Ao Yiyi didn't find Su Qing’s affectionate way of addressing her strange at all. She had long since grown used to it. After living together for so many years, titles and forms of address had become trivial matters. As long as Su Qing didn't call her something truly bizarre, it was fine.
Ao Yiyi simply turned to Su Qing and asked, "Is something the matter?"
Su Qing didn't answer immediately. Instead, she walked toward the study, beckoning her with a wave. "Just come with me. Are you afraid I’m going to play a prank on you?"
Ao Yiyi shook her head. She naturally wasn't afraid of Su Qing playing tricks on her. Even if Su Qing were bored, she wouldn't target her. When Su Qing was truly bored, she preferred to tease Su Qingyu. Teasing those young girls was far more entertaining than messing with her. So, she wasn't worried.
She just didn't understand what could be so important that Su Qing suddenly wanted her in the study. Was it some kind of secret? But since Su Qing wasn't talking, she didn't bother guessing and simply followed her. The study wasn't far; she would find out soon enough.
The two of them walked one after the other. After they left, Su Qingyu intended to eavesdrop, but before she could get very far, she was pulled away by Li Yichou to have her cultivation progress tested. Naturally, Li Yichou was acting on Su Qing’s orders. Su Qing didn't want the little girl listening at the door. While the topic wasn't necessarily forbidden, she simply disliked eavesdroppers, so she made sure to have her guarded.
Inside the study, Su Qing and Ao Yiyi sat on opposite sides of a desk. On the desk, besides paper and brushes, sat a jar of fine wine Su Qing had brewed herself. Su Qing didn't start the conversation immediately. First, she poured a cup for herself and one for Ao Yiyi.
Looking at the clear, transparent liquid in her cup, she said, "The Commandery Princess came to see me today to discuss her upcoming plans..."
"Sister... you know I don't drink," Ao Yiyi said, declining the wine before responding to Su Qing's words. "If I break my precepts, my Master will certainly be displeased."
"I forgot how much you care about those Buddhist precepts. Fine, if you won't drink, I'll have it all myself." Su Qing didn't force her. If Ao Yiyi cared about her rules, Su Qing wouldn't push; after all, she was a member of the Buddhist sect.
Ao Yiyi smiled and pushed the cup back toward Su Qing before answering the previous point. "So... what kind of plans does she have? And what do you intend to do?"
Su Qing rubbed her chin and gave a light laugh. "My intention? I plan to cooperate with her. Whatever she needs help with, I'll provide it. I'll make sure her plan proceeds smoothly. Also, I'm telling you this so you can prepare yourself. When the time comes, there will definitely be some unrest in the city. You are the strongest person here besides me, so I hope you can help me protect everyone. After all, even though we are immortals, there are mortals in this household. I wouldn't want to see them get hurt because of the chaos."
Because Su Qing needed to coordinate with the Princess's plans, she wouldn't have much time to keep an eye on the house. That was why she asked for Ao Yiyi's help. Su Qing couldn't just focus on the Princess; while that was important, she would never forgive herself if those close to her were harmed in the process.
"Me? That’s no problem at all. Even if you hadn't said anything, Sister, I would have done it. This is my home, too, and everyone here is my friend." Ao Yiyi nodded without hesitation. "By the way, should we tell Jin Xin? Although I don't think the unrest will affect us much, if you're worried, Sister, it would be safer to include her. She isn't any weaker than I am."
Su Qing rubbed her chin and nodded with a smile. "Yes, naturally we should tell her... but you should be the one to do it. If I seek her out privately, I’m afraid she’ll get all touchy-feely again."
Su Qing hadn't thought of Jin Xin initially because Jin Xin wasn't around at the time, which was why she only called Ao Yiyi. If she had to seek Jin Xin out alone later... she felt it wasn't quite safe. After all, everyone knew what Jin Xin’s personality was like.
"Afraid of her getting touchy-feely?" Ao Yiyi tilted her head. "Actually, I’ve been curious for a while. You clearly like girls, so why do you always reject her when she takes the initiative?"
"Well, those are two different things. I am someone who guards my purity, after all." Su Qing crossed her arms and nodded confidently. "Besides, she doesn't actually have any special feelings for me; she mostly just wants to figure certain things out. I don't like doing 'that' for such a purpose. You understand what I’m saying, right?"
Of course, there was another very important reason: this was her clone, not her original body. There was always a bit of a mental barrier.
Ao Yiyi didn't know Su Qing's true considerations. She just blinked after hearing the explanation. "I understand a bit, but not entirely."
Ao Yiyi was a member of the Buddhist sect, after all. While she knew of such matters, her understanding was limited. She hadn't read any 'spicy' books, unlike Ao Ying who had read them all, or Jin Xin who was full of flirtatious talk.
Su Qing knew she didn't get it, so she didn't bother explaining further. She smiled and drained her cup. "Alright, if you don't get it, you don't get it. It doesn't matter much. Just know that I have my reasons."
Ao Yiyi didn't dwell on it. She nodded and asked, "So, Sister Qing, what exactly is the Commandery Princess's plan?"
Su Qing didn't go into excessive detail, just giving a brief overview. After listening, Ao Yiyi looked slightly dazed. "Is that so? It seems even the Princess can't account for everything. But even with a plan like that, you still intend to cooperate?"
"Yes, the plan itself doesn't matter. In the end, it will come down to a decisive battle between me and him. As long as the Princess achieves her goal, everything else is secondary," Su Qing repeated her earlier sentiment. Ao Yiyi nodded, understanding Su Qing's perspective.
"You really do look out for others, Sister Qing," Ao Yiyi said helplessly.
Su Qing chuckled and shook her head. "Me? I’m only looking out for myself."
"You always say that," Ao Yiyi remarked.
Su Qing offered a squinty-eyed smile and didn't explain further. Seeing this, Ao Yiyi tactfully stopped asking. She simply said, "Then, Sister... is there anything else you need to settle?"
Su Qing shook her head. "That should be all for now."
"Then I'll head back first."
"Alright!" Su Qing nodded. "Dinner should be ready soon. Let's go eat together."
Ao Yiyi smiled and nodded, accompanying Su Qing to dinner. Once that matter was settled, time continued to flow as usual. Everything was moving forward steadily, step by step.
Meanwhile, in the Northern Continent, Su Qing had just dealt with another disaster zone and returned to her domain. This was the third natural disaster she had handled recently. These weren't disasters planned by the Heavenly Court, but purely natural occurrences.
Back at home, Su Qing slumped into her chair, looking utterly lazy. She was exhausted from running back and forth lately.
"Natural disasters are becoming more frequent... it's so annoying," Su Qing sighed helplessly. "It looks like after the Journey to the West ends, the world will become even more chaotic."
Su Qing was a bit frustrated. While such conditions were better for developing Incense Power, she honestly didn't want too many disasters. For one, she was too busy to handle them all, and for another, the suffering of the common people was truly pitiable.
Just as Su Qing was lamenting her workload, a familiar Auspicious Cloud appeared in the sky. Though familiar, she didn't immediately recognize who it was—she knew far too many people who used such clouds.
Su Qing narrowed her eyes against the glaring sunlight and finally saw the person on the cloud. "Sister Chang'e... what are you doing here?" she muttered to herself.
Though she spoke as if to herself, the person on the cloud could hear her clearly. Chang'e lowered the cloud and landed beside Su Qing. "The time is right. We should go retrieve Yuer."
Su Qing’s eyebrows shot up. "They’ve already reached Yuer’s place?"
Su Qing hadn't checked on the progress of the westward group for a while, so she wasn't sure where Wukong and the others were.
"Yes! They’ve arrived," Chang'e nodded with a smile. "Actually, they should have arrived earlier, but Guanyin Bodhisattva added a few more difficulties to make sure the count of tribulations matched. They had to travel a bit longer."
Hearing this, Su Qing couldn't help but curl her lip. "Guanyin Bodhisattva is really something, obsessed with matching the numbers. What would happen if the count didn't match? They say disrupting fate can delay the Heavenly Tribulation, yet here they are forcing everything to match... it's honestly a bit ridiculous."
Su Qing grumbled, though she knew many of the underlying reasons. She just wanted to complain. It was purely an opportunity to vent her lingering grievances against Guanyin Bodhisattva.
Chang'e just smiled as she listened to Su Qing’s complaints. She didn't join in, but she didn't defend Guanyin either; she knew Su Qing held a deep grudge. "So, are you coming with me?" Chang'e asked playfully.
Su Qing nodded. "Since you’ve come all this way, Sister, how could I not? But you seem to be in a very good mood. You must be quite happy that Yuer is coming back."
Chang'e paused. "Is it that obvious?"
"It’s practically written on your face," Su Qing rolled her eyes. "Could it be any more obvious?"
"I am indeed happy! Once she’s back, I won't have to handle so much paperwork alone."
Su Qing said speechlessly, "Your reason is certainly pragmatic, Sister..."
Chang'e put her hands on her hips. "Of course!"
"You’re actually proud of it," Su Qing sighed.
Chang'e chuckled, not feeling embarrassed at all. Su Qing gave up on teasing her and said, "Fine, are we leaving or not?"
"Of course we are!" Chang'e nodded. "But once we get there, don't be in a hurry to intervene. Wait until Yuer is defeated. We have to time our entrance perfectly..."
Su Qing glanced at her but didn't ask questions. Chang'e had her own considerations, and Su Qing was too lazy to pry. "Fine, fine, I understand. I'll follow your lead, Sister."
Satisfied, Chang'e pointed toward the horizon. "Good. Then let’s... set off!"
Su Qing smiled helplessly and followed her. Both Su Qing and Chang'e were incredibly fast. In a short time, they arrived in the skies above the Kingdom of Tianzhu.
Down below, a great battle was currently unfolding. Calling it a 'great battle' was a bit of an exaggeration, as it wasn't particularly intense. Wukong wasn't using his full strength, and Yuer was fighting half-heartedly. Neither was giving their all, though the spectacle looked terrifying to onlookers.
Clearly, Wukong had recognized Yuer, which was why he wasn't being serious. Normally, Wukong and Yuer weren't close, so there would be no reason to hold back. However, Yuer was Chang'e's attendant, and Chang'e was Su Qing's sister. Therefore, he naturally had to pull his punches to avoid actually killing her.
As for Yuer, she was purely there to put on a show. She had no intention of risking her life. Why put in maximum effort for such a measly salary? Thus, while the battle looked fierce and intimidating, neither side was truly trying.
Rate on N.U.
