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In her memory, she had never seen her mother with such an expression before.
“You little rascal, go eat your steamed buns after you brush your teeth. I’ve even warmed them up for you.”
“Mama’s a dummy!”
The Little Girl pouted a complaint, but instead of heading to the kitchen, she edged even closer.
“What are you doing?”
Pushing away the Little Girl’s face, which had gotten too close, Qíngyǔ then wiped the water droplets from her hands onto the child’s clothes.
“Tell me, tell me—”
“You wouldn’t understand this kind of thing…”
Feeling a touch of embarrassment, Qíngyǔ cleared her throat, then firmly took the Little Girl’s hand and led her towards the kitchen.
“If Mama doesn’t tell me, how will I know if I understand?”
“Oh… alright…”
‘If I don’t explain it thoroughly today, this child will surely pester me until bedtime,’ Qíngyǔ thought, having no other choice but to casually speak as she handed the Little Girl a steamed bun.
“Little Girl, what do you want to do when you grow up?”
“Me?”
The Little Girl took the steaming meat bun, its rich, savory aroma filling the room and instantly whetting her appetite.
Her large eyes blinked rapidly as she stared intensely at the bun in her hand, as if it were a sworn enemy.
“I wanna be with Mama forever.”
Even with her mouth full, the little one’s chatter remained unstoppable.
Qíngyǔ conjured a water cloth with a flick of her hand, meticulously wiping away the crumbs from the Little Girl’s lips before continuing.
“No, not that. What kind of things do you want to *do* in the future?”
“Huh? Isn’t that it?”
“See? I told you you wouldn’t understand.”
“What don’t I understand?”
“Just eat your bun.”
Shaking her head, Qíngyǔ couldn’t be bothered to argue further with the persistent little one. She picked up a bun herself and took a bite.
‘To say her future wish is just to be with me… this child is truly still too young,’ she mused.
‘While she’s precocious, she still doesn’t know what her true aspirations are.’
‘Still, my cooking skills are genuinely good. These buns have thin skins and generous fillings; one bite fills the mouth with savory oil, perfectly balanced between lean and fatty without being greasy.’
‘But what about me? So much older than her, where do my own ambitions lie?’
“Then what does Mama want to do in the future?”
Having just devoured one bun, the Little Girl reached for another, asking her mother amidst her hurried eating.
“First, I’ll raise you until you’re grown, then I’ll build a Daoist temple and cultivate in seclusion.”
“Well, there you go! Then I’ll cultivate in seclusion with Mama.”
Qíngyǔ swallowed her bun and glanced at the child, dismissing it as mere childish boasting.
“My dear child, can you truly endure solitary cultivation?”
“If Mama can endure it, why couldn’t I?”
The Little Girl patted her chest, her mouth glistening with oil. Her adorable earnestness made Qíngyǔ chuckle inwardly.
“Could you truly spend every day grinding ink and writing, offering incense and sweeping, keeping your heart still and dust-free, untouched by worldly affairs?”
“I can, if I’m with Mama!”
“You silly goose.”
Shaking her head, Qíngyǔ cleared away the messy table, the wooden surface groaning faintly under her touch. Beside her, the Little Girl, with nothing else to do, playfully rocked back and forth on her straw stool.
“Mama, tell me, what exactly does one cultivate when they cultivate immortality?”
Qíngyǔ turned, casting a glance at the Little Girl, a myriad of thoughts flashing through her mind. After cleaning the plate in her hand with a water-based spell, she finally answered her.
“Longevity and eternal youth, unfettered freedom.”
‘This answer is likely what most cultivators aspire to; it stands to reason that the cultivation world in this realm is no different in its pursuit of this wish.’
“And after that?”
“After that, naturally, one becomes an immortal ancestor, observing the mortal realm in serene detachment.”
‘This had been my initial ambition in my previous life, just like most senior transmigration cultivators: to become that peerless ‘Heavenly Chosen’ who could reign supreme through the ages.’
Having tidied the dishes and chopsticks, she returned them to their basin, covering them with gauze. Qíngyǔ wiped her hands, then settled back down beside the Little Girl.
They usually sat facing each other, yet every time they were halfway through their meal, the Little Girl would inexplicably inch closer and closer until she was right beside her.
“I don’t think that’s right.”
The Little Girl pondered deeply, her small mind a whirl of unknown thoughts, finally managing to utter just that one sentence.
“Then what do *you* think it’s for?”
Qíngyǔ reached out and gently pinched her little cheek. Since she began cultivating, the child’s skin had become increasingly delicate, so soft it felt as though water could be squeezed from it.
‘The texture was truly delightful.’
“As for me, it’s definitely to be with Mama!”
The Little Girl rubbed her slightly reddened cheek.
“You can achieve that wish even without cultivating immortality.”
“Forever, I mean!”
The Little Girl emphasized the word “forever,” her tone growing more insistent.
“Then you’d better work hard on your cultivation.”
‘And I’ll have to work hard to gather cultivation resources for you too.’
Qíngyǔ gazed at her, feeling her own obsession with ‘ambition’ lessen a little more. After all, she had already let go of such things before her ascension in her previous life.
‘Even eternity eventually ends; without true freedom, all that remains is a pile of bones.’
‘While the enlightened always find a way to liberation, having arrived in a world where one can seek the chance for longevity, it would be truly improper not to pursue that sliver of hope.’
“Little Girl, would you like to go out with Mama for a stroll?”
Qíngyǔ pondered for a long time, deciding it was best to act sooner rather than later. The rogue cultivator gathering place Sir Zi had mentioned wasn’t very far from Gubei County.
“Where are we going? To the mountains?”
The Little Girl asked innocently, her concept of ‘the world’ extending only to their dilapidated courtyard, perhaps including the nameless town and the small hills outside it.
“Somewhere a little further.”
‘Linjian Fang, that’s what the rogue cultivator market was called. It likely had some connection to the tale of immortals altering waterways, as recorded in Zhongwen Tang’s books.’
“Anywhere is fine, as long as I’m with Mama.”
The child was quite compliant, nodding her head and agreeing without even asking where Qíngyǔ planned to go.
“Alright, then. Once Uncle Yang’s letter arrives, we’ll leave together.”
‘I should use this opportunity to scout the surroundings, bring Song Daocong’s matter to a temporary close, and also prepare some talismans and magical artifacts.’
“Will we come back here?”
“If you like it here, then we will.”
‘Qíngyǔ had never harbored strong feelings of attachment to her homeland. Had her senior sister not lost her life descending the mountain to subdue a demon, she wouldn’t have needed to take on the duty of guarding the sect.’
“I still want to come back.”
“Why?”
“Mama planted white orchids, and mended the window paper, and renovated the stove…”
The Little Girl counted on her fingers, listing every single thing Qíngyǔ had done, recounting all the little moments they had shared in the small courtyard.
“You certainly remember clearly.”
“I’ll never, ever forget!”
The Little Girl stood abruptly on the straw stool, hands on her hips, making her half a head taller than her seated mother.
“Be careful, sit down properly.”
Subconsciously overlooking the fact that the little one before her was already a peak Qi Condensation cultivator, Qíngyǔ worried she might lose her footing and bump into something.
“It’s fine, Mama. Even if I fell from the rooftop right now, I wouldn’t get hurt.”
The Little Girl extended her hand, summoning spiritual energy, and a faint glow shimmered erratically around her body.
Qíngyǔ reached out and tapped it, and surprisingly, it resounded with a dull thud, like striking stone.
“My daughter is truly amazing.”
“Hmph hmph.”
‘The way this spiritual energy is structured is quite interesting; I wonder if I can utilize it myself.’
Silently noting this detail, Qíngyǔ took the Little Girl’s hand and led her out of the kitchen.
“So, this afternoon, will my amazing daughter join me for a look around the graveyard?”
“Are we going to catch ghosts?!”
Qíngyǔ had expected to frighten her, but instead, the Little Girl’s eyes lit up at the mention of it, and she eagerly waved her tiny fists.
“No, no, no. If we meet people… if we meet ghosts, you absolutely must not just hit them right away.”
“Then when *can* I hit them?”
“No… ghosts are also divided into good and evil. We can’t just randomly hit the good ones.”
“Oh, then I’ll just hit the bad ones.”
“You’ll act when I tell you to, and we might not even encounter any ghosts.”
Hearing the Little Girl’s fearless declaration, Qíngyǔ felt a faint throb of a headache coming on.
‘What if an Underworld Messenger pops out later, and the Little Girl greets them with a punch? That wouldn’t be good.’
“Mm-hm!”
Unsure if she truly understood, Qíngyǔ could only assume she’d grasped the general idea, deciding to simply pay closer attention if they genuinely encountered an Underworld Messenger later.
The adventure continues! If you loved this chapter, How to Catch Returnee is a must-read. Click here to start!
Read : How to Catch Returnee
