The Eve

After little Chaoyan left, Su Qing's life did not undergo any significant changes.

She continued to reside in Chang'an City.

Her daily routine was simply a bit quieter than before, with fewer things to do, making life a tad more mundane.

Although Yudie had lost a playmate, ever since Su Qing allowed her to wander out on her own, her complaints about Chaoyan's departure had diminished significantly.

Furthermore, while Chaoyan had become a nun, she was practicing as a lay nun, retaining her hair.

At the same time, every so often, Guanyin Bodhisattva would bring Chaoyan to visit Su Qing for a bit of fun.

Time passed swiftly.

In what felt like a blur, another ten years had gone by.

Ten years.

To Su Qing, it was but a fleeting moment, a mere blink of an eye.

But for most people in the mortal world, ten years was enough time to experience many things.

During these ten years...

Many great events occurred throughout the land.

Even in Chang'an, many noteworthy things happened...

For instance... the master of Chang'an had changed.

Or rather, the master of the entire country had changed.

Indeed, a few years ago, a mighty hero finally descended upon the world.

After several years of war and chaos...

This country ultimately changed hands.

It successfully entered a brand-new era...

The Sui Dynasty had fallen.

A new dynasty, the Tang Dynasty, was established.

And now, the Tang Dynasty had already been established for seven years.

This year was already Wude Year Seven.

With these ten years gone by...

The little girl of the past was now sixteen years old.

Over these years, Chen Chaoyan had experienced much and grown significantly.

Now, she had blossomed into a slim and graceful young woman.

She was very beautiful, having inherited excellent genes from her mother.

Moreover, due to her years of practicing Buddhist teachings, her temperament was exceptionally ethereal...

Especially when she was meditating on the Dharma or remaining silent.

Though she could not compare to the fairies in the heavens, she was particularly striking in this mortal world, especially among the group of nuns.

Had she not been a monastic, she would have been at the age to marry long ago.

In fact... by now, the suitors coming to propose might have worn down her doorstep.

Of course, the moment she opened her mouth, her true nature would be revealed.

Returning to her cultivation...

As the reincarnation of a certain Buddha's disciple, Chen Chaoyan naturally possessed extraordinary talent for cultivation.

Coupled with having a sufficiently powerful master and the support of vast resources,

In just ten short years, Chen Chaoyan had already stepped into the Divine Immortal Realm.

The Divine Immortal Realm might not be considered very high—for demons, it was merely the starting point—but in the mortal world, it provided a certain level of self-defense.

And now, after ten years of cultivation...

It was naturally time for Chen Chaoyan to set out on her journey to the West to fetch the scriptures.

On this day,

Inside the nunnery,

Guanyin Bodhisattva called Chen Chaoyan to her side.

"Xuanqing... do you know why I have called you here today?" Guanyin asked calmly.

Chen Chaoyan was dressed in simple monastic robes, her long hair tied back plainly with a hair wrap. As a monastic, she naturally wore no makeup, so her appearance could be described as extremely modest.

Yet even with such a plain appearance...

It still could not hide the beauty brought by her natural temperament and features.

Just standing there, she was exceptionally eye-catching.

It was no exaggeration to say...

That among the pilgrims in the nunnery, many were definitely there just to see this girl.

Chen Chaoyan stood before Guanyin, recited a Buddhist greeting, and said, "Amitabha. Master... how should I know why you called me? I haven't caused any trouble lately, have I?"

Ten years had passed.

The events of the past had not left Chen Chaoyan bitter or resentful...

And ten years of cultivation had not turned her into a taciturn nun who knew nothing but meditation.

She was still very much like she was as a child—vibrant and full of energy—but when it was time to be serious, she could equally settle her mind and focus.

The credit for all of this naturally went to Su Qing's presence,

As well as Guanyin's support... and her leniency.

For Guanyin, Chen Chaoyan's innate spirit was the most important thing.

On one hand, she didn't want her to become consumed by hatred.

On the other hand, it was to allow her to learn and interact more with Su Qing, deepening their bond.

This would make things easier when they reached Spirit Mountain in the future, ensuring no friction between them.

Back to the topic at hand.

After hearing Chen Chaoyan's response, Guanyin sighed helplessly and said:

"Do you still remember... the matter of fetching the scriptures I once told you about?"

"Ah? Of course I remember."

Hearing this, Chen Chaoyan nodded quickly and said:

"It's about going to the Great Thunder Monastery on Spirit Mountain in the West to bring back the Buddhist classics! I naturally still remember this. Master, did you call me because you want me to set out now?"

"Indeed..." Guanyin Bodhisattva nodded.

"I see! That's easy. I'll just ride a cloud to the West and bring the scriptures back for you. I'm already in the Divine Immortal Realm now; I can be back in no time by cloud."

Hearing this, Guanyin shook her head and said, "No. You cannot go by cloud."

"Then how should I go?"

"Naturally, you must go on foot."

"But isn't riding a cloud more convenient?"

"Regardless, you must walk."

Guanyin shook her head and said:

"I am having you walk not to trouble you, but because I hope you can witness the various aspects of the human world along the way and undergo some trials. This is very important and necessary for your future cultivation! Besides, if one could simply fly to Spirit Mountain to fetch the scriptures, I could do it myself. Why would I need you to go?"

Hearing this, Chen Chaoyan scratched her head and said with a dazed look, "I... I see? So, I absolutely have to walk."

"Naturally," Guanyin nodded and said, "However, I am not sending you alone."

At these words, Chen Chaoyan's eyes lit up, and she quickly asked, "Someone else is going with me? Which senior sister is it?"

"Mmm, it is not a sister from the nunnery, but your godmother—that is, Benefactor Su—who will accompany you."

"Ah? Master, it's one thing to trouble me, but my godmother is getting on in years. You're making her come with me? That's a journey of over a hundred thousand miles!" Chen Chaoyan exclaimed immediately upon hearing that Su Qing would be going.

She couldn't bear to let her godmother suffer...

"Hehe. You girl, you certainly are filial..."

Guanyin couldn't help but smile at those words and said:

"But... do you truly believe your godmother is an ordinary person?"

"Um... my father told me while he was still alive that my godmother used to be a Daoist. But even a Daoist with some skill is still an ordinary person, right? I've spent so much time with her and never sensed even a hint of cultivation from her?"

Chen Chaoyan recalled carefully and shook her head.

Guanyin laughed upon hearing this and then said:

"Then you have underestimated her. You cannot see her cultivation only because her cultivation is higher than yours and hidden deeper; that is why you cannot perceive it. Her strength is actually quite a bit greater than yours. At the very least, accompanying you to the West to fetch scriptures will pose no difficulty for her."

Hearing this, Chen Chaoyan was stunned for a long while before dazedlly replying:

"That... that's impossible, right? I've been with my godmother for ten years... I've watched her grow older bit by bit. If she had the same cultivation as me, shouldn't she have an ageless appearance? Just like you, Master."

Seeing this, Guanyin shook her head, feeling that explaining things to this skeptical girl was truly exhausting.

So she said, "Forget it, forget it. If you don't believe me, why don't you go and ask your godmother yourself today? I expect that by now, she should be ready to tell you the extent of her strength."

Hearing Guanyin speak this way, Chen Chaoyan had to admit she was starting to hesitate.

Could her godmother really possess extraordinary abilities as Guanyin suggested?

She didn't think her master was lying.

Because she knew her master...

She was a somewhat old-fashioned person who would absolutely never lie.

Especially to her.

So she naturally believed her master.

However, she had also grown up under her godmother's gaze...

She knew Su Qing incredibly well.

Even though she had entered the monastic life ten years ago, she still frequently visited her godmother to play... and she had never noticed Su Qing having any cultivation!

Could it be that her godmother really hid her cultivation as her master said?

But why would her godmother hide it from her?

After a long while, Chaoyan snapped out of it and said, "I understand... then I'll go find my godmother today and ask her."

"Mmm... after you've cleared things up, prepare yourself for a few days, and then set out together!" Guanyin nodded and said calmly.

"Yes, Master," Chen Chaoyan nodded and said, "Then I'll go find my godmother now."

With that,

Chen Chaoyan left the temple.

She headed toward the Su Manor in Chang'an City.

In Su Qing's courtyard,

Su Qing was flipping through a storybook she had recently acquired.

The content was interesting to her, and she was quite engrossed in reading it.

Su Qing had lived in Chang'an for so many years, and her current appearance had aged naturally by over a decade, so until now, no one had noticed anything unusual about her.

Consequently, her life in Chang'an was exceptionally peaceful, without any particular disturbances.

Beside Su Qing, Yudie was sprawled lazily on the stone table, playing with toys she had picked up from the market...

Although she was quite old herself, her personality remained the same.

At that moment,

Su Qing was reading intently.

Suddenly, she seemed to feel something... and turned her head toward the courtyard gate.

Sure enough, someone was walking along the garden path toward her.

Su Qing was naturally very familiar with the visitor...

It was Chen Chaoyan.

Because of her status as Su Qing's goddaughter, she didn't need to wait for a servant to announce her arrival...

She could simply walk right in.

Su Qing wasn't particularly surprised by her arrival.

For one, she visited occasionally anyway; for another, her current realm had reached the Divine Immortal Realm... before long, she would be able to go with her to fetch the scriptures from the West.

"You're here? Have a seat," Su Qing looked at her and smiled faintly.

Chen Chaoyan wasn't formal either; she nodded and sat down in front of Su Qing.

When Yudie saw Chen Chaoyan arrive, she also smiled at her and said, "Are you here to play with me?"

Su Qing used transformation arts to disguise her age, and Yudie naturally did the same. Although her personality hadn't changed, her appearance showed no signs of anything unusual.

Hearing this, Chen Chaoyan shook her head and said, "Sister Yudie, I've come to ask my godmother about something."

Hearing this, Su Qing was slightly surprised and asked, "Oh? Something to ask? Go ahead, what is it?"

Chen Chaoyan nodded, and after a moment of silence, she told Su Qing about her conversation with her master today...

She didn't know how to start the question, so she had to explain the context first before asking.

After hearing all this, Su Qing understood. She couldn't help but smile faintly and said, "So, what you want to ask about is my strength?"

Chen Chaoyan nodded and said, "So... Godmother, do you really possess great strength?"

Su Qing smiled faintly and shook her head, saying, "I wouldn't say 'great,' but I'm just not as weak as you think. I'm about the same as you, I suppose?"

"Then why..."

"There are many ways in this world to hide one's strength! Little girl, you've only been cultivating for ten years; there's still much you don't know," Su Qing said.

Su Qing naturally didn't intend to reveal her full strength directly...

After all, she only planned to accompany her on the pilgrimage, not clear the path for her the entire way.

Chaoyan had some strength of her own now; whatever she could handle herself, Su Qing would let her handle... so there was no need for Su Qing to expose too much of her own power.

"I... I see?" Chen Chaoyan was a bit dazed and scratched her head, saying, "But Master said you..."

"She's right. My strength is indeed a bit greater than yours, and I'm not as weak as you thought," Su Qing replied with a faint smile.

Hearing Su Qing's words, Chen Chaoyan thought about it and finally struck her palm with her fist.

It seemed that was indeed the case!

"You, your concern has clouded your judgment," Su Qing shook her head helplessly and said, "You usually seem quite clever; why have you started acting silly now?"

Chen Chaoyan gave a light cough and said awkwardly, "There was just too much information at once; I couldn't process it all. But, Godmother, do you really intend to go to Spirit Mountain with me?"

"Yes! I promised your master a long time ago," Su Qing nodded and said, "Besides, I also want to take a look at Spirit Mountain and see what that Buddhist Holy Land is truly like."

"But... it's a journey of over a hundred thousand miles, and we have to walk!"

"We are both practitioners of the Dao; can we not endure such a small hardship?"

"I'm not afraid of hardship; I'm just worried about you, Godmother."

"If you aren't afraid, what do I have to fear?" Su Qing smiled, reached out, and patted the girl's head, saying, "Besides, it would be too lonely to let you go alone! With Yudie and me accompanying you, the journey will be much easier."