Still, although Su Qing wasn't surprised by the little Daoist boy’s formidable strength, she was somewhat perplexed.
Why would that boy lock Leng Xiang in solitary confinement for no reason?
Could it be that the Old Mother had instructed him to do so?
Given the Old Mother’s personality, such a prank wouldn't actually be that strange.
Except...
Even if it were a prank, she wouldn't target Leng Xiang.
The Old Mother and Leng Xiang weren't even acquainted.
"Forget it, there’s no point in searching for a reason... guessing is meaningless. I'll just ask directly if I get the chance later."
Su Qing shook her head, deciding not to dwell on it any further.
Although Leng Xiang had been confined for a day, she hadn't suffered any actual harm.
"You were treated unfairly," Su Qing said.
Regardless, she felt the need to offer some comfort.
After all, being locked up was still being locked up!
Hearing this, Leng Xiang merely sighed softly and said:
"I wouldn't call it unfair, though it was a bit lonely not being able to see you, Master, for a whole day. Moreover, not being able to attend to your daily needs... I just felt a bit stifled, is all."
"Speaking of which, did you encounter any trouble yesterday, Master?"
Su Qing shook her head slightly, unable to suppress a yawn, and replied:
"It was fine, really. I just didn't get much sleep."
"Then... once we return, you should get some proper rest, Master! You can leave the household chores to me," Leng Xiang said, noticing the yawn. "If you don't rest well... even the effects of your cultivation will suffer. You must prioritize your health."
"I know, I know," Su Qing nodded. "I'll sleep a bit more once we get back."
As she spoke, Su Qing formed a hand seal, and the Somersault Cloud’s speed surged back to its proper level.
Before long,
the two of them had returned to the Changbai Mountains.
Just as she had promised Leng Xiang, Su Qing gave everyone a brief update upon her return before heading off to get some proper rest.
Life after returning to the Changbai Mountains could be described as incredibly relaxed and pleasant.
Without even realizing it...
the Daoist temple at the foot of the mountain had been completed.
Once the temple was finished, Su Qing visited the site, curious to see how many people would come to offer incense to her now that it was fully operational.
Although she knew the City God had done much to promote her, she couldn't help but feel a lingering trace of anxiety.
After all, this directly influenced how high she could build her foundation in the future.
It was only natural to worry.
Fortunately, however,
on the day the temple opened, the turnout of worshippers was quite substantial.
At the very least, it was enough that she didn't need to worry.
"It looks like even though it took a long time to build this temple, everything turned out fine in the end."
Standing outside the courtyard, Su Qing watched the stream of people passing by and let out a heavy sigh of relief.
With this, things could proceed smoothly from here on out.
"Miss Su?!"
As she was thinking, a familiar voice called out from behind her.
Hearing it, Su Qing turned around.
"Oh, it's Chuxue. Have you come to worship the Azure Spirit Sovereign as well?" Su Qing asked with a slight smile.
She had now fully accepted this title for herself...
Mainly because she had no choice; in the hearts of the people, she was already the Azure Spirit Sovereign.
If she insisted on changing it, it would only be counterproductive—a case of more loss than gain.
Zhou Chuxue nodded and said:
"Yes. After all... I rely on the Changbai Mountains for my livelihood, so I naturally have to come pay my respects and pray for Lady Azure Spirit's protection, so that I may return with a full harvest every time..."
Hearing this, Su Qing smiled and nodded. "Rest assured, she will certainly protect you."
"Mm! I have always believed that Lady Azure Spirit would watch over me," Zhou Chuxue said with a beaming smile. "By the way, are you not going inside, Miss?"
"Me? There are too many people right now, so I'll pass. I'll go when it's less crowded," Su Qing replied, making up an easy excuse.
"I see..." Zhou Chuxue nodded, looking up at the plaque above the entrance. "What a pity. I thought I could go in with you."
Su Qing laughed and shook her head. "It is a pity indeed... Go on then, don't let me keep you."
Zhou Chuxue said no more. After bowing to Su Qing, she turned and walked into the temple.
The scale of this temple was grand, significantly larger than the City God Temple...
And within the temple, the most eye-catching feature was likely the stone statue standing outside.
Zhou Chuxue looked at the statue, then bought incense from a nearby Daoist boy and bowed respectfully before it.
This time, she didn't make any grand wishes; she simply prayed for safety for herself and for Su Qing.
After parting ways with Zhou Chuxue,
Su Qing naturally returned to the mountain... she didn't linger below.
Now that she was certain many people were coming to worship, she no longer needed to worry about the temple's daily affairs.
All she had to do was occasionally listen to the prayers of those 'believers' and selectively grant a few wishes.
"Look at that smug grin on your face. I take it quite a few people went to your temple?"
Upon returning to the courtyard on the mountain, Gongsun Zhixue saw Su Qing’s excellent mood and couldn't help but ask.
"Indeed! Now that the temple is built, I am the bona fide God of the Changbai Mountains," Su Qing said to her with a beaming smile. "I can finally relax and take a good rest."
"As if you weren't resting every single day anyway," Gongsun Zhixue curled her lip and said. "Oh, right... I almost forgot. The seeds in your herb garden sprouted this morning—specifically the batch near the Bodhi Tree."
Hearing this, Su Qing turned her gaze toward the herb garden in the courtyard.
She had left early that morning and hadn't paid much attention to the garden's condition...
Looking at it now, they had indeed sprouted.
"It's a bit slower than I expected..."
Seeing the few scattered green sprouts in the garden, Su Qing noted:
"It seems... even with the Bodhi Tree, these Immortal Herbs and Spirit Grasses can't grow as quickly as ordinary mundane herbs."
Even so,
the growth rate of these spiritual medicines was already much faster than it would have been originally.
She really ought to be satisfied.
"By the way, since the Bodhi Tree can indeed accelerate the growth of immortal herbs, why don't I try planting that Peaches of Immortality pit as well?"
Su Qing had thought about planting the peach pit a long time ago...
However, the growth cycle for a Peach of Immortality was simply too long.
There was even a chance the Great Decline would arrive before the tree could even sprout...
At that point, the slow-growing peach tree would have no chance of survival at all.
Consequently, Su Qing had abandoned the idea of planting it.
But now, seeing that the Bodhi Tree possessed the power to accelerate such plants, the idea was rekindled.
"I'll give it a try. It doesn't cost anything to try, after all. If it succeeds, I get a peach tree. Even if it's the lowest of the low-grade Peaches of Immortality, it's worth it. If it fails... I haven't lost anything."
Looking at the Bodhi Tree, Su Qing made up her mind.
She moved quickly.
Although she had given up on planting it earlier, she had kept the pit of the Peach of Immortality.
She had figured it might have some other use in the future...
And here it was.
Su Qing planted the peach pit about three or four meters away from the Bodhi Tree.
Then, following the usual method for planting trees, she sprinkled some water and added a bit of fertilizer.
"Now I just have to wait for it to grow," Su Qing said to herself, patting her hands as she looked at the small hole in the earth.
However, Gongsun Zhixue, who had been watching from the side, suddenly spoke up, dousing Su Qing’s excitement with cold water.
She said, "You don't need to wait. The pit you just planted has already lost its life force."
"Hmm?" Su Qing blinked in surprise, turning to ask, "How do you know?"
"I'm a tree spirit! I'm very sensitive to the life force of plants... even after they're buried, I can still sense a flicker of vitality."
Gongsun Zhixue gave Su Qing a sideways glance and continued:
"When you first put that pit in the ground, it still had some life in it—normal for a seed. But right after that, just as you were watering it... the pit lost its life force completely."
Su Qing’s brow twitched. She formed a seal with her hand and excavated the pit from the soil.
Sure enough, the pit that had possessed vitality moments ago was now completely dead...
There wasn't a single trace of a chance that it would sprout.
"What on earth happened?" Su Qing wondered aloud after confirming the pit was indeed lifeless.
"Don't ask me, I wouldn't know."
Gongsun Zhixue shook her head and said:
"I just sensed its life force vanish and told you. But as for exactly how it died... I can't sense that."
Seeing that Gongsun Zhixue didn't know, Su Qing didn't press the matter.
She simply began pondering the possibilities herself.
For now, she could only think of two scenarios.
The first was that there was some kind of restriction within the Peach of Immortality pit—that if it were planted anywhere outside the Peach Garden, it would lose its vitality.
After all, if anyone could just plant their own peaches, wouldn't the fruit of the Peach Banquet become common and worthless?
It wouldn't be surprising if the Heavenly Palace had placed such a restriction.
But the second possibility was... that the life force of the peach pit had been sucked away by something else.
For example, by the Bodhi Tree.
She couldn't confirm the former yet... but as for the latter, she could at least ask.
She just didn't know if the Bodhi Tree would respond to her.
Su Qing’s brow rose slightly. Without overthinking it, she used her sensory link to query the Bodhi Tree.
This time, however, the Bodhi Tree relayed a message back very quickly...
The general meaning was... she wanted more?
"More...? Did this fellow really absorb the life force of the peach pit?" Su Qing was a bit stunned after receiving the response.
While she had considered the possibility of the Bodhi Tree absorbing the vitality, she hadn't expected the tree to be so greedy as to ask for more.
Su Qing narrowed her eyes. She didn't flatly refuse the tree's request, but instead asked why it had absorbed the life force of the pit in the first place.
The Bodhi Tree truly seemed to crave that vitality...
When faced with Su Qing’s inquiry, it didn't play the usual haughty game of being deaf and dumb.
Instead, it responded to Su Qing almost immediately.
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