“What’s wrong? Are you reluctant to leave this place?”
Su Qing couldn’t help but ask Gongsun Zhixue curiously upon hearing her words.
She knew that Gongsun Zhixue was a child with rather rich emotions… If she felt reluctant to leave, it would be quite normal.
However, Gongsun Zhixue shook her head. For once, she didn’t contradict Su Qing or act stubborn, but simply said:
“In a few more years, I should be able to transform… The soil of the Moon Palace is actually very suitable for my cultivation, and…”
Gongsun Zhixue’s words trailed off as she looked up at the Osmanthus Tree in the distance, which stood a head taller than Guanghan Palace.
“And?”
“You might not believe me if I say it, Sister Xiao Qing… but actually, that Osmanthus Tree also possesses a spiritual consciousness. It just doesn't manifest it often, nor does it transform. Over these days, the spirit of that Osmanthus Tree has frequently been giving me guidance… So, I want to reach the Divine Immortal Realm before I leave. At the very least, I don’t want to disappoint Master.”
Su Qing was somewhat surprised to hear this from Gongsun Zhixue.
She wasn't surprised that the Osmanthus Tree had a spirit, as the Osmanthus Tree had sought her out before. What truly surprised her was that the Osmanthus Tree would actually go out of its way to guide Gongsun Zhixue…
This was indeed a bit hard for her to imagine.
After all, based on the impression the Osmanthus Tree gave her, it didn't seem like the type to guide juniors.
However, if she thought back carefully, there were indeed traces to be found.
She seemed to remember the Lunar Deity once saying… that the Osmanthus Tree didn't quite trust the Heavenly Court’s methods of overcoming tribulations, so it wanted to leave behind some of its own legacy.
Thinking about it this way, even if it taught Gongsun Zhixue, it wasn't too strange.
It was just that she hadn't considered this point before…
After a moment of thought, Su Qing nodded and said:
“I see… Since you want to stay for a few more years, then stay for a few more years! There’s no rush anyway. Just take everything step by step.”
“Re… Really?”
Gongsun Zhixue immediately broke into a smile and said:
“That’s great! I thought you wouldn’t agree!”
Su Qing gave the girl a sidelong glance and asked:
“Do I look like such a petty person? This kind of thing has no impact on my future plans, so why wouldn’t I agree?”
“Besides, I’m also quite curious about what you’ll look like after you transform! Don’t forget, I said before that I’m waiting for you to transform so I can bully you better!”
Upon hearing this, Gongsun Zhixue’s originally touched mood was instantly scattered.
She curled her lip and said speechlessly, “So you were only looking forward to that? Is bullying me really that fun?”
Su Qing just smiled at her. Teasing her occasionally was indeed quite fun.
But now Gongsun Zhixue had become much more well-behaved and wouldn't actively look for trouble, which left Su Qing with fewer opportunities to bully her.
Seeing that smile, Gongsun Zhixue gritted her teeth and said, “Once I have succeeded in my cultivation, I will definitely have my revenge.”
“Then work hard. I’m looking forward to it!” Su Qing continued to smile happily.
If she could cultivate seriously and achieve a higher level of cultivation, Su Qing would naturally be glad to see it.
As for whether she could take revenge or surpass her later…
That was a matter for the future!
After all, Su Qing wasn't exactly standing still either.
Gongsun Zhixue looked at her speechlessly and sighed. Sometimes she really didn't know if Su Qing was encouraging her or provoking her.
After thinking about it, Gongsun Zhixue gave up on the thought. They had lived like this for so long that she had already grown accustomed to it.
Wasn't thinking about these things now just asking for trouble?
This was also quite nice…
She made a funny face at Su Qing and then quickly vanished, not giving Su Qing any more chances to bicker with her.
She definitely wouldn't be able to win an argument against this person anyway, so she might as well go cultivate.
All to transform into a human form sooner.
Seeing Gongsun Zhixue hide away, Su Qing also returned to her room.
Life for the following period was quite peaceful.
Su Qing also spent most of her time on cultivation…
However, she would still occasionally find Chang'e to chat for a while.
After all, playing with Chang'e was quite relaxing.
Perhaps because of Chang'e’s personality, being with her was always quite easy.
Daily life was serene and plain.
Although there were rarely any intense events, there were occasionally many small surprises in life.
One day…
Having finished her cultivation, Su Qing was walking alone in the garden behind the Moon Palace to relax.
Cultivation wasn't particularly hard, but long periods of it inevitably led to fatigue…
Going out for a walk occasionally was extremely necessary.
After all, she didn't intend to truly turn herself into a complete shut-in.
The garden of the Moon Palace had many flowers and trees not found in the mortal world, and the scenery was quite beautiful…
But even here, Su Qing could still see the spreading branches and leaves of the tall Osmanthus Tree, as well as the faint light it radiated.
It seemed that no matter where one was in the Moon Palace, as long as one wasn't indoors, one could see it.
“As expected of the oldest existence in the Moon Palace?” Su Qing looked up at the Osmanthus Tree.
She couldn't help but wonder if this Osmanthus Tree, like those seniors, was an existence that had survived the Great Heavenly Tribulation?
If so… it wouldn't be hard to explain why she was already here every time after a Great Heavenly Tribulation, even before the Moon Palace was rebuilt.
Thinking this, Su Qing couldn't help but rub her chin and mutter to herself, “Never mind, it doesn't have much to do with me anyway. As long as she can truly guide Gongsun Zhixue well, that’s enough…”
She didn't have much communication with the Osmanthus Tree, so she naturally didn't bother to care too much about it…
After all, she and the Osmanthus Tree only had one simple agreement.
Su Qing withdrew her thoughts and continued to wander through the garden.
Just as she was about to move, she heard a rustling sound from behind.
Turning her head to look, she saw a rabbit bumping toward her…
Almost instinctively, Su Qing reached out and caught the rabbit, then held it by the scruff of its neck to watch it struggle.
“Did Yuer send you?” Su Qing knew the rabbit in front of her wasn't Yuer, so she asked.
After all, if it were Yuer, she shouldn't have exposed her presence so easily…
The rabbit nodded slightly and then transformed into a human form.
The rabbit looked like a young girl of thirteen or fourteen, with two rabbit ears just like Yuer’s on her head. It seemed that all the rabbits in the Moon Palace looked like this after transforming.
Was it truly just a special preference of Chang'e?
“Sister Yuer went to your house to find you, but found you weren't there, so she told us to look for you everywhere,” the rabbit said.
“She’s looking for me? Is something wrong?” Su Qing was stunned for a moment and asked, “Is it urgent?”
Yuer was actually quite busy on ordinary days. After all, she had to do the work for that lazybones Chang'e, so she naturally couldn't have it easy. She didn't have much free time.
The little girl nodded like she was pounding garlic and said, “Mhm, mhm! Sister Yuer is quite anxious, which is why she had us look everywhere for you. Please come with us quickly!”
Su Qing was thoughtful and also nodded, saying, “Is that so? Alright then.”
Since she was in a hurry, Su Qing naturally wouldn't delay.
After all, Yuer still had many things to attend to!
Seeing Su Qing agree and nod, the little girl grabbed her hand and pulled her toward Guanghan Palace.
“Aren’t we going back to my courtyard?”
“Because Sister Yuer originally wanted you to see the Palace Mistress! So there’s no need to go back, and Sister has already returned to Guanghan Palace.”
“I see.” She nodded.
She understood now. No wonder Yuer had come looking for her; it was Chang'e who had called her over!
But that Chang'e was also lazy enough… leaving everything to Yuer.
Bullying her like this, no wonder Yuer would run away from home hundreds of years later.
Pulled by the little girl, Su Qing soon arrived inside Guanghan Palace.
However, in the hall where Chang'e usually stayed, Su Qing didn't see Chang'e, nor did she see Yuer.
“Huh? She sent someone to call me over, but she’s gone herself?”
Su Qing was slightly speechless. What kind of person isn't there when they are waiting for someone?
Just as she was wondering, Su Qing suddenly felt a cool breeze from behind. Before she could turn around, she was hugged from behind.
Su Qing was startled, but after feeling the softness and surging pressure against her back, she roughly knew who it was.
“Little Sister Xiao Qing, you’ve really made this Palace Mistress wait for a while!”
Chang'e rested her head on Su Qing’s shoulder, poked her cheek with her other hand, and said:
“Let me think about how I should punish you. How about you let this Palace Mistress play with you for a bit?”
“Sister Chang'e, please don’t say things that are so easy to misunderstand, okay?”
Su Qing sighed helplessly and reached out to pinch the soft flesh at Chang'e’s waist, saying:
“Alright, let go of me quickly.”
Perhaps because they had known each other for so long, Su Qing no longer treated Chang'e as some special elder. When she needed to threaten her, she would.
After all, letting her keep hugging her wasn't a solution.
Hearing this, Chang'e curled her lip. “Fine, fine, this Palace Mistress will let go. Stop pinching me, it’s quite ticklish.”
With that, Chang'e released Su Qing.
Then, she patted the little rabbit’s head with a smile and said, “Alright, you go back too! There’s nothing more for you here.”
The rabbit rubbed her ears, nodded blankly, and said, “Then I hope Master and Sister Green Snake have a pleasant time. I’ll be going now.”
A rabbit was indeed a rabbit; after being told she could leave, she ran faster than anyone else and disappeared in the blink of an eye.
After the rabbit left, Su Qing turned to look at Chang'e and asked with slight confusion:
“So, Sister Chang'e, what exactly is it that you had Yuer call me over for? Also, where is Yuer? Didn’t the rabbit just say Yuer was already in Guanghan Palace?”
Chang'e just put on a mysterious look and smiled:
“Oh, don’t be in such a hurry! Let’s take it step by step, okay? As for what Yuer is doing? She went to change her clothes, so she’s being a bit slow.”
Saying this, Chang'e couldn't help but rub her chin and changed the subject, saying, “Though she really has been changing for quite a while. I wonder if she fell asleep while changing.”
Hearing these words, Su Qing’s mouth couldn't help but twitch.
She suddenly felt some pity for Yuer…
Just how much work did this Chang'e person pile on her?
In her previous life, it was 996, but here, Yuer was working 007 for you, wasn't she?
Again, no wonder Yuer would run away from home hundreds of years later. It really wasn't Yuer’s fault.
Who wouldn't run away!
However, it wasn't appropriate for her to talk about Yuer’s affairs now, so she only asked, “So, what exactly is it? My dear Sister Chang'e.”
Chang'e smiled and spun around, not only avoiding the question but asking one of her own instead:
“How is it? Do you think this outfit of mine looks good?”
Su Qing had naturally noticed that Chang'e’s makeup and attire today were different from previous days. However, she hadn't paid much attention at first, as Chang'e, being the Mistress of Guanghan Palace, wanting to change her clothes wasn't anything strange.
But now, hearing Chang'e ask this, she could roughly guess that this outfit was specially prepared.
As for whether it looked good or not, she thought it was quite beautiful and very grand… both the craftsmanship and the materials seemed very special.
Especially since it matched Chang'e’s own figure perfectly, bringing out her mature and regal beauty to the fullest.
“It looks quite good…” Su Qing said thoughtfully, “It suits you very well, Sister Chang'e.”
“Of course. I asked the Seven Fairies of the Heavenly Palace to help make this set… It’s tailor-made.”
Chang'e said with a beaming smile upon hearing Su Qing’s words:
“But don’t be envious, because this Palace Mistress has also prepared a set for you.”
Chang'e seemed to be in high spirits and didn't wait for Su Qing to reply before directly displaying the dress.
It was a Broad-sleeved Immortal-Lingering Skirt with green as its main color. It looked somewhat similar to Chang'e’s set, yet felt very different.
However, although the style looked good, whether it was beautiful or not could only be known after putting it on.
But looking at this set of clothes, Su Qing couldn't help but ask in confusion:
“I’m a bit curious, Sister Chang'e, why would you prepare these things?”
Hearing this, Chang'e didn't hide it and replied, “Didn’t you say last year that you wanted to get to know Yang Chan?”
“It just so happens that this year, Yang Chan is hosting some Mount Hua Immortal Gathering and has invited many immortals she knows… naturally including this Palace Mistress.”
“So I thought I’d take this opportunity to bring you along to get to know her. By the way, we can also mooch some food and drinks to make up for your regret of not being able to attend the Peaches of Immortality Banquet.”
“But since we’re attending an immortal gathering, we certainly can’t just go casually. Naturally, we have to dress up well…”
“So this Palace Mistress went ahead and had a set custom-made for you too.”
Su Qing nodded slightly upon hearing this. Although she felt something was a bit strange, it wasn't entirely illogical.
However, besides this matter, Su Qing was curious about one more thing and asked:
“I understand the reasoning, but Sister Chang'e… how did you know my clothing size?”
Chang'e was stunned, clearly not expecting Su Qing to ask this. She gave a light cough and said:
“This Palace Mistress is an immortal! I only need a visual estimation to observe your specific size. What other method would I need? Besides, with all the hugging and holding we do normally, I’ve mastered it without even realizing it.”
“Oh~ that makes sense.” Su Qing nodded slightly.
After all, she was an immortal! Estimating a size by sight wasn't really a problem.
The real problem was that she felt Chang'e sounded a bit guilty when she spoke.
But it was probably just an illusion! And Chang'e’s reasoning did make sense… so she didn't dwell on it.
Anyway, they were both girls. Even if her measurements were known, it wasn't a big deal.
After all, it wasn't like anything could be done. It was just a size.
Seeing this, Chang'e also said with a smile:
“Alright, don’t think so much. Go and put it on for me! This Palace Mistress spent so much effort preparing this dress for you, you can’t not wear it!”
Rate on N.U.
