The day of the Dragon Boat Festival was incredibly lively.
The festive atmosphere was exceptionally thick.
Even the inn had sprigs of mugwort tucked into every doorway...
Naturally, zongzi were served on the day of the festival.
The inn's zongzi weren't expensive.
Su Qing planned to buy two or three for each person.
There wasn't much to do today; the main plan was just to go watch the festivities...
So, Su Qing was in a quite leisurely and relaxed mood.
She wasn't in any particular hurry regarding the time...
After all, missing it would only mean missing a show; it wouldn't mean missing the festival itself.
"Six meat zongzi, six sweet ones. Oh, and you didn't put meat in the sweet ones, did you?" Su Qing asked.
Seeing Su Qing approach, the waiter couldn't help but scratch his head with a grin and said:
"No, no. As you instructed yesterday, Madam, we certainly didn't put any meat in those. Are those sweet zongzi for the bhikkhuni?"
Yesterday, while Su Qing was wandering around the inn with nothing to do.
She happened to see the kitchen staff preparing for today's festival, wrapping zongzi... she noticed they were all making meat zongzi, and the ingredients used for the vegetarian ones were quite poor.
So, she had specifically instructed them to make some sweet vegetarian ones.
Though there wasn't a huge difference between the two, it might have been a bit superfluous.
But since she was her god-daughter, she couldn't let her be mistreated.
"Naturally, they're for her... Regardless, she is my god-daughter!"
"I truly admire you, Madam... Usually, once someone enters the monastic life, they sever their ties with their relatives and cut off mortal karma. But your god-daughter remains so respectful to you even after becoming a nun, and your daughter cares for her so much. It's truly a rare sight."
The waiter was a man of some years and seemed to have seen much of the world, so he said with a chuckle:
"The zongzi were steamed early this morning. I'll go bring them over for the young lady."
"It's not exactly rare... One can only say her master allows her to not completely sever her mortal karma."
"Then she has certainly met a good master," the waiter said, giving Su Qing a respectful bow before heading off to fetch the zongzi.
A moment later, the waiter returned, carrying a tray of zongzi.
He handed them to Su Qing and pointed out which ones were the sweet vegetarian zongzi.
Taking the zongzi, Su Qing handed the waiter a tip and then returned to the side of Chaoyan and the others.
She handed the sweet vegetarian zongzi to Chaoyan and Jingyue.
Both of them preferred vegetarian food...
As for herself and Yudie, they ate the meat zongzi.
Jingyue was relatively quiet and didn't rush to eat after taking hers.
But Yudie and Chaoyan, those two little girls, unwrapped and started eating the moment they got them...
Their cheeks puffed out as they ate, looking like little squirrels sneaking food—it was exceptionally cute.
Su Qing wasn't in a hurry to eat; she just watched Yudie with a smile.
As a sword spirit, it made no difference whether Yudie ate or not.
She wouldn't feel full, yet the girl loved to eat...
Even without feelings of fullness or hunger, she would periodically cry out that she was hungry.
Over time, even Su Qing almost felt like the girl was a normal person.
But then Su Qing would often reflect.
In this group of four people and one horse, aside from Chaoyan, who was a pure 'human,' it seemed none of the others were human at all.
"Are you a mouse? Eat slower, no one is going to snatch it from you!" Su Qing gave the girl a playful glare and said, "If it's not enough, I have more here... Also, don't eat too much. When we go out on the streets later, we'll be buying more food! Save some room for other things."
Yudie seemed to want to laugh at Su Qing's words.
But that laugh caused her to choke...
She nearly 'choked to death.'
"Don't worry, Mother. I'll put the other food in my second stomach," Yudie said with a giggle.
In reality, it didn't matter how much she ate...
She ate purely for the pleasure of the taste.
"Alright, alright. Once you're finished, let's go! Let's wander the streets. If nothing goes wrong, we might even see the dragon boat races," Su Qing said with a smile, patting Yudie's back.
Chaoyan swallowed her food and said with a grin, "Is the dragon boat racing in the Zhuzi Kingdom different from the one in Chang'an?"
"That's hard to say... You'll only know after you've seen it."
After a moment of thought, Su Qing added:
"However, seeing as the customs here aren't much different from Chang'an, it probably won't be too different. Why? Are you worried that seeing something familiar will make you homesick?"
"Even without seeing it, I'm still homesick."
Chaoyan shook her head and said:
"I don't just miss Chang'an; I miss my master too... It's been a long time since I've seen her. I wonder how she's doing now? Master is always someone who makes people worry. I wonder if she'll miss me so much she can't sleep while I'm gone for so long."
Hearing this, Su Qing nearly spat out the zongzi she had just bitten into...
Your master is currently busy setting up tribulations for the pilgrim from the Tang Dynasty!
And she's likely staring down from the heavens whenever she's bored.
How could she possibly miss you to the point of losing sleep?
However, Su Qing wasn't reckless enough to expose the truth about Guanyin Bodhisattva just yet.
She simply looked away toward the outside and said, "You girl, you're quite something with your narcissism! But your master probably misses you too, right?"
As she lied, Su Qing felt her conscience prickle.
But she was getting used to the feeling.
"Godmother, what do you mean by narcissism? Am I narcissistic?" Chaoyan looked at Su Qing with an innocent expression, as if she had just been telling the absolute truth.
Su Qing was helpless.
Fortunately, Jingyue made the first move.
She gave the girl a light tap on the head.
"Just eat your food! If your master is very powerful, she can probably sense you talking about her. Be careful she doesn't hold a grudge."
Jingyue said thoughtfully:
"I used to complain about my master behind his back. Later, my master punished me by making me sweep the courtyard for a month without using any spiritual power."
"Ah..." Chaoyan was instantly stunned.
She began to pray in her heart that her master wouldn't notice...
Otherwise, when she returned, she would definitely face a reckoning.
Her master was quite petty.
Su Qing, however, looked at Jingyue with a bit of surprise...
She hadn't expected Jingyue to be the type to talk about others behind their backs.
She wondered what Zhenyuan Great Immortal had done to make even Jingyue unable to resist complaining.
Could it be that Zhenyuan was like Taishang Laojun—appearing serious on the surface, but actually being quite the eccentric character?
Su Qing wasn't sure...
She didn't feel like thinking about it further.
After finishing the zongzi in her hand, Su Qing stretched her limbs.
She then casually stuffed the remaining two zongzi into Yudie's hands and said:
"Alright, let's stop chatting... If we wait any longer, we'll probably miss the dragon boats. Let's go!"
With Su Qing's word.
No one had any objections.
They followed Su Qing and left the inn together.
After Su Qing and the others left, the waiter naturally began to clear away the remaining dishes.
Upon leaving the inn, Su Qing and the others didn't rush toward the dragon boat racing grounds.
Instead, they strolled leisurely through the streets.
Su Qing had said she was in a hurry, but in truth, she wasn't in a rush at all...
She just felt that staying in the inn was a bit boring.
They chatted as they walked, buying some festive delicacies along the way...
They were having a quite leisurely time.
However, they didn't spend the entire time playing on the road.
After all, they had grown a bit tired of the surrounding area over the past few days.
So, while strolling, they soon reached the place where the dragon boat races were held.
The setup here was grand...
Likely because they knew the King would appear.
Therefore, a huge crowd had gathered.
Su Qing was a bit helpless about this...
Truly, watching a spectacle was human nature.
Su Qing sighed helplessly and said, "There are too many people, what a hassle... All the good spots are taken."
Chaoyan was quite open-minded about it...
She was just enjoying the festive atmosphere.
After learning that the dragon boats here weren't much different from those in Chang'an, her interest wasn't very high.
However, Jingyue and Yudie were still full of excitement.
They stood on their tiptoes, trying to see over the heads of the crowd to the distant scene.
Yudie grew a bit impatient and began to form hand seals to cast a spell.
Su Qing said helplessly, "No using magic in a crowd!"
Hearing Su Qing's words, Yudie pouted and withdrew her hand...
Fortunately, Su Qing added, "If you really want to see, go find a good spot yourself! Just don't let anyone see you casting spells."
Having received Su Qing's permission.
Yudie immediately gave Su Qing a kiss on the cheek with a giggle.
Then she ran off playfully.
Seeing Yudie run off, Su Qing glanced at Jingyue, asking with her eyes if she wanted to go with Yudie.
But Jingyue seemed to misunderstand.
She followed Yudie's lead and gave Su Qing a kiss as well.
Only then did she leave to follow Yudie.
Watching the departing Jingyue, Su Qing couldn't help but smile helplessly. "Well, I suppose I didn't lose out."
She then turned to look at Chaoyan and asked, "How about you? Do you want to go with them?"
"I'll just stay with you, Godmother. The dragon boats aren't that interesting... Following you is more fun."
Hearing this, Su Qing rubbed her head and said, "As you wish. Your happiness is what matters most."
Chaoyan gave a sweet smile and began wandering around the dragon boat race area with Su Qing.
Whether they would see any more interesting things later.
Su Qing didn't know...
But she didn't care much.
After all, she already knew what the outcome would be.
Today was mainly about enjoying the festival...
Watching the show was just a bonus.
Time passed slowly.
The dragon boat race was exceptionally intense.
Su Qing took Chaoyan for a good walk around the area, sampling all the local snacks.
And while she was having fun with Chaoyan.
Su Qing suddenly felt a thick demonic aura coming from the sky.
Even Chaoyan sensed this demonic aura.
She followed Su Qing's gaze and looked up into the air.
There, a mass of black clouds gathered in the sky, swirling with a sinister demonic qi... One could tell at a glance it was something evil.
Seeing this, Chaoyan instinctively pulled out her staff, wanting to go up and deal with the demon.
To prevent the demon from harming people.
But Su Qing held her back, saying, "Don't be in a hurry... We are no match for it."
"But what if that demon harms people?"
"Then we save them! Don't fight that demon head-on. It might just be passing through," Su Qing glanced at her and said, "Don't throw your life away..."
Chaoyan naturally didn't dare to disobey Su Qing's words.
And while the two were talking.
Yudie and Jingyue both returned...
They asked Su Qing if they should deal with the demon.
Su Qing's attitude remained the same as before, indicating they should wait and see...
The black cloud in the sky just stayed there, motionless.
Because he had noticed Su Qing watching him from the crowd...
As the mount of Guanyin Bodhisattva, if Sai Taisui said he hadn't seen Su Qing... that would be an absolute lie.
Su Qing had even mocked his appearance right in front of Guanyin Bodhisattva!
So, upon seeing Su Qing, Sai Taisui was momentarily afraid to act.
After all, if he were treated as a real demon and slain... that would be impossible to explain.
Even if Guanyin found out... she probably wouldn't be able to punish Su Qing, and he would have taken a beating for nothing.
Thinking this.
He simply took the initiative to send a telepathic message.
"Sovereign, why are you here?"
"Just passing through, enjoying the festival," Su Qing replied quietly via telepathy. "Do whatever you need to do, don't mind me. I'm just a spectator. I know why you're here."
Seeing Sai Taisui hesitate to act, Su Qing had already guessed that he hadn't been reincarnated as a demon but had directly transformed into one; otherwise, he wouldn't have recognized her.
So, she didn't hide anything and told him to do what he came for... and ignore her.
Anyway, Guanyin and the others already knew that she was aware of the Eighty-One Tribulations. Hiding it was pointless and would only add unnecessary trouble.
Seeing Su Qing say this, Sai Taisui still sent a telepathic explanation of his reasons, just to avoid a misunderstanding.
After hearing it, Su Qing rolled her eyes.
This Sai Taisui, or rather, the Golden-Haired Hou, was truly cautious.
He was terrified that she might misunderstand and slay him.
But she didn't feel like mocking him; anyway, it had nothing to do with her...
Letting this Golden-Haired Hou take away the Golden Palace Empress could be considered a way to resolve the King's calamity. Otherwise, if Mahamayuri herself came for revenge, it would likely be much worse.
Speaking of which, Guanyin really knew how to handle things...
She solved two problems at once...
She avenged the two children of Mahamayuri Bodhisattva and arranged a tribulation along the way.
Su Qing waved her hand.
Only then did the Golden-Haired Hou begin to act.
A monstrous figure emerged from the black clouds. The demon's appearance was hideous...
Even Su Qing couldn't help but frown at the sight...
She thought to herself, "What's so good about this lousy mount... It's so ugly, and yet Guanyin Bodhisattva still keeps it."
Su Qing curled her lip. Her own mount, whether powerful or not, had to be good-looking.
A white dragon like Ao Ying was just perfect!
Thinking of this.
Su Qing coughed twice, feeling that she had been too idle lately and her thoughts were getting too scattered.
She shook her head and reined in her mind.
Then she grabbed Chaoyan, who couldn't help but want to help evacuate the crowd.
"Godmother?" Chaoyan was stunned when she felt her godmother pull her back, and asked, "Godmother, why are you stopping me?"
"No need to be anxious. That demon won't harm people. He's only here to capture the King's Golden Palace Empress."
Su Qing held her and said calmly:
"As for evacuating the crowd, we don't need to do that. Leave it to the government officials. If you go, you'll only add to the chaos. Leave professional matters to the professionals."
Chaoyan was stunned and stared blankly at Su Qing...
"Godmother? Do you know something?" After a moment of shock, Chaoyan couldn't help but ask.
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