The speed of the Somersault Cloud went without saying.
Even carrying so many people, it arrived above Xingyang City in a very short time.
As was her habit, Su Qing liked to observe the changes in her destination from above before descending.
Xingyang City below had not undergone too many drastic changes.
The general layout of the city remained much the same.
It was only in the details that many things had evolved.
Su Qing wasn't particularly interested in managing those minor details.
However, there was one thing that caused her a slight bit of surprise.
Or perhaps, it could be called a pleasant surprise.
It concerned the incense power.
'Hmm, the incense power hasn't decreased compared to thirty years ago; in fact, it's flourishing... It seems the people I arranged to come here afterward have actually done some real work. And... the Emperor still supports my position as the orthodox deity.'
Su Qing was somewhat surprised.
But upon closer reflection, these circumstances weren't all that strange.
After all, that Emperor was a man who knew how to repay kindness.
He was also quite faithful to his word.
As for her own people...
They could be fully trusted.
If they hadn't been properly trained, Old Deer wouldn't have sent them out.
Su Qing couldn't guarantee much else, but regarding their primary duties, they certainly wouldn't have any issues.
Su Qing exhaled slowly. After a brief look, she prepared to lower the cloud and head to the place where she had lived thirty years ago to find Su Qingyu and the others.
Arriving outside the courtyard from thirty years ago.
Su Qing looked at the gate, which was hung with fresh new couplets, and a smile couldn't help but curl at the corners of her mouth.
It seemed that even after thirty years, someone was still living here.
She just didn't know...
If the person living inside was still the one she was most familiar with.
Su Qing remained silent for a moment, then reached out and knocked on the door.
Before long.
The sound of footsteps came from inside.
Soon, the door opened.
Opening it was a strange adult woman.
This woman did not look like the grown-up version of any girl she knew.
The woman looked at Su Qing and the others. Seeing that they were all dressed in wealthy, elegant attire, she hesitated for a moment before asking, "Excuse me... who are you looking for?"
Hearing this, Su Qing smiled faintly and said, "We are looking for Su Qingyu. Please tell her that Su Qing and the others have returned."
Upon hearing this, the woman was stunned...
But before she could say anything else.
Su Qing gestured to Hu Lin'er to charm her.
She didn't want to waste too much time with this child.
If she hadn't been concerned about frightening Su Qingyu, she would have simply gone inside to see her directly.
Why go through the formalities here?
Of course, the reason she chose to follow the formalities was actually due to another reason.
She was simply used to it.
However, this habit was gradually changing.
In some cases, Su Qing would skip unnecessary procedures if she could.
Unless she happened to be in the mood to do something slowly.
Hu Lin'er moved quickly. With just a glance, the woman was charmed.
After all, the woman was merely a mortal, not a cultivator...
How could she possibly withstand the charm of a fox beauty like Hu Lin'er?
After being charmed by Hu Lin'er, the woman immediately and obediently went to tell Su Qingyu as Su Qing had requested.
After the woman went inside.
A short while later.
A sharp cry of shock erupted from within the courtyard.
Immediately following that.
The sound of several people's hurried footsteps approached.
In just a few moments.
Several middle-aged women rushed out from the door.
"It's... it is! It really is Master! But... Master, how is it that... you haven't changed at all?" The middle-aged Su Qingyu looked at Su Qing, her face filled with uncontrollable joy and astonishment.
And behind the several middle-aged women, there was another woman who appeared to be about sixty years old.
This woman acted exceptionally calm.
She simply looked at Su Qing and the others with a beaming smile.
Standing behind the others, she explained.
"Because they are all immortals! Naturally, they will not age! Now, I think you should understand why they weren't willing to take us with them back then, right? Because we... we couldn't make it!"
This old woman was none other than Li Yichou.
Li Yichou, who had once been made very beautiful by Su Qing's spells, now looked quite aged.
However, even so, one could still see traces of her former grace.
Su Qing looked at Li Yichou, then smiled and nodded. She turned to Su Qingyu and said, "My apologies for keeping it from you for so long! But now you know... yes, we are indeed immortals!"
Su Qingyu's expression remained one of immense shock. She looked at Su Qing and let out a long sigh, saying, "I... I thought that was just something Master Li was using to fool me. I never expected... it would actually be true. Sigh, it really is... haha, never mind. After all, compared to that, you are even more infuriating, Master. You were clearly an immortal, yet you kept it from me for so many years. And you only chose to come back and see me after such a long time."
Su Qingyu put on an angry face, but just like in the past, she didn't make anyone feel afraid or tense.
Instead, it made Su Qing chuckle. "You child, your temperament is exactly the same as it was decades ago! You haven't changed a bit."
"What do you mean my temperament hasn't changed! I'm much more composed than I used to be," Su Qingyu pouted and said, "Fine, Master, please come inside and sit! It wasn't easy for you to return; it's not right to keep you all standing outside!"
Su Qing smiled and nodded, then followed Su Qingyu into the house.
On the way.
Su Qingyu looked at Ao Yiyi and asked, "Sister Yiyi! In all these years, what kind of places have you and Master visited?"
Su Qingyu was clearly very interested in Su Qing's experiences over the years.
Thus, as soon as they entered the house, she began her questioning.
Hearing this, Ao Yiyi smiled slightly and said, "We've been to quite a few places. I'll tell you slowly in a bit! More importantly, I'm curious—how have you been these years? And what about Rendong and the others?"
As they walked, they soon entered the main hall.
Everyone took their seats.
The maidservant was very well-behaved and quickly brought up the tea.
After sitting down.
Su Qingyu began to recount some of her experiences over the years.
Generally speaking, Su Qingyu's life over these years hadn't faced any major hardships; on the contrary, it had been quite smooth.
The only thing she had been conflicted about all these years was when Su Qing would return.
As for the business side, it was also very successful.
One could even say it was so successful it was almost unreasonable.
The shops grew larger and larger, and she became involved in more and more industries...
Although she had encountered some bottlenecks recently and could no longer expand due to the Emperor's restrictions, even maintaining the status quo was extremely good.
In any case, Su Qingyu herself didn't have much desire. The reason she worked so hard to manage the industries was simply because Su Qing had told her to do a good job before she left.
As for the medical clinic, it wasn't much different from before.
Although the most skilled doctor was gone after Su Qing left, the things Rendong had learned from Su Qing and the others were more than enough.
Furthermore, she had trained many disciples.
Therefore, the Rendong Medical Clinic remained the first choice for everyone in this city even now.
"It seems I worried about you for nothing. I was concerned you might have suffered some grievances! I didn't expect you to have such a smooth time these years."
Su Qing couldn't help but find it amusing as she spoke.
Actually...
Su Qing could roughly calculate Su Qingyu's situation.
Therefore, she wasn't very surprised by the smooth progress of Su Qingyu's group.
Her remark was merely to keep the conversation going.
Hearing this, Su Qingyu smiled and said, "It's all thanks to Master. If I didn't have such a good Master, how could it have been so easy?"
Su Qing chuckled and said, "After all these years, your tongue has certainly grown sweeter. If this were the past, I'm afraid you'd still be wanting to brandish a sword and challenge me to a match! By the way, I wonder if your swordsmanship has improved over the years. However, it's a bit surprising that you've been managing industries all this time instead of wandering the world with your sword. In the past, you always wanted to do that!"
As Su Qing spoke, she recalled some interesting things from the past, and the smile on her face grew deeper.
Hearing this, Su Qingyu's face turned slightly red. She smiled and said, "People always grow up. I am over forty years old now, after all. As for those words from my childhood, they were just the foolish talk of a child who didn't know the vastness of the world... Besides, if I had gone off to wander the world with a sword, how would Master have found me when she returned?"
Back when she was a child, how could she have known her Master was some kind of immortal?
She only felt that her Master was quite powerful and that once she grew up, she would definitely be able to beat her.
That was why she had been so eager to learn martial arts...
She thought that once she learned martial arts and grew up, she would give her Master a good lesson.
She wanted to hit her Master just like her Master used to hit her.
She had dreamed of venting her frustrations.
Looking back now, it was truly hilarious.
As for wandering the world with a sword.
She indeed had the idea.
But as she got older, with more people around her and more things to consider.
She stopped thinking about it so much.
After all, if she really went, Master might not be able to find her upon returning.
And... if she met with an accident and died, Master would be saddened by it.
Therefore, she had been managing her industries and never mentioned wandering the world again.
"You have indeed grown up and become mature," Su Qing said with a helpless smile.
To be honest, she actually preferred the little version of this girl.
Back then, the little one didn't know the height of heaven or the depth of earth; she was fearless in everything.
Now that she was grown, she had more worries, and her words were more pleasant to hear.
But she had also lost that childhood cuteness.
Upon hearing this, Su Qingyu sighed, "Yes, I've grown up, and there's no going back! Never mind, let's not talk about such meaningless things. Instead, why don't you tell me about your affairs, Master?"
Su Qingyu didn't want to speak of unhappy things on this joyful day of reunion.
Therefore, she naturally cut off her own train of thought.
She turned the conversation toward other matters.
Hearing this, Su Qing didn't mind talking about her own affairs.
Of course, it was impossible to tell her everything truthfully.
Many parts needed to be properly modified before they could be shared.
After all, although she admitted she was an immortal, she didn't plan to admit she was the very deity being enshrined here.
Although both were immortals, the significance they represented was entirely different.
Therefore, Su Qing was very clear on the priorities.
Su Qing and the others spoke of many things. In thirty years, they had been to many places, and their experiences were naturally numerous.
They were far more exciting than Su Qingyu's life on this piece of land.
Thus, Su Qingyu and the others listened with exceptional focus.
"I can't believe there are such damnable people in this world, actually turning children into dogs for circus performances. They truly deserve to die!" When Su Qingyu heard of the infuriating events, she didn't hesitate to curse those people.
Su Qing smiled slightly, nodded, and said, "Yes, such people indeed deserved to die, so they are all dead."
After hearing this, Su Qingyu breathed a sigh of relief.
It was truly a good thing that such people no longer lived in this world.
As for the killing part.
She didn't care at all.
After all...
Those people deserved it.
The family gathered together, chatting away as the sky gradually darkened.
After nightfall.
Su Qingyu naturally arranged for dinner as well as everyone's lodging for the night.
"I have always kept the rooms for Master and everyone else. I also send people to clean them regularly, so everyone can stay just as they did before," Su Qingyu said with a beaming smile. She had been doing this trivial thing for all these years.
"But for dinner... I've missed the dishes Master makes. I wonder if I'll be lucky enough to taste them today."
Su Qing's cooking was undoubtedly superb.
Even after so many years, Su Qingyu still remembered it fondly.
Therefore, she couldn't help but ask.
Su Qing laughed and nodded, saying, "If you want to eat, I can certainly make them for you! However, don't think about slacking off; come and help me."
Su Qingyu naturally wouldn't refuse. She nodded with a smile, stating that as long as she could eat the food Master made, she would do anything she was asked.
"It's not quite to that extent!" Su Qing said, shaking her head.
While they were cooking.
Su Qingyu pondered for a long time before finally asking the question she had been wanting to ask.
"By the way, how long does Master plan to stay this time?" she inquired.
Hearing this, Su Qing was silent for a moment. She looked down at the vegetables in the pot and smiled, "I'll probably stay for a few more days!"
"Hmm, you can stay as long as you like. If possible, I even hope you never leave again, Master."
"I carry a mission from the Bodhisattva; staying permanently is clearly impossible." Su Qing shook her head, informing Su Qingyu plainly.
Hearing this, the light in Su Qingyu's eyes dimmed slightly. Although it was expected, hearing it from Su Qing's mouth still made her feel it was a great pity.
Rate on N.U.
