Is the Star Lord Real or Fake?

Looking at the long corridor, Su Qing’s mind was filled with a thousand thoughts.

However, she quickly suppressed them. She decided to see this impostor Lunar Deity first before considering anything else.

After all, for the time being, the Lunar Deity had not caused any trouble, nor had she harmed anyone else in the Moon Palace. It was possible that this returned Lunar Deity was not some uncommunicative disaster, but a replica capable of reason.

Therefore, regardless of the situation, she had to see the person for herself before making any other decisions.

Su Qing exhaled a breath of turbid Qi, then followed Chang'e and Yuer into the main hall.

Inside the hall, the Lunar Deity was silently reading a scroll of official documents, her brow slightly furrowed as if she had a headache. It was unclear whether she was troubled by the contents of the documents or something else entirely.

Upon arriving, neither Su Qing nor Chang'e was in a hurry to speak. Although they were there to determine the status of the impostor, they had to treat her as the real Lunar Deity until they were certain she was a threat. They needed to avoid provoking her and triggering an unnecessary battle.

This was the Moon Palace, after all. If a fight broke out and damaged the buildings here, it would be quite a headache. Thus, they waited for the Lunar Deity to set down her documents before speaking.

It was exactly how they would have acted when the true Lunar Deity was present.

After a short while, the Lunar Deity set the scroll aside.

At that moment, Chang'e spoke up. "Star Lord! We’re back."

Chang'e looked at the 'Lunar Deity' with a somewhat wooden expression. This wasn't an act; she was simply used to being slightly more obedient in the Star Lord's presence.

It couldn't be helped. Who told the Star Lord to start managing her so long ago? She was frequently lectured, so she had naturally developed an instinctive reaction.

The Lunar Deity looked up and met Chang'e's gaze. Her eyes were exceptionally calm as she spoke. "When did you go out? And why did you bring Su Qing here? She is so busy in the Northern Continent; why are you bothering her for no reason? And why bring her here now?"

The Lunar Deity’s tone and choice of words were almost identical to the original. One could not hear the slightest difference.

Hearing this, Chang'e gave a sheepish laugh. Her heart trembled slightly; even though she knew the person before her was likely a fake, she still felt a bit intimidated. She scratched her head and said, "Didn't you suddenly return? So I thought of calling Su Qing over so we could meet... After all, she hasn't seen you in a long time and missed you!"

Chang'e told the lie without blushing or her heart skipping a beat; it came to her effortlessly. It was clear just how good she usually was at fooling people.

Normally, Su Qing might have roasted her for it, but she certainly wouldn't now. This was exactly the time when they needed to deceive the other party.

Thus, Su Qing nodded from the side and said, "Yes, the Star Lord has been away for so long that I truly missed you. So, I made a pact with Sister Chang'e that as soon as you returned, she would bring me to see you. Sister Chang'e is quite sincere; you had barely been back for long before she came down to the Northern Continent to find me. So, I followed her back to pay my respects to you, Star Lord."

Hearing this, the Lunar Deity did not seem overly suspicious. She nodded slightly and said, "I see. I thought Chang'e was just bored and had gone to the Northern Continent to force you to come to the Moon Palace to play with her! I didn't expect I was overthinking it... and I certainly didn't expect this unreliable fellow to actually keep her word for once."

As she spoke, the Lunar Deity couldn't help but glare at Chang'e.

Chang'e just gave a sheepish grin.

The Star Lord gave a light snort but didn't criticize Chang'e further. Instead, she turned to Su Qing and said, "Since you are here, you should take a good day's rest in the Moon Palace. The mortal world is in such chaos now, with all sorts of natural disasters emerging one after another. As the Acting Guardian of the Northern Continent, you must have a lot on your plate and likely work extremely hard every day."

"It will do you good to have a proper rest today. Although Chang'e is quite unreliable, she wasn't wrong to bring you here to rest. It’s just that going off without consulting me first was a bit reckless."

These words left Su Qing slightly at a loss. Was this Lunar Deity perhaps a bit too familiar with her circumstances, a bit too considerate?

To be honest, the fact that she could communicate normally was already a surprise to Su Qing. But after this exchange... Su Qing almost didn't feel like the person before her was a fake anymore.

If it weren't for that very thick scent clinging to this Lunar Deity, Su Qing might have actually accepted her as the real one.

She looked at the Lunar Deity, and after a moment of silence, she said, "Thank you for your concern, Star Lord. But why are you looking at paperwork the moment you return? Why don't you take a rest as well? You shouldn't just worry about others; you should pay more attention to your own condition and not overwork yourself."

Hearing this, the Lunar Deity shook her head helplessly. "Is it not because Chang'e is too fond of slacking off? She left behind so much paperwork unprocessed. I have nothing else to do now that I'm back, so I might as well help look through these reports. I'll handle some for her or watch her finish the rest. I wouldn't want to leave again only to find her paperwork still untouched, or find that she's dumped it all on Yuer again. As for being tired, I am not. I am far more formidable than you juniors."

Beside them, Yuer was moved by the Lunar Deity's words. How should she put it? She felt that the Star Lord before her was likely the real one. If she weren't real, how could she be so considerate of her? How could she know Chang'e's temperament so well?

She seemed more real than real.

Chang'e and Su Qing were also stunned for a moment. She was too similar—simply identical to the original.

"This... it’s not my fault. It’s just that there was no rush. The Heavenly Court only requires a submission once a year anyway. At worst, I’ll just finish it all during the final period!" Chang'e fell silent for a moment, but she didn't fail to respond. Instead, she stubbornly talked back just as she usually did with the real Lunar Deity.

Su Qing gave a small smile, first roasting Chang'e with a few words, then asked, "Is the Star Lord going out again later?"

"Naturally. I only came back to check on things. Once I finish what I came to do, I must return to my duties," the Lunar Deity replied calmly. "There is still much to be done over there. My tasks are far from finished, so I must return."

She answered so naturally that it became even harder to distinguish whether she was real or fake. Even though Su Qing could smell that familiar scent and knew Chang'e had inquired about the real Star Lord's status, she still subconsciously felt that the person before her was the true Lunar Deity.

She was just too similar, too natural.

Su Qing exhaled and said, "I see. That sounds truly exhausting."

"Exhausting? It’s alright, really. It is all so the younger generations can have a better life," the Lunar Deity said with a smile. "Alright, since you have a rare chance to rest, go play with Chang'e for a while. You don't need to worry about me. Once I’ve settled these matters at hand, I will come find you."

The Lunar Deity clearly didn't intend to continue the small talk and tactfully expressed her desire to get back to work.

Su Qing was not one to miss a cue and immediately understood. She nodded naturally and said, "In that case, I’ll head to the back garden with Chang'e first. Star Lord, remember to come find us once you’re done!"

Su Qing actually wanted to end the conversation as well. She wanted to talk to Chang'e privately about the situation. This Lunar Deity was so convincing that it was hard to believe she was an impostor, so there was no reason to refuse the exit.

The Lunar Deity smiled and nodded. "Go on then. Don't mind me."

With that, Su Qing bid her farewell and turned to leave the hall with Chang'e and Yuer, heading toward the back garden.

The garden wasn't far, but the path took them past the Osmanthus Tree.

When they reached the tree, Su Qing stopped naturally. She intended to ask the Osmanthus Tree for its perspective on the matter.

The Osmanthus Tree was ancient and knew a great deal. Furthermore, its mastery over the Moon Palace was no weaker than Chang'e's. Since its roots were planted here and spread throughout the palace, it was bound to be aware of everything, including the situation with the Lunar Deity.

Asking her might yield some useful answers.

Su Qing stopped beneath the tree and called out a few times.

Before long, osmanthus flowers drifted down, coalescing into a human form. Guihua appeared before them with a distinctly annoyed expression.

"Oh, don't give me that look. I'm not here for Gongsun Zhixue this time. I have something else to ask you," Su Qing said to her with a beaming smile.