First Snow

The construction of the Daoist temple.

As an immortal, Su Qing naturally could not directly intervene.

However, doing nothing felt wrong to her—it didn't fit her personality.

After some thought, she decided on what she could do.

It was simply to protect the group of people building the temple, ensuring no danger befell them during the process.

Building a house might be very simple for a cultivator like Su Qing.

But for ordinary mortals, a slight lapse in attention could lead to injury.

Although there was little Su Qing could do, helping even a bit was good; it counted as contributing her share.

The construction of the Daoist temple proceeded steadily, and under Su Qing's protection, not a single accident occurred during the process.

Su Qing would also come down the mountain to check on things when she was free, or occasionally transform into a mortal to bring food to the craftsmen.

Although Su Qing's nature was somewhat indifferent, this was her own temple after all, so she naturally cared a little.

Time passed quickly.

In the blink of an eye, several more months had gone by.

Several months passed.

The matter of the new Daoist temple being built at the foot of the Changbai Mountains and the enshrinement of a deity named Azure Spirit Sovereign.

It had already spread throughout all of Long County.

In this era, entertainment was quite scarce.

Usually, when people were free, they mostly gathered at tea houses to play chess or under trees to chat, gossiping about family matters or strange occurrences in the county.

Because of this, even a slight stir in the county town would easily spread throughout the entire area.

Even the smallest news would spread among nearby neighbors and then continue to ferment slowly.

And the construction of a Daoist temple at the foot of the Changbai Mountains outside the city—a very large one at that.

Naturally, it was something people had been chatting about quite a bit lately.

Among the talk, besides details about the temple itself, there were also many legends about the deity enshrined within, the Azure Spirit Sovereign.

Where these legends originated was already unknown to the common people, but they had spread throughout the entire county town before anyone realized it.

Even some people outside the county had already learned of these legends.

In this way, even though the Azure Spirit Sovereign's temple had not yet been completed.

This deity was already well-known to everyone in Long County.

Some people even developed a misconception.

It was as if this Azure Spirit Sovereign was originally the god of the Changbai Mountains.

As if the legends of this Azure Spirit Sovereign had existed for a very long time.

Perhaps someone would notice the discrepancy and point it out, but driven by a mysterious power, most people continued to overlook the issue or were even unable to discover it.

And if one were to ask what this mysterious power was?

It was naturally the Azure Spirit Sovereign's good neighbor, the City God of Long County!

In fact, it was precisely because of the City God's various efforts.

That the legends of the Azure Spirit Sovereign spread so quickly within Long County, becoming known to everyone so fast, and even leading to some incorrect perceptions.

Of course, for the City God, this was still just a beginning.

The truly busy work was still to come!

Another night, the City God returned from a Divine Dream.

He let out a long breath, looked at the bright moonlight, and said to himself:

"This is truly hard work... frequent Divine Dreams are really exhausting. I hope the Azure Spirit Sovereign won't forget my efforts in the future!"

Thinking this, the City God couldn't help but exhale a breath of turbid air.

Then, he returned to his City God statue to rest and recover.

As a pure Yin deity, an incense god... such frequent Divine Dreams, along with planning how to fool the people in their dreams, was a very laborious and tiring task.

As for why the City God was willing to work so hard to help.

Actually, besides the Jade Emperor's prior arrangements, it was also a type of investment for the future.

Because he knew his own strength and knew that if he encountered great disasters, he would have no ability to protect the people of Long County.

He knew that at his level, all he could do was occasionally manifest miracles in daily life.

Helping the people dispel some illnesses or assisting them with minor favors.

Therefore, he needed a reliable and trustworthy friend.

A friend who could step in to help when a major disaster occurred in the future.

And Su Qing was clearly his best, and even his only, choice.

After his previous conversation with Su Qing, he had a general understanding of her character.

He knew she was a person who repaid kindness and was worth befriending.

So he was willing to help and willing to invest.

He didn't even mind if Su Qing's presence took away some of his incense power.

Of course, he also knew he might have misjudged her...

But all investments come with risks, and there was nothing else he could do but trust.

The next day.

At this time, the morning sun had not yet risen, and the bright moon still hung in the sky.

In a mud hut near Long County.

A young girl had already woken up early.

The girl's name was Zhou Chuxue.

The reason her father gave her this name was simply because on the day she was born, it happened to be the first snow of the season; it had no other meaning besides that.

Of course, as a farm girl who barely knew a few characters, she didn't care whether her name had meaning or not.

Having woken up, she patted her face and splashed cold well water on it to wake herself up.

Once she was mostly awake.

She turned and bowed twice to the two wooden spirit tablets in the house, saying:

"Father, Mother, I'm leaving. Please bless me so that I can gather some valuable medicinal herbs today."

After bowing to her parents, she put on her back basket and took her sickle.

Guided by the faint light, she left her home and headed toward the distant Changbai Mountains.

Based on her past experience, leaving at this time would allow her to arrive at the foot of the Changbai Mountains exactly at dawn.

That way, she would have more daylight hours to gather herbs in the mountains.

After all, there was only so much daylight in a day...

If she wanted to stay on the mountain longer and collect more herbs, she had to leave home earlier.

As for the night...

The Changbai Mountains at night were not without danger.

More than herbs, Zhou Chuxue cared about safety and her own life.

When her mother was still alive, she always taught her... life is more important than money.

Zhou Chuxue quickened her pace.

Before long, accompanied by the rising sun, she reached the foot of the Changbai Mountains.

At the foot of the mountain.

A Daoist temple was already half-constructed.

In the courtyard of that temple, a massive stone statue stood tall.

The statue was half-human and half-snake, appearing both immortal and demonic, very mystical and strange.

But there was no doubt that the statue's appearance was truly beautiful, like a celestial being.

Zhou Chuxue looked up at the sky, then at the statue in the courtyard, and habitually walked inside.

Then, she bowed to the statue and said:

"Lady Bi Ling, please protect me so that I can gather valuable herbs today, and please don't let me encounter jackals, wolves, tigers, or leopards, so I can return safely."

"I don't have any incense right now, but once I gather valuable herbs, I will definitely come back to burn incense for you!"

Zhou Chuxue didn't know if this Azure Spirit Sovereign truly existed or if she would really protect her.

She came to bow simply to find some peace of mind.

Anyway, bowing once didn't cost her a single penny.

"Girl Zhou, you're early today too? Going up the mountain for herbs?"

Just as Zhou Chuxue looked up after bowing to the statue, she heard a woman's voice from behind.

Hearing the voice, she hurriedly turned her head to look.

Sure enough, it was an acquaintance.

"Miss Su?!"

Seeing it was Su Qing, Zhou Chuxue was flustered for a moment, not knowing how to bow correctly.

Su Qing's current appearance was not her original one.

So even though the statue was ninety percent similar to her original face, Zhou Chuxue could not recognize her as the Azure Spirit Sovereign.

"No need for formalities. You know I'm not someone who cares about such things," Su Qing said with a smile, seeing her flustered state.

Hearing this, Zhou Chuxue hurriedly shook her head and said:

"No, that won't do. Miss Su has been kind to me; how could I be rude? Besides, my father said I must always respect my benefactors. If Miss hadn't paid to help me bury my mother back then, I'm afraid I wouldn't even have my freedom now!"

"That was just a small gesture. Had it been someone else, I would have helped if I saw them. Besides, respect and bowing are two different things. Didn't your father tell you that?" Su Qing smiled helplessly, shook her head, and said.

Zhou Chuxue didn't know how to answer for a moment and only nodded.

Then, she asked, "By the way, why has Miss Su come here so early?"

"Nothing special. I just woke up a bit early today, so I brought some food for everyone."

Looking at this simple and optimistic little girl, Su Qing liked her very much and couldn't help but say:

"Since you're here, come and have breakfast before heading into the mountains! It's still early, enough time for a meal. Besides, you need strength after eating, right?"

"This..." Zhou Chuxue nervously toyed with the corner of her clothes, but her growling stomach betrayed her.

"Alright, Leng Xiang, go fetch a portion of food," Su Qing said with a slight smile, then instructed Leng Xiang to help get a meal.

Hearing this, Leng Xiang turned and left without a word.

A moment later, she returned carrying a bowl of thick porridge.

"Eat. You'll have the strength to gather herbs on the mountain after eating." Su Qing held it out to her and said.

"Th... thank you, Miss." Zhou Chuxue took the thick porridge, swallowed hard, and said, "Miss is truly a good person! Completely different from those people in the city."

"No need for thanks, it's just a small favor." Su Qing shook her head and said, "Eat slowly. I'll be going now. Remember to be careful after you go up the mountain; don't get hurt."

"Don't worry, Miss, Chuxue values her life very much!"

Zhou Chuxue replied with a beaming smile.

"That's good then."

Seeing this, Su Qing also nodded and turned to leave.

After finishing her breakfast, Zhou Chuxue bowed to the statue once more and said:

"Lady Bi Ling, please also protect Miss Su well. Please don't let Miss Su suffer any grievances."