoughts of fighting against evil, I wonder if you could help me with a small task?"
Qin Yi squinted, "You want me to investigate the monsters in Li Qinglin's residence?"
"Exactly," Ming He sighed. "I travel to eliminate monsters. I have sworn an oath to use my skills only against monsters and not against ordinary people. Li Qinglin's residence is heavily guarded, so it would be inconvenient for me to force my way in to deal with monsters."
Qin Yi looked at her for a long time and said seriously, "Sorry, I have no intention of fighting against evil. If you want me to fight against evil, I might consider it."
The two phrases sounded the same, and the Daoist completely didn't understand what he was saying, looking at him with wide eyes in confusion.
At that moment, her innocent beauty became apparent, a far cry from his previous impressions. Qin Yi suddenly felt amused; this Daoist seemed quite simple in some ways, not as unreachable as he thought.
He finally clarified, "I'm not a cultivator and can't sense the monstrous aura, so I can't help you."
After saying that, he turned to leave, deciding not to even enter the Changsheng Temple. It seemed this Daoist was more troublesome than the temple itself.
Ming He sighed from behind, "You don't trust me."
Qin Yi didn't respond and silently walked back. He thought, isn't that obvious? Li Qinglin left a good impression on him; even if they weren't quite friends, they had some bond. Why would he trust a Daoist he had never met before instead of Li Qinglin?
Was it because she was pretty?
You haven't even asked my name!
Even if, hypothetically, there were monsters in Li Qinglin's residence, it wasn't a big deal. As she said, Li Qinglin was a schemer, not a monster hunter. For someone who would eventually become king, cooperating with monsters in certain matters wasn't hard to understand. Qin Yi didn't feel it was necessary to get involved.
He came to work with Li Qinglin against the national teacher, not to meddle in his private affairs.
As for the "night the prince was attacked"...
This Daoist came from the national teacher's temple; who knows what connection she has with him? It could all be a lie to manipulate him.
It was better to keep a distance.
Just as he was thinking this, Ming He suddenly appeared in front of him, blocking his way. Qin Yi said coldly, "Do you have any further instructions, Daoist?"
Ming He didn't mind Qin Yi's increasingly distant tone. Instead, she handed him a wooden sword and said softly, "I was being presumptuous. Thinking it over, you really have no cultivation, and forcing you to face monsters would be inconvenient... If you insist on entering the residence, take this sword. It can help protect you from harm by monsters."
Qin Yi looked down at the wooden sword, then at Ming He.
Her eyes were still clear as water.
Qin Yi wanted to refuse but changed his mind and accepted the wooden sword. He politely bowed and then walked away without saying a word.
...
"What happened?" Once he was in a secluded area, Qin Yi immediately whispered to Liu Su, "Did that Daoist follow us?"
Liu Su was silent for a while before saying, "No, she didn't follow. But it's better to speak quietly; I don't know if her spiritual sense can eavesdrop."
Qin Yi lowered his voice even more, "What’s going on with you today? You usually chatter away, but now when I need you to assess that Daoist, you’ve been quiet the whole time?"
Liu Su said softly, "She is a very powerful cultivator... Although with her current level, she can't detect my presence, if I were to communicate with you soul-to-soul in front of her, the soul energy fluctuations might be noticed. It's better to be cautious."
"A very... powerful cultivator?" Qin Yi was taken aback.
He was used to Liu Su looking down on this and that. He believed its previous owner was definitely impressive. This was the first time he heard it describe someone as "very powerful" in terms of cultivation.
Liu Su suddenly asked, "When she asked you about weapons, why were you so nervous? Were you afraid of me being discovered?"
Qin Yi replied irritably, "Of course. This Daoist is unpredictable; what if she wants to kill you?"
Liu Su fell silent. After a long moment, it let out a soft laugh, leaving Qin Yi puzzled.
It didn’t continue on that topic and slowly spoke about Ming He: "This Daoist looks under twenty but has already entered the Qin Heart realm, no, she’s almost perfected it."
"What’s the Qin Heart?"
Liu Su rarely didn’t mock him: "...Forget it, just think of it as a foundational level of cultivation."
"She’s only at the foundational level and not perfected yet; that’s not that impressive..."
"She’s not even twenty! Do you know what that means?" Liu Su, who had been much calmer, couldn't hold back anymore and almost cursed: "Many people die without reaching the foundational level, and she’s almost perfected it! She could blow away a monster tiger you couldn’t beat with just a breath. Even the seemingly powerful Li Qinglin would only be able to withstand one of her attacks if he performed exceptionally!"
Qin Yi suddenly said, "So, she’s a real cultivator?"
"Yes, without a doubt. And her skills are very advanced, definitely not comparable to some worthless spirit gathering formations. I suspect she comes from a top-tier sect! Do you know what that peach wood sword she gave you is?"
"Is it the kind that Yun Zhongzi gave to King Zhou?"
Liu Su hadn’t heard that story and replied directly, "That peach wood sword has been enchanted by her. It will automatically thirst for monster blood as long as there are monsters within range, causing no harm to people but being extremely powerful against monsters. I can’t judge how large the range is, but this method of attaching spells to objects without dispersing them is the foundation of crafting magical treasures."
Qin Yi stood there for a while, hesitating, "Could it be that she really is helping me defend myself?"
Liu Su didn’t answer.
At that moment, Qin Yi had taken the sword to let Liu Su assess its origin and purpose, and it turned out to be for dealing with monsters, which was surprising. He frowned and went over various situations in detail but still felt confused. Why had a top-tier cultivator suddenly appeared in this small southern country?
A true cultivator from a top-tier sect meant she really wasn’t a disciple of the national teacher. No matter how you looked at it, Dong Huazi didn’t have that kind of influence; otherwise, Li Qinglin wouldn’t even need to bother and could just sleep.
But even though she was just passing through, she seemed to have a lot of hostility toward Li Qinglin. If she really decided to do something, Li Qinglin would be in big trouble.
"Forget it, let’s go back to the residence first. I’ll find out eventually."
(End of Chapter)