Hearing the maid's words, Su Qing was slightly taken aback.
What could the Commandery Princess's people want with her on New Year's Day?
Could something have happened to the Commandery Princess even on New Year's Day?
No, if something serious had happened, the Commandery Princess would have contacted her directly through the item she gave her, rather than sending a servant.
Su Qing thought, stroking her chin, and said, "Let her in."
Whatever the matter, she would know by asking in person. Guessing here was pointless.
The maid nodded upon hearing this and quickly turned to bring the person in.
The subordinate sent by the Commandery Princess was none other than the guard who had previously acted as her coachman.
Evidently, after their previous experiences,
the Commandery Princess now trusted this guard implicitly. It wouldn't be an exaggeration to call him a confidant.
Seeing this person, Su Qing became even more curious as to why the Commandery Princess had sent him.
"The Commandery Princess sent you here; is there something important to convey?" Su Qing asked the guard, her tone as calm as ever.
Upon hearing this, the guard nodded and said, "The Commandery Princess wishes to meet the Divine Doctor."
Su Qing's brow involuntarily twitched. This still didn't clarify the specific nature of the matter.
However, Su Qing was too lazy to complain further. She simply nodded and said, "Since the Commandery Princess invites me, I naturally cannot refuse. When and where?"
Su Qing didn't know what the Commandery Princess wanted to discuss with her; she would only find out after they met. She didn't intend to ask the guard either, as she felt he probably didn't know, making it pointless to ask.
The guard nodded and said, "At Juxiang Tower, three days from now."
Su Qing saw no issue with this and nodded, saying, "Mm, that's fine."
Seeing Su Qing agree, the guard breathed a sigh of relief.
Having delivered his message, the guard had no intention of disturbing Su Qing further. He bowed to Su Qing and said:
"Since the Divine Doctor has agreed, I shall return to report. I won't disturb the Divine Doctor any longer. Oh, right, there's one more thing... The Commandery Princess has prepared some gifts for the Divine Doctor, which will be sent over soon... The Commandery Princess said these are New Year's gifts, and she hopes the Divine Doctor won't dislike them."
Su Qing wasn't particularly concerned. She nodded and said, "Oh? I didn't expect Young Lady Ye to prepare New Year's gifts for me... I wonder what they are."
In response to Su Qing's question, the guard shook his head directly, replying, "This humble one is also unaware... I am merely conveying the Commandery Princess's words."
Although he was considered a confidant of Commandery Princess Ye Qingyu, even as a confidant, he was still just a guard. Therefore, it was clear that Ye Qingyu wouldn't explain every single detail to him, and he never proactively inquired.
After all, for a guard, his primary duty was to be a good guard and protect the Commandery Princess's safety.
Listening to the guard, Su Qing glanced at him, then nodded silently and said, "In that case, I'll wait with anticipation. However, since the Commandery Princess has sent me a gift, I should also send her one in return."
Su Qing said, stroking her chin, then added, "Don't rush off. Wait here for a moment while I fetch something... You can then help me deliver it to the Commandery Princess."
Su Qing didn't need to wait a few days to send her gift; she could give it to him on the spot. However, taking a pile of things directly from her sleeve in broad daylight would appear too strange, so Su Qing asked the guard to wait while she went inside.
The guard, seeing Su Qing speak, naturally dared not object. He nodded and stood still, waiting for Su Qing to return.
Su Qing walked into the inner room, then retrieved a verdant longsword from her Sleeve Universe. The sword was exquisitely delicate, its scabbard a uniform jade green, appearing exceptionally valuable. When Su Qing drew the sword, a cold gleam instantly flashed, as if the temperature in the entire room had dropped slightly.
This longsword was excellent. Although still forged from mortal iron and without any particularly powerful or interesting inscriptions, it was just an ordinary mortal sword. Yet, as a weapon for a mortal, it was quite suitable. After all, for mortals, even if Su Qing bestowed a divine weapon, they wouldn't be able to use it. They might even be harmed by the divine weapon itself. A divine weapon is called such because these weapons possess a certain degree of sentience and often a touch of arrogance. If not wielded by someone powerful, not only would they fail to unleash its might, but they might even be killed by the weapon.
This precious sword was sufficiently magnificent in appearance and quite sharp—its keenness was definitely among the best of mortal swords. Therefore, this precious sword was absolutely perfect to give to the Commandery Princess.
"Perfect, this also helps clear out a bit more inventory." Su Qing drew the sword and swung it twice, confirming it hadn't become useless from being stored for too long. Then, she emerged with the sword.
"I'll trouble you to deliver this precious sword to the Commandery Princess," Su Qing said to the guard. "Also, please convey a few words for me... Tell your mistress not to refuse this gift; it's merely one of the lesser items among my many collections."
Su Qing's words were true, but they were also meant to ensure the Commandery Princess wouldn't refuse the item. After all, having a gift returned was somewhat embarrassing.
The guard looked at the precious sword, silently accepted it, and bowed to Su Qing, saying, "I will accurately deliver the Divine Doctor's words... And I will certainly deliver the item into the Commandery Princess's hands. Please rest assured, Divine Doctor."
Su Qing still trusted this guard quite a bit. After all, a person who could step forward in such a crisis was naturally of impeccable character. As for reliability...
Anyone more reliable than Heng'e counted as reliable.
"Mm, alright, you may go! Sorry for holding you up talking so much."
"It is my honor," the guard said, bowing. "Then I shall return."
Su Qing nodded and waved her hand, signaling for him to leave. Upon receiving Su Qing's signal, the guard said no more and turned to leave the courtyard.
After the guard had walked away and left the courtyard,
Su Qing stroked her chin, growing curious about the Commandery Princess's true purpose in seeking her out.
"Who cares! Why overthink it? It's only two or three days until I'll know the answer anyway," Su Qing said, stretching and talking to herself. Then, she shook her head, clearing out the jumbled thoughts.
After doing all this,
Su Qing turned to find Su Qingyu.
Although it was the first day of the New Year, cultivation could not be neglected. One could practice less, but never not practice at all. After all, martial arts, like cultivation, could not be allowed to fall into disuse.
While Su Qing concluded her affairs in Xingyang City,
on the other side, Su Qing in the Northern Continent also set off.
Su Qing planned to go find Little Bai and spend the day with her, making up for her absence yesterday. Of course, before that, Su Qing also had to send Bai Yuhe back to the Women's Kingdom. After all, an emperor's disappearance shouldn't last too long. Although the Women's Kingdom was very peaceful, there would inevitably be some ill-intentioned scoundrels. Therefore, Bai Yuhe couldn't be away for too long.
Su Qing's Somersault Cloud was incredibly fast. In just a short while, Su Qing had already delivered the person to the Imperial Garden of the palace. Once there, Bai Yuhe stretched her body, easing the shock brought on by the extreme speed. After calming down slightly, she spoke, "Alright, this is far enough! We're already at the Imperial Garden; I can go the rest of the way myself. Aren't you going to find Miss Little Bai? Then hurry! You can't let her wait too long."
Although Bai Yuhe also had a strong possessive desire, she was very rational and naturally understood why Su Qing had decided to visit Bai Suzhen today. However, while she understood, she couldn't help but feel a little unhappy. Of course, Bai Yuhe wouldn't express such feelings. After all, she was an emperor, and her many years on the throne were not for nothing; at the very least, Bai Yuhe was very skilled at emotional control.
Su Qing heard Bai Yuhe's words, looked at her with a slight surprise, and after a moment of silence, nodded and said, "Mm, then I'll be going now... I'll come back to accompany you in a few days."
Bai Yuhe rolled her eyes at Su Qing and said, "You're supposed to come back and accompany me anyway in a few days!"
Su Qing smiled, not replying, but instead said, "Then I'll be going!"
"Go on, go on!" Bai Yuhe said, hands on her hips, helplessly. "I also need to talk to my subordinates about the unfinished business from yesterday."
As a monarch, Bai Yuhe had no shortage of daily tasks. Because she had spent New Year's Eve with Su Qing yesterday, some matters had to be postponed until today.
Su Qing nodded slightly at this, then formed a hand seal and headed towards Li Shan Mount Li.
Su Qing's speed was swift.
In a short while, she arrived at Li Shan Mount Li. Upon arriving, Su Qing, as before, habitually landed in the bamboo grove. However, this time, something unexpected happened to Su Qing. A familiar face was waiting there. The familiar person waiting was none other than the Daoist boy who had been taken away before.
Su Qing saw the Daoist boy and asked with a slight confusion, "Why are you here? Weren't you helping the Old Mother of Mount Li?"
The Daoist boy heard Su Qing's voice, looked up at her, a flash of surprise in his eyes, which he then suppressed, revealing a displeased expression. He said, "I was sent back..."
"Ah? You were sent back?" Su Qing was a little bewildered, even finding it hard to believe that this fellow would be sent back.
The Daoist boy nodded, somewhat awkwardly, and said, "Master found me too much of a nuisance, so she sent me back... she told me to watch over Junior Sister here and occasionally help her relay messages."
"..." Su Qing's mouth twitched uncontrollably upon hearing this. She felt this girl was a bit too outrageous. However, she didn't plan to complain about her. Seeing this girl again, Su Qing was quite happy, so there was no need to criticize or bully her.
Su Qing said, "Speaking of which, if you're back, then what about the other girl?"
"You mean the new Junior Sister?" The Daoist boy asked, scratching his head. "She was taken by Master. Master said she was more reliable than me, so she took her to the Heavenly Palace to cultivate by her side."
Su Qing blinked upon hearing this, still a bit confused. Fortunately, Su Qing didn't want to overthink it at the moment. So, she nodded and said, "Mm, by the way, since you're waiting for me here, I suppose the Old Mother of Mount Li asked you to, right? Does the Old Mother of Mount Li have anything to tell me?"
The Daoist boy nodded and said, "Master does have something to tell you. She wants you to go to the side hall first after you arrive."
Su Qing blinked and nodded. This was not unexpected. "Alright, I'll go see the Old Mother of Mount Li first then," Su Qing said. Little Bai was always there; meeting her didn't need to be rushed. It was better to see what the Old Mother of Mount Li wanted to say first.
The Daoist boy nodded, then tilted his head and asked, "Um~ Since you're here, did you bring me anything delicious? The food in the Heavenly Palace is too bland, and with Master, it's even blander, with no good food at all... After being busy with Master for a while, I feel like I've lost weight. So, do you have anything delicious?"
Seeing the Daoist boy ask this, Su Qing smiled helplessly and said, "I didn't know you'd be back, so I didn't prepare any delicious food."
If Su Qing had known this girl was returning, she definitely wouldn't have forgotten to prepare some delicious food for her. After all, it was an old tradition.
The Daoist boy was slightly disappointed upon hearing this. However, he didn't blame Su Qing for it. He just nodded helplessly and said, "Alright~ But next time you come, you absolutely must bring me something delicious!"
Su Qing couldn't help but laugh and said, "Alright, alright, I definitely won't forget. Let's go, let's go see the Old Mother of Mount Li."
Rate on N.U.
