Chapter 38 The Lotus Pond Test: What kind of test is it? Does a single lotus flower cost one tael of silver? ...

Shen Minghuai appeared before them again as they walked to the entrance of Jishengtang. Zhu Yu assumed that Shen Minghuai was also infatuated with Chen Yu's poetic talent, but Xu Ning'an spoke of this person with great relish.

"He was at most a lay disciple. He was only raised by Master Puyuan before he was fifteen. If his master hadn't always treated his illnesses after that, no one would have known that such a person had been a monk."

Shen Minghuai had heard a little about Chen Yu's land grabbing and initially didn't quite believe it, but how could public resentment be fake?

"The prefect doesn't care?"

Xu Ning'an placed the herbs on the winnowing basket. "Of course I've tried. The prefect and he are notoriously at odds, but Chen Yu is a marquis, so what can I do?"

Shen Minghuai followed the two men back to the inner hall and asked one last question: "Do you know Chen Yu's Buddhist name?"

As Wang Yanfang stepped out of the teahouse, she was immediately enveloped in an aura of bad luck. Fang Ze called her by her name and led several guards to surround her in the alley.

"roll."

As if it had just emerged from a snow cellar, even a single word exuded a chill.

Fang Ze teased the guard beside him, "So easily angered, no wonder Young Master Shen couldn't stand it. What should we do? We've lost both the Prince Wei's Mansion and the Duke of Dingguo's Mansion. Why don't you come back to Raoyun Tower with me? You'll definitely become the most dazzling courtesan in Hangzhou!"

Wang Yan hid the medicine that Xu Ning'an had secretly given her in her sleeve, and smiled, "Why don't you come with me? I'll make sure you become the infamous Xiang Gu of Great Yue."

A young Taoist priest leaped down from the wall, clutching his stomach and laughing, "Young master, you truly possess an alluring charm! When you meet a wife willing to take you into her household, then marry her!"

Fang Ze had never been insulted like this before, and he shouted, "You stinking Taoist priest who hasn't even grown his hair yet! Mind your own business, or else I'll make you regret it!"

The young Taoist priest slammed the sword box heavily on the ground, saying, "I said I wouldn't!"

"Azure Sparrow!"

A large sword suddenly flew out of its scabbard, its body gleaming with a bluish light, and entered the young Taoist's hand. At only thirteen or fourteen years old, his sword aura was already formidable.

The guards had never seen such a precious sword before, and Fang Ze, who knew no martial arts, fled in panic upon seeing this display of power. The young Taoist sheathed his sword and turned around, but Wang Yan was nowhere to be seen. She had quietly slipped away long before the two of them had finished their pleasant conversation.

"elder sister!"

The young Taoist priest, carrying a sword box, sat on the roof and waved to her. In the blink of an eye, he reappeared before her, asking for a meal.

Wang Yan was not one to be stingy with money. She found a restaurant nearby, ordered a large table of dishes, paid the money, and was about to leave when the young Taoist priest accidentally pulled off the jade pendant from her waist.

"Little Taoist priest, it's not good to take other people's things without permission."

Wang Yan tried to take it back, but the little Taoist priest wouldn't let go of it, treating it like a precious treasure.

"These jade pendants!"

The young Taoist priest, still chewing on a steamed bun, pulled out a round jade pendant from his clothes and placed it on top of the other two. Surprisingly, they fit together perfectly, as if they were a match made in heaven. Wang Yan stared blankly at the two jade pendants, his eyes filled with astonishment.

"So it turns out that my sister is my long-lost wife. I'll go tell my master right now that I want to go home and get married." The young Taoist returned the jade pendant, took a few steamed buns, and disappeared in an instant.

Upon entering the inn, they saw Shen Minghuai and his two companions sitting in the center of the hall, with a table already set with a variety of delicacies. There was a square table with four stools, the empty one facing Shen Minghuai. Wang Yan sat down directly and began to eat. The unusually quiet atmosphere made Hua Xin and Ying Ming hold their breath.

The bowl was still full when she left. Shen Minghuai had just picked up the stir-fried lungs, stir-fried clams, and fried quail from her bowl, and only suffered some minor injuries.

"We haven't even talked about Chen Yu's matter yet," Hua Xin said, looking on with great regret.

Ying Ming crossed his arms and said, "Didn't you see that Madam Wang is in a bad mood?"

Hua Xin punched his left palm. "If you had told me about how we knocked out four of Fang Ze's front teeth, Madam Wang would have been in a better mood."

About the time it takes for an incense stick to burn, Wang Yan caught a glimpse of a dark shadow looming over the door, instantly extinguishing the candlelight in the room. The person knocked lightly on the door but received no response, so they pushed it open, walked to the bedside, and slowly raised their hand to brush aside the strands of hair at her temples.

A pair of hands seemed to be tracing something before her eyes, then gently took her hand and tucked it into the blanket. Warm breath gradually approached and then receded, nothing happened, and once again Wang Yan was alone in the room.

"The future is uncertain, and any promises will become variables, binding us both. Fortunately, it's not too late now. Once you've settled your mind... you can still roam the world freely."

His words just now seemed directed at her. The blankets in his hands were crumpled, and his eyes were as dim as the room's atmosphere. The sun had long since set; where could light be found? Moral principles permeated his very being. Even with the boundless freedom of the martial world, how could he sever the burdens of his life and choose to live a carefree, oblivious life with her? It turned out they had never truly come close, and their final fate was still separation.

Shen Minghuai closed Wang Yan's door and hurried downstairs. He saw the three people sitting in front of him, paused, and looked at the light seeping in from the roof.

"Young master, it's not too late. It's just past Chen Shi (7-9 AM). Madam Wang got up early today." Hua Xin's bowl already looked like it had been used.

"Good morning," Wang Yan said, her bowl and chopsticks neatly arranged in front of her. "They said they were hungry, so I let them eat first."

Shen Minghuai was about to sit down when Wang Yan stopped him. She turned her back to him, her loose hair making her meaning clear. Holding her hair in his hands, Shen Minghuai was slightly stunned. Those days in Shimen Town... seemed like a beautiful dream.

Wang Yan thought he was unwilling, so she ran her hands through her hair and said, "Never mind."

"Sit up straight." Shen Minghuai helped her sit up and began to braid the fabric strand by strand.

When he was editing last time, he wasn't particularly fast either, but Wang Yan still wished he could slow down even more. If only time could slow down, if only they could walk more slowly.

"Although the future is uncertain, we still have the present, don't we?"

The hand behind his back stopped moving, and Wang Yan continued, "Even if there are many things we can't part with in the future, and we can't make the best of both worlds, we're still together now, and we still have the same path to walk. If I were to give up the present because of a future separation, I would regret it for the rest of my life. You—"

Shen Minghuai instantly pulled her into his arms, as if surrendering his loyalty, "Let's not have any regrets for the rest of our lives."

After breakfast, Shen Minghuai told her about what he had learned the day before, and the two of them decided to try their luck at Tianmu Mountain.

The carriage wasn't large, just big enough for two people to sit side by side. Wang Yan kept lifting the curtain the whole way, seemingly searching for something. The mountain road was rugged, and the carriage lurched forward several times, but fortunately she held onto the carriage roof the whole time, preventing her from falling off.

Another jolt caused Wang Yan to lose her grip and nearly fall, but Shen Minghuai grabbed her waist and pulled her back. Wang Yan turned her head to look outside the curtain, "Wait!"

Nestled amidst verdant hills and flowing streams, the lotus pond lies nestled between heaven and earth, exuding carefree ease. The shimmering green pond is filled with lotus leaves stretching to the sky, a vibrant emerald hue, while two-colored lotus blossoms sway gracefully in the breeze.

Wang Yan jumped off the carriage and gazed at the lotus pond for a while before finally seeing a woman walking towards them.

"Auntie, are you selling your lotus flowers?"

"One tael of silver per flower."

One tael of silver for a single lotus?! Although she had never seen a pink and white lotus before, this was almost half a month's wages for the waiter at Linjiangxian... Wang Yan only had some loose silver with her. She weighed her purse and realized that it probably wasn't even one tael. Besides, how could she bear to spend all her silver to buy a single lotus?

“Dao—”

"How many do you want?" The old woman beamed with joy as she watched Ying Ming hand the heavy money bag to Shen Minghuai.

"One flower! One flower is enough."

Shen Minghuai handed the silver to the aunt, and Wang Yan happily accepted the lotus bud.

"I'll return it to you when I get back."

"When did we start calculating things so precisely?"

Shen Minghuai turned to walk toward the carriage, when suddenly Wang Yan embraced him from behind.

"Then let's use this one."

After winding their way through the mountains, they arrived at the foot of Tianmu Mountain at noon. Aunt Pan had just told them that there was an old man at the foot of Tianmu Mountain, and if they wanted to go up the mountain, they could go and visit him.

After knocking on the door for a long time without receiving a response, Wang Yan muttered, "Perhaps the old man has just finished his meal and is taking a nap. Let's wait a bit."

No sooner had the words left his mouth than an old man with white hair emerged from behind the fence. "What old man? I'm as healthy as can be!"

Shen Minghuai stepped forward and apologized, "We apologize for disturbing your rest, sir. We have come here to ask you for a favor."

The white-haired old man took the long-handled water ladle and watered the flowers, saying, "This boy is more well-behaved than the girl."

Wang Yan thought to himself, "What's the difference between an old man and an old man? He has a head of white hair and he's still so stingy."

The white-haired old man suddenly changed his expression, picked up a broom, and was about to chase them away.

Wang Yan pulled Shen Minghuai outside, saying, "What a strange old man! Go up the mountain and find him yourself!"

“Tianmu Mountain is quite large. I don’t know how long it would take the four of us to find it.” After comforting him, Shen Minghuai returned to the fence and bowed. “I don’t know where I offended you, sir. It was unintentional, but it was my fault.”

Seeing his polite manners, the white-haired old man softened his tone and said, "These lotus flowers are growing just fine in the pond, why did you have to pick them?"

"You old man, you're being completely unreasonable! We bought these flowers for a whole tael of silver, so why can't we pick them?"

Shen Minghuai held her shoulder and said with a smile, "Aying is a very important person to me. I saw that she liked the lotus flower very much, so I bought one. I don't know if there's anything wrong with that."

"Your sweetheart?" The white-haired old man looked the boy up and down, who hadn't denied it, and the girl whose ears were slightly red, and then invited them inside.

Shen Minghuai led her by the hand, while Wang Yan stared at his back in a daze.

The white-haired old man brewed a pot of fresh tea. "Back then, I used the one or two taels of silver I had scraped together to buy a lotus flower from Pan Niang. The old woman even gave me a good scolding for it."

Wang Yan asked in surprise, "This auntie actually started secretly bargaining back then?"

The white-haired old man continued to reminisce about his wife, "Although my wife was angry for a long time because of this, I know that she really liked those lotus flowers and would look at them dozens of times every day. Did you see that? Actually, what Pan Niang was selling was something else; the lotus flowers were just a gimmick."

Shen Minghuai nodded. "A test."

Wang Yan then looked at him, "A test?"

Shen Minghuai also gazed intently at the two-colored lotus, a faint smile appearing on his lips as if he were thinking of something.

"It's only been half an hour, and it's already withered faster than the flowers of [unclear - possibly a flower name]." Like most friendships in this world, it couldn't withstand the test of time. Wang Yan plucked the swaying petal and gave it to the white-haired old man.

This time, the white-haired old man did not scold her for picking flowers. "This was given to you by a boy, and I cannot accept it."

“I also traded something else for it from him, so why shouldn’t you accept it, sir?” Wang Yan presented the white-haired old man with both hands, but he still did not accept it.

"You've come to me to ask about Chen Yu's whereabouts, haven't you?"

Wang Yan quietly placed the lotus petal on the table behind her. "How did you know, Grandfather?"

“Those who come to Tianmu Mountain are either going to the Taoist temple or looking for the Chen family,” the white-haired old man led them out and pointed out, “Cross over that mountain and you’ll see a large field of medicinal herbs.”

Shen Minghuai bowed and thanked the white-haired old man. The old man left without looking back.

"Let's hurry, it's not safe in these mountains if it gets too late."

The mountain was covered with vegetation, making it impossible for a carriage to travel; the paths were all made by people walking on them. The four of them had only walked a short distance when a figure came rushing towards them.

"Sister! How did you know I was here? Are you here to take me back to the manor?"

Wang Yan ignored it, covered the jade pendant, and continued walking forward.

The young Taoist priest was quite eloquent, though he was young. He pulled Wang Yan along and started to walk down the mountain, saying, "Sister, I've already spoken with Master. We're going down the mountain to get married."

Wang Yanxuan pinned the boy, who was as tall as her, down in her arms. "Who wants to marry you? This is ridiculous."

Without saying a word, Shen Minghuai led her away, but the young Taoist priest stretched out his arms to block Shen Minghuai's path.

"Who are you, and why are you trying to take my wife away?"

"Don't you know that Taoist priests can't get married?" Hua Xin held his sword to the young Taoist priest, and Ying Ming followed closely behind, taking two steps back as instructed by their young master.

The young Taoist priest shrugged. "I belong to the Zhengyi sect."

Shen Minghuai gripped Wang Yan's hand firmly and asked calmly, "How is she your wife?"

The young Taoist priest pulled off the round pendant from his waist and brought it close to Shen Minghuai's eyes. "Can you see it? Sister's jade pendant and mine are a pair."

Hua Xin raised his sword sheath again and pressed it against the young Taoist's neck. "Who taught you to wear a Taoist robe to swindle people?"

The young Taoist priest's eyes were fixed on the jade pendant at Wang Yan's waist. "Don't believe me? Try it and you'll see."

Shen Minghuai didn't even lift his eyelids. "What does it matter whether it is or isn't?"

The young Taoist priest tried to step forward, but was stopped by the two guards. "This means we are destined to be together. Fate is something that many people cannot force. How can the three of you bully a child like me? Is there no justice in this world?"

Shen Minghuai lowered his eyes and picked up the jade pendant. "If that's the case, the jade pendant was a gift I gave to her. Could it be that I am the one destined for you?"

Wang Yan poked his head out from behind and agreed wholeheartedly, saying, "You should call him 'Madam'."

Shen Minghuai's resentful gaze swept over without warning. Oh no, I've offended both of them with just one sentence…