Half a year is neither long nor short.
For an ordinary person, half a year is indeed a significant amount of time, but for an immortal, it is nothing more than the blink of an eye.
Over the past six months, nothing major had happened in the Northern Continent, and things remained as peaceful as ever. At least for Su Qing, most of what she did consisted of her daily routines, with no unexpected incidents.
Most of the time, she simply did what needed to be done, just as before, though she did go out to resolve natural disasters slightly more often than in the past.
Aside from that, during these six months, Wukong had sought out Su Qing once, asking for her help in overcoming a tribulation.
However, this ordeal was not one from the original story, but an entirely new one.
Clearly, this was a tribulation devised by Guanyin Bodhisattva and the others to fill the gaps in the Eighty-One Tribulations.
It wasn't particularly troublesome; Su Qing merely cooperated by playing a part in a 'besiege Wei to rescue Zhao' strategic diversion.
There weren't many requirements; as long as the tribulation was recorded, it was enough.
After that ordeal was over, Wukong settled down for a few months and didn't come looking for her again, which Su Qing was perfectly happy to enjoy as a bit of peace and quiet.
Outside of the Northern Continent, everything was also proceeding smoothly at the Changbai Mountains.
Chen Nianxin had changed somewhat, though she remained foul-mouthed and generally looked displeased with everyone most of the time.
Su Qing was helpless to change this and eventually couldn't be bothered to manage her too closely.
The Spider Spirits at the foot of the mountain had seen their lives enter a steady rhythm. They had grown fond of the demon town and seemed to have no intention of ever leaving.
Nowadays, they worked diligently within the town, living quite peaceful and successful lives.
This was indeed a good thing. Because of these Spider Spirits, the residents of the town finally didn't have to worry about being unable to buy beautiful clothes. After all, the skills of these Spider Spirits were top-tier in the town.
No matter how strangely shaped a resident might be, the sisters could always tailor suitable clothing for them.
Since they were living and working in peace, Su Qing had less to worry about regarding their affairs.
She could devote more time to fulfilling the prayers of her believers and maintaining her Incense Power.
The Northern Continent could indeed provide her with a significant amount of Incense Power, but Su Qing never forgot that her foundation lay in the Changbai Mountains.
This was her home, so she naturally had to manage it well.
No matter what else she neglected, she could not neglect the Changbai Mountains.
While those two locations were quite smooth, Xingyang City was not as easy.
Over the past six months, although the Commandery Princess had been busy with various preparations, progress was very slow.
This was simply because the resistance the Commandery Princess faced was quite formidable.
On one hand, there was resistance from the mortal realm, and on the other, there was resistance from the supernatural side. With pressure from both sides, progress was naturally sluggish.
Fortunately, despite the slow pace, everything was still proceeding successfully, and she hadn't encountered any real danger.
This was thanks to the Commandery Princess's extreme caution.
Though she was sometimes cautious to a fault, facts proved that being careful was never a mistake.
One day, in Xingyang City.
Su Qing sat in the backyard watching Su Qingyu practice her swordplay while waiting for the medicinal herbs in the pot to finish simmering. This was to nourish Su Qingyu's constitution.
Practicing martial arts was meant to strengthen the body, but if nutrition couldn't keep up, it wouldn't be strengthening the body—it would be depleting it. Therefore, Su Qingyu's meals and medicated meals had always been of the highest quality.
Thanks to this, Su Qingyu had grown quite a bit taller over the past six months.
Children grow quickly to begin with, and with such good nutrition, the girl was now significantly taller than Rendong.
She was the tallest among the children there!
Because of her height, the girl had become quite conceited.
Whenever she had a moment, she would run off to compare heights with the other little ones, then mock them with a look that practically begged for a beating.
To be honest, if it weren't for the fact that the other girls couldn't beat her in a fight, the little thing would have likely been thrashed many times over.
Fortunately, she wasn't bold enough to show off in front of Su Qing; otherwise, she would have certainly been given a proper lesson.
"That's enough, take a break!" Su Qing felt it was about time, so she told Su Qingyu to rest.
Martial arts practice was something that could not be rushed.
If she overstrained her body, the losses would outweigh the gains.
Although Su Qing would have ways to heal her no matter what, there was no need to go through that experience in the first place.
Moreover, if one pushed a person too hard, it would inevitably trigger a rebellious streak.
It wasn't worth it.
When Su Qingyu heard she could rest, she was incredibly excited.
She immediately tossed the wooden sword aside and slipped away with a grin.
Watching the girl run off, Su Qing was momentarily speechless.
She had never seen the girl so proactive at any other time.
Su Qing shook her head and continued to sit there in leisure.
However, her leisure didn't last long before it was interrupted.
A bird landed in the backyard, stopping right in front of her.
"The Commandery Princess's Messenger Falcon?" Su Qing recognized its origin immediately.
"Why is she suddenly using a Messenger Falcon to contact me?"
Su Qing was curious. Usually, the princess sent people to contact her.
Using a bird now likely meant there was something inconvenient about sending a person.
"However, it shouldn't be anything life-threatening. If it were a matter of life and death, she would have directly used the item I gave her to call for help," Su Qing analyzed.
The Commandery Princess possessed a Dharma treasure from Su Qing that allowed her to contact Su Qing for help even across great distances. If it were truly an emergency, she would have used that instead of a bird.
After all, a bird was not as fast as a Dharma treasure.
If it were truly life-threatening, by the time the bird reached Su Qing, the princess would likely already be a corpse.
Su Qing thought for a moment, then removed the letter from the bird's leg.
She wanted to see exactly what the Commandery Princess wanted to communicate.
Su Qing unfolded the letter and read its contents calmly.
The letter wasn't long; it only took her a brief moment to finish reading the entire thing.
The Commandery Princess described some of her recent plans, what she intended to do, and the preparations she had made.
The first half was essentially a work report.
Su Qing skimmed through these details without much concern.
How the princess chose to act was her own business; Su Qing was only responsible for providing necessary or optional help when requested.
Therefore, she didn't care to read too much into the plans.
The second half of the letter was where the Commandery Princess stated her current needs—what she required Su Qing's help with.
"I didn't expect that the elixirs I gave her a few months ago would already be used up. But thinking about it carefully, it's not that surprising given how much time has passed... Fine, since she wants them, I'll send her some more."
Su Qing stroked her chin and muttered to herself, "However, I'm quite surprised she hasn't directly faced any demons in all this time... It seems the Prime Minister's side is also being quite cautious. Why? Is it because they know about her relationship with me?"
Su Qing wasn't entirely sure.
Besides, she couldn't exactly go and ask the Prime Minister directly. If she did, even if he didn't know before, he certainly would then.
So, as long as Su Qing's brain was functioning correctly, she wouldn't do something like that.
"Whatever, whether he knows or not... his knowledge won't stop what I intend to do. Thinking about it too much only adds unnecessary worry."
Su Qing shook her head, deciding not to dwell on it. She brushed off some non-existent dust from her hands, then pulled a piece of paper from her Sleeve Universe and wrote a reply in the air.
She tucked it into the Messenger Falcon's tube and released the bird.
"Done. The Commandery Princess will likely receive the reply in two days... I'll spend these two days preparing the elixirs."
Elixirs prepared for mortals were specially formulated by Su Qing.
She had to carefully control the medicinal potency. If the dose was too strong, it would be counterproductive; if it was too weak, it wouldn't have the desired effect or wouldn't work immediately. Thus, she had to balance the potency so a mortal body could withstand it while still achieving the intended results.
Fortunately, while these required separate preparation, it wasn't particularly difficult and wouldn't take up too much of her time.
Working at a leisurely pace, it would only take two or three days.
After all, this wasn't her first time preparing these elixirs; she was past the experimental stage and just needed to follow the established steps.
With that thought, Su Qing stopped wasting time. She stretched and went to the front to call Su Qingyu back. The medicine was finished simmering, so it was time for the girl to take it.
Su Qingyu looked incredibly reluctant upon hearing this. Although she knew the medicine helped nourish her body and allowed her to better improve her strength, she still hated taking it because it was truly bitter.
At the end of the day, she was still a child. How could she possibly like something so bitter?
It would be strange if she did!
However, Su Qing wouldn't indulge her. She grabbed the girl by the collar and hauled her off to take her medicine.
After forcing the little girl to finish the dose, Su Qing began preparing the elixirs for the Commandery Princess.
Time flowed by bit by bit.
The sun gradually hid behind the clouds.
The sky grew dim.
Night began to fall.
And so, another day quietly passed.
Three days flew by like a white horse passing a crevice.
In those three days, Su Qing finished preparing the elixirs for the Commandery Princess—the same amount as last time. She felt it should be enough to last her for a while.
As for how to deliver them?
Naturally, she would ride her Somersault Cloud and deliver them directly!
Of course, she couldn't simply hand them over in a straightforward manner.
She hadn't forgotten that her current identity was the 'Earthly Manifestation of the One-Leaf Bodhisattva,' so she had to make the 'One-Leaf Bodhisattva' show some divine presence. Otherwise, her persona as the One-Leaf Bodhisattva would lack any sense of existence.
As for how to do it, Su Qing was already prepared.
There was no need to worry about it.
Su Qing gathered the items and rode the Somersault Cloud toward the princess's location.
Before long, she arrived at the mansion.
Su Qing did not reveal her form, keeping her presence hidden.
She quietly approached the Commandery Princess and watched her bowing in prayer before the Buddhist statue.
In her previous reply, Su Qing had already told the princess how the items would be delivered to her in three days. Consequently, the princess had been praying before the statue since early morning and hadn't left, waiting for the items to arrive.
Su Qing didn't rush to present the items but instead put on a bit of a divine act, just as before.
Well, calling it an 'act' wasn't quite right, since Su Qing was an actual immortal.
Everything proceeded very smoothly.
Su Qing easily placed the items into Ye Qingyu's hands.
In truth, Su Qing's execution wasn't perfect, and there were bound to be loopholes in the plan. If Ye Qingyu chose to think deeply about it, she would surely find many unnatural or incorrect details. However, as a devout believer of the One-Leaf Bodhisattva, Ye Qingyu naturally wouldn't scrutinize such things, so she noticed nothing amiss.
Once everything was successfully settled, Su Qing naturally didn't intend to waste any more time there.
She stretched, then turned and left, returning to Xingyang City to wait for Ye Qingyu's reply in a few days.
Time passed in a flash.
A few days later, Commandery Princess Ye Qingyu did indeed send a reply via the Messenger Falcon.
Besides thanking Su Qing and the One-Leaf Bodhisattva, she also shared more details of her plans with Su Qing.
"It looks like the Commandery Princess intends to push forward more quickly. However, the troubles she encounters after this will likely become more and more frequent, won't they?"
Su Qing stroked her chin. She could see that after making so many preparations, the princess had begun to take action, seriously pushing forward her bid for the throne.
Su Qing was naturally happy about this. After all, she was waiting for the Incense Power to develop!
Relying solely on healing the sick to gain Incense Power was far too slow.
After finishing the letter, Su Qing burned it, acting as if nothing had happened, and continued to sit in the backyard soaking up the sun.
And so, day by day, everything steadily advanced.
Rate on N.U.
