Changbai

The preparations needed for Changbai Mountain were not many.

It was mainly to guard against potential troubles.

Furthermore, the mountain itself was secondary; the town at the foot of the mountain was what required the most preparation and the most vigilance.

Su Qing, being on the mountain, did not need to worry too much.

After all, the one on the mountain was her clone. Even if a major problem occurred, she could simply have the clone lead the people around her away from the mountain to take temporary refuge, waiting for her original body to return before making other plans.

However, the town below clearly could not do the same.

Consequently, the town at the foot of the mountain was the place that needed the most preparation...

And since Su Qing had the intention to prepare,

she naturally controlled her clone to begin the work.

Most of the matters in the town could be handed over to Old Deer.

Old Deer had always been an extremely reliable and useful subordinate. Whenever he was needed, he always performed exceptionally well.

It had always been thus...

Therefore, when Su Qing arranged these tasks, they naturally fell into Old Deer's hands without exception.

Su Qing assigned the tasks simply to Old Deer, but she still oversaw the specific details.

Although she trusted Old Deer's abilities implicitly, this matter was of great importance.

Thus, no matter how busy she was, Su Qing had to dedicate some of her focus to monitoring it.

Even if the probability of an issue was low, she had to avoid it as much as possible.

After all, she did not want the town she had spent so much effort building to be destroyed by the unpredictable calamities of the future.

So, even though Su Qing handed the tasks to Old Deer, she still had to personally oversee them.

The arrangements for the town went relatively smoothly.

Not many hitches occurred during the process.

Before long, the evacuation routes and similar plans were all set.

Additionally, Su Qing left behind many life-saving items in the town.

She also set up several arrays,

raising the town's security level by more than a notch.

While it wasn't guaranteed to be perfectly safe, it could at least hold out against anything short of a major crisis...

After all, holding out wasn't the main point; the priority was deliverance.

The escape and evacuation routes were the most critical part of this endeavor.

Once everything was more or less arranged,

Su Qing sat on a chair on the mountain.

She let out a weary sigh and said, "Truly exhausting! These past few days have been one thing after another~"

With three bodies busy with various tasks, she was naturally even more tired.

Bai Zhu, standing nearby, heard Su Qing's words. She walked over and said, "I'm sorry. I actually wanted to help more, but my abilities are truly limited. Otherwise, I could have shared more of your burden, Sister."

Bai Zhu's words were not mere polite talk. After being with Su Qing for so long, they had long since developed a bond. She sincerely liked Su Qing as a sister and was very willing to help her.

Unfortunately, Bai Zhu's strength was only so great. Tasks within her capability were fine, but once they exceeded it, she truly couldn't help at all.

And many of the matters Su Qing dealt with happened to exceed her range of ability.

Therefore, no matter how much she wanted to help, she couldn't do much...

Her upper limit was fixed; even if she gave her all, she could only reach that level.

What she couldn't help with, she simply couldn't help with.

Thus, upon hearing Bai Zhu's words, Su Qing only smiled and shook her head, saying, "It's not your fault... You've already done everything you can. Who could demand more of you for what you can't do? You don't need to blame yourself. Just continue to handle your work well in the future."

Su Qing was not an unreasonable person. She wouldn't force someone to do things beyond their limits when she knew exactly where those limits were.

That would be somewhat inhumane.

Therefore, Su Qing only offered a few simple words of comfort.

As she spoke, Su Qing reached out and patted her head twice as a gesture of consolation...

Feeling the warmth of the hand on her head,

Bai Zhu looked at Su Qing and let out a faint sigh, saying, "Why don't I give you a massage, Sister? It's at least a little more effort I can contribute."

Su Qing was silent for a moment at this suggestion, but finally nodded with a smile and said, "Mhm, then I'll trouble you."

This was a kind gesture from Bai Zhu, so Su Qing saw no reason to refuse. She could accept it with peace of mind and enjoy it.

After all, Bai Zhu's massage techniques were indeed superb and could truly help one relax mentally.

So why not accept it?

Su Qing was not the type to be bashful.

Seeing that Su Qing hadn't refused, Bai Zhu nodded with a beaming smile and began to massage her.

Nearby, Chen Nianxin watched the scene and couldn't help but make a snide remark, still maintaining that exasperating attitude of hers.

In response, Su Qing naturally didn't hesitate to snap back at her with a few words...

When Su Qing was bored, bickering with her was also a form of entertainment.

After all, this girl really asked for it sometimes.

So, there was no harm in it; she might as well do it since she was free anyway.

After being scolded a bit, Chen Nianxin didn't get angry. She just continued to talk nonsense with Su Qing, teasing her along the way.

The atmosphere among the three hadn't changed much; it was still the same as always.

They sat in the courtyard chatting idly.

However, as they chatted to pass the time,

Su Qing suddenly saw an Auspicious Cloud slowly flying toward them in the sky.

That Auspicious Cloud was accompanied by a strange fragrance and bursts of Sanskrit chants. It was very clear that this was not an immortal's cloud, but a Buddhist one...

'What is the Buddha Kingdom coming to find me for? They haven't contacted me in so long, so why are they suddenly running over here now? What's going on?' Su Qing looked at the Auspicious Cloud, her heart filled with endless doubt.

The people of the Buddha Kingdom were supposedly busy beyond belief with their survival plans.

How did they suddenly have the leisure to send someone to check on her?

And what puzzled Su Qing even more was that the Buddha Kingdom surely knew her original body wasn't at Changbai Mountain but in the Northern Continent...

Why run all the way here to find her clone?

Why not go directly to her original body in the Northern Continent?

While there was no difference between finding her clone and her original body...

it still caused a flicker of confusion to rise in Su Qing's heart.

Su Qing rubbed her chin and watched the white cloud, lost in thought for a moment.

However, after a moment of reflection, Su Qing directly gave up on thinking about it.

For no particular reason other than she couldn't figure it out, so she stopped trying.

As for the specific situation, she would just ask clearly once the person from the Buddha Kingdom arrived.

Thinking too much now was meaningless.

Regardless, they were already at her doorstep.

While she pondered,

the Auspicious Cloud had already descended above Su Qing's courtyard.

Su Qing looked up again and was somewhat surprised by the visitor.

It was actually Guanyin Bodhisattva.

This one was a rare guest.

She hadn't seen her in quite a long time.

However, since it was this senior, Su Qing naturally couldn't be too casual.

Even though she and Guanyin Bodhisattva were on very good terms, she couldn't be too lax with etiquette...

Guanyin Bodhisattva might not care much, but it would still be somewhat improper.

Therefore, Su Qing stood up and looked toward Guanyin Bodhisattva.

Seeing that Su Qing had noticed her, Guanyin Bodhisattva lowered the cloud and landed in the courtyard.

"It has truly been a long time, Senior Guanyin... Haven't you been very busy lately? Why have you suddenly come to find me today?" Su Qing asked with a beaming smile. "Please, have a seat, Senior! The tea hasn't cooled yet; I'll pour a cup for you."

Guanyin nodded upon hearing this and sat down, picking up a teacup to take a sip of the clear tea.

Su Qing looked at her and went straight to the point, saying, "Senior, like me, you are mostly the type who doesn't visit without a reason. To suddenly come find me today, and specifically this clone of mine—is there something important? I imagine it can't be just to have a chat. Given your personality and the busy state of the West, that seems unlikely."

After spending so much time with Guanyin Bodhisattva, she had long since moved past the stage where she needed to weigh every word for a long time.

She simply raised her questions with a chuckle.

Guanyin Bodhisattva was silent for a while, looking at Su Qing before turning her head to look at Chen Nianxin nearby. She said, "My coming here is indeed for an important matter. I intend to take Chen Nianxin away!"

Su Qing was slightly stunned to hear this, then asked, "Can you tell me... why? Chen Nianxin has been with me for so long. If you want to take her away, there must be a reason, right?"

On one hand, Su Qing was reluctant to let Chen Nianxin go. After all, there weren't many people left in this place; if Chen Nianxin left, she would be even more bored.

Although Chen Nianxin was often quite annoying and very sharp-tongued—sometimes making Su Qing want to smack her—she would still be unwilling to see her taken away just like that.

On the other hand, she was simply curious.

After all, there had been no prior notice of this. To suddenly come and want to take her away made Su Qing very interested in the reason.

Upon hearing this, Guanyin Bodhisattva looked at her teacup and said calmly, "The Buddha Kingdom needs to use her. Although she is not an absolute necessity, having her help would make a certain matter much simpler."

This caused Su Qing to fall silent for a moment. She looked at Chen Nianxin and asked, "Is it a must to take her?"

"It mainly depends on whether you are willing to let her go, and whether this child is willing to follow me."

Guanyin Bodhisattva actually didn't want to bring Chen Nianxin to the Buddha Kingdom either. If she truly wanted to take her by force, she wouldn't have wasted words; she would have just spoken and taken her.

Though Su Qing would ask many questions, she likely wouldn't be able to stop her.

In fact, Guanyin Bodhisattva had an opportunity to take her away directly during her last visit.

Su Qing rubbed her chin. This clearly gave her some room to maneuver, or perhaps it could be said Guanyin was waiting for her to say something.

She looked at Guanyin Bodhisattva, was silent for a moment, and said:

"This child hasn't been properly taught yet. If she is sent to the Buddha Kingdom now, I fear she won't be able to help and will instead become a nuisance."

"Furthermore, since Senior said it depends on Chen Nianxin's own decision, then let's see what her own plans are!"

"If Chen Nianxin herself is willing to follow Senior to the Buddha Kingdom, I naturally won't say much..."

"After all, it is her own choice..."

Regarding this matter, Su Qing did not directly make the decision for Chen Nianxin.

For her, Chen Nianxin's own thoughts were more important.

If she truly wanted to leave this place,

Su Qing certainly wouldn't force her to stay.

Her leaving would have some impact on Su Qing, but to be honest, it wasn't much—at most, things would just be a bit more boring.

Guanyin Bodhisattva nodded and said, "In that case, let us ask her about her own wishes."

With that, Guanyin Bodhisattva walked over to Chen Nianxin. Seeing Chen Nianxin's look of displeasure toward her, she didn't get angry but simply offered a faint smile and said, "Well? Do you want to come with me to the Buddha Kingdom? Or do you want to continue staying here?"

Facing Guanyin's inquiry,

Chen Nianxin shook her head almost without hesitation.

She said, "I'm not going to any Buddha Kingdom with you! I'd rather stay here and argue with Su Qing than go there."

For her, although she lacked freedom here and still couldn't use her spells, Su Qing was at least a decent person. At most, Su Qing just liked to bicker with her, but that was a bit of fun in daily life, so it wasn't a big deal.

Moreover, aside from that one bad habit, Su Qing treated her well in other respects.

So she didn't want to follow Guanyin Bodhisattva back to the Buddha Kingdom at all!

After all, she had no idea what kind of things she would encounter if she went back.

It would be fine if she gained her freedom,

but there were so many other possibilities.

Furthermore, she had just heard Guanyin Bodhisattva say that she was needed back there to help...

This most likely meant she was being used as a tool.

One had to remember, her cultivation was the very thing the Buddha Kingdom had sealed!

Therefore, it was better to stay here!

At least Su Qing treated her reasonably well.

Hearing this answer,

Guanyin Bodhisattva was slightly stunned, then laughed and nodded, saying, "Alright, alright. I thought you would definitely want to come with me! I saw you were just arguing with Su Qing earlier?"

"None of your business!" Chen Nianxin said without hesitation.

She truly wasn't afraid of the Guanyin Bodhisattva before her at all.

She really did dare to snap at anyone.

Guanyin Bodhisattva didn't get angry at this either. She only smiled and nodded, saying, "Fine, fine. Since you are happy to stay here, then stay you shall. I will not force you."