The Earth Vein beneath Flower-Fruit Mountain was the Ancestral Vein...
It could be considered the most powerful Earth Vein of all.
Only such a formidable Earth Vein could have nurtured a world-defying existence like Sun Wukong.
If such a vein were to undergo a mutation...
Su Qing found it difficult to imagine how terrifying that would be.
After all, the mutation of the Earth Vein in the North Sea had already been incredibly powerful and bizarre. If she, a Heavenly Immortal, hadn't stepped in to suppress it, there was no telling how much trouble it would have caused.
Furthermore, Taishang Laojun had mentioned that the previous incident was merely the lightest of omens.
This meant that even more severe and powerful mutations were yet to come.
Su Qing narrowed her eyes in thought. After a long moment, she smiled to herself and thought, 'Why am I worrying so much? If it truly reaches that point, the seniors in the Heavenly Court will naturally step in. Besides, the matter of the Ancestral Vein is of great importance; it might not even mutate at all. I shouldn't overthink things that haven't happened and aren't even confirmed to happen.'
After thinking for a short while, Su Qing stopped dwelling on it. Continuing to think this way would do nothing but bring her unnecessary trouble.
She didn't have a habit of self-torment, so she was naturally unwilling to add to her own worries for no reason.
With such free time, she'd rather go find Lady Chang'e for a drink.
Even though Lady Chang'e enjoyed teasing her, it was at least more interesting than this.
Once Su Qing retracted her thoughts, she shifted her intent and led everyone back toward the city.
She didn't intend to stay the night here.
She was only returning to say goodbye to Wukong.
She didn't want to leave without a word and have that fellow come pestering her with complaints a few days later.
She wasn't afraid of being blamed; she just disliked being annoyed.
At that moment, Wukong was training his monkey soldiers. These were all monkeys who had cultivated and possessed decent intelligence. Under Wukong's training, they actually looked quite organized.
Of course, because Wukong was the one training them, the weapons these monkeys used were all staves.
As for whether Wukong had taught them any specific staff techniques, Su Qing didn't know.
She didn't even know if Wukong himself possessed any so-called staff techniques.
As for why Wukong, the host, was here...
It was naturally because the banquet only consisted of lunch.
It wasn't that Wukong was unwilling to prepare a dinner banquet.
It was mainly because after lunch, most of the guests had begun to say their goodbyes.
His shady associates went without saying; they were mostly just giving Wukong face by coming to eat and drink. The immortals were also quite busy and hurried back to their duties after lunch.
After all, not everyone was as idle as Su Qing and Taishang Laojun, able to wander around every day.
Most had to return to work as soon as they finished eating.
This included the Bull Demon King.
Of course, the Bull Demon King left relatively late.
He had chatted with Wukong for quite a while, mostly reminiscing about their past heroic deeds. Besides that, they talked about Medicine Master Lapis Lazuli Light Buddha and the fact that he had become a member of the Buddhist sect.
They talked for a long time.
However, in the end, he didn't stay for dinner either, choosing to leave instead.
When he left, he naturally took Red Boy with him.
Poor Red Boy cried and made a scene, but she was no match for her fierce and stern mother, who simply grabbed her by the collar and hauled her away.
Once most of the guests had departed, Wukong found himself with nothing left to do.
Thinking that he might as well keep busy, he had come to continue teaching his monkey soldiers.
Seeing Su Qing arrive, Wukong temporarily set aside his tasks and walked over to her.
Grinning, the monkey looked up at Su Qing and asked, "Is Big Sister planning to stay for the night? If you stay, the Macaque sister will surely be overjoyed. Don't be fooled by her usual fierce attitude; when you're not around, she mentions you every single day!"
Wukong understood Jingyue's feelings to some extent and took this opportunity to bring it up.
Regarding the Macaque of the past...
He actually felt somewhat indebted to her.
So, seeing that Jingyue had feelings for Su Qing, he decided to help out by putting in a good word.
However, Wukong was also curious.
His Big Sister was such a fine woman; why hadn't she made a move on Jingyue yet?
Was it because Jingyue wasn't pretty enough?
Clearly, that wasn't the case.
Perhaps there was some other reason?
Wukong didn't know, and he was too lazy to figure it out.
Regardless, all he had to do was add a bit of fuel to the fire and help out where he could.
"Jingyue, eh? She probably complains about me every day, doesn't she? That girl really loves to nag me," Su Qing said with a light laugh upon hearing Wukong mention Jingyue. "However, I don't plan on staying the night. I came to see you to say goodbye. I might come back in a few days, but today I must take Yuhe back."
Wukong was somewhat surprised by Su Qing's response.
It wasn't that he hadn't expected her to leave.
He just hadn't expected his Big Sister to think that Jingyue's daily mentions of her were just complaints.
It seemed there was a bit of a misunderstanding between his Big Sister and Jingyue.
Wukong scratched his head in frustration.
He was just a monkey who had been single since birth; what did he know about love and romance?
Naturally, he couldn't quite grasp the exact state of the relationship between the two.
Eventually, Wukong gave up on thinking. He had done his best; the rest was up to fate.
As a perpetual bachelor monkey, he shouldn't meddle in matters of romance. It was inappropriate, and he truly didn't understand it.
Helpless, Wukong could only say, "Since Big Sister wants to leave, I won't stop you. However, you must come back to Flower-Fruit Mountain often. Never mind me, but Jingyue often misses you."
Su Qing couldn't help but smile at Wukong's words. She nodded slightly and said, "I understand. When I have time, I'll naturally come to Flower-Fruit Mountain for a stroll and to chat with Jingyue."
Hearing this, Wukong finally nodded and asked, "Is Big Sister leaving right now?"
"Yes, I'm leaving now. No sense in delaying," Su Qing said with a light nod.
Seeing this, Wukong said no more, simply bidding her farewell.
Su Qing returned the gesture, then summoned a cloud and headed toward the Women's Kingdom.
Because she was carrying many people, her speed wasn't fast. But even so, it didn't take long to return to the Women's Kingdom.
However, upon arriving, Su Qing had no intention of flying any further.
Instead, she plopped down onto a chair in Bai Yuhe's bedchamber and said, "It's getting late, and I'm too lazy to fly. I'll rest here with you tonight."
Bai Yuhe was stunned for a moment, not expecting Su Qing to stay just because she was too lazy to move.
She sat in the chair opposite Su Qing and said, "I thought that after dropping me off, you'd take them back! I didn't expect you to plan on staying the night?"
"I'm not in a hurry. It's rare to have everyone out together, so what's the harm in staying here for a day to rest? Besides, we can wander the streets tomorrow. It'll save certain girls from saying I didn't take them out to have fun," Su Qing said, glancing out of the corner of her eye at Yudie and Ying'er.
Caught by Su Qing's gaze, the two girls awkwardly looked away. If they knew how to whistle, they probably would have started whistling to hide their embarrassment.
Bai Yuhe rolled her eyes wordlessly. This woman wasn't in a hurry? Who was it that always wanted to do something immediately the moment they thought of it, unable to wait even a second?
However, she was too lazy to complain. She just propped up her chin and said, "If you want to stay, I naturally have no objection. I can easily prepare rooms for everyone; the palace is so large, there are plenty of empty rooms! However, I must give you a warning: I won't allow certain things. For instance, the three of you together."
Because children were present—even if the two girls were technically older than her, they were Su Qing's daughters and thus no different from children in her eyes—Bai Yuhe didn't speak too explicitly.
However, with Su Qing's mind, she could certainly understand what Bai Yuhe was referring to.
In fact, Su Qing did understand; it was quite obvious.
It just made her a bit speechless.
"Do I look like that kind of person? Do I look like someone who doesn't know their limits and has a head full of nothing but filthy thoughts?" Su Qing spread her hands and asked Bai Yuhe with a look of frustration.
Bai Yuhe fell silent, rubbing her chin before nodding. "Actually, yes, that's exactly what I think. After all, you can be quite outrageous."
"..."
Su Qing's face stiffened, even more speechless now.
Fine, not a single one of her partners thought of her as a good person or a pure-hearted older sister.
Thinking about it, Liu Xixi and Ao Ning were better; they didn't think of her that way, and one even said she'd help clear her name. Of course, the most important thing was that those two were dragon-kin.
No other meaning intended; just a simple description of their race.
"Rest assured, even if I wanted to, Leng Xiang and Ao Ying wouldn't agree. Besides, I don't want to be lectured by the three of you," Su Qing said, throwing up her hands.
Beside her, Ao Ying gave a soft smile and said, "Indeed, I certainly wouldn't let this fellow do something so absurd."
Ao Ying's possessiveness was very strong, even more so than Leng Xiang's—it was just that Ao Ying didn't display it as obviously as Leng Xiang used to.
Therefore, Ao Ying was clearly not going to agree to such an absurd thing.
As for Leng Xiang...
Well, if it were Leng Xiang, she might be reluctant, but if Su Qing asked, she would still comply—though she'd have quite a few complaints.
Bai Yuhe nodded slightly and said, "That's good then."
Su Qing: "..."
Su Qing was too lazy to say anything else, simply sitting there with a pout.
As for Yudie and the other, listening to the adults' conversation, they were more or less confused.
They weren't quite sure what was being discussed.
The two of them had been protected quite well, and their knowledge of such matters was only superficial.
Not to mention, when Bai Yuhe brought it up just now, she did so in a very subtle way.
So, aside from seeing Su Qing's helplessness and the consensus reached between Bai Yuhe and Ao Ying, they didn't pick up on anything else.
Instead, seeing that the adults had finished that topic, the two of them happily went up to ask about how they should spend their time in the Women's Kingdom tomorrow.
Thanks to these two carefree girls, the topic finally shifted, and they didn't have to discuss anything suggestive anymore.
As for tomorrow's plan...
The two little ones had planned a lot—almost everything imaginable.
However, when Su Qing finally integrated their ideas, she found that they hadn't actually planned anything at all.
Because the entire plan consisted of just one word: play!
Of course, that was the original goal anyway.
Su Qing shook her head, tossing the so-called plan to the back of her mind. She decided they would just wander around tomorrow and play it by ear.
After a long time, the two little ones had likely finished their discussion, or perhaps they were just tired.
They both began to yawn.
Fortunately, the rooms had long been prepared.
Seeing them yawn, Bai Yuhe summoned a maid to take the two girls to their quarters so they could get a good night's rest.
Once the two little girls were gone, the conversation among Su Qing and the others didn't end—it just became a bit more explicit.
Of course, to them, it was nothing.
Time passed quickly.
In the blink of an eye, it was the next morning.
The night had been very quiet.
There were no illicit trysts or debauchery; everyone simply slept peacefully to ensure they had plenty of energy for the next day's fun.
The morning sun wasn't particularly warm.
Instead, a biting cold wind blew, making people feel a bit chilly.
Su Qing exhaled a breath of mist and looked at Bai Yuhe, who had also just woken up and still looked a bit bleary-eyed. She asked with a grin, "Your Majesty, would you like to come out and play with us today?"
Bai Yuhe yawned, and as the morning wind hit her, she became a bit more alert.
She shook her head slightly and said, "I can't set aside national affairs for too long. One day of rest is already long enough. If I keep playing, the tasks I need to handle will pile up like a mountain."
"One day of rest isn't long at all," Su Qing said with a helpless smile. "Besides, don't you have subordinates you can delegate to?"
"I can delegate to them, but there are some things I'm not comfortable with, so I always have to check them over myself," Bai Yuhe said, spreading her hands helplessly. "After all... I have quite a few corrupt officials under me!"
Every country has corrupt officials, and even the Women's Kingdom was no exception.
Su Qing was somewhat speechless but didn't complain much, only saying, "That's truly a pity. I can already imagine how tired our daughter will be after she ascends the throne in the future."
"She won't necessarily be the one to ascend the throne!" Bai Yuhe said with a smile. "If her skills aren't up to par, she can't be the King."
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