The three of them walked into the backyard together.
Su Qing had already sent the girl who was usually practicing her sword there away to play. The girl had originally planned to stay behind and eavesdrop on the excitement, but unfortunately, Su Qing wasn't about to give her that chance. Upon realizing the girl's intentions, she immediately had Hu Lin'er lead her out to prevent her from disturbing the conversation with Ye Qingyu and the others.
Besides, the conversation Su Qing was about to have wasn't something a child should be listening to.
"Please, both of you, take a seat. My clinic is a bit humble; I hope you don't mind," Su Qing said, gesturing for them to sit.
Ye Qingyu and Liu Qian naturally didn't mind. They shook their heads quickly, and Ye Qingyu said, "Sister, your clinic is anything but humble."
"How could I ever dare to look down on your abode, My Lady?" Liu Qian added.
Su Qing smiled at their responses but didn't take them to heart. Her words were merely polite pleasantries; she didn't actually care if anyone looked down on her environment. She simply wanted them to sit down and talk.
Once they were seated, Su Qing quietly cast a soundproofing spell as a precaution. It was better to avoid anyone eavesdropping and causing trouble later.
"Alright, let's not waste time with useless pleasantries. Let's talk business," Su Qing said, looking at Ye Qingyu. "How does it feel to be the Empress?"
Ye Qingyu let out a soft sigh. "It's a mountain of trouble. The mess my father left behind is far too large; it will likely take a long time to clean it all up. As for the temple I promised to build for the Bodhisattva, I expect I'll have to wait until the situation stabilizes a bit more before construction can begin. After all, the people come first. I must prioritize their livelihoods."
Su Qing didn't mind. "It's fine. That is as it should be. If you were to force the commoners to build a temple at a time like this, I would actually be quite displeased."
Su Qing didn't particularly care when the temple Ye Qingyu promised would be finished. To some extent, her goal had already been achieved. Temples built spontaneously by the commoners were popping up everywhere, and her Incense Power was growing. Whether Ye Qingyu officially established a temple or not didn't have a massive impact anymore; it would merely be gilding the lily. Naturally, Su Qing wasn't in a hurry.
"I haven't forced anyone... but it seems many temples for the Bodhisattva have indeed appeared among the people. Though they are simple, they were clearly built by the commoners of their own volition. It's just that the official one will still take some time," Ye Qingyu explained, shaking her head.
The temples built by the commoners didn't count as her fulfilling her promise, as those were private actions. Her promise was to build a grand temple in the name of the Emperor. Thus, they were two separate matters.
Su Qing waved her hand. "No rush, no rush. We have plenty of time."
"It's good that you aren't in a hurry, Sister! By the way, do you plan to continue staying in Xingyang City?" Ye Qingyu asked after a moment of thought.
Su Qing nodded. "Naturally, I'll stay... at least until Su Qingyu is ten years old. If she still lacks the ability to stand on her own by then, I might stay another year or two for her sake... but I certainly won't stay here forever."
Su Qing had no intention of hiding this from her. It wasn't a major secret, and her eventual departure wouldn't be something she could hide anyway.
Upon hearing Su Qing's answer, Ye Qingyu fell silent for a moment before nodding.
She wished Su Qing would stay in Xingyang City forever so she would always have such a powerful ally. However, if Su Qing wanted to leave, Ye Qingyu had no way to stop her. After all, how could a mortal control the affairs of an immortal?
"You can rest easy, Sister. Now that I am the Empress, I will have the power to protect her after you leave. I certainly won't let your person suffer any grievances in my kingdom," Ye Qingyu promised with a nod. "I only hope that after you leave, you'll occasionally come back to visit. After all, I will miss you dearly if I cannot see you."
These words weren't mere flattery; they were her genuine feelings. She had no reason to lie about such things.
Su Qing chuckled softly. "With you here, I am naturally at ease regarding Su Qingyu's safety. After all, you have never been one to break your word. As for whether I'll return... well, I will certainly come back to see you. However, I might not look the same as I do now, and I might not necessarily reveal my identity to you. After all, my perception of time is quite different from yours."
Su Qing didn't state everything explicitly, as being too clear could be cruel. She was an immortal, while Ye Qingyu and Su Qingyu were mortals. Their lifespans were barely a century, whereas hers was incredibly long. Even with the Great Tribulation of Heaven and Earth looming, she would still outlive any mortal by far.
Therefore, a period that seemed short to her might encompass a lifetime for others. By the time they met again, they might be white-haired old women while she remained unchanged. Such a scene would be more or less heart-wrenching. Thus, while Su Qing said she would return, she couldn't be certain of the circumstances. It would depend on whether she could come to terms with it then. If she could, they would meet; if not, she might watch them from the shadows or simply never appear again.
Ultimately, only the future Su Qing could decide.
Ye Qingyu didn't know what Su Qing was thinking, but she felt a slight sense of relief at the answer.
"Since you say so, Sister, I am relieved," Ye Qingyu said with a smile. "By the way, since you'll be here for so much longer, please come to the palace to visit whenever you're free. Now that I'm the Empress, my opportunities to leave the palace are fewer, and my chances to visit you will naturally decrease. It will be difficult for me to see you in the future, so I'll have to trouble you to come find me occasionally."
Su Qing replied casually, "It's fine. When I want to see you, I'll naturally go find you."
"Then it's a deal," Ye Qingyu said, nodding.
Su Qing nodded with a smile and then turned her gaze toward Liu Qian—the external help she had picked up by chance.
Looking at her, Su Qing asked, "And you? Do you plan to continue serving as an official in the mortal world as you did before? If you intend to stay in office, I will lend you a hand. If you have other ideas, you can tell me, and I'll see if I can help. Since you've helped me with so many things, it's only right that I pay you your reward. I'm not the type to let my friends work for nothing."
Liu Qian was momentarily stunned by the sudden shift in topic, but as a demon who had lived for many years, her mind worked quickly. After a brief reflection, she spoke.
"I plan to continue being an official for a few more decades. As for where I'll go after that, I haven't decided yet. Whether I'll take on a new identity and continue playing at being an official, return to the deep mountains to live in seclusion, or simply wander the world, I'm not sure right now."
Su Qing nodded. "In that case, we shall proceed as originally agreed. I will go to the Bodhisattva to secure a Buddhist identity for you as an Earthly Manifestation. This will give you an official status. As long as you do not commit evil or provoke heaven's wrath, the Bodhisattva will provide you with endorsement. Furthermore, with such a status, many will have to weigh their own standing before they dare to raise a hand against you."
Su Qing would naturally fulfill the benefits she had promised. Besides, it wasn't a particularly difficult task for her; it was merely giving the other party a title. Liu Qian wasn't a bad person, and she had done much for the mortal world during her years as an official. Thus, there was no issue with Su Qing granting her such a status.
Liu Qian wasn't too surprised; it was only natural for Su Qing to follow through on her word.
"Then I thank you..."
"There's no need for thanks. You've done so much for me; this is a reward you've earned."
"The Bodhisattva's endorsement is exceptionally important to me; it will save me a lot of trouble. So, I truly must thank you."
"Fine, have it your way," Su Qing said, shaking her head with a smile. "By the way, when you no longer wish to be an official in the mortal world, you can go to the Changbai Mountains and ask the Mountain God for a job. She has a town at the foot of the mountain populated by demons like yourself. If you're willing, you can serve as an official there."
"Oh? This is the first I've heard of it. I didn't realize the Lord of Changbai Mountain had built a town..." Liu Qian was quite surprised by this news. "When I'm done here, I'll go have a look. I just don't know if the Mountain God will still want me then."
"The Mountain God is good friends with One-Leaf Bodhisattva, and she is indeed short on people, so she will definitely take you if you go," Su Qing said with a gentle smile, continuing to spin her tale without a hint of a blush. "In the future, if you become a subordinate of the Mountain God, you'll have the backing of both Buddhist and Daoist powers. As long as you don't voluntarily give up that status or get struck from the records for committing a great evil, you'll practically be able to walk anywhere in the world with your head held high. I doubt any short-sighted immortal would dare to lay a finger on you... even if they are stronger, they'll have to consider who stands behind you."
Su Qing admitted to herself that her words were a bit narcissistic and boastful, and she felt a tiny bit embarrassed... but most of what she said was fact. Her mountain wasn't just any small hill, and the Bodhisattva wasn't some minor deity. These two identities combined carried significant weight in both the Heavenly Court and the Buddhist Court. People would certainly show respect to her subordinates.
Moreover, since the person in question hadn't done anything wrong, no one would go out of their way to cause trouble unless they were out of their minds. Even if Liu Qian did make a mistake, as long as it wasn't catastrophic, the immortals would likely turn a blind eye out of respect for Su Qing. Even if they did act, they wouldn't go for the kill; they would at most capture her and return her to Su Qing with a request to keep a better watch over her. How Su Qing handled it then would be another matter entirely.
Liu Qian nodded in agreement as she listened. Being a clever person, she understood the implications. She knew well that the Changbai Mountains were no small territory, and therefore, its Mountain God was no minor deity. It was only natural for such a figure to have significant influence.
"If the Lord of Changbai Mountain is still short on people in the future, then after I finish these decades with Her Majesty, I'll go work for the Lord. I've never worked under a deity before!" Liu Qian said with a laugh.
Su Qing shook her head slightly. "Working under a deity comes with a lot of pressure."
"Where can one work without pressure?" Liu Qian countered.
Su Qing didn't argue, as that was indeed the truth.
After they finished discussing these serious matters, Su Qing continued to chat with them about other things. While these weren't exactly vital affairs, they weren't trivialities either. And so, as they talked, more than an hour passed before they realized it.
When they finally snapped back to the present, they saw that it was getting late.
Thus, Su Qing spoke up. "It's getting late, and we've said about all there is to say. You two should head back. You are the Empress now, and having just ascended the throne, your ministers will likely panic if you're gone for too long. As for you, if I'm not mistaken, your current status is quite high... staying away with the Empress for this long isn't ideal."
Having talked for so long, Su Qing had run out of topics, so she simply ended the conversation and urged them to return.
The two of them also felt they had covered enough ground. When Su Qing brought it up, they didn't refuse. They nodded and said, "It is indeed late... it's time we returned."
"Next time, if you miss me, Sister, you can come to the palace whenever you like. As long as I'm free, I will certainly come to see you. And even if I'm not, I'll make time! After all, you are my best sister," Ye Qingyu said to Su Qing as she prepared to leave.
Su Qing chuckled, not taking it too seriously. She simply nodded and said, "I know. If I miss you, I'll come find you directly. However, I likely won't announce myself; I'll just show up. Don't be frightened when I do."
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