Fortunately.
Though there was a faint scent of gunpowder in the air, dinner still ended smoothly. Nothing unexpected happened.
For Su Qing, that was enough for her to let out a small breath of relief.
After dinner, Su Qing, long used to a lazy routine, naturally didn’t go do anything else. She simply stretched and went into the courtyard to look at the sunset over the Changbai Mountains.
She had seen the Changbai sunset for hundreds of years, but coming back after being away for so long, it still carried a different flavor.
“If only a peaceful life like this could go on forever,” Su Qing thought with a helpless sigh.
But she understood.
As long as the Great Tribulation of Heaven and Earth had no solution, tranquility would never last for very long.
Sadly, those senior predecessors had no good method for now, let alone a small junior like her.
“Still, Heaven always leaves a way out. There has to be a way to survive the tribulation,” Su Qing thought, still optimistic.
She didn’t care whether she was being overly optimistic or not.
So long as the Great Tribulation of Heaven and Earth hadn’t truly arrived, there was still a chance to turn things around.
Just as Su Qing was thinking, several little sparrows landed on her head.
Su Qing raised her brows in resignation. “You’re heavy. Get down!”
Even if their weight wasn’t truly a burden to her, she simply didn’t like these little guys squatting on her head. If they stayed too long, her neck would still ache.
“Not heavy, not heavy!”
The little sparrows chirped noisily, but they hopped down all the same.
They asked, “Are we going to see the Big White Snake tomorrow?”
“Yeah. Why, do you want to come too?”
“Yes, yes! We want to go play with Old Mother’s Daoist boy!”
“Let her see what we’ve achieved in cultivation these days.”
“So she won’t dare laugh at us again!”
“Right, right!”
Su Qing lifted a brow. “And what did you cultivate, exactly? A tougher mouth?”
“Of course not!”
“We cultivated lots of kung fu.”
“Yes, yes, kung fu.”
Su Qing rolled her eyes. “Oh, kung fu. I hope your kung fu can handle that little Daoist boy.”
Mentioning the Daoist boy made the little sparrows start chattering nonstop. Su Qing was almost annoyed by it.
But their talk did remind her of something.
She should bring the Daoist boy something to eat.
That girl could be bought with snacks.
“Before we leave tomorrow, I’ll go down the mountain and buy some treats. She likes sweets. I’ll bring more of those,” Su Qing thought, rubbing her chin.
With that decided, Su Qing casually brushed off the sparrows’ chirping. Most of what they said was meaningless anyway. It was enough to just humor them. They wouldn’t be able to tell.
Soon, the sky grew darker.
After washing up, Su Qing went to sleep, still puzzled.
What, exactly, was Ao Ying planning to do?
Ao Ying had said she would punish her, but up to now, neither Ao Ying nor Leng Xiang had done anything at all. It was just like before, no change whatsoever.
And yet, the more it stayed like this, the more curious Su Qing became. What was that girl trying to do?
“This is supposed to be punishment, and we’re actually looking forward to it. I’m done for. That girl has led us astray,” Su Qing muttered, patting her own head in frustration.
Her movement accidentally startled Yudie beside her.
Yudie had already returned to how she’d looked back when they were on the Changbai Mountains, still in the form of a little child. She seemed to like it that way.
Yudie rubbed her eyes, looked up at Su Qing, then hugged Su Qing’s arm and fell back asleep.
Su Qing looked at Yudie, couldn’t help pinching her small cheek gently, then slowly drifted off as well.
The next day.
Morning.
After washing up and eating breakfast, Su Qing set off with Yudie and the little sparrows.
As for everyone else, they stayed on the Changbai Mountains for now.
She wouldn’t be gone long.
She was simply making a trip to Mount Li to tell Bai Suzhen she had returned. Besides, Bai Suzhen probably already knew.
To be honest, going was more about fairness. If she played favorites and Little Bai complained, Su Qing would suffer for it.
Su Qing followed her plan step by step.
First, she went down the mountain to buy snacks, and also picked up a small gift for Bai Suzhen.
When everything was ready, she mounted her Somersault Cloud and headed for Mount Li.
The speed of the Somersault Cloud spoke for itself.
In the blink of an eye, she was already above Mount Li.
Su Qing lowered the cloud and, as usual, landed in the bamboo grove behind the courtyard.
Just as she expected.
At the stone table inside the bamboo grove, the Daoist boy was already waiting.
When the Daoist boy saw Su Qing, she bounced over cheerfully, tilted her head with a smile, and said, “Big Green Snake, long time no see. Since you’re here now, I’m guessing you’ve finished everything you needed to do?”
Su Qing nodded. “Yeah. Most of what I had to handle is done, so I finally had time to come play with Little Bai. But you, every time I come, you always show up here right on time to greet me.”
The Daoist boy smiled and rubbed her nose. “Of course. My master can calculate when you’ll come. But today my master isn’t here. If you want to see her, you’ll have to wait until next time. Seeing Little Bai, though, that’s no problem.”
Su Qing raised a brow. “Where did Old Mother go? Why isn’t she here?”
“The Heavenly Court had something that needed my master’s help, so she’s busy,” the Daoist boy said with an exasperated look. “Big Green Snake, don’t act like you’re the only one who gets busy. My master gets busy sometimes too.”
“That’s true,” Su Qing admitted. “Since the senior isn’t here, then I’ll trouble you to take me to see Little Bai directly.”
“No problem, but, but… hehe.” The Daoist boy looked at Su Qing eagerly. “Did you bring me something tasty?”
Su Qing smiled and nodded, then took out the snacks she’d brought.
“I know you wait for me here not only because of your master’s orders, but also because of food. So I специально brought you some.”
The Daoist boy got what she wanted and immediately lit up, thanking Su Qing happily as she tucked the snacks away.
Only then did she notice that Su Qing hadn’t come alone today. There were also a few little sparrows and Yudie.
But she didn’t really care about them. What she cared about was her snacks.
After putting them away, the Daoist boy laughed. “Let’s go, let’s go. I’ll take you to Little Bai. She misses you so much. You haven’t come in these past years, and she’s always been talking about you in my ear. My ears are about to grow calluses.”
Su Qing smiled faintly, a bit helpless. “That must’ve been hard on you.”
“Hard? Not really.” The Daoist boy grinned. “I’m usually pretty idle anyway. Listening to her talk isn’t that big a deal.”
Then she led Su Qing and the others toward the bamboo grove where Bai Suzhen stayed.
Su Qing already knew the path by heart.
But every time she came, she still let this little one guide her.
It was routine, and also habit.
And it also gave them a chance to chat along the way.
The Daoist boy really was quite cute, even if she was a little greedy. Besides, was Su Qing short on greedy little companions?
Whether it was the sparrows or Yudie, they were all snack-loving little gluttons.
Before long, Su Qing and the Daoist boy arrived at the bamboo grove outside Bai Suzhen’s small courtyard.
Here, the Daoist boy gave Su Qing a respectful salute. “I’ll send you this far. The rest of the way, Big Green Snake, you can go on your own. Oh right, want me to watch these little ones for you? Also, don’t you think these little things got fatter again?”
“It’s your imagination. These little things are already as fat as they can possibly get,” Su Qing said quickly, seeing the sparrows about to start chirping again.
The Daoist boy stared at them, looking doubtful, then nodded. “That… is pretty convincing. So you want me to keep an eye on them?”
“They came to find you in the first place, so I’ll leave them to you.”
“Hehe, easy.” The Daoist boy beamed. “You’ve given me so many goodies, of course I’ll help properly. Alright then, Big Green Snake, see you later. I’ll come find you tomorrow.”
Su Qing nodded and turned to go see Little Bai, but then hesitated, still not fully at ease.
So she turned back and gave Yudie a few instructions first.
Only then did she feel reassured.
She walked into the bamboo grove courtyard.
Inside, Bai Suzhen was sitting in the yard, embroidering.
Her cultivation had reached a bottleneck. For the time being, she needed to adjust her mindset and search for a way to break through.
And breaking through could only rely on Bai Suzhen herself. Others could hardly help.
So lately, Bai Suzhen had been rather idle, spending her time calming her heart.
At this moment, while she focused on her embroidery, Bai Suzhen suddenly heard a familiar sound from the bamboo grove.
She froze, and the needle in her hand accidentally pricked her finger.
The sting snapped her back to herself.
She understood immediately. Su Qing was here.
“My master was right. Big Sister really is coming soon…” Joy bloomed across her face.
She had waited so long, and now the one in her heart had finally arrived.
Sure enough, after only a short while, she saw a woman in a green dress, hair pinned in cloudlike coils, slowly stepping into the courtyard.
That woman looked exceptionally gentle, without the slightest coldness of a serpent. Soft, like water.
“Big Sister Xiao Qing,” Bai Suzhen cried.
She set everything down and ran forward to throw her arms around Su Qing.
Su Qing was caught off guard. She patted Bai Suzhen’s head. “Mm, I’m here. So, after not seeing me for years, did you miss me?”
“Of course I missed you. No one missed you more than I did. I can’t even see you every day to begin with, and you left for so long without coming to see me. How could I not miss you?”
Bai Suzhen’s eyes were like silk, filled with nothing but Su Qing.
Su Qing nodded. “I’m sorry I only came back now.”
“It’s fine, as long as Big Sister is back.” Bai Suzhen smiled sweetly, as if nothing else mattered as long as she could see Su Qing.
Su Qing felt a little at a loss in the face of such Bai Suzhen, but she’d lived long enough to keep her composure.
She patted Bai Suzhen’s hand. “Alright, let go first. I’m not going to run away.”
“No. Let me hold you a little longer.” Bai Suzhen shook her head and hugged her tighter. “Big Sister smells so nice. I don’t want to let go so soon. Besides, I haven’t seen you in so long.”
Su Qing sighed in resignation and let her hold on for a while.
Fortunately, Bai Suzhen didn’t cling forever.
After a moment, she released Su Qing and tugged her into the room.
Once inside, Su Qing discovered that Bai Suzhen had carved many small statues.
All of them were Su Qing.
All kinds of poses and expressions, carved so exquisitely they looked lifelike.
They were placed on a small cabinet, lined up neatly, without a speck of dust.
Seeing that, Su Qing suddenly felt like she’d been turned into figurines.
It was… a strange feeling.
“When Big Sister didn’t come, I missed you, and I was bored, so I carved lots of wooden figures. How are they? I did pretty well, right?” Bai Suzhen introduced them proudly, not embarrassed at all.
Su Qing nodded slightly. “They’re very good… they look exactly like me.”
“If Big Sister likes them, I can carve more for you.”
“No need. I’ll come accompany you more.”
“Really? Really?” Bai Suzhen’s face lit up. “That’s wonderful. Then when you accompany me, can you belong only to me? I… I don’t want to share Big Sister with anyone. At least when you’re with me, can you be only mine?”
Su Qing looked into the light shining in Bai Suzhen’s eyes, then nodded faintly. “Of course. When I’m accompanying you, Little Bai, you’re my only little sister. Happy now?”
“Mhm.” Bai Suzhen nodded, and a snake tail quietly wrapped around Su Qing’s wrist. “Then… can Big Sister accompany little sister tonight?”
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