Faced with Su Qing's words, Guanyin Bodhisattva was momentarily stunned.
She looked at Su Qing, and after a moment of silence, she asked, "Do you truly intend to use that promise for this? You should know that you could have asked for much more from me."
She said this primarily in the hope that Su Qing would back down. As an elder, it wouldn't be right for her to go back on her word, even if doing so made her feel quite displeased.
Su Qing nodded slightly and said, "Naturally. Since the Pearl-Bearing Dragon Girl wishes to find the answer herself, I am more than happy to help. Besides, you should know, Senior, that I don't particularly care for treasures and the like. Rather, if I can help her, it would achieve a sense of peace for me as well."
Guanyin looked at Su Qing, seemingly lost in thought. Su Qing, being straightforward, knew exactly what Guanyin was worried about.
Knowing the other's concern, she naturally knew how to ease it. She looked at Guanyin with a beaming smile and said, "I know what you are worried about, Senior. Please, rest assured. I have already taken several wives; why would I lay a hand on your disciple? Though I don't know where you heard those rumors, I am truly not the person they say I am. We have known each other for a long time; you should have some understanding of my character."
"Furthermore, since the Dragon Girl is determined to seek the answer herself, let her go! Is this not a form of trial and growth for her?"
"You cannot protect your juniors forever, can you?"
Listening to Su Qing, Guanyin looked at her in silence. As for Su Qing's claim that she wasn't 'that kind of person,' Guanyin didn't believe a single word of it. Her belief that Su Qing was that kind of woman wasn't based on hearsay, but on her own observations.
However, while she had plenty of internal complaints about that point, she did find merit in the other things Su Qing said. She indeed could not protect her disciple forever.
Yet, leaving her disciple by Su Qing's side still made her feel quite uneasy. But looking at Su Qing's sincere gaze and the Pearl-Bearing Dragon Girl's expectant eyes, Guanyin's heart began to waver.
After a long while, Guanyin finally sighed and asked, "Can you truly do it?"
"Senior... rest assured, I am not as outrageous as you think," Su Qing replied with a helpless smile.
Seeing this, Guanyin huffed coldly. "I hope so! Fine, since you are using that promise in exchange for this result, I have nothing more to say. I only hope you remember what you have said."
Su Qing nodded. "I will keep it in mind."
With that, Guanyin turned to the Pearl-Bearing Dragon Girl. "For the coming days, you shall stay here. I hope that once you find the answer you seek, you will return and continue your cultivation properly."
The Dragon Girl's face lit up with joy, and she nodded quickly. "Don't worry, Master. Once I have figured it out, I will definitely return obediently."
After speaking, the Pearl-Bearing Dragon Girl couldn't help but look at Su Qing. She knew that without Su Qing's help, she would never have been able to leave to find her answer. Thus, she felt exceptionally grateful toward her, as well as a sense of debt.
After all, by helping her, Su Qing had wasted an opportunity to obtain a treasure from her master. She knew exactly what kind of existence her master was, so she understood just how great this favor was.
Guanyin looked at the Pearl-Bearing Dragon Girl and gave a helpless smile. "Very well then... Little Friend Su, for the next few days, I must trouble you to look after my disciple. But please remember what you promised..."
Su Qing felt a bit speechless but nodded anyway. She felt that the Guanyin before her was very much like a mortal father about to marry off his daughter; it was rather amusing. However, she would certainly remember what she had promised the senior.
After all, she truly had no such intentions. If she did, would she have waited until now to make her move?
Seeing Su Qing nod, Guanyin said no more. She turned to Morning Glory, who had been watching the scene for a long time. "Child, it is time for us to go."
Morning Glory was startled. "Are we going back now?"
"Yes... you still need to cultivate properly."
Morning Glory thought for a moment, glanced at the Dragon Girl, and then said, "Can I... can I also stay and cultivate at the Changbai Mountains?"
Guanyin's eyelid twitched. "No. Your cultivation is not as high as the Dragon Girl's; you must continue to cultivate in the Purple Bamboo Grove. In the future, if you miss your godmother, I will bring you back for a visit."
Morning Glory was stunned, her cheeks puffing out in slight dissatisfaction. But before she could say another word, Guanyin directly led her away, giving her no chance to act spoiled.
On the way back to the Purple Bamboo Grove, Guanyin looked at the mountains and rivers below, then patted Morning Glory beside her. She thought to herself, I wonder... after this, will that girl truly grow a bit?
Of course, more than that, Guanyin was actually worried about her disciple's purity and whether Su Qing would keep her word.
Though Su Qing is unreliable in many ways, she is quite good at keeping her promises... she didn't forget what she promised the Buddha back then, so she should abide by her promise to me now, right?
Guanyin wasn't entirely sure, but since she had already handed the person over to Su Qing, she could only try to put her heart at ease. After all, she couldn't exactly go back and take her now.
Morning Glory looked at her pensive master and pouted. She never expected that while she was being taken away, the Pearl-Bearing Dragon Girl would be left behind. Unfortunately, she had no choice but to wait until the next time she could visit her godmother.
Back at the Changbai Mountains, the Dragon Girl bowed to Su Qing. "Thank you for your help, Senior..."
Su Qing smiled and shook her head. "No need to thank me. You helped me a lot in the past, so it's only right that I help you. For now, stay here with me. As for your questions... you might have to find the answers yourself. I can't answer them for you!"
It wasn't that Su Qing couldn't answer the Dragon Girl's questions. In fact, Guanyin could have answered them too. It was just that their answers would never be the Dragon Girl's own answers. On questions with no objective 'correct' answer, only one's own answer counts as right. To put it simply, the Dragon Girl was struggling with a subjective, spiritual matter.
This was why Su Qing suggested she find the answer herself. At the very beginning, the Dragon Girl had asked for her answer, but Su Qing hadn't given one, instead proposing that she find her own. Su Qing, like Guanyin, was playing the part of someone speaking in riddles on this matter. However, Su Qing's choice was different from Guanyin's.
Guanyin wanted the Dragon Girl to stay by her side and find the answer through her, while Su Qing wanted the Dragon Girl to find it on her own. As for the Dragon Girl's choice to stay with Su Qing, that wasn't Su Qing's idea. The Dragon Girl had suddenly made that choice herself.
Perhaps the Dragon Girl felt it was difficult to find the answer she wanted while staying with her master, which was why she made such a choice. Regardless, Su Qing felt it certainly didn't have much to do with her, and it definitely wasn't what Guanyin suspected.
As Su Qing's thoughts wandered, the Pearl-Bearing Dragon Girl shook her head and said seriously, "It... it's fine. I feel that by staying with you, Senior, I will find the answers to those questions very soon."
Su Qing glanced at her and nodded with a smile. "Of course, you will find them... though I won't be able to help much."
Su Qing's words didn't discourage the Dragon Girl. She simply asked, "By the way, Senior, where shall I stay?"
"Hmm, since Morning Glory is gone, you can stay in her room for now. Though, I feel like I need to expand this courtyard again. I only just expanded it a few days ago," Su Qing muttered to herself, rubbing her chin.
"Thank... thank you, Senior." The Dragon Girl nodded. She didn't have many requirements for where she stayed, as long as there was space.
On the other hand, Su Qing added, "Speaking of which, do you have a secular name? I can't keep calling you Pearl-Bearing Dragon Girl forever, can I?"
Su Qing's question made the Dragon Girl pause. Speaking of her secular name, she had long since forgotten it. She had been by Guanyin's side for many years, always using the name Pearl-Bearing Dragon Girl. By now, she had forgotten what she used to be called.
"I've forgotten," the Dragon Girl said, not intending to lie. She didn't know what kind of name to give herself, so she simply told Su Qing the truth.
Su Qing wasn't surprised by this.
"Now that I think about it... I gave you a fake name before? But I've forgotten that one too. It was just a spur-of-the-moment thing, so I didn't bother to remember it. How about I give you a new one? Constantly calling you 'Pearl-Bearing Dragon Girl' is a bit awkward."
Su Qing said with a smile, "Besides, you'll be traveling with me in the mortal world later. Having a secular name will be better."
The Dragon Girl was startled, then nodded slightly. "Then I shall trouble you, Senior."
"Don't call me Senior anymore; just call me Su Qing. If we're talking about age, I'm probably younger than you! I don't think I'm even a thousand years old yet, right?"
Su Qing rubbed her chin and thought, Forget it, I've lost track of how many years I've lived. When you live too long, you get too lazy to remember these things.
The Dragon Girl covered her mouth and chuckled. "Senior is Senior. Your strength is greater than mine, and you know more than I do, so it is only right to call you Senior. In cultivation, the capable one comes first..."
Su Qing chuckled, too lazy to argue about it, and turned part of her mind toward choosing a secular name for the Dragon Girl. Although the Dragon Girl might not use this name for long—she would have to go back to being the Pearl-Bearing Dragon Girl once she returned to Guanyin—Su Qing still intended to think it over seriously. After all, she couldn't give her an ugly name, could she?
"Speaking of which, what is your true form like?" Su Qing suddenly asked, a thought occurring to her.
The Dragon Girl, who was waiting for her name, was stunned and stared blankly at Su Qing. Su Qing continued, "Aren't you a Dragon Girl? Logically, besides your human form, you must have a dragon form, right?"
The Dragon Girl nodded and, without a word, transformed into her original shape. When she took her dragon form, she wasn't a white dragon like Ao Ying, but a small green dragon. This appearance was far more majestic than her petite and delicate human form. However, the two small horns on her head still looked somewhat cute. It seemed that the horns of female dragons were much smaller than those of males.
"So you're a green dragon? That's a bit of a headache. I thought you'd be a white dragon like Ao Ying!" Su Qing muttered to herself.
Hearing Su Qing's words, the Dragon Girl said, "Senior... a secular name can be anything. There's no need to put so much meaning into it."
Su Qing pouted. "It has to sound good!"
"..." The Dragon Girl fell silent, knowing there was no point in arguing with her.
Soon, Su Qing came up with a name. "In that case, let's go with Ao Yiyi!"
The Dragon Girl was speechless. Had she just picked something random in the end? Still, the name didn't sound bad.
Seeing her expression, Su Qing said helplessly, "I wanted to find something from the classics, but all the names I thought of weren't suitable for a girl, so I had to pick something cute."
"As you wish, Senior. I like this name too." The Dragon Girl transformed back into her human form and shook her head. She knew Su Qing had put effort into thinking of a name, so she didn't want Su Qing to be discouraged by her own preferences. That would be ungrateful for the effort spent.
Su Qing nodded. "As long as you don't hate it~"
"Of course I don't," Ao Yiyi said, shaking her head. To her, a secular name was only temporary, so she didn't care much about what it was. However, the surname 'Ao' reminded her of some past things. She was, after all, of the Dragon Clan and of noble birth, so her surname was naturally Ao. Even if she had forgotten her secular given name, she still remembered this surname. It carried some of her memories.
"Alright, alright. Now that that's settled, let's go greet the others! Though with the commotion just now, Ao Ying and the others probably already know," Su Qing said, shaking her head and putting the matter of the name aside. "Since you'll be living here, you should get to know the people here."
"I... actually already know them," Ao Yiyi said. "Master told me many things about you, Senior... um, though some of them weren't very good."
Su Qing: "..."
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