Once a crack in the dam appears, the flood follows. Once the first voice spoke up, there was no stopping the rest.
Before the Prime Minister could even react or say a word...
His demon subordinates began clamoring one after another, declaring their willingness to submit to the Bodhisattva.
One followed another in an endless stream.
Watching this scene, the Prime Minister’s teeth itched with hatred. He had truly raised a pack of ungrateful wolves.
When there were benefits to be had, they flattered him to the extreme. Now that they were faced with a real crisis, every single one of them betrayed him.
How could he not be furious?
Of course, he understood in his heart that he couldn't really blame these demons. If he were in their position, he would likely have made the same choice.
But there were no 'ifs.' In his current position, it was only natural for him to be livid.
However, the surrender of these demons made it difficult for him to admit defeat.
If he surrendered now, what was the point of everything he had done? Wouldn't it all have been a complete waste?
Yet, if he didn't surrender...
Nothing awaited him but death. There was no other outcome.
Should he lose his life for the sake of pride, or should he humbly bow his head to the Bodhisattva for the sake of survival?
The Prime Minister lowered his head in deep thought.
After a long silence, once the cries of surrender finally died down, he found his answer.
But before he could speak, he heard the so-called Bodhisattva’s messenger, Su Qing, speak up.
"Bodhisattva, I ask that you execute the ringleader. If the culprit does not die, the people's indignation will never be appeased!"
The 'Bodhisattva' in the sky did not object. She simply nodded and said, "You are right. The ringleader must die. Though we of the Buddhist path hold compassion in our hearts, one cannot wash away all sins simply by surrendering—especially not the chief culprit."
With that, the Bodhisattva’s gaze fell upon the Prime Minister.
In an instant, the Prime Minister felt his breathing become labored. A weight like ten thousand tons pressed down on him, making him feel an uncontrollable urge to kneel.
He wanted to speak, to repent, and beg the Bodhisattva to spare his life.
But for some reason, he found himself unable to speak. Even opening his mouth was an immense struggle.
It was as if his body no longer belonged to him.
He knew exactly whose handiwork this was, but there was nothing he could do. He could only glare at Su Qing with a mix of despair and resentment.
He knew he was doomed.
Sure enough, the 'Bodhisattva' in the sky spoke again.
"Amitabha... Deliver him."
The Bodhisattva lightly raised her hand, and that beautiful short sword shot out once more. It pierced the Prime Minister’s neck with unerring precision, passing through like a needle through cloth and emerging from the back of his throat.
It was a simple strike, yet exceptionally efficient.
In just a single blow, the Prime Minister was dead—completely and utterly dead.
Up in the sky, Su Qing watched the Prime Minister collapse.
She felt a slight pang of regret.
'What a waste. I hadn't even had my fill of fun yet! If I didn't have to put on a proper performance, I would have played with him a lot longer.'
Su Qing felt quite helpless. She hadn't originally intended to finish off the Prime Minister so quickly. But in her current identity as a 'Bodhisattva,' if she had acted the way Lady Chang'e had back then—especially in front of so many people—all her previous efforts would have gone to waste. Therefore, she had no choice but to end it swiftly and brilliantly.
Of course, Su Qing’s work was not yet finished.
Killing the Prime Minister didn't mean everything was over.
First, there were the demons. Second, there was the blood-mist imperial city the Prime Minister had created. Both required her attention.
After Su Qing effortlessly killed the Prime Minister, the demons who had obediently surrendered all let out sighs of relief.
They congratulated themselves on their cleverness. Had they not surrendered, their fate would surely have been no better than the Prime Minister’s.
"The Bodhisattva is merciful!"
"Truly, the Bodhisattva is compassionate!"
The demons began to shout, as if cheering for the Prime Minister’s death.
They acted as though they had been on Su Qing’s side from the very beginning, as if they had been enemies of the Prime Minister all along. They completely forgot how they had assisted him in his evil deeds.
But while they forgot, Su Qing would not.
In fact, she would make sure they all remembered.
She didn't plan to kill them all indiscriminately; she intended to investigate each one thoroughly to avoid killing any good demons by mistake.
Though, to be honest, she doubted there were many 'good' ones among them.
Still, she decided to proceed this way to remain true to her own principles.
Su Qing looked down at the demons and said calmly, "Why have you not yet revealed your true forms?"
Su Qing didn't plan to hold a trial for these demons here. She didn't want to linger too long, as that would diminish her sense of mystery. Therefore, she planned to pack them up and interrogate them slowly once she returned to the Northern Continent.
Once they were surrounded by her own people, whether she killed them or kept them would be entirely up to her. She wouldn't have to worry about appearances.
As for how she planned to pack them all up? That was simple.
When Pilanpo Bodhisattva had given her the Spider Spirits, she had also sent along a flower basket. That basket was specifically designed to hold living creatures. Using it to store a few demons was no problem at all.
The only issue was the quantity. But that didn't matter; once they reverted to their original forms and shrunk down a bit, she could squeeze them all in.
Naturally, the demons had no idea what Su Qing was thinking. Hearing her command, they all cast spells to revert to their original shapes.
In an instant, the demons who had looked like men transformed into a menagerie of animals.
The once 'lively' hall now looked like a zoo. It was quite an amusing sight, especially to Su Qing.
However, she didn't have time to enjoy the view. She formed a hand seal and, with a wave of her sleeve, swept all the demons into the flower basket.
The act wasn't particularly flashy, but in the eyes of the mortals below, it was terrifyingly divine.
In that moment, whether they had previously believed in One-Leaf Bodhisattva or not, everyone began to pray to her in silence.
Unfortunately, Su Qing was busy and had no time to listen to their prayers.
After collecting the demons, she performed several more hand seals.
The first seal broke the array within the imperial city.
The second seal cleansed the lingering evil Qi and the array's influence.
The third seal dispersed the thick, demonic clouds in the sky.
The final seal was simply to add some special effects, making the scene appear even more miraculous and intuitive.
In short, whatever she did, she had to make sure people saw it. If someone called it political theater, Su Qing wouldn't deny it.
She needed Incense Power, and doing this was the most direct way to plant the image of a powerful Bodhisattva in their hearts. Such a show was necessary, even if it was a bit troublesome. Besides, she wasn't just faking it; she really was cleaning up the evil and demonic Qi.
Ordinary people living in such an environment would constantly fall ill, no matter how healthy they were. Moreover, because of the array, there was a lot of malevolent energy. If left uncleaned, it would lead to far worse things than simple illness. Su Qing was genuinely doing a good deed.
On the ground, the people watching these events felt their already shocked nerves become even more stunned.
"Is this a Bodhisattva?"
"So beautiful, so powerful!"
"Amitabha. When I go back today, I must offer several sticks of incense to One-Leaf Bodhisattva. This is a living Bodhisattva; I must pray for her protection."
"Bodhisattva protect us! Bodhisattva protect us!"
The soldiers who had followed the Commandery Princess into the palace and witnessed everything had various thoughts, but they all shared one common resolution: they would definitely go and worship the Bodhisattva after this.
If there was a temple, they would visit it. If not, they would find a portrait of the Bodhisattva to venerate.
Without a doubt, after today, the Incense Power of One-Leaf Bodhisattva would reach a peak.
Furthermore, according to her agreement with Ye Qingyu, One-Leaf Bodhisattva would soon become the faith promoted by the imperial family.
The Princess looked up at the Bodhisattva in the sky, her mind drifting as she wondered about many things.
In the sky, after finishing her work, Su Qing let out a long breath of turbid air.
She then spoke to the Princess. "You have done well. You have courage and indeed possess the bearing of a ruler. I hope you will be a good emperor in the future!"
Su Qing said this to use her own 'prestige' to help the Princess solidify her status. By saying this, she was effectively endorsing her as the new emperor. This would give the Princess's ascension much more legitimacy.
Hearing these words, the Princess immediately understood the Bodhisattva's intent. She bowed deeply and said, "Please rest assured, Bodhisattva. I will not fail your expectations. I will be a good emperor, ensuring the people live in peace and the country grows strong!"
Seeing how clever the Princess was, Su Qing nodded in satisfaction. "Good. Now that the great demon ringleader has been removed, it is time for me to depart! Go and do what you must!"
With that, Su Qing beckoned to her clone, who walked over to her side.
The clone pressed her palms together toward the Princess and said, "Amitabha. We shall meet again, Princess!"
Then, Su Qing and her clone departed on a cloud. Even as they left, they made sure to keep the 'special effects' running all the way. One could say that Su Qing’s exit was just as beautiful as her entrance.
They left the Princess and the mortals standing there, staring blankly in the direction Su Qing had vanished.
They remained in a daze for a long time, only snapping out of it once Su Qing and her clone were completely out of sight.
At this moment, no one cared what would happen to the demons. They had far too much work to do.
And so, the Princess—or rather, the Empress—called everyone to action to begin the tasks ahead.
Time passed slowly. Once the Empress had arranged most of the affairs, she looked toward the distant sky and thought to herself, 'Will she... will she ever come back? Or is she gone forever?'
She didn't know the answer yet.
But it didn't matter. As long as the medical clinic was still there, she still had a way to find out where Su Qing was.
Meanwhile, halfway through her flight, Su Qing sent her clone back to Xingyang City while she personally took the demons back to the Northern Continent.
The clone steered her cloud and landed silently back in Xingyang City, returning to her home.
Inside the house, even though such a massive event had occurred today, no one seemed particularly concerned. Everyone appeared to be sleeping soundly.
Everyone except... Jin Xin.
When Su Qing returned, Jin Xin immediately came to her side.
"Is Sister finished with her business?" Jin Xin knew about Su Qing's affairs and what she had been busy with.
Su Qing nodded and said, "Yes, I'm back! But I didn't expect you to be waiting for me!"
"Of course! Since Sister left, I've been too restless to eat or sleep!" Jin Xin looked at Su Qing with a beaming smile. "If Sister hadn't come back, I probably wouldn't have been able to sleep at all. I would have waited here forever!"
Hearing this, Su Qing rolled her eyes. "You're really avoiding the question."
Jin Xin pouted. "How is that avoiding the question? It's just answering with my love for Sister~"
"..." Su Qing couldn't be bothered to argue. She simply asked, "They're sleeping so soundly. Was that your doing?"
"Sister is indeed Sister... so clever." Jin Xin didn't lie and admitted it openly. "I added a little something to the dinner so they wouldn't be disturbed by tonight's events. They can enjoy a peaceful night's sleep~ But... now that they're all dead to the world, why don't Sister and I have some fun?"
Su Qing was speechless. This girl was truly incorrigible; she never forgot her flirtatious talk. Su Qing tapped her lightly on the forehead and said, "Thank you for your hard work. But as for the 'fun,' let's skip it. I'm a bit tired and want to rest."
"Oh? Then does Sister need me to heat some water for you? Or perhaps warm your bed?" Jin Xin asked again.
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