Melancholy

Hearing her daughter's words, Su Qing found it both absurd and amusing.

She shook her head helplessly and gave the girl a light tap on the head.

"What on earth are you thinking? Palace Mistress Chang'e and I haven't reached that kind of relationship," Su Qing said, caught between a sigh and a laugh.

Su Tingtong didn't feel the least bit slighted by the tap. She simply grinned mischievously and nodded.

Since Su Qing didn't want to admit it, she wouldn't press the matter further...

She didn't want to cause her mother any extra trouble right now.

So, she just nodded with a giggle and steered the conversation toward other topics, allowing the chat to continue while bringing that particular subject to a close.

Mother and daughter had plenty to talk about.

Before they knew it, quite a bit of time had passed.

It wasn't until the Dragon Girl servants came to call Su Qing for dinner that the two finally ended their idle chatter and headed to the dining hall to eat with the rest of the family.

After that, two or three days passed quickly.

By then, Chang'e had likely finished most of her tasks.

Su Qing assumed she had returned to her usual leisurely, idle self, so she prepared to head to the Moon Palace to find her.

After all, this was something they had agreed upon long ago; she certainly couldn't go back on her word.

On the morning of that day, Su Qing woke up early.

She stretched her limbs in the courtyard to wake up her mind, planning to set off for the Moon Palace to see Sister Chang'e right after breakfast.

As she was stretching, Su Tingtong also woke up and walked into the courtyard, yawning.

She looked at Su Qing and greeted her mother with a smile. "Mother, you're up quite early today... By the way, are you planning to head to the Moon Palace today?"

News from Chang'e had arrived yesterday, and Su Tingtong was naturally aware of it. Thus, she guessed that Su Qing would be heading out today to play with Chang'e.

Su Qing nodded. "Yes. I plan to head over to see Palace Mistress Chang'e today. It just so happens that the official business over the next few days is relatively simple and doesn't require my personal attention. It won't be a problem to delay things for a trip to the Moon Palace. It'll just be a bit of a hassle afterward... after all, I'll still have to finish that work sooner or later."

While Su Qing felt she had to visit Chang'e, if there were pressing matters at home, she would always prioritize them first. She only considered the trip because there were no major troubles requiring her direct intervention.

After all, if a problem reached the point where she had to act personally, it meant it was no ordinary matter and couldn't be delayed.

For instance, the recent affair with the Dragon Palace was one such case.

She knew how to weigh her priorities. Likewise, Chang'e understood this as well.

Though Chang'e might still nag her once she arrived at the Moon Palace, she wouldn't truly blame her.

"I see." Su Tingtong looked at Su Qing and nodded. "Then, once you're at the Moon Palace, when do you plan to return? Will you be back tonight?"

Su Qing rubbed her chin and shook her head. "I'm not sure. Whether I can return depends on the situation..."

She didn't know if Chang'e would insist on her staying the night, and Su Qing never liked giving definitive answers to uncertain things.

Thus, she chose an ambiguous reply.

Hearing this, Su Tingtong nodded. The answer wasn't outside her expectations; she knew her mother very well.

"Alright, so you'll basically be spending the night at the Moon Palace," Su Tingtong said, spreading her hands.

Su Qing gave a helpless smile but didn't argue. She really couldn't say for sure whether she would stay over or not.

"Anyway, let's not talk about that. The Dragon Girls are already preparing breakfast. It should be ready in a moment. Come, move around a bit with me," Su Qing said, decisively ending the topic with a smile.

Su Tingtong curled her lip. "How does Mother want to 'move around'?"

"Spar a few rounds with me. Let me see if my daughter has made any progress lately," Su Qing said, rubbing her chin with a grin.

Su Tingtong had worked exceptionally hard on her cultivation over the years, and her progress had been remarkably fast.

Where others might still be at the introductory stages after sixty years, this girl had already reached the Earthly Immortal realm.

Furthermore, among Earthly Immortals, she was one of the stronger ones, not some inferior talent who had merely padded her numbers.

In a real fight, she could likely handle four or five mediocre Earthly Immortals on her own.

Su Tingtong nodded. "Since Mother wants to, I'll spar with you. But you have to remember to go easy on me! I'm no match for you."

Despite her rapid progress and quick learning, Su Tingtong knew exactly where she stood. She hadn't become overconfident or arrogant because of her speed. She remained humble—mostly because the people around her were each more formidable than the last, leaving her no room for conceit.

Su Qing nodded. "Naturally. We're just moving our bodies. It's not like I'm trying to use this as an excuse to bully you."

In the past, Su Qing had occasionally used such excuses to tease Su Tingtong. But now that the girl had grown up, Su Qing rarely did so. The child was aware of her own strength and remained humble, so bullying her would just be... well, bullying her. There was no point.

Besides, if Su Qing really wanted to spank her, she could just grab her and do it. There was no need to go through such a long-winded process.

Su Tingtong breathed a sigh of relief and began to spar with Su Qing in the courtyard.

Both possessed extraordinary strength. Even without using any magic, the commotion they caused was quite terrifying.

If Su Qing hadn't long ago reinforced the area with numerous arrays, the aftershocks of their exchange might have left the courtyard riddled with pits and craters.

They didn't spar for long. Soon, they wrapped things up and went to eat.

After all, breakfast was ready.

There wasn't much to say about the meal; it was just an ordinary breakfast.

Once finished, Su Qing said her goodbyes to everyone and set off for the Moon Palace.

Everyone was used to her visits there, so no one said much. They simply told her to come back early and watched her depart.

After Su Qing left, Su Tingtong let out a long breath, wondering when her mother would finally 'win over' Auntie Chang'e.

After a long moment, she shook her head. 'Forget it, I'll just leave it to Mother's own ability. It's not convenient for a daughter like me to say too much about such things...'

With that thought, Su Tingtong put it out of her mind. She rode a cloud to the study to help Liu Xixi with the official business.

This was both to lighten Liu Xixi's burden and, in effect, to lighten Su Qing's as well. With the total workload reduced, both Liu Xixi and Su Qing would have a much easier time later.

Meanwhile, Su Qing had already arrived at the gates of the Moon Palace.

Today, the Moon Palace was as quiet and desolate as ever, no different from any other day.

Those who had been reassigned by the Heavenly Court still hadn't returned.

Su Qing shook her head and didn't pay much attention to it. They had been gone for so many years that she had long since grown accustomed to this unique silence.

She walked into the main hall of the Moon Palace.

When she arrived, Chang'e happened to be there.

Chang'e had already prepared wine and plenty of delicacies. She was sitting at one side of the table, waiting quietly.

However, something struck Su Qing as odd.

When Chang'e saw her today, she didn't greet her with her usual radiant smile. Instead, she merely curled the corners of her mouth into a very flat, faint smile.

It was a perfectly standard smile—even more practiced than Jin Xin's. It was flawless, yet one could tell at a glance that it was a hollow smile.

Su Qing looked at her, naturally finding it strange. The woman seemed to have something on her mind.

Seeing Chang'e like this made Su Qing feel quite uneasy. It felt as if something was missing from her.

Su Qing looked at her and said, "Sister Chang'e is certainly quiet today."

She walked over and sat down in front of Chang'e.

Chang'e nodded. "I just have a few things on my mind. You needn't worry about it."

"It's not that I mind, it's just that I'm worried about you." Su Qing looked at Chang'e and poured her a cup of wine. "So, can you tell me what's bothering you? Maybe I can find a way to help! If it's something I can do, I won't hesitate."

Su Qing really wasn't used to this version of Chang'e. She much preferred her usual unreliable, cheerful self. Seeing her happy every day was far more comfortable than this.

Su Qing's words made Chang'e smile, but she shook her head. "It's really nothing major. You don't need to worry so much. I'm just troubled over which wine I should drink today..."

Chang'e appeared to be answering Su Qing's question, but in reality, she had said nothing at all. It was clearly a lie.

Su Qing had known Chang'e for so many years; she understood her personality well. She would never be troubled over which wine to drink.

Her usual choice was to drink them all at once.

Why? Because it made her happy.

So, ninety-nine percent of what she just said was a lie. The other one percent was also a lie.

Su Qing shook her head. "If something is wrong, you should tell me... Although my abilities aren't as great as yours, I can still do quite a bit. If I can help, I certainly will. Why be so modest?"

"I've never been modest with you... There really just isn't anything special going on." Chang'e shook her head, a smile finally touching her face. "But regardless, thank you for your concern..."

As she spoke, Chang'e swallowed the wine in one gulp, as if she were returning to her usual self.

Su Qing looked at her and sighed with a hint of helplessness. When this woman didn't want to talk, it was impossible to get anything out of her.

She shook her head and took a sip of wine herself. "Fine. As long as you can work it out in your own heart. Come, let me pour you some more."

Su Qing hadn't given up on finding out why she was acting this way. And the best way to get her to talk was to get her drunk. Once she was intoxicated, she would naturally spill everything.

It was a slightly unscrupulous method, but it had never failed.

Sister Chang'e was actually quite easy to handle once you found the right approach.

Chang'e glanced at Su Qing, then took the refilled cup and downed it without the slightest hesitation.

In truth, Chang'e understood Su Qing's intentions; she knew exactly what she was trying to do. But when the wine was poured, she couldn't help but drink it.

She was like this when she was in a good mood, and now that her heart was heavy with pent-up gloom, she was even more so. After all, while drowning one's sorrows doesn't extinguish them, it can make the heart feel a little better.

As the wine went down her throat, the gloom in Chang'e's heart didn't dissipate, but it did numb her mind slightly.

The two continued like this—one pouring, one drinking.

Back and forth they went until they had finished a whole jar of fine wine.

However, while a lot of wine had been consumed, the food remained largely untouched. Only Su Qing was eating, while only Chang'e was drinking.

In other words, Chang'e had drunk almost the entire jar by herself. Part of it was Su Qing's doing, but most of it was due to Chang'e's own state of mind.

Naturally, after drinking so much, Chang'e was already looking a bit dazed, as if she might collapse at any moment.

Su Qing's goal seemed to have been achieved. However, perhaps because of her poor mood, Chang'e didn't start rambling nonsense like she usually did when drunk.

Instead, she was exceptionally silent, looking the very picture of melancholy.

Seeing this, Su Qing sighed helplessly. "Sister Chang'e... you're already drunk. Do you still plan to drink?"

"If you pour, I will drink," Chang'e replied after a moment of silence, looking at Su Qing.