Taking the measurements didn't take much time.
In just a short while, they were finished…
"Sovereign, your figure… is truly wonderful." Zhu Xue and her sisters couldn't help but sigh in admiration as they looked at the measurements they had recorded.
Su Qing let out a chuckle at their words. "This clone was molded by my own hands, so naturally, the proportions and everything else are the best they can be…"
The sisters didn't dare respond to that, merely pursing their lips and offering a smile.
After all, agreeing or disagreeing both presented their own problems.
Remaining silent was the best way to handle it.
Seeing this, Su Qing naturally understood the situation.
However, she didn't bother to comment on it.
She simply said with a smile, "Alright, since the measurements are done, let's leave it at that for now! I'll be heading back."
Su Qing's original purpose for coming here was simply to check on them and give them something to do.
Now that this goal had been achieved, it was time for her to return.
There was no need to continue wasting time here.
Besides, if she stayed, these spider spirits probably wouldn't be able to properly attend to any customers who came in for clothes.
They wouldn't dare focus on anything else while facing her.
Thus, it was only right for her to leave.
The sisters had no intention of stopping her… aside from genuinely wishing for Su Qing to return quickly, they simply didn't have the courage to bar her way.
And so, they saw Su Qing off.
Waiting outside, the Old White Deer quickly followed when he saw Su Qing emerge.
"Is the Sovereign finished speaking with them?"
"If I weren't finished, would I have come out?" Su Qing glanced at him and asked.
Hearing this, the Old White Deer smiled and said, "That was my mistake! Does the Sovereign have any other arrangements next?"
Su Qing shook her head. "No more arrangements. I'm preparing to head back now."
"Heading back already? Why not come to my place for some tea?"
"No need." Su Qing shook her head and added, "I'm off!"
With that, Su Qing departed the town on a cloud without looking back.
The Old White Deer could only call out, "Safe travels, Sovereign."
Only after confirming that Su Qing had truly vanished from sight did the Old White Deer let out a complete sigh of relief.
He couldn't help it; every time he was with his superior, he felt as if his life were hanging by a thread, nervous to death… terrified that if he did one thing wrong, he would incur her displeasure.
Even though he knew Su Qing wasn't that petty, he couldn't stop himself from worrying!
"Sigh, getting old, getting old." The Old White Deer sighed and turned to return to his own residence.
On the other side.
When Su Qing returned to her courtyard, she found Chen Nianxin sitting there in a daze.
She had no idea what the girl was thinking about.
Su Qing walked up and asked, "Hey, what are you thinking about now?"
Chen Nianxin looked up at Su Qing and replied, "What does it have to do with you?"
"It really has nothing to do with me. I'm just bored and asked out of curiosity," Su Qing said, spreading her hands with total indifference.
Chen Nianxin was momentarily speechless. "Hmph… fine, there's no harm in telling you… I was just reflecting on some things from the past."
"Oh~ I see! Well, I'm going to make dinner."
"You aren't curious about what I was thinking?"
"Not at all!"
"......"
Chen Nianxin was utterly speechless. She had finally worked up the desire to express herself, but just as she was about to tell Su Qing, the other woman suddenly lost interest. It gave her a frustrating sensation of being cut off right at the peak of her momentum; it was truly maddening.
However, since the other person wasn't curious, if she proactively spoke up… it would make it seem like she was desperate to share.
It would feel like she had lost…
This made her very unhappy.
So, even though she was feeling quite stifled, she refused to speak if Su Qing didn't ask.
Seeing Chen Nianxin's constipated expression, Su Qing found it quite amusing…
She was actually quite curious about what the girl was thinking, but she chose to tease her instead.
After all, this was much more fun than actually knowing the content.
She was bored anyway, and if she didn't find someone to bully a little, it would be even more tedious.
Su Qing stretched, turned around, and went to cook dinner.
Chen Nianxin remained in the courtyard, arms crossed, staring at the sky with a speechless expression, looking very much like she was sulking.
Time flowed by, minute by minute.
In the blink of an eye, another day had passed.
Northern Continent.
Great Emperor Zhenwu's Domain.
Inside Su Qing's living quarters, the early morning was already bustling with activity… the usual tranquility was nowhere to be found.
Su Qing stood under the eaves, watching the children play and chase each other.
For a moment, she felt as if she were still at Changbai Mountain, as if she had never left…
She didn't feel like a stranger in a strange land at all.
In contrast, her clone's side always felt like it was in a foreign place.
"Perhaps the saying is true: home is where the family is." Su Qing watched the playful group and shook her head with a light smile.
"Sister Su, what are you smiling about this time?"
While Su Qing was smiling to herself, Ao Ying's voice came from nearby.
Hearing this, Su Qing shook her head gently. "It's nothing… I was just laughing at those little girls."
"By the way, Sister Su, are you going out for disaster relief today?" Ao Ying remembered the conversation Su Qing had with Liu Xixi the day before yesterday, so she couldn't help but ask.
"That's right… after a bit of preparation, I'll be heading out. After all, this is one of my methods for developing Incense Power…" Su Qing pursed her lips and continued, "Don't be fooled by how long I've been in the Northern Continent; my ways of gathering Incense Power are still limited to those few methods. The most important one is still 'putting out fires.' Sigh, it's quite embarrassing… although I've looked for other ways lately, being by myself, I'm a bit overwhelmed."
Hearing this, Ao Ying rubbed her chin and then gave a light chuckle. "Why not let the others in the domain help you?"
Su Qing briefly explained her reasons.
After listening, Ao Ying quickly understood and felt a bit awkward. "I didn't consider that aspect. How embarrassing."
"It's nothing; everyone makes mistakes," Su Qing said, shaking her head.
Ao Ying didn't dwell on it. She simply continued, "However, while you were busy on your own before, you aren't alone anymore! Don't forget, Leng Xiang and I are here! And not just us—there's also Yudie, Su Ying, Red Boy, Morning Glory, and the others. Oh, and Bai Rou'er too; they can all help you with this! You can't manage alone, but with all of us, we can certainly handle it."
Su Qing naturally understood what Ao Ying meant.
But after thinking it over, she still shook her head. "But I invited you all here so you could relax, not so you could move to a different place just to be busy."
"That doesn't matter… to us, staying idle all the time is the real waste of time! Besides, who says we can't sightsee while developing Incense Power? Didn't you use to travel and play while gathering it before?"
Ao Ying looked into Su Qing's eyes, a playful glint appearing in her gaze as she said, "What's wrong? Could it be that Sister doesn't want us to be like you? That would be truly heartbreaking."
Su Qing felt a bit helpless. "You certainly have a way with words… it's not that I don't want you to go out and play, I just don't want you thinking about other things while you're trying to enjoy yourselves. You won't be able to have much fun that way."
"What does that matter? It's all play anyway," Ao Ying said dismissively. "Besides, compared to that, I feel your Incense Power is more important. After all, as you said, Incense Power relates to that matter… and I want to live with you forever!"
Even though Ao Ying was exasperated by Su Qing's philandering ways, she still loved her.
If she didn't love her, she wouldn't get jealous, nor would she be so tolerant of her.
Su Qing fell silent for a moment, looking at Ao Ying. "Do you really intend to do this?"
"Of course! In fact, Leng Xiang would likely be willing to help too! As for the others, why don't we just ask them? I'll go ask for you."
Su Qing: "......"
Before Su Qing could even reply, Ao Ying had already sprung into action, going around to ask everyone.
Ao Ying moved quickly. In just a short while, she had checked with everyone…
And after her inquiries…
their answers were exceptionally unified.
Everyone was willing to help!
Leng Xiang's reason went without saying… as long as it was something Su Qing wanted her to do, she would do it, no matter how reluctant she might be…
As for Red Boy and Chen Chaoyan, their reason was simply that they wanted to do something to help Su Qing!
Regarding Su Ying and Yudie…
their reasons were even simpler. They just thought it sounded very interesting and were happy to help. Furthermore, Su Qing was their mother; since she had spoken, they naturally had no reason to refuse… so their answers were no surprise.
Finally, there was Bai Rou'er… her reason for helping was the simplest of all: she just wanted to repay Su Qing's kindness… of course, that was just the reason she gave Ao Ying. Only Bai Rou'er herself knew her true motivation.
After getting everyone's answers, Ao Ying brought the news back to Su Qing.
"See? I told you everyone would help!" Ao Ying looked at Su Qing with a beaming smile, wearing an expression of victory.
Su Qing gave a helpless laugh. "I really can't win against you… since that's the case, we'll discuss exactly how to do it after I return. For the next few days, you all should just focus on having fun!"
Unable to argue with Ao Ying, Su Qing decided to just go with the flow. She planned to resolve the immediate issues first, then return and talk to Ao Ying about the details.
At the same time, Su Qing intended to stall for a bit… perhaps after some time passed, Ao Ying would lose interest in the idea?
Ao Ying didn't push her. She simply nodded and said, "Then remember to come back quickly! After all, if you aren't home, we'll be bored."
Su Qing nodded gently and said nothing more, simply performing a hand seal.
She then chanted a True Word Incantation to summon her Somersault Cloud and departed the domain.
After Su Qing left…
Ao Ying didn't stay idle. Having been busy for so many years, she really couldn't handle doing nothing. Whenever she was free, she always wanted to find something to do.
Thus, bored and with nothing else to do, she and Leng Xiang began discussing how they would help Su Qing spread her Incense Power later.
By discussing it thoroughly now, it would be easier when they talked to Su Qing later, saving them from unnecessary debates.
And so, the days passed.
Seven days went by in the blink of an eye.
Because Su Qing had many places to visit this time, her absence was longer than usual.
Fortunately, although it took a lot of time, the harvest was quite good.
This disaster relief mission earned Su Qing a significant amount of Incense Power and allowed her to plant several seeds… though it remained to be seen if those seeds would sprout, the gain in Incense Power was very real.
After finishing the disaster relief, Su Qing didn't linger outside.
She quickly returned to the domain.
However, upon her return, she didn't stay in her living quarters, nor did she rush to discuss the future of Incense Power with Ao Ying.
Instead, she went to find Liu Xixi, intending to process the miscellaneous work that had accumulated.
Only after resolving these matters could Su Qing focus on other things… including the discussion about developing Incense Power.
Thanks to Su Qing having a reliable assistant official, even though she had been gone for seven days, the accumulated work wasn't overwhelming.
Furthermore, most of the tasks were the same as before—simply reviewing official documents and applying her seal.
Most of the documents that reached Su Qing's hands had already been vetted by Liu Xixi to ensure there were no problems… they just needed a seal. Only a very small number required Su Qing's serious attention and personal judgment.
Liu Xixi would label and separate these specifically to prevent Su Qing from getting them mixed up.
So Su Qing's job was actually very simple; she just needed to stamp her seal.
Precisely because of this, she managed to finish seven days' worth of work in just a single afternoon.
By the time everything was processed, the sky was already growing dim…
And at this hour, it was naturally time for Su Qing to return.
After all, if she went back any later… she would likely be scolded.
Su Qing moved quickly.
In just a moment, she was back at her living quarters.
However, the moment Su Qing pushed open the door and stepped inside, she was caught by Ao Ying…
"You've been running all day, but I've finally caught you, haven't I?" Ao Ying curled the corner of her mouth into a half-smile. "Now you can't escape. It's time for you to sit down and have a proper talk with Leng Xiang and me about our future plans. When you left, you promised we'd discuss how to develop Incense Power once you returned! Don't think that by hiding for a few days, we'll give up on getting involved! We said we'd help you, and we meant it!"
Su Qing's mouth twitched slightly, and she felt a bit helpless… she hadn't expected Ao Ying to think that way…
Even more unexpected was that Ao Ying would catch her the moment she returned.
It was as if she were afraid Su Qing would run away.
Su Qing gave a helpless smile. "I wasn't trying to run…"
Ao Ying pursed her lips. "I know~ I was just here waiting for you. Who told you to run off to do other work the moment you got back?"
"Wasn't it because the work over there had piled up? That's why I went to finish it first." Su Qing looked at Ao Ying helplessly. "Besides, haven't I come back now?"
This wasn't just an excuse; the domain's official business had indeed piled up.
It was just that the piled-up work was very simple.
Ao Ying chuckled and didn't dwell on it. "Fine, I won't argue with you about that. Anyway, now that you're back, you aren't escaping!"
Su Qing: "......"
Before Su Qing could say anything else, Ao Ying clapped her hands. "Alright, the dragon girls have already prepared dinner. We'll talk about that matter after we've eaten."
Su Qing nodded helplessly and followed Ao Ying to dinner.
Dinner was delicious.
The dragon girls' skills seemed to have improved once again.
Furthermore, the flavors were even more to her liking. Clearly, Ao Ying or Leng Xiang had given them some pointers.
Su Qing saw through it but didn't point it out, simply eating two bowls of rice.
After dinner, Su Qing was, as expected, dragged off by Ao Ying to discuss the collection of Incense Power.
However, what surprised Su Qing was…
during the time she was away, Ao Ying and Leng Xiang had actually come up with several methods for collecting and developing Incense Power.
Although these methods would take a lot of time, they were all practical and feasible, not just whimsical ideas.
Clearly, the two of them had discussed it seriously and studied the matter carefully.
"You two… sigh, there's really nothing I can do with you."
Su Qing was touched, yet also a bit helpless. She simply said:
"Fine, have it your way! Since you insist on helping, then we'll do as you've planned! As for the methods of developing Incense Power, the two you mentioned are indeed quite good. There's no need to think of more… after all, let's prioritize stability!"
Su Qing had completely relented this time…
If they wanted to help, then let them help!
Regardless, she really did need some assistance.
And with them involved, it saved Su Qing the hassle of recruiting retainers herself.
It just made Su Qing feel somewhat guilty toward them. After all, she had initially invited them here so they could enjoy their leisure.
Rate on N.U.
