Su Qing stood to the side, silently listening to the Earth God's description without interrupting.
After the Earth God’s detailed explanation,
Su Qing understood exactly how these people had come to be here and what had transpired before.
It turned out…
Their arrival was actually the result of an accident.
They were originally a merchant ship heading elsewhere, but they inadvertently encountered a storm at sea. Swept up by the gale, they somehow ended up here.
When they first landed on the island, it wasn't for any grand purpose; they simply wanted to rest and refit.
Unexpectedly, their luck was quite extraordinary, as they had stumbled right into the little town outside the Water Curtain Cave on Flower-Fruit Mountain.
The sudden appearance of mortals had caused a bit of a stir among the monkeys.
Fortunately, the chaos did not last long, as the Earth God had arrived in time to calm things down.
The monkeys were easy to handle, and naturally, the mortals were even easier.
He had simply used a few minor spells to guide them, combined with a bit of fast-talking, and he had them completely swayed.
As for whether it was mostly the fast-talking or the magical guidance that did the trick,
That was hard to say.
As for what happened after that… seeing the current situation, Su Qing could guess the gist of it.
After hearing the full sequence of events, Su Qing nodded slightly.
"This old man acted on his own initiative. I hope the Immortal does not take offense."
"Hmm? You did a fine job, why would I blame you?" Su Qing replied, shaking her head.
She did not reproach the Earth God. For one, he had indeed done the right thing, and for another, she wasn't so arrogant.
He was a deity, after all. Though nominally her subordinate, she couldn't treat this old Earth God the way she had dealt with the Old Dragon King earlier today.
After all, the nature of their positions was entirely different.
Once her conversation with the Earth God was mostly finished,
Su Qing turned her gaze toward the mortals waiting nearby. She intended to have a proper talk with them about her future plans—and likely do some fast-talking of her own.
However, as Su Qing turned to look, she realized that these people seemed to be utterly terrified of her.
She could even see them trembling.
"Am I really that frightening? Has my state of mind not fully shifted back yet? That shouldn't be the case!" Su Qing thought, stroking her chin as she pondered how to make them stop fearing her.
However…
In the eyes of the mortals, this scene took on a completely different meaning.
They thought Su Qing was deciding whether or not to kill them.
This scared them half to death.
Without a moment's hesitation, and before she could even ask a question, they began to beg for mercy…
Seeing them like this, Su Qing sighed softly.
"This is exactly why I must try my best not to reveal my identity to mortals!"
She had assumed that since these people had witnessed all sorts of strange phenomena on Flower-Fruit Mountain, they might not be entirely unshakeable, but at least they wouldn't be terrified by her sudden appearance…
Looking at them now, she had clearly overthought it.
She had underestimated her own terrifying presence,
And overestimated their courage.
Of course, if she put herself in their shoes, Su Qing could understand why they felt this way.
However, Su Qing didn't plan to waste any more energy thinking about those things now.
She looked at the group, her hands hidden behind her back as she pinched a seal and cast a minor spell.
A spell to help them find peace of mind.
Then, her voice indifferent, she spoke:
"Rest easy. I will not kill you. You are of use to me. Besides… I am not a cruel person. Even if I were truly dissatisfied with you, as long as you haven't committed any heinous acts, the most I would do is send you back to the Aolai Kingdom."
Su Qing knew that simply saying she wouldn't kill them wasn't enough to dispel their worries and anxieties.
Only by making them feel that they were still useful to her could she truly put them at ease.
Sure enough, after Su Qing spoke, although the group remained humble, they visibly breathed a sign of relief.
"We thank the Immortal for her great mercy," they said, bowing with cupped hands, their expressions much more relaxed.
Seeing this, Su Qing knew her words and magic had worked.
She smiled slightly and said, "Very well, let us sit to the side and talk slowly."
Magic was a wonderful thing. Although using it like this was somewhat like cheating, it undoubtedly saved her a great deal of effort.
None of the merchants noticed anything unusual about themselves, nor did they realize they had calmed down much faster than usual.
They merely nodded hurriedly and followed Su Qing into a small wooden hut.
The wooden hut was quite empty.
Inside, there were only a few pieces of very simple furniture; it could be described as excessively crude.
But despite its simplicity, the place was quiet.
There wasn't a troop of noisy monkeys chattering in their ears.
Such an environment was naturally more suitable for discussing serious business.
Su Qing sat down casually on a chair and said, "It's a bit humble here. Please, take a seat. There's no need to be nervous."
They nodded quickly, though they still remained somewhat stiff.
Even their movements were careful, as if they feared being too loud.
"Imm… Immortal, what… what is it you need us to do? As long as it is within our power, we will certainly give our all."
After sitting down, the man who appeared to be the leader of the group couldn't help but ask Su Qing.
Hearing this, Su Qing smiled faintly, then pulled a flask of wine and several cups from her Sleeve Universe.
As she poured the wine, she said:
"No rush, no rush. You don't need to be so eager to prove yourselves. We will go through things one by one."
"Before I talk about what I need you to do, I have a few things to ask first… Have you revealed the matter of Flower-Fruit Mountain to anyone else?"
As Su Qing spoke, she handed a cup of wine to the man.
The leader took the cup but did not drink immediately, merely holding it in his hand.
After taking a deep breath, he answered seriously:
"Only I and the crew of my ship know about Flower-Fruit Mountain. Aside from them, not even the crew's families on shore know that there is such a mountain in the sea. Rest assured, Immortal, we seafaring folk have always followed the rules. Our lips are sealed, and we will never reveal the existence of Flower-Fruit Mountain to the outside world."
Hearing this, Su Qing gave her usual faint smile and said:
"There is no need to be tense. Actually, I don't mind if you reveal news of Flower-Fruit Mountain… In fact, it might be a good thing if more merchants came here."
The man was slightly stunned upon hearing this, and then he let out a sigh of relief.
While their lips were indeed sealed, there were many people on the ship… he couldn't be absolutely certain that no one had let anything slip.
Therefore, when he had spoken just now,
He had been quite worried, fearing that one wrong word might lead to their total annihilation.
"In… in other words, the Immortal does not mind us doing business here?" someone asked subconsciously.
"Why would I mind?" Su Qing shook her head and asked back casually. "Why would I object to something beneficial to Flower-Fruit Mountain? If I minded, why would you be sitting here now?"
This question left the person who asked it stunned…
For a moment, he didn't know how to answer her.
Seeing this, Su Qing smiled faintly and continued, "Very well, next, we should talk about the real business…"
Su Qing didn't wait for the man to wrap his head around it before diving into the main topic.
What she needed them to do wasn't much…
Most of it revolved around trade.
Su Qing hoped more merchants would come to Flower-Fruit Mountain.
At the same time, she indicated that if war ever broke out in the Aolai Kingdom, Flower-Fruit Mountain would be willing to accept some refugees…
Although the Aolai Kingdom was currently quite peaceful,
In the coming decades or centuries, whether in the mortal realm, the demon realm, or even the Heavenly Palace, things would likely not remain so peaceful.
Thus, it was necessary to plan ahead.
Besides these main points, Su Qing also mentioned many minor matters…
There were about ten or so small, scattered tasks.
These need not be detailed here.
After Su Qing's round of persuasion,
These people were finally completely won over.
They agreed to everything Su Qing asked of them.
Of course,
Su Qing wasn't sure if her persuasion was truly that good,
Or if she had simply used her so-called 'aura' to pressure them,
To the point where they didn't dare resist her words at all.
Regardless, the result was achieved, so it wasn't a loss.
After settling matters on this side,
Su Qing found the Earth God again and informed him of these arrangements…
She also asked him to continue looking after Flower-Fruit Mountain and managing the various affairs here.
Naturally, Su Qing provided him with a reward.
After all, there was no reason to make someone work for free.
"Leave the matters of Flower-Fruit Mountain to this old man! The Immortal should focus on the affairs of the Changbai Mountains," the Earth God said, his face beaming with smiles after receiving his reward.
"Then I shall trouble you."
"It is no trouble, no trouble! It is only my duty."
Su Qing smiled helplessly at his words and stopped being humble with the old Earth God.
If this continued, they would never finish.
"Alright, my business here is done. I shall head back now," Su Qing said to the Earth God. "Take care of yourself."
"You as well, Immortal. Take care."
Su Qing nodded, then pinched a seal and departed Flower-Fruit Mountain on her Somersault Cloud.
What Flower-Fruit Mountain would develop into in the future,
Su Qing naturally did not know.
What was certain was…
After she had given it this nudge, many things would surely change in the future.
And the future destiny of Flower-Fruit Mountain would certainly be completely different from the past.
However, whether it would develop in the best possible direction, Su Qing was indeed unsure.
She didn't have a clear vision of everything to come.
Aside from the 'predestined fate' mentioned by Laojun, there were only a few things she could accurately foresee.
Su Qing's Somersault Cloud was as swift as ever.
In no time, she arrived near the Changbai Mountains.
Yet upon reaching the Changbai Mountains, Su Qing did not return to her courtyard.
Instead, she landed at the Daoist temple at the foot of the mountain.
It wasn't a sudden whim; she simply felt something in her heart and instinctively came here.
It was as if…
Something important was waiting here for her to handle.
Entering the temple,
Su Qing pinched a seal to hide her form, making her presence invisible to mortals.
She walked through the Daoist temple, looking at the place she knew so well, wondering what had drawn her here.
As she walked, Su Qing unconsciously arrived in front of her own statue.
This statue had endured decades of wind and sun, yet it still stood firm… and there were hardly any marks of time left upon it, showing that the craftsmanship was quite excellent.
She looked at her statue, lost in thought.
Suddenly, she saw a youth of sixteen or seventeen leading a white-haired woman with a haggard face slowly into the temple.
Su Qing looked at the old woman and felt she looked somewhat familiar.
It seemed she knew this person…
But too much time had passed, and the woman's appearance had changed so much that Su Qing couldn't immediately recognize her.
Su Qing thought for a moment and performed a quick calculation.
With her current realm,
Calculating the life story of a mortal was incredibly easy.
However, when she actually calculated the woman's life,
Her expression couldn't help but turn bitter.
The joy she felt upon returning from Flower-Fruit Mountain vanished instantly.
She looked at the old woman and sighed softly.
"You too… have gone through many things."
Su Qing shook her head helplessly, leaning against a tree to the side as she watched the old woman quietly.
She did not intend to show herself…
Because she didn't plan on letting the woman see her again.
Neither her true form nor the other face she used to walk among mortals would appear before her again.
It was best to let her grow old and eventually pass away just like this…
If she appeared again, it would only disrupt her current life…
It would only make her life more difficult.
In front of the statue,
The old woman took several sticks of incense from a young Daoist boy. After lighting them, she bowed respectfully and placed the incense into the large burner before the statue.
She looked up at the massive statue and asked with a chuckle, "My son, do you believe your mother?"
The youth supported the old woman and nodded. "How could I not believe you?"
"Then do you believe… that when your mother was young, she once entered that Changbai Immortal Realm and met Lady Azure Spirit?" the old woman asked with a smile.
"I believe you, of course I do. When have I ever not believed you?" the youth echoed. "I remember you told me that the Azure Spirit Sovereign was very beautiful, right? I also remember you saying there was a white dragon on that mountain!"
The youth's mother often told him these stories.
He had grown up listening to them…
Naturally, he was already very familiar with what his mother was about to say next.
To say he knew them backward would be an understatement.
"That’s right… that’s right. She was so beautiful; this statue doesn't capture half of her grace! But you, child, you're always so half-hearted! I can see you don't really believe my words at all." The old woman spoke as if joking. "Ah, I'm tired of standing. Let's find a place to sit for a while!"
"I'll help you over there, Mother," the youth said quickly.
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