Hearing this, Chang'e stared at Su Qing with dissatisfaction and said, "That's right. I am indeed afraid the Lunar Deity will scold me when she returns. However, I also don't want the persona I've maintained for so long to suddenly shatter."
"I didn't realize Sister Chang'e was the type who refuses to give up halfway!" Su Qing said with a light chuckle.
"Why do I feel like my image in your eyes is so poor?"
"How could that be? Your image in my eyes is excellent! How could it be poor?" Su Qing quickly shook her head and replied.
Su Qing certainly wouldn't admit to such a thing. Even though she knew it was a joke and that Chang'e wouldn't get angry over it, she still couldn't admit it.
After all, she had to save some face for Sister Chang'e!
Chang'e looked at Su Qing with a face full of suspicion. "Really?"
"Of course it's true... Does even my Sister Chang'e not believe me anymore?" Su Qing asked, putting on a heartbroken expression.
Chang'e watched Su Qing's act, pondered for a moment, and then nodded. "Sometimes, your words truly have zero credibility."
"Uh..." Su Qing scratched her head and threw up her hands. "I'm so pitiful; even Sister Chang'e doesn't believe me anymore."
Chang'e ignored Su Qing's antics and simply watched her performance in silence.
Seeing that Chang'e had no intention of comforting her or changing her tune, Su Qing curled her lip. Pretending to be indifferent, she continued to pilot the Somersault Cloud toward the Northern Continent.
The speed of the Somersault Cloud went without saying. Even though they chatted along the way and slowed down considerably, it didn't take long for them to return to the dao field in the Northern Continent.
Back in the bedchamber, another pot of tangyuan and dumplings had just finished cooking.
Indeed, the previous batch had been almost entirely for distribution. This batch was for their own consumption.
As for the reason? Su Qing had been away for a while. If she had prepared everything beforehand and let it sit, wouldn't it have tasted terrible? Naturally, she had to prepare a fresh batch separately.
Tangyuan and dumplings didn't take long to boil and steam. In a short while, they were served and ready to eat.
Speaking of dinner, the most excited person was none other than Yudie. Like the Daoist boy, she was a glutton who had fallen into a rice vat. She could lack anything else, but she could never lack delicious food.
'I feel like in a few days, I can bring these two together to play... Two bottomless pits; I wonder what kind of sparks will fly,' Su Qing thought with a light chuckle.
The more she thought about it, the more amusing it seemed, and a smile unconsciously played on her lips.
Yudie, who was eating heartily, noticed the smile on her mother's face and momentarily froze. She had a feeling her mother was plotting something unpleasant again.
However, she couldn't figure it out, nor was she capable of understanding her mother's thoughts, so she didn't dare ask. If she did, she might end up dragging herself into the mess.
Su Qing's family spent the Lantern Festival smoothly and happily.
On the other side, however, Tang Sanzang was having a run of bad luck.
Just like in the original story, after sweeping the pagoda, they went to the streets to see the festive lanterns. While Wukong was dazed by the sight, marveling that the lanterns were indeed as beautiful as his Big Sister had said, his unlucky master was snatched away again.
Wukong was incredibly frustrated. How could his master be kidnapped the moment he looked away?
Helpless, Wukong had to find someone to ask if there were any demons nearby so he could go rescue his master.
Tang Sanzang was as unlucky as ever, but Xingyang City remained as peaceful as always.
Su Qing spent the Lantern Festival quite simply, just as she had in previous years.
In fact, it wasn't just Su Qing; the entire Xingyang City didn't celebrate the Lantern Festival with much grandeur, as if today weren't a holiday at all.
'It seems that although the people in the city don't seem to care about the external war, it still has some impact. In previous years, even if it wasn't as grand as Jinping Prefecture, there were still lantern parades and such. Today, there isn't even that.'
Su Qing looked up at the bright moon in the sky and couldn't help but think, 'What a pity.'
Then, her gaze fell upon the dejected Su Qingyu. This girl had been the one most eager to go out and play today, but since there were no activities, she was utterly miserable and was currently sulking.
"Poor thing," Su Qing whispered to herself, shaking her head with a smile.
However, no matter how pitiful the girl looked, Su Qing didn't intend to offer much comfort. After all, the girl's mental resilience wasn't weak at all; if it were, she wouldn't have been able to cultivate with her for so long.
Su Qing stood up and walked over to Su Qingyu, who was drawing circles on the ground in her sulk. She patted the girl's head and said, "Come on, let's go to the study. Since there are no activities for the Lantern Festival today, I'll teach you something new."
Hearing this, Su Qingyu looked up at Su Qing in disbelief.
It was already miserable enough that she couldn't go play. Why did she have to go study too? Wasn't this just piling misery upon misery?
"Master, do you really have the heart to do this?" Su Qingyu asked after a moment of stunned silence.
Hearing this, Su Qing's face still held a kind smile as she said, "Of course I do! Besides, don't you want to learn a very cool sword move?"
Su Qingyu was clearly stunned again. After a long silence, she asked, "Is it really very cool?"
"Of course it's very cool! Would I lie to you about this?" Su Qing asked when she saw the girl's skeptical look.
Su Qingyu nodded thoughtfully and said, "Master, the times you've lied to me aren't few at all!"
Su Qing was a bit speechless. She rarely lied to her, alright!
Regardless, Su Qing just said, "Then I'm asking you: do you want to learn it or not?"
"Ugh... I'll learn! Of course I'll learn!" After some deliberation, Su Qingyu finally chose to learn. If she were lied to, it would only be a temporary grievance, but if she missed out on learning it, she might regret it for a lifetime. After all, Su Qing certainly wouldn't offer to teach her a second time.
Seeing that she had taken the bait, Su Qing couldn't help but smile. She nodded and said, "Since you want to learn, then follow me! Don't worry, I definitely won't lie to you."
"The more you say that, Master, the less confident I feel..."
"..." Su Qing was also somewhat speechless. Was she really that untrustworthy?
After a moment of silence, Su Qing gave the girl a light knock on the head and said nothing more, simply turning to walk toward the study.
Seeing this, Su Qingyu hurriedly chased after her.
"Is Master angry?" Su Qingyu leaned in close to Su Qing, looking up at her while keeping pace.
Su Qing chuckled and said, "What do I have to be angry about? But if you can't master that sword move properly, then I will be angry!"
Su Qingyu scratched her head. She felt that her master was indeed a bit angry that she didn't believe her. But could she be blamed? Who told Su Qing to trick her more than once? She had just been tricked so many times that she had become a little bit more cautious.
However, since Su Qing said she wasn't angry, it wouldn't be good to keep pressing the issue. So, she could only nod and stay by Su Qing's side, saying, "Hehehe, I'll definitely learn it well. How could I not study a cool sword move properly?"
Seeing this, Su Qing nodded and said, "Then keep up."
Su Qing was naturally not angry; she wouldn't get upset over such a small matter. As for Su Qingyu, she was just overthinking things. Su Qing's only reason for moving was to get her to follow quickly, as she didn't feel like wasting words. If she were truly angry, things wouldn't end so simply.
As for the sword move... it was indeed beautiful and cool; she hadn't lied about that. However, this set of moves was also quite difficult to learn.
After all, this was a sword technique created by Su Qing herself, so it naturally wasn't easy to master. Although many parts requiring spiritual energy had been simplified and the remaining parts converted to use internal energy, it was still something that an ordinary mortal could not easily learn.
Of course, while the sword move was difficult to learn, its power was also significant. It was the kind of technique where the difficulty of learning was directly proportional to its power.
As for why she was teaching Su Qingyu such a move... it was naturally because Su Qing didn't have many days left to stay in Xingyang City.
With the progression of events and Su Qingyu's growth, Su Qing only needed to stay for a few more years. Therefore, she naturally wanted to work hard during these final years to increase Su Qingyu's strength as much as possible.
She didn't expect the girl to be invincible when she left, but at the very least, she wanted her to be unrivaled at her level.
After all, Su Qing didn't want the little girl she had raised for so many years to end up in the Underworld just a few years after she departed.
Su Qing and Su Qingyu arrived at the study. Su Qing tossed the sword manual directly to Su Qingyu.
"Read it first. If there's anything you don't understand, come and ask me," Su Qing said, then sat down to the side and quietly watched Su Qingyu study.
Although Su Qingyu was speechless that Su Qing said she would teach her but ended up just giving her a manual to read, she still obediently began to look through it. Having studied swordsmanship for so long, she could naturally understand more profound sword manuals. Even if she couldn't understand it completely, she could at least tell if it was powerful.
After just a few brief glances, Su Qingyu was certain that the sword manual Su Qing had given her was indeed incredibly formidable. Most importantly, if she mastered this move, it would definitely be very cool! The power of a technique is temporary, but style is forever.
Upon realizing that the sword move was both cool and powerful, Su Qingyu immediately began to read with even greater focus.
Seeing Su Qingyu's serious expression, Su Qing nodded with satisfaction. It seemed her effort in creating this manual hadn't been a waste of time; the girl truly liked such cool and powerful moves.
'However, this set of moves isn't easy to learn... I wonder how long it will take for you to master it.'
Su Qing watched Su Qingyu's focused expression, resting her head on her hand as she thought, 'I hope you won't disappoint me.'
As she thought this, a smile unconsciously spread across her face.
Time flowed by bit by bit, and soon the Lantern Festival passed.
The next day.
Northern Continent, dao field, bedchamber.
Just as Su Qing had anticipated, she had seen Wukong yesterday, and today he had come to ask for her help.
"What? Your master was snatched away by a demon again while celebrating the Lantern Festival?" Su Qing asked knowingly when she saw Wukong arrive.
Wukong replied dejectedly, "Yes, my master was snatched away by that demon again during the festival!"
"Oh?" Su Qing feigned surprise and asked, "Tell me what happened?"
Wukong gave a brief description of the events.
After listening, Su Qing said, "I suppose I shouldn't have suggested you attend the lantern festival... I didn't expect this."
Wukong shook his head and said, "How can Big Sister be blamed for this? How could Big Sister have known there would be a demon there? If anyone is to be blamed, it's my master's bitter fate... He can't even have a peaceful holiday."
Wukong naturally wouldn't blame Su Qing for such a thing. In his eyes, Su Qing's reminder about the lanterns in Jinping Prefecture was purely out of kindness and had no other motive. Besides, if she had any other motive, she wouldn't have been willing to help him rescue his master every single time.
Therefore, Wukong didn't overthink it.
Seeing this, Su Qing actually felt a bit embarrassed. Although she had only pushed things toward the original plot, she had indeed played a part and wasn't entirely blameless. Yet, Wukong didn't blame her at all, which was more or less awkward.
However, whatever Su Qing was thinking inside, she remained perfectly composed on the surface.
She said, "In that case, you want me to help you deal with the demon so you can rescue your master, right?"
Wukong nodded and asked, "Is Big Sister willing to help?"
"Very well. This matter did start because of me, after all, so it's only natural that I help you," Su Qing nodded and said.
"Thank you, Big Sister! Thank you, Big Sister!" Wukong quickly thanked her, saying, "I'm troubling you again, Big Sister."
Su Qing shook her head and said, "It's a small matter! Besides, I won't be going alone... Palace Mistress Chang'e happens to be here as well. I'll go call her to come along."
"This... Whatever Big Sister decides is fine." Wukong wanted to say something, but then thought it was better to let his Big Sister decide, so he kept quiet.
Su Qing nodded and said, "Then I'll go call Chang'e..."
Wukong said no more, and Su Qing turned to find Chang'e.
Rate on N.U.
