Su Qing and Liu Xixi discussed many things, from the previous drought management to recent matters Su Qing needed to handle, going over each one.
The tasks Liu Xixi left for Su Qing were actually not very troublesome. They mostly just required Su Qing's nod, seal, or signature.
So, although she had been away for a few days and a slight backlog had accumulated, it wasn't much. If she were to truly handle them, it wouldn't take much time at all.
Thus, after a simple chat, Su Qing suggested taking care of the accumulated tasks first, to prevent them from piling up more and more in the future.
Just look at Chang'e in the Moon Palace! Why does that fellow have so many endless official duties? Isn't it just caused by too much laziness on ordinary days?
So Su Qing certainly couldn't afford to be lazy. She had to deal with them before too much accumulated, otherwise, even the simplest tasks, if piled up, would inevitably become troublesome.
Liu Xixi naturally expressed her agreement, and at the same time, became even more certain that the Great Ancestral Emperor's decision to have Su Qing guard the Northern Continent was correct. Because Su Qing was indeed a very good and responsible High God. She hadn't seen many High Gods who were so dedicated, concerned for the world, and hands-on.
She looked at Su Qing, who still maintained a calm, impassive expression, and said, "Then, Sovereign, without further ado, let us depart!"
Su Qing nodded, then followed Liu Xixi to handle official duties.
After Su Qing and Liu Xixi left, in the sleeping quarters, naturally, only the Spider Spirits and the maids remained.
So, the maids, according to Su Qing's original request, went to instruct the Spider Spirits. At the same time, the Spider Spirits were also pondering how to improve their lives, and how to satisfy Su Qing so they could settle down. Not to mention regaining freedom, at least they wouldn't have to constantly worry about being killed.
Although there were no problems in the sleeping quarters, everyone had their own thoughts; only the surface was tranquil.
Meanwhile, after Su Qing arrived at the study, she leisurely handled the series of official duties Liu Xixi had left. These were not troublesome matters, requiring little thought and not much time. Even with her leisurely pace, it didn't take long to complete the remaining tasks.
Once these matters were all handled, Su Qing no longer needed to worry about the rest; Liu Xixi and the others would naturally take care of them.
After everything was resolved, Su Qing saw that it was still early, so she didn't return to the sleeping quarters. Instead, she wandered around the Daoist monastery grounds.
She made her way to a pavilion on the back mountain.
This pavilion was cleverly situated, with beautiful scenery. If a mortal literary master or poet were here, they would surely compose a poem. But Su Qing lacked such literary talent; besides exclaiming, "What beautiful scenery!", she had nothing else to say.
Su Qing, having arrived here, was too lazy to continue wandering. So she sat down in the pavilion, intending to enjoy the scenery while also completing the task her master had entrusted to her.
With a thought, Su Qing retrieved the branch her master had given her earlier in the Moon Palace from her Sleeve Universe.
The branch had no special features, nor did it look particularly remarkable. Compared to the osmanthus tree's Wood Heart, which contained abundant vitality, this branch was like a random twig broken off a roadside tree. It even appeared somewhat dry from being stored for too long.
However, although this branch left her particularly perplexed, not knowing what it was or understanding its use, since her master had given it to her, it definitely had a purpose and would benefit her. After all, her master was not Guanyin Bodhisattva; her master would never trick her.
"But how am I to bring this thing into my Mental World?" Su Qing pondered, looking at the branch in her hand.
Su Qing had never tried to bring external objects inside before, so she wasn't quite sure how to do it. But there's a first time for everything, and solutions are always more numerous than difficulties.
After a short period of contemplation, Su Qing thought of a potentially feasible method: to wrap the branch with her Incense Power and divine sense, and then enter.
Having thought of a method, Su Qing wasted no more time. She immediately formed a hand seal, then controlled these forces, enveloping the branch as it entered her Mental World.
Thanks to Su Qing's cultivation realm and her long experience controlling multiple clones, she was exceptionally adept at controlling Incense Power and divine sense. With almost no awkwardness, she successfully brought the branch into her Mental World.
Upon entering the Mental World, Su Qing looked at the Bodhi Tree, which had grown who-knew-how-much taller, and couldn't help but sigh with emotion.
After her sigh, Su Qing closed her eyes again, sensing if there had been any other changes in this grotto-heaven recently. After sensing, Su Qing found that this grotto-heaven had expanded considerably, and various creatures had begun to appear. It was almost like a mortal forest.
"It seems... this grotto-heaven is continuously perfecting itself," Su Qing thought, opening her eyes. "What kind of scenery will it be once this grotto-heaven is fully complete?"
Su Qing couldn't help but feel a little curious. After all, this was the key for her to overcome the Great Tribulation of Heaven and Earth in the future! It was even the key for her to bring her friends along to transcend the tribulation.
"But speaking of which, where did those two girls run off to?" Su Qing quickly reined in her wandering thoughts. She looked up at the Bodhi Tree and called out, "You two, stop hiding, come out quickly!"
Hearing Su Qing's words, a girl dressed in a goose-yellow, waist-length ruqun, with double-looped buns, suddenly jumped down from the tree. Like a lively little rabbit, she landed in front of Su Qing and said with a beaming smile, "Oh, I wasn't hiding from you! It's just that a certain silly girl doesn't like to come out and meet people. I couldn't even pull her out~"
Su Qing looked at Yan'er, then looked up at the Bodhi Tree again, and said, "Ying'er is still the same!"
"Mhm mhm~ She's probably mad that you haven't come to see us for so long!" Yan'er said with a grin.
Su Qing smiled helplessly, "Is that what you think?"
"Yes! I'm also very angry that you forgot about us again for so long! We're right here in your mind, yet you rarely visit us! How hateful!" Although Yan'er claimed to be angry, her smiling face showed no trace of it.
Seeing this, Su Qing smiled and said, "I'll come to see you often from now on!"
"You said that last time too, you know?"
"Did I say that last time?"
"Of course you did! You big liar, it's one thing to fool others, but you even fool us! How truly hateful." Yan'er put her hands on her hips, pouted, and made a show of being very angry.
Su Qing smiled and said, "Alright then, this time it definitely won't happen."
"Really?"
"Of course it's real! I swear."
"Alright then! I'll forgive you, Sister. But~ I can't persuade Ying'er, you know!" Yan'er giggled and said, "But I can try to pull her out for you, Sister!"
"Then I'll leave it to you," Su Qing nodded and said, going along with it.
Yan'er nodded with a beaming smile, then looked at Su Qing and asked, "Oh right, you haven't come to see us for so long, and now you suddenly visit today, so you must have something important, right? So, what is it exactly?"
Yan'er knew Su Qing very well. This person was the type who only showed up when something was needed. If there was nothing, she'd probably forget them for a long time!
Seeing this, Su Qing also smiled and nodded, then handed the branch in her hand to Yan'er, saying, "My master told me to place this on the Bodhi Tree."
Hearing this, Yan'er blinked, then stared at the branch in a daze for a moment. "Oh, is that all~ I thought it was something important!" Yan'er said, crossing her arms, "So it's this thing!"
"Do you know what this is?" Su Qing couldn't help but ask, seeing her expression.
"No idea..." Yan'er said confidently.
Su Qing: "..." If you don't know, why are you talking about it?
Su Qing was speechless for a moment. She reached out and tapped the girl on the head, saying, "Do you really not know, or are you pretending?"
"I really don't know!" Yan'er smiled and said, "But I can feel that this thing will greatly benefit both of us... It might even perfectly complete the part we're missing."
Su Qing was startled. A missing part? This was the first time she'd heard of it. Su Qing asked, "Are you missing something?"
"Oh, Sister, don't worry about that! Even if that part is missing, it doesn't affect us much; it just means we need a larger amount of Incense Power. But if it can be completed, the demand for Incense Power should also decrease significantly."
Yan'er took the branch, holding it with a serious expression, and said, "And it will probably also cause us to undergo some kind of transformation!"
Su Qing raised an eyebrow slightly, feeling that this girl was hiding something. But Su Qing didn't press further, merely saying, "So this thing is very useful to you?"
"Mhm, very useful." Yan'er nodded and said, "But what this thing actually is, I truly don't know... This branch feels very ancient to me. Even though it's just a small piece, I can sense how terrifying and powerful it originally was."
Su Qing was silent for a moment; she, on the other hand, felt nothing, only that it was an ordinary piece of wood. But since Yan'er said so, it must indeed have something special about it. Su Qing nodded slightly and said, "Is that so? As long as it's useful to you."
Yan'er said with a beaming smile, "Thank you, Sister, for bringing this!"
"You should thank my master."
"Of course I thank Master too!" Yan'er nodded and said, "Then, Sister, do you have anything else?"
Hearing this, Su Qing shook her head and said, "I only came today to bring this thing over."
"Oh, I see~ Then I'll go call Ying'er!" Yan'er said with a grin, "If Ying'er doesn't want to come out, I'll just drag her out by force!"
Su Qing's mouth twitched, and she nodded.
Afterward, Yan'er indeed dragged Ying'er out. And Su Qing also had a good chat with Ying'er. Although Ying'er was a bit tsundere, she was actually quite easy to communicate with. Su Qing didn't spend much effort to comfort Ying'er.
After comforting Ying'er, Su Qing wasn't in a hurry to leave the Mental World. Instead, she played with the two sisters for a while. It wasn't until a sudden call sounded from outside that Su Qing finally left the Mental World.
Su Qing opened her eyes, a little curious about who had arrived at the pavilion. She looked at the newcomer, and was somewhat surprised. It was none other than the Snake General, one of the General Tortoise and General Snake.
The Snake General looked at Su Qing, and seeing her awake, cupped his hands in a salute, saying, "Greetings, Sovereign."
Seeing this, Su Qing also rose and returned the salute, saying, "Senior Snake General, what brings you here?"
Hearing this, the Snake General laughed heartily and said, "Sovereign, you may not know, but this pavilion is where Old Tortoise and I usually play chess, so we often come here to play chess and enjoy the scenery. Today, I originally planned to come up for a drink and to admire the view, but I didn't expect to find you here, Sovereign."
Su Qing felt slightly awkward, and smiled, saying, "I actually didn't know that..."
"Hahaha, it's perfectly normal for you not to know, Sovereign, after all, you are usually busy." The Snake General laughed and shook his head, then said, "But since you happen to be here, Sovereign, why don't you chat with this old man? Coincidentally, Old Tortoise isn't here these past few days, and there's no one to chat with me up here."
Su Qing nodded upon hearing this. It was still early, and chatting with a senior wouldn't hurt. "Please sit, Senior," Su Qing said politely.
The Snake General nodded, and naturally sat down opposite Su Qing, saying, "Sovereign, no matter your position, you truly treat people with such humility and politeness!"
Su Qing shook her head and said, "I am but a junior, and not in any high position; I merely serve as an Acting Guardian. If I were to become arrogant and domineering with just this status, what would become of me?"
The Snake General paused, then chuckled, saying, "With such a disposition, Sovereign... no wonder you've earned the Great Ancestral Emperor's appreciation and Taishang Laojun's trust..."
"You flatter me," Su Qing said with a helpless smile.
The Snake General smiled, then chatted with Su Qing about everyday matters, astronomy and geography, and principles of magic; truly touching on everything.
Su Qing was idle anyway, and happened to know a little about everything, so no matter what the Snake General brought up, Su Qing could engage in conversation.
The Snake General chatted with Su Qing for a long time; the more they talked, the more congenial they found each other, and the more the Snake General admired Su Qing...
Suddenly.
The Snake General paused, then abruptly asked, "Speaking of which, Sovereign, have you recently considered taking a concubine?"
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