The Private Vacation Island

In the Moon Palace, when it came to being shameless and lazy... if Chang'e claimed second place, surely no one would dare claim first.

Su Qing shook her head, a trace of helplessness appearing on her face.

Although she had long grown accustomed to this woman's behavior, she was still left somewhat speechless every time it happened.

Seeing Su Qing's expression, Chang'e felt a surge of mock indignation. This girl only knew how to criticize her, yet she didn't realize that she herself was a master at feigning ignorance.

Thinking of this, Chang'e couldn't resist giving Su Qing a playful flick on the forehead before turning to leave the study, heading toward where Yuer was.

Yuer had to be brought along, no matter what. Firstly, it would add to the fun; secondly, it would give her an extra pair of hands to help deal with Su Qing later; and thirdly... she simply felt that Yuer had been working hard for so many days and deserved some time off.

Even though the work would still be waiting when they returned, having a break was always better than having none at all!

Thus, Yuer was definitely going.

Su Qing watched Chang'e leave and rubbed her forehead, smiling with slight helplessness. She hadn't expected that at her age, she would still be getting flicked on the forehead. Well, although the person who flicked her was even older than she was.

Still, Su Qing felt a bit... subtle. It was a very peculiar feeling, a strange state of mind.

Shaking her head with a chuckle, she waited there for Chang'e to return.

She didn't need to go along for this; Chang'e alone was enough. Yuer was Chang'e's person, after all... it was most appropriate and best for her to go.

Besides, if she went along, Chang'e would likely feel somewhat restrained. While she was already quite open in front of Su Qing, it would still be difficult for her to truly act out or throw a tantrum in her presence.

After all, she was still Su Qing's Sister Chang'e. Even if she had long since discarded her shred of dignity, she still wanted to keep a little bit of face for herself.

In short, for whatever reason, Su Qing didn't intend to follow and get in the way.

In Yuer's room, Chang'e used a few tricks to coax Yuer—who had intended to stay in the Moon Palace and continue her official duties—out of the room. With a look of helplessness, Yuer followed her back to the study where Su Qing was.

"Alright, the person has been brought! See? When I take action, efficiency is high. Don't you agree, Sister Xiao Qing?" Chang'e seemed to be in a state of claiming credit, which was rather amusing.

Su Qing spread her hands and nodded with a smile. "Yes, yes, alright. I know Sister Chang'e is highly efficient. So, Sister Chang'e... are you ready to set out?"

Su Qing didn't intend to continue arguing over meaningless things; she'd rather spend that energy getting to the island to soak in the hot spring sooner.

"Mhm, I've been ready for ages! We can leave anytime." Chang'e crossed her arms, speaking with a beaming smile. "By the way, is there food and wine on that island? If not, we should bring some along."

Chang'e had intended to leave immediately, but then she remembered that Su Qing had only recently discovered the island. She worried that there might be nothing there but the hot spring.

Seeing this, Su Qing nodded and said, "I've prepared some... but if Sister Chang'e feels it's not enough, you can go prepare more."

Su Qing had brought quite a few good things with her when she came to the Moon Palace, but it wasn't an overwhelming amount. Since she hadn't originally planned to go there, it was only enough to be considered barely sufficient.

Hearing this, Chang'e stroked her chin and nodded. "In that case, I'll go prepare a few more things! It's a rare outing; it wouldn't be right if we were missing this or that."

Chang'e's thought process was simple: she wanted this rare trip to be as enjoyable as possible. It was better to spend more time preparing beforehand than to be unhappy later.

Su Qing naturally had no objection. "Then go ahead and prepare, Sister Chang'e. I'll wait for you here a bit longer."

Chang'e chuckled and nodded, then pulled Yuer along to help her prepare. As for why she pulled Yuer? Naturally, it was because Yuer was reliable. If she truly forgot something, Yuer would be there to remind her.

The preparations didn't take long. In just a short while, Chang'e was back. She wasn't carrying anything extra in her hands, but the expression on her face was exceptionally happy.

Clearly, the woman had brought a lot of wine. Su Qing shook her head helplessly; this souse was truly beyond saving. However, Su Qing didn't bother to say much. After all, she enjoyed a drink herself; she was just much more restrained than Chang'e.

"Everything is ready?" Su Qing asked with a smile, resting her chin on her hand.

Chang'e nodded. "Of course. Who do you think I am? How much time could it possibly take to prepare a few things? Alright, let's set out now!"

The confident smile on Chang'e's face was quite amusing to Su Qing. Honestly, she didn't know what the woman was so proud of!

Su Qing gave a helpless smile. "Of course, let's go!"

Chang'e gave a thumbs-up. "Good! Let's go, let's go! To the hot springs!"

Watching Chang'e's slightly childish behavior, Su Qing couldn't help but chuckle. This woman—her emotions changed so quickly it was like she became a different person from one moment to the next. Of course, there was nothing wrong with it; Su Qing simply found her quite fun.

Su Qing looked at her and, mimicking her tone, said, "Let's go~"

"Hey, why are you copying me?" Chang'e pouted, speaking with dissatisfaction.

Su Qing chuckled. "Am I? Am I? Do you have any evidence?"

Chang'e became even more dissatisfied. She huffed and said, "There will be next time."

"We'll talk about it next time then!"

With that, Su Qing walked out of the room and performed a hand seal.

Beside them, Yuer followed with a silent, slightly exasperated pout. These two were grown women, so why were they acting like children? It was truly... she shook her head helplessly. She had matured so much, yet these two seemed to be becoming more childish as they aged. She really couldn't understand it.

Yuer stopped trying to figure it out and simply followed Su Qing and Chang'e out of the room.

Outside, Su Qing looked up and summoned the Somersault Cloud. "Sister Chang'e, do you want to ride my Somersault Cloud, or do you want to fly there on your own?"

Chang'e raised an eyebrow. "I'll just ride your cloud. I don't know where the place is, so even if I flew myself, it would be inconvenient."

Su Qing understood and nodded with a smile. "Alright then, let's head out!"

Once she finished speaking, Su Qing stepped onto the Somersault Cloud and pulled Chang'e and Yuer up with her.

"Go!" Su Qing commanded softly.

The Somersault Cloud turned into a streak of light and flew out of the Moon Palace. Its speed was as fast as ever. In just an instant, they had already traveled an immense distance.

Soon, Su Qing arrived above the sea. Once over the water, she slowed down.

"By the way, Sister Chang'e, have you been in close contact with the seniors lately? After that incident before, has it become easier to contact the Star Lord, or is it the same as before—always losing contact?" Su Qing asked about the Star Lord.

Chang'e pursed her lips. "Ugh, don't even mention it. The Star Lord is still just as difficult to reach... I suppose she's truly busy beyond belief! Honestly... the most important part is already settled, yet she's still so hard to contact."

Chang'e actually knew some of the secrets involved, but she still couldn't help but complain about the Star Lord.

"Is that so? It seems the situation is the same for all the seniors," Su Qing said, spreading her hands. "It's really a headache! Unfortunately, I don't know much about the situation inside."

Chang'e chuckled and shook her head. "It's for your own good... anyway, you don't need to worry about these things. Just focus on doing your own tasks well."

Su Qing pouted. "Sister Chang'e, you're really... you even sound exactly like those old fogies. You guys haven't colluded, have you?"

"That part is true..."

"Uh... you're not even going to hide it!"

"You've already seen through it, so what's the point of hiding it? It's meaningless. I might as well be honest!"

"That's true... but Sister Chang'e, you all say it's for my own good, but what exactly is this 'good'?"

"That! You'll feel it for yourself eventually. It's not convenient for me to reveal too much to you~ Anyway, it's definitely a good thing," Chang'e said with a giggle. "Alright! Don't think so much. Just keep following the original trajectory... when the time is right, you'll understand what this so-called benefit is. You can rest assured that it truly is a benefit, not something meant to fool you."

Su Qing sighed. "Fine, fine, I won't ask anymore. Then... can you tell me when things over there will be completely settled?"

"I could, but the problem is, I don't know myself! If I knew, I certainly wouldn't keep it from you." Chang'e gave a helpless smile.

She really didn't know about that... In fact, it wasn't just her; no one really knew what would count as being 'completely settled.' Therefore, naturally, no one could give an accurate answer.

All that could be said was that the most troublesome aspect had been resolved. What remained were various messy trifles.

Su Qing was speechless. "By the way, the Star Lord mentioned before that she had a spell to create a Body Outside Body Technique. Has it not appeared again during this time?"

"No, no. If it had appeared, could I possibly keep it from you?" Chang'e said, shaking her head.

This was an important matter, so she naturally couldn't hide it from Su Qing. Besides, even if she wanted to hide it, the Star Lord had no intention of doing so. Everyone was aware of the situation; there was little point in secrecy.

"Alright! It seems that time really was just a bit of an unexpected surprise. By the way, the seal..."

"Everything is stable... with me watching over it, what could go wrong?" Chang'e said, waving her hand. "Just rest easy."

Su Qing nodded; that was true enough.

Chang'e didn't seem to want to continue the topic, so she asked, "Anyway, how much further is that island? Why haven't we arrived yet?"

Su Qing knew Chang'e was done with the previous subject, and she didn't want to dwell on it either. She glanced at Chang'e, then pointed to a small black dot at the edge of the horizon. "It's not far. It's right over there. Do you see it?"

Chang'e followed the direction of Su Qing's finger and saw a tiny, insignificant black dot.

"So we're almost there! It really wasn't easy. How about we speed up? I don't have much interest in the seascape."

Su Qing nodded, and with a thought, the Somersault Cloud's speed increased another notch.

In an instant, Su Qing had carried the two of them above the small island.

Though called a small island, it wasn't actually that small, covering several hundred square kilometers. The island was lush with trees and home to various rare birds and exotic beasts. It wouldn't be an exaggeration to call it a paradise.

Of course, it couldn't compare to Flower-Fruit Mountain, and there were no mortals living here. It was, for all intents and purposes, a completely deserted island.

However, on this deserted island, there was a small cluster of buildings—a few small cottages and several large houses. Inside the large houses were many pools, some circular and others oddly shaped, all of them steaming.

And this was where Su Qing and the others were heading: the location of the hot springs.

It was a deserted island to mortals, but to Su Qing, it was no such thing... it was her own private vacation island.

That cluster of buildings was exactly what she had asked Jingyue to build in her spare time. Of course, there had been some help from the Dragon Palace as well.

It wasn't the East Sea Dragon Palace that helped, but friends from the North Sea Dragon Palace. Their relationship with Su Qing was better than her relationship with the East Sea Dragon Palace, so she was more willing to ask them for help. And they, naturally, were more than happy to oblige.

In short, through everyone's small efforts, such a place had been built on this deserted island.

Standing on the cloud, Chang'e gazed down at the place and couldn't help but remark, "You're quite interesting, actually building a place like this. It's just like you!"