A Small Matter

Was it truly a fortunate thing for the common people to encounter her?

Su Qing didn't think so.

She knew perfectly well what kind of person she was.

The reason she cared so much for the people of the Northern Continent was solely for her own Incense Power.

It was nowhere near as noble as Liu Xixi imagined.

Of course, Su Qing didn't consider herself particularly noble. Naturally, she wouldn't think it was a fortunate thing for those common people to encounter her...

Everything she did was for her own benefit, nothing more.

Su Qing shook her head slightly and said with a smile, "Forget it, think whatever makes you happy..."

"Yuanjun is too modest," Liu Xixi nodded and said.

Su Qing sighed helplessly, too lazy to explain, and simply asked for the exact location.

Once she knew the place, Su Qing stretched, gathered her spirits, and then set off on her Somersault Cloud without further delay.

Watching Su Qing depart, Liu Xixi couldn't help but exclaim, "Yuanjun is truly swift and resolute... With her as the guardian of the Northern Continent, even without my assistance, I imagine this Northern Continent would be managed in perfect order."

Liu Xixi smiled, then exhaled a breath of turbid air, clenching her fists in front of her chest, as if cheering herself on.

Although there weren't many major issues in the Northern Continent, there was no shortage of minor and miscellaneous tasks, so she certainly wouldn't be idle today.

However, she had nothing to complain about...

It wasn't because she felt she owed Su Qing something that she was working so diligently in this regard.

Mainly, these were her duties...

She naturally had to work hard.

As for compensating Su Qing, she would do so in other ways.

She could clearly distinguish between personal matters and work.

Liu Xixi took a deep breath, turned, and said to the four dragon maids, "While Yuanjun is away, you must manage everything here well. Also, take good care of those fat sparrows; they are Yuanjun's pets. If anything happens to them... you will be held accountable."

The four dragon maids quickly nodded and replied, "Yes!"

Seeing their answer, Liu Xixi nodded in satisfaction, then left the sleeping quarters...

She still had many things to attend to.

Meanwhile, on the other side.

Su Qing, riding her Somersault Cloud, was now not far from her destination...

The Somersault Cloud was incredibly fast.

Before long, she had arrived above the drought-stricken area.

Su Qing looked at the vast, cloudless sky, then down at the people below...

"It looks like this drought has brought a lot of suffering to the people here!"

Su Qing stroked her chin, thinking to herself:

"Although bringing rain isn't difficult... the problem is how to make these people worship me for the rain, and not someone else... Ah, I've got it, I'll just follow the previous method."

With that thought, Su Qing immediately began to act.

Everything on the Northern Continent side proceeded smoothly.

And in Xingyang City.

Su Qing's clinic was still overflowing with patients today...

Su Qing didn't know why there were so many patients in the capital, but she was too lazy to think about it or meddle much...

If these people came seeking medical help, she would just let Ao Yiyi, Li Yichou, and Hu Lin'er treat them... After all, she didn't need to treat each one personally.

Unless she encountered someone who absolutely required her intervention, her life remained exceptionally leisurely.

Most of the time, she just sat there overseeing things, occasionally offering guidance to the others, or simply sitting quietly, petting Coal Ball.

Su Qingyu was currently practicing martial arts in the backyard, with Rendong and Jin Xin assisting.

Because it was quite busy in the capital, Su Qing hadn't allowed Jin Xin to open another shop nearby, as she had before...

After all, as long as that fellow was busy and not causing her trouble, nothing else was particularly important.

As for promoting One-Leaf Bodhisattva, Azure Spirit Sovereign, and the like...

Su Qing was, of course, quietly pursuing this.

After all, she could give up anything, but never this.

At this moment.

Su Qing still had no patients requiring her personal treatment...

So Su Qing was quite relaxed, her mind not entirely focused here, merely stroking Coal Ball subconsciously.

Just then, Su Qing suddenly felt someone tug at her.

Su Qing snapped back to attention and looked down...

The person tugging her sleeve was none other than Su Qingyu.

She looked at the little rascal and said, "Why aren't you in the backyard practicing martial arts? What are you doing here? Have you mastered all the moves Li Yichou taught you? Do you want to learn new ones already?"

Li Yichou had recently taught the little girl a few simple moves, allowing her to first temper her body with martial arts cultivation methods...

However, although these simple moves looked easy, performing them correctly was quite challenging, and to be effective, they naturally needed to be done precisely.

Su Qingyu quickly shook her head and said, "Not yet... I didn't come to find Master for that. White Feather is back."

Su Qing paused, then stroked her chin and said, "That bird is back? And it found its way here?"

Su Qingyu nodded, "Uh-huh! It's back, it's on the perch in the backyard!"

"Really? Are you sure you're not mistaken?"

"My eyes are perfectly fine!" Su Qingyu pouted, looking displeased. "With such obvious white feathers on its tail, there's no way I could be mistaken!"

Seeing Su Qingyu's serious expression, Su Qing knew the girl wouldn't lie about such a thing.

So she nodded and said, "Is that so? Then I understand... I'll go take a look."

Su Qing was idle here anyway; since there were no patients she absolutely had to treat, going to look wouldn't hurt...

Besides, Su Qing was a little curious if the Commandery Princess had replied to her, given how quickly the bird had returned.

With that thought, Su Qing stood up, put down Coal Ball, gave instructions to Li Yichou, and then went to the backyard.

In the backyard.

On the rack where Su Qing dried herbs, a large bird with white tail feathers was preening itself.

Su Qing was all too familiar with this large bird... it was White Feather.

After all, she had kept it for quite some time, so there was no way she could mistake it...

But Su Qing was curious. She had never brought this bird here before, so how did it find its way back to her?

Perhaps it happened to spot Su Qingyu practicing in the courtyard from the sky, and that's why it came here to wait?

After some thought, it seemed like a possibility.

After all, these birds had incredible eyesight.

However, Su Qing was too lazy to ponder these inconsequential questions...

Because she saw a letter tube attached to the bird's leg, so it was clear the Commandery Princess had replied to Su Qing.

Su Qing took down the letter tube, then extracted the letter and quickly read it.

The Commandery Princess's letter, besides some formal pleasantries, naturally contained other useful information.

First, the Commandery Princess subtly expressed her intention to contend for the throne, hoping to truly receive Su Qing's help.

Second, she stated that after dealing with the rebel army outside the city, she would set off to find Su Qing...

She said she wanted to come and catch up with Su Qing and thank her for saving her life.

Of course, although the letter said so, it wasn't just for catching up and thanking; there were certainly many other matters to discuss.

After reading, Su Qing couldn't help but curve her lips...

She then casually placed the letter into her Sleeve Universe.

With Su Qingyu watching, it wasn't convenient to burn it with magic, but if she put it in her Sleeve Universe, the girl wouldn't have a chance to discover it.

At this moment.

Su Qingyu looked at Su Qing, her eyes full of curiosity, and asked, "Master, whose letter is that?"

Hearing this, Su Qing turned to glance at the girl, then smiled and said, "It's a secret!"

"Hmph, so mysterious!" Su Qingyu pouted, displeased that Su Qing wouldn't tell her. "I know! It must be Master's little lover! Hmph, I'll tell Sister Jin Xin and Sister Ao Yiyi!"

Su Qing was speechless for a moment. "You little rascal, what kind of nonsense are you learning? And what good would it do to tell them?"

"I don't know! But it will definitely be useful." Su Qingyu crossed her arms, saying with a confident look.

Su Qing didn't even know what the girl was so confident about.

She smiled helplessly and said, "Your mind is truly baffling..."

Su Qing shook her head. She didn't expect to understand the whimsical minds of these children, so she helplessly gave up trying to communicate.

She just told the girl, "It's a letter from a Commandery Princess I met before. She said she'll come to find us in a while."

The content of the letter wasn't really a secret; not telling Su Qingyu was just to tease her.

However, Su Qingyu didn't quite believe Su Qing's words.

Because, in her opinion, if it were truly such a simple matter, why would Master hide it from her?

So that letter must contain something extraordinary.

Immediately, Su Qingyu, who loved to overthink, was already writing a wuxia novel in her head.

Su Qing chuckled at Su Qingyu's expression, then patted her head and said, "Alright, I'm off for now. You practice well; I'm waiting for you to become a martial arts expert!"

After being patted twice by Su Qing, Su Qingyu puffed out her little cheeks like a squirrel.

She said, "Hmph, I'll definitely make you look at me with new eyes, Master!"

Su Qing nodded, then casually offered a word or two of encouragement... looking as if she completely believed her.

Su Qingyu hummed twice, then continued her practice.

After leaving the backyard, Su Qing returned to her spot, resuming her calm wait.

Time passed little by little.

In the blink of an eye, three or four days had gone by.

During this time, everything proceeded systematically, and all went very smoothly.

This included the Incense Power collection work by her main body in the Northern Continent, which was also exceptionally smooth...

After all, given Su Qing's status, if she wanted the local immortals to assist her, would they dare refuse?

They naturally wouldn't dare at all...

Even if Su Qing didn't have the title of acting guardian.

If she wanted the immortals here to help.

They would still be unable to refuse.

Because they couldn't defeat her... so everything naturally went very smoothly.

There wasn't the slightest obstacle encountered throughout.

In the end, when Su Qing left...

The common people here received rain, and Su Qing received the Incense Power she desired!

It was a win-win situation.

After resolving the drought here, Su Qing did not linger. Instead, she rode her Somersault Cloud back to Great Emperor Zhenwu's Daoist monastery.

That same afternoon, back at Great Emperor Zhenwu's Daoist monastery, in Su Qing's palace courtyard.

Su Qing, as usual, was sitting in the courtyard drinking tea.

Three dragon maids stood behind her, ready to refill her tea or provide any other services Su Qing might need...

The reason there were three was, of course, because Su Qing had sent one to call Liu Xixi.

She had been back for some time, and Liu Xixi hadn't come to see her, clearly not noticing her return. So, she naturally had to inform Liu Xixi to come over...

Firstly, to facilitate the handover of work, and secondly, to inquire if there were any other disaster-stricken areas where she could continue to develop her Incense Power.

The wait was boring, and Su Qing was restless.

In her boredom, Su Qing also remembered that the gifts from her master and Pilanpo Bodhisattva had not yet been opened...

Her master's gift could wait until she had time to enter deep meditation later.

However, Pilanpo Bodhisattva's gift made Su Qing somewhat curious.

"My favorite thing? I want to see what Pilanpo Bodhisattva has prepared for me, claiming it's my favorite thing, when I don't even know what my favorite thing is!"

Su Qing thought, then took a flower basket from her sleeve.

The flower basket didn't look special; it was just an ordinary-looking magical artifact in the shape of a flower basket...

But there was nothing strange about that; after all, the contents were Pilanpo Bodhisattva's gift, and the flower basket was merely a tool to hold the gift, so it naturally had no special features.

As she pondered, Su Qing recalled the incantation.

So, she formed a hand seal, silently recited the spell, and released the contents from the flower basket.

It would have been better if Su Qing hadn't released it. Once she did, she was completely stunned.

Because what Su Qing released from the flower basket was not just some item, but three exquisitely beautiful women...

The crucial thing was... these three women looked somewhat familiar to her.

She seemed to have seen these three people somewhere before.

Su Qing looked at the three women kneeling on the ground, scrutinizing them while frowning and trying to recall where she had seen them.

As she thought, Su Qing suddenly had a clue... and remembered the identities of these individuals.

Weren't these three of the seven Spider Spirits she had encountered earlier when accompanying Chen Chaoyan on the journey to the Western Heaven?