The Tortoise and the Snake

Su Qing was taken aback and asked, "Completing your training?"

"Yes... before we can formally serve a high deity, we must receive education from a master," Zi Chun nodded and explained.

"After all, we weren't born with these service skills. We were taught by a master."

Su Qing finally understood and gave a helpless nod.

"I see..." Su Qing continued, "Fine, do as you wish. However, I'll handle the bathing myself! You go attend to other matters."

Hearing this, the maids looked at each other, tidied up, and prepared to leave obediently.

Though they wanted to stay and serve, a deity's command took priority. Since Su Qing told them to leave for now, they naturally didn't dare to disobey.

As long as they weren't being dismissed permanently, it was fine.

After all, not everyone was lucky enough to encounter a good master right after completing their training.

Even if this master was famous for her love of women—so what? The master was a woman herself. Even if she favored women, they wouldn't exactly be at a loss.

Before leaving, Zi Qiu suddenly asked, "By the way, does the Sovereign need someone to warm her bed?"

Su Qing: "..."

She was quite speechless.

However, she still replied, "No need."

Zi Qiu said no more and left quietly.

Once they were gone, Su Qing rubbed her temples and exhaled a long breath of turbid Qi.

Today had truly been exhausting...

"I didn't interact with many people before, but today I met so many at once... The impression those rumors left on them is a real pain to explain," Su Qing thought helplessly.

She had lost count of how many times she wanted to find the person who started the rumors and give them a beating.

Unfortunately, the rumors had already spread everywhere. Finding the source would be far too much trouble.

After a long while, Su Qing shook her head and gave up on the thought.

She cleared her mind, allowing herself to enjoy this moment of tranquility and relax properly.

It had to be said that a bath was indeed an excellent way to unwind.

In just the time it took to drink a cup of tea, over half of Su Qing's fatigue had vanished.

Of course, a bath couldn't eliminate exhaustion entirely. To truly recover, she needed a good night's sleep.

After her bath, Su Qing sat by the window, gazing at the silent moonlight for a moment.

Once the Little Sparrows returned to her side, she gave them a few instructions before heading to bed to rest.

It was a dreamless night.

In the blink of an eye, it was morning.

The first rays of sunlight had just entered the room when the maids outside began their busy work.

By the time Su Qing woke up, everything was prepared.

"I feel like... if this continues for a few years, I'm afraid I'll truly become a spoiled, useless person," Su Qing mused as she ate breakfast.

Just as she was reflecting, a knock sounded at the door.

"Go open it. It's Liu Xixi," Su Qing said calmly, having sensed who was outside.

A maid opened the door and led Liu Xixi to Su Qing.

"Greetings, Azure Spirit Sovereign!" Liu Xixi bowed. She remained perfectly polite, yet still felt somewhat distant.

Su Qing didn't mind her attitude and simply asked, "What brings you here so early in the morning? Is something the matter?"

Liu Xixi replied, "General Tortoise and General Snake, as well as my father and the others, have returned. I came to inform the Sovereign."

Su Qing wasn't surprised by this. Calculating the time, Wukong's trouble should indeed have been resolved.

"Oh, I see. Once I've finished eating, I'll go meet them," Su Qing said with a smile.

General Tortoise, General Snake, and those dragons were all seniors. It was definitely necessary to pay them a visit, especially the two generals.

Liu Xixi nodded. "Since the Sovereign has it under consideration, I will say no more."

"Have you eaten? Would you like to join me?"

"There is no need... I won't go hungry even if I skip several meals," Liu Xixi shook her head.

As immortals, they could survive perfectly fine without food, relying solely on the spiritual Qi of heaven and earth. However, many immortals still maintained the habit of eating. After all, if one completely abandoned the joys of life, they would be no different from a puppet.

Su Qing didn't press her further and simply nodded. "Very well. I'll have to trouble you to wait for a moment."

Liu Xixi had no objection and went to stand in the courtyard to wait.

While waiting, Liu Xixi began to play with the sparrows.

"These sparrows are raised so well! They're truly adorable."

"It seems the Sovereign treats them very well... she's even turned sparrows into little round balls."

"Aside from her flaw of loving women, the Sovereign is quite excellent in other areas!"

Liu Xixi muttered to herself as she teased the sparrows.

The little creatures didn't hear her mutterings; they only saw the treats in her hand and circled around her repeatedly.

Because someone was waiting, Su Qing didn't linger over her breakfast. Before long, she finished and walked into the courtyard to set out with Liu Xixi.

As it happened, Su Qing arrived just in time to see Liu Xixi teasing the sparrows with a beaming smile. In that moment, she looked a bit like Yudie.

'So this girl can smile that happily too! It makes sense; who is born cold? But it seems she really is quite wary of me. Well, with my reputation, it would be strange if she wasn't. People like the maids and Immortal Lin Jiu are the exceptions,' Su Qing thought with a smile.

Su Qing gave a light cough, bringing Liu Xixi back to her senses.

Liu Xixi turned to look at Su Qing and hurriedly put her things away in a panic, assuming a serious expression.

"I have made a fool of myself before the Sovereign," Liu Xixi said with slight embarrassment.

Su Qing shook her head. She naturally wouldn't mock her.

"It's nothing... More importantly, let's move quickly to meet the others."

Liu Xixi nodded quickly. "Of course."

"I'll trouble you to lead the way," Su Qing said.

Liu Xixi nodded silently and walked ahead.

Her pace was neither too fast nor too slow, just right. The two walked in silence for a while before Liu Xixi finally spoke.

"Those sparrows... are they raised by you, Sovereign?"

Su Qing glanced at her and nodded. "That's right. Why?"

"I just think the Sovereign has raised them very well," Liu Xixi said.

Su Qing smiled. "It's just that they love to eat, so they've grown fat."

"..." Liu Xixi was speechless again.

She had initially wanted to ease the awkwardness, but she wasn't very good at conversation. Instead of easing the tension, the exchange had only made things more awkward.

Realizing she lacked talent in this area, Liu Xixi stopped talking and led Su Qing forward in silence.

Seeing this, Su Qing smiled and said, "Don't overthink it... just act as you usually do."

Hearing Su Qing's words, Liu Xixi glanced at her and nodded silently.

Soon, the two arrived at the main hall.

Inside, General Tortoise, General Snake, and several young dragons were already waiting. When they saw Su Qing arrive, they didn't put on airs.

"Greetings, Azure Spirit Sovereign!" they all said in unison.

Su Qing shook her head quickly and said, "You are all veterans by the side of Great Emperor Zhenwu. There's no need for such formality. You can just call me Su Qing."

Even though Su Qing was technically their superior now, she clearly couldn't act arrogant. These were powerful warriors who had fought alongside Great Emperor Zhenwu for many years.

They all smiled upon hearing her words.

"The Sovereign is the guardian invited by the Great Ancestral Emperor himself. We certainly cannot address the Sovereign by her personal name. If we did, it would inevitably make others think we do not respect your authority," General Tortoise said with a smile as he stroked his beard.

"So, the Sovereign need not say more! we have our own considerations."

General Snake also nodded and said, "Old Tortoise is right... we absolutely cannot show any lack of respect! Although the Great Ancestral Emperor explained things to everyone before he left, there will inevitably be some who are dissatisfied... so the Sovereign should not protest. Besides, it's just a title; we don't care that much."

Su Qing remained silent for a moment before nodding. "Then I shall trouble you seniors."

General Tortoise shook his head and laughed. "How can you call it trouble? To have a genius like the Sovereign as our guardian is our honor!"

"I'm hardly a genius! I've just had good luck and met many kind people like you seniors," Su Qing said, shaking her head.

"Luck is also a part of one's strength!"

"Luck is just luck," Su Qing said helplessly.

"Hahaha, you are just as modest as the rumors say! But if you are too modest, people might mistake it for arrogance," General Snake laughed. "However, the Sovereign is indeed formidable. To achieve the Heavenly Immortal realm in such a short time is a rare feat in this world."

Su Qing smiled helplessly and didn't pursue the topic. Instead, General Snake said cheerfully, "Speaking of which, the Sovereign and I are of the same race. In the future, if there is anything you need from us old-timers, please don't be a stranger! These old bones of ours rarely get a chance to move around these days."

Su Qing nodded. "I understand."

Su Qing chatted quite a bit with General Tortoise and General Snake, and also spoke with the other young dragons. However, she could clearly sense that one of the dragons was somewhat dissatisfied and wary of her.

Su Qing wasn't surprised—he was Liu Xixi's father. It was only natural for him to be wary and dissatisfied.

Fortunately, while he was wary, he didn't initiate any conflict.

And so, Su Qing became acquainted with the seniors, making it easier to ask for help when needed in the future.

After leaving the main hall, Liu Xixi followed Su Qing back to her chambers.

"Why did you follow me back?" Su Qing asked curiously.

"I am the Sovereign's assistant official; naturally, I must stay by your side unless the Sovereign sends me to do something else," Liu Xixi replied after a moment of silence.

Su Qing nodded. "I see... Then can you tell me what troubles the Northern Continent has been facing lately? Or is there anything else that needs to be done?"

Hearing Su Qing's question, Liu Xixi nodded and began to explain in detail.

While she wasn't good at small talk, she was incredibly talkative when it came to official business. She went on for so long that Su Qing almost regretted asking.

However, Su Qing listened patiently. She wasn't here just to play. Guarding the Northern Continent was one thing, but more importantly, she needed to use this opportunity to collect incense power, so she couldn't be too lax.

While Su Qing's main body was busy at the monastery, her clone in the Northern Continent was traveling much more leisurely.

She, Chen Mei, Yudie, and Ruan Shuxiang were walking slowly along the main road. They hadn't encountered any difficult troubles along the way, so their journey was very smooth.

"So, Mommy, you've already settled down in the Northern Continent?" On the road that day, Su Qing shared her situation with Yudie. Yudie was exceptionally surprised to learn Su Qing had arrived in the Northern Continent.

Su Qing nodded and replied via sound transmission, "Yes! My main body has temporarily taken over Great Emperor Zhenwu's monastery. From now on, I'll be handling affairs throughout the Northern Continent!"

"Is that so?"

"Yes. Also, once we part ways with Chen Mei... you can come to the monastery to find me. At that time, I'll leave a clone to guard the Changbai Mountains and bring Leng Xiang and the others to the monastery," Su Qing shared her future plans with Yudie.

"Really? That's wonderful!" Yudie didn't hide the excitement in her eyes. "Then I can take Su Ying around to play in the Northern Continent!"

Su Qing said helplessly, "Without Ao Ying there, none of you are allowed to run around wildly."

"..." Yudie pursed her lips. "Don't worry, we're very well-behaved."

"Good." Su Qing glanced at her but said no more.

Naturally, the others didn't know about their telepathic conversation. Only Chen Mei noticed Yudie's sudden happiness and asked what she was so excited about.

Yudie casually brushed off the question.

To prevent Chen Mei from asking further, Su Qing looked up at the sky and said, "It's getting late... Chen Mei, where are we staying tonight?"