Chapter 21 021 Admiring Lotus Flowers In this season, let alone the lotus flowers, even the lotus leaves…
The so-called fragments of the city are places in reality that were once haunted by demons and ghosts. They were sealed in time and space by the gods and used specifically for the trials of the gods.
The demons and ghosts sealed within are real, but the mortals living there, the stories that unfold, every blade of grass and every tree, and even the entire city, are merely images of memories from that particular time and space. They once existed, but within the fragments of the city, they are just phantoms restored by divine power.
Unfolding the lottery scroll reveals a portal to the fragments of the city.
One after another, gods and pilgrims entered and left through the portal. Zhiwei unfurled the golden scroll in her hand, and the scroll transformed into a golden gate before their eyes.
The two entered one after the other. Yun Tianjiao felt her vision being swallowed by a golden light. When she could see again, she found herself standing with Zhiwei in front of a city gate.
The city gate was magnificent, with the two characters "Huaicheng" engraved on it in seal script. Merchants came and went in an endless stream below the city gate, and the soldiers guarding the city gate checked the road permits one by one, which looked very orderly.
"This place... looks so real, it doesn't seem like the illusory realm within the seal at all." Yun Tianjiao couldn't help but sigh, this was the first time he had a concrete understanding of the power of the gods.
Today she changed into a clean and neat narrow-sleeved outfit and even brought her demon-slaying sword, "True Words." When she went to the ghost realm before, Zhiwei cut her robe to wrap it around the demon, preventing it from sensing ghostly energy. Now that she had removed the strips of cloth, True Words remained quiet and normal, indicating that it had not yet sensed any demonic energy.
As the two passed through the city gate, the guards were about to question them when Zhiwei suddenly emitted a divine light. The guards immediately bowed and let them pass.
Mortals need a travel permit to enter and exit places, but gods do not.
Yun Tianjiao found it novel; for the first time, she didn't have to use her status as the eldest princess to act domineeringly. Now, she had become the fox who borrowed the tiger's power.
Huaicheng is a water town in Jiangnan, but as far as Yun Tianjiao knows, there is no place called Huaicheng in the Jiangnan area of Yunchi Kingdom. She guesses that this place must have been part of a previous dynasty of Yunchi, roughly located in the present-day Qiantang area.
Although not as prosperous as Qiantang, the people here live quite well. Various snacks are sold on the streets, and boats travel on the waterways that crisscross the city. Occasionally, songs can be heard on both sides, spoken in the soft Wu dialect.
Zhiwei bought wine, dishes, snacks, tea, and fruit, and had the boatman bring them to the boat. As usual, the boatman served the food, poured the wine, and peeled the fruit. Yun Tianjiao was served comfortably and pleasantly.
"Zhiwei, how are we supposed to complete the mission like this?" She leaned against the railing, feeling like that tyrannical emperor, indulging in pleasure and beauty.
Zhiwei, however, did not take it to heart. "Your Highness, do not worry. Since the demon is inside this seal, it will not escape."
“That’s true…” Yun Tianjiao opened his mouth, put a peeled lychee in his mouth, and one cheek bulged out from being pushed up, “but there is always a time limit.”
“Five days is enough.” Zhiwei continued peeling lychees for Yun Tianjiao. Her slender white fingers appeared even whiter and more like jade against the bright red lychee shells, a pleasing sight to behold. “Your Highness has a rare opportunity to experience the joys of Jiangnan. Please enjoy yourself to the fullest.”
So they ate and drank, enjoying the lanterns at night and listening to music during the day.
Little did they know, the images in the fragments of the city were synchronized in real time, and at this moment, the temples of the three deities in various places were in an uproar.
"Have they forgotten what they came out to do?"
—These are people focused on watching the Ascension Ceremony, not any kind of worshippers.
"He's neglecting his duties! I've never seen such a neglectful deity! In my opinion, he doesn't care about the Ascension Ceremony at all. He's just hoping to please the Princess and get her to burn incense for him!"
—This is the pilgrim who supports other gods, and he doesn't hesitate to speculate with the utmost malice.
"Why don't you all talk about the eldest princess? Perhaps she was also forced by his tyranny..."
—This is a new novice worshipper who has been captivated by Zhiwei's beauty and has begun burning incense for him.
"But seeing the Heavenly Goddess Zhiwei and Her Highness the Princess together is really beautiful, and it makes me feel sweet too."
—This is a small group of worshippers who specifically enjoy watching the two interact, and they wish the two could be inseparable in the light screen every day.
It was the third day since they entered the city fragments. The afternoon sun was shining brightly, and Zhiwei found a unique waterside teahouse, letting Yun Tianjiao leisurely enjoy his tea.
Looking at the seamless blend of water and sky, Yun Tianjiao suddenly sighed, "I've heard that Huaicheng is a famous place to admire lotus flowers, but it's a pity the season isn't right."
Zhiwei immediately summoned a boat.
What are you doing?
"Your Highness, didn't you wish to admire the lotus blossoms?"
"Are you crazy...?"
She was pulled onto the boat, which had a brazier burning inside, so it wasn't cold even though it was winter.
But winter has arrived, so where are the lotus flowers?
The boatman was an old man. When he heard Zhiwei say that they were going to admire the lotus flowers, he was genuinely taken aback and looked at them as if they were fools.
"Admire lotus flowers? In this season, let alone lotus flowers, even the lotus leaves have withered..."
Zhiwei smiled and said, "Boatman, just take us to the best place to admire the lotus flowers."
Since the owner has said so, what can a boatman do? Only a fool wouldn't take the money. Anyway, there are plenty of strange people in the world.
The old man took the money, rowed his boat away from the shore, and gradually headed deeper into the waterway. About half an hour later, he pointed to a wide expanse of water and said, "Look, this is it! It's incredibly beautiful when the lotus flowers are in full bloom in summer!"
Following the old man's direction, Yun Tianjiao indeed saw a patch of withered leaves and rotten mud.
She stared at Zhiwei, wide-eyed. "You brought me here to see this?"
Zhiwei leaned towards her, holding onto the railing, and pushed the porthole open wider with one hand. "Your Highness, please take another look."
A gentle breeze swept across the water, carrying a delicate fragrance. Yun Tianjiao turned to look out the window and saw that the water, which had been a muddy pond with withered lotus leaves, had suddenly sprouted large patches of lush green lotus leaves. Pink lotus flowers bloomed on the leaves, stretching out and hanging heavy lotus roots.
Her face felt a little itchy because Zhiwei's hair was being gently blown by the wind and brushed against her cheek.
She looked up and met Zhiwei's gaze. Their eyes met, and an undercurrent of tension flowed between them. The sound of their breaths mingling was dispersed by the gentle breeze.
This scene also surprised the boatman, who immediately knelt down and bowed to Zhiwei, saying, "So you are a goddess, I was blind to your greatness."
Zhiwei would certainly not argue with an old man.
The oars rocked gently as the small boat glided among the lotus blossoms. The fluttering petals eagerly reached through the windows, glistening with dewdrops, and were gilded by the setting sun.
Zhiwei casually picked a lotus flower, smiling, and said, "I present it to Her Highness the Princess."
He was certain she would like it, and she did.
But she wouldn't let him have his way, and snorted, "I've never seen you put in this much effort when you're looking for clues about demons and ghosts. All you do is put on a show."
The small boat stopped, turned around, and prepared to go back the way it came.
Zhiwei said to the boatman, "Keep going forward, don't turn around, row to the island in the middle of the lake over there."
The old boatman was terrified and waved his hand again: "You can't go, you can't go! You two don't know, that island ahead is haunted, a very fierce ghost!"
Zhiwei seemed unsurprised, and simply winked at Yun Tianjiao, "Your Highness, look, the clue has arrived."
They insisted that the boatman row to the island in the middle of the lake, but the old man still refused. Yun Tianjiao then said, "Old man, don't worry. We came here to slay the ghost. You've forgotten, he is a god."
But the old man insisted, "I know, I know it's a deity! But it's no use. Last time, a deity came here, also claiming to slay a demon, but he died here. Since then, many other deities and Taoist priests have come here, but without exception, they all never returned!"
Yun Tianjiao was taken aback. "Do you know what kind of ghost it is, that it's so ferocious?"
The old man said, "We don't know what kind of ghost it is. We only heard that many years ago, there was a very famous opera house on that island. Later, because it was haunted, it gradually fell into disrepair. Now there is no one on the island. But as soon as it gets dark, the opera house on the island is brightly lit, and every night you can hear the sound of women singing opera. It's really scary!"
A note from the author:
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