The Invitation

After Su Qing bid farewell to Bai Yuhe, she left the Women's Kingdom under Bai Yuhe's watchful gaze.

Su Qing was in excellent spirits. These past few days, she had made sure to spend quality time with everyone, leaving no one out. Though the time wasn't extensive, she had at least avoided showing favoritism, striving to treat everyone equally.

Standing on her Somersault Cloud, she gazed into the far distance, steering the cloud towards the Northern Continent, while pondering some future matters.

"Hmm, for now, I just need to proceed step by step. If any unforeseen circumstances arise, I'll think of solutions then."

With that thought, Su Qing continued her journey towards the Northern Continent.

The Somersault Cloud was incredibly fast; in the blink of an eye, Su Qing had already arrived above the Great Emperor Zhenwu's domain in the Northern Continent.

Su Qing lowered her cloud and descended into the domain.

No one came to greet her today. This was normal, as no one knew she would return today, so naturally, no one would be there to welcome her.

Su Qing wasn't particularly bothered. She simply walked slowly towards her bedchamber.

As for informing Liu Xixi of her return, she could leave that to the Dragon Girl maids later. Although Su Qing once thought maids were pointless and that she could do everything herself, after getting used to being served, she realized that not having to personally handle every little chore was quite nice. It wasn't about being lazy; rather, with the maids taking care of life's trivialities, she had more time and could focus more intently on other matters, without wasting precious time on mundane tasks.

So, maids and servants were quite meaningful in many situations.

"Sovereign Yuanjun, you're back!"

As soon as Su Qing returned to her bedchamber, several maids, including the Spider Spirits, gathered around her. Su Qing was their master, so naturally, they couldn't be negligent upon her return.

"Yes, I'm back." Su Qing merely nodded calmly, then asked, "Go call Liu Xixi over. Tell her I've returned."

Su Qing didn't intend to chat much with them. Instead, she asked them to fetch Liu Xixi. After all, they were just maids, good for cleaning, but not much help with other matters. For official business, she still needed to consult Liu Xixi.

After giving this instruction, Su Qing asked, "Has anything happened in this bedchamber during my absence?"

While other matters needed to be discussed with Liu Xixi, she could ask them about things within the bedchamber. After all, they had been in the bedchamber the entire time she was away. So, asking them was perfectly fine.

However, Su Qing received the answer that nothing had happened.

Seeing this, Su Qing didn't press further. She simply nodded and went back into her room. She would ask about the remaining matters once Liu Xixi arrived.

Su Qing wasn't in a hurry.

Back in her room, Su Qing found it exceptionally clean, spotless. Clearly, the Dragon Girl maids and Spider Spirits hadn't been lazy during her absence.

Of course, even if they had been lazy, Su Qing wouldn't have cared. As long as their tasks were done, that was all that mattered.

Su Qing sat on a chair and calmly poured herself a cup of wine. While waiting, she took out the wooden carving Bai Suzhen had given her to play with.

Only when Su Qing took out the carving did she realize that the previously blank face now had a face. And this face was none other than Su Qing's own.

Clearly, this was also Bai Suzhen's doing. Su Qing looked at the lifelike carving and thought:

"There truly are many small spells on this thing. Suzhen must have put a lot of thought into it."

"It's a pity I discovered it a bit too late, otherwise, I could have talked to Bai Suzhen about it in person. I imagine she would have been very much looking forward to me finding her little surprises."

After experiencing that illusion, Su Qing hadn't focused on the wooden carving, so she naturally hadn't noticed any changes to it. Thinking this, she couldn't help but shake her head and smile.

She then placed the item on the cabinet in her room, which held porcelain and other decorative items. As for what was originally there? Naturally, it was moved aside, as the wooden carving took up quite a bit of space.

Su Qing stepped back two paces, glanced at the spot, and found that the carving looked quite fitting there, not at all out of place.

"Hmm, I suppose it's because it bears my face." Su Qing smiled, then half-jokingly, half-narcissistically remarked.

And just as she was amusing herself with her narcissism, Liu Xixi's voice finally sounded from outside the door. Hearing the familiar voice, Su Qing didn't feel embarrassed by her previous narcissistic remark. Instead, she turned around very naturally and said to Liu Xixi:

"You came quite quickly today!"

Su Qing had long since cultivated a thick skin. If she were to feel embarrassed by something like this, she wouldn't be Su Qing. After all, as the saying goes, if you don't feel awkward, then others will. So, she wasn't awkward at all!

Liu Xixi had naturally heard Su Qing's words when she arrived, but being discreet, she didn't bring them up. Instead, she answered Su Qing's question, saying, "Sovereign Yuanjun sent someone to inform me, so naturally, I couldn't be late. However, I didn't expect Sovereign Yuanjun to be away for so long."

Su Qing narrowed her eyes and smiled, saying, "There were many family matters, as you know. I have four wives, so naturally, I needed to spend a day or two with each of them, otherwise, it would be too unfair."

Liu Xixi was stunned for a moment, then muttered to herself, "Four?"

Su Qing heard her and wasn't sure what she meant. Did she find it strange that Su Qing only had four wives, or that she had too many? "What's wrong?" Su Qing asked directly. "Do you have any questions?"

Faced with Su Qing's inquiry, Liu Xixi realized she had accidentally spoken her thoughts aloud. However, she didn't panic or feel embarrassed. While her skin wasn't as thick as Su Qing's, she certainly wouldn't feel awkward to the point of being speechless. She replied, "Nothing, just a little surprised. I didn't expect Sovereign Yuanjun to have four wives."

"I see..." Su Qing smiled and shook her head, saying, "I didn't expect you to be surprised that I have four wives. After all, the rumors outside say I'm a fickle lover! They probably don't even know how many wives they claim I have."

Liu Xixi shook her head at this. "Outside rumors are unreliable; most are just gossip. Only by witnessing things firsthand can one discern truth from falsehood."

"Oh?"

"I've been in contact with Sovereign Yuanjun for so long, and I've come to understand you a little. Someone like you certainly isn't the person described in those rumors." Liu Xixi said after a moment of silence.

Su Qing felt a surge of emotion upon hearing these words. She never expected Liu Xixi to say such a thing.

"You truly think so?" Su Qing quickly asked.

Liu Xixi nodded, saying, "Naturally, I truly think so. After all, I've spent so much time with Sovereign Yuanjun. I believe Sovereign Yuanjun is not the person described in the rumors, and I trust my own judgment. While Sovereign Yuanjun does indeed like women, you are definitely not someone who loves and seduces every person you see. So, I also apologize for my initial rudeness. I actually believed such ridiculous rumors. Indeed, no matter what it is, seeing is believing!"

Su Qing nodded at this, saying, "What you said is indeed true; everything must be seen to be believed. Furthermore, I am indeed not the person described in the rumors; your judgment is correct."

Su Qing was very happy, happy that someone could be so understanding. Especially since that person was a woman. Su Qing had always liked her assistant official, and now she liked her even more. It was truly difficult to find a kindred spirit!

Liu Xixi looked at Su Qing and sighed inwardly. "Sure enough, even someone like Sovereign Yuanjun can't be completely indifferent to such matters, as it concerns her reputation." Liu Xixi couldn't help but think.

"I believe in Sovereign Yuanjun!" Liu Xixi simply said.

Su Qing expressed her relief. She said, "Alright, let's leave this matter here for now! You just need to know this! I am very relieved that you understand I am not the person described in the rumors. Now, let's discuss official business!"

Liu Xixi was momentarily surprised. She had expected Su Qing to talk at length about this matter, perhaps venting about her past experiences. She never imagined Su Qing would simply chat for a few sentences, confirm her thoughts, and then move on. Frankly, if she had gone through what Su Qing had, and found someone who believed her, she would definitely vent to them thoroughly. But Su Qing didn't; she quickly prepared to discuss official business. This... made Liu Xixi particularly admire her. It also brought a touch of sympathy and some confusion. Why would such a Bi Ling Yuanjun be subjected to such rumors?

However, she couldn't continue to ponder this matter now, because Su Qing was already planning to discuss official business with her, so these thoughts would have to wait.

Liu Xixi nodded, then looked at Su Qing, awaiting her questions.

Su Qing's first order of business was naturally to ask if anything special had happened during her absence these past few days, such as visitors or disasters anywhere in the world. Liu Xixi nodded at this, then recounted recent events one by one, leaving no detail out.

Su Qing sighed helplessly and interrupted, "Don't tell me everything one by one. Just pick out the important things to say for now; we can chat about the minor details later. Tell me from most important to least important..."

Liu Xixi was taken aback, then quickly nodded. She hadn't realized she had made such a basic mistake; it was truly inexcusable. She cleared her throat twice, then said, "My apologies, that was my oversight."

"It's fine, just tell me quickly!"

"During the days Sovereign Yuanjun was away, the Queen Mother sent someone here, saying she invited Sovereign Yuanjun to be a guest at the Kunlun Mountain Jade Pool."

Since Su Qing had asked for the most important matters first, Liu Xixi felt this was probably the most crucial. After all, the other party was the Queen Mother. Her invitation to Su Qing was undeniably significant.

"Ah?" Su Qing was stunned for a moment, asking, "The Queen Mother invited me to be a guest?"

Su Qing was a bit confused. She wasn't familiar with the Queen Mother; in fact, they had hardly ever met. Why would she suddenly invite her as a guest? It couldn't be just because Su Qing was the Mountain God of the Changbai Mountains, so she was added to the guest list as an afterthought, could it? Hmm, well, thinking about it that way, it was indeed possible. But the specific reason might only become clear once she went.

"Yes!"

Liu Xixi nodded, then rummaged through her Sleeve Universe, pulled out an invitation, and said, "This is the invitation that person delivered. Since it's for Sovereign Yuanjun, I haven't opened it to read. However, there should still be some time until the event. After all, the invitation was delivered the day before yesterday..."

Su Qing took the invitation and opened it to read. She quickly skimmed past the pleasantries and focused on the date. Indeed, there was still some time before she needed to go, several days even. After confirming the time, Su Qing then looked at the other text on the invitation, hoping to find out why the Queen Mother was inviting her. Unfortunately, after searching, Su Qing found no answer in the invitation. So, she had no choice but to give up, put away the invitation, and thought helplessly:

"I wonder what the Queen Mother wants with me. I hope she's not calling me over for another troublesome matter?"

Su Qing shook her head inwardly, then said aloud, "Hmm, it's still early, so there's no need to rush."

Liu Xixi didn't know what to say, as this wasn't something she could interject much on. So, she simply nodded and continued to recount other recent events.