Yang Jian gave a helpless smile and nodded. "Very well. Safe travels, Sovereign."
Su Qing smiled and left the area along with her clone...
As for the remaining matters, Yang Jian and the others were more than capable of handling them.
After Su Qing departed, Yang Jian followed the original plan and went to clear out the residual trouble in the vicinity.
Meanwhile, the group from the Thunder Department continued to suppress and seal the other sections of the Earth Vein...
However, the members of the Thunder Department didn't want to do all the work themselves with just a few people, so they sent someone back to the Heavenly Court to call for more help.
In any case, the matter would certainly be handled properly, though exactly how many people would be involved was another story.
Su Qing did not rush back after leaving.
Instead, she contacted Taishang Laojun while mid-air.
"Why have you contacted this old man so soon? Could it be you can't manage to refine that mirror and have come to ask me?" Taishang Laojun said the moment Su Qing connected with him.
Su Qing rolled her eyes at him and said, "No, I haven't even started refining it yet! I'm looking for you because of something else."
"Oh? What is it?" Taishang Laojun asked, his interest piqued.
No matter why Su Qing was looking for him, he would certainly listen before making a decision...
Su Qing briefly recounted the day's events to him.
After listening, Taishang Laojun's mouth twitched slightly, and he sighed. "Should I say your luck is good or bad? I thought it would be a long time before you encountered such a thing again. Who knew it would happen so soon?"
Regarding Su Qing's luck, even Taishang Laojun found it hard to describe...
Things that ordinary immortals might not encounter for ages, this girl managed to run into once or twice every short while—whether for good or ill.
Su Qing shrugged and said, "You can't blame me for this. After all, the trouble found me; there wasn't much I could do!"
"True, you really can't be blamed for this. Still, how did you handle it this time?" Taishang Laojun nodded and inquired.
"It's basically settled! I happened to find some people from the Thunder Department and had them help suppress the mutation. Right now, they should still be busy suppressing the other sections," Su Qing said after a moment's thought.
Taishang Laojun nodded. "In that case, all is well! If you encounter such a thing again, just contact me directly. I will arrange helpers for you. That will save you from running back and forth..."
Su Qing naturally didn't refuse, as she didn't want to keep running around either.
Although she had the Somersault Cloud and the distance didn't take much time, it was still a hassle... and she truly wasn't skilled at recruiting people.
If she didn't have a bit of influence in the Heavenly Court, she likely would have spent much more time today just finding people.
"Then I'll just look for you when the time comes," Su Qing said.
"Yes, naturally. Well then, is there anything else?" Taishang Laojun nodded and asked again.
"Nothing else. Go back to your work, Laojun!" Su Qing knew he was ready to end the chat, and since she had nothing left to ask, she took the initiative to conclude the conversation.
Taishang Laojun gave a hearty laugh and disconnected.
Seeing the image vanish, Su Qing put away the copper mirror, tossing it back into her Sleeve Universe.
"Sigh, time to go back!" Su Qing stretched her wrists and looked at her clone. "No matter which side it is, there are plenty of troublesome things to handle! It's only just begun, so why are there so many anomalies? Is my luck just that good, or... are there really this many?"
Su Qing shook her head, ultimately deciding not to dwell on it.
After all, there was no benefit in overthinking such things.
It was better to go back and rest.
And so, Su Qing and her clone went their separate ways.
The original body returned to the Northern Continent.
The clone, meanwhile, soared on a cloud back to Xingyang City.
Upon returning to Xingyang City, Su Qing didn't go to the medical clinic but instead made a trip to the palace.
At that moment, the Empress and Liu Qian were still discussing the demon matter, worrying about Su Qing's safety.
However, they were soon put at ease.
Su Qing had appeared before them, so what was there to worry about?
"Sister Xiao Qing, you're back so soon. Does this mean... you've already killed that demon?" the Empress—no, Her Majesty—looked at Su Qing and asked curiously.
In truth, she already knew the answer...
After all, if it hadn't been resolved, Su Qing likely wouldn't be standing here.
Su Qing nodded. "Yes, it's been dealt with. It was a bit more troublesome than expected..."
"A bit more troublesome than expected?" the Empress murmured.
Su Qing nodded. "The demon was being controlled by something, so I took the opportunity to deal with the entities controlling it as well. That made it slightly more complicated and wasted quite a bit of time; otherwise, I would have been back much sooner."
Although Su Qing omitted some details, she didn't hide the facts.
After all, simply killing a demon wouldn't have required so much time; it would have been over in a single encounter.
Hearing this, Liu Qian couldn't help but smile bitterly. The gap between her and this person was truly even larger than she had imagined.
"Sister Xiao Qing really is incredible..." the Empress said with some surprise. "Still, thank you so much this time. If not for you, I'm afraid that demon would have harmed many more people."
Su Qing shook her head. "This was part of my duty. As the Earthly Manifestation of the Bodhisattva, resolving these demons is my responsibility. Therefore, you don't need to thank me..."
Su Qing hadn't forgotten her persona just because she hadn't chatted with the Empress in a while. She knew exactly what to say... and the purpose of saying this was, naturally, to reinforce the Bodhisattva's importance in everyone's hearts.
Although the name of One-Leaf Bodhisattva had already become the faith of most people in this country, it was still important to deepen that impression from time to time.
Faith, after all... can slowly fade with time.
Especially since most people were the type who only believed when it was useful to them.
Hearing Su Qing's words, the Empress didn't doubt her but shook her head.
"No. Even if it is Sister Xiao Qing's duty, if we didn't offer even a single word of thanks, wouldn't we be treating you like a mere tool for solving problems? That is naturally unacceptable. Sister Xiao Qing has always been our friend, not a tool."
Su Qing felt a sense of gratification hearing the Empress speak this way. At least her help hadn't been in vain; the other party wasn't ungrateful.
Knowing she thought this way made Su Qing feel more comfortable about helping out.
However, it had to be said that since the Commandery Princess became the Empress, she had become increasingly eloquent.
Su Qing chuckled and nodded. "Alright, let's not talk about that. In short, I've solved the trouble for you. The remaining mundane affairs are Your Majesty's job and no longer my concern."
Su Qing was only responsible for solving the greatest threats; the rest were not on her to-do list.
After all, her time was limited, and she wanted to go back and lie down!
Hearing this, the Empress nodded. "Naturally. If I had to leave even the mundane affairs to you, I would be a rather poor Empress."
Su Qing gave a satisfied smile and turned to leave.
However, just as she was about to go, the Empress spoke again. "By the way, Sister Xiao Qing, the new temple is almost finished. It should be completed within the year. Would you like to go and take a look?"
The Empress had promised Su Qing she would help build a temple for One-Leaf Bodhisattva, and she naturally wouldn't go back on her word.
After all, that was the helper who had assisted her in taking the throne...
And the savior of the entire nation.
Building a temple was a must.
She was not an ungrateful person.
Besides... the Earthly Manifestation was right here!
If she broke her word, she would likely have hell to pay...
Even if the other party had a good temper and was willing to help, the more that was true, the more she couldn't fail to act.
It was just that the initial situation had been special; the entire country was recovering from ruins, and it was impossible to start building the temple immediately. Thus, it hadn't been fully constructed until now, with only a large portion completed recently.
And now that there was progress, she certainly had to tell Su Qing and One-Leaf Bodhisattva. She didn't want to be seen as ungrateful.
Su Qing smiled slightly. "I know all about it, so there's no need to go see it. Just continue the construction according to the original plan."
"Besides, there are already many temples built spontaneously by the people. This one of yours serves more as a formal gesture."
"As long as it's being built, it's fine. When it's finished isn't too important. Just take this matter slowly... the wounds of this nation have not yet fully healed. Do not be too hasty and harm the common people."
Hearing these words, the Empress felt a mix of emotions...
Perhaps this was the difference between an orthodox deity and an evil deity!
Of course, it was also possible that only Su Qing was like this, while other orthodox deities might be different.
"I understand, don't worry. I will certainly not do anything that harms the people," the Empress nodded. "However, the temple must still be built properly! Since you don't wish to see it, I won't insist. I'll tell you again once it's finished in the future."
Su Qing nodded. "That works. Do you have anything else? If so, say it all at once. If not, I'm really heading back."
Su Qing didn't want to be stopped repeatedly; that was truly annoying.
"Actually, there's nothing else. I just wanted to say that you're welcome to come and sit in the palace whenever you're free. Although it's rare for me to leave the palace, it's quite simple for you to enter."
The Empress gave a helpless smile as she spoke.
After becoming Empress, she had lost quite a bit of freedom.
On one hand, there were too many daily affairs and no free time; on the other hand, there were safety considerations.
Su Qing nodded. "I'll come if I'm free."
With that, Su Qing turned and left.
She left the two of them in the study, smiling at each other.
"Regarding the temple, continue with the original plan. Try to have it finished within the year..." the Empress said, looking at Liu Qian.
The temple had been delayed for a long time; it couldn't be dragged on forever.
Liu Qian nodded slightly. "I understand. Don't worry, I'll arrange it."
Liu Qian's daily tasks were quite varied. Basically, any important matter would be assigned to her.
But there was no helping it. Who else could do it... she was Her Majesty's most capable assistant.
If Su Qing were here to see this, she might have lamented that all bosses in the world are the same, always handing their own work to others.
Fortunately, she wasn't there.
At that moment.
Su Qing had already circled back to the medical clinic.
Su Qing's arrival didn't cause much of a stir.
Everyone knew that Su Qing wouldn't easily provide treatment, so no matter how excited they were, it was meaningless.
Therefore, it was better not to think too much, wait in line honestly, and seek treatment from the others!
In any case, as long as the illness could be cured, it was fine.
And as it happened, the other doctors here weren't much worse than Su Qing.
They just couldn't cure those exceptionally unusual illnesses.
But if such a condition truly appeared, Su Qing would step in even without being asked.
This was why everyone was no longer excited to see Su Qing.
Su Qing would treat those who needed it, and as for those she didn't want to treat, no one could force her—it would only make her unhappy.
Su Qing silently sat down in her spot.
This was exactly the effect she wanted, so she naturally didn't think there was anything wrong with it.
"Master! You're back?" Not long after Su Qing sat down, Su Qingyu, who had just finished practicing her sword, saw her and asked curiously, "How many people did you treat today?"
"Not a single one. I just went for a stroll elsewhere," Su Qing said with a yawn.
"Is that so?"
"Why would I lie to you? Have you decided what kind of shop you want to open?"
"Yes, I have a plan."
"Oh? What is it?"
"A grain shop."
"Huh?" Su Qing was stunned for a moment, then chuckled. "Alright then, as long as you're happy."
"Why does Master look so surprised?"
"It's nothing! I just think that as long as you're a bit smart, a grain shop shouldn't go out of business," Su Qing said, shrugging. "Wait a while. I'll help you set up the storefront, but after that, I won't give you any more help. It'll be up to you to see how far you can take it."
Rate on N.U.
