He didn't say everything right away. When Qin Yi asked about his purpose, he took out a pill and said, "I came today to ask Brother Qin to identify this pill."
Qin Yi took it. It was a red pill the size of a ping-pong ball, shiny and smooth on the outside. It felt very hard but also had a slight softness to it, almost like a piece of red jade rather than a medicine.
Liu Su secretly scoffed, "This is a typical mistake. This kind of external pill shouldn't be made like this. Taking it could cause problems even if you’re fine at first."
"This pill contains a lot of metallic substances..." Even without Liu Su saying it, Qin Yi could already tell, "This kind of pill can give a person a temporary boost in energy, making them feel lively for a short time, but in the long run, it’s definitely harmful to the body."
Li Qinglin rarely showed a hint of happiness.
It was indeed rare. Although he often smiled, Qin Yi never thought of it as real joy. Only this moment, when a brief smile suddenly appeared and quickly faded, made Qin Yi feel that he was truly happy inside.
This identification made Li Qinglin's feelings visible, showing how much he valued whether Qin Yi could see through Dong Huazi's pills.
"I have to ask..." Qin Yi wondered, "You’re not planning to have your father swallow this whole, are you?"
Li Qinglin sighed, "He really did swallow it whole. Just looking at it makes my throat hurt; I can't believe he managed to do it."
The two looked at each other and shook their heads, laughing.
Qin Yi said, "Just telling your father my answer won’t help, right?"
"That’s true. It’s just to give me a clearer idea," Li Qinglin replied with a smile. "And I confirmed that you really can understand some of Dong Huazi's tricks, which is very important."
It probably also included today’s incident with the peach wood sword automatically seeking out monsters, which made Li Qinglin have a renewed confidence in Qin Yi's abilities. Qin Yi knew this well and deliberately said, "What if I didn’t understand?"
Li Qinglin casually replied, "Then you could just entertain Qing Jun with monkey stories. I enjoy those too."
Qin Yi sighed and tossed the pill back, asking, "I still don’t know what you want me to do. If it’s a battle of spells with Dong Huazi, I might not be his match since I really don’t know much about him."
"A battle of spells? Maybe, but it won’t be so straightforward. I’ll arrange things slowly," Li Qinglin smiled slightly. "You need to learn more about Dong Huazi from various angles. I came to find you today with Ye Ling for this purpose."
"What does she have to do with it?"
"Even without your peach wood sword, I planned to tell you about her identity. Ye Ling knows more about Dong Huazi than many others. She can tell you almost everything you want to know," Li Qinglin's smile became ambiguous. "So I want her to follow you. Are you really not interested?"
"She’s not your servant, right? You can’t just say 'follow' without asking if she wants to."
At that moment, Ye Ling, who had been silent, suddenly said, "I’m willing."
Li Qinglin sighed inwardly. He knew that many of his actions wouldn’t earn Ye Ling's true loyalty, so he didn’t care about his own face. The chance to choose her own path was something she seemed eager for.
Of course, it might also be because of how Qin Yi had invited her to sit earlier.
Some things may seem small to you, but they could be very important to others. Li Qinglin understood how much Qin Yi’s attitude of treating monsters like people had affected Ye Ling, especially since she had faced many dark experiences in her short life as a monster.
Though he thought this, he wouldn’t show it. His smile grew even more ambiguous.
He thought Qin Yi would accept, but to his surprise, Qin Yi firmly said, "No, I won’t take her. A gentleman doesn’t take what others cherish."
Li Qinglin coughed awkwardly, "She’s not anything special to me, just a guard."
Suddenly, a voice came from outside: "Sending a guard? Let me see; it better be a reliable one."
With that, Li Qingjun strode in. As soon as she saw Ye Ling, she said, "Oh, Ye Ling! She seems quiet and calm, which is good. Qin Yi likes quiet. But is she a bit small?"
Before Qin Yi could respond, she plopped down at the table and patted Qin Yi on the shoulder. "Just accept her. Why are you being so picky?"
Qin Yi stared in disbelief at Li Qingjun today.
This was Li Qingjun in women's clothing.
When she first returned to the capital, she was still in men’s clothes. Now that she had settled in and freshened up, she couldn’t continue wearing men’s clothes.
She wore a simple silk outfit with a long white skirt. Her waist was adorned with accessories, her face was free of makeup, her long hair flowed freely, and a white flower was pinned in her hair to signify a family member had passed away. Although her attire was simpler compared to others' fancy dresses, it still carried a sense of mourning. Yet, her beauty was striking, like a flower blooming suddenly.
Qin Yi had thought that Ming He, whom he had seen yesterday, was the most beautiful woman he had ever met, perhaps due to her aura as a cultivator. Now, seeing Li Qingjun in women's clothing, her beauty was no less than Ming He’s, and her vibrant energy might even surpass it!
Why could this reckless girl keep raising the bar for beauty? If she dressed up properly next time, wouldn’t she be heavenly?
Li Qingjun didn’t realize that the reason he was swallowing hard was because of her, and she mistakenly thought it was because of Ye Ling. She couldn’t help but scoff, "Men and their nature. Alright, alright, hurry up and tell the monkey story. I couldn’t sleep last night thinking about it."
"Do you even know who I was thinking of this time?" Qin Yi thought it was ridiculous but ultimately didn’t want to drag the topic out. He shifted the conversation, "Your brother came to me about something serious. If I start telling the monkey story, it’ll take a long time, and that’s not appropriate."
"There’s no serious business anymore." Li Qinglin smiled as he sipped his tea. "I love hearing monkey stories too."
Originally, Li Qinglin had come to find Qin Yi to let him interact with Ye Ling and assess her attitude before deciding how to deal with the foreign cultivator. Now, he felt there was no need to discuss that anymore.
Qin Yi's attitude was much more interesting than he had expected.
"Alright then." Qin Yi said helplessly, "Stop calling it a monkey story. It’s called 'Journey to the West,' written by a man named Wu Cheng'en."
...
Qin Yi initially thought it was normal for someone like Li Qingjun, who was interested in many things, to enjoy 'Journey to the West,' especially since she had her own interpretations. But he didn’t expect that Li Qinglin seemed even more interested in 'Journey to the West' than Li Qingjun. He listened very attentively and would press Qin Yi for small details, even pointing out inconsistencies in what Qin Yi said.
Qin Yi felt like he was going to burst. Who remembers the exact details of 'Journey to the West'? He could tell the story based on his memory, but to get it completely right was a dream!
"I thought you heard this story somewhere, but it seems you’re just making it up on the spot and attributing it to that old man Wu," Li Qinglin laughed as he pressed Qin Yi, who was at a loss for words. "Not bad, it’s quite clever. Monsters and demons are fine, but where did you come up with the gods and Buddhas?"
Qin Yi replied irritably, "Are you going to keep listening or not?"
"Yes!" Li Qingjun shot her brother a glare. "Don’t interrupt! What were we talking about? The country of Chechi capturing monks, and the monkey went to ask people, then what happened?"
"Oh, it was because twenty years ago, there was a great drought, and all beings were suffering. Suddenly, three immortals came down from the sky, used their magic to bring rain, and saved the people. From then on, they became the national teacher..." As Qin Yi spoke, his voice gradually lowered as he noticed the expressions on the faces of the Li siblings changed.
Li Qingjun frowned, "If you don’t have a story to tell, you don’t need to drag our South Li into it."
"..." So Dong Huazi was also a national teacher who brought rain? Qin Yi was speechless. How could he continue when the story of Chechi fighting spells was exactly what Li Qinglin wanted him to do?
Li Qinglin leaned back in his chair and said leisurely, "This time, you don’t interrupt. Why can’t we make up a story about our South Li? Brother Qin, please continue. I still want to hear it."
Qin Yi replied, "What else is there to continue? The monkey won against the national teacher, and the national teacher died."
"And then? Did the king convert to Buddhism and go after Daoists?"
"Of course, it was a win-win situation..."
"Hmm?"
"Oh, the monkey taught him about the unity of the three teachings, respecting both monks and Daoists, and nurturing talent, which solidified the kingdom."
"Hah..." Li Qinglin laughed and stood up. "Let’s stop here for today. Thank you very much, Brother Qin, for the wonderful story. Just for this monkey story, my trip to Xianji Mountain wasn’t in vain."
(End of Chapter)