Oh Crap, I'm Screwed

Su Ying'er followed beside Ao Ying and Leng Xiang...

Naturally, she overheard their conversation. Learning that Su Qing had returned, she couldn't help but be exceptionally surprised and delighted.

"Mother is back? Really? That's great! I can play with Sister Yudie again."

Su Ying'er's eyes were full of little stars, unable to hide her happiness.

Upon hearing this, Leng Xiang nodded slightly, but she didn't speak with absolute certainty, only saying, "She’s likely back, but we won't know for sure until we return and see for ourselves. It just so happens we’ve finished our shopping... it’s time to head back for lunch."

Su Ying'er nodded hurriedly.

Her interest in shopping had only been average to begin with. But now that Su Qing and the others were back, she absolutely wanted to get back as quickly as possible to see them. After all, it had been a long time since she had seen her mother, and she missed her dearly.

After a few brief words, their plan was set. Leaving the county market, the group found a quiet, secluded spot. They then mounted auspicious clouds and left the county town, heading toward the Changbai Mountains.

Before long, they arrived above the courtyard. With just a quick glance, they noticed a stranger in the yard, along with two familiar faces and a white horse that looked like its brain didn't function very well.

Setting aside the stranger and the rather dim-witted white horse for a moment... the two familiar faces were people they had missed for a very long time.

Without hesitation, they lowered their clouds and landed in the courtyard.

At that moment, Su Qing had already finished preparing lunch. The food was set on the dining table in the living room, but to prevent the gluttonous Yudie from sneaking bites, she had pulled Yudie and Jingyue out into the yard to chat.

As they were talking about everything under the sun, Su Qing suddenly paused. She sensed someone approaching...

Sensing this, Su Qing instinctively looked up. It just so happened that she saw Leng Xiang and Ao Ying lowering their clouds with Su Ying'er and landing in the yard.

Seeing them, Su Qing couldn't help but break into a smile. She had thought she would be exceptionally agitated, but upon seeing them again, she felt more of a pure sense of nostalgia and happiness... at the same time, the heavy stone hanging in her heart finally settled.

Su Qing waved to them, then stood up with a beaming smile and said, "Leng Xiang, Ao Ying, you're finally back. I've been waiting for you for so long... lunch is ready! We were just waiting for you to eat."

Su Qing spoke with such natural ease, as if they weren't reuniting after a long separation, but rather as if she had simply prepared a meal and was waiting for them as usual...

Hearing Su Qing's words, Yudie also nodded hurriedly and said, "Exactly, exactly! Mom—let's eat! Mother wouldn't let me eat; she insisted we wait until you came back. I'm starving to death!"

As she spoke, Yudie hopped over to Leng Xiang's side, grabbed her hand, and tried to pull her into the house.

Leng Xiang looked at Su Qing, then at Yudie, and gave a helpless smile... she reached out and rubbed Yudie's head, her gaze incredibly tender... though her heart was a bit conflicted. She was happy, but also a bit exasperated. She was happy that Su Qing and Yudie were back and no longer needed to be away. The exasperation came from the fact that her master seemed as carefree as ever.

"There's no rush to eat. I still have some things I want to say to Sister Xiao Qing!"

Before Leng Xiang could say anything, Ao Ying spoke up with a smile. She walked to Su Qing's side, first giving her a hug, and then gave her cheek a sharp pinch, saying, "Sister Xiao Qing, didn't you say the pilgrimage would be over quickly? Why did you make us wait so long? Do you have any idea how much Sister Leng Xiang, Ying'er, and I worried about you?"

Although Ao Ying's pinch wasn't light, it wasn't actually enough to hurt Su Qing. It only made her cheek feel a slight sting.

Regarding Ao Ying pinching her, Su Qing didn't say much, only explaining with a smile, "It did take more time than expected... some situations arose on the road, and plus, we went on foot, so a lot of time was wasted. But since I'm back, it means the matter has been concluded... From now on, I can stay and keep you company in peace."

As Su Qing spoke, she smilingly took hold of Ao Ying's hand. Ao Ying's hand was still warm, soft, and small... it felt very comfortable to hold.

Having her hand caught by Su Qing, Ao Ying didn't feel any embarrassment. They were like an old married couple... they had done far more intimate things, so holding hands was hardly a big deal. She simply pursed her lips in dissatisfaction and said, "Hmph! Don't blame me for complaining, Sister. I'm just upset that you didn't come back to visit for all these years. Clearly, the Somersault Cloud is incredibly fast, and returning to the Changbai Mountains is just a blink of an eye, yet you were unwilling to return!"

Watching her own mother complain to her other mother... Su Ying'er didn't dare to interject. In truth, she was also somewhat dissatisfied that her mother hadn't returned... Didn't she know everyone would miss her? Especially knowing that her mother's Somersault Cloud was so fast that she could return in an instant... she was even more disgruntled.

So, after thinking it over, Su Ying'er ultimately chose to stand on Ao Ying's side, joining her in scolding her mother.

Su Qing had known she would be interrogated, so she wasn't surprised at all by Ao Ying's scolding and dissatisfaction. She simply shook her head and said, "It might sound like an excuse, but I just wanted to finish the task before coming back to properly spend time with everyone... As for being unwilling to return midway, I was just worried that once I came back, I wouldn't want to step back onto the journey again."

For Su Qing, that was indeed the reason... though such an answer wouldn't necessarily satisfy the two of them.

And in fact, Ao Ying was indeed dissatisfied with Su Qing's answer... but she didn't want to keep dwelling on the matter. After all, Sister Xiao Qing's return today should be a happy occasion... a little complaining was fine, but if it ruined the atmosphere, it would be a net loss. Knowing when to stop was always necessary.

She simply said, "Fine, seeing as Sister Xiao Qing still knew to come back, I'll tentatively believe your nonsense! But I hope you can promise us, Sister, that if you go out in the future, you must never stay away like this again. Coming back to visit once in a while is fine... we won't stop you from leaving!"

Upon hearing Ao Ying's words, Su Qing just nodded with a smile and then swore that she definitely would. In truth, Su Qing knew Ao Ying and the others might not stop her from leaving... but she was worried she herself would be unwilling to go.

However... there was nothing left that required her to leave the Changbai Mountains for a long period. So, whether she promised or not didn't make much difference.

After getting Su Qing's answer, Ao Ying finally nodded in satisfaction and asked, "By the way, when did Sister Xiao Qing get back?"

"I've been back for a little while... but when I arrived, none of you were on the mountain, so I decided to make lunch and wait for you."

Seeing that she had convinced Ao Ying, Su Qing's smile grew even wider. She pulled Ao Ying and took Leng Xiang's hand as well, saying, "Alright, come and eat. If we wait any longer, the food will get cold."

"Wait... I still have some questions..."

"Ask whatever questions you have later. Eat first! If it gets cold, it won't taste good. Come and have a taste of my cooking!" Regardless of anything else, Su Qing pulled the two of them toward the living room.

Seeing this, Yudie and Su Ying'er looked at each other and smiled... then they hurriedly followed.

Seeing this scene, a hint of envy flickered in Jingyue's eyes... If she had found Sister Xiao Qing sooner, would she also be living happily here in the Changbai Mountains? Shaking her head, Jingyue also stood up and walked into the living room.

What's past is past, and what was missed is missed... Instead of thinking about how the past could have been, it was better to think about the future. After all... as long as she grasped the future, there was still a chance to obtain what she wanted.

At the dining table, Su Qing served everyone rice.

Then she asked with a smile, "By the way, Leng Xiang, what did you want to ask just now?"

Leng Xiang took the rice bowl from Su Qing's hand. Hearing Su Qing bring it up herself, she nodded and said, "Naturally, I wanted to ask who this woman who came back with you is."

Su Qing couldn't help but smile at that and said, "Actually, you know her."

"I don't recall ever meeting her..."

"She's the macaque from Flower-Fruit Mountain back then."

"Her? So it’s her..." Leng Xiang glanced at her, a hint of surprise in her eyes. "So... Master, after you met her, you abducted her back here?"

"???" Su Qing was stunned and shook her head, saying, "How could I have abducted anyone? We just met on the road and happened to go to the Western Heaven together."

"I see..." Leng Xiang nodded, then said thoughtfully, "Then Master... along the way, how many other girls did you flirt with?"

Su Qing: "???"

Jingyue: "=-=."

Ao Ying also spoke up, asking, "Indeed, with Sister's personality... she definitely wouldn't be able to resist flirting with girls! But, I guess, Sister hasn't found herself another wife, has she?"

Upon hearing this, Su Qing's eyes drifted slightly, then she smiled and nodded, saying, "Of course I haven't found myself another wife..."

As Jingyue ate, she wondered if she should speak up about the Queen of Women's Kingdom... but if she did, would it cause Sister Xiao Qing to fight with Leng Xiang and the others? It probably would, right? Girls’ possessiveness is very strong. Even she wanted to have her Sister all to herself! If she hadn't been so many steps behind and lost the chance... she certainly wouldn't allow her Sister to have other girls.

In the end, Jingyue didn't say anything... she felt that Su Qing definitely wouldn't be able to hide it for long.

Ao Ying naturally saw Su Qing's drifting gaze... she pursed her lips and said, "Sister Xiao Qing, you're lying~ Hurry up and confess, did you abduct another girl?"

Su Qing gave a helpless smile and said, "This is what I meant by the situations that arose on the road... but, I really didn't abduct anyone."

Su Qing knew that some things certainly couldn't be hidden. So, she hadn't planned on hiding it forever. It was just... she didn't know how to explain it best for the moment. To be precise, she didn't know how to explain it in a way that wouldn't make the two of them so angry. After all, she understood very well that both of them had a strong sense of possessiveness toward her.

Although everyone usually got along very harmoniously... having someone else show up out of the blue would more or less make them unhappy. Of course, more than that... explaining it to Little White later was what truly worried her.

Originally, she had planned to tell Leng Xiang and the others later... that way she would have more time to prepare. She just hadn't expected... that as they chatted, they would actually hit upon this topic. This caught Su Qing off guard because she hadn't thought at all about how to explain these things... but not explaining wasn't an option either.

So, she could only helplessly bite the bullet and give an explanation... Since she wasn't prepared, Su Qing could only recount the sequence of events from beginning to end. At the same time, she didn't forget to pull Jingyue and Yudie in to vouch for her.

"In other words... you married the Queen of Women's Kingdom?" After Leng Xiang finished listening, her eyebrows twitched slightly, and a strange look appeared in her eyes.

Su Qing nodded slightly.

Seeing this, Ao Ying let out a long sigh and said, "But if that’s the case... what does that make us? The generational hierarchy is completely messed up now?"

"She said, we’ll each address the other on our own terms..." Su Qing said weakly. "I thought it made sense, so I didn't argue much."

Ao Ying rolled her eyes and said, "On our own terms...? Sigh, Sister Xiao Qing, you really are..."

Ao Ying was speechless... she had thought Sister Xiao Qing was lying when she said she hadn't found another wife, but who would have thought she wasn't lying—she really hadn't found another wife, she had become someone else's wife instead...

This was quite the big surprise. Well, perhaps 'shock' would be more accurate. She felt helpless... although she knew Sister Xiao Qing was someone who left a trail of broken hearts everywhere, she hadn't expected her to be this ridiculous.

She sighed. She was a bit angry... but mostly just speechless and helpless.

Ao Ying asked, "Is that Queen of Women's Kingdom... a cultivator?"

"She wasn't before, but she is now..." Su Qing briefly explained the situation, then told Ao Ying and the others about the Cat Immortal and the Queen.

After listening for a long time... Ao Ying finally let out another long sigh and said, "I really can't do anything with you, Sister Xiao Qing... honestly."

The more she thought about it, the more depressed she felt. She couldn't help but reach out and give Su Qing's waist a sharp pinch to vent a little...

Leng Xiang was equally depressed, but unlike Ao Ying pinching Su Qing, Leng Xiang felt a bit like going and slaughtering the Queen of Women's Kingdom... but she only thought it; she couldn't and wouldn't actually do it. After all, if she really did that, it would certainly make her master sad and angry.

"Master..." Leng Xiang suddenly spoke up. "You really are... after just a few years apart, you've gone and added another sister for us."