Incarnation Deity

Su Qing was momentarily bewildered when she saw the Queen Mother shake her head.

She asked in confusion, "Why does the Queen Mother shake her head? Is it not correct?"

"Correct, and yet not correct," the Queen Mother said, looking at Su Qing and shaking her head. "The Queen Mother is indeed me, but also not me."

Su Qing was even more baffled by the Queen Mother's contradictory statement.

What did she mean, correct and not correct, is and is not?

So, was it or wasn't it?

Su Qing felt like she was about to get dizzy from the confusion.

Couldn't the senior avoid speaking in such a perplexing manner?

Su Qing smiled helplessly and said, "Please, Queen Mother, do not beat around the bush with this junior. My understanding is dull, and I truly don't quite grasp what you mean."

The Queen Mother shook her head upon hearing this. She said:

"Your understanding is not dull; you simply don't wish to ponder deeply. But never mind, since you don't want to think about it yourself, I won't press you."

The Queen Mother paused, tapping her finger against the rim of her cup as she spoke:

"The reason I say the Queen Mother is me is because the Queen Mother is indeed me; she is my Incarnation Deity…"

"And the reason I say the Queen Mother is not me is because the Queen Mother possesses her own divine essence, her own personality, and her own independent consciousness. She is not entirely under my control and can be considered an independent entity. Therefore, she can also be said not to be me."

"With this, you should now understand why I say the Queen Mother is me, yet also not me."

Su Qing listened to the Queen Mother's words, momentarily too astonished to speak.

The Queen Mother was an Incarnation Deity evolved from the Queen Mother of the West?

This…

Su Qing felt the shock of the information was simply too great.

Her mind was struggling to process it.

Su Qing rubbed her temples.

She knew this visit wouldn't be simple; she had received such mind-blowing news right upon her arrival.

However, Su Qing was Su Qing, and she quickly calmed down.

Once calm, Su Qing couldn't help but feel a little strange.

Why was the Queen Mother telling her all this?

While this matter was somewhat shocking, it actually had little to do with her.

After all, even knowing these things wouldn't change or affect her in any way.

At most, it was just a surprising piece of news.

For a moment, Su Qing was filled with curiosity.

She couldn't help but wonder.

"No need to be so surprised; this is not some great secret. Many people know about it…"

The Queen Mother was not surprised by Su Qing's astonished expression. She merely said calmly:

"It's just that people don't like to talk about it openly. In fact, your old friend, Taishang Laojun, has many incarnations… and most of them, like the Queen Mother, possess independent personalities and temperaments."

Su Qing came back to her senses, nodded, and then exhaled a breath of stale air.

Regarding Taishang Laojun, Su Qing did indeed know about his incarnations; there were many legends about him in this regard… and they were quite widespread.

So, Su Qing had even heard about them in her previous life.

However, this was the first time Su Qing had heard about the Queen Mother's situation.

Because even in her previous life, Su Qing's impression was that the Queen Mother of the West and the Queen Mother were the same person, so it was naturally impossible for her to have thought of this.

Of course, the main reason was that Su Qing had never actively sought to understand the history of the Queen Mother of the West.

If she had been interested in this mythological figure in her previous life, she would certainly not have been unaware of such a matter.

However, those were things of the past. If she didn't know, she didn't know.

Returning to the main topic…

Su Qing took a sip of tea and then asked, "So, Senior, why did you suddenly bring this up?"

While the fact that the Queen Mother was an Incarnation Deity of the Queen Mother of the West was surprising, Su Qing was more eager to know why the Queen Mother had suddenly mentioned it.

What was her purpose in doing so?

It couldn't just be a casual remark, could it?

Su Qing didn't know, and she wasn't going to rack her brain over it. After all, the person in question was right here; she could just ask about her intentions directly.

Why bother guessing and struggling?

Facing Su Qing's question, the Queen Mother said:

"I brought these things up, naturally, because they are related to what I am about to tell you!"

"I ask you, have you learned Taishang Laojun's Body Outside Body Technique? And how many clones do you have now?"

Su Qing heard this and didn't conceal anything, answering truthfully:

"Yes, I have learned it… I currently have two clones."

The Queen Mother nodded and continued, "Then do you use your clones to collect Incense Power?"

Su Qing was startled, then nodded, answering:

"Yes! After all, I currently need Incense Power quite a bit, and I alone am too busy, so I let my clones go collect Incense Power."

"Senior, is there something wrong with doing that?"

After interacting with the Queen Mother for a while, Su Qing had gradually grown accustomed to her and settled into the conversation.

So, she naturally wasn't as reserved as she had been at first.

Moreover, after chatting for so long, Su Qing also discovered that the Queen Mother was not as difficult to get along with as she appeared; she was rather benevolent.

It was just that her majesty was too overwhelming, making people instinctively afraid to approach her.

If one had to pinpoint the reason, it was probably that so-called dignity of a superior.

The Queen Mother was not surprised by her answer; she had already known. She simply nodded again and said:

"There's nothing improper or wrong with it."

"I ask you, when you collect Incense Power, who do you have them believe in? Is it you, Bi Ling Yuanjun, or your One-Leaf Bodhisattva? Or have you fabricated something else for yourself? Also, what do the divine statues look like?"

Although Su Qing found it a little strange, she still answered her questions truthfully.

"All of the above… sometimes I adapt to local conditions, sometimes I improvise, and sometimes I act using my original identity."

"As for the divine statues… most are carved based on my own likeness, except for some temporarily fabricated deities or those spontaneously carved by the common people in the image of my clones. All others, both immortal and Buddhist, are carved based on my own likeness!"

After hearing Su Qing's words, the Queen Mother said, "It's good that you haven't used your clones or other forms to carve divine statues."

Su Qing, seeing this, was a little confused, so she continued to ask:

"Senior, is there a difference?"

"I feel that no matter what the divine statue looks like, or what identity is being worshipped, as long as the object of worship is me, I still receive Incense Power. And I can even manifest an Incense Power avatar, just like with my own divine statues!"

"It feels like there's no difference?"

The Queen Mother saw Su Qing's curiosity, shook her head, and then clarified for her:

"It is true that no matter which identity is worshipped, the Incense Power will reach your hands, but there are still many differences."

"If people worship your own divine statues, using your title of Bi Ling Yuanjun or One-Leaf Bodhisattva, then there are no particular problems."

"Even if the appearance of the statue changes, with the presence of the Immortal Seal and Buddhist Seal, no matter how much time passes, the Incense Power will always reach your hands."

"But if they worship a name you casually made up, or a statue you arbitrarily fashioned… then it's different."

"Initially, when they remember who they are worshipping, it's fine."

"But mortals are forgetful. When they know that the object of their worship is you, the Incense Power can indeed reach your hands, but what if they forget?"

"How many years can a mortal's memory last? A few years, a few decades? For you, a few decades might not be long, even a few centuries are but a flick of a finger, but for mortals, a few decades is far too long… it might even be their entire lifetime."

"Do you think they will still remember who they worshipped after so long?"

"They won't remember. They will only know that there is a temple, and within that temple, there is a deity known only to the local people. From then on, what they worship is that temple, and the divine statue within it."

"When people forget that the one they worship is you, and your divine statue is not in your likeness, then you will lose the last connection to that statue."

"And after losing connection to the divine statue, the Incense Power will naturally no longer reach your hands."

"It will only remain within the divine statue, eventually allowing that statue to nurture a new Incense Deity."

"If the divine statue you leave behind is in the likeness of your clone, that's still acceptable. In that case, the Incense Power can still go to your clone… at most, it would just allow your clone to also possess an Immortal Seal, becoming an existence similar to me and the Queen Mother."

"But the prerequisite is that the belief you leave behind can become a universalized existence…"

"And not just something known only in a small locality."

The Queen Mother spoke a great many words in one breath. After finishing, she probably felt a little parched, so she took a sip of tea.

Su Qing, after listening to the Queen Mother's words, couldn't help but fall silent.

She hadn't failed to understand; she was simply pondering.

The Queen Mother stroked the part of the teacup where she had drunk, seemingly wiping away an inadvertent lipstick mark.

She said, "How is it? Do you understand the difference now?"

Su Qing nodded and said, "I understand. Thank you for clarifying, Lady."

"No problem…"

The Queen Mother shook her head indifferently and said:

"I tell you these things, besides clarifying your confusion, also to speak on behalf of that person. Furthermore, I tell you these things to let you know how you can create an Incarnation Deity… However, the person who asked me to tell you these things does not wish for you to create an Incarnation Deity."

Su Qing shook her head slightly after hearing this and said:

"This junior has only this much ability; how could I possibly consider creating an Incarnation Deity? Moreover, I do not intend to relinquish control over my clones… After all, I feel more secure controlling them personally."

Su Qing had no intention of creating any Incarnation Deities.

She was currently only at the Heavenly Immortal realm.

Her reputation among mortals wasn't that great either… at most, it was more prominent around the Changbai Mountains.

In such a situation, why would she bother creating an Incarnation Deity?

Don't take on work beyond your skill; if she were to be usurped, that would truly be laughable.

Although the Queen Mother hadn't mentioned this possibility, it didn't mean it didn't exist.

After hearing Su Qing's reply, the Queen Mother merely nodded and said:

"Your thoughts are of no concern to me… but your decision is to his liking."

"Furthermore, if you do not wish to create an Incarnation Deity, then from now on, you must pay attention to the appearance of the divine statues you create and the names you propagate."

The Queen Mother still gave Su Qing an extra reminder.

"This junior understands; I certainly won't act recklessly," Su Qing nodded upon hearing this and said, "In any case, thank you, Queen Mother."

Su Qing realized that the Queen Mother was not only less difficult to get along with than she appeared but was even somewhat warm-hearted.

She had truly been deceived by the Queen Mother's outward appearance.

The Queen Mother merely waved her hand and then said:

"Alright, what needed to be said has been said. Now, accompany me for some tea and let's chat about other lighthearted things!"

"I called you here today, besides telling you that matter, also to have you accompany me for a chat… I mustn't forget the main purpose."

Since the Queen Mother had called Su Qing over, it was naturally impossible to just let her leave immediately after conveying someone else's request.

Since she had come all this way, it would be a pity not to chat with this girl and get to know her personally.

She wanted to see if this legendary, utterly outrageous Bi Ling Yuanjun was truly as outrageous as the rumors claimed.

Su Qing didn't know the Queen Mother's thoughts.

She merely listened to the Queen Mother's words and couldn't help but inwardly grumble, "So, for the Queen Mother, the previous matters weren't even considered 'serious business' at all?"

However, Su Qing could only think this to herself. Even if the Queen Mother wasn't as difficult to get along with as she seemed, openly criticizing an elder was somewhat inappropriate.

So, she just nodded with a beaming smile.

"Tell me about the Northern Continent," the Queen Mother said, seeing Su Qing nod, and continued.

Su Qing replied, "If Lady wishes to hear, then this junior will naturally hold nothing back. However, I didn't stay long in the Northern Continent, so I may not have much to say."

The Queen Mother nodded, saying calmly, "That's fine. If there's not much to say about the Northern Continent, you can talk about other things. Also, from your expression, it seems you are no longer afraid of me?"

Su Qing nodded and said, "What are you saying, Lady? I've never been afraid of you. It's just that I didn't realize how benevolent you were at first, so I didn't know how to speak with you."

"Is that so? Hehe, never mind, it's not an important matter," the Queen Mother wasn't very concerned about this aspect, as many people feared her. She simply said, "Alright, continue telling me your stories!"