Su Qing didn't care whether she was speechless or not. She simply looked at her with a beaming smile and said another word of thanks... then she pulled Chang'e and Yuer along to the garden.
Even though they had decided on their next course of action, they didn't intend to act immediately.
Instead, they planned to prepare themselves first before making a move.
After all, this matter carried a certain level of risk.
Therefore, they had to be fully prepared.
Otherwise, if something truly went wrong, no one would be able to help them.
Watching Su Qing and the others leave, the Osmanthus Tree curled her lip in exasperation.
"What an exasperating fellow," the Osmanthus Tree grumbled. Then, she transformed into a flurry of petals and dissipated, as if she had never been there at all.
In the garden, Su Qing, Chang'e, and Yuer stood together, discussing their strategy.
After a brief discussion, their first decision was to kick Yuer out of the plan, not allowing her to participate in the upcoming action.
As for the reason, it was quite simple...
Yuer's strength was relatively weak, far below that of the other two.
If she were involved, not only would she be unable to help Su Qing and Chang'e, but they would also have to spend effort protecting her.
Thus, she was directly excluded from the mission.
To this, Yuer felt somewhat helpless at being unable to assist, but she didn't say much to argue...
After all, what the two said was the truth. She really couldn't help and might even become a burden.
Therefore, staying in the rear and being ready to seek reinforcements at any moment was the correct choice.
As for the other aspects of their strategy, Su Qing and Chang'e discussed them for a short while before reaching a very simple conclusion.
And that was...
Stop thinking. Prepare the spells, get into the right headspace, and just charge in and be done with it.
Regardless of what they chose, the final result would only be one of two possibilities: either they fought, or they didn't.
Therefore, charging in seemed like a perfectly good option.
Having made their decision, Su Qing and Chang'e didn't want to waste any more time. They immediately set off for the main hall to find the Lunar Deity.
As for Yuer, she hovered in the sky above the Moon Palace. If she saw that things were going poorly, she would immediately head to the Heavenly Court to seek aid.
On the way to find the Lunar Deity, Su Qing suddenly thought of something and said, "Why don't you try contacting the Lunar Deity again? Ask her what she has to say?"
Hearing this, Chang'e was stunned for a moment. "I... well... I'd like to contact her now, but even if I do, she might not answer me immediately. So, let's just go directly!"
In truth...
It wasn't that Chang'e was unwilling to contact the Lunar Deity.
It was that she simply couldn't. She had been unable to reach her for a very long time.
The reason she had told Su Qing she had been in contact with the Lunar Deity was merely to keep the secret that the Lunar Deity couldn't leave the Jianmu Tree and had long since lost contact.
Otherwise, she wouldn't have been so uncertain about whether the Lunar Deity before them was real or not...
She couldn't even be sure if this was an incarnation of the Lunar Deity.
If she could have been certain, why would she have been over-analyzing things, suffering from such a headache, and seeking Su Qing's help?
Su Qing looked at her with a hint of confusion. After a moment of silence, she nodded and said, "Fine. In that case, we'll proceed according to the original plan. If she really is the Lunar Deity, or an incarnation of the Lunar Deity, that would naturally be for the best. But if she isn't... we must be prepared for a fight."
"You don't need to remind me again; I know what I'm doing," Chang'e said with a smile and a nod. "Let's go!"
Hearing this, Su Qing said no more and simply walked quickly into the main hall.
Inside the hall, the Lunar Deity was still looking over official documents, appearing very diligent.
However, despite her focus, she noticed the arrival of Su Qing and Chang'e.
She put down the documents and looked at the two of them. "What is it? Instead of resting properly, why have you run back here? Chang'e, don't tell me you're planning to help me process these documents?"
Chang'e shook her head. "Of course I'm not back to handle paperwork. You know I'm not that industrious. The reason I've come back is that I have something else to ask you, Star Lord."
The Lunar Deity raised an eyebrow. "Oh? If you have a question, just ask. If I know the answer, I'll explain it to you."
Hearing such a response, Chang'e sighed inwardly. This answer was exactly what the Lunar Deity would say...
She couldn't see any difference at all.
She exhaled a long breath and said, "Star Lord... are you truly the Lunar Deity? Aren't you still inside the Jianmu Tree... Why, why are you here?"
At this question, the Lunar Deity's brow furrowed, and a look of confusion appeared on her face...
It seemed she hadn't expected Chang'e to ask such a thing.
After a moment of silence, the Lunar Deity gave a helpless smile. "I am indeed still inside the Jianmu Tree, but who says I cannot appear here?"
Hearing this, both Chang'e and Su Qing were stunned...
What did that mean?
Was this an admission that she was an incarnation of the Lunar Deity?
Su Qing thought for a moment and then asked, "Are you saying that the 'you' here is actually an incarnation of the Lunar Deity?"
The Lunar Deity stroked her chin and shook her head. "That's not entirely accurate... In a sense, I can be considered the real Lunar Deity, just returned in a special way. Moreover, I won't be able to maintain this form for very long."
These words were a bit strange, but Su Qing could more or less understand the meaning behind them.
She remained silent for a moment before asking again, "So... are you or aren't you? And what's the deal with this special state? Furthermore, you carry a very strong and peculiar scent—the kind brought by the signs of the Great Tribulation of Heaven and Earth—and so does the entire Moon Palace... How do you explain that?"
Su Qing didn't fully believe the words of the Lunar Deity before her; instead, she continued her questioning.
Hearing these inquiries, the Lunar Deity gave a light chuckle. "Of course I'm not exactly the real Lunar Deity. My true body cannot leave the Jianmu Tree now, so it's naturally impossible for me to appear before you..."
"As for why I have that scent, it's because I am an incarnation created specifically through the signs of the Great Tribulation of Heaven and Earth. After all, with my true body trapped in the Jianmu Tree, I needed some special method to allow my consciousness to affect the outside world and control an incarnation."
"As for why the Moon Palace has that scent... the reason is simple, and it's one of the reasons I returned. The Moon Palace... has now been affected by the signs of the Great Tribulation of Heaven and Earth. Although the extent isn't too great, it has indeed been influenced."
The Lunar Deity's words were shocking...
Both Su Qing and Chang'e were rooted to the spot.
They were completely dumbfounded, and for a moment, they didn't know what to say.
However, while Su Qing and Chang'e were at a loss for words, the Lunar Deity still had more to say.
"I recall that I should have mentioned these things to you before, Chang'e? Oh, I suppose I didn't tell you about the incarnation. And I've been so busy creating it lately that I haven't contacted you much."
The Lunar Deity stroked her chin, speaking as if to herself.
"No wonder you two had such a misunderstanding about me..."
The Lunar Deity shook her head with a smile, seemingly finding the whole situation quite amusing.
Meanwhile, as Su Qing listened to the Lunar Deity's words, a thousand thoughts raced through her mind...
On one hand, she was surprised that Chang'e had hidden things from her; on the other, she was amazed that the Lunar Deity before them really was the Lunar Deity. Though only an incarnation, her essence was indeed that of the Lunar Deity.
As Su Qing thought this, she couldn't help but turn to look at Chang'e...
Seeing Su Qing's gaze, Chang'e was momentarily taken aback. "This... I'll explain it to you later. Let's focus on the matter at hand first."
Su Qing nodded and then looked back up at the so-called incarnation of the Lunar Deity.
Although Su Qing basically believed the Lunar Deity's words now, she still kept a bit of caution in her heart and didn't trust her completely...
If she was just being over-cautious, that would be for the best. But if things were as she feared, then by thinking ahead, she would be able to react much faster when trouble arose.
Therefore, she didn't feel there was anything wrong with her skepticism.
After a moment's thought, Su Qing asked, "In that case, can the Star Lord tell us exactly what the situation is? After all, I've dealt with many effects of the Great Tribulation of Heaven and Earth in the Northern Continent. I believe I might be able to offer some help."
Hearing this, the Lunar Deity looked at Su Qing and nodded slightly. "I naturally believe you can help. However, even without you, I would still be able to handle it. Besides, aren't you on vacation today? Wouldn't it be a bit improper to interrupt your time off to come here and work? Although I don't know your daily routine, I imagine you don't get much rest, do you?"
The Lunar Deity made no effort to hide her concern for Su Qing in her words...
Clearly, she didn't want Su Qing to overwork herself.
Su Qing gave a slight smile and shook her head. "The Star Lord needn't worry about that. Since I'm willing to help, I've naturally prepared myself mentally."
"Besides, it's just a vacation; I'll have plenty of opportunities for that in the future! More than that, I'm worried about the situation here in the Moon Palace."
"After all, this place is like a home to me. I wouldn't want some inexplicable trouble to arise in my own home."
"So, if there's anything I can do to help, I truly hope I can be of assistance..."
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