Chapter 173 · Volume 1

The Next Life

The Old Monkey's speed was not slow either.
In a short while, he had gathered the monkeys according to Su Qing's request.
Seeing that most of the monkeys had arrived, Su Qing directly began her persuasion...
Of course, it wasn't entirely just persuasion; there were indeed some substantial matters.
This time, besides telling the monkeys the purpose of that temple,
She also had to inform them that she would be leaving,
As well as some subsequent arrangements.
She asked the monkey troop to accept other species of animals with spiritual intelligence as much as possible,
Especially those with the potential to transform into demons.
At the same time, she left behind some basic cultivation manuals...
These manuals might not help them reach a very high level, but studying them would allow for a certain degree of achievement.
At the very least, they should be able to protect themselves!
Su Qing naturally had even more advanced and better things...
But those things didn't actually belong to her; she had merely learned them. Whether she could teach them to others depended on the original owners.
That meant her master, as well as Lady Chang'e and the Lunar Deity of the Moon Palace.
Therefore, she naturally could not pass them on without permission.
Besides these matters, Su Qing also established some rules within Flower-Fruit Mountain...
After all, without rules, there can be no order!
These rules were naturally not harsh.
They merely placed constraints on certain matters... to prevent the monkey troop or other demons in Flower-Fruit Mountain from causing some sort of major incident.
As for whether these monkeys would obediently follow the rules, that was somewhat debatable.
But the rules still had to be established.
This was the foundation and also preparation for the future.
After all, once an idea is formed, one should try to realize it, shouldn't they?
If she could truly lead the way in creating a city belonging to demons before the Great Decline began, it would be quite an interesting thing.
However, it was still the same saying as before.
Man proposes, God disposes.
As for what the future would truly be like and whether it could succeed, Su Qing did not know either.
After all... this was not some fixed fate; it was just something she had suddenly thought of, and she had no way of predicting how it would develop.
After hearing Su Qing's words...
The monkey troop was silent for a while.
Then, without knowing who started it, they pleaded in unison for Su Qing not to leave Flower-Fruit Mountain.
To the monkeys, Su Qing was their protection. She was their former King and their current King. If they left her protection...
Their life would likely return to how it was in those previous days.
Naturally, they couldn't help but feel panicked and uneasy...
Whether demon or human, once accustomed to an easy life, no one finds it easy to go back.
The monkey troop was naturally no exception.
And facing the monkeys' pleas to stay, she naturally could not agree to remain.
She was, after all, the Mountain God of the Changbai Mountains; she had to leave eventually!
It was impossible to stay in Flower-Fruit Mountain forever...
Therefore, Su Qing could only begin her persuasion once more:
"Rest assured, even if I leave... I can still protect everyone! Didn't I say that before?"
"......"
The monkeys of Flower-Fruit Mountain were mostly quite simple.
And Su Qing's prestige among the monkey troop was extremely high, so her words naturally carried credibility.
So, under Su Qing's persuasion, the monkeys also believed her words.
One after another, they changed their tune to respectfully see Su Qing off.
Although Su Qing hadn't persuaded anyone in a long time, it seemed her skill in doing so had not regressed much.
Of course, for the most part, Su Qing was not lying.
She truly was able to maintain a general grasp of the situation on Flower-Fruit Mountain even after leaving.
And having a grasp of the situation on Flower-Fruit Mountain naturally allowed her to do many things.
After finishing her persuasion of the monkey troop,
Su Qing returned to her small courtyard in the mountains.
"Leng Xiang, get ready. We should leave tomorrow," Su Qing said, looking at Leng Xiang, who was sweeping the floor.
"Has Master's business at Flower-Fruit Mountain finished?"
"Mhm, it's finished. However, we're not in a hurry to go to the Changbai Mountains. Let's go to Huai County first! To sweep the graves of some old friends," Su Qing said with a smile.
"Old friends? Su Qianxue?" Leng Xiang naturally still remembered this person.
After all, they had been together for decades; even with the worst memory, it would be impossible to forget.
Su Qing nodded upon hearing this and said with emotion, "Yes! It's been so long since I've been back! It's time to go sweep the graves."
"Master... why not just go find her reincarnation?" Leng Xiang was momentarily confused.
Previously, Master had gone back to find her reincarnation...
Why not go again now?
Wouldn't it be better to just find the reincarnation? Why go sweep a grave and let the scene evoke such sorrow?
"Why?" Su Qing smiled slightly, thinking about how to simplify this potentially philosophical answer as much as possible to explain it clearly to Leng Xiang.
"Well, it's probably because I'm going this time to sweep the grave of the individual named Su Qianxue, rather than the grave of so-and-so's reincarnation!" Su Qing rubbed her chin and said, "After all... the one who accompanied us was not just the Cat Immortal's reincarnation, but a unique Su Qianxue!"
"I don't quite understand..."
Leng Xiang found it a bit convoluted and wasn't very clear on what her master was actually thinking:
"Then will Master still go looking for her reincarnation in the future?"
Su Qing gave a helpless smile upon hearing this and said:
"I'm not sure either. Although I want to see her again, I'm also very worried about disturbing her next life."
"If she is in a mortal body again in this life and comes into contact with a demon like me... then the ending will inevitably still be sad."
"People! One cannot only consider oneself..."
Leng Xiang listened, remained silent for a long time, and shook her head slightly: "I still don't quite understand Master's thoughts..."
"It's okay if Leng Xiang doesn't understand..." Su Qing smiled elegantly. "You only need to know that I have my own plans."
"Leng Xiang understands." Leng Xiang nodded and said, "Leng Xiang will support Master unconditionally!"
"Thank you..."
Su Qing nodded slightly and thanked Leng Xiang.
Perhaps she was the only one who would support her so unconditionally, right?
No matter what she did, she always supported her silently.
Leng Xiang looked at Su Qing and smiled without saying a word...
Regarding the matter of leaving tomorrow, Su Qing naturally couldn't only tell Leng Xiang.
She also had to tell Ao Ying, Gongsun Zhixue, and the Little Sparrows so they could be prepared.
After learning they would set out tomorrow, Ao Ying couldn't help but feel a bit expectant and said:
"Finally, we can set out... I'm really curious what the Changbai Mountains look like! I wonder if they're the same as in the books."
"It might be a bit of a disappointment to say this, but we're not going to the Changbai Mountains tomorrow," Su Qing explained. "Instead, we're going to one of my 'hometowns' to see some old friends."
Ao Ying was stunned for a moment, then shook her head.
To this, far from feeling disappointed, she became even more expectant.
"How could it be a disappointment? Being able to see Big Green Sister's hometown is also a very interesting thing!" Ao Ying said with a beaming smile. "What kind of place is Big Green Sister's hometown exactly?"
"It's not any special place, just an ordinary small county town. Don't have too high expectations," Su Qing shook her head slightly, lowering Ao Ying's expectations.

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