With a plan in mind,
Su Qing naturally felt a bit more at ease.
Stretching, Su Qing got up and went back to the courtyard to help clean.
Su Qing's side was relatively leisurely, but the monkey troop hadn't stopped.
In just half a day, the monkey troop had already spread the news of Su Qing's return.
Thanks to the efforts of the monkey troop, most of the monkeys in the mountains now knew about Su Qing's return.
And because of the troop's dissemination, most of the remaining monkeys who had been observing also returned.
As for the small portion of monkeys that remained, Su Qing had no intention of bothering with them.
If they wished to return, they could; if not, she wouldn't force them.
After all, doing so would be pointless, merely adding to the trouble.
In the afternoon.
Seeing that most of the monkey troop had gathered, Su Qing made another appearance.
This appearance was mainly to arrange some matters.
On the other hand, it was also to alleviate some of the monkey troop's concerns and avoid unnecessary trouble.
As long as she appeared, the old monkeys who had seen her true form would naturally recognize her.
Su Qing wasn't worried that there would be no one in the monkey troop who recognized her.
After all, Wukong had caused a ruckus in the Underworld back then, striking out all the monkeys with names from Flower-Fruit Mountain...
Therefore, these old monkeys could not die.
And they would naturally recognize her.
Sure enough, after Su Qing appeared, the old monkeys all bowed down.
They also pulled the other young monkeys down to bow.
Shouting in unison, 'Long live the Senior King!'
Although Su Qing was a bit speechless about their shouts, she didn't dwell on it too much, seeing that her goal had been achieved.
She merely coughed twice, quieted all the monkeys, and then assigned them the tasks she needed them to do.
Among these, of course, was the matter of building a mountain god temple.
However, she also knew that these monkeys had always lived on Flower-Fruit Mountain and didn't know how to build temples.
So she called out the old Earth God again.
She asked the old Earth God to teach these monkeys how to build a temple.
Naturally, this also included some other tasks.
As for the compensation, it was naturally some elixirs.
Most of them were beneficial for cultivation!
Perhaps these rewards made the old Earth God quite satisfied!
The old Earth God, who was initially a bit reluctant, immediately became highly enthusiastic after receiving the rewards, even more energetic than Su Qing.
Perhaps this was a case of money making the world go round?
After Su Qing finished her arrangements, the monkeys who had been given tasks all began to act.
Those monkeys without specific jobs went off to find things to do, looking for ways to help.
Su Qing watched the monkeys leave, couldn't help but stretch, and thought:
"Today should be considered complete, right? I'll go back and rest for a bit. It won't be too late to go to the Dragon Palace after I'm well-rested. Anyway, the Dragon Palace is right nearby... I can go anytime I want."
With that thought, Su Qing prepared to leave and return to her courtyard.
Just then, a timid voice from a young monkey suddenly came from behind Su Qing.
It hung from a branch, stammering, "G-Great... Great King! Senior King! I... I have something to report... to ask."
Hearing this, Su Qing glanced at the little Golden Snub-nosed Monkey and asked, "Oh? What is it? Don't be afraid, just say it directly."
The young monkey quickly dropped to the ground and bowed, imitating the other monkeys from earlier.
Then it said, "M-My grandfather wants to see you, Senior King. C-Can you come with me to see my grandfather?"
The young monkey's words made Su Qing slightly pause, and she asked:
"Your grandfather? He wants to see me?"
"Y-Yes! S-Senior King, please don't misunderstand. Grandfather... Grandfather just can't move anymore. Grandfather says that Senior King is a very good person and a very good immortal. Grandfather heard that Senior King has returned, so he really wants to see Senior King."
The young monkey seemed to be frightened by Su Qing, stammering even more, and its sentence structure and logic were a bit confused.
Fortunately, Su Qing could at least understand what the young monkey meant.
So, after a brief thought, she nodded slightly and said, "I understand... take me to see your grandfather."
"S-Senior King, you agreed?" the little Golden Snub-nosed Monkey quickly asked.
"Yes, I agreed, so lead the way quickly," Su Qing said calmly.
Although Su Qing had not yet met the so-called grandfather of the little Golden Snub-nosed Monkey, she already had a faint ominous premonition.
She felt... that the seeds sown in the past were now bearing fruit, and this fruit was probably not a good one.
As for who sowed these seeds...
Su Qing guessed it was either herself or Wukong.
As she pondered.
Su Qing had already followed the little Golden Snub-nosed Monkey through the forest to a cave near the sea.
Although she hadn't entered the cave yet, Su Qing could already smell an indescribable decay at the entrance.
This smell made her frown, and she couldn't help but think of something.
However, she did not stop her steps because of it.
Instead, she followed the little Golden Snub-nosed Monkey into the cave.
Inside the cave, under dim light, an old monkey sat cross-legged on a stone bed.
The old monkey was terrifyingly emaciated, like a standing mummy, grotesque and frightening.
The old monkey's eyes were open, like two quail eggs abruptly set in their sockets, eerie and discordant.
Su Qing looked at the old monkey, and everything became clear in her heart.
She looked at the old monkey and asked, "You had this little one bring me here... you want me to send you to your death, right?"
The old monkey nodded and said, "I dare not hide it from Senior King, that is precisely my intention. I beg you, Great King, grant me a swift end! Help me escape this sea of suffering."
"......" Su Qing sighed faintly and asked, "I can... but before that, I have some questions for you."
"As long as Great King is willing to send me to reincarnation, Great King may ask anything."
"Do you hate?" Su Qing asked in a calm tone, "I told Wukong about the Register of Life and Death, causing him to strike out the names, which led you to become like this. Do you hate?"
Hearing this, the old monkey slowly shook its head and said, "No... I don't hate. Great King and Senior King both did what they thought was best for us... and never imagined it would turn out like this. How could I hate Great King and Senior King?"
"......"
Su Qing nodded slightly and said:
"I understand... I will send you to reincarnation, and I will grant you a swift end."
Seeing this, the old monkey slowly closed its eyes and said, "Thank you, Great King, for your great kindness."
"Great kindness? It's just cleaning up a mess," Su Qing shook her head helplessly and sighed softly.
Then she formed a hand seal, cast a magical imprint, and instantly separated the old monkey's soul from its body.
Immediately after, she formed another hand seal and chanted a spell, summoning the Underworld emissaries.
Upon seeing Su Qing, the Underworld emissaries immediately bowed and said, "Azure... Azure Spirit Sovereign senior, what are your commands?"
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