Qin Yi felt quite awkward. "I also think this is strange. She can't possibly have no one guarding the entrance..."
"Even if there’s no one guarding, she can just stand at the entrance and wait until the last moment to go in. The reason for having someone guard outside must be to delay the main force of the enemy. You're being used as a pawn!"
Qin Yi sighed, "But what can I do? I need her help, and if she doesn't agree to guard, what else can I do?"
"You have a need, so you're being led around, losing your original self." Liu Su said coldly, "It's one thing to be led around, but do you even realize how many mistakes you've made?"
Qin Yi didn’t respond. He actually knew he had made many mistakes, all due to his impatience.
Just considering the trip to the Frost Cave, he made a huge mistake. Cheng Huang only mentioned that those kinds of places are more harmful to monsters and less stressful for humans, but that doesn’t mean it’s harmless. He didn’t take the time to understand just how dangerous it was for humans and recklessly said, "Let’s go now."
When he got there and asked the sand sculpture, it didn’t know, and he never thought to ask someone else.
He thought he was being brave by charging in, but in reality, that was reckless. He had already lost the calmness he once had.
"I really was anxious," Qin Yi sighed softly. "Seeing hope fading away and feeling like I couldn't go back to report my failure, I was almost going to explode. When I suddenly heard a glimmer of hope, how could I not feel joy?"
"That's understandable, but what good does it do?" Liu Su said coldly. "Many talented people have fallen for similarly understandable reasons. But once they’re dead, all that’s left is a story for others to sigh over."
Qin Yi kept quiet and accepted the criticism.
Liu Su continued, "Besides, when you felt things were tough after going in, you should have left right away. Why hold on?"
"Because I thought there was hope, that I could turn things around. You didn’t try to persuade me to leave either..."
"Because it wasn't a place where you would die instantly. I wanted to see how far you could go in being reckless." Liu Su sneered. "Anyway, I can take you out anytime, so I thought it would be interesting to see a fool perform."
"…"
"Forget it." After scolding him, Liu Su seemed to calm down a bit and even tried to comfort him. "You're still young and full of energy. Making some mistakes isn't unforgivable; just be more careful in the future."
"Okay."
"Without desires, one can be strong." Liu Su sighed lightly. "Your obsession with Dong Huazi didn’t come from you. When your heart has no desires, you can watch things clearly. Now that you have desires, not getting what you want brings suffering, and suffering leads to attachment, which leads to delusions. In the future, before acting impulsively, think about the lessons from this time."
Qin Yi sincerely replied, "I will take your advice to heart."
"Speaking of Cheng Huang," Liu Su paused, "she has been watching you closely in the Frost Cave."
Qin Yi was surprised. "What do you mean?"
"I don’t know. I actually think she should have the Frost Fruit herself and doesn’t need you to risk your life. It seems like she was deliberately observing your performance." Liu Su said, "It looks like your reckless and foolish behavior actually impressed her. The moment you fainted, she appeared right away. During your two days of unconsciousness, she really took care of you, which is hard to believe. Is this what they call a fool having good fortune?"
Qin Yi twitched his mouth. "Now that you mention it, I won’t admit to my earlier mistake..."
"Getting a monster's admiration isn’t as important as keeping a calm mind. Don’t get things mixed up!" Liu Su started to scold again. "What good is the admiration of a flirty fox? In the end, she still treats you like a pawn to guard the entrance!"
Qin Yi forced a smile. "Just kidding, just kidding."
Liu Su fell silent.
Actually, this situation wasn’t just about the monster king's admiration. While Liu Su scolded him, she secretly admired him too.
She didn’t try to persuade Qin Yi to leave the Frost Cave because she wanted to see him succeed. She felt conflicted; on one hand, she thought he shouldn’t be so reckless, but on the other hand, she admired his passion and persistence. This contradiction gave Liu Su a headache. Even though she scolded him and hoped he would stay calm, deep down she felt that if he lost that bit of passion and recklessness, everything would become too calculated and lose the spirit of youth.
But no matter how much she admired him, she couldn’t openly support him. She had to make sure he stayed calm and focused on his life.
Liu Su vowed that even if she had to reshape her body in the future, she would never want to take on a disciple. It was just too annoying.
...
In the next two days, Cheng Huang didn’t show up again. Instead, it was Ye Ling who came to take care of Qin Yi.
Qin Yi recovered quickly and was already able to walk.
Though his frostbite looked terrible, the icy power had long lost its ability to freeze souls. Even if he was hurt badly, it was just physical injuries. In this world, surface injuries were among the simplest kinds of injuries.
Ye Ling helped Qin Yi walk slowly around the palace to get his blood flowing and muscles moving.
"Brother, Master Sister is bullying me."
"Huh? How is she bullying you?"
"She made the maid help you take off your clothes and wash your body. I wanted to watch, but she threw me out!"
"I think she did well... Wait!" Qin Yi’s eyes widened. "She didn’t go out herself?"
"No!" Ye Ling said angrily. "There were so many maids watching! Why can everyone else see, but I have to be thrown out?"
Qin Yi: "…"
"But what Master taught me is really amazing." Ye Ling said excitedly. "Even though I haven’t made much progress in my training, I feel like I’ve fixed a lot of mistakes I made before. I learned about training monster bodies, improving talents, and many powerful battle techniques!"
Qin Yi said, "As long as she teaches you sincerely, that’s good."
"Of course it’s sincere! Besides you, Master treats me the best. She let me stay in the East Palace, and others say that’s supposed to be where the crown prince lives..."
Qin Yi felt like someone was trying to take his sister away and frowned. "Just because she lets you stay in the East Palace, you’re grateful? She’ll have a son one day and won’t pass the throne to you."
"If only you and Master had a son, then I could take the little baby out to play..." Ye Ling blinked. "Didn’t Master ask if you wanted to be the head of the harem? Brother, just agree to her."
"Go away, you little brat. What do you know?"
"Hehe~ Brother’s face is turning red."
Qin Yi awkwardly changed the subject. "Anyway, whatever she teaches you is to prepare you for fighting! What about Guo Country, Shao Country? When it comes to fighting, there will be bodies everywhere. Even a monster general like Ying Li will have a day when he dies in battle. Do you think it’s fun?"
Ye Ling’s excited face froze for a moment. After looking around and seeing no one, she whispered, "During those times, I’ll just hide secretly. Don’t tell Master, or she’ll be furious."
Qin Yi didn’t respond, feeling annoyed.
Ye Ling then cheerfully said, "Master said I could form my own personal guard and choose monsters myself. I got that cute Yiying monster!"
"You should at least find some useful guards. What’s the point of having a Yiying monster that can be taken down with one punch?" Qin Yi said, amused. "But it’s fine; it can be a playmate since you’ve never had anyone to play with."
"Yeah, yeah! Brother, do you have any suggestions?"
"I recommend the argumentative guy under Ying, the sand sculpture under the king, and then find a lemon to add to the Yiying monster. That way, you’ll have the Four Heavenly Kings of the East Palace. It’ll be quite impressive to take them out in the future."
Ye Ling wrote everything down in her little notebook, her big eyes sparkling with excitement.
(End of Chapter)