Chaoyan's Overloaded Brain

Chaoyan felt like her brain was about to overload.

Sensing Bai Suzhen’s tail coiling around her wrist, Su Qing’s eyelids couldn't help but twitch.

Although she had mentally prepared herself for this before arriving, she still hadn't expected the current Bai Suzhen to be quite this bold.

She was truly following her own whims now.

Initially, Su Qing hadn't anticipated that the quiet cultivation on Mount Li wouldn't make Bai Suzhen’s personality more aloof. Instead, because the seclusion here suppressed her desires, every time Su Qing visited, she would face an explosion of those pent-up feelings.

The current Bai Suzhen was less like the one in Su Qing’s memories and more like Xiao Qing from the movie Green Snake.

Seductive, full of charm, and possessed by a primal sort of desire.

It wasn't necessarily a bad thing… it was just a bit much to handle.

However, Su Qing found it difficult to refuse Bai Suzhen. After all, she couldn't really stop her even if she tried.

This girl would sneak in or even resort to force. Why? Because Bai Suzhen was certain that Su Qing wouldn't actually raise a hand against her.

Su Qing gave a helpless smile and nodded. "I suppose it’s fine… but don't be in such a rush, little sister."

Hearing Su Qing agree, Bai Suzhen immediately broke into a radiant smile. As long as Su Qing consented, everything else would be easy.

"I'm not in a rush! Xiaobai isn't in a rush at all," Bai Suzhen replied with a beaming face.

Su Qing breathed a sigh of relief. It was for the best if the girl could show a little restraint.

"That’s good then…"

"However, since we have nothing to do right now, why don't you tell me about your experiences on the road, Sister? You must have seen so much during your journey to the west. I’ve never traveled far, having never even left Mount Li. I'm very curious about the outside world. Won't you tell me?"

Now that Su Qing was here, Bai Suzhen naturally couldn't sit still. Since they couldn't do other things yet, chatting was a wonderful alternative. To her, simply being with Su Qing was a joy in itself.

Looking at Bai Suzhen’s flushed cheeks, Su Qing knew the girl’s mind likely wasn't on the stories themselves. She just wanted to hear them to pass the time until evening.

Su Qing was helpless against her.

"Of course… I’ll tell you everything slowly."

This wasn't the first time Su Qing had recounted these experiences. By now, she was quite practiced at it.

As for how to explain the matter of the Queen of the Women's Kingdom to Xiaobai… that was indeed a bit of a headache.

Xiaobai was quite the vixen, and she was the most possessive of the three. If she found out about that… tonight would likely be even longer.

But she couldn't keep it a secret. Hiding it might work for a while, but the backlash later would only be more severe. Besides, Su Qing didn't want to deceive Xiaobai in these matters. She had already hidden enough things from her; she wanted to be sincere about this at least.

Su Qing told Bai Suzhen a great deal, mostly about the events on the road. The journey had been exceptionally long, so there was plenty to talk about—more than enough to kill time.

As for the Queen of the Women's Kingdom, Su Qing didn't mention it for the moment, waiting for a better opportunity.

Time passed quickly. In the blink of an eye, it was noon.

Bai Suzhen and Su Qing were so engrossed in their conversation that they didn't notice it was lunchtime until it had already passed.

Even so, Bai Suzhen temporarily paused the storytelling and got up to cook. Su Qing didn't stay idle either, getting up to help her.

While they worked together, Su Qing finally brought up the matter of the Women's Kingdom. When Bai Suzhen learned that Su Qing had 'married' the Queen, the cleaver in her hand suddenly struck with immense force, accidentally slicing the fish and the cutting board clean in half.

It was only thanks to her quick reflexes in pulling back that she didn't leave a deep gash in the stove itself.

Seeing this, Su Qing’s eyelids twitched.

"S-sorry… I was just a bit shocked to hear that Sister Xiao Qing had married someone else. By the way, is that Queen a girl?" Bai Suzhen hurriedly pushed the two halves of the cutting board back together, pretending nothing had happened while she questioned Su Qing.

Su Qing’s lips quirked slightly before she nodded. "Naturally. You know I have no interest in men."

Confirming it was a woman, Bai Suzhen breathed a small sigh of relief, though she remained dissatisfied.

She said, "But if you married someone else, what does that make me, Sister Leng Xiang, and Sister Ao Ying? Sister, you were far too unwise in doing this."

Su Qing gave a helpless smile and offered a brief explanation. "In short, her stance is that we will each maintain our own separate relationships with her."

What else could she say? She had to use the same rhetoric she used with Leng Xiang and the others.

"Each to their own?" Bai Suzhen squeezed the handle of the knife, still feeling disgruntled. However, she couldn't leave Mount Li right now, and she didn't want to lose her temper with her sister.

She bit her lower lip and said, "Then, Sister… can you promise me that when you are with me, you won't think of any other women?"

Su Qing paused for a moment, then gave a slight nod. "Of course."

"Then… I want to start this afternoon…"

Su Qing’s eyelids jumped. "Isn't that a bit too early?"

"It’s clearly Sister’s fault. A fickle and passionate person like Sister deserves to be punished."

"Punished?" Su Qing’s mouth twitched. Did this really count as a punishment?

After a moment of thought, she understood. The girl was indeed angry, but since she couldn't leave Mount Li and didn't want to lash out, she was using this as an excuse to do exactly what she wanted.

Realizing this, Su Qing nodded helplessly. "As you wish."

At those words, the corners of Bai Suzhen’s mouth curled into a smile that carried a hint of a successful scheme.

"You said it yourself, Sister!"

Su Qing nodded. She knew she was in for an exhausting day.

Before long, lunch was ready. Under Bai Suzhen’s burning gaze, Su Qing finished every bite of the meal… knowing that after lunch, she herself would be devoured.

Of course, Su Qing wasn't the type to just let herself be handled. When it was time to strike back, she wouldn't just stay passive.

While the clouds and rain were constant at Mount Li, several uninvited guests arrived at the Changbai Mountains.

They were none other than Guanyin Bodhisattva and her two young disciples, the Pearl-Bearing Dragon Girl and Chaoyan.

Since Guanyin had arrived, Ao Ying, Leng Xiang, and Su Ying’er naturally came out to welcome her. After all, she was a great senior.

After the usual pleasantries and etiquette, Leng Xiang and Ao Ying invited Guanyin into the living room and poured her a cup of fine tea.

"No need for such formality. I’ve come today to find Su Qing… though it seems she isn't in the Changbai Mountains right now?" Guanyin took a sip of tea and spoke calmly.

She had known Su Qing wasn't here the moment she arrived. If Su Qing were here, she certainly would have come out to greet her—unless she was intentionally hiding from her or Chaoyan.

Ao Ying nodded slightly, her gaze shifting from the Pearl-Bearing Dragon Girl back to Guanyin. "Sister Su went to Mount Li… she likely won't be back for a day or two. May I ask why the Senior is looking for her?"

"It’s nothing major. Her goddaughter simply wanted to see her godmother. I assume she told you about having a goddaughter?" Guanyin shook her head and spoke plainly.

Ao Ying and Leng Xiang were well aware of Chaoyan. Su Qing hadn't hidden much about the journey to the west. Besides, Chaoyan was the one Su Qing had sent to the Western Heaven; there was no reason to hide it.

"Leng Xiang and I are aware of this," Ao Ying said, looking at Chaoyan. "This must be Sister Su’s goddaughter?"

It was obvious, as the Pearl-Bearing Dragon Girl clearly couldn't be the one.

Guanyin nodded. "Indeed."

At this point, Guanyin seemed to remember something and said to Chaoyan, "Disciple, these two are your godmother’s wives… you should call them… hiss, call them godmothers as well!"

Normally, if there was a godmother, there should be a godfather. But Su Qing was anything but normal. She had married three women while being a woman herself. Addressing them was a bit of a headache.

Ao Ying saw that Guanyin was struggling with the titles and said, "There’s no need for such trouble. You can call us Sister or Auntie."

Chaoyan looked at Ao Ying and Leng Xiang, her brain currently unable to process the situation. After a long pause, she said, "This humble monk greets… my two godmothers."

Chaoyan felt like her brain hadn't been working properly lately.

Seeing the girl’s cute expression, Ao Ying chuckled. "Very well, call us whatever you like."

"However, if you're looking for Sister Su, you'll have to wait a few days."

"Can I… wait here?"

"That’s not a problem… though for the next few days, you’ll have to sleep in Sister Su’s room. We don't have many spare rooms; the only one is currently occupied by Jingyue."

"Sister Jingyue is here too?"

"You know Jingyue? Oh, right, she went to the Western Heaven with you. It’s only natural you’d know her," Ao Ying realized with a smile. "Yes, she’s here…"

"Then… can I stay here for a few days?" As she spoke, she suddenly remembered she couldn't make that decision herself. She turned to her master. "Master, can I stay here for a few days and wait for Godmother to return before going back to the Purple Bamboo Grove?"

Guanyin: "…"

Guanyin was speechless. She had thought that upon seeing Su Qing wasn't here, the girl would follow her back to focus on her cultivation. Who would have thought she’d want to stay here?

She sighed helplessly. "Fine, I won't stop you if you want to stay! But you, girl, you’re coming back with me."

Guanyin knew Chaoyan was likely a lost cause—she’d eventually fall prey to that little green snake. But her own Dragon Girl could still be saved, so she absolutely couldn't let her stay here.

The Dragon Girl blinked, then obediently nodded. Although she wanted to complain that her master was playing favorites, she couldn't bring herself to say it. Besides, Ao Ying had already made it clear there weren't many spare rooms. She had to follow her master back.

"Hehe, thank you for your permission, Master~" Chaoyan thanked Guanyin with a giggle.

Guanyin just wanted to roll her eyes. If it weren't for her status, she would have done it by now.

"Hmph, you girl… your heart is already with outsiders." Guanyin shook her head helplessly.

Chaoyan just scratched her head and didn't say anything more.

Once Chaoyan’s stay was settled, Guanyin spoke with Ao Ying about other matters. Leng Xiang remained quiet throughout the entire exchange. Her personality hadn't changed much; though she was much warmer toward Su Qing, she remained a woman of few words with others. She was a woman of action; getting her to work was much easier than getting her to talk.

Since Su Qing wasn't at the Changbai Mountains, Guanyin didn't plan on staying long. After a brief chat with Ao Ying, she made an excuse and left with the Dragon Girl.

Chaoyan remained behind.

After Guanyin left, Chaoyan bowed respectfully to Leng Xiang and Ao Ying. "I will be troubling my two godmothers for the next few days."

Ao Ying didn't see the girl as any kind of threat. In her view, no matter how much Su Qing liked to mess around, she wouldn't lay a hand on her own goddaughter. That would be a bit too chaotic. So, she truly treated the girl as a goddaughter. Ao Ying, being a mother herself, naturally took a liking to the girl.

Leng Xiang was the same as always. Although she was technically a mother in a sense, she was ultimately a sword spirit.

"It’s no trouble…" Ao Ying smiled and took the girl’s hand. "I'm quite happy you could come. I didn't expect Sister Su’s goddaughter to be such a talent in cultivation."

"Godmother overpraises me," Chaoyan replied, feeling quite embarrassed.

"By the way, I haven't introduced our family members to you yet!" Ao Ying said. "You likely already know Yudie. This is Leng Xiang, Yudie’s biological mother. And this girl is Su Ying’er, my daughter~"

Hearing this, Chaoyan felt her brain overload even further. She sucked in a breath of cold air, feeling as though everything she had learned was collapsing in an instant.

She hurriedly asked, "Godmother and… aren't you all women? Why…"

"I am a sword spirit… Yudie is also a sword spirit," Leng Xiang spoke up coldly. "There is no need for such a fuss."

Ao Ying found the girl’s shocked expression quite amusing and couldn't help but cover her mouth with a laugh. "My dragon clan possesses secret methods that allow us to conceive children with other women. Besides, haven't you been to the Women's Kingdom? Why are you so surprised now?"

Chaoyan: "This is different…"