Seeing that Ruan Shuxiang had believed her and no longer harbored doubts, Su Qing narrowed her eyes and said with a beaming smile, "Don't worry, you will definitely meet her."
Su Qing didn't say much more, nor did she tell her anything else about Bi Ling Yuanjun. After all, she had to maintain her persona.
Besides, Su Qing was quite curious... how would this girl react once she discovered Bi Ling Yuanjun's true identity?
Thinking about it carefully, it seemed like it would be quite entertaining! Another bit of fun to look forward to.
However, that amusement would have to wait for the future. For now, she needed to let the girl find a clear goal first.
"By the way, Big Sister Su... since you're from the Changbai Mountains, will you be heading back there with me later?" Ruan Shuxiang asked after a moment of thought.
She had grown accustomed to having companions on the road, so she wanted to invite Su Qing to travel to the Changbai Mountains together.
However, Su Qing declined.
Although she did need to return to the Changbai Mountains, she didn't plan on taking the same route as this girl. If she did, she would lose out on a lot of the fun.
Su Qing shook her head and said, "As much as I'd like to go with you, I still have to treat Yudie's illness, so I'll have to pass. Once we reach High Eagle City, we'll have to part ways."
Hearing this, Ruan Shuxiang was momentarily stunned, but she eventually nodded. "In that case, I'll have to cherish the time we have left."
Su Qing smiled and nodded, then said, "Alright, let's not talk here! Chatting here might disturb those resting in peace. Let's go! We can talk as we walk. We still have quite a distance to cover, so we can't waste time!"
At her words, the others nodded one after another. After gathering their emotions, they continued their journey.
On the road, Bai Rou'er looked at Su Qing and asked via Sound Transmission, "Sister Su... what are your plans for the future? Yudie's illness is fake, isn't it?"
Su Qing didn't know why Bai Rou'er was suddenly asking this, but after a moment of thought, she replied via Sound Transmission.
"Yudie's illness is fake, of course. Yudie is a sword spirit; even if she could get sick, it wouldn't be this kind of illness."
"As for my plans?"
"Naturally, I'll be heading back to the Changbai Mountains! As for Yudie, she'll be going to my main body's side... to stay with her."
"Yudie is going to your main body?" Bai Rou'er was startled.
"You should already know that the 'me' here is just a clone, right?" Su Qing replied.
Upon hearing this, Bai Rou'er kept a straight face as she looked at the road, responding in her mind, "I know that, of course... I'm just a bit surprised. Is your main body not in the Changbai Mountains?"
"No. My main body is at Great Emperor Zhenwu's dao field. I'm currently the Acting Guardian of the Northern Continent, helping the Great Emperor watch over the place for a while. That's why my clone needs to return to the Changbai Mountains to handle affairs there. After all, the mountains can't be left without someone in charge... and I need to properly respond to the people's prayers."
Su Qing responded to Bai Rou'er in her mind while walking, all while chatting with Ruan Shuxiang and Chen Mei. She wasn't affected by the simultaneous conversations in the slightest.
Setting aside other matters, Su Qing was exceptionally skilled at multitasking. If she could easily control three bodies at once, managing two simultaneous conversations was child's play.
Bai Rou'er was slightly surprised by Su Qing's explanation, but she didn't let it show. After a brief pause, she continued her transmission: "Then can I go to your main body's side with you? I really want to meet the real you; I don't want to just stay by your clone's side forever! After all, I've already made up my mind to follow you."
Su Qing went silent for a moment before shaking her head. "I don't mind personally. But as you probably know, I have a wife and daughter. The two waiting by my side are quite the jealous types. If you follow me back, I'm afraid they won't be very welcoming! Especially since you're looking to pledge yourself to me... that would make it even harder for them to accept you. So..."
Su Qing didn't state the rest explicitly, but Bai Rou'er understood.
Su Qing knew the temperaments of the two at home very well. Even if they didn't seem to care much about such things on the surface, if she brought Bai Rou'er back, those green-eyed monsters would surely be unleashed. If Bai Rou'er expressed her desire to pledge herself to Su Qing, it would be even worse.
Of course, they wouldn't show it openly, but the jealousy would definitely be there.
Bai Rou'er fell silent for a moment, then said, "What if I don't try to pledge myself to you? What if I just want to be your friend, help you as much as I can, and repay the kindness you showed me back then? Would that be okay?"
"..."
Su Qing was momentarily speechless. She shook her head and said, "I don't know about that... it would depend on how they see it."
"I see..." Bai Rou'er was somewhat disappointed, but she quickly regained her spirits and transmitted, "Forget it. Anyway, we still have many days ahead of us. I can think about it slowly later!"
Su Qing didn't say anything in response, but she couldn't help but glance at Bai Rou'er and sigh inwardly. Seeing Bai Rou'er like this, she felt a bit of pity, but she was caught in the middle and didn't know what to do.
The most troublesome part was that her reputation was a bit poor. Regardless of her actual intentions for bringing a girl back—be it as a friend or otherwise—it would inevitably be misunderstood. Misunderstandings from outsiders didn't matter, but if Leng Xiang and Ao Ying misunderstood, she would have a massive headache. And those two were actually the easier ones to deal with... if Little Bai found out, that would be the real nightmare! Even if she didn't actually have any improper thoughts...
Thus, Su Qing felt quite troubled and helpless. However, since there was no good solution for now, she decided to stop thinking about it and take things one step at a time.
And so, the group continued toward High Eagle City.
On the other side of the Northern Continent, within Great Emperor Zhenwu's dao field...
After finishing most of the day's official business, Su Qing sat idly in the courtyard drinking tea. Running around everywhere these past few days had exhausted her, so she planned to take a good rest today.
"If you want to rest, Sovereign, why drag me along?" Liu Xixi sat across from Su Qing. Seeing Su Qing's leisurely expression, she said dissatisfactorily, "I still have so much official business to finish!"
Indeed, Liu Xixi had been dragged into resting by Su Qing. She had been working non-stop for a long time. While immortals were certainly more capable than mortals, they still needed rest. Thus, Su Qing had forced her to take a break.
As for her work, Su Qing had checked it; there was nothing that absolutely had to be done right this second. Leaving it for a bit wouldn't hurt. Otherwise, Su Qing wouldn't have dragged her away.
Su Qing chuckled and said, "Alright now! This is an order from your Acting Guardian. Are you planning to disobey? You really are a strange one. Most people are desperate for a day off, yet here you are, unhappy when I give you one."
Su Qing was truly helpless against this workaholic. In her previous life, workaholics did it for their families or their income... but what was this girl's motivation? She wasn't short on money. Her father was a veteran general who had followed Great Emperor Zhenwu for countless years. Given the Great Emperor's personality, how could he possibly mistreat them? They were certainly not lacking funds.
"I know you mean well, Sovereign... but if I don't find something to do, I feel like I'm wasting my time. Besides, while those matters aren't urgent, if I wait until tomorrow to do them, they'll just pile up with tomorrow's work. If that happens, today's rest becomes completely meaningless."
Liu Xixi knew that if she didn't provide a logical reason, Su Qing wouldn't let her go back to work, so she argued her point with sound reasoning.
Hearing this, Su Qing looked at Liu Xixi with some surprise. While Liu Xixi's words weren't without merit, she couldn't help but feel that if this girl were in her previous world, she would be exactly the type of person capitalists loved most.
Su Qing felt a bit helpless toward Liu Xixi; the girl was a dyed-in-the-wool workaholic. As for her reasoning, Su Qing could have refuted it, but she felt there was no point in arguing over such things. She knew she couldn't change this girl, so she didn't bother trying. She just didn't want her to collapse from exhaustion. Even for an immortal, collapsing from fatigue wasn't impossible, which was why she hoped the girl would take an occasional break.
"Fine, I really can't win an argument with you... have it your way then."
Su Qing shook her head with a smile and said, "If you want to go back to work, then go. I really don't know what to do with you... but I'll say it again: if you feel tired, you can rest at any time. After all, I don't want my only assistant to collapse from overwork. If you do, I'm the one who'll have to suffer the consequences."
Su Qing decided not to force her anymore. Seeing the girl's expression, even if she kept her here, her mind would be on work, and she wouldn't be able to rest peacefully. It was better to let her go back to work so she wouldn't be so anxious.
Seeing Su Qing give in, Liu Xixi nodded and said, "You said it yourself, Sovereign!"
Su Qing nodded. It was the first time she had seen someone so happy about being allowed to go back to work.
"Yes, I said it! Don't worry, I won't go back on my word," Su Qing said, spreading her hands.
At that, Liu Xixi stood up and said, "Then, Sovereign, I shall return to my duties. Once I've finished what's on my plate, I'll come back to have tea with you."
Su Qing waved her off. "Go on, go on. Just remember, don't overwork yourself."
Worried about the girl's health, Su Qing couldn't help but add that last reminder.
Upon hearing this, Liu Xixi naturally nodded quickly. "Don't worry, Sovereign, I know my limits! I'll take my leave now."
Su Qing nodded, and with that, Liu Xixi gave a quick salute and turned to leave without a second word.
Seeing her leave in such a hurry, Su Qing shook her head in amusement and muttered to herself, "If I didn't know she'd already cleared up her misunderstandings, I'd think she was afraid of me."
With that, Su Qing took a sip of tea and began thinking about what to do next. Without someone to share tea with, staring into space felt much more boring.
As she was thinking, the voice of the spider spirit Zhu Xue came from behind her.
After spending some time with these spider spirits, Su Qing could naturally distinguish their different voices.
"Zhu Xue... is something the matter?" Su Qing turned her head and asked.
Facing Su Qing's inquiry, Zhu Xue hurriedly said, "The few of us made something to give to the Master..."
Su Qing blinked, quickly remembering what it was. Wasn't it the spider silk clothing?
Su Qing nodded and asked, "What is it?"
"A gown made from our spider silk," Zhu Xue said with her head lowered. "We wanted to thank you, Sovereign, for taking us in and giving us this chance to turn over a new leaf. So, we made this gown and hope you will accept it."
Zhu Xue knew Su Qing had likely known about the gown for a while, but she answered honestly. After all, if they wanted to survive or eventually gain their freedom, being honest and obedient now was the right path.
Su Qing nodded and said, "I see... well, bring it out and let me have a look. Since it's a gift from your hearts, it shouldn't go to waste."
Su Qing was quite interested in what clothing made from demon spider silk looked like. In fact, she had been curious for a long time, so when they offered to bring it over, she naturally wouldn't refuse.
Zhu Xue nodded quickly. "I'll go get it right away."
After Zhu Xue left, Su Qing thought to herself, Hmm, if these spider spirits are good at making clothes, turning them into tailors might be a good option. If that's the case, I can send them to the Changbai Mountains to find a place to live.
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