The Water Demon

Once she had made her decision, Su Qing immediately set off from the banks of the Heaven-Reaching River and headed toward the South Sea Purple Bamboo Grove.

In truth, Su Qing hadn't wanted to trouble Guanyin Bodhisattva at first, thinking she could just go and talk to the Great King of Inspiration herself. However, the more she thought about it, the more she realized that the Great King of Inspiration likely wouldn't show her any respect. It was much simpler and more efficient to go straight to Guanyin. After all, the fellow was one of Guanyin's subordinates.

Su Qing’s Somersault Cloud was as swift as ever. In no time at all, she arrived outside the South Sea Purple Bamboo Grove.

Just as she reached the outskirts of the grove, she saw the Pearl-Bearing Dragon Girl waiting there. It was obvious she was waiting specifically for Su Qing; Su Qing didn't believe for a second that the girl had just come out for a breath of fresh air.

Descending from her cloud, Su Qing landed in front of the Pearl-Bearing Dragon Girl. She didn't waste words and asked directly, "Did the Bodhisattva tell you to wait for me here?"

The Pearl-Bearing Dragon Girl chanted a Buddhist invocation and nodded. "Please follow me, Immortal. My master has been expecting you for some time."

Su Qing nodded slightly and followed the Pearl-Bearing Dragon Girl into the Purple Bamboo Grove. There was no doubt that Guanyin Bodhisattva had already foreseen her arrival. As for how, Su Qing didn't bother to wonder; the reasons were always the same few possibilities. Regardless, the fact that the Bodhisattva knew she was coming would save her a lot of trouble and explanation.

The Pearl-Bearing Dragon Girl was a girl of few words, unlike the Daoist boys at the Old Mother of Mount Li’s place, who would chatter incessantly along the way. They walked through the Purple Bamboo Grove in silence.

Soon, Su Qing saw Guanyin Bodhisattva. She performed a formal greeting and said, "Greetings, Bodhisattva."

"No need for such ceremony," Guanyin Bodhisattva said with a faint smile. "I already know why you have come. Take this willow branch; the fish will naturally listen to you then."

Su Qing was slightly stunned. She had intended to ask Guanyin Bodhisattva to come with her, believing that the Bodhisattva’s presence would be the best way to control the situation. To her surprise, the Bodhisattva was delegating the task directly to her. After a brief silence, she did not refuse. As long as the Bodhisattva was willing to help, that was enough. There was no point in over-explaining.

Su Qing nodded and took the willow branch offered by the Bodhisattva. "Thank you, Bodhisattva. However, could I also borrow the Pearl-Bearing Dragon Girl for a moment?"

The Pearl-Bearing Dragon Girl: "???"

Guanyin: "???"

"What do you intend to do?" Guanyin asked, her tone instinctively becoming wary.

Su Qing was taken aback. Why did it feel like the Bodhisattva didn't trust her? Did she look like the type of person who would do something to the Dragon Girl? Su Qing gave a helpless shrug and explained her plan.

After hearing Su Qing's explanation, Guanyin still gave her a look of slight distrust. Nevertheless, she did not refuse Su Qing's request. She simply gave the Pearl-Bearing Dragon Girl a few extra instructions.

Watching this, Su Qing was quite speechless. Did she really look that dangerous? She sighed softly and said to Guanyin with a hint of resignation, "Senior, you could actually try to trust me a bit more."

"In other matters, I would naturally trust you implicitly," Guanyin replied with a beaming smile. "But in this regard... you are truly a bit difficult to trust."

Su Qing pursed her lips at those words. She sighed and said, "Fine, as long as you're willing to lend her to me, Senior Guanyin."

"Very well. Since you have achieved your goal, be on your way! Just remember not to kill my goldfish."

Su Qing nodded and left the Purple Bamboo Grove with the Pearl-Bearing Dragon Girl. She summoned her Somersault Cloud and carried the Dragon Girl back toward the Heaven-Reaching River.

On the way, Su Qing said to her, "You don't need to be so stiff. I'm not some villain; just relax."

The Pearl-Bearing Dragon Girl shook her head helplessly. "You are a Sovereign and my senior. How could I dare to be so casual?"

Su Qing gave a wry smile. This girl probably didn't realize that her own age was likely much greater than Su Qing's. However, among cultivators, age was indeed not the only measure of seniority; realm and strength were what truly mattered. Su Qing shook her head. Since the girl didn't want to talk much, she stopped trying to chat and simply pushed the Somersault Cloud to a higher speed.

Before long, they returned to the banks of the Heaven-Reaching River. Su Qing wasn't in a hurry to find the Great King of Inspiration in the water. Instead, she said to the Dragon Girl, "Change your appearance and your outfit."

The Pearl-Bearing Dragon Girl nodded and performed a hand seal, transforming into the likeness of a village girl. However, Su Qing shook her head upon seeing it. "No, no, that's too plain. You don't look like a master at all."

The Dragon Girl looked troubled. "Then what should I change into?"

Su Qing thought for a moment, then performed a seal to change her own appearance and outfit. "Just follow my lead and change into this."

With Su Qing's transformation as a model, the Dragon Girl quickly caught on and shifted into the same appearance. After this change, who could recognize her original form? Only an elegant fairy stood there.

Seeing the transformation, Su Qing nodded and reverted to her own form. "From now on, your name is Zhong Jing. Once you've finished playing this part with me, you can go back."

The Pearl-Bearing Dragon Girl nodded obediently. "This junior understands."

With everything arranged, Su Qing did not rush back but waited by the river until dawn.

In the morning, Chen Chaoyan woke up after a night's rest. Out of habit, she went to find Su Qing to say good morning, but after searching around, she couldn't find her anywhere. She found Su Yudie and asked, "Sister Yudie, where did Godmother go?"

Chaoyan knew that Yudie was always with Su Qing, so she figured Yudie would know where she had gone.

"I don't know either, but she's probably off doing something. My mother is a bit of an impatient soul, after all..." Yudie said offhandedly after a moment of thought.

Chaoyan nodded but still went to ask Liu Jingyue. After receiving the same answer, she had no choice but to stay put and wait for Su Qing to return.

Fortunately, she didn't have to wait long. Su Qing returned, and she had brought a woman with her.

The woman had delicate features and a gentle temperament, carrying the air of a well-bred lady from a noble house in every gesture. Seeing Su Qing return, Chaoyan immediately stepped forward to ask where she had been and what she had done.

Su Qing smiled and said, "I went to find someone, of course! And look, I've brought her back."

Su Qing pointed to the Pearl-Bearing Dragon Girl beside her. "This is Immortal Zhong Jing. Her strength is quite impressive. With me, Zhong Jing, and Jingyue all acting together, we should have a good chance."

Learning where Su Qing had gone the previous day, Chaoyan breathed a slight sigh of relief. She then expressed her gratitude. She knew Su Qing had specifically sought out this Immortal Zhong Jing because of her own ideas. To have a powerful person intervene, a price surely had to be paid... and she had no idea what her godmother had sacrificed.

She couldn't help but feel a bit guilty. It was her own desire to meddle, yet it was her godmother who was paying the price.

Before Chaoyan could get lost in her thoughts or start asking questions, Su Qing spoke up. "Alright, Chaoyan, go and make preparations. Speak with the village elder and tell him to inform the villagers not to approach the Heaven-Reaching River. I'm afraid the fighting underwater might affect those on shore."

Whether they would actually fight was something Su Qing wasn't entirely sure about. However, given that she had a token from Senior Guanyin, if a fight still broke out, it would only mean that the goldfish was a total rebel.

As for why she sent Chaoyan to prepare, it was both to keep the girl from overthinking and to make sure the "play" was performed convincingly. Su Qing liked to be thorough. She considered every angle she could think of.

Hearing Su Qing's words, Chaoyan finally snapped out of it. She nodded quickly and went to carry out the tasks as requested.

Su Yudie and Liu Jingyue didn't go far; they just asked Su Qing what her actual plan was. Both of them knew Su Qing's true strength. If she really wanted to deal with the demon in the river, there was absolutely no need to invite help.

Su Qing gave a faint smile. "Don't worry about my plans. Just know that everything is under control."

Explaining her intentions was too much trouble, so the lazy Su Qing simply didn't bother. She only needed the two of them to cooperate.

Jingyue looked at Su Qing with dissatisfaction. "You always have these ideas but never explain them clearly! But fine, as long as your plan doesn't put you in danger, it doesn't matter. I'll cooperate with you."

Su Qing gave a soft smile at Jingyue's words, then looked at Yudie. Yudie pursed her lips. "Mother, could I ever not support you?"

Having received their responses, Su Qing smiled brightly. "Good. In that case, just follow my lead. Don't worry, it's just a small matter."

Su Qing saw Chaoyan returning with the village elder. At that moment, she realized the elder clearly didn't believe Chaoyan's words alone. Su Qing sighed and explained things to the elder herself, even demonstrating a bit of her power. It took a while, but she finally won the elder's complete trust.

Upon realizing that Su Qing and her companions truly possessed extraordinary abilities, the elder immediately knelt on the ground. "I beg the Immortals to save our people from this misery!"

Watching the old man change his tune faster than one flips a page in a book, Su Qing found it somewhat amusing, yet she couldn't bring herself to laugh. She sighed helplessly and said, "We can only do our best..."

Su Qing was in the habit of never making absolute promises. Without waiting for the elder to say more, she turned to Chaoyan, Jingyue, and the others. "Alright, let's head out!"

Chaoyan nodded eagerly and followed in Su Qing's footsteps. The Pearl-Bearing Dragon Girl trailed behind and said to the elder, "We will do our best. Though we don't know how many years of peace we can bring from that demon, every year we can stop him is another year the town can breathe easy."

The old man wiped away tears and said, "Thank you, Immortal! Thank you!"

Soon, the Pearl-Bearing Dragon Girl turned and left with Chaoyan. Returning to Su Qing's side, the Dragon Girl sent a telepathic message: "Sovereign... why does my master insist on letting that fish demon run wild in a place like this?"

Su Qing was slightly stunned and replied via telepathy, "I don't know your master's reasons, but she surely has a longer-term plan."

The Dragon Girl let out a soft breath. "I know my master has long-term plans! I'm just still a bit confused. Perhaps it's just that my strength is low, and there is much I don't yet know?"

Su Qing gave a helpless smile. There were indeed many things the girl didn't know. However, it wasn't appropriate for Su Qing to explain Guanyin's actions for her. She only said, "If you have questions, you should ask your master directly. Although Senior Guanyin likes to speak in riddles sometimes, she will likely explain things to you, her disciple."

The Pearl-Bearing Dragon Girl nodded slightly. "Thank you for the guidance, Senior."

"I wouldn't call it guidance. How you make sense of it is up to you," Su Qing replied, shaking her head telepathically.

They continued walking and soon arrived at the riverbank. However, they didn't dive into the water immediately; instead, they first visited the Inspiration King Temple.

Su Qing said, "The rest of you stay on the bank to prevent any small demons from escaping and causing trouble. Jingyue, Zhong Jing, and I will go down into the water to have a talk with that Great King of Inspiration."

Chaoyan nodded quickly. "I understand, Godmother!"

Seeing this, Su Qing said no more, only giving Su Yudie a deep look, signaling her to keep a close eye on the girl. Yudie understood and nodded back. With that, the three of them dove into the water to find the Great King of Inspiration.

The Heaven-Reaching River was extremely deep. Su Qing traveled through the water for a long time before reaching the bottom. Just as she was searching for the demon's underwater palace, the Pearl-Bearing Dragon Girl spoke up.

"Sovereign, please follow me. I am well-versed in the ways of water; I can tell the situation here at a glance. I have already found the location of the palace."