Still Within Expectations

Su Qing exhaled a breath of turbid air, her mood appearing quite excellent.

"Now that both matters have been settled, I can finally set my mind at ease."

Having found solutions for two of her major concerns so easily, her spirits were naturally high.

Leng Xiang, hearing this, naturally had no objections. She simply tilted her head and asked, "Does the master intend to inform the Old Dragon King of the situation?"

Su Qing fell into a brief silence before nodding slightly. "Indeed, I should tell him. It wouldn't do to let that fellow continue worrying himself to death."

Although she felt a bit lazy about the extra trip, she considered that the Old Dragon King was the one most distressed by this ordeal. She decided to share the news first to prevent him from falling ill due to excessive anxiety.

After all, while her relationship with the East Sea Dragon King wasn't great, her rapport with the other Four Dragon Kings of the Seas was quite decent.

Su Qing flexed her wrists and took a deep breath. "Come, accompany me to find the Old Dragon King!"

Since she was heading out, she certainly wouldn't go alone.

Leng Xiang naturally wouldn't be left behind. She smiled and nodded.

They soon found the North Sea Dragon King.

At that moment, the North Sea Dragon King still wore a look of deep sorrow.

Clearly, the pressure of this matter was immense for him—far exceeding the pressure Su Qing felt.

However, one couldn't blame his lack of resilience; this situation was truly a headache of the highest order for him.

"Why has the Sovereign come?" The North Sea Dragon King was rubbing his brow when he suddenly saw Su Qing. He instinctively tucked away his anxious expression and forced a smile.

Su Qing chuckled softly. "Naturally, I've come to bring you good news."

He was momentarily stunned, then looked at her with confusion. "Has the Sovereign made a new discovery?"

His primary concern was, of course, the affairs of his North Sea. Thus, when Su Qing mentioned good news, he immediately connected it to the local situation and asked urgently.

Su Qing smiled and nodded, sharing a portion of her conversation with Laojun to put the old fellow's mind at ease.

Given the crushing pressure he was under, he might not hold out much longer without some genuine good news. And the news Su Qing brought was undoubtedly the best he could hope for.

Upon hearing her words, the previously demoralized North Sea Dragon King instantly perked up.

He couldn't help but say, "I truly cannot thank the Sovereign enough!"

"If you want to thank someone, thank Laojun. I didn't actually play much of a role in this, at least not a decisive one," Su Qing said with a wave of her hand, having no intention of hogging the credit.

Even if she did take the credit, Laojun wouldn't mind, but she had her own principles.

Listening to her, the Old Dragon King spoke without hesitation. "Naturally, I must also thank Senior Taishang Laojun... Regardless, as long as there is a way to resolve the matter of the Black Dragon, I can finally feel some peace of mind."

For a moment, he felt a genuine sense of relief.

Su Qing chuckled. "For now, just focus on keeping watch over the exterior. Don't let any new problems arise, and then wait with me for the helpers to arrive."

The Old Dragon King nodded. "The Sovereign can rest assured on that front. I will certainly handle it well."

"Good. If another Black Dragon attacks, remember to notify me!" Su Qing said as she began to walk back. "I'm going back to rest."

With Su Qing heading back to rest, how could the Old Dragon King dare to say anything? He nodded obediently. "Safe travels, Sovereign! If a Black Dragon appears, I will notify you immediately."

By the time he finished speaking, Su Qing was already far off.

Watching her figure vanish, the Old Dragon King let out a long, heavy sigh of relief and muttered to himself, "I hope the helpers from the Heavenly Court arrive quickly! Oh, I also need to recall the people I sent out earlier. It seems that even though I can breathe a bit easier, I still have quite a lot on my plate!"

He had thought he could relax a little, but upon closer reflection, he realized he couldn't stop yet. There were still many unresolved issues.

Within the Dragon Palace, countless matters were waiting for his attention.

However, though there was much to do, it was far better than having the threat of total destruction hanging over his head. Thus, after a few brief complaints, he didn't grumble much more.

After all, this was the burden a Dragon King had to bear. If he didn't do it, who would?

Furthermore, if he failed to handle things properly and something went wrong later, he would undoubtedly be the one to regret it most.

The North Sea Dragon King exhaled another long breath of turbid air and set off to handle the remaining affairs.

While he was busy, Su Qing and Leng Xiang were enjoying a relatively leisurely time in the courtyard where they were staying.

The two of them couldn't interfere much with the internal affairs of the North Sea Dragon Palace, nor did they wish to. Their purpose here was solely to resolve the Black Dragon issue, not to act as nannies. They left the Dragon Palace's internal business to its own people.

They needed to rest well when they could. Otherwise, if a bigger trouble arose later and they lacked the energy to handle it, things would become problematic.

Resealing that black water would undoubtedly be an exhausting task. Therefore, Su Qing wouldn't waste her mental energy on the Dragon Palace's mundane chores.

The two sat in the courtyard, sipping tea and chatting casually as they waited for time to pass and for the Heavenly Court's helpers to arrive.

"Even though I expected this matter wouldn't be simple, it's still quite frustrating now that it's actually become this troublesome."

Su Qing took a sip of clear tea and sighed with resignation.

"I only hope that once the helpers arrive, the matter can truly be resolved. Otherwise, it will be quite agonizing."

Su Qing had always been one to avoid trouble. The simpler and easier a problem could be solved, the happier she was. While she would always step up to solve a difficult problem if necessary, she certainly didn't enjoy it. After all, who likes dealing with trouble?

Leng Xiang smiled and said, "Do not worry, Miss. Everything will turn out fine. I believe nothing else will go wrong this time. After all, even Senior Laojun said as much."

Leng Xiang naturally didn't want Su Qing to fret, so she offered words of comfort when appropriate. Over the years, her personality had changed much, but her attitude and feelings toward Su Qing remained the same.

Su Qing nodded slightly, not being stubborn. "I hope everything goes smoothly as well. However, I must still make some preparations for the possibility that it doesn't. Otherwise, it would be bad to be caught off guard."

"Yes, I also believe in the master's judgment," Leng Xiang said. "I just don't want the master to be overly worried."

"I'm not worried; I just wanted to vent a little." Su Qing shook her head, realizing Leng Xiang had misunderstood her, and offered a brief explanation.

Understanding now, Leng Xiang gave her a small smile. "I see... Then if the master wishes to vent, please feel free to do so with me."

Su Qing couldn't help but laugh at her. She reached out and ruffled the girl's hair. "Alright, alright, I get it. But I'm done venting for now. Come, talk to me about something else. Has Yudie been causing any trouble lately?"

Su Qing didn't want to continue discussing those matters. She didn't need Leng Xiang's help with the preparations; she could handle them alone. Thus, it was time to change the subject.

Seeing Su Qing ask about other things, Leng Xiang knew she was intentionally shifting the topic. Having lived together for so many years, how could she not know her habits?

However, she didn't point it out. She simply followed Su Qing's lead and chatted about the new topic. For Leng Xiang, what they talked about wasn't important; who she was talking to was what mattered.

Moreover, compared to discussing official business, she preferred talking about Yudie. She knew more about that subject and naturally had more to say, ensuring the conversation wouldn't run dry.

And so, the time passed slowly as they chatted.

Soon, night fell, and they both retired to rest.

It was a dreamless night, and both slept exceptionally well.

However, by the next morning, the expected helpers from the Heavenly Court still hadn't arrived. It wasn't until noon that they finally showed up.

The Dragon King, of course, didn't dare to complain. For him, the fact that anyone had come to help was already wonderful. Su Qing, on the other hand, didn't hold back and voiced a few complaints. They had indeed been quite slow.

Facing Su Qing's remarks, the group didn't dare to talk back. The gap in their status was clear; no one dared to act out of turn. They could only offer helpless explanations for why they were late.

"Forget it, as long as you're here. More importantly, let's get started on resolving the trouble here. The sooner we finish, the sooner everyone can head home."

Su Qing had no intention of dwelling on the issue. She only wanted to solve the problem quickly so she could return to her other business.

Hearing this, the group from the Heavenly Court naturally didn't dare to say more. They nodded hurriedly and followed her to work.

The seal at the back of the North Sea Dragon Palace was massive and spanned a great distance. Consequently, a full inspection would take quite some time.

Even with the help of the Heavenly Court's experts, it would take a while to finish. Fortunately, these helpers were indeed much stronger than the Old Dragon King's subordinates and didn't suffer from memory loss or other influences.

In just half a day, they discovered a damaged area.

Upon finding the breach, the person immediately notified Su Qing and led her to the location.

Beneath the shimmering, colorful seal, wisps of black gas were seeping out.

Although the amount wasn't large, enough could accumulate over a full day to be significant. If left for longer, it could easily condense into a Black Dragon.

Looking at the black gas and sensing the faint, strange energy within it—as well as the instinctive irritability and alertness it triggered in her consciousness—Su Qing felt a slight sense of relief. It seemed everything was still within Taishang Laojun's expectations.

She said, "As expected, after all that circling around, the problem is indeed with the seal... However, since this breach is so small, it shouldn't be possible to form two Black Dragons in such a short time. I suspect there are other damaged spots in the seal... Please continue searching and don't miss any other breaches."

"Also, you've likely noticed that this black mist has the ability to influence the mind. Therefore, you must pay extra attention. If you're not careful, your memories might be affected, and we'll have to re-inspect everything you've already checked."

"This black gas is incredibly eerie, so be extremely cautious."

Although Su Qing was dissatisfied with their late arrival, she wouldn't forget to give the necessary warnings. Even though she had mentioned it once before they set out, she emphasized it again just to be safe.

The group naturally didn't dare to ignore her words. If they had any doubts initially, they had vanished after sensing something trying to slip into their Sea of Consciousness just moments ago. This thing was indeed bizarre.

It was neither an illusion nor a spell, but a strange method that defied simple explanation.

Thus, hearing Su Qing's reminder again, they nodded hurriedly, indicating they would be very careful.

Seeing their response, Su Qing nodded with satisfaction. "In that case, I'll leave the inspection work to you. I'll patch up the seal here..."

The group nodded and returned to their assigned tasks.

Once they had left, Su Qing looked at the spot where the black mist was emerging and exhaled a breath of turbid air.

"What a troublesome thing! If you're sealed, just stay under the seal. Why must you jump out and cause trouble?" Su Qing shook her head and thought helplessly. Then, forming a hand seal, she threw out an array plate and array flags, applying a 'patch' to the damaged area.

Though it was a patch, it wouldn't be easily broken. In fact, its strength was higher than the surrounding area. After all, the original array stretched for many miles, whereas her patch was concentrated on a single spot, naturally making it stronger.

Having finished, Su Qing clapped her hands and muttered to herself, "There, that should do it. Once we find the rest, the job will be done. I just hope no more nonsense crops up during the process."