Listening to Su Qing’s words, Yudie was briefly taken aback.
"So, does that mean we’ll have to kill even more demons in the future?" Yudie asked. "In that case, shouldn't we change the rules later on?"
"Yes, the rules will definitely need changing down the line. However, I haven't quite figured out how to go about it yet. I'll worry about it when I'm actually forced to make those changes!" Su Qing smiled helplessly and added, "And you, don't worry about any of that. Get back into the sword; you're quite heavy."
"I am not heavy! I’m a sword spirit, I weigh at most a few dozen catties," Yudie pouted, her face full of dissatisfaction. "Mother, you're making things up!"
"Yes, yes... you're not heavy." Su Qing sighed with an amused smile. "Just hurry back into the sword and nourish yourself!"
Seeing this, Yudie laughed. "Then Mother, Yudie will go back first. Remember to call me if you need anything."
As soon as Yudie finished speaking, she transformed into a streak of light and flew back into the short sword, vanishing from sight.
After Yudie disappeared, the voices of several Little Sparrows drifted down from the Bodhi Tree.
"Sister Xiao Qing is so unfair! When Yudie says she isn't heavy, you agree with her, but when we say we aren't heavy, you argue with us!"
"Exactly, exactly! Sister Xiao Qing is playing favorites!"
"We are just sparrows; we aren't heavy either!"
Su Qing looked up at the constantly chattering Little Sparrows and rolled her eyes.
Then she said, "Fine, fine! You're not heavy either. But get down from the Bodhi Tree; she was just complaining to me about you."
Upon hearing this, the Little Sparrows paused for a moment and quickly fluttered down from the tree.
"How has your cultivation been going lately? How far are you from the Divine Immortal Realm?"
Su Qing asked with a cheerful smile as they landed beside her.
Hearing the question, the sparrows nearly fell off the lounger in fright. They immediately flapped their wings, desperately trying to change the subject as if they were about to fly away.
Seeing them like this, Su Qing rolled her eyes helplessly and said:
"You really can't go on like this... Even though I can refine high-quality Transformation Pills now, the pills aren't enough to make you completely human. If you don't put in the effort to cultivate, even a Transformation Pill won't save you."
Hearing Su Qing’s words, the sparrows scrambled to answer:
"We think things are just fine the way they are! We don't want to become humans!"
"Right, right! There’s nothing good about being human. You don’t even have wings. What kind of bird has no wings?"
"Indeed! We love being birds! We won't become humans."
"Sister Xiao Qing, don't nag us. We'll cultivate properly, but we don't want to transform."
Seeing their resistance, Su Qing rolled her eyes again. "Fine, fine, have it your way! You decide whether to transform or not. But you must take your cultivation seriously. It has become much easier to cultivate nowadays, so don't be lazy anymore. Even Gongsun Zhixue works harder than you do!"
"We know, we know! We'll work hard!" The sparrows chirped, flapping their wings as they beat a hasty retreat.
Su Qing gave a helpless smile, looking at the Bodhi Tree. "Sigh, I really can't do anything with those little ones."
"Sister Xiao Qing, haven't you given up yet?" As Su Qing was complaining, Ao Ying's voice suddenly came from nearby.
Su Qing smiled at her. "I've pretty much given up... After all, I can't wake birds that are pretending to sleep."
"Pfft, you should have given up a long time ago, Sister Xiao Qing. Do you still not understand their temperament by now?"
"It’s exactly because I understand it that I keep trying to get them to work a little harder!" Su Qing said with a sigh.
"By the way, Sister Xiao Qing, what do you think of this?"
Ao Ying was wearing an elegant dress. She twirled once in front of Su Qing and asked:
"What if I appear in this form in the craftsman's dream? I want this image for my statue in your temple."
The legends left behind by Zhou Chuxue a century ago had become widely known throughout the mortal world.
Though the legends had been distorted into many different versions—each with different names, identities, and events—one thing remained consistent: there was an immortal realm atop the Changbai Mountains.
In that immortal realm was a Heaven Lake, and the Azure Spirit Sovereign’s residence was right beside it, where she was attended by an immortal maiden.
Furthermore, within the Heaven Lake lived a fierce White Dragon immortal.
She was the attendant who meted out punishments on behalf of the Azure Spirit Sovereign. It was said that any person who committed grave evils would be swallowed by the White Dragon, becoming her food.
Precisely because of the legends Zhou Chuxue had spread long ago...
Ao Ying and Leng Xiang, who had originally remained out of the public eye, were now gradually becoming known to mortals.
Anyone who worshipped Su Qing knew she was accompanied by a Winter Plum Immortal and a Sword-Wielding Dragon Girl.
For that same reason, Leng Xiang and Ao Ying had secured their own places in the folklore of the Changbai Mountains.
Especially Ao Ying...
She had become the primary figure used to frighten children.
Whenever the title of the Sword-Wielding Dragon Girl was invoked, even the most uncontrollable, crying child would be scared into silence.
To the point, since Leng Xiang and Ao Ying had gained such fame in the legends, people naturally wanted to sculpt statues of them. Some even planned to move them into the temple together with the statue of the Azure Spirit Sovereign.
In the eyes of many villagers, they were subordinate deities of the Azure Spirit Sovereign, and thus it was only right they be housed in the same temple.
However, building statues and enshrining them was a massive undertaking.
People had talked about it for over a decade with no progress. It was only recently, with a new county magistrate eager to leave a lasting legacy, that work on sculpting their statues had finally begun.
Su Qing looked up at Ao Ying, then gave a soft smile. "Well, it looks lovely, but I think even if you wear this to visit his dreams, the craftsman won't sculpt you like this."
"After all, in the eyes of mortals, you are a fierce Sword-Wielding Dragon Girl who specifically devours villains!"
"I imagine that in their minds, your image isn't exactly this gentle and graceful, is it?"
Hearing this, Ao Ying’s face filled with gloom. "Sigh, I don’t know how the rumor started that I’m a dragon girl who eats villains. Setting aside whether I eat villains or not, I don't eat people at all!"
Su Qing couldn't help but laugh. "Who knows? But the legend is already deeply rooted. Even if you try to correct it, it's useless."
"You should know how long it took me just to try and correct the way Yudie addresses me. That alone shows how difficult it is. More importantly, I failed in that mission."
"So... maybe you should switch to a suit of general's armor?"
"Oh, if you don't have any, I could go to the Moon Palace and borrow some for you?"
Ao Ying’s face fell immediately. "Is there really no other way?"
It wasn't that general's armor was unattractive...
But regardless of the style, it didn't match her princess-like aura at all.
Moreover, if she were enshrined in a temple wearing that...
The legend of her eating people would probably be set in stone forever, wouldn't it?
Su Qing nodded, a mischievous grin on her face. "Unless you have a way to modify the consciousness of every single person, I truly don't have a solution right now."
"But actually, that image isn't so bad."
"At the very least, you certainly won't lack for worshippers!"
"With the boost from Incense Power, your cultivation will become much easier too."
Ao Ying shook her head at that. "I don't actually have a great desire for incense... I just want to be in the temple with you, Sister. Besides, if I take your incense, won't it be harder for you to break through your current realm?"
"Actually, no."
Su Qing shook her head and explained:
"For the current me, I have more than enough incense. The reason I'm stuck at the Earthly Immortal stage and cannot enter the Heavenly Immortal stage isn't due to a lack of incense... it’s because of something else entirely."
Su Qing was quite clear about her own situation.
Though she was only a step away, the catalyst needed for that step was far more important than mere Incense Power.
Furthermore, even if Ao Ying were added to the temple, Su Qing’s incense wouldn't necessarily be divided by much...
After all, she was the primary deity of the temple.
Most people who came to worship were there for her.
Seeing this, Ao Ying sighed softly and nodded. "It looks like my title as the villain-eating dragon girl... is probably here to stay."
"Pfft, a title given by mortals is ultimately just a legend. Don't worry too much about it..." Su Qing said with a beaming smile. "Whatever the title is, it won't affect your ability to use incense for cultivation."
"Alright then," Ao Ying conceded with a sigh. "Sigh, since I'm the dragon girl who eats villains, then one day I'll have to find a chance to eat a 'villain' like Sister Xiao Qing."
"Then I'll look forward to it!" Su Qing chuckled, completely unbothered.
Ao Ying rolled her eyes and said, "I'm going back to change into another outfit."
With that, Ao Ying turned and headed back to Heaven Lake.
She returned quickly with a new look.
This time, she wore more spirited, heroic attire that actually gave her the air of a woman general.
To match this outfit, Ao Ying had even specifically adjusted her makeup.
She made her soft features look more bold and sharp.
Su Qing nodded and gave her a thumbs up. "This looks pretty good!"
Hearing Su Qing’s praise, Ao Ying exhaled a breath of relief. "Then I’ll go with Sister Leng Xiang tonight to visit the dream."
"Go whenever you want; the craftsman is likely still agonising over what kind of statue to carve."
"But going earlier could prevent him from carving something strange. I definitely don’t want to be depicted as a monster!"
Being a woman, Ao Ying was naturally vain and didn't want her statue to turn out hideous.
Su Qing understood her feelings, though Ao Ying probably didn't realize that no matter what they did, the final carved deity would never look much different from an actual immortal. This rule applied whether it was a minor Grass-Headed Deity or a legitimately crowned deity of the Heavenly Court.
However, Su Qing had no intention of explaining that. It was interesting to see Ao Ying so invested in this.
Su Qing stood up with a laugh, pinched Ao Ying's cheek, and said, "Come on, Leng Xiang has finished lunch. It’s time to eat."
"I know!" Ao Ying didn't pull away, allowing Su Qing to lead her into the living room.
Lunch was much the same as always; Leng Xiang's skills remained superb, and the local produce was delicious.
Time passed quickly.
In the blink of an eye, the sun dipped below the horizon, and the moon climbed into the night sky.
Ao Ying and Leng Xiang departed right on schedule to visit the craftsman’s dreams.
After both of them left the Changbai Mountains, Su Qing, feeling a bit idle, moved a chair out and sat beneath the Bodhi Tree, gazing at the night sky and enjoying the eternally unchanging moonlight.
As she looked at the light, her eyes grew slightly misty.
Suddenly, she seemed to hear the Bodhi Tree beside her saying something.
However, she couldn't clearly hear what it was trying to communicate for a moment.
So, she simply closed her eyes and began to use her spirit to connect directly with the Bodhi Tree.
She inquired, "What is it? What are you trying to say?"
Though the Bodhi Tree couldn't speak, she could transmit the meaning she wanted to express through a mental link. It was easier to understand and simpler than language. With just a thought, Su Qing could instantly grasp what the tree intended to say.
Soon, the Bodhi Tree sent back a message.
However, the content she sent back caused Su Qing’s brows to furrow slightly.
"What? You’re saying the Ancestral Vein has grown weak?" Su Qing asked quickly. "Are you sure your senses aren't mistaken?"
In response to Su Qing’s question, an even firmer sense of certainty was transmitted back.
The Bodhi Tree said it was not a mistake.
Seeing this, Su Qing couldn't help but ask with a grin, "Not a mistake? That's strange. How could the Ancestral Vein weaken? Could it be... that you've been eating too much and drained it? This is just a tributary of the Ancestral Vein, after all, and you are quite the glutton."
As Su Qing's words reached the Bodhi Tree, she felt as if the tree had mentally rolled its eyes at her.
At the same time, the tree sent back a wave of resolve, firmly stating that the Ancestral Vein's weakening had absolutely nothing to do with her, and she wasn't actually that big an eater.
Feeling the intent sent back by the Bodhi Tree, Su Qing only smiled.
Actually, she knew perfectly well that the weakening had nothing to do with the tree. After all, how could a single tree—no matter how much it consumed—possibly drain an Ancestral Vein to the point of exhaustion?
As for the true reason behind the Ancestral Vein's decline...
Su Qing suspected that it was mostly likely due to the rise of spiritual energy throughout the world.
After all, one must remember that all spiritual energy in heaven and earth originates from the Ancestral Vein.
Given how much the spiritual energy of the world had increased and how long this surge had lasted, the source of that energy was obvious.
Similarly, the reason for the Ancestral Vein’s weakening was now plain to see.
"Alright, besides the Ancestral Vein weakening, do you have anything else to tell me?" Su Qing smiled, deciding to stop teasing the Bodhi Tree and move on to more serious matters.
And when Su Qing asked this question, the Bodhi Tree didn't hesitate for a second, immediately transmitting a strand of consciousness.
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