After seeing off the drunkard, Su Qing returned to the inn.
By then, Morning Glory and the others were mostly awake...
Yudie wasn't one to gossip and knew what should and shouldn't be said. Thus, she didn't mention Lady Chang'e's visit from the previous night.
Everything proceeded as usual.
"Now that the Lantern Festival has passed, let's set out today. The road ahead isn't long... if we pick up the pace, we should reach Spirit Mountain quite soon," Su Qing said calmly to Morning Glory during breakfast.
Morning Glory nodded. "We really have been traveling for a long time... but fortunately, we're finally almost there. I wonder what the legendary Spirit Mountain actually looks like?"
"You'll know when we get there," Su Qing said with a smile. "Eat up! We should head out once we're finished."
Morning Glory nodded and fell silent, focusing on the food in her bowl.
Su Qing, meanwhile, was pondering her future plans...
From here on, the only place they truly needed to visit was the capital of the Kingdom of Tianzhu, where Yuer was. Once they passed the capital, there wouldn't be many places left worth stopping at.
After breakfast, Su Qing and her companions left Jinping Prefecture and continued their journey west along the main road.
They traveled through wind and rain, braving the moon and frost. In the blink of an eye, another half-month had passed.
During those two weeks, aside from a brief encounter with some bandits, no other troubles had arisen. It had been remarkably smooth sailing.
One day, the weather was clear. The sunlight felt warm on their skin, making everyone feel a bit lethargic.
As they walked, they suddenly spotted a city in the distance.
Su Qing looked up and performed a quick divination with her fingers, instantly knowing what lay ahead.
Since Su Qing had spotted the city, Morning Glory and the others naturally saw it too. As was her habit, Morning Glory asked Su Qing what city it was.
Su Qing gave a simple reply: "That is the capital of the Kingdom of Tianzhu."
This wasn't Su Qing's first time in the Kingdom of Tianzhu... but it was certainly her first time arriving here on foot!
Looking at the city from afar, it did seem rather grand.
"The capital of the Kingdom of Tianzhu is right ahead? That was fast! I thought we'd have to walk for another month or two. I didn't expect to arrive in just half a month! Godmother, how much further is it to Spirit Mountain?"
"Not far, not far. Once we pass the capital, it's at most a journey of one or two months. You've been traveling for so many years... are you getting impatient over this last stretch?" Su Qing asked, looking at Morning Glory with a faint smile.
Morning Glory shook her head slightly. "I'm not impatient, not at all."
"Good..." Su Qing nodded. "Since you're not in a rush, let's rest here for two days before moving on. This is a capital city, after all; taking two days to recuperate won't hurt. Besides, since we've reached the capital, we naturally have to get our travel permit stamped. We can't skip it just because it's the last major stop."
Su Qing had promised Lady Chang'e that she would find Yuer to deliver some things... she couldn't go back on her word.
Morning Glory had no objections and nodded. "I'll follow your lead, Godmother!"
Seeing Morning Glory's response, Su Qing smiled. She then led the group into the capital city of the Kingdom of Tianzhu.
Entering the city was exceptionally smooth. Once the guards learned they were from the Eastern Land of Great Tang, they were allowed inside without any hindrance.
Once inside, Su Qing and the others quickly found an inn and settled in temporarily.
After securing their lodgings, Su Qing took Morning Glory and the others for a stroll through the streets, picking up some dry rations for the road ahead.
As for finding Yuer... Su Qing planned to do that tomorrow while she went to the palace to exchange the travel permit. She didn't intend to bring Morning Glory, Yudie, or Jingyue along.
Firstly, it was more convenient for her to act alone. Secondly, they wouldn't be able to help much anyway. And thirdly... she mostly just didn't want to explain everything to Morning Glory, who was a bottomless pit of curiosity.
They were almost at Spirit Mountain, after all... there wasn't much time left to keep stringing the girl along. She had to cherish these moments.
Time passed slowly. The group spent half the day wandering the streets and buying plenty of rations.
The next morning, Su Qing rose early. Using the excuse of exchanging the travel permit, she left the inn alone and headed for the palace.
Entering the palace might have been difficult for others, but for Su Qing, it was just a matter of a few spells.
While using magic to bully mortals was somewhat uninteresting, Su Qing couldn't stand wasting time in such places.
Following a eunuch into the palace, Su Qing successfully met the King of Tianzhu, as well as the Queen and the Princess.
The King was pot-bellied and looked quite affluent. With the help of Su Qing's spells, the process of exchanging the travel permit was incredibly simple. It was finished in no time.
As for getting a private chat with Yuer... that wasn't difficult either. It just required Yuer to say a few words.
"Father, I am very interested in the Eastern Land of Great Tang. Could she come to my palace as a guest? It won't be long—she can leave after lunch," Yuer said after receiving a telepathic message from Su Qing, knowing exactly how to play along.
The King doted on his daughter excessively. Seeing her request, he turned to Su Qing. "Are you willing?"
"I would be delighted," Su Qing nodded, agreeing immediately.
At the same time, she cast a minor illusion to make the King overlook any logical inconsistencies in their conversation.
Everything went perfectly. Su Qing easily achieved her goal and followed Yuer to her private chambers.
Inside Yuer’s chambers.
"What are you doing in the Kingdom of Tianzhu?" Yuer asked, sitting opposite Su Qing with a look of curiosity.
The current Yuer looked completely different from the Yuer in the Moon Palace... even her temperament had shifted significantly. If Su Qing didn't have such sharp eyes and didn't already know the Princess was Yuer, she likely wouldn't have recognized her through this transformation.
"Just as I told your 'father,' I'm accompanying someone on a pilgrimage to the Western Heaven to obtain scriptures. I happened to be passing through, so I came to check on you," Su Qing said, spreading her hands with no intention of lying. "Also, I was entrusted by someone to bring you a few things..."
"Entrusted?" Yuer found this strange. "It couldn't be the Palace Mistress, could it?"
"You guessed it?"
"Mhm... it was easy to guess. I don't have many friends! And there are even fewer people who could actually convince you to run an errand... I couldn't think of anyone else besides the Palace Mistress." Yuer nodded slightly, looking at Su Qing calmly. "I can even guess what she sent."
Su Qing: "..."
It seemed she had underestimated Yuer. Having spent so much time with Lady Chang'e, Yuer definitely understood her better than Su Qing did.
"Speaking of which... did you look at what she asked you to deliver?"
"No... Sister Chang'e was being all mysterious. She told me not to look at it before giving it to you," Su Qing said helplessly.
"I see... then I have a good idea of what's inside." Hearing this, Yuer said, "I knew it... the Mistress definitely can't handle everything on her own. Sigh, the Moon Palace really can't function without me."
Su Qing: "..."
Su Qing was momentarily speechless. However, Yuer wasn't wrong. Without Lady Chang'e, the Moon Palace would still spin—it would just be missing a boss. But without Yuer... a certain boss would be worked to death.
"Now that you mention it... I think I have a guess as to what Sister Chang'e had me deliver too." After a moment of silence, Su Qing's lip twitched. She placed the item Chang'e had given her on the table.
It was a white jade bracelet. This bracelet was a small magical treasure used for storage. The items inside were what Chang'e truly wanted to give to Yuer.
Yuer looked at the bracelet and curled her lip. She picked it up and cast a quick spell. With a flash of light, several thick stacks of documents appeared on the table. Aside from the paperwork, there were some old belongings and food. Specifically, several mooncakes the size of washbasins.
Seeing these things, Su Qing was speechless.
"..." Su Qing sighed. "Just give the documents to me. I'll take them back to Sister Chang'e later!"
Su Qing was quite fed up with Lady Chang'e. To her face, Chang'e had claimed she wanted Yuer to have a good vacation. Yet, she had sent all this paperwork along. Honestly, even a capitalist wouldn't be as heartless as Chang'e.
Yuer, however, was remarkably calm, unlike her usual boisterous self. She sighed softly and said, "There's no need to send them back. Even if you do, the Mistress will just save them for me to handle later! I might as well deal with them here in the mortal world. I'm bored out of my mind in this palace anyway. Having some documents to process will help pass the time."
"No! You can't spoil her..."
Su Qing said, feeling frustrated, "You spoil her too much, which is why she's become such a lazy bum. Honestly, I used to think the Lunar Deity was too harsh when punishing her, but now it seems she was too lenient!"
Yuer stared blankly at Su Qing. She didn't understand why Su Qing was so angry. This was work she'd have to do sooner or later anyway, right?
However, seeing Su Qing's indignant expression, Yuer found it a bit funny.
"I didn't think you were capable of getting angry."
"Of course I get angry..." Su Qing huffed. "Well, it's not exactly anger. I'm just a bit speechless at Sister Chang'e... It's already enough of a hassle for you to descend to the mortal world to act as a tribulation for the westward journey, yet she still sends you all this unfinished work."
"Thank you..." Yuer looked at Su Qing with a smile. "To be honest, I'm surprised... I didn't expect you to get angry at the Mistress on my behalf."
"Sister Chang'e was in the wrong here," Su Qing said, spreading her hands.
"Regardless, thank you for being upset for me."
Su Qing looked at Yuer curiously. "Yuer, have you changed during these years in the mortal realm?"
"I feel like I've changed a lot... but I'm still Yuer. Once my business in the mortal world is finished... I'll still return to the Moon Palace to be my usual Jade Rabbit."
Yuer shook her head and continued, "As for the documents... leave them with me. Firstly, I'm bored, and secondly, the documents the Palace Mistress gives me are usually the types she's not good at handling. I'm worried that if she tries to do them herself, she'll mess something up."
Su Qing: "..."
Well, it seemed Yuer had zero faith in Lady Chang'e's professional competence.
"If you say so... then I'll do as you wish."
Yuer nodded, then picked up the bracelet and stored the items back inside.
"By the way, do you have anything else to do besides this?"
"No, that's everything," Su Qing replied.
"I see. Would you like to stay here for a while?"
"No need to stay long," Su Qing said. "I still have to escort someone to Spirit Mountain."
"In that case, suit yourself."
With the delivery complete, Su Qing and Yuer chatted about lighter topics. As the conversation turned more casual, Yuer became significantly more talkative.
As they talked, Su Qing realized that Yuer had likely been quite lonely during her years in the human world. It made sense; to Yuer, everyone in this world was just a passing traveler. She didn't dare grow too attached to them. Loneliness was inevitable.
Su Qing and Yuer talked for a long time, enjoying each other's company immensely. It wasn't until the sky began to darken that Su Qing noticed the time and prepared to leave the palace and return to the inn.
Yuer didn't show much sadness at their parting, only a hint of regret.
Leaving the palace, Su Qing returned to the inn. As soon as she walked into the room, she was met with the disgruntled glares of Yudie and the others...
"Mother, why are you back so late?" Yudie asked, looking dissatisfied.
She had a rough idea of where Su Qing had gone and what she was doing, but she was still annoyed that Su Qing hadn't taken her along.
"Exchanging the travel permit took a bit longer than expected... then the Princess was curious about the Eastern Land of Great Tang and kept me as a guest, so I'm a bit late! What, were you afraid something happened to me?" Su Qing said with a smile.
Jingyue looked at Su Qing, then leaned in to sniff her. She said flatly, "I'm not afraid of something happening to you. I'm afraid you'll get lured away by that woman."
"..." Su Qing was momentarily speechless. "You make it sound like I'm the type of person who gets tricked away by pretty girls."
"You're right, you're not... you're the type who does the tricking," Jingyue replied thoughtfully, nodding.
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