The next day.
Early morning.
After checking that nothing was left behind,
Su Qing summoned the Somersault Cloud and flew toward Flower-Fruit Mountain with Gongsun Zhixue and the others.
The Somersault Cloud was incredibly fast; in just a few moments,
the group had already arrived in the sky above Flower-Fruit Mountain.
Looking from afar, Su Qing saw that the mountains were still the same, and the waters were still the same; everything seemed largely unchanged.
However, it was much quieter than before.
"It seems that without that monkey, Flower-Fruit Mountain has become quiet again." Su Qing couldn't help but recall when she first arrived at Flower-Fruit Mountain; it had been just like this.
Thinking this, she shook her head slightly, then lowered the cloud and landed on Flower-Fruit Mountain.
The moment her feet touched the soil of Flower-Fruit Mountain, the official decree in her sleeve suddenly trembled slightly.
This caused her to frown slightly,
and she took the document out of her sleeve.
The instant she took out the document, it transformed into a streak of golden light, entered her body, and merged with her.
Su Qing was a bit dazed at first.
Then, she felt as if she had developed a mysterious connection with the land beneath her feet...
However, Su Qing also noticed that she was not the only deity on this land.
After a moment's thought, Su Qing formed a hand seal and stomped her foot.
Soon, an old man with a white beard emerged from the ground.
Seeing this white-bearded old man, Su Qing wasn't surprised at all; after all, she had long expected this.
After being summoned by Su Qing, the Land God hurriedly bowed and said, "The Land God of Flower-Fruit Mountain, Liu Chang, greets the Azure Spirit Sovereign!"
Hearing this, Su Qing was slightly stunned. What kind of strange title was "Azure Spirit Sovereign"? Wasn't it a bit... unpleasant to the ear?
Su Qing coughed slightly and said, "There's no need to be so formal. You can just call me Su Qing."
"This lowly one understands," the Land God nodded, not daring to refuse.
Although he had been the Land God of this place for a long time, the newcomer not only possessed extraordinary strength but also held a much higher rank than him. Thus, he had to show proper respect.
After all, he would be her subordinate from now on...
If he displeased her, the best-case scenario would be her filing a complaint in heaven; he feared she might just wipe him out directly, which would be disastrous.
Su Qing didn't know what the Land God was thinking, but seeing how obedient he was, she breathed a small sigh of relief.
She thought for a moment, then asked, "How many years have you been the Land God here?"
"Over six hundred years," the old Land God answered honestly.
"Then tell me what has happened in recent decades! It doesn't need to be too detailed; just tell me about the monkey troop."
Hearing this, the old Land God dared not refuse, let alone ask why.
He hurriedly told Su Qing everything he knew.
Su Qing listened quietly, nodding occasionally to show she was still paying attention.
Before long, having heard what she wanted to know, she stopped troubling the Land God.
After a few casual words, she let him leave.
Hearing that he could go, the Land God didn't hesitate for a second; he turned and dove into the earth, vanishing instantly.
"Did I scare the Land God?" Su Qing thought, her lips twitching slightly.
However, Su Qing didn't care too much; if he was scared, so be it.
She wouldn't be staying on Flower-Fruit Mountain forever anyway...
Her role as the mountain god of Flower-Fruit Mountain was merely a part-time job.
After all, no one on Flower-Fruit Mountain would offer her incense.
After telling the sparrows the locations she had learned from the old Land God, Su Qing said:
"You four go into the mountains and look for those monkeys; most of them should still be around. Once you find them, bring them here! Tell them I've returned."
As the saying goes, "Raise a bird for a thousand days, use it for a moment."
Now was the time for these little fat birds to be useful.
The little sparrows were very obedient this time.
After hearing their instructions, they each flew off to search for the monkeys.
Su Qing wanted to gather these monkeys not only because she had promised Wukong but also because she was now the mountain god here and had once been their Monkey King.
Therefore, she needed to fulfill some of her responsibilities.
At the very least, she should help these fellows return to their former lives...
"Should I help you look too?" Gongsun Zhixue suggested.
Su Qing shook her head slightly, placing a hand on her head. "Those monkeys don't know you; they wouldn't believe you even if you went. Let the sparrows do it! Those fellows are usually lazy and gluttonous; it's time they got some exercise."
"But... are they reliable?" Gongsun Zhixue asked skeptically.
To this, Su Qing smiled and said, "Don't worry. Although they are a bit lazy and fat, they are quite reliable."
Seeing this, Gongsun Zhixue said no more...
she just turned and asked, "By the way, aren't you going to the pool to look for Ao Ying?"
"No need. Ao Ying has already moved back to the Dragon Palace," Su Qing said.
"Huh? Since when? How come I didn't know?"
"That was a long time ago..." Su Qing rubbed her chin, looked at the girl, and said, "Maybe you were cultivating at the time, so you didn't hear?"
"......So that means we have to visit the Dragon Palace later?"
"Yes, we definitely have to go... it's just that I'm not very keen on facing the old Dragon King," Su Qing said, feeling a bit of a headache.
Although she didn't care much about the old Dragon King reporting her anymore, she really wasn't good at dealing with him.
After all, his way of thinking was quite strange...
giving her a feeling that he was hard to read.
"So you have people you don't want to face too?" Gongsun Zhixue couldn't help but say.
"Everyone does!" Su Qing grabbed Gongsun Zhixue's small face and began to knead it.
Ever since this fellow transformed, Su Qing had really enjoyed pinching her.
No way around it; who told her to always be so cheeky?
While she was having fun, Su Qing suddenly heard Leng Xiang's voice from the side: "Master, stop playing. The sparrows are back."
Hearing this, Su Qing nodded slightly and released Gongsun Zhixue, who was on the verge of exploding, then caught the little sparrows.
The sparrows flew back into Su Qing's hands and said:
"Sister Xiao Qing, Sister Xiao Qing! We've finished the task you gave us!"
"Yes! Yes! The monkeys in the mountains are on their way!"
"But not all of them! Some monkeys don't seem to want to come out and see you, Sister."
Su Qing nodded and said, "It's fine. If they don't want to come out, then they don't have to. It doesn't matter."
Su Qing didn't need to see all the monkeys; she only needed to see some of those who had been influential in the past.
Through them, she could basically get Flower-Fruit Mountain back on track.
During their conversation, Su Qing suddenly heard monkey cries gradually approaching.
She looked up and saw several Through-Arm Apes leading a group of monkeys, swinging toward her.
However, their numbers didn't look large; clearly, this wasn't everyone.
When the Through-Arm Ape leading the way saw Su Qing,
he was momentarily stunned, then immediately shouted to the monkeys behind him.
"It's the Senior King! It really is the Senior King! Those sparrows didn't lie to us; the Senior King has truly returned!"
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