They left Chenjiazhuang.
Ao Qing, accompanied by the women, returned to West Lake.
Midsummer had passed, and with the autumn rain, the lotus flowers on West Lake began to wither.
Ao Qing could have used her magic to keep the lotus flowers blooming, but that would have been pointless.
Xiao Qing, however, watched the decaying lotus leaves on the lake with a complex expression.
Ao Qing saw the change in her mood and landed on the cloud, allowing Xiao Qing to walk along the shore by herself.
Bai Suzhen wanted to accompany Xiao Qing, but Hua Yun dragged her away, saying he wanted to show her the rooms in the Water Palace.
Whenever Hua Yun moved, he always dragged Xia Gu with him, and he wouldn't let Ao Qing follow.
Therefore, Ao Qing went to check on his temple first.
The three-courtyard temple, with its main hall in the middle, housed a sculpture of Ao Qing, adorned with gold and painted colors, majestic and forbidding.
Yan followed Ao Qing and began to report the situation of the Dragon King Temple over the past period.
Previously, these matters were handled by Hua Yun's people, who also reported directly to him.
Hua Yun enjoyed this 'managing household affairs' feeling, and happily took care of everything.
Ao Qing listening to the report now, felt a sense of novelty.
After listening to Yan's report, Ao Qing turned to the resurrected woman.
Yan was beautiful, and her white dress made her look quite charming.
However, Ao Qing had no interest in women and simply instructed Yan to watch over the temple carefully, reporting any issues immediately.
Due to Bai Suzhen's presence, the future of Yu Hang was likely to be fraught with misfortune.
Creatures like the Toad Spirit, the Centipede Spirit, and the Golden Cymbal King might emerge at any time.
Their mischief and havoc would not only affect Ao Qing's incense offerings but also her 'evaluation,' so it was crucial to nip them in the bud.
Ao Qing instructed Yan to report immediately if anything unusual or inhuman occurred in the marketplace.
Yan, with utmost respect, agreed.
After inspecting the Dragon King Temple, Ao Qing estimated that Xiao Qing's mood should have recovered by now. She headed towards the shore of West Lake.
From a distance, Ao Qing saw a figure clad in azure.
Xiao Qing was lying on the bridge, her body not far from the water, gazing at the lake below.
The gentle breeze fluttered the hem of her long dress, making it seem like a blooming azure lotus on the bridge.
Ao Qing's mind stirred, and she silently descended into the water, transforming into a large fish with golden eyes and blue scales, slowly swimming towards the surface of the water in front of Xiao Qing.
“Hmm?”
Xiao Qing was startled and saw the large fish swimming leisurely beneath the surface, its tail fins swaying.
She looked up at the sky, feeling puzzled.
The sky was clear, the air fresh and crisp, and there were no signs of rain.
If it wasn't raining and nobody was feeding it, how could such a large fish be floating on the surface?
Xiao Qing narrowed her big eyes, sensing something, and lowered her head to look back at the lake.
The fish, with its blue scales, continued to swim leisurely, occasionally flicking its tail, creating tiny splashes on the water surface, ripples spreading out in concentric circles.
Observing the clumsy movements of the fish and its constant proximity to her, Xiao Qing confirmed her suspicions.
She took off her shoes and socks, sat down on the bridge with a 'hey' sound, and gently dipped her jade-like feet into the lake water.
While playing with the water, the little snake demon sighed.
Sure enough, after her sigh, the fish paused slightly and moved closer.
A hint of amusement flickered in Xiao Qing's eyes, but she feigned unhappiness and said,
“Fat fish, fat fish, are you trapped here too?”
The fish's movements momentarily stopped, its golden eyes turning towards Xiao Qing.
What did that mean? What did she mean by trapped here too?
The fish, in the form of Ao Qing, unconsciously moved closer.
Seeing this, Xiao Qing's smile deepened, and her snowy white feet gently kicked the lake water.
As the fish in question drew closer, Xiao Qing let out a 'hey' sound, leaned to the side, stretched out her leg, and stepped down, landing squarely on the fish's head.
Ao Qing instinctively wanted to dodge, but then she thought, she couldn't dodge in fish form. If she transformed into a dragon or a human, it would look even stranger.
After a moment of hesitation, the soft white feet landed on her head.
Ao Qing rolled her eyes inwardly. The entire fish turned belly up, letting out bubbles, and slowly sank to the bottom.
Seeing this, a brilliant smile spread across Xiao Qing's charming and alluring face.
“Hahaha, the fish is drowned.”
The next second, a dark shadow shot up from the lake bottom.
Ao Qing transformed into a human, leaped out of the water, grabbed Xiao Qing's hand, and flipped backwards into the water.
Gurgling sounds filled the air as a series of bubbles rose to the surface.
At the moment of submersion, the worldly bustle faded into the distance, and the bright sunlight, filtering through the clear lake water, cast a soft glow in their vision.
Xiao Qing, held by Ao Qing's hand, slowly sank towards the bottom of the lake.
She smiled at the man below and winked playfully.
Ao Qing, with his back facing the water, pulled Xiao Qing down towards the lake bottom.
The soft light enveloped the mischievous snake demon, casting a dreamy shadow on each strand of her hair.
Ao Qing looked at Xiao Qing. She was full of pride and joy, with not a trace of sadness or dejection left.
So, Ao Qing smiled and reached out to pinch her delicate nose, retaliating for her mischievousness.
However, Xiao Qing's legs moved, and she bumped into Ao Qing's chest.
She wrapped her small hands around Ao Qing's neck and leaned in.
With a soft 'humph,' a dragon and a snake locked lips.