To the City God, Su Qing’s decision to stay an extra day was something he naturally had no objections to; in fact, he was more than happy to see it.
If Su Qing left and another problem arose immediately, it would be an immense headache for him. After all, if he had to call her back right after she departed... it would feel somewhat impudent. Moreover, he wouldn't dare!
Seeing that the City God had no objections, Su Qing naturally didn't waste any more words. She simply gave a few brief instructions, telling him to notify her immediately of any developments, before turning to leave and returning to her guest room to rest.
As for the City God, after Su Qing left, he naturally busied himself with his own affairs. He still had many matters to settle and couldn't afford to stand around idly.
Back in the guest room, Su Qing had nothing to do, so she spent the time chatting with her daughters. She watched the time pass bit by bit, waiting to see if the City God would come looking for her.
However, the expected incident did not occur.
By nightfall, the City God had not appeared. It seemed that after the white mist was resolved, the entire matter was truly settled.
Su Qing was slightly pleased by this. Although the resolution seemed somewhat easy, leaving a lingering feeling that something might still be hidden, she was naturally happy if things were truly safe.
Sitting in the room, Su Qing looked at the moonlight outside, stretched her limbs, and said, "As long as no more accidents happen tomorrow morning, this matter will be completely over."
Su Qing had said she would wait a day, so she would wait a day. Furthermore, if the night passed peacefully, then it could truly be considered safe.
With that thought, Su Qing went to bed to rest.
Time turned, and it was already dawn.
After daybreak, Su Qing stretched and climbed out of bed. She then went to wake Su Tingtong and Yudie one by one.
"Mother, yawn... are we heading back today?" Su Tingtong asked, rubbing her eyes.
"Mother, if we're going back today, can we eat breakfast here before we go?" Yudie looked at Su Qing with an expectant face.
Su Qing wasn't surprised by Su Tingtong's question; she simply nodded, indicating that they were indeed supposed to return today—provided everything went smoothly.
As for Yudie, Su Qing was somewhat speechless. This girl really thought about eating no matter the time! She had truly been taught well by those Little Sparrows.
Su Qing ruffled her hair messily and then said, "Let's go. We'll see the City God. If nothing has happened, we'll head back. As for breakfast... fine, let's eat!"
Su Qing had intended to refuse, but on second thought, it was just breakfast; there was no real reason to say no. Refusing would only make her seem overly strict with Yudie.
So, she chose to agree. Although Yudie was indeed excessively gluttonous, she was her daughter after all. In a sense, she had been spoiled this way by Su Qing herself, so there was no helping it. Moreover, the girl had truly put in quite a bit of effort and helped her out this time. Letting her eat something wasn't a bad thing.
Upon receiving Su Qing's nod, Yudie immediately broke into a joyful smile. Clearly, to Yudie, no reward was as meaningful as a good meal.
Seeing this, Su Qing sighed softly, rubbed her head again, and then looked at Su Tingtong with a smile.
Su Tingtong simply returned the smile and said, "Sister Yudie is truly a glutton..."
Yudie chuckled upon hearing this and didn't argue—she couldn't, since it was the truth. She simply nodded and said, "Being a glutton is a blessing!"
Su Tingtong was left dazed by this logic and could only nod perfunctorily. In any case, she felt her sister was very good at coming up with crooked justifications.
Su Qing just shook her head with a smile and then led the two of them to find the City God.
When the City God saw Su Qing, he hurried forward to bow and thank her. "Thank you, Sovereign, for saving the people of my city! Thank you, Sovereign! Thank you!"
It was clear that the night had passed smoothly without any of the predicted issues. Therefore, the City God felt that everything had ended successfully. That was why he rushed to thank her the moment he saw her; his gratitude was genuine.
Seeing this, Su Qing understood and nodded slightly. "There is no need for thanks; I only did what was within my duty. However, since the matters here have come to a close, it is about time for me to head back."
The City God fell silent for a moment before saying to Su Qing, "Is Sovereign leaving already? Why not stay for a few more days? It would be good to tour the city!"
Su Qing naturally shook her head. "That won't be necessary. The city currently has a hundred tasks awaiting reconstruction, so there isn't much to see. Besides, you will be very busy later; I won't disturb you further."
Hearing this, the City God nodded and said, "Since Sovereign's mind is made up, I shall say no more. I only ask that Sovereign allows me to see you off."
Whether Su Qing stayed or left was not something he could interfere with. All he could do was offer unconditional support once she made a decision. Regardless of her choice, he had already prepared the perfect response.
Su Qing heard his words and simply nodded. "As you wish."
The City God breathed a sigh of relief and cupped his hands toward her again.
"Alright, let's go!" Su Qing said, turning toward the exit of the City God Temple.
The City God hurriedly followed, escorting Su Qing out of the temple.
Outside, Su Qing waved her hand. "Alright, this is far enough. Go back to your duties; we shall take our leave."
How could the City God have any objections? He nodded and respectfully watched Su Qing and the others depart before turning back into the temple.
'So, everything should have ended smoothly, right?'
Looking at the people coming and going within the temple, the City God thought to himself, 'However, the city's vitality has been greatly damaged. I don't know how many years it will take to recover.'
He sighed. Although it seemed everything had ended well, his work had only just begun, and countless tasks were waiting for him.
After leaving the temple, Su Qing followed her agreement with Yudie and found a shop that was still open in the city to have breakfast. Although the current situation was grim, there were always people doing business. After all, people still needed to eat, and business still needed to be done.
After breakfast, Su Qing’s business here was completely finished. As such, it was time for her to return to her Daoist Academy.
However, before returning, Su Qing had one more thing to do: send Yudie back to Leng Xiang's side.
While keeping Yudie with her was helpful, she would be of even greater help by Leng Xiang's side. The reason was simple: the girl couldn't help Su Qing with much, but she could do far more for Leng Xiang. Additionally, Leng Xiang was quite busy herself, so it was better for Yudie to be there.
"Let's go. I'll take you to Leng Xiang first," Su Qing said, rubbing Yudie's head.
Hearing this, Yudie naturally nodded without any objection. She knew very well how busy her mother would be without her help. Therefore, she wouldn't refuse when Su Qing said she was needed to help Leng Xiang. Though she was a bit gluttonous and lazy, she never shirked her duties when help was actually needed.
Seeing Yudie being so obedient, Su Qing was relieved. "Good, then let's set out!"
With that, Su Qing formed a hand seal and chanted an incantation, then soared on a cloud toward Leng Xiang's location.
The Somersault Cloud was extremely fast, and in a short while, they arrived at the temple where Leng Xiang was located.
Today, there were many pilgrims in the temple. Thus, as soon as Su Qing landed in the courtyard, she cast a spell to hide her form, avoiding scaring the mortals nearby.
Leng Xiang immediately noticed Su Qing's arrival and appeared to greet her.
"Master, welcome back," Leng Xiang said with a faint smile. "Did everything go smoothly?"
Su Qing nodded. "Yes, everything went well. If it hadn't, I wouldn't be here. These past few days, Yudie wasn't by your side, and you had to handle everything alone. It must have been hard for you, running back and forth like this."
Leng Xiang shook her head. "It was nothing; I could handle it. It is Master who has truly worked hard... after all, the problems Master deals with are far more important than these trivial matters of mine."
Leng Xiang still didn't pity herself, only caring for Su Qing.
Su Qing couldn't help but pinch Leng Xiang's cheek. "You should care more about yourself too. Besides, while my affairs are complicated, they aren't exactly exhausting. Compared to you, I've had it quite easy."
To the side, Yudie and Su Tingtong watched their mothers talk, unable to find a chance to interject. Su Tingtong couldn't help but feel a bit speechless, feeling like a third wheel—which was exactly why she was often reluctant to come see her mothers. As for Yudie, she had long since grown accustomed to such scenes; she found nothing strange about it.
She had spent more time with Su Qing and the others, so she had seen this many times and was used to it. At this moment, she didn't bother to disturb them and instead went to find the Little Sparrows, intending to chat with them about the events of the past few days. Naturally, she didn't forget to pull Su Tingtong along.
After all, leaving Su Tingtong alone to watch their mothers being affectionate was somewhat awkward. It was fine when she was there, but if she left, it would be quite uncomfortable for the girl.
After the two little ones left, Su Qing and Leng Xiang didn't feel anything was amiss. On the contrary, they were quite pleased to have this chance to be alone. This way, they could discuss topics that weren't suitable for children to hear.
Time passed bit by bit, and soon half an hour had gone by.
After such a long time, the two were finally satisfied. It was about time for Su Qing to return to her Daoist Academy.
"I didn't expect we'd talk for so long again," Su Qing said with a laugh. "It's about time; I should be heading back. Leng Xiang, take care of yourself. If it gets too tiring, slow down a bit. The Incense Power we have now is basically enough; the rest is just adding to the surplus."
Hearing this, Leng Xiang smiled and nodded. "Yes, Master, please rest assured and return safely."
Leng Xiang understood that Su Qing still had many things to finish, so she didn't insist on her staying another day. Instead, she calmly and generously let Su Qing return to do what needed to be done.
Su Qing nodded. "In that case, I'm off!"
With that, Su Qing called for Su Tingtong and told her they were leaving immediately. Su Tingtong breathed a sigh of relief; after being delayed here for so long, they could finally leave. Being here like an extra wheel had made her quite uncomfortable.
"Yes, I'll follow Mother's lead," Su Tingtong said with a smile.
Su Qing rubbed her head and then turned to Leng Xiang. "Once the matters of this period are mostly settled, I'll come back to spend more time with you."
Leng Xiang nodded. Su Qing smiled and said goodbye, then soared away on a cloud. Leng Xiang watched as Su Qing departed.
Riding the Somersault Cloud, Su Qing soon returned to her Daoist Academy in the Northern Continent. Although she had been gone for several days, there were no changes; everything was just as it had been.
Upon returning, Su Qing did as she had before and went to find Liu Xixi, intending to see how much work had accumulated and help her out. However, after entering the study, Su Qing was somewhat surprised to find that no documents had piled up. It seemed that except for a few that required her seal, Liu Xixi had handled everything herself.
"How unexpected. Has the volume of official documents been so low lately?" Su Qing asked curiously.
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