Su Qing had always been a steady person, rarely becoming so agitated. The primary reason for her current state was the premonition that something major was about to happen, and it was deeply connected to the Changbai Mountains.
Su Qing's premonitions were always incredibly accurate. Usually, if she felt something was going to happen, there was a high probability it would come to pass. Therefore, the moment she felt that sensation, she immediately focused all her energy on dealing with it.
In particular, since this matter was so closely tied to her Changbai Mountains, she couldn't afford any negligence. She didn't want her carelessness to lead to the destruction of the mountains. No matter what, this situation had to be handled with the utmost seriousness. Even if it turned out to be a false alarm, it was far better than the mountains being reduced to ruins due to her oversight.
Although her main body no longer resided in the Changbai Mountains, she was still its Mountain God. Its importance to her would always be paramount.
Su Qing left her domain. Along the way, she took a deep breath and produced the bronze mirror she used to contact Taishang Laojun.
She hadn't used this mirror in a long time. Taishang Laojun had been difficult to reach lately; while easier to contact than the Lunar Deity, he still failed to respond nine times out of ten. Consequently, Su Qing rarely used it. However, she decided to try this time. Even if she couldn't reach him, at least she would have tried. Moreover, if she did succeed, he might be able to offer her some assistance.
Su Qing looked at the bronze mirror, formed a hand seal, and recited the incantations as she always did, then waited quietly for a response. Time slipped by slowly. Suddenly, the mirror reacted. This surprised Su Qing slightly. Although she was frustrated by the looming sense of disaster, it seemed her luck wasn't entirely bad today. She had actually managed to connect with Taishang Laojun.
After waiting a moment, Laojun's image finally appeared in the mirror.
"How rare. What made you suddenly think of contacting me?" Laojun's image was somewhat blurry, but his voice was clear.
Su Qing gave a helpless smile and explained the situation before asking, "Is Senior still within the Jianmu Tree?"
Laojun nodded and said, "Indeed, I am still within the Jianmu Tree... however, a few of my clones are still outside, though I don't know how much longer they can persist! Enough about my affairs; let me calculate the situation for you first."
"I appreciate the trouble, Senior," Su Qing said, nodding.
Laojun hummed in response and began his divination. Because Su Qing's current state was very peculiar, it was impossible for others to divine anything about her directly. Even people or objects closely associated with her were difficult to read clearly. However, since Su Qing had come to him for help, Laojun naturally wouldn't refuse. Even if he likely wouldn't get a definitive result, he still had to try. Whether or not he could divine it was one thing; whether he tried was another.
After divining for a while, Laojun's brow furrowed slightly. "Your intuition is correct; something is indeed about to happen to the Changbai Mountains. However, it shouldn't have much to do with the Earth Vein. It's just that I am currently within the Jianmu Tree, and the Heavenly Secrets are already chaotic. Furthermore, your own fate interferes with my calculations, so I'm not sure how accurate this is. The only certainty is that this matter is inextricably linked to the Changbai Mountains."
Laojun paused. Seeing Su Qing's anxious expression, he fell silent for a moment before continuing, "I am not in the current world, so I may not be able to help you much. You will likely have to resolve the upcoming events yourself. However, with your abilities, solving this shouldn't be too big of a problem. If it truly becomes impossible, go find Chang'e and the others for help. Although that woman's personality might not be the best, she is capable."
"One last thing: remember to stay calm. I know the Changbai Mountains are your foundation and cannot be lost, but remember that concern leads to confusion. Stay as calm as possible."
Listening to Laojun's words, Su Qing nodded slightly and said, "Rest assured. Although I am a bit anxious, I haven't reached the point of losing my composure. Also, thank you for your concern, Senior."
Su Qing was indeed still relatively steady; she wasn't at the point of panicking. To truly make her lose her head, her family would have to be in danger or the Changbai Mountains would have to be on the verge of immediate destruction. As things stood, she was merely worried.
"Since you say so, I am relieved." Laojun nodded and didn't say much more. "Aside from this, do you have any other business?"
Su Qing thought for a moment and asked, "Is Senior Lunar Deity doing well?"
"The Lunar Deity? She is doing quite well right now. You don't need to worry too much. Although she cannot send down any clones for the time being, there is no need for concern. Do you wish to speak with her?" Laojun smiled.
Su Qing shook her head. "That won't be necessary. It's enough just to know she is well. In that case, I will continue on to the Changbai Mountains. Take care, Senior! Oh, one more thing—when can I contact you again?"
Laojun pondered for a moment. "You can try to contact me anytime, but I might not necessarily receive the message. After all, I am not in the current world; whether I can receive it depends entirely on luck!"
Su Qing nodded. "Alright then. Senior Laojun, I'll see you later!"
"Good! You stay safe as well." Laojun nodded, and the bronze mirror went dark.
Once the mirror faded, Su Qing exhaled a long breath of turbid air. She tucked the mirror away and sped toward the Changbai Mountains. Her Somersault Cloud flew incredibly fast, and in the blink of an eye, she was above the mountains.
Su Qing had no desire to check on the town outside the mountains. For her, the situation inside the mountains was the only thing that mattered. She exhaled again, then had her clone—which had been investigating the mountains—return to the courtyard on the peak. She lowered her cloud and landed in the courtyard.
In the courtyard, Su Qing stood face-to-face with her clone. With a wave of her main body's hand, she deactivated the clone's functions. She didn't like staring at herself; it always felt bizarre.
To the side, Chen Nianxin watched this and said blankly, "Why don't you just let your clone do the work?"
Hearing Chen Nianxin speak, Su Qing turned to look at her. "Not being sharp-tongued today?"
"I'm never sharp-tongued; I just like to tell the truth. Besides, seeing how anxious you are, there's no fun in arguing with you!" Chen Nianxin crossed her arms and curled her lip.
Although Chen Nianxin enjoyed bickering with Su Qing, she didn't like to do it when Su Qing was genuinely worried. If she did, she might end up being hung up and beaten. Making herself miserable for a bit of petty satisfaction simply wasn't worth it. Thus, Chen Nianxin didn't like doing foolish things.
Su Qing looked at Chen Nianxin with some surprise. "That's rare... but you're right. I can indeed let my clone handle the work."
With a thought, Su Qing controlled her clone to leave the courtyard and head down to the temple to work.
"Heh, I didn't think you were the type to actually listen to advice. That's quite a surprise," Chen Nianxin said, astonished to see Su Qing actually follow her suggestion.
Su Qing rolled her eyes at her. "Do I look like someone who never listens to advice? Forget it, I don't have time to argue with you! I have other things to do."
"Don't be in such a hurry! I might be able to help you. By the way, what exactly are you so anxious about? Has something gone wrong with the Changbai Mountains?" Chen Nianxin asked.
Chen Nianxin knew what Su Qing cared about: the Changbai Mountains, her family, and her friends. Therefore, she could roughly guess why Su Qing was anxious, though she wasn't entirely certain.
Su Qing nodded. "Yes. There's a problem with the Changbai Mountains, but it's not yet clear exactly where the issue lies."
Chen Nianxin stared at Su Qing and paused. "So you're saying you don't even know what the problem is yet!"
Chen Nianxin instinctively mocked her, which left Su Qing speechless. Su Qing asked, "Do you know?"
"Huh? I don't know either! After all, my magic power is currently sealed. How could I possibly know?" Chen Nianxin replied shamelessly.
She didn't feel the slightest bit embarrassed. For her, she was simply stating a fact.
Su Qing rolled her eyes. "You really have no shame! Didn't you just say you might be able to help?"
"I said I might be able to help, but that doesn't mean I definitely can!" Chen Nianxin said as if it were obvious.
"Tsk, I really want to give you a beating!" Su Qing was exasperated. Why was this girl so punchable? She had actually believed her for a moment, thinking she had changed while she wasn't looking. She talked a good game, but she was still as annoying as ever.
Realizing she had instinctively started bickering with Su Qing again, Chen Nianxin cleared her throat. "Sorry, that was an instinctive reaction..."
Su Qing looked at her, and seeing that she had actually apologized, she merely huffed. "Fine, fine. If you can't help, then forget it."
Chen Nianxin looked at Su Qing, thought for a moment, and said, "Who says I can't help? Although I can't do much, I can give you a direction to think about!"
"Where do you get this confidence?" Su Qing asked, unimpressed.
"Hmph, I just know." Chen Nianxin spread her hands. "But if you want to talk about what kind of disaster is most likely to happen here in the Changbai Mountains, I have a small theory!"
"Let's hear it?" Su Qing decided to listen. Even though she doubted Chen Nianxin could help much, she had no leads of her own. Listening wouldn't hurt; it might spark an idea.
Chen Nianxin pondered for a moment and said, "There are many hot springs here in the Changbai Mountains, right?"
Su Qing nodded. "And?"
"The presence of hot springs means there are massive Earth Fire resources underground. While Earth Fire is a resource, it is also a hidden threat. You can't possibly not know that, can you?" Chen Nianxin looked at Su Qing. "As someone in the Heavenly Immortal realm, it's impossible for you to be unaware of this. If you didn't know, then you're a bit of a sham for a Heavenly Immortal."
Su Qing naturally knew the other side of Earth Fire—volcanic activity. However, she hadn't connected it to her current premonition until now. With Chen Nianxin's reminder, she suddenly understood the likely source of the danger. Still, why did this girl have to be so sarcastic? She really couldn't help herself, could she? No matter how many times it happened, she was still exasperating.
"I understand what you mean..." Su Qing nodded. "As for whether it's caused by the Earth Fire... I'll find out once I test it."
Chen Nianxin crossed her arms. "See? I told you I could help! And you didn't believe me! Not only did you not believe me, you even wanted to hit me! Don't you think you should apologize to me?"
Chen Nianxin might have thought she had changed, but in reality, she was constantly falling back into her habit of being sharp-tongued and bickering with Su Qing, often without even noticing.
Su Qing rolled her eyes. "Indeed, I didn't expect you to actually be helpful... I did misjudge you on that point. However, I still remember you mocking me!"
"Tsk, how petty!" Chen Nianxin huffed. "Fine, I'm ignoring you. I'm going to play by myself; you go deal with your worries! If it's not the Earth Fire, then I don't have any other guesses. That's all I could think of! Blegh!"
With that, Chen Nianxin left the courtyard on her own, not wanting to say anything more. She knew that if she stayed, she wouldn't be able to stop herself from being sarcastic. If she truly provoked Su Qing, she wouldn't escape a beating. It was better to keep her distance. Everyone would be better off that way.
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