Who Are You Calling Auntie?

The Buddha naturally would not refuse Su Qing. After all, he had long intended to share more details with her. However, he felt that Su Qing likely wouldn't be able to come looking for him anytime soon. From the looks of it, she was about to be interrogated herself. For instance, Chaoyan, who was following behind her, was bound to have many questions.

After a brief farewell, Su Qing and her companions led the horse out of the Hall of Great Might and toward the exit of the Great Thunder Monastery.

On the way, the horse nudged Su Qing, seemingly asking if it could eat the elixir the Buddha had given her. Hearing this, Su Qing pulled the elixir from her sleeve.

This pill was indeed a treasure. It could significantly boost a beast's cultivation and enhance its innate talent for practice. However, such effects were ultimately limited; the final achievement would still depend on the beast's own capability. Of course, the pill had other benefits. Su Qing examined it briefly and found that it would make the animal's transformation process much easier.

Unfortunately, while useful, this effect didn't mean much to Su Qing or the horse. If Su Qing wanted, she could easily provide a Transformation Pill herself. After all, she was a master alchemist; refining such a pill was child's play for her.

Su Qing took out the elixir and tossed it into the horse's mouth. Since the creature wanted to eat it, she might as well feed it. It was a gift from the Buddha, anyway.

Stepping out of the Great Thunder Monastery, Su Qing turned to Chaoyan and said, "We walked one hundred and eight thousand miles to get here. For the journey back, let's not walk, shall we? I'll fly you directly back to Chang'an."

Having already traversed that distance once on foot, Su Qing had no interest in doing it again. Flying was the only way to go.

Chaoyan snapped out of her daze and nodded slightly. "I will follow Godmother's lead."

Su Qing said no more. She formed a hand seal, and a crimson cloud rose beneath their feet. The horse was quite uncomfortable with the cloud, especially as it realized they were flying higher and higher. Its legs went weak, and it collapsed onto the cloud, trembling all over.

But as they reached a higher altitude, the horse seemed curious about the world beyond the clouds. It cautiously poked its head out to look down. When it saw the tiny mountain peaks below, it pulled back in terror, shivering once more.

Su Qing saw all of this and couldn't help but chuckle. She found the horse's cowardice rather amusing. Fortunately, Su Qing didn't have to comfort the animal; Yudie had already stepped in to soothe it.

To the side, Chaoyan stared blankly at the miniature scenery in the distance. After a long silence, she turned to Su Qing and asked, "Godmother... who are you, really?"

Hearing the question, Su Qing replied with a smile, "Just as you know, my name is Su Qing, and I am a cultivator."

"But those Vajras and Bodhisattvas all called you Azure Spirit Sovereign..."

"That is indeed one of my titles," Su Qing said, shaking her head with a smile. "Besides what you know of me, I am also an orthodox deity of the Heavenly Court and the Mountain God of the Changbai Mountains. The people know me as the Azure Spirit Sovereign or Lady Azure Spirit."

Su Qing saw no need to hide her identity from Chaoyan anymore. Their goal of reaching Spirit Mountain had been achieved, so there was no point in further secrecy.

Seeing Su Qing answer so directly, Chaoyan looked at her with a strange expression. She had expected that she would have to ask for a long time before getting an answer.

"Godmother, you don't plan to lie to me?"

"Why? What would be the point?"

"Then why didn't you tell me these things on the road?"

"Do you remember what your master told you? This journey of one hundred and eight thousand miles was your own cultivation. My role in going with you was primarily as your guardian—to ensure no accidents befell you on the way."

"Then Godmother... are you actually very strong?"

"Not that strong, just middle-of-the-road. There are plenty of people more powerful than me. However, protecting you through this journey wasn't exactly a difficult task," Su Qing said, shaking her head.

She wasn't being humble regarding her strength. In the grand scheme of things, she truly didn't consider herself exceptionally powerful. She had always known that there were people beyond people and heavens beyond heavens. Moreover, she personally knew many who were far stronger than her, so she had no reason to be arrogant.

"I see..."

Chaoyan let out a long breath. For some reason, knowing Su Qing's identity didn't make her as angry as she had imagined. She wasn't even that surprised. She didn't fear this revelation, nor did she feel lost because of it. She simply felt that Godmother was still Godmother. She hadn't become a different person just because her true identity was exposed.

Perhaps it was this simple realization that kept her heart calm and her thoughts clear.

"What? You aren't surprised?" Su Qing asked curiously.

"I am... of course I am," Chaoyan nodded. "But as long as Godmother is still Godmother, then it's fine. I realized that my worry was just a fear that you would leave me, and I would lose you."

Su Qing laughed heartily and patted her head. "You're an interesting child."

Nearby, Yudie and Jingyue found the scene a bit dull. They had expected a dramatic confrontation, but it had ended so peacefully.

"Then Godmother... the Buddha said I am the disciple of Guanyin. What was that about? Does it mean the abbess of the nunnery where I lived—my master—was actually Guanyin Bodhisattva in disguise?"

After asking about Su Qing, Chaoyan moved on to the matter of her master. She figured that since Su Qing was so powerful and knew her master, she must know the truth.

Su Qing nodded. "That's right. Your master was indeed Guanyin Bodhisattva in disguise. However, for the finer details, you should ask her yourself when we return. Now that you have obtained the true scriptures and completed the task she gave you, I doubt she will keep the truth from you any longer."

Su Qing didn't want to explain too much. It was more appropriate for the person involved to explain. Besides, even if she tried, she wouldn't know how to put it best. So, she simply threw Guanyin Bodhisattva under the bus.

Chaoyan fell silent for a moment before asking, "But... if my master is Guanyin Bodhisattva, will I still be able to see her when I go back?"

"Of course you will. Why worry about that?" Su Qing shook her head with a chuckle. "If you really can't find her, I have ways to take you to see her. I've known your master for a long time; I know exactly where she lives."

Chaoyan finally nodded. Although she didn't know if Su Qing was just humoring her, she was used to believing Su Qing's words. Su Qing's promise put her mind at ease.

"Mhm! Thank you, Godmother."

"Why thank me? You are my goddaughter; helping you is only natural." Su Qing patted her small head. "Besides, we've kept you in the dark for so long. It's time your doubts were cleared."

At those words, Chaoyan beamed. Her smile was incredibly sweet. In that moment, she didn't look like a nun or a Buddhist cultivator; she looked like an ordinary young girl. She could have been an ordinary girl, but unfortunately, many things had been decided for her before she was even born.

Above the clouds, Chaoyan asked many more things. Su Qing answered selectively; except for certain secrets that couldn't be spoken, she did her best to satisfy the girl's curiosity.

Yudie and Jingyue remained exceptionally quiet, and even the horse lay there motionless—though the horse was simply paralyzed by fear.

Today's Somersault Cloud flew much slower than usual. The distance of one hundred and eight thousand miles took Su Qing a full two hours to cover. It wasn't slow because of the extra passengers; Su Qing intentionally slowed down so that Chaoyan could get more of her questions answered. Nevertheless, no matter how slow they flew, they eventually reached Chang'an of the Great Tang.

Back at Spirit Mountain, after Su Qing and the others left, the many Bodhisattvas in the Hall of Great Might also dispersed. They had their own duties to attend to and couldn't stay in the hall forever.

Once they were gone, the Buddha turned and left the hall, heading to an elegant small pavilion. Two people were already waiting there: Randeng and Maitreya.

Seeing Sakyamuni approach, they couldn't help but ask, "Has that girl left?"

"She has, along with the reincarnation of my disciple's soul fragment."

"And? How has their completion of this journey changed the future?"

"Since Little Friend Su completed this path... the originally immutable fixed destiny has been disrupted. I imagine we can delay things for a while longer, pushing the Great Tribulation further back."

"That is good," Randeng nodded. "Have you calculated any other changes?"

"None for now... perhaps the changes haven't truly begun yet. But since she has disturbed the fixed destiny, more changes are bound to follow," Sakyamuni said, shaking his head.

"I wonder how much time we can buy this way..."

"Even if it's just one more year, it's worth it," Sakyamuni said helplessly. "After all, it is the Great Tribulation of Heaven and Earth. While Little Friend Su's journey can delay it, it cannot stop it from coming."

"True... but we should explain everything to her soon, shouldn't we?" Maitreya added with a nod.

"Naturally. I promised Bodhi that I would not break my word on this matter."

"Good..."

Randeng shook his head and said, "Also, the next time she comes to see you, you might as well give her all the scriptures in the Library of Sutras."

"I was already planning on it," Sakyamuni replied.

To the side, Maitreya patted his large belly and said, "Alright, let's stop talking about these world affairs. I'm actually quite curious about how Guanyin is feeling right now... by my count, those girls should have arrived in Chang'an by now. Knowing the personality of Guanyin's disciple, she'll likely start an interrogation once she learns the truth. I wonder if Guanyin has a headache yet."

In Chang'an City, Su Qing lowered the cloud and landed in the courtyard behind the nunnery. This place was usually locked, so few people ever came here. Descending from the sky wouldn't startle anyone.

"Go back to the temple first. I plan to head home for a bit. If you can't find your master, come find me later," Su Qing said, looking around the familiar courtyard before speaking to Chaoyan.

Chaoyan looked at the familiar surroundings, a hint of nostalgia in her eyes. She nodded and said, "I understand, Godmother! If I can't find Master... I'll come to you."

Su Qing hummed in response. She then led the horse out of the courtyard, took a small path to the street, and entered the city proper.

Once inside, Jingyue looked at the scenery and remarked, "So this is Chang'an? It's more prosperous than I imagined. I've heard you talk about it often, Sister, but this is my first time seeing it. It really is quite different from the towns we passed on the road."

Seeing Jingyue's reaction, Su Qing nodded with a smile. "Chang'an is indeed prosperous! Even more so than when I left. Come, I'll take you to my home here for a few days. Once I've finished tying up the remaining loose ends, I'll take you to the Changbai Mountains."

Jingyue turned to look at Su Qing and said with a grin, "It seems you're quite happy to be back, Sister! You're smiling so sweetly."

"Of course I'm happy. I've finally finished a major task. All that's left is some cleanup work. Once that's done, I can go home and relax properly."

"I didn't know you had this side to you, Sister. I thought you were always so serious!"

"Do I look unserious now?"

"Unserious... but come to think of it, you're actually unserious quite often. Especially when facing beautiful women..."

"You... honestly. When have I ever been 'unserious' with beautiful women?" Su Qing said with mock annoyance, reaching out to pinch Jingyue's cheek.

But Jingyue was a monkey, after all; her movements were incredibly agile. She dodged in a flash and even stuck her tongue out at Su Qing.

Yudie saw this and immediately volunteered, "Mother, I'll help you catch Auntie Jingyue!"

"What did you say? Who are you calling 'Auntie'?" Jingyue's brow twitched as she turned back to glare.

Yudie: "..."

"Mother, I'm not catching her! I feel like I'm going to get beaten if I go over there."

Su Qing couldn't help but burst into laughter at the sight.