Setting Off!!!

Su Qing and the others naturally didn't notice Bai Rou'er's internal state...

After all, they were currently busy preparing today's lunch and had no time to worry about her.

Bai Rou'er understood this as well. Seeing how busy Su Qing and the others were, she stepped forward to help. As for the others, they each went about their own tasks.

With everyone pitching in, lunch was ready in no time.

Once the meal was prepared, it was only natural to call everyone together to eat. There were quite a few people for lunch, making the atmosphere rather lively.

Of course, the primary reason for the liveliness wasn't Su Qing and her immediate circle, but rather Yudie and the other younger ones. These children couldn't stay quiet even while eating, chirping away in conversation. It was a wonder they always had so much to talk about.

Su Qing didn't stop them, though. With them around, the meal never hit a lull.

After lunch, Su Qing stood at the door and said to Ao Ying, "Pack your things! We're preparing to move. I promised you that once my clone returned, I would take you all to live at Great Emperor Zhenwu's Daoist field in the Northern Continent... to stay with me."

Su Qing always made a point to fulfill her promises as long as she didn't forget them, especially those made to her family.

Now that her clone was back and could take over Ao Ying and the others' work at Changbai Mountain, it was time to honor her word.

Hearing Su Qing's words, Ao Ying's pale pink lips curved into a sweet, sugary smile. She nodded and said, "So you didn't forget what you promised after all!"

"How could I break a promise I made to you?" Su Qing shook her head. "I'm not the type to go back on my word."

Ao Ying nodded. "I understand your character well enough. Aside from your habit of attracting flowers and butterflies everywhere you go, everything else about you is quite good."

"When have I ever attracted flowers and butterflies?" Su Qing said, feeling somewhat helpless. "This is a genuine injustice."

"Heh, anything else might be an injustice, but not this." Ao Ying glanced at Su Qing and then rolled her eyes, looking as if she had seen right through her.

Su Qing's mouth twitched. Ao Ying clearly knew her so well, so why didn't she believe that Su Qing never actively sought out such attention? It was truly baffling.

Feeling helpless and sensing that explanations were futile, Su Qing decided to drop the subject. Since Ao Ying was by her side, she would eventually realize the truth. For now, the priority was to have them pack up so they could head to the Northern Continent.

"Alright, let's set this matter aside for now. We can talk more later. Go and pack up! Take everything you need; it's time to set off."

Ao Ying let out a soft chuckle and nodded gently. "I know, I know, stop rushing me... I'll go pack with Leng Xiang now."

As she spoke, she seemed to remember something and asked, "By the way, do you plan to take Bai Rou'er with us to the Northern Continent?"

Su Qing paused for a moment; she hadn't actually given that much thought.

"Well, that depends on whether she wants to come along," Su Qing replied after a brief reflection.

Ao Ying didn't say much more, simply nodding. "Oh~ I see. In that case, we'll leave it up to her. I'll go pack the house now."

Su Qing watched Ao Ying, unable to quite grasp what she was thinking. But since she hadn't objected, she likely found it acceptable. Still, one had to wonder—did she really find it acceptable?

Su Qing didn't know and didn't feel it was the right time to ask. She simply watched as Ao Ying turned to call the two little ones, Yudie and Su Ying'er, to help pack for the move.

After Ao Ying left, Su Qing remained silent for a moment before turning to tell Red Boy and Chao Yan to pack as well.

"Pack our things? Where are we going?"

Ao Ying hadn't mentioned anything to them, so they were quite confused when Su Qing told them to pack. If they hadn't known Su Qing so well, they might have thought she was kicking them out.

Seeing their confusion, Su Qing realized they were unaware of the move and briefly explained the situation.

"We're going to the Northern Continent? Really? I've never been there! Is it fun?" Red Boy asked excitedly the moment she heard the news.

"I'm not entirely sure if it's 'fun' over there... After all, my time in the Northern Continent is mostly spent working, not playing around." Su Qing smiled and shook her head at Red Boy's inquiry. "If you want to know if it's fun, the best way is to go and see for yourself. Only after witnessing it with your own eyes will you know if it's interesting."

Red Boy looked a bit dazed. Although she felt Su Qing was being a bit vague, it also seemed to make a lot of sense.

"I see~ then I want to go to the Northern Continent with you, Sister!" After a moment of thought, Red Boy skillfully gave up on thinking further and raised her hand to indicate she wanted to follow.

Su Qing's mouth twitched as she said helplessly, "I was planning on taking you with me anyway! And you too, Chao Yan!"

"I knew Godmother wouldn't leave me behind! After all, I'm not a dummy like Red Boy." Chao Yan glanced at Red Boy and laughed. "Then Godmother, I'll go pack my things! Though I don't really have much to pack... since I don't stay at Changbai Mountain all the time, I don't have many belongings here."

Whether it was Chao Yan or Red Boy, both spent most of their time with Guanyin Bodhisattva or at the Fire Cloud Cave. Consequently, they didn't have many possessions here. Even if they packed nothing and went empty-handed, it wouldn't be a big problem.

Still, it was better to pack a bit to avoid forgetting something important and having to return for it later.

Seeing this, Red Boy quickly added, "You're the dummy! Sister, I'm going to pack too."

Without waiting for Su Qing to speak again, the two girls ran off to pack.

After they left, Bai Rou'er walked over at the opportune moment and said, "Is Sister Su planning to head to the Northern Continent?"

She was asking something she already knew, merely to start the conversation. Su Qing was well aware of this and nodded. "Yes, we're planning to leave! What about you? Do you want to come along?"

Bai Rou'er was stunned for a second before a smile unconsciously spread across her face. She nodded and answered without hesitation, "Of course! Since Sister has asked, how could I not go?"

Su Qing wasn't particularly surprised by this answer. Having spent some time with Bai Rou'er, she had a decent understanding of the girl's temperament.

"Mhm. Since you're coming, once Ao Ying and Leng Xiang are finished packing, you can follow me," Su Qing said with a light smile.

"Mhm!" Bai Rou'er didn't say anything more, just nodded and smiled.

Su Qing didn't say much else either. She simply turned to find a place to sit and wait for everyone to finish packing so they could set off together.

Seeing this, Bai Rou'er followed Su Qing over and sat down, resting her face in her hands and grinning sillily.

Su Qing glanced at the smiling Bai Rou'er, momentarily unsure if the girl was clever or a simpleton. She said somewhat helplessly, "Want to play a game of chess?"

Su Qing felt it was better to find something to do. Anything was better than letting the girl sit there grinning like that.

Bai Rou'er snapped out of it at Su Qing's words and nodded quickly. "What kind of chess? I'm skilled in both Weiqi and Xiangqi."

Bai Rou'er was, after all, Princess Jade-Face, a lady from a prestigious family. She was well-versed in the four arts of the scholar. Even though her family fortunes had declined, she still maintained many of her old hobbies. She just hadn't had the chance to practice them while traveling with Su Qing.

Seeing that she knew all types of chess, Su Qing brought out a set of Xiangqi. "Let's play this then."

Bai Rou'er nodded. What game they played didn't matter; the point was who she was playing with.

The two of them set up the pieces and began to play in silence.

Time ticked by. Soon, Ao Ying and Leng Xiang were nearly finished packing, and Su Qing and Bai Rou'er's game was drawing to a close. After playing for so long, the match ended in a draw; they had truly met their match.

However, since Ao Ying and Leng Xiang were ready, they didn't plan to continue.

Seeing Ao Ying walk out empty-handed, Su Qing knew she had placed everything into her Sleeve Universe. She stepped forward and asked, "Since everything is packed, shall we set off now?"

Ao Ying nodded. "You decide. I can leave at any time."

Su Qing understood that Ao Ying was fully prepared. She then turned her gaze toward the others. Seeing her look their way, Yudie, Chao Yan, and the others all raised their hands in agreement.

"In that case, let's set off now!" Su Qing smiled.

Without wasting any more time, she performed a hand seal and summoned the Somersault Cloud. She intended to use it to carry everyone to the Northern Continent.

However, the Somersault Cloud would likely be slower than usual this time. Carrying so many people meant Su Qing couldn't just let loose and accelerate as she did when traveling alone. Still, even if it was slower, it wouldn't take too long to reach the Northern Continent.

Once the Somersault Cloud was summoned, Su Qing said to Ao Ying, "Get on the cloud. I'll take everyone to the Northern Continent together."

Ao Ying looked at Su Qing, and as if thinking of something, she smiled and nodded. "I know, I know! How about you lead me up?"

Su Qing was a bit confused; this wasn't the sort of thing Ao Ying usually did. But she didn't overthink it, simply nodding and saying, "Of course, no problem... After all, you are my wife."

Su Qing smiled and took Ao Ying's hand, leading her onto the Somersault Cloud. Afterward, treating everyone equally, she also led Leng Xiang up. Although Leng Xiang didn't speak much, she was still quite sensitive; if Su Qing showed favoritism, the girl would definitely become a jealous type. After all, she was quite the little vinegar jar!

Once those two were on the cloud, Su Qing stood there as well, waiting for the others to climb up on their own. The meaning was clear enough, and everyone understood, though they each had their own thoughts on the matter.

Once everyone was on the Somersault Cloud, Su Qing willed it forward, leading them all toward the Northern Continent.

As Su Qing's main body departed on the cloud, the clone that had been resting inside the house woke up under Su Qing's control. Since everyone had left, the clone naturally had to take over the work left behind by Ao Ying and Leng Xiang. After all, there was still much to be done at Changbai Mountain.

Inside the house, Su Qing let out a long stretch.

"Looks like I'm going to be exhausted later! Fortunately, there isn't anything particularly urgent in the Northern Continent or Xingyang City, otherwise I'd be in real trouble."

Despite her melancholy, what was settled was settled. After a brief moment of sighing, Su Qing set out.

Her first stop was naturally to handle the prayers that Ao Ying hadn't finished processing today. Changbai Mountain was a great mountain, and after centuries of development, it had become a sacred mountain for the surrounding kingdoms. Consequently, the number of prayers to be handled daily was not small.

And these were only the carefully selected prayers. If she were to fulfill every single wish, not only would Su Qing's clone be overwhelmed, but even adding Ao Ying and Leng Xiang wouldn't have been enough. Thus, prayers were always selected for fulfillment based on suitability.

'It's hard to imagine how busy Ao Ying and Leng Xiang were on a daily basis...' Su Qing thought as she performed hand seals to fulfill the prayers of the people one by one.