The Secrets of Heaven Cannot Be Divulged

Bai Suzhen, though her ear was pinched by her master, was not flustered, nor did she feel the slightest bit embarrassed.

She was, after all, the Old Mother's disciple; she knew perfectly well whether her master was truly angry or not.

So, even after being pinched, she only replied with a beaming smile:

"How could I ever forget you, Master? You are so good to me, how could I possibly wish for you not to return? I only hoped you would return a little later."

Hearing her disciple's shameless answer, the Old Mother rolled her eyes in helplessness.

"You girl... I've truly spoiled you for nothing." The Old Mother couldn't help but tap her on the head, saying, "You, oh you, why don't you learn more from others!"

Bai Suzhen smiled slightly, then shook her head and said, "Am I not learning right now?"

Hearing this, the Old Mother of Mount Li was quite speechless. She tapped the young girl's head again and asked:

"Where exactly are you learning?"

"I was wrong, alright! Next time I just won't tell Master."

Upon hearing this, Bai Suzhen simply stuck out her tongue, looking like a dead pig that didn't fear boiling water.

This appearance made the Old Mother quite helpless.

This disciple of hers was getting bolder and bolder.

However, along with the helplessness, she also found it somewhat amusing. Even so, she was not angry.

After all, she truly hoped that the child she had personally raised could be a bit closer to her.

The conversation between the Old Mother and her disciple was naturally heard by the others, who couldn't help but find it amusing.

However, no one interrupted the exchange between the master and disciple.

Instead, they walked over to the stone table and sat down.

After Taishang Laojun took his seat, he looked at Patriarch Bodhi with a chuckle and said:

"I'll just watch and won't disturb you two as you catch up! Haven't you been constantly mentioning this girl? Now that you've reunited, have a good talk."

Seeing Taishang Laojun's expression, Patriarch Bodhi rolled his eyes inwardly.

He understood this old fellow quite well... he said he didn't intend to disturb them.

But in reality, he just wanted to sit aside and watch him make a fool of himself.

Of course, he would not give Taishang Laojun such an opportunity.

Patriarch Bodhi coughed twice, then flicked his horsetail whisk and said calmly:

"Lass, the seed I gave you, have you raised it well?"

Su Qing froze for a moment, turned to look at the Bodhi seedling, and then laughed helplessly:

"Whether I've raised it well or not, I'm not sure. It's just that it hasn't died yet."

Patriarch Bodhi followed Su Qing's gaze, looked at the Bodhi seedling, and then nodded slightly.

"The growth is quite good. You have actually done very well in this regard, so do not worry." Patriarch Bodhi was not stingy with his praise this time.

Hearing this, Su Qing merely replied as she had to Taishang Laojun before:

"Thank you for the praise, Master... However, I only planted the seed and didn't manage it much afterward. That it could grow like this is just good luck..."

Patriarch Bodhi shook his head slightly and said:

"Regardless of what you think, you deserve credit for this little tree growing this way. If not for you, that seed likely wouldn't have even sprouted."

"Furthermore, you must make sure to raise this little tree well in the future... It will be of great use to you."

"It is not just beneficial for your cultivation..."

"Cultivation is only one aspect."

Hearing this, Su Qing nodded seriously.

The importance of the little tree was something she naturally knew. Moreover, her master had already told her about this through Maitreya's mouth, and she had not forgotten.

Now that her master was mentioning it again out of concern, she could only promise him that she would do her best to raise the tree well.

But as for having some indispensable merit...

She didn't feel like she had done anything particularly noteworthy.

After all, that was the truth.

"Yes, I understand, Master. I will definitely pay more attention to this little tree."

"That is good," Patriarch Bodhi said with satisfaction.

Su Qing looked at the Bodhi seedling, and after a moment of thought, she continued:

"By the way, Master, I still have one thing I don't understand about this Bodhi Tree. I ask Master to enlighten me."

"What is it?" Patriarch Bodhi nodded slightly.

Su Qing asked, "I want to know, what exactly is the growth mechanism of this Bodhi Tree..."

She described her question in detail, and also described when each growth occurred and what had happened at those times.

Patriarch Bodhi listened and thought for a long time, seemingly considering how to answer the question.

After a long while, he stroked his beard and said calmly:

"The seedling does not grow simply because the time has not yet come. When the time is right, it will naturally grow."

Hearing her master's words, Su Qing didn't understand the growth pattern at all; instead, her head hurt even more.

After all, the phrase 'when the time is right' was far too vague; it was the same as saying nothing.

It was like saying that when the Bodhi Tree wants to grow taller, it will grow taller, and when it doesn't want to, it won't grow at all.

Su Qing asked helplessly, "I don't understand, what does it mean for the time to be right?"

"The secrets of heaven are ineffable."

Patriarch Bodhi shook his head slightly and said:

"Although I would like to tell you... knowing these things would be of no benefit to you and would only add to your troubles."

"So, you should just assume that this Bodhi Tree grows when it's in a good mood and doesn't grow when it's in a bad mood!"

Hearing this, Su Qing could only nod helplessly.

Although she really wanted to say to her master, 'If you don't tell me, I'll have even more troubles.'

But since her master had clearly stated he didn't intend to tell her,

Then even saying that would be useless.

She would just treat it as 'the secrets of heaven cannot be divulged.'

Besides, her master surely had his own reasons for not saying.

Seeing Su Qing nod, Patriarch Bodhi couldn't help but say, "There is no need to worry, just watch over it!"

"I understand," Su Qing nodded, no longer mentioning the Bodhi Tree.

Taishang Laojun, seeing this from the side, just took a sip of tea and didn't intend to interject.

On this matter, Taishang Laojun was in the same camp as the Patriarch.

After Su Qing stopped talking about that annoying and confusing Bodhi Tree, she spoke of other things.

She shared many interesting stories from her life and her doubts regarding cultivation.

Su Qing talked with the Patriarch for a good while, and the Patriarch listened intently without interrupting her.

The Patriarch listened for a long time, until Su Qing was tired of talking and had vented her thoughts.

Only then did he speak: "It seems that your life over these past few decades has not been lonely."

"With these friends by my side, I am naturally not lonely. However, without Master's guidance, learning is much more difficult than it was at the academy."

"A master is only a guide; how far you go depends on your own ability."

The Patriarch shook his head and said very seriously:

"Your talent is very good, and you are diligent in your cultivation. However, cultivation will become increasingly difficult in the future, and reaching the Heavenly Immortal realm will also become harder and harder."

"Therefore, you must not slacken. You must be more diligent and strive to reach the Heavenly Immortal stage as soon as possible."

"But at the same time, you must remember not to be impatient for success."

"Cultivation is a process, a process of moving forward. If you take a wrong turn and go far down that wrong path, it will be difficult to come back."

"There isn't much more I can teach you, and there isn't much more I can help you with..."

"Whether you can reach the end is solely up to your own ability."

Listening to the Patriarch's words, Su Qing naturally nodded seriously.

Seeing this, the Patriarch finally nodded with satisfaction.

He looked up at the sky and said, "Alright, it's getting late, and I should be going. Lass, remember my words... cultivate well, and raise that tree well."

Su Qing knew that after this parting, it would likely be a long time before she could see her master again.

So she nodded seriously and said, "I will definitely remember!"

The Patriarch nodded with satisfaction upon hearing this.

Then he prepared to call the Old Mother of Mount Li and Taishang Laojun to leave together.

Since the Old Mother was leaving, Bai Suzhen naturally had to follow her back to Mount Li to practice.

Even though the girl was extremely reluctant, she had to go back with her master.

However, before leaving, Bai Suzhen naturally had to say a proper goodbye to Su Qing.

She hugged Su Qing tightly and said, "Big Green Sister, you must remember what you promised me! If you forget, I will be very sad!"

Su Qing nodded slightly and said, "Don't worry, since I promised you, I won't forget."

Bai Suzhen looked at her and said seriously, "You must, must remember to come find me! If you forget, Sister, I will really cry."

"Don't worry, I definitely won't forget," Su Qing promised.

Seeing Su Qing say this, Bai Suzhen nodded.

Then, after giving her a kiss on the cheek, she left with the Old Mother.

After the guests left, Su Qing couldn't help but feel that the courtyard had suddenly become much quieter.

Although it had simply returned to how it was at the beginning, it still felt a bit empty to her.

After a long while, Su Qing shook her head slightly, stretched, and stared blankly at the osmanthus tree.

At that moment, Leng Xiang, who had been quiet for a long time, brought a cup of wine to Su Qing. It was still the familiar Plum Blossom Wine, and it smelled just as sweet.

Su Qing took the wine cup, froze for a moment, and then smiled. "Thank you..."

Leng Xiang shook her head slightly and said softly, "This is all as it should be for Leng Xiang."

Hearing this, Su Qing just shook her head and began to drink.

As she drank, Su Qing suddenly felt a slight coolness on her face.

She couldn't help but turn to look at Leng Xiang, a bit surprised...

In her impression, Leng Xiang didn't seem like someone who would perform such an overly intimate gesture.

Being watched by Su Qing, Leng Xiang's face couldn't help but redden as she said, "I... I just thought this would make Master happier, so I did it."

"Thank you... But I wasn't unhappy, I was just feeling a bit sentimental." Su Qing smiled and reached out to pinch Leng Xiang's little face, saying, "But Leng Xiang, you're getting bolder too!"

"Does Master... not like it?"

"No... this is quite nice."

Su Qing shook her head slightly as she answered.

She didn't dislike this kind of intimacy, nor did she mind it.

After all, who would dislike being kissed by a cute girl?

In any case, she didn't dislike it.

Hearing this answer, Leng Xiang just gave a soft smile, her face full of happiness.

"It's good that Master doesn't dislike it," Leng Xiang said.

Seeing her so happy, Su Qing said no more and just took two sips of wine.

Changing her mood.

After Bai Suzhen left, life naturally returned to its original plainness.

She had lived such plain days for many years, so she didn't feel any discomfort.

Just like that, more than a month passed in the blink of an eye.

After this month passed, Chang'e, Yu'er, and the Lunar Deity all returned from the Peaches of Immortality Banquet.

Chang'e seemingly didn't know that this year's banquet would encounter some trouble, so she was very surprised and depressed about the turn of events.

Therefore, as soon as she returned, she found Su Qing and complained to her about it.

Chang'e leaned over the writing desk, looking depressed as she said:

"I was quite looking forward to the banquet, thinking that when it opened, I would bring back a Peach of Immortality for you to eat."

"Who would have known that the banquet would actually be canceled halfway through because there were no peaches... It's truly infuriating."

Hearing that Chang'e wanted to bring her a peach, Su Qing couldn't help but be a bit moved.

Chang'e really did treat her like a good sister... otherwise, she wouldn't have thought of bringing her a peach.

However, Su Qing felt that Chang'e likely didn't know that she had already obtained a peach in advance, and more than a full year early at that.

Su Qing shook her head slightly and said, "It's fine... it's just a peach. If I can't eat it, I can't eat it. It's no big deal."

Chang'e pouted and said, "It is a big deal! Without the peach in hand, many plans can't be carried out."

"Plans? What plans?" Hearing this, Su Qing couldn't help but ask curiously.

"Ahem, that's not important."

Chang'e guiltily looked away and said:

"Alright, alright, don't worry about those unnecessary things."

Hearing this, Su Qing couldn't help but stare at her sister Chang'e for a moment.

She felt that this sister, who had many little mischievous thoughts, had originally planned something very extraordinary.

And it was likely targeted at her!

However, after a brief thought, she didn't bother to press her.

In any case, she couldn't implement anything now, so there was no need to care too much.

Seeing Su Qing staring at her like that, Chang'e hurriedly changed the subject.

She asked, "By the way, Xiao Qing, do you know why there were no peaches at the banquet this time? This matter actually has something to do with you!"

Hearing this, Su Qing looked at Chang'e and couldn't help but roll her eyes.

Since Sister Chang'e wanted to change the subject so badly, she would let her have her way. Anyway, she didn't care about those plans that had failed before they could even be started.

"I don't know. If Sister knows, then tell me about it."

Su Qing said these words in an almost monotone voice.

Chang'e breathed a sigh of relief upon hearing Su Qing's words.

Then, she shared all her guesses and everything she knew.