Final Farewell

Su Qing saw this... and couldn't help but smile faintly.

If she knew what kind of place that was...

Then she wouldn't have mentioned those places to her.

"A very distant place," Su Qing explained. "Perhaps about a hundred and eight thousand li away?"

"..."

Hearing this, Zhou Chuxue was stunned for a long while before sighing softly. "Miss, why must you personally travel to such a remote place?"

"Because... I also want to wander somewhere far away and see the scenery of the outside world while I'm at it."

Su Qing smiled faintly and spun a casual excuse:

"However, after this meeting, I fear it will be difficult for us to see each other again."

Zhou Chuxue sighed again upon hearing this. "Indeed... honestly, meeting again this time was already a miracle."

"Perhaps this is what they call fate," Su Qing said, standing up naturally. "Well, it's about time for me to go. Remember to live well from now on..."

"..."

"Miss." Zhou Chuxue reached out and took hold of Su Qing, then said, "Please... at least accept this."

"This is?" Su Qing looked at it; it was a silver ingot.

Zhou Chuxue said with a smile, "Miss once said... that when my ten taels of silver became worthless, I could return them to you. Now, ten taels are no longer worth much to me, so it is only natural that I return them."

A helpless smile curled the corners of Su Qing's mouth:

"In all my years... this is the first time I've met someone even more stubborn than that guy. Still, if accepting this... allows you to be at peace, then I shall take it."

"Perhaps... this is just my way of living!"

Zhou Chuxue said with a faint smile:

"Miss... allow me to say it once more: thank you. If it weren't for you... perhaps I would not have seen this day."

"I might have even been dead long ago..."

Su Qing shook her head and placed a hand on the woman's shoulder.

Considering her age, patting her head was no longer appropriate.

"With a temperament like yours, be careful not to get taken advantage of..." Su Qing said helplessly. "Though, I truly do admire you. Well, it's time to go. I hope we might meet again within this lifetime!"

"Yes! Goodbye, Miss," Zhou Chuxue said with a respectful bow.

She then watched Su Qing enter the temple.

And watched her emerge again, disappearing at the end of the road.

"Goodbye, Miss..."

Zhou Chuxue sat in the pavilion, looking at the stone statue that towered far above the temple walls.

After a long while, she let out a long sigh and turned to leave the temple.

By now, she likely had a good idea of the truth.

On the Changbai Mountains.

Su Qing sat in her courtyard, looking at the ten taels of silver in her hand with a helpless smile.

"Master? Where did you go just now? Why didn't you take me with you? What if you encountered danger?" As soon as Su Qing returned, Leng Xiang's disgruntled voice came from behind her.

She had only stepped away to prepare a meal, and the moment she looked away, her master had slipped out.

Although Su Qing was the god of the Changbai Mountains, being without her weapon meant she could still be in danger.

Hearing Leng Xiang's words, Su Qing gave an apologetic look and said, "Sorry, I had a small matter to attend to, so I went out for a bit."

"So, what exactly did Master go to do?"

"Just to bid a final farewell to an old friend."

"A friend from the mortal realm?"

"Yes..."

"I see." Leng Xiang sighed softly and said, "Master... please be sure to remember the words of the Lunar Deity."

"That's exactly why I went to say a proper goodbye," Su Qing said with a smile. "Alright, don't worry. I'm much stronger than you think. I've survived all these years; I'm not that fragile."

Seeing this, Leng Xiang nodded slightly. "Since Master has put it that way, I won't nag any further."

"Also, that dish Master asked me to make... I've finished it."

"I don't know if the flavor is exactly what you wanted, but at least the appearance is similar to your description."

"I'll go bring it over for you."

"Thank you for the trouble," Su Qing said with a nod.

Life on the Changbai Mountains was rather dull and monotonous, so one always needed something new to keep from getting bored.

Thus, Su Qing would occasionally try to recreate things from her past life.

Though they were just little trifles, she couldn't help but be happy if she actually succeeded.

As for food, while she didn't have very high standards, being able to eat something she once enjoyed was a stroke of luck.

Perhaps... she might even remember a few more things from her past life.

"Things from my past life... so much time has passed, I've almost forgotten them entirely."

Su Qing shook her head helplessly:

"Never mind. As long as I still remember the potential major events of the future... that's enough. As for the rest, if I can recall them, I will. If not... then let them be forgotten."

Things of the past were, after all, in the past.

She could never return to her previous life.

Remembering too much wouldn't change anything...

It would merely add a bit of flavor to her otherwise plain life.

After calming her messy thoughts, Su Qing stretched.

Then she placed the silver ingot into her Sleeve Universe...

It could be considered a memento.

A memento of having met such a stubborn child.

After the final farewell to Zhou Chuxue.

Su Qing's life continued as usual.

The days ahead remained peaceful...

But peaceful did not necessarily mean boring.

After all, with so many friends to accompany her, how could she ever be as lonely as she was in those first few decades?

Time passed quickly, and in the blink of an eye, many years had gone by.

Was it ten years, or twenty?

Su Qing, who disliked keeping track of years, had forgotten once again.

She just stood by the edge of Heaven Lake, watching the goose-feather snowflakes drifting down with Ao Ying, thinking that this year's snow was as beautiful as ever.

The Changbai Mountains and their snow were truly a sight to behold.

Su Qing reached her hand out from under the umbrella, catching a few snowflakes.

"The snow is lovely, but I still find winter a bit disagreeable."

Su Qing didn't hate the snow; she just didn't like winter.

It was too cold...

For someone like her who once had a habit of hibernating... it was easy to feel sluggish.

Ao Ying stood beside her and nodded seriously.

"Indeed, winter on the Changbai Mountains is quite annoying... every time it snows, Heaven Lake ends up frozen solid."

"Even though I'm not afraid of the cold, having to break the ice every time I go out is quite a hassle. A few times I forgot and slammed my head right into the ice. It hurt so much."

Hearing this, Su Qing, who had been reminiscing about poems about snow, suddenly burst out laughing.

"..."

"Alright, Sister, don't laugh at me. You know that winters in the East Sea aren't cold at all."

"Have you still not gotten used to it after all these years?"

"I'm used to it, sure, but I've only just woken up—how could I pay attention to all that?"

"Oh, you..." Su Qing smiled helplessly.

Ao Ying stuck out her tongue, changed the subject, and said with a beaming smile:

"By the way, my father's grand birthday celebration is next year, and I'll have to go back to offer my congratulations. Sister, how about coming back with me?"