The Expected Delivery

Hearing this, Su Qing wasn't surprised at all.

She had heard Bai Yuhe say those words many times before.

Su Qing simply replied with a smile, "I believe you will educate her well."

"I've never raised a child... In fact, as you can see, I don't even like her that much." Bai Yuhe shook her head with an air of indifference. "However, I will indeed do my best to teach her well. After all, if I had to train another successor, I don't know how long it would take. My lifespan is limited, after all."

Bai Yuhe was very clear-headed and realistic.

Although Su Qing had the ability to find longevity-extending pills for her, it would surely come at a great cost. Even if such pills were obtained, once they reached her hands, they would likely become unusable.

Mortal emperors were not permitted to seek immortality, nor were they allowed to practice cultivation.

The fact that she could even cross the threshold to catch a glimpse of the immortal path was already a privilege granted by Su Qing.

Even though she couldn't cultivate to a higher realm and her progress was incredibly slow, this was already a great honor. How many mortal emperors couldn't even manage to cross that single hurdle?

Su Qing was powerful and held special privileges in the Heavenly Court, but there were still limits to what she could do. This was already the absolute limit.

If she were to push any further, even Su Qing would inevitably face severe punishment, and it might even bring trouble to the Women's Kingdom.

Therefore, Bai Yuhe knew her time was not infinite. She had to train a qualified successor before her life came to an end.

Su Qing's eyes flickered with a strange light as she looked at Bai Yuhe. After a moment of silence, she put on a relaxed expression and said, "Rest assured, you will succeed. Besides, I'll be by your side to help you... Moreover, you still have plenty of time. With my care and assistance, you can live to the absolute limit of a human's lifespan."

Seeing this, Bai Yuhe exhaled a long breath and offered a smile. "Alright, alright, let's not talk about such heavy topics. Honestly, how did we accidentally wander into such a somber conversation? Big Sister Xiao Qing, your talent for chatting is truly being used in the wrong places."

Su Qing spread her hands, indicating she didn't want it to be this way either; it had just happened somehow.

Before Su Qing could say anything else, Bai Yuhe spoke up. "By the way, are Yudie and the others still asleep? Why don't you go wake them? Weren't they looking forward to playing in the city? It would be a pity if they overslept. Besides, I have a few places I can recommend to you!"

Bai Yuhe did her best to shift the topic to dispel the heavy atmosphere.

Su Qing understood Bai Yuhe's intention. A faint smile touched her lips, her beautiful mouth curving into a perfect, standard smile—lovely, yet looking somewhat artificial.

However, neither of them cared, or rather, they consciously ignored that hint of artificiality.

Su Qing said, "Alright, I'll go wake them."

"Then hurry along!" Bai Yuhe nodded.

Su Qing said no more and turned to find the two girls.

Su Qing moved quickly, and in just a short time, she had everyone up.

In truth, she only had to wake Yudie and Su Ying'er, as they were the only ones sleeping in.

Their mothers had long since awakened.

They just hadn't bothered with the girls yet, instead gathering to chat about who knows what.

It was all very mysterious, and by the time Su Qing arrived, they had already finished.

Su Qing was curious, but seeing their secretive behavior, she didn't press for answers.

She figured they were probably plotting some way to tease her.

Su Qing brought the two children along with Ao Ying and Leng Xiang back to find Bai Yuhe.

Bai Yuhe was still waiting in the courtyard, having not yet left for her duties. Since she had promised to recommend some special places, she naturally couldn't leave yet.

Upon seeing Su Qing return with the two girls and her wives, she gave a faint smile and chatted with them for a while, recommending a few particularly interesting spots they hadn't discussed the day before.

Once she had finished her recommendations and felt the time was right, she took her leave, urging them to go and have fun.

After all, she had many important matters to attend to.

Su Qing nodded and led the group out of the palace.

After Su Qing left, Bai Yuhe let out a long sigh and stood up to leave the courtyard.

She turned through several corridors and soon arrived before her daughter.

Bai Ningxiang.

Looking at Bai Ningxiang, a trace of tenderness appeared in her eyes.

It was true that she didn't like Bai Ningxiang that much and her feelings seemed thin, but the girl was her daughter after all; she couldn't truly be that cold-hearted.

"You... work hard. I hope... you can take over the Women's Kingdom for me in the future..."

As Bai Yuhe spoke, she gave a bitter laugh and muttered to herself, "Ah, I hope you take over, yet I'm not that eager for it. Once you take over, I'll have to leave. If I cultivate then..."

Thinking of this, Bai Yuhe quickly stopped herself.

If she thought any further, things would become even heavier, to the point where she would have to distance herself from the girl again.

"I really don't want you to become some wretched Queen! Truly... it's just too exhausting!" Bai Yuhe shook her head with a bitter smile, reaching out to pat her daughter's head.

Then, she withdrew that softness, her gaze turning cold once more, like a natural-born ruler.

She stood up and walked away with graceful steps.

Only the sleeping little girl remained.

A long time passed.

The sound of crying rang out.

Meanwhile, the others were off playing happily, completely unaware of what was happening in the palace.

Time is like sand in one's hand; no matter how hard you squeeze, it eventually slips away silently, leaving only a few grains behind for one to reminisce over.

A year's time is long for a mortal, but for Su Qing, it was but a flash. Before she could even process it, a year had vanished.

Many things had happened during this year.

Disasters between heaven and earth were increasing—natural disasters, man-made calamities, demon-caused troubles. All sorts of chaotic disasters were ravaging the mortal world, though in truth, it wasn't that much worse than previous years.

It was just that a small portion of people felt this year was exceptionally difficult and filled with trouble.

Most people in the world had yet to realize that the Great Tribulation of Heaven and Earth was imminent.

Regardless, this was actually for the best.

Aside from world events, Su Qing also had much to deal with.

Between frequently going out to help handle disasters and gathering Incense Power, she had a lot on her plate.

Managing multiple places with her multiple bodies meant she was rarely idle.

Her rest time had significantly decreased.

Fortunately, she still had friends and family to keep her company, so she didn't feel too exhausted.

Today was autumn.

Su Qing couldn't remember which autumn of her life this was. Of course, that didn't matter; she had long since forgotten her own age.

At the same time, today was not the day for her to lament the season.

There was something far more important to do.

In the morning, Su Qing hastily arranged her upcoming tasks and once again left her domain on the Northern Continent to Liu Xixi.

Liu Xixi was used to this; it wasn't the first time Su Qing had done this, nor the first time she had taken over the workload.

She was just a bit puzzled, noticing that Su Qing seemed different today.

She looked excited, yet also a bit worried.

Liu Xixi didn't know what she was excited or worried about. Su Qing wasn't one to talk much about her past, and Liu Xixi wasn't one to pry.

Liu Xixi simply watched as Su Qing disappeared over the horizon on her Somersault Cloud, feeling a silent curiosity in her heart.

After a long while, she suppressed her curiosity and turned back to work.

That was her most important task.

As for what she was curious about... she felt that once everything was over, Su Qing would tell her herself.

She knew it wasn't a bad thing; it might even be something Su Qing would want to brag about. That was why she felt that way.

"But... seeing Sovereign Su like that is truly a rare sight!" Liu Xixi offered a small smile, her pace quickening.

It was as if Su Qing's happiness had spread to her as well.

What was she excited about? She didn't really know, she just felt a bit happy.

Su Qing's speed on the cloud went without saying. In just a few moments, she appeared in the sky above Li Shan.

At Li Shan, the Old Mother's Hall was still shrouded in curling incense smoke, its Incense Power flourishing. Many people were there today to offer incense and pray for blessings.

Seeing this, Su Qing smiled slightly, then lowered her cloud and landed in the familiar bamboo grove.

There was no Daoist boy in the grove. It seemed she had other things to do and couldn't come here to wait for Su Qing.

Su Qing didn't mind; she knew where the Daoist boy was. She was waiting for her, along with Bai Suzhen.

Su Qing took a deep breath and followed the path she knew better than anything.

She had walked this path countless times, and everything around it was etched into her memory. Yet she had never walked it so fast, not even glancing at the surrounding scenery as she hurried along.

If it weren't for the fact that one had to walk this path—as flying would lead into the illusory arrays set by Li Shan Lao Mu—Su Qing would have wanted to fly directly in.

Su Qing walked so fast she seemed to carry the wind with her.

Before long, a familiar structure appeared before her eyes.

A small bamboo hut, with a woven bamboo rocking chair in the courtyard. A fence enclosed the small yard and a tiny vegetable garden. In one corner of the yard, some clothes were hanging to dry, fluttering in the wind as if beckoning her over.

And above the small courtyard... countless wisps of spiritual energy were converging, forming a massive vortex.

If a mortal were to see such a strange celestial phenomenon, they would likely be stunned beyond measure.

However, this phenomenon could only be seen from this specific position. It was invisible from anywhere else, as it was hidden by arrays, making it impossible for mortals to glimpse.

Still, Su Qing was somewhat surprised. The commotion was far greater than she had anticipated—much larger than when Yudie and Su Ying'er were born.

Su Qing took a deep breath and stepped quickly into the courtyard.

She didn't linger there but went straight into the living room.

Several familiar faces were in the room: Taishang Laojun, Li Shan Lao Mu, and the Daoist boy. All three were there.

It wasn't strange for Li Shan Lao Mu and the Daoist boy to be here, but Su Qing was a bit puzzled as to why Taishang Laojun was present. She didn't recall him ever teaching Bai Suzhen.

"I just came to join the fun and help guard the area," Taishang Laojun seemed to read Su Qing's confusion and explained with a chuckle. "Besides, my disciple's wife is giving birth. I should naturally come to see, offer some help, and catch a glimpse of my grand-disciple."

This fellow Taishang Laojun was everywhere. It was both strange and not strange at all that he was here. As for his reason, it purely depended on what story he felt like spinning.

Su Qing nodded at his words, then ignored him and turned to Li Shan Lao Mu. "Senior... how is Xiao Bai doing?"

"Her? She's fine... but it will likely be a while longer before the birth," Li Shan Lao Mu replied. "I didn't expect such a massive commotion to last this long. It seems that secret technique Bai Suzhen obtained is quite interesting."

Li Shan Lao Mu had no interest in peeking at Bai Suzhen's secret technique and hadn't asked too many questions. After performing a divination and seeing no issues with the technique, she had simply let her practice it. Otherwise, she wouldn't be so unaware of some of the technique's specific conditions.

Su Qing nodded. "I've never seen such a commotion either. I wonder what kind of talent the child will have."

"Talent doesn't really matter... even the best talent is of little use. As long as she can grow up healthy, that's what's best," Li Shan Lao Mu glanced at Su Qing and said. "After all, there are only a hundred or two hundred years left."

Hearing this, Su Qing nodded helplessly.

"By the way, can I go in and see her now?"

"No... and you can't when she's delivering, either."

"Why? I'm a woman; I shouldn't be restricted by those mortal rules, right?"

"You think I'm restricting you because of mortal rules? No... it's because Bai Suzhen's situation is special, and it's more appropriate for me to go in. My strength is sufficient to keep everything under control. Meanwhile, Taishang Laojun will manage the situation outside to ensure nothing goes wrong."

Li Shan Lao Mu sighed and said, "After all, this is the first time I've seen such a scene! At least, it's the first time I've seen such a scene for a birth between two women."

Births between two women were rare to begin with, and even Li Shan Lao Mu hadn't seen many. One with such a grand display was something she had never even heard of.

"I see..." Su Qing fell silent for a moment before nodding. "Still, never mind Xiao Bai's display; the lineup of those assisting and guarding her birth is grand enough on its own."

After all, this was two world-defying powerhouses helping with the delivery and protection.