The chivalrous spirit is fickle

"I remember... people in the martial arts world say that you are a sex-hungry ghost. No matter the age, beauty or ugliness, you will kill them all."

Shi Gu's movements paused, he looked up in surprise, then became angry and said.

"Nonsense, I am a very decent person, how did I become a sex-hungry ghost?"

Qing'er looked at Shi Gu's face and found that he was indeed not that unpleasant, nor did he look vulgar. She felt relieved and let go of her nervousness and asked Shi Gu curiously.

"Rumor has it that you have peeked at Saint Lady Dahe bathing."

“Is this true or false?”

Upon hearing this, Shi Gu immediately stopped talking, but looking at Qing'er's clear eyes, he couldn't help but defend himself in a low voice.

"That's not right. I was the first one to enter the lake where Saint Maiden Dahe bathed, and she came later."

"If I have to say, it was she who peeped at me taking a bath."

The naive Qing'er raised her little head, thought about it seriously, nodded, and said foolishly.

"That seems to be the case."

Li Qing on the side raised his brows slightly, thinking secretly in his heart, you are bathing in the holy lake of Dahe Sect, aren't you waiting for the Dahe Saint Maiden to come? That lake is a lake reserved for the Saint Maiden.

The naive Qing'er didn't know all this. Instead, she smiled foolishly, and said to Shigu, feeling completely relieved.

"Well, I don't think you are a bad person either."

Shi Gu looked at Qing'er's well-behaved appearance, then looked at the two traitors beside her. He couldn't help but feel pity for Qing'er and sighed.

"I think I understand why your master likes you so much."

Such a child with a pure mind and innocent life is really hard not to like.

Hearing Shi Gu's words, Li Qing's eyes warmed up, and he looked at Qing'er beside him with a gentle look.

However, when Qing'er heard this, she curled her lips and began to complain.

"Don't mention my master. When I first met my master, she didn't even look at me. I chased after her, but she told me not to cry and told me not to follow her."

"She said if I followed her again, she would kill me."

Li Qing's breath was choked, and he looked inexplicably unhappy. He secretly kicked Qing'er with his foot, and Qing'er turned around and asked innocently.

"Master, why are you kicking me? These are new clothes. It would be a shame if they got dirty."

Li Qing was speechless for a moment, and couldn't help wanting to reach out and rub Qing'er's little face, but under the gazes of outsiders like Shi Gu, he still held back.

Shen Yue and Su Xue were both feeling very uncomfortable trying to hold back their laughter, so they began to secretly kick Shi Gu, hinting to him, "Smile. If you, the master, smile, it will be less offensive for us two disciples to smile too."

Shi Gu originally wanted to laugh, but he didn't want to laugh anymore after being kicked by these two traitors.

"Qing'er, how did you meet your master?"

Li Ran's eyes moved slightly and he asked Qing'er. He really wanted to know how his sister had been doing over the years, but he couldn't ask directly, so he had to ask indirectly.

Qing'er held her chin with both hands, and there was a hint of nostalgia on her little face. The corners of her mouth were slightly raised, and she spoke with a smile in a cheerful tone.

"I heard that I was an abandoned child."

The voices of Shi Gu and the others suddenly became quiet. This was not a light-hearted topic, but more like uncovering the scars bit by bit.

But why can this little girl say these sad things in such a relaxed tone?

"I was raised by a somewhat stupid beggar. We lived in an abandoned city god temple."

"That beggar was very fierce. She always asked me to go out and beg for food, and then give her everything I got."

"If I didn't give it to her, she would beat me and scold me."

"She doesn't like me, not at all."

Qing'er pouted her lips, not feeling sad at all, but speaking angrily and childishly.

"I don't like her anyway, so let her be."

"Then one day, someone came and said I was her daughter. She gave me a lot of food and new clothes."

Speaking of this, Qing'er smiled sweetly, as if she remembered the scene at that time, her face full of joy.

But then, her face turned dim again, without any luster at all.

"I followed her and got on a horse-drawn carriage. She was a human trafficker."

"After that, we encountered a group of bandits. They were killed and I was the only one left."

"I cried so hard that I was surrounded by the bandits. They kicked me in the face, stepped on my head, and made me drink muddy water from the ground."

Shen Yue stopped what she was doing, with a complicated expression and looked at Qing'er with some heartache. Su Xue remained silent, but just sighed deeply.

Li Qing secretly reached out and held Qing'er's little hand without saying a word, just to bring a little warmth to Qing'er's slightly cold little hand.

Qing'er glanced at Li Qing, smiled foolishly, and her tone became cheerful again.

"I thought I was going to die, but my master came and she killed all those bandits with her great skill."

"You know, I thought she was here to save me, so I followed her while crying."

"She turned around and yelled at me not to follow her."

"But where else can I go?"

"Go back to that pile of corpses and wait to be eaten by wild beasts? Or walk all the way back to the ruined temple and continue to be a beggar?"

"I can't think so much. I just feel scared and wronged."

"After all, I was only a seven or eight-year-old kid at the time. I felt like the sky was falling and I was going to die at any moment."

“I can only cry.”

"I just want someone to hug me."

There was no resentment or grievance on Qing'er's face. Instead, she looked back at Li Qing and smiled.

"The master was very angry at that time. She disliked me for being noisy and for following her all the time."

“But she hugged me in the end.”

"So, I became her apprentice, eating the food she cooked for me and wearing the clothes she made for me."

"She is a person who is hard on the outside but soft on the inside. At the beginning, she always said that if I didn't obey, she would throw me away."

"But I accidentally broke her favorite teapot and spilled her tea leaves, and she just asked me if I hurt my hand."

Li Qing lowered his eyebrows and looked gentle as he recalled the scenes of these years.

The little girl grew up. I surrounded her and talked non-stop, watching her laugh, watching her cry, watching her act coquettishly to me, and watching her become an inseparable part of me.

At this time, Qing'er raised her head slightly, her eyes were bright as sunshine and warm as spring. She spoke to Shigu and the others with some expectation and some apology.

"Master, she is obviously a person who is very afraid of loneliness, but she pretends to like quietness."

"She is such a duplicity person, so...can you guys spend more time with her?"

Hearing this, Li Qing looked up in panic and denied it flatly.

"I don't!"

Hearing this, Shi Gu and the others looked at each other and laughed at the same time. Li Ran smiled and looked at Qing'er, his eyes full of gratitude.

Suddenly, Shi Gu pushed the card aside and said.

"It's a win, Thirteen Yao."

Seeing this, Qing'er widened her eyes in surprise and said.

"Eh? Why did you get so confused?"

Shi Gu smiled, narrowed his eyes slightly, and chuckled.

"People only have two eyes, but they can only see one place, so no matter how carefully you look, you will still see something wrong."

"For example, in my opinion, it is you who is taking care of your master, not your master who is taking care of you."

Li Qing and Qing'er were stunned when they heard this. After a brief silence, Li Qing seemed to be thinking about something. He looked at Qing'er with a more gentle look, while Qing'er stuck out her tongue and said.

"Why are you talking so strangely?"

Shi Gu did not explain, but just pushed over the mahjong tiles and started shuffling them. Perhaps because of their similar age, Shen Yue quickly started chatting with Qing'er and they got along very well.

Qing'er was very interested in Li Ran who was standing next to her. Although Li Ran had the body of a little girl, he was essentially a man with a family and a career. He felt a little embarrassed and didn't know how to get along with Qing'er.

By sunset, except for Shi Gu, the other three still lost. Li Qing looked at the time and had to say goodbye and leave with Qing'er.

"What exactly do you want to do?"

Li Ran stood by the door, watching the receding backs of Li Qing and the other man, frowned slightly, and asked Shi Gu.

Shi Gu was cleaning up the mahjong table. Hearing this, he didn't even raise his head and spoke slowly.

"Your sister is indeed someone who is very afraid of being alone."

"She likes to be in the crowds like any other person, but her past experiences have made her deliberately avoid crowds."

"He's stubborn and awkward, like a child who hasn't grown up."

Li Ran turned around and said expressionlessly.

"That doesn't sound like a compliment to her."

Shi Gu raised his head slightly, raised his eyebrows, and said lightly.

"This is actually your problem. Whether it's you or your parents, you gave her only a childhood experience of being neglected and unloved."

"She has never been loved by anyone, but she has seen how your parents love you, so she naturally yearns for you."

"But she only has expectations, but no one comes to give her the warmth, so she will escape, wrap herself in a thick cocoon, and protect herself with silence and indifference."

"If you peel off this thick cocoon, what you will see is a little girl who is helpless and afraid of being alone."

"She never grew up. She was just a weird little kid."

Hearing this, Li Ran became a little depressed. He lowered his head and muttered softly.

"Sometimes, I really doubt that you are an old man."

Shi Gu smiled without answering, but slowly put away the mahjong on the table.

……

Under the same night sky, Li Qing and Qing'er walked on the bustling street. The streets were bustling with people and red lanterns were hung all over the street.

People in Lin'an City love hustle and bustle the most. Even though it is just a small city, it is bustling and noisy every day.

Li Qing held Qing'er's little hand and stepped into the night. She looked at the lights all over the street and rarely felt it was noisy.

"Qing'er, do you want to go for a walk?"

Hearing this, Qing'er jumped up and shouted happily.

"Okay, I want to eat candied haws."

Li Qing pursed his lips slightly, reached out and touched Qing'er's forehead, and said.

"At your age, you still want to eat candied haws?"

Qing'er smiled sweetly, shook Li Qing's arm and laughed.

"But I have never eaten candied haws in my life."

Li Qing's expression was gentle, he shook his head helplessly, but lowered his voice and muttered to himself.

"I haven't eaten candied haws either."

After saying that, Li Qing laughed at himself, took Qing'er's hand, and walked into the crowd.

In the dark, a white figure walked out slowly. Upon closer inspection, the man was a good-looking man dressed in white, with delicate features, which attracted the attention of many women.

The scholar with jade flute speaks clearly.

Ming Ci flipped his palm, waved a paper fan, and spoke lightly to a sturdy figure with his back to him.

"Baihua Li Qing, I saw her come out of Shigu's house with my own eyes, there was no sign of a fight."

"Do you want to arrest her and interrogate her?"

Hearing this, the burly figure turned around, revealing a bearded face. The man was gnawing on a chicken leg. Hearing this, he spat out a bone from his mouth and spoke slowly.

"Let's observe for a few more days, and you should also make more preparations."