Su Qing naturally had no major objections to Senior Guanyin's approach.
Compared to talking in circles or moving elsewhere to chat, doing this was indeed much more efficient and saved a lot of effort.
It also allowed her to strain her brain a little less.
Once the sound-isolating array was set up, Senior Guanyin spoke calmly.
"There are many people here... some things are not convenient for others to hear, so I have isolated the sound first."
"I naturally understand that Senior has your concerns," Su Qing said nonchalantly. "More importantly, Senior should just tell me directly what this is about."
Seeing Su Qing speak this way, Guanyin stopped wasting time and got straight to the point, asking, "Did Wukong come to see you a few days ago?"
Hearing this, Su Qing did not deny it. She nodded slightly and said, "Since Senior is asking, you must already have the answer in your heart. So, is there a problem with Wukong coming to see me? Senior should have known long ago that if Wukong had any issues, he would definitely come to me first, right?"
Guanyin did not argue and nodded, continuing, "Actually, there isn't any major problem. We won't interfere with him seeking you out. However, for the next few days—specifically until Wukong returns to Tang Sanzang's side—I hope you will not see him again."
Su Qing was a bit puzzled by this. She didn't really care whether she saw Wukong or not; after all, she wasn't so bored that she would constantly run off to Flower-Fruit Mountain to play.
She had plenty of her own things to do! She didn't have much mental energy to spare for Wukong.
She was just a bit curious...
Could something actually happen just because Wukong saw her?
"Why?"
"Your influence on Wukong is quite significant. If you continue to influence him, I worry it will disrupt certain fixed destinies."
"Can I actually ruin the Eighty-One Tribulations?"
"No, but it would lead to other troubles," Guanyin said helplessly. "After all, cleaning up a mess is quite energy-consuming."
Su Qing: "..."
She roughly understood the reason now.
Essentially, Guanyin didn't want Su Qing to make her work overtime.
"Alright, I understand," Su Qing nodded and agreed.
It didn't hurt her anyway, so she might as well agree...
Besides, she hadn't planned on going to Flower-Fruit Mountain in these coming months anyway.
"Then I thank you, little friend," Senior Guanyin smiled.
"Is there anything else besides that, Senior?" Su Qing asked after a moment's thought.
Guanyin shook her head. "That was the only thing I wanted to say; there are no other urgent matters. Aside from that, my disciple has something to discuss with you. Once I dissolve this sound-isolating array, I will let her speak with you. But I'll say it again... my disciple is naive, do not harbor any improper thoughts toward her."
Su Qing rolled her eyes, unable to stop herself from complaining internally: "Senior Guanyin, please stop nagging. If you keep at it, I really might start having improper thoughts."
Of course, complaining was just complaining; she didn't actually have any special feelings for the Pearl-Bearing Dragon Girl.
After all, she wasn't particularly familiar with her.
At most, they were relatives.
And somewhat distant relatives at that.
As for why a snake and a dragon could be relatives...
Well, who told Su Qing to take a dragon girl as her wife?
Su Qing pulled her thoughts back. Seeing that Guanyin was about to dissolve the array, she spoke up. "Senior, don't be in such a hurry... Although you have finished what you wanted to say, I still have some questions I'd like to ask you."
Guanyin was slightly stunned that Su Qing suddenly wanted to ask her questions...
But it was only a momentary lapse; she had no intention of refusing the girl.
The Buddha had already told her that if Su Qing asked about something she was curious about, as long as it wasn't regarding extremely secret matters, she could tell her the truth.
"What do you wish to ask? Feel free to speak," Guanyin nodded.
Su Qing first thanked her, then asked about the relationship between the earthquakes at the Dragon Palace and Flower-Fruit Mountain and the Ancestral Vein.
Su Qing didn't know if Guanyin would answer truthfully, but regardless, asking would at least yield some kind of result.
Upon hearing Su Qing's question, Guanyin was momentarily surprised...
She thought this girl was going to ask about a certain woman!
It was just this?
Guanyin nodded and said, "There is indeed a connection... Although you have influenced the fixed destiny, the Great Tribulation of Heaven and Earth is ultimately unavoidable. Now, some omens have begun to appear, and the restlessness of the Ancestral Vein is one of them. Natural disasters will likely become frequent hereafter, so you must be mentally prepared."
"However, for you, it isn't entirely a bad thing... You should collect more Incense Power now. When the disasters descend, it will be easier for you to gather even more."
Su Qing's eyebrows twitched slightly. Guanyin's answer was somewhat unexpected.
However, she didn't show too much emotion.
She simply said, "It seems my guess was correct... I just didn't expect that while I thought the Great Tribulation of Heaven and Earth was only a tribulation for cultivators, mortals would also suffer along with us."
"The Great Tribulation of Heaven and Earth is exactly that—a calamity for everything between heaven and earth. Mortals exist between heaven and earth, and so do cultivators; everyone will be affected by this great tribulation. It is just that we are the primary targets..."
Guanyin thought for a moment before speaking to guide her.
Su Qing was exceptionally important to everyone, so Guanyin naturally didn't want the girl to fall into a psychological trap or a dead end.
"That is true..." Su Qing nodded, appearing relatively calm and not overthinking as Guanyin had feared. "In the coming days, I can indeed start doing more things."
"It is a blessing for the common people that you have such thoughts."
"Right, regarding the matter of Incense Power, can you tell me more about it now?"
"There is no conclusion yet, so naturally I cannot tell you. However, it is never wrong for you to simply accumulate more Incense Power," Guanyin said.
Guanyin knew exactly what could be said and what could not.
This caused Su Qing to reflexively roll her eyes.
Even though she had expected this result, she was still speechless...
What exactly is it!
Can't we just speak plainly?
Why must everything be kept so mysterious?
Su Qing just curled her lip; if she wouldn't say it, then so be it. She would find out sooner or later anyway.
"Since you can't say, then let's leave it at that..." Su Qing nodded. "Aside from these things, I have nothing else to ask. Let's see what your disciple wants from me."
Guanyin's expression remained unchanged and impassive, exceptionally cold...
With a wave of her slender hand, the array she had created out of thin air vanished just as easily.
The moment the array disappeared, the sounds of the outside world rushed back into Su Qing's ears.
The sound of the wind, the rustling of leaves, the croaking of frogs, and the noisy chatter of the little girls were all audible again.
The sound-isolating array didn't just block the voices of the people inside; it naturally blocked the sounds from outside as well.
After all, besides allowing for private conversations, this array was also used to find some peace and quiet.
With the array put away, Guanyin spoke to the Pearl-Bearing Dragon Girl, who was currently stroking the feathers of a sparrow.
"Disciple, come here... Didn't you have something you wanted to ask little friend Su?"
The Pearl-Bearing Dragon Girl, who was playing with the sparrows, was startled for a moment. She then carefully set down the heavy sparrow in her palm and ran over to Su Qing, giving her a polite bow.
"Senior..." After calling out, she said, "Can we... speak to the side? Master?"
Hearing this, Guanyin's eyelids twitched slightly, but for the sake of her senior status, she couldn't say much. She nodded slightly and waved her hand, letting them decide for themselves.
Su Qing glanced at Senior Guanyin...
She thought, "Senior Guanyin is actually quite cute! If only she didn't enjoy being such a riddler so much."
Su Qing's mind wasn't the most delicate, but she could guess some of Senior Guanyin's psychological activities.
She couldn't help but feel that Senior Guanyin was much more interesting than she appeared.
But since she was a senior, Su Qing naturally couldn't tease her like she did others.
Seeing Guanyin nod, the Pearl-Bearing Dragon Girl pulled Su Qing under a nearby ginkgo tree to explain her thoughts.
Meanwhile, Guanyin Bodhisattva, who appeared to be doing nothing, pricked up her ears... and quietly listened to their conversation.
What kind of realm was Guanyin Bodhisattva at?
How could eavesdropping be difficult for her?
Never mind that there was no array to hide them; even if there were... it wouldn't be able to stop Guanyin Bodhisattva from eavesdropping!
This was also why, although Guanyin was somewhat displeased, she had still agreed to let her disciple take Su Qing aside to talk.
Because it made no difference!
However, as Senior Guanyin listened, the fist hidden in her sleeve unconsciously tightened.
She truly hadn't expected this!
She had been so careful, yet this girl had still been led astray.
But... Guanyin was an old senior after all. Although her mind was racing, her surface remained as steady as a mountain and as still as a lake.
Before long.
Su Qing and the Pearl-Bearing Dragon Girl finished their chat and returned to Guanyin Bodhisattva.
Although Su Qing could roughly guess that Senior Guanyin had already eavesdropped on their conversation, she still recounted what had just happened.
Guanyin's attitude was exceptionally firm as she said, "No... this girl absolutely cannot stay here with you! You, girl, what were you thinking to suddenly make such a decision? Could it be that your visit last time was for this very purpose?"
Guanyin's first sentence was to Su Qing, while the second was addressed to the Pearl-Bearing Dragon Girl.
"Master... there are some things I still haven't been able to figure out, which is why I want to stay by Senior Su's side to understand them," the Pearl-Bearing Dragon Girl said, showing a rare moment of firmness as if she had made up her mind. "Don't you always say, Master, that cultivation requires one's thoughts to be unimpeded? Right now, my thoughts are blocked, and I cannot progress in my cultivation."
Hearing these words, Guanyin's brow throbbed...
She truly hadn't expected... that her own disciple would contradict her.
However, at the same time, Guanyin felt a sense of relief, feeling that the girl had indeed grown somewhat.
If she could grow even more, it wouldn't be a bad thing.
But the problem was that the person she wanted to follow was problematic!
Any other woman would be fine; there would be no need to worry...
But Su Qing was different!
This girl was famously fond of women.
And she was a snake demon.
As everyone knew, whether it was a dragon or a snake, they were exceptionally lustful!
"Hmph! If you have questions, just ask your master."
"But... Master, you never explain things clearly! Every time I ask you... you always talk in circles."
"..." Guanyin was somewhat helpless.
She was considering whether she should just take the girl back by force.
Forget about logic.
But doing so would be beneath her status.
Moreover, she didn't want to break her disciple's heart.
And just as Guanyin was feeling exceptionally conflicted...
Su Qing, who was standing to the side, suddenly raised her hand.
Noticing the girl's movement, Guanyin couldn't help but glance at her.
Without waiting for Guanyin to ask, Su Qing spoke directly.
"Speaking of which... Senior still owes me a promise, doesn't she?"
Hearing this, Guanyin's brow jumped, and a bad feeling arose in her heart.
This was indeed a fact.
However, because Su Qing had never come to her to redeem it, Guanyin hadn't kept it in mind.
She thought Su Qing had probably forgotten, or perhaps hadn't decided what she wanted yet, which was why she hadn't come looking for her.
Naturally, she hadn't been particularly concerned.
To her, the fewer things to deal with, the better.
If Su Qing didn't seek her out, it saved her trouble.
She just never expected that Su Qing would bring it up at this moment.
Her first instinct was to deny it.
But that clearly went against her Dao heart.
So she could only nod and say, "That is correct... but what do you want? Let's get this straight first: you are not allowed to ask for anything too excessive, nor are you allowed to ask me to betroth my disciple to you."
Guanyin was genuinely irritated...
She directly blocked Su Qing's path.
Su Qing shook her head slightly upon hearing this and said, "Senior, what kind of person do you take me for? I only hope that Senior can agree to the Dragon Girl's request. Since she intends to seek the answer herself, then let her go!"
Su Qing had actually wanted to say more...
But she was, after all, facing Senior Guanyin.
She naturally couldn't be too aggressive.
As for why she was willing to waste this opportunity for a promise on this...
To be honest, Su Qing didn't particularly care about this promise.
She had never thought about using it to exchange for some treasure.
She had only felt that a promise from Senior Guanyin would be useful, which was why she had accepted it back then.
And now, facts proved that her original decision was correct.
Look, hasn't it indeed come in handy?
“Senior Guanyin?” Su Qing looked at Guanyin and said, “Could you agree to it?”
Rate on N.U.
