The Return

Bai Suzhen's 'menacing' warning didn't actually seem to have much deterrent power.

On the contrary, it felt a bit like a kitten with its fur standing on end—not so much 'fierce' as it was somewhat playful.

Of course, Bai Suzhen wasn't actually that angry... she was merely a bit dissatisfied.

After all, not being able to see the person you want to see for such a long time is a very difficult thing to endure.

You have to realize... that much time is enough for a child to grow up and give birth to another child.

So, how could she be completely without complaint?

Looking at her like this, Su Qing wasn't frightened, but she was still slightly embarrassed.

She touched her earlobe, nodded slightly, and said:

"Rest assured... next time, it definitely won't happen again."

What else could Su Qing say? Only a promise, of course!

She didn't bother looking for any excuses for herself...

After all, in this matter, she was indeed in the wrong.

As the saying goes, if you're wrong, admit it; if you're being beaten, stand up straight...

Hearing this, Bai Suzhen couldn't help but smile craftily, and then continued to threaten: "If Sister lies to me again~ then don't blame this Little Sister for asking Master to tie Sister up and punish her! Be careful, you might not be able to get out of bed for several days!"

"Yes, yes, yes~ if I lie to you again, you can punish me however you like!"

To this, Su Qing could only nod obediently, promising she would definitely not forget this matter.

Though she didn't know if the Old Mother would follow along with Suzhen's nonsense in the future.

But what she could be certain of was that if she didn't agree now,

This green snake would be entangled to death by this white snake.

After hearing Su Qing's response, Bai Suzhen also nodded with considerable satisfaction.

This was finally considered letting Su Qing off the hook.

Seeing this, Su Qing only gave a helpless smile...

At the same time, Su Qing could clearly feel her other hand being held a bit tighter.

She turned her head to look at Leng Xiang, then interlocked their fingers and said, "Let's go together. This Moon Palace is quite large, and there are still many places to wander around!"

Hearing this, although Leng Xiang had a thousand thoughts, she didn't say anything; she just held onto her master tightly.

The group wandered around the Moon Palace for a bit before returning.

The Moon Palace was large, but there weren't actually many places worth visiting...

After all, the Moon Palace wasn't some tourist attraction... naturally, there weren't too many places to go.

After returning to the courtyard, everyone began to keep themselves busy.

Leng Xiang cooked, Su Qing cultivated, and Bai Suzhen tidied up the rooms.

Everything looked very harmonious, and life was exceptionally peaceful.

In this way, the days passed quickly...

In the blink of an eye, another month or so had gone by.

They say a day in heaven is a year on earth.

Although the Peaches of Immortality Banquet would certainly not proceed smoothly, and the Old Mother couldn't possibly stay in the Heavenly Palace for an entire day,

It was, after all, held in the Heavenly Palace. Therefore, even though more than a month had passed in the Moon Palace, the Old Mother had still not returned.

However, Su Qing felt that it wouldn't be long before the Old Mother returned.

Thus, there was no need to worry.

Besides, since the Old Mother hadn't returned, Bai Suzhen would likely stay here the whole time...

With one more person, there was one more bit of fun,

So Su Qing naturally felt even less of a need to be anxious.

One day.

Su Qing was sitting in the courtyard drinking tea.

She was observing the match between Gongsun Zhixue and the four Sparrows as one side, against Bai Suzhen on the other, in a game of Gomoku.

Su Qing had taught them Gomoku to help them pass the time in their leisure hours.

As for why it was Gomoku and not something else,

It was naturally because Gomoku was easier to pick up; even the brains of the little Sparrows could successfully learn it.

Of course, it was still a board game... although it didn't have the myriad variations of Go or Chinese Chess, it wasn't something that could be mastered easily.

This was why Gongsun Zhixue had teamed up with the Sparrows to face Bai Suzhen together...

Bai Suzhen was, after all, someone proficient in the Four Arts; she had a foundation in Go and a natural talent for board games.

Naturally, she wasn't someone a few little ones could easily deal with.

Furthermore, even these little ones hadn't been playing the game much longer than she had.

But even so, this five-on-one match still had some entertainment value.

Of course, the real entertainment of this game wasn't in the moves, but in the players themselves...

Su Qing watched from the side while drinking tea, enjoying the leisure, when she suddenly heard a knock at the door.

The sound of the knocking made Su Qing's eyebrows twitch.

During the Peaches of Immortality Banquet, the person coming to find her would either be Ao Ying, or it meant chaos had broken out at the banquet and the seniors had left and returned.

After thinking for a moment, Su Qing went directly forward to open the door.

Whether it was Ao Ying or the seniors, it was impolite to keep people waiting outside.

However, when Su Qing opened the door, she couldn't help but freeze for a moment.

She had thought it would be the Old Mother or Senior Laojun at most.

But she completely did not expect that, besides Laojun and the Old Mother, there was another guest who surprised her.

"Master!? Why are you here too?"

Seeing that familiar face, Su Qing couldn't help but cry out in surprise.

To say she wasn't surprised that Patriarch Bodhi would follow the Old Mother and Laojun here was naturally impossible...

After all... she knew exactly how difficult it was to find her Master.

As for the matter of her Master personally coming to find her, she had never even considered it.

Hearing this, Patriarch Bodhi gave a light cough and then said calmly:

"It's just that trouble broke out at the Peaches of Immortality Banquet and it was canceled on the spot. Additionally, I happened to hear that you were serving here in the Moon Palace, so I came along with Laojun and the Old Mother to take a look, and to see how your cultivation is progressing and if you have neglected your practice over these decades."

Laojun and the Old Mother standing nearby glanced at each other, both seeing the smile in the other's eyes.

They naturally knew what the real situation was... but neither of them directly exposed Patriarch Bodhi.

They left some face for Patriarch Bodhi...

Hearing this, Su Qing understood slightly in her heart and hurriedly said:

"This disciple naturally would not dare to neglect my cultivation! It's just that I have reached a bottleneck now, so my progress has been a bit slower."

Hearing these words, Patriarch Bodhi nodded slightly and said:

"A bottleneck is of no great concern; just take it slow. Cultivation requires a peaceful mind and a calm spirit; do not act with undue haste."

Su Qing nodded quickly and at the same time hurriedly invited the seniors into the courtyard. After all, it was very rude to let the seniors stay at the entrance.

When the Old Mother entered the courtyard, she happened to see Bai Suzhen focused on the game, so she couldn't help but give a light cough.

"Master!? Why are you back?" Bai Suzhen was pulled back to reality by that familiar cough. She turned her head to look, and seeing it was her own Master, she couldn't help but ask: "The Peaches of Immortality Banquet ended so quickly?"

Seeing this, the Old Mother rolled her eyes and said, "Trouble broke out at the Peaches of Immortality Banquet and it was canceled prematurely, so I came back."

Hearing this, a hint of regret appeared in Bai Suzhen's eyes, and then she nodded slightly.

The Old Mother knew what this girl was thinking, so she couldn't help but walk over and pinch her ear, saying:

"Once you have a sweetheart, you forget about me, your Master, don't you?"