After no longer being troubled...
Su Qing's life returned to normal.
Life back in this old courtyard wasn't much different from her time on Flower-Fruit Mountain.
Life remained leisurely and plain.
Aside from occasionally teasing Leng Xiang and playing with Little Sparrows every day...
The biggest change was simply having time when she was free.
To tease the stubborn Gongsun Zhixue.
Speaking of Gongsun Zhixue, that girl was incredibly stubborn!
Compared to the Little Sparrows, she was arguably even more so.
After all, the Little Sparrows were only stubborn about their weight; they weren't too stubborn about other things.
However, what was interesting was that.
Although this girl was often stubborn, she also caved in very quickly.
One moment she'd be stubborn, the next she'd already be panicking.
Worried her words might cause strange misunderstandings... or afraid Su Qing might actually believe her stubborn remarks.
This was also why Su Qing always liked to tease her.
Moreover, for some reason, there was always a sense of familiarity...
As if she had encountered similar people in the past.
Although Gongsun Zhixue was quite stubborn in personality, she was actually very kind.
After all, she had once lived in the Puti Daoist Academy.
Even if she went astray, she couldn't go too far.
Zhixue was actually trying to change her personality, which often led to misunderstandings...
Su Qing often noticed this when chatting with her...
She always spoke incoherently, making it easy to see this.
Unfortunately, it seemed her efforts in this regard were still yielding minimal results.
Just like that, days passed in plainness.
Unknowingly.
About a year had already passed.
Within a year.
Su Qing had also planted the Bodhi Seed.
Her master had told her that no matter where she went, she had to plant the seed.
So even if she wouldn't stay here for decades.
Su Qing still planted the seed in the courtyard.
It was just that this seed was a bit strange...
Because after a long time, it hadn't sprouted.
Making Su Qing wonder if this seed would never sprout at all.
However, out of trust in her master.
Su Qing did not dig out the seed...
She just let it stay in the soil.
Waiting for the day it would sprout.
Unfortunately.
A year passed, and the seed still hadn't sprouted, showing no signs of life.
She didn't know when it would sprout.
Su Qing didn't think much about it, nor did she concern herself with it too much.
She simply waited.
One day in midsummer.
She sat in the courtyard cultivating as usual.
But for some reason, she always found it difficult to enter that state of cultivation.
As if something troubling in her heart was hindering her from entering that state.
Su Qing sighed softly and fortunately stopped.
Trying to find the reason why she couldn't enter the state, or rather... what exactly was troubling her.
As she pondered.
She suddenly felt something.
Her brows slightly raised, then she performed a True Word Incantation to calculate.
“Is it related to Flower-Fruit Mountain and Ao Ying? I haven't been back for about a year... It seems I need to go back and check.”
Su Qing calculated these things, but she didn't calculate what exactly had happened.
Or rather, what was about to happen.
But Su Qing could at least be sure that... since she had this bad feeling.
It certainly wouldn't be anything good.
She exhaled a turbid breath, stood up, and said to Leng Xiang, who was weaving:
“Leng Xiang, pack up. We'll return to Flower-Fruit Mountain in a bit.”
Hearing this, Leng Xiang was slightly stunned and asked:
“Master... why are you in such a hurry to go back? Has something happened at Flower-Fruit Mountain?”
Su Qing nodded slightly and said:
“I don't know, I just have a feeling... it seems trouble is coming. So I plan to go back and check the situation!”
“No matter what, I've lived on Flower-Fruit Mountain for so long, and I promised the Stone Monkey. If something happens to Flower-Fruit Mountain, I can't just ignore it.”
At the very least, within her capabilities, she would definitely not ignore it.
Hearing this, Leng Xiang nodded slightly.
And did not ask further.
She simply said:
“I understand. Leng Xiang will go pack now.”
She didn't truly understand why her master wanted to go back.
She actually didn't understand at all.
But if her master wanted to leave, she would just follow.
Leng Xiang turned to tidy up the house.
Meanwhile, Su Qing went under the Ginkgo tree, preparing to bid farewell to Gongsun Zhixue.
“Leaving?”
Gongsun Zhixue had also heard when Su Qing spoke with Leng Xiang.
“Yes, we're leaving.” Su Qing nodded slightly.
Gongsun Zhixue manifested as the little girl she was and asked:
“Didn't you say you'd leave after two years? It's only been one year!”
Hearing this, Su Qing smiled slightly and joked:
“Weren't you hoping I'd leave? How come now that I'm leaving, you're reluctant?”
“...”
Hearing this, Zhixue couldn't help but swing her little feet, her voice tinged with a bit of grievance, saying:
“Who hoped you'd leave... That was sarcasm, can't you tell?”
Su Qing smiled at her words. Of course, she had known that Gongsun Zhixue's words back then were sarcastic.
“So... you don't want me to leave?”
“...”
Gongsun Zhixue puffed out her cheeks, unsure how to respond for a moment.
Although she was strong-willed her whole life, she couldn't help but feel scared when she thought about Su Qing and Leng Xiang leaving.
In the past year, Gongsun Zhixue had experienced the feeling of having family around for the first time.
Even though Su Qing had been quite mischievous in the past, after a year of living together...
She had grown to like this older sister.
Even though she had many mischievous ideas... and often teased her, with her around, she would never be bored or lonely.
Even the chattering Little Sparrows and the usually quiet Leng Xiang, she was reluctant to part with.
She had originally thought they would stay for at least two years...
But they were leaving so soon.
She couldn't help but feel a little sad.
She jumped down from the Ginkgo tree, landed beside Su Qing, tugged at her sleeve, and said:
“Can... can you not leave?”
Gongsun Zhixue no longer spoke sarcastically.
Instead, she spoke her true feelings.
Even with a slight whimper in her voice.
She was afraid Su Qing would really just leave.
Su Qing smiled helplessly at her words, then shook her head slightly and said:
“Alright, don't be too sad. It's not like we won't come back after leaving this time.”
Su Qing subconsciously reached out to pat her head, but her hand passed right through it.
She almost forgot, this child was just a spirit body.
“Don't worry! I'll be back after things are settled!”
“In the meantime, cultivate diligently! Reach the Divine Immortal realm soon, so you can transform and then travel around with us.”
Gongsun Zhixue pouted and said:
“You won't lie to me?”
“Why would I lie to you? Do I look like someone who loves to lie?”
Gongsun Zhixue looked at Su Qing, then nodded slightly after a long moment, saying:
“Very much so... and a very bad bad woman!”
“Uh... I'm a bad woman?”
“Yes... you bully me, you bully Leng Xiang, you even bully the Little Sparrows, so you're a bad woman.”
Gongsun Zhixue pouted and said:
“So... bad big sister, you must come back, don't lie to me! It's too lonely by myself.”
Su Qing smiled slightly, nodded, and said:
“Mm, I won't lie to you.”
Gongsun Zhixue clearly didn't know that the time Su Qing would need to return here from Flower-Fruit Mountain... would be at most a few breaths.
She thought that once Su Qing left, she wouldn't return for hundreds of years!
Soon, Leng Xiang finished packing.
Su Qing then recited the True Word Incantation and flew towards Flower-Fruit Mountain.
——————
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