Past and Present Lives

Seeing that Su Qing hadn't guessed what she intended to do, the Queen couldn't help but reveal a smile. It seemed to be a victory for her.

However, the Queen had no intention of beating around the bush with Su Qing. She simply looked at her with a smile and said, "I want to invite you to be my Queen!"

Su Qing nearly choked on the tea in her cup upon hearing this. She coughed a couple of times and asked in disbelief, "What did you just say?"

"I want you to be my Queen! Is that so strange?" The Queen leaned back in her chair, her smile radiant. "Although I've been Queen for seven or eight years, I haven't taken any consorts yet, nor have I ever officially appointed a Queen! So, if you agree, I can directly make you Queen~"

Su Qing waved her hand and said, "Cough, cough, cough, no, I'm asking you why you made such a decision?"

This girl truly wouldn't rest until she shocked someone. Her opening words almost stumped Su Qing. Who would propose making someone their Queen right off the bat? This was a first for her.

The Queen of Women's Kingdom looked at her gently and said, "What? Do you find this strange? Have you forgotten... where this place is? This is the Women's Kingdom! Here, there are no men. And I am the Queen of the Women's Kingdom. What's so strange about wanting to marry a Queen? Otherwise, why do you think this vast imperial harem was built?"

Su Qing exhaled a turbid breath, steadying herself, and said, "I'm asking you why you made such a decision, not about... why you suddenly want me to be your Queen?"

"Why? Let me think why~" The Queen said with a smile, "Because I want to acknowledge you, and I also want to keep you by my side."

"Hmph, but we are both women."

"In the Women's Kingdom, such matters are not uncommon; they could even be considered a tradition. There's no need to worry about gossip."

"Women cannot bear children together."

"No matter, we have the Mother-Child River~ That's not a problem."

"But the Mother-Child River is useless to me."

Whether it was useful or not, Su Qing didn't know, but she used it as an excuse anyway.

"Hmm~ I don't believe that. Besides, even if it's useless to you, it's still useful to me, isn't it?" The Queen paused, then smiled again and said, "Well? Will you agree?"

"I'm sorry, I cannot agree." Su Qing shook her head and said, "To be honest, I am a person with a family! Besides, you heard it yourself during the day, Yudie calls me mother."

"I don't mind! I'm the Queen, you know!" The Queen shook her head and said, "At worst, I'll just bring your wife over too."

Su Qing: "..."

"Are you so sure that I have a wife, not a husband?"

"Of course, I have memories from my past life! Besides, you don't look like a woman who has given birth." The Queen said with a graceful smile.

"That certain?"

"Have you forgotten again? What kind of place is this?"

Su Qing sighed helplessly and said, "Fine, then do you know that I am an Immortal?"

"I know! You already said so earlier. Besides, you were so young in my previous life, and you're still so young now, so how could I not know you're an Immortal?"

The Queen shook her head and said with a smile.

Actually... she truly hadn't known in her previous life. It wasn't until after her death, when she met King Yama, that she learned of it. She had been kept in the dark for an entire lifetime. This life, she was determined to settle some scores.

"Since that's the case, then you should also know... if I truly became your Queen! You would die, but I would still be alive! Aren't you afraid I'd take your domain?"

"No fear!" The Queen of Women's Kingdom shook her head and said, "If you become my Queen, we'll be family. Besides, once I'm dead, does it still matter who holds the Women's Kingdom? On the contrary, if the Women's Kingdom were still in your hands then, it would be even more reassuring."

Su Qing glanced at her, a hint of surprise in her eyes. She had never imagined that the Queen before her was so open-minded.

However... this left Su Qing feeling a bit helpless. This girl was absolutely determined to make her Queen.

"We've only just met, and we don't even have feelings for each other yet! Don't mention past life affections~ How can the you of a past life and the you of today be considered the same person?"

"What's there to care about? Can't feelings be cultivated slowly?"

The Queen also knew that Su Qing probably couldn't find any more reasons to refuse, so she asked again, "Well, what have you decided? I know you're an Immortal, but you should also know that I sincerely want to keep you here in my Women's Kingdom palace, and I sincerely want to marry you as my Queen. If you become my Queen, you and I will jointly possess this Women's Kingdom and enjoy its prosperity together!"

As she spoke, she slowly moved closer to Su Qing, facing her, very near.

Su Qing was truly frustrated. As she pondered how to refuse, she suddenly caught a fragrant breeze. When she came back to her senses, the other person was already right in front of her.

With one hand on Su Qing's shoulder and the other braced on the chair, she leaned in very close, their eyes meeting.

The Queen of Women's Kingdom looked at Su Qing and asked, "What's wrong? Why are you thinking for so long? And why do you insist on refusing so many times? Do you think my Women's Kingdom isn't worthy of your attention, or... am I not worthy of your attention?"

"Sister Xiao Qing, look at me. I don't believe that with my appearance, I wouldn't catch your eye!"

The Queen, putting aside everything else, had immense confidence in her own beauty.

She simply met Su Qing's gaze like that.

After a long moment, she smiled faintly and said, "Look, at this moment, aren't your eyes filled with only me?"

Su Qing looked at her and smiled helplessly, saying, "You're so close to me, how can I look at anything else?"

"That has nothing to do with me. I only want the answer I desire."

The Queen smiled gracefully and said, "But... Sister, you are truly beautiful! In my past life, I was a little blind girl, with only emptiness before my eyes... I never saw your face. Now that I have, I truly can't look away. I'm not trying to tease you with the title of Queen, but genuinely wish to fulfill the vow of my past and present lives."

"You say that after reincarnation, one becomes another person. But I still have memories of my past life, remembering every little detail... So, can such a me still be considered another person?"

"And if you talk about feelings..."

"Sister, wasn't the affection from an entire past life enough?"

"Perhaps you thought it was familial affection."

"But for me, that wasn't the case."

"It was just that I didn't dare..."

Su Qing looked at her, silent for a long time. Finally, she asked, "So, are you Su Qianxue now, or the current Queen of the Women's Kingdom?"

Hearing Su Qing's question, the Queen also paused. "Naturally, I am the Queen of the Women's Kingdom... but I am also Su Qianxue, and furthermore... the Immortal who was finally not alone at the end of her life."

Su Qing looked at her, surprised by her words. She had thought the Queen only had memories of her immediate past life. She hadn't expected that she even possessed memories from a life further back.

"Sister... have you truly not considered my words?" the Queen asked.

Su Qing came back to her senses at her words, smiled, placed a hand on her shoulder, and gently guided her back into her chair. She said, "Compared to this... I don't even know your name, do I?"

Hearing Su Qing's words, the Queen froze... she had indeed forgotten that. She let out a giggle and said, "Alright then, I'll tell you my name first, Sister. Please remember it well. My name is Bai Yuhe, the current Queen of the Women's Kingdom. And also, Su Qianxue, the beggar child you adopted in your past life!"

As she spoke, she looked at the river and said with a chuckle, "So, Sister, now that you know my name in this life, can you tell me your plans?"

Su Qing looked at her, knowing that if she didn't give a satisfactory answer, it would be difficult to leave today.

She shook her head and said, "No! I will not stay in the Women's Kingdom to be a Queen."

"Why?" After hearing Su Qing's words, Bai Yuhe paused, then asked, "Why are you unwilling? Is it truly because I don't catch your eye, Sister?"

Su Qing shook her head slightly and said, "That's certainly not it... Yuhe, you are naturally extremely beautiful, arguably one of the most beautiful people I've seen in the Mortal World."

"Then... why?"

"Why?" Su Qing said, "Because I still have things left undone... I still have to accompany my goddaughter on her pilgrimage to the Western Heaven."

"And after that's done?"

"Still no! After all, as I told you, I am a person with family responsibilities." Su Qing smiled and said, "However..."

"However?"

"Although I cannot be your Queen, you can come with me!"

"?" Bai Yuhe wiped away the tears welling in her eyes and said, "That won't do! How can I, the dignified ruler of a nation, be a junior partner?"

Su Qing smiled helplessly and spread her hands, indicating that she couldn't possibly bring her entire family to marry her. Leaving aside the disruption to human customs, just the subsequent issues would be enough to give her a headache for a while.

But Bai Yuhe said, "However, there isn't no way!"

"What way?"

"You become my Queen, but I won't demand that you stay in my Women's Kingdom! You can go back and see your family, but you must also come back to see me! After all, you are my Queen. We'll have our own arrangements!"

Su Qing: "???" She understood. But she was still a bit dizzy. She smiled helplessly and said, "By the way... why do you insist on marrying me? Or rather, why do you insist on doing this?"

Bai Yuhe sighed and said, "I have to find a way to tie you down! Besides, didn't I tell you? This is my vow from a past life. This way, I can both tie you down, so you won't forget me again, and fulfill my vow. Wouldn't that be killing two birds with one stone?"

After hearing this, Su Qing felt a bit helpless. It was the first time she thought someone was even better at twisting logic than she was.

However, she wasn't entirely unable to understand Bai Yuhe. It was just that there were many things she truly couldn't agree to.

"Is it merely because of memories from a past life?"

"Not entirely... more of it is my own thoughts." Bai Yuhe said without reservation, "If I had to give a reason, it would probably be because of... Sister's temperament and Sister's beauty. Who wouldn't want a fairy Queen!"

Su Qing was momentarily speechless. This girl... truly lived up to being raised in the Women's Kingdom.

Su Qing had thought that the memories of her past life had an exceptionally strong influence on Bai Yuhe... but now she realized... her living environment had an even greater impact.

However... it didn't really matter. She had no objections anyway. At most, she was just a little speechless.

Su Qing spread her hands and said, "Alright, since your goal has been achieved, can I go back and rest now? Although this Waterside Pavilion is beautiful, it's not really a place to rest, is it?"

Hearing this, she smiled faintly and said, "Of course... but I'll escort you!"

Su Qing raised an eyebrow, unable to help but ask, "You'd be that kind?"

"What kind of person do you take me for? I am, after all, the Queen of the Women's Kingdom! If I weren't a little kind, could this Women's Kingdom be managed so well by me?" Bai Yuhe said proudly.

Su Qing glanced at her, and after a brief thought, said nothing more, just nodded.

Seeing Su Qing nod, Bai Yuhe smiled faintly and said, "Since you've nodded, I'll take that as your agreement. Let's go! I'll take you to your resting place."

As she spoke, Bai Yuhe took Su Qing's hand. Yuhe's hand was slightly cool, and even though they were by the brazier, the late autumn, early winter days still couldn't completely warm her hand.

However, despite being a bit cool, her hand was exceptionally soft and smooth, feeling like fine silk when held.

And as Su Qing thought this, Bai Yuhe's thoughts weren't much different.

She simply found Su Qing's hand very warm and very soft. Vaguely, memories from a past life were stirred, reminding her of some past events.

She smiled, suppressing the memories that arose in her heart, and, holding Su Qing's hand and carrying a lantern, slowly walked towards the resting place.

On the way, she said, "Sister, do you know? When I got close to you just now, I noticed you smelled so good."

Su Qing raised an eyebrow at that, saying, "How come I don't know I have a natural fragrance?"

"Hmm, like a Plum Blossom Cake, it truly makes one want to take a bite."

"......??" Su Qing paused slightly and said, "If you like Plum Blossom Cake, couldn't you just order someone to make it?"

"Oh, it's just a metaphor, Sister, don't you even understand that?" Bai Yuhe said with a graceful smile, continuing.

The palace maids stayed by their side, silent... simply following quietly. As if they didn't exist. Their presence was extremely low. Even after the astonishing conversation between the two earlier, these palace maids showed no reaction whatsoever. They were truly beyond dutiful.

And so Bai Yuhe led Su Qing, chatting and walking, and before she knew it, Su Qing had no idea where they were.

In fact, halfway there, Su Qing had already noticed... Bai Yuhe wasn't taking her back along the path the palace maids had brought her on.

She just thought Bai Yuhe knew a shortcut, so she didn't ask further. After all, she couldn't possibly have any other intentions, could she?

Until... the two of them completely arrived at a place Su Qing didn't recognize at all. Su Qing raised an eyebrow and couldn't help but ask, "Where is this?"