After many years apart...
The plaque outside Baixing Nunnery had weathered even more, showing the clear signs of exposure to sun and wind.
However, while the plaque was old, the temple itself was well-maintained. It was obvious that the incense power gathered here in recent years was quite substantial.
Chaoyan gazed at the familiar nunnery, her mind drifting for a moment as she fell into memories of the past. However, the lapse was only brief, and she quickly pulled herself back to the present.
The people most important to her had never left; they were right by her side. Why should she remain perpetually nostalgic for a mere place? She had come here simply to commemorate her past and to see the friends she had once lived with.
"Godmother... let's go in," Chaoyan said, exhaling as she forced a relaxed smile.
Su Qing looked at her with a hint of curiosity, but she didn't ask any questions. She simply nodded with a light smile and said, "Let’s go! We’ll go see those old friends of yours."
They stepped into the nunnery.
Inside were many devout men and women who had come to offer incense. Upon seeing them, Chaoyan looked toward the statue of Guanyin Bodhisattva and followed suit, offering her own incense.
Guanyin was her master; it was only natural and proper for her to pay her respects.
Once the offering was finished, Su Qing took Red Boy to wander through other parts of the nunnery. As for Chaoyan, Su Qing let her go off on her own to catch up with her friends, choosing not to interfere or participate.
After all, she wasn't familiar with these people. The only one she really knew was Guanyin Bodhisattva, and she wasn't currently there. Following Chaoyan around and watching her talk to strangers would be somewhat awkward.
Though Su Qing could be thick-skinned, she wasn't shameless in every situation. Thus, she let Chaoyan chat in peace while she took Red Boy to play elsewhere.
Chaoyan understood Su Qing’s intentions. After Su Qing and Red Boy left, she ran off to find the current Abbess.
The Abbess was her Senior Sister. Although in a sense she was also a disciple of Guanyin Bodhisattva, she had never practiced any spells; she was merely an ordinary person well-versed in Buddhist teachings.
"You? Junior Sister... you're back?" The Abbess recognized Chaoyan at a single glance.
Chaoyan had changed her appearance, but not by much; it was simply a projection of what she would look like as an adult. Therefore, even though the Abbess couldn't see through Chaoyan's transformation, she could still identify her.
Chaoyan nodded slightly and said with a smile, "Yes, Senior Sister, I’m back."
The Abbess was stunned for a good while before her face lit up with joy. She pulled Chaoyan aside to chat.
The two were old acquaintances, and a reunion after such a long separation naturally provided plenty of topics to discuss.
Meanwhile, Su Qing and Red Boy found little to do within the nunnery, so they sat in a pavilion to talk.
And so, over an hour passed in the blink of an eye.
After so much time had passed, the one who was always the most restless began to grow impatient. Red Boy crossed her arms and said grumpily, "How is Chaoyan still not done talking! Maybe we should go out for a stroll first! Or, we could go punish those people who stole your things, Sister Xiao Qing."
Red Boy couldn't stay still. Even with Su Qing there to keep her company, she was restless. After all, topics of conversation eventually run dry. No matter how talkative someone is, they can't talk forever.
Having chatted for so long, Red Boy had finally run out of things to say, which was why she was starting to fidget.
Su Qing shook her head and rejected the suggestion. Now was not the time to punish the thieves, and they certainly couldn't just leave Chaoyan behind.
If Chaoyan came out and couldn't find them, she would surely be anxious.
"No... now is not the time to leave," Su Qing said.
Though Su Qing didn't offer a detailed explanation, her intent to stay was clear. Seeing that Su Qing wouldn't elaborate, Red Boy could only pout and continue swinging her legs as she sat beside her, waiting in boredom.
Perhaps Chaoyan also realized she had been talking for a long time. Shortly after Su Qing and Red Boy finished their exchange, Chaoyan emerged from the interior, with the Abbess following behind her.
"Amitabha. Greetings, Benefactor Su..." Upon reaching Su Qing, the Abbess performed a respectful Buddhist salute. "Thank you for taking care of my Junior Sister."
Chaoyan was her Junior Sister, and Su Qing was Chaoyan’s godmother. By seniority, she and Chaoyan were of the same generation, so Chaoyan’s elder was naturally her elder as well. Even though she was now the Abbess, she had to maintain her respect for Su Qing.
Su Qing rose and returned the salute. "You are too polite. Chaoyan is my goddaughter; it is only right that I look after her. Are you two finished catching up?"
"To answer the Benefactor, we have finished. I have come out to see my Junior Sister off," the Abbess replied.
Su Qing nodded. "You don't want to talk a bit longer?"
"We have talked for so long; whatever needed to be said has already been said. I know now that my Junior Sister is living well, so why should I hold onto her and refuse to let go?" The Abbess smiled and shook her head.
Su Qing looked at her with a hint of surprise. The Abbess’s cultivation in Buddhist philosophy was quite deep; she was very open-minded. She nodded and said, "In that case, we shall trouble the Abbess to see us out."
It wasn't that they couldn't find their own way out, of course. Saying this was simply a way to inform the Abbess that they intended to leave.
The Abbess understood the implication and nodded with a faint smile. "Benefactor, please."
Su Qing nodded in acknowledgement, called for Red Boy, and they left the nunnery together.
Once outside, Chaoyan let out a long, deep breath.
Seeing this, Su Qing asked curiously, "What’s wrong? You look like you’ve just been relieved of a great burden. Is there something unpleasant about revisiting your old home?"
"Unpleasant? No, not really... it’s just that I’m struck by how much Senior Sister has changed over the years," Chaoyan explained after a moment of thought. "In the past, she wasn't so mature... she didn't have that aura of an elder at all. But after meeting her this time, I felt like I was facing one of my own elders... only a few years have passed, so why is the change so drastic?"
Su Qing felt a bit helpless but also found it slightly amusing. She said, "She is the Abbess now; she carries more responsibility. Naturally, she had to become more mature."
Hearing this, Chaoyan looked up at the sky and nodded. "Is that so? But why... why haven't I changed at all? I feel like I haven't grown an inch. Sigh, but I really do miss how she used to be."
"Nostalgia is all it can be now... she is not an immortal cultivator." Su Qing fell silent for a moment before finishing her thought: "Her lifespan is not as long as yours. She must grow constantly, and she cannot afford to be slow."
"I... I know." Chaoyan was no fool, nor was she a truly ignorant child; she understood Su Qing’s meaning. She was simple, not stupid.
Seeing that she understood, Su Qing said, "Alright, don't dwell on it. It’s getting late, let’s head back."
Chaoyan nodded and followed Su Qing toward home. Beside them, Red Boy hadn't been able to get a word in.
Once the two finished speaking, she finally spoke up. "Why do I feel like I’m being excluded! What are you two even talking about? I don't understand any of it!"
Su Qing reached out and patted her head. "It’s fine if you don't understand. All you need to know is that we’re going back to eat."
Red Boy rolled her eyes and said crossly, "Sister Xiao Qing, you’re treating me like a child again! I’m not a child~
"In my eyes, both you and Chaoyan are children," Su Qing said.
Red Boy pouted and huffed, "Hmph."
After that, she didn't bother saying anything else and obediently followed them back to eat. She realized she could never win an argument against Su Qing, so she figured it was better to stop wasting her breath.
The three of them didn't walk quickly. Just like on their way there, they played and explored as they went. Along the way, they visited every stall they had missed, saw everything they hadn't seen, and ate everything they hadn't tasted.
They walked very slowly, and it wasn't until the sun had dipped below the horizon that the three of them finally arrived home.
After wandering and playing for so long, Red Boy’s earlier anger and dissatisfaction had vanished. As for Chaoyan, her slightly somber mood had also finally recovered. Thus, when they stepped back into the house, everyone was back to the state they were in when they first set out.
By the time they returned, dinner was already prepared. It had been readied by the maid and Old Lady Yu. The meal was simple—just some home-cooked coarse tea and simple food.
After dinner, the three of them washed up briefly. Once that was done, Su Qing urged Chaoyan and Red Boy to head to bed immediately.
Normally, Su Qing wouldn't be in such a hurry to send the two of them to sleep. However, because she had things to do alone tonight, she had no choice. Only once these two were asleep could she go about her business with peace of mind.
She wouldn't have to worry about the girls disturbing her or quietly following her.
Chaoyan and Red Boy were naturally a bit displeased with Su Qing’s insistence that they rest. They also understood the reason behind her urging... but even knowing why, they had no choice. Su Qing’s firm attitude left them with no room to refuse.
In the end, they were sent off to rest by Su Qing. However, neither of them actually fell asleep; both remained awake, lost in their own thoughts.
Su Qing didn't know what the two girls were thinking. Once she had seen them off to bed, she used the cover of night to take action. She had said she would punish those who stole her things, and now was the time to do it.
Su Qing performed a hand seal and flew into the sky on her Somersault Cloud. Then, with another seal, she placed a barrier over her residence.
"Hmm, with the strength of those two, it’s unlikely they can break this array. Hmph, those two little ones surely didn't think I wouldn't prepare a backup plan, did they?"
Although Su Qing wasn't sure if the two would try to follow her to watch the show, she had made extra preparations just to be safe. Once the spell was cast, Su Qing headed toward the locations she had calculated earlier that day.
It was time to reclaim what was hers.
Only a few breaths after Su Qing left, Chaoyan and Red Boy attempted to ride their clouds in the direction she had gone. But just as they took flight, they slammed headfirst into something invisible and fell back to the ground in a heap.
"I should have known..." Red Boy rubbed her forehead. The impact made her head ring; it was quite unpleasant.
Chaoyan climbed up silently and elegantly brushed the dust off her clothes. "Actually... even if we did follow her, we would probably lose her anyway, right? After all, Godmother is very fast."
Red Boy pouted and said dismissively, "So what? You have to try, don't you?"
"And now?"
"We failed. It’s obvious... are you stupid?"
"Tch," Chaoyan said, speechless. "Aren't you the stupid one?"
Red Boy and Chaoyan began bickering again. Without Su Qing around, it was almost impossible for these two not to argue.
Su Qing didn't care much about what was happening at home, nor was she worried. She simply rode her cloud and soon arrived above the home of the first household.
"Hmm, doing this will definitely leave the potential for legends to form. But if I use it correctly, it might actually help me gain some incense power, right? It all depends on how I frame the legend..."
Su Qing stroked her chin. As she held the hand seal, she couldn't help but think about this. Back when she dealt with the Golden-Winged Great Peng, she hadn't had much experience and was a bit too concerned with her dignity, so she hadn't made good use of that opportunity.
This time, however, Su Qing wouldn't be so concerned with appearances. She wouldn't miss the chance to earn incense power.
Su Qing exhaled, her thoughts gradually calming. She couldn't have too many distracting thoughts while casting spells; focus was key. She would do what needed to be done first, and the rest could follow.
As the spell was cast, the house below began to undergo many silent changes.
Rate on N.U.
