Chapter 268: Transcendent Qing

Sima Chunfeng struggled to maintain her composure.

An inscrutable expression was, after all, an essential virtue for a genius. Of course, she was the only one who thought she was perfectly managing her expression.

To Qing, Sima Chunfeng’s already fierce features simply looked even fiercer.

So, she inwardly thought, Wow, she looks a bit scary when she frowns. But did I do something wrong?

Maybe I was too slow in repeating her moniker?

However, the real reason was something else entirely.

“That wench hates being called Wise Pouch Intelligent Flower. She hates that those absurdly large, vulgar lumps of flesh she keeps tightly bound are called a ‘pouch of wisdom’,” Murong Juhui scurried over to tattle.

“Tsk. Nasty words are forbidden. Use kind words. Didn't we decide you'd become a better person?”

As Qing spoke, she felt like she’d said something similar before. Ah. It was the Murong brat.

So they’re siblings. Their maturity level is exactly the same.

As if intending to be equally obedient, a meek reply came back from Murong Juhui.

“Eek. Yes. I’ll, I’ll do that.”

“Good girl.”

Qing gently patted Murong Juhui’s head.

Meanwhile, Qing couldn't see Murong Juhui's expression. She had Juhui sitting on her lap, her chin resting comfortably on Juhui’s shoulder, while she faced the uninvited Sima Chunfeng.

However, Sima Chunfeng could clearly see Murong Juhui visibly relax the moment Qing patted her head.

Witnessing this sight, the Wise Pouch Intelligent Flower marveled.

“My, oh my, how did you manage to tame that ferocious beast? How did you make an animal that wouldn’t listen no matter how much myself preached duty and reason become as docile as livestock…!”

Her genius lay in not bothering to keep such thoughts internal.

And her brilliant intellect recognized that neither beast nor livestock equated to treating someone as human.

“What!? Beast? Livestock? You pig wench with nothing but swollen tits…!” Murong Juhui retorted.

“Tsk. Nasty words,” Qing chided.

“But, she, she started it,” Murong Juhui protested.

“Just because someone else acts that way doesn’t mean you need to stoop to their level, does it? Didn’t we decide you’d become a better person? Besides, ‘she started it’? Young Lady Murong isn't a seven-year-old child. Are those words fit for a grown lady’s mouth?”

“Yes, yes. I was, I was wrong.”

Murong Juhui’s resentful and childish defiance faded as Qing’s sweet voice whispered directly into her ear. Her mind grew hazy from the whisper itself, and she simply agreed without fully processing the words.

Thanks to this, Murong Juhui belatedly recalled, ‘Didn’t she say eye for an eye, tooth for a tooth? Even in that underground place, she said we had to inflict the same pain… Ah, ahh…’

Just as she was on the verge of realizing Qing’s hypocrisy, Murong Juhui suddenly remembered the time they were dismembering bodies amidst splattered blood. Her eyes glazed over, losing focus.

However, Qing didn’t see this, and Sima Chunfeng wasn’t particularly interested.

Her interest lay elsewhere.

“How, how did you tame this beast-like… no, even beasts know to be wary when facing a superior creature. This savage thing less than a beast, um, livestock, no, right, how did you tame something less than a beast?” Sima Chunfeng asked.

“The expression ‘tamed’ is a bit…” Qing began.

“Then, how exactly did you train this foolish woman to be so docile?” Sima Chunfeng interrupted.

“Isn’t that basically the same expression?” Qing asked.

Even so, Qing didn’t particularly deny the claims of Juhui being less than a beast or foolish.

“Hmm. A moment. A different expression. Intriguing.”

Sima Chunfeng struck a pose that screamed, ‘I am thinking!’ She crossed her arms, stroking her chin with her right hand.

“Right. Enlightened! How did you enlighten this dull-witted and savage girl? Or perhaps ‘corrected’ would be suitable as well.”

“Uh… Faith, love, and patience?” Qing offered.

“Indeed! Excellent! I believe it. Truly, Young Lady, you are a genius. It seems spending my precious time, the most valuable and expensive thing in the world, was worthwhile after all.”

Qing had met many strange people in the Central Plains, but this one was exceptionally unique.

Calling her an eccentric made her sound somewhat impressive, but breaking down the characters simply meant ‘strange person’.

“Um, the reason you came here was…?” Qing prompted.

“I wished to see for myself what kind of person you are, whether you are the unprecedented qilin child the rumors claim. And if the rumors were true, I had questions I wanted to ask. Indeed, I suppose you possess the qualifications to hear my questions.”

She was a strange person, but she kept showering Qing with compliments nonetheless.

Well, what’s wrong with that? She’s a good person then.

“It's about…”

Sima Chunfeng, whose aura had been soaring as if about to ascend to the heavens, suddenly hunched her shoulders, lowered her voice, and asked stealthily.

“Heavenly Flower Sword, how do you walk around with those disgraceful lumps of flesh completely exposed?”

“…? Disgraceful lumps of flesh?” Qing repeated.

“That uniquely female body part, merely an organ for producing breast milk to feed children, yet unfairly becomes a standard for evaluation because its size differs from person to person,” Sima Chunfeng explained.

Qing condensed the long explanation.

“You mean breasts?”

“Yes. Heavenly Flower Sword, how do you walk around with such shameful flesh completely exposed?”

“Me? When? Exposed? I’ve never exposed them except when sleeping.”

“Oh, come now, why are you suddenly acting foolish like the dull commoners? I don’t mean walking around naked, but revealing their size so clearly, even cinching your waist with a sash so the whole world knows the size of the Heavenly Flower Sword.”

The sound of teeth grinding came from close by, a murmur from the wench practically drowning in her own blessings.

Should I ignore the muttering? We were in the middle of a conversation, after all. Qing decided to let it pass for now.

“I’m not particularly trying to emphasize their size,” Qing said. “But not wearing a waist sash makes one look frumpy.”

“Wouldn’t it be better to hide them like myself? Haven’t you heard the whispers of those inferior masses? Why must one be labeled just a ‘big-breasted wench’ simply because they are larger than others? They don’t consider my actions or achievements, just a wench with large breasts.”

This was why Sima Chunfeng concealed her chest so tightly. As the youngest Vice Assistant Military Advisor and the next candidate for the youngest Murim Alliance Chief Military Advisor, a genius destined to become the de facto ruler of the Orthodox Murim, she hated being remembered merely as a vulgar wench with large breasts.

Even though years had passed since Sima Chunfeng started binding her chest, the mockery—calling her Wise Pouch or Three-Section Beauty—had not subsided.

Thus, she couldn’t help but utterly detest it.

In truth, this was the perception in the Central Plains: women with large breasts were considered vulgar, stupid, and lewd.

They might be taken as concubines, but having one as a main wife was seen as utterly shameful and degrading, someone you couldn't possibly present in public.

It was a world where people would refrain from calling an unattractive woman ugly to her face, yet clicked their tongues, calling large-breasted women vulgar.

Qing replied.

“Eh, who cares what others say? As long as you yourself are confident, that’s what matters. And shouldn’t you just become more famous for something other than your chest? Since you can’t change the fact that they’re already large, you might go from being ‘just a big-breasted wench’ to ‘a wench who also has big breasts’.”

A thunderbolt struck Sima Chunfeng’s mind.

A wench who also has big breasts…

The first part was something Sima Chunfeng often thought herself. Don’t mind what the ignorant, foolish masses say. My value isn’t in my chest.

But the advice to become ‘a wench who also has big breasts’ instead of ‘just a big-breasted wench’ was truly revolutionary!

“Wait, please wait just a moment.”

Saying so, Sima Chunfeng stumbled away.

Qing tilted her head.

What’s with her? But more importantly…

“Young Lady Murong? You’ll damage all your teeth. Stop grinding them. You’re already missing four more than others; you should cherish the ones you have left.”

“B-But, she said such infuriating things. Completely drowning in her blessings, that wicked wench, pig wench…” Murong Juhui muttered.

The sound of teeth grinding loudly erupted once more.

Qing let out a deep sigh.

Murong Juhui flinched.

“I told you not to use nasty words,” Qing reminded her gently.

“Sorry, I’m sorry. I was just… so envious…”

Murong Juhui immediately waved the white flag.

Then, she suddenly asked slyly.

“Um, but… if I use nasty words… will I, will I be punished? Will you punish me? If, if you punish me, I think I can fix it, I can fix it…”

“Why, do you want another head-flick?” Qing asked. “Any more and your crown will swell up like Mount Tai. What should I do?”

“No head-flicks!” Murong Juhui exclaimed.

“Punishment should originally be the thing one dislikes the most—” Qing started.

“N-No head-flicks, I mean, that is, I can’t, just not head-flicks.”

“Why not? Why specifically not head-flicks?”

“Uh… That’s… I can’t, there’s a reason why head-flicks are not okay, I mean, that is, uh uh, Ah! There, those guys there kept hitting me with head-flicks, so when I get a head-flick, I remember that time. Right, so, that’s why head-flicks are too hard, it’s too hard for me to endure.”

After much hesitation, a miserable reason finally came out.

Qing was startled.

“Ah. I didn’t even know. I’m sorry. For making you recall painful memories. Oh dear, did it hurt? I must have been too insensitive.”

“No, it’s not that. Then! Then if I say nasty words, you’ll scold me, right? I can, I can receive punishment, right?” Murong Juhui asked eagerly.

“Young Lady Murong. You must be careful yourself. Learning everything by being scolded one by one… you’re not a child. Besides, who am I to dare scold Young Lady Murong?”

“It’s just, I don’t think I can do it on my own. If Young Lady Ximen helps me, when it seems like I need to be scolded, sharply, sharp… Yes, sharply, I’ll ask you to do it sharply…”

If she herself insisted this much…

Still, her willingness to try and fix her behavior was truly commendable.

Creeak. This time, the sound of a door opening timidly was heard. Qing glanced over and saw Sima Chunfeng, who had changed her clothes and returned.

Wow! Good heavens! High mountains! Deep valleys!

Intelligent Flower was hiding her power! Hiding a lot!

But not hiding it anymore!

Though Mount Tai is high! Beneath the heavens! Stands Intelligent Flower!

Then came a great realization.

Wow. Turns out I really like big ones too.

Seeing them right before her eyes, the impact… wow. Wow.

She wasn’t exposed like Young Lady Lily, but just her presence alone… wow, wow.

Qing’s jaw dropped.

Her chin nearly hit the floor.

It was then.

“P-Pig wench!”

Unable to break her habit, Murong Juhui shrieked again.

It sounded a bit awkward, perhaps because even Young Lady Murong felt somewhat intimidated by such scale.

“Tsk. Young Lady Murong? Are you going to use bad words?” Qing asked patiently.

“Ah. It just slipped out. Then, sha-sharp…” Murong Juhui mumbled.

Qing pondered what to do, then moderately grabbed the skin of Murong Juhui’s side between her thumb and forefinger and gave it a slight twist. The act known as pinching.

“Ouch. Um, but, if there’s a mark on my side, others might see it, so could you pinch me sharply somewhere hidden…” Murong Juhui requested.

“You’re surprisingly demanding, Young Lady Murong,” Qing remarked.

“Sorry, I’m sorry.”

“Shouldn’t you be apologizing to Young Lady Sima?” Qing prompted.

“Uh, Chunfeng-ah. Sorry. I’m sorry. For saying harsh things…” Murong Juhui said reluctantly.

However, Sima Chunfeng, the recipient of the apology, didn’t look pleased. Although she was inherently a beauty, her impression wasn’t exactly gentle.

“Didn’t I tell you not to call me by my name?” Sima Chunfeng stated coolly.

“Young Lady Ximen. Her name is Chunfeng. Sounds really rustic, doesn’t it? How can a person’s name be Chunfeng?” Murong Juhui whispered to Qing.

“Young Lady Murong, don’t make fun of people’s names. Are you going to act so childishly at your age? Do you want another scolding?” Qing reprimanded.

“Ah. Me again. But rustic is rustic, anyone can hear that Chunfeng is rus—Ouch.”

She said somewhere hidden.

Qing grabbed Murong Juhui’s upper arm, just above the elbow, specifically a bit more towards the inner side.

“But, really, it’s rust—Ouch, it’s rustic because it’s rustic, nghhh.”

Truthfully, getting pinched just above the elbow really brings tears to your eyes.

Qing knew this well because there had been some crazy teacher in high school or middle school who only pinched that spot.

But despite the pain, she somehow wasn’t retracting her opinion.

Does it not hurt enough that she’s still saying bad things?

Qing applied more pressure.

“Ack, I was wrong, I was wrong! Young Lady Sima, I’m sorry,” Murong Juhui finally yelped.

Only then did Murong Juhui obediently apologize.

Sima Chunfeng seemed satisfied by this and smiled.

<Thank you for reading at Celestial Pavilion>