Stranger Danger
Chapter 1373: Lady Canglang

Chapter 1373: Lady Canglang

“Older sister?” Ye Qing was astonished. He already guessed that Feng Qingyou and Lady Canglang shared a close relationship with each other, but it still surprised him to hear her addressing the goddess as “big sis”.

Lady Canglang’s origin was extraordinary to begin with, and she had lived for a very, very long time. It would not be an exaggeration to call her an ancestor. Even a Sage must address her as Lady or even senior as a show of respect, and yet Feng Qingyou was close enough to Lady Canglang to call her her older sister. It was unbelievable.

“Qingyou often speaks of you. Now that you’re here, I can tell that she isn’t exaggerating.”

Lady Canglang complimented him with a bright smile on her face.

“You flatter me, Lady. I’m not really that special,” Ye Qing replied modestly.

“Don’t just stand there. Come, take a seat.”

Lady Canglang beckoned Ye Qing to step forward. “If you don’t mind, you may address me as ‘big sis’ just like Qingyou.”

“Of course not! It is my honor.”

Ye Qing said a bit excitedly while stepping forward, “Thank you, Lady—excuse me, I mean big sis.”

“Good!”

Lady Canglang was quite delighted. She personally poured Ye Qing a cup of wine and offered, “This is a wine named the ‘Eternal Blue Sky’. I brewed it myself. Please give it a try, Joyless.”

“Thank you, big sis.”

Ye Qing was honestly feeling a little overwhelmed. He hurriedly accepted the drink and drained it in one gulp.

The wine flowing down his throat was fragrant, sweet, and rich. It was supple and meandering like a stream of water; old and distant like time itself. Somehow, its flavor reverberated in his mouth and stomach for a very, very long time.

At the same time, Ye Qing could feel a pure, vast energy spreading inside his body. It was purifying his heart, nourishing his flesh and blood, and nurturing his mind.

At his current level, ordinary treasures could barely upgrade his body or mind. However, this single cup of wine had improved his body and mind by a couple degrees.

It might only be “a couple degrees”, but it really saved him years of hard work.

If a low-rank warrior had drunk this—say, a Spirit Master or an Astral Refiner—this single cup of wine could turn them into a Trueman or Grandmaster instantly.

That was how powerful this wine was.

“It’s your lucky day, Joyless. “Eternal Blue Sky” is brewed using the essence of Canglang River and quintessence of the celestial bodies. It takes a hundred years to make a single jar. One drop is enough to immunize an ordinary person from all illnesses and extend their lifespan, whereas one cup can propel a warrior to the heavens instantly. It’s a luxury only a handful can enjoy.”

Feng Qingyou complained in an aggrieved voice while staring at Lady Canglang, “I’ve arrived for a couple days already, but she hasn’t offered me a single taste until now.”

“Sigh. Who would have thought that Lady Canglang is the kind of goddess who forgets her younger sister as soon as she gets a younger brother?”

“Oh, you. When have I ever not treated you to the Eternal Blue Sky?”

Lady Canglang chided Feng Qingyou with a gentle expression, “In fact, you always leave with whole bottles of Eternal Blue Sky in your Nature’s Shell, but I’ve never said a word, have I?”

“Did I? I don’t remember.” Feng Qingyou blinked.

“Is that so? A decade ago, when you first came to my water palace, you singlehandedly drank an entire jar of Eternal Blue Sky and stole another three jars before you left. Eight years ago, you snuck into the Blue Water Pavilion and drank yourself silly. Five years ago...” Lady Canglang calmly counted her fingers as she recounted Feng Qingyou’s epic tale of wine thievery.

“Stop! Stop!” Feng Qingyou hurriedly silenced Lady Canglang before mumbling, “I only took a bit of wine, and you remember them until today? Just how small-hearted can you get?”

“Am I? You’re the one who said you ‘forgot’. That’s why I kindly jogged your memory for you.” Lady Canglang sighed. “Truly, no one is better at distorting the truth than you.”

“I did not! How can you slander me, big sis?!” Feng Qingyou argued.

Lady Canglang countered mercilessly, “It’s only slander if you’re innocent, and heavens know that your thoughts are as black as coal.”

Feng Qingyou: “...”

“You’ve changed, big sis. You’re no longer the gentle, kind, innocent, and cute older sister I know!”

“Yeah, I wonder who’s the one who made me this way.”

“Slander! I was only ten years old and as innocent as a flower when we first met, okay? You’re the bad influence, not me!”

“Flower? A black dahlia[1], you mean?”

......

Sitting quietly at the table, Ye Qing listened to Feng Qingyou and Lady Canglang bickering with each other like children. Right now, he was feeling both a sense of unreality and novelty.

Feng Qingyou was usually calm, wise, and strategic. He had never seen her causing a scene, playing dumb, and acting shamelessly like now.

Compared to Feng Qingyou, Lady Canglang was more like a gentle older sister or mother who spoiled her kid rotten. No matter what kind of nonsense or tantrum Feng Qingyou pulled, she indulged her and even played with her regardless of her image.

He had imagined how Lady Canglang would look like prior to meeting her. He imagined that she might be noble, regal, dignified, solemn, benevolent, kind, and more. However, all of his imagination was founded on the belief that she was a lofty god who lived high up in her ivory tower and made little to no real contact with humanity.

He was wrong, however. The scene he was seeing was so very ordinary and human-like that he could scarcely believe that one of the participants was a god.

But of course, Lady Canglang did not show this side of her to just anyone. It situationally proved that Feng Qingyou and Lady Canglang shared an extraordinary bond with each other, and that they did not treat him like an outsider.

So, he joined in. Like family, the three of them talked about anything and everything regardless of the rules or customs. Here, there wasn’t a lofty river god nor the lowly scheming of a mortal. There was only warmth and harmony, joy and happiness.

When the wine was drunk, and the food was eaten, Lady Canglang noticed that Ye Qing and Feng Qingyou had something to discuss and made an excuse. She then took her leave and gave the two humans their space.

“How did you and Lady Canglang know each other, Qingyou?”

After Lady Canglang left, Ye Qing finally asked the question that had been swirling in his mind this entire time. He really was curious. How on earth did Feng Qingyou make the acquaintance of a powerful river god who had lived for over ten thousand years?

Okay, maybe that wasn’t too hard. He himself made contact with a mountain deity not long after he arrived in this world. But how on earth did the two of them become sisters?

“It’s nothing complicated. A little over a decade ago, I was passing by Canglang River when I noticed that she could use some help. So, I did. Later, we discovered that we are a good fit with each other and started addressing each other as sisters.”

Feng Qingyou smiled. “I know that Lady Canglang is a river god, and that she has lived over ten thousand years. However, she has a pure and innocent heart and lacks the cunning a normal person would have. She is very easy to get along with.”

“That, I believe.” Ye Qing nodded in agreement. This might be his first meeting with Lady Canglang, but he could tell that she was as kind, gentle, and pure-hearted as Feng Qingyou claimed her to be. She was easygoing, and she was neither aloof nor crafty.

But of course, Lady Canglang only showed this side of her to those she was close with.

Feng Qingyou did not elaborate, but Ye Qing thought he knew exactly which incident Feng Qingyou was referring to. Back in the Pacification Bureau, while he was going through the case files, he once read about a major incident that took place at Canglang River over a decade ago. Apparently, the Canglang River that had never experienced a drought or a flood for a thousand years straight had, for some reason, started flooding and drying out repeatedly for six days.

At the time, no one knew what was going on. The people tried to pray to Lady Canglang, but the god had not responded to their prayers. It was almost as if she had gone missing.

Just when the people were panicking, and the Qi Emperor was going to send someone to investigate this, Canglang River abruptly regained its previous tranquility on the seventh day. Lady Canglang also began responding to her believers once more.

Lady Canglang was unwilling to speak of the incident, so no one knew exactly what had happened. Still, it was anomalous enough that the Pacification Bureau had made a record of it.

Unless he was gravely mistaken, Feng Qingyou was involved in the incident. Specifically, she was the one who saved Lady Canglang from whatever trouble she was embroiled in.

He was curious, but Feng Qingyou clearly wasn’t willing to elaborate. So, he did not ask.

1. The original text is morning glory, but flower language differs depending on the culture, so I went with a black dahlia instead. A black dahlia symbolizes evil and dishonesty. They also often symbolize betrayal, doom, and other negative emotions. ☜