A Reunion of Old Friends

The female Daoist did not speak, nor did she come forward to greet Su Qing.

She simply followed Zhenyuan Great Immortal silently, a smile playing on her lips as she watched Su Qing. She appeared like an ordinary female Daoist disciple who was merely curious about their guest.

Su Qing looked at her, a faint sense of confusion rising in her heart as she wondered about the woman's identity. However, no matter how much she searched her memories, she couldn't recall who this woman might be.

She didn't dwell on it for long, choosing instead to converse with Zhenyuan Great Immortal first. After all, as a guest, how could she ignore the host? Furthermore, while Su Qing didn't know exactly how powerful Zhenyuan Great Immortal was or if he was truly as formidable as the legends suggested—nor did she have a way to verify it—there was no doubt that he was her senior. Naturally, she had to treat him with proper etiquette.

Hearing Su Qing’s words, Zhenyuan Great Immortal shook his head dismissively. "It is no bother at all. Your arrival here is a matter of fate."

He stroked his beard and continued, "By the way, since it is rare for you to visit, I have prepared a small meeting gift for you."

Su Qing moved to decline instinctively. Firstly, she felt it was improper to accept, and secondly, she wasn't sure how she would return the favor later. But before she could speak, Zhenyuan Great Immortal cut her off.

"Eh, do not be so quick to refuse. It is merely some fruit to quench your thirst. Please, accept it with a peaceful mind."

With a wave of his sleeve, an elixir tray appeared on the tea table. The tray was lined with a silk cloth, holding several fruits of a bizarre shape. They looked exactly like infants less than three days old, complete with four limbs and distinct facial features.

Chaoyan’s pupils shrank slightly at the sight. Was this truly a fruit?

Su Qing, however, recognized the fruit the moment she saw it. Was this not the Ginseng Fruit? Although she had speculated it might be the Ginseng Fruit when Zhenyuan Great Immortal mentioned a gift, seeing him actually present them so casually still came as a surprise.

"Is Zhenyuan Great Immortal truly this generous? Giving away Ginseng Fruits upon meeting?" Su Qing wondered.

On second thought, it didn't seem that strange. He was likely giving them to her out of respect for Taishang Laojun. Moreover, the Ginseng Fruit held no special significance for her; at her current realm, the small boost to one's lifespan provided by the fruit was essentially meaningless. Besides, the Great Tribulation of Heaven and Earth was looming.

Suddenly, Su Qing seemed to understand something. She smiled and said, "Then I must thank Senior Zhenyuan."

"No need for thanks. I am old friends with your master. It is just a few fruits, why bother with such formalities?" Zhenyuan Great Immortal said with a chuckle, stroking his beard.

Su Qing smiled and picked up a fruit, placing it in Chaoyan's hand. "Since Senior has gifted it, you should eat it!"

Chaoyan still seemed hesitant. Su Qing shook her head with a smile, picked up another fruit, and took a bite. "See? It really is just a fruit."

Seeing Su Qing’s actions and hearing her words, Chaoyan finally felt at ease. If her godmother said it was fine, then it must be fine. "But why does this fruit grow into such a shape?" Chaoyan had many questions, but seeing Zhenyuan Great Immortal’s gaze on her, she quickly ate the fruit.

Zhenyuan Great Immortal exerted quite a bit of pressure on Chaoyan. For one, she knew his strength was terrifying—after all, even the young boys in this courtyard were thousand-year-old monsters. One could only imagine the age and power of the master of this temple. Secondly, Su Qing addressed him as Senior, and he claimed to know Su Qing’s master. This made him an even higher-ranking elder to her. How could she not feel pressured?

However, Chaoyan was also a bit frustrated. Hadn't her godmother said she wasn't well-acquainted with Zhenyuan Great Immortal?

As for Yudie, she was a sword spirit. While she could eat, the Ginseng Fruit was practically useless to her, as it couldn't maintain or sharpen a weapon. Still, Yudie was curious about the taste of such a strange-looking fruit. Since there was a portion for her, she didn't hold back.

Soon, the three Ginseng Fruits were finished. Seeing this, Zhenyuan Great Immortal burst into laughter. "Well? How was the taste?"

Su Qing savored the aftertaste for a moment. "It is indeed sweet."

"Hahaha, that is good!" Zhenyuan Great Immortal stroked his beard and said with a smile, "Very well, I shall go instruct my disciples to prepare some food. You may chat with this disciple of mine for a while. As for your lodgings, she will take you there later."

Zhenyuan Great Immortal glanced at Chaoyan. He had intended to speak with her as well, but remembering she had no memories of her past life and that her soul was in a strange state, he decided against it. In any case, he had returned the favor and hadn't mistreated his old friend.

Thus, Zhenyuan Great Immortal took his leave, leaving the hall to his disciple so she could speak with Su Qing privately and reveal her identity.

As he left the hall, he spoke to the curious disciples gathered outside, "Disperse, all of you! Do not block the way. It would be a disgrace if our guests saw the disciples of Wuzhuang Temple behaving so rudely."

Naturally, the disciples didn't dare disobey. Even without such a reason, they had to follow their master's orders. Soon, the crowd outside the hall vanished.

Inside the hall, after Zhenyuan Great Immortal had left, Su Qing didn't wait and asked directly, "Young lady, you look somewhat familiar. Have we met before?"

Su Qing searched her memories but couldn't connect the face to anyone from her past, so she decided to be blunt. Blindly guessing wouldn't yield any answers.

Jingyue gave a gentle smile. "Does Sister truly not recognize me?"

Hearing the form of address and the tone of her voice, Su Qing’s eyebrows shot up. Was this girl truly someone she knew? But this face... she had definitely never seen it before.

"I do not. Perhaps I am getting old?" Su Qing gave a helpless smile and shook her head.

Chaoyan watched from the side, completely bewildered. Was her godmother truly not familiar with Wuzhuang Temple?

Su Qing didn't know Chaoyan was mentally complaining about her. She kept her eyes fixed on the female Daoist. "Please, just tell me."

Jingyue seemed slightly disappointed. She had thought that even in this form, her sister would recognize her. However, she didn't blame her. After all, they hadn't seen each other in centuries, and her current appearance was entirely different from her past. No one would ever associate her with that macaque.

She shook her head slightly. "Would Sister like to hear a story?"

"Hmm?" Su Qing looked at Jingyue, pondered for a moment, and then nodded.

Jingyue walked slowly to Su Qing’s side. "Once, in the sea of the Eastern Purvavideha Continent, there was a place called Flower-Fruit Mountain..."

Jingyue slowly told her story. Su Qing’s brow furrowed halfway through. In truth, she had begun to suspect the protagonist was the girl before her from the very beginning, and by the halfway point, she was certain. The person before her was the macaque from her past.

However, even though she had guessed Jingyue’s identity, she didn't interrupt. She realized this wasn't just a story; it was the macaque recounting her experiences after going out to sea and everything that had happened over the past few centuries.

Su Qing listened in silence for a long time until the story was finished. Only then did she let out a breath of clear Qi. She stood up, walked to the girl, and placed a hand on her shoulder. "It has been hard on you..."

"Sister remembers who I am?" Jingyue didn't feel pain or sadness from recounting her past. She only looked at Su Qing with a face full of smiles and anticipation.

Su Qing nodded. "Of course I remember... but your change is truly immense! It is hard for me to overlap your current appearance with the you from the past."

Jingyue’s eyes curved into crescents as she smiled sweetly. "People must grow. So many years have passed, so naturally, I have changed a lot. But Sister has changed much as well... mmm, you are even more beautiful than before, and much gentler."

Su Qing shook her head at the praise. "By the way, what is your name now?"

Jingyue smiled. "Master gave me the Dharma name Jingyue. But for my surname, I borrowed Sister's title and took the character 'Liu.' So, I am now called Liu Jingyue."

Su Qing nodded. "A good name. Senior Zhenyuan is quite good at giving Dharma names!"

"Actually... Master is quite terrible at naming things," Liu Jingyue giggled. "It just happened to turn out well for me."

Su Qing chuckled and patted Liu Jingyue on the head. "If Senior Zhenyuan heard that, he would surely scold you."

"Master is used to being told that. Why would he punish me?" Liu Jingyue smiled softly, then added, "But Sister, after not seeing each other for so many years, are you not willing to give your younger sister a hug?"

Su Qing obliged and gave her a hug.

"Sister’s scent... has changed," Liu Jingyue said suddenly. "But Sister is still Sister..."

Su Qing didn't say much. She simply pinched the girl's cheek before letting her go.

After they separated, Chaoyan, who had been watching for a long time, finally found a chance to interject. "I have a question, Godmother... didn't you say you weren't familiar with the people of Wuzhuang Temple? Why does it feel like... everyone in Wuzhuang Temple is your old acquaintance?"

Su Qing burst into laughter. "I really wasn't familiar! This is actually my first time here... otherwise, how could I only be reuniting with my sister now?"

Chaoyan scratched her head. Hmm, that actually made a lot of sense. The reunion between her godmother and this Daoist nun named Jingyue didn't seem staged at all. So, her godmother really hadn't lied to her.

Chaoyan puffed out her cheeks and asked another question. "Then I have one more... Godmother, how old are you exactly?"

Hearing this, Su Qing dissatisfiedly tapped the girl on the head twice. "Don't you know that age is always a woman's secret? Do you really think I would tell you? Anyway, I have certainly lived much, much longer than you."

Even after being tapped twice, Chaoyan still didn't get the answer she wanted. She felt a bit depressed. If you won't say it, then don't say it, why hit me?

However, after this incident, the air of mystery surrounding Su Qing grew even thicker in Chaoyan's heart. She finally realized that the godmother she thought she knew so well was actually someone she barely knew at all.

She sat in her chair, watching Su Qing, and began to daze off again.

Su Qing shook her head helplessly at the sight and then resumed her chat with her old friend, Liu Jingyue. After such a long separation, there were naturally many things to talk about. Liu Jingyue had countless past experiences and interesting stories she wanted to share with Su Qing. As they talked, they eventually forgot about Chaoyan and Yudie.

Yudie was already used to her mother ignoring her when busy with other things. Feeling bored, she started talking to Chaoyan. However, despite their conversation, Yudie continued to help Su Qing gloss over certain things she wanted to keep hidden, just as she always did.

Time passed minute by minute. Before they knew it, dinner was ready. The vegetables at Wuzhuang Temple were all grown on-site, so they were naturally excellent. After dinner, the sky had completely darkened, and Su Qing and the others retired to the guest rooms to rest.

Chaoyan followed Su Qing, pestering her with questions like a curious child. Unfortunately, she was dealing with Su Qing, so she was constantly being brushed off.

On the other side, Zhenyuan Great Immortal called Liu Jingyue to his side. He sat on a prayer mat, looking at his disciple, and asked, "What are your plans? Now that you have reunited with the sister you have been longing for, do you intend to leave Wuzhuang Temple and follow Su Qing?"

Zhenyuan Great Immortal was, after all, Liu Jingyue’s master. Having taught her for so many years, he understood her personality perfectly and could guess her thoughts. Thus, he was direct and asked her about her plans to stay or leave without hesitation.

Faced with her master's question, Liu Jingyue fell silent. She was naturally reluctant to leave her master, who had taught her for centuries. But her sister was the person she had always been searching for, the very motivation for her cultivation. Now that she had found her, she truly did have the intention of leaving with her.

Seeing his disciple’s silence, Zhenyuan Great Immortal shook his head helplessly. "Child, you do not need to be conflicted. If you have a plan, go through with it. You are my disciple... I will not restrict your freedom or your choices. Therefore, if you wish to leave, I will not say much. The choice is entirely yours."