Chapter 10

The Flowing Fire Lotus Rain

Shaking my head, I realized that I was kneeling beside the king. The snow was still falling outside, a coral red glow, the golden beast incense, and the hearth burning brightly.

I turned and found my mother and second sister still embroidering. Seeing me awake, my mother had someone bring a fur cloak and personally draped it over my shoulders. “Wei’er, if you’re tired, go rest. Tomorrow we have to go to the Xuan Study Room, and you won’t have the energy.”

The king said, “This child only knows how to cause trouble in the Ten Thousand Scroll Hall, making trouble for the teacher, and likes bullying poor Han Mo. Now that I’m not around, at least someone could manage her. She’s really becoming more and more lawless.”

I was still disoriented, clutching the king’s leg. “It... it was just a dream...” I sobbed, tears streaming down my face, quickly wiping them away with the back of my hand.

“Stop rubbing your eyes, they’re dirty.” Mother crouched down and wiped my tears with a silk handkerchief. “What dream did you have? Tell Mother.”

“I dreamt that many immortals came to Sushou. They said we were monsters, and then... they killed you...”

Mother smiled kindly. “Silly child. I’m your mother, how could I bear to leave you? No matter when, Mother will always be by your side.”

“Zitong, you’re spoiling her again.” Father patted my shoulder, his tone as strict as always. “Daughter, parents can’t stay with you forever. Most of the path in life, you must walk on your own. Even if your parents are no longer around, you mustn’t be weak. How can you cry so easily?”

I shook my head like a rattle: “No! I want to stay with Father and Mother forever! You won’t leave me!”

Father sighed, his warm hand covering my head. “Wei’er, there are still more than ten years left before you come of age. You can’t be so willful. A person’s life isn’t lived solely for oneself. Remember, you are the little princess of Yuedu Sushou, the daughter of me, Prince Yihua. If one day your parents are no longer here, you must take up the responsibility of assisting your second sister and ruling over Sushou. Do you understand?”

Why did Father’s words sound so much like a farewell… I didn’t have many requests, just wanted them to pamper me a little longer, just a little longer, until I grew up more. I didn’t want to hear Father lecture me, so I hid in Mother’s arms, whining and crying softly.

Mother was kinder to me. She didn’t scold me, but gently stroked my back, humming the lullaby I loved as a child. The lyrics spoke of the clear moonlight over Yuedu, the floating mist, and the warm green hills. Her fingers were so gentle, lingering on my forehead for a moment, and all my worries and fears melted away…

Until Second Sister’s angry shout startled me awake.

“Don’t wake her up, let her rest! Get out, you useless fools! Sushou is in danger, and you still care about the throne! All of you, get out!”

I sat up abruptly and saw Second Sister’s back as she stood in front of the council hall. My small room inside was thick with the smell of moisture, and the desk was cluttered with disorganized papers.

Hearing me move, Second Sister glanced back, then entered, closed the door, and quickly walked to my bedside. In a soft voice, she said, “Weiwei, don’t worry. We are safe now. If you’re tired, you can sleep a little longer.”

“Safe? Where is Father? Where is Mother? Why do you say we are safe? What about those two immortals?”

“Father used the Flowing Water Trick to move Sushou to a safe place. We are now completely cut off from the outside world. The mist barrier will prevent anyone from finding us.”

“What about Father and Mother?” I grabbed Second Sister’s hand. “Mother was seriously injured, right? I saw her get stabbed, her fingers were broken... Is she okay?”

Second Sister didn’t answer but squeezed my hand tightly, as if enduring great pain, gripping so hard that my hand ached. Yet, she still avoided my question. “We’ll talk about it later, you should rest a bit more.”

“Second Sister, what happened to Mother? Answer me!” Suddenly, I stopped shouting, not daring to use force to breathe, and softly said, “Mother... is she... is she...”

“Weiwei, I can tell you the answer, but you must be strong. Don’t cry or make a scene. Because... Mother... and Father...” At this point, Second Sister’s own tears fell, “They protected us...”

In the end, Second Sister still couldn’t finish her sentence.

But I had already guessed. The Flowing Water Trick was an ancient forbidden technique of the Sushou clan, said to be inherited from the Cangying God. Because this technique consumed too much energy, no Sushou clan member’s body could withstand it. Forced use would lead to complete destruction.

Since Sushou had already moved, the snow naturally stopped. It was still close to the moon, and thus, even in the late night, the moonlight here was the most beautiful in the world. The vast blue mountains stretched far, the snow had not melted, and the land appeared as a jade-like human realm.

If not for what had happened earlier, no one would know that the king of this place was no longer here. I ran alone to the banks of the Luoshui River, searching for Father’s soul, but all I saw was the wind rising, snow swirling, the waves cold and desolate, with reeds withered and wild grass flying around.

I never expected Father would lie to me.

When I was little, he brought me here to walk and once told me that all the deceased kings of Sushou would become souls in this river, forever guarding our descendants. Yet, aside from the quiet, dark blue Luoshui River and the reeds swaying on the banks, there was only endless eternal night.

The bitter cold made it hard to breathe. I knelt on the ground, my limbs numb with pain, my head throbbing with pressure. It was so heavy, like a thousand-pound stone pressing on my back, making it impossible to stand.

Mother also lied to me.

She promised she would always stay with me, always be by my side.

“Father... Mother...” I buried my palms into the snow, suffocating to the point of fainting.

At that moment, a golden light seemed to flicker ahead. I took a breath and looked up. Unexpectedly, in the middle of the Luoshui River, a man’s silhouette appeared.

He held a white ink-painted umbrella, with black hair reaching his knees, wearing a dark blue robe that draped on the surface of the water. His feet glowed with icy light.

At this point, anyone with black hair would make me tremble with fear. I asked, “W-What person is that...”

As the paper umbrella spun, the man turned around.

I had seen this person before. He was the young man who saved me when I was little because of the Banlong affair.

It seemed he had expected that I would be the one turning around, as he smiled faintly beneath the umbrella. It wasn’t a brilliant smile, not even as warm as the moonlight or as cold as the snow, but it was the gentlest smile in the world.

In that instant, the wind and rain, the dreams of flowers, and the return of spring all seemed to be within that man’s glance.

The glow also came from his hand.

He stepped lightly on the water, as if he had become the only light left in the dark night.

I gradually saw clearly that what he held in his hand was a lotus flower, still closed, yet it seemed to contain a glowing lotus seed. Even though the petals were tightly closed, golden light leaked from within.

I said, “Why are you here?”

He didn’t answer me. Instead, he crouched down in front of me and opened his palm. As he did, the lotus flower slowly bloomed, and over a hundred lotus seeds rose from within, tiny and brilliant, sparkling with golden light like fireflies in July, gradually lighting up the darkness.

The scene was so beautiful that I couldn’t help but reach out to touch the lotus seeds, only to be burned back. The young man shook his head, placed the lotus on the water, and took my hand, walking with me to the center of the Luo River. He then opened the umbrella to shield my head.

I was curious about how I was standing on the water’s surface when he let go of my hand and raised his palm.

Then, something extraordinary happened: countless golden lotus buds appeared on the Luo River, and just like the first lotus, they bloomed one after another in the dark, full of vitality, releasing more lotus seeds like fireflies...

The evening breeze was chilly, and the scent of lotus flowers lingered. It felt like a gentle spring rain had passed by, with the golden lotus rain flowing backward toward the Purple Abyss.

“How... beautiful...” I rubbed my sore eyes, captivated by the sight.

But after waiting for a long time, I didn’t receive a response. I couldn’t help but look up at him. He also glanced back at me. This time, seeing him, I felt completely different from when I was a child. Back then, all I could feel was awe at his beauty, and I thought him emotionless and overly arrogant.

Now, though, he had no more expression, but he was gentle, like a completely different person.

He looked at me with a smile in his eyes, but that smile was sadder than crying. Our gaze made me inexplicably sad, and I instinctively reached out to touch him.

However, he instantly transformed into countless golden points of light, scattering in the wind like the glowing lotus hearts.

Only the golden lotuses still floated in the air, proving that what had just happened was not a dream. I carefully stepped on the water and returned to the shore, still feeling the warmth of the lotus seeds. Although I was still sad, it wasn’t as suffocating as before.

Who exactly was this young man? Every time he appeared by chance, he seemed to help me in some significant way. The first time, he saved my life; this time, he used the glowing lotus seeds to distract me... With how he comes and goes without a trace, he must be an immortal.

No matter how beautiful the scene, I still had to go back to face the death of my parents. Just the thought of never having them with me again for the rest of my life filled me with such pain that even the eternal moonlight seemed tinged with a cold frost, making it unbearable to look at.

However, what I never expected was that upon returning to the Zichao Palace, I would find both Fu Chenzhi and Kai Xuanjun there. In the Zhao Hua Hall, there were only a few scattered people, and my second sister stood in front of the throne, coldly looking at Fu Chenzhi.

Fu Chenzhi was being held by two guards, his hands tied behind his back in disgrace, but his face remained defiant. Kai Xuanjun stood beside Fu Chenzhi, glancing between him and my second sister, looking quite worried.

“Second sister!” I rushed forward and stood on the opposite side of Fu Chenzhi. “What is going on here?”

My second sister coldly said, “You can ask him.”

I looked at Fu Chenzhi. He didn’t look at me, his expression unmoving, as if he had no intention of explaining. After a moment of silence between him and my second sister, Kai Xuanjun urgently said, “Hey, Luo Wei, quickly try to persuade your second sister not to be so impulsive.”

I looked back at my second sister. “Second sister?”

My second sister said, “Fu Chenzhi, tell her what you’ve done.”

Fu Chenzhi replied, “I didn’t do anything.”

“The witnesses and the evidence are all here, how long are you going to keep lying?” My second sister took out a document, gritting her teeth and saying, “You ungrateful wretch! Father and mother treated you so well, and you... you...”

Fu Chenzhi maintained his usual attitude, “I told you, I didn’t write this letter.”

My second sister trembled with rage and strode down from the throne’s jade steps, picking up the paper and putting it in front of him. “If this isn’t your handwriting, whose is it?”

Fu Chenzhi said, “The handwriting can be imitated. My loyalty to my parents can be proven by the sun and moon. I have never done such a thing.”

“Full of lies!”

My second sister angrily threw the paper out, but Fu Chenzhi turned his head to avoid it. I quickly caught the letter and read it quickly, feeling shocked and horrified. It was a letter written to an immortal lord:

“I was once sent by my master, Huangdao Xianjun, as the adopted son of the North Sea Water Demon King. His country is corrupt, and he has conspired with evil spirits to cause trouble in the North Sea. He has three daughters; the eldest is a land immortal and fled, the youngest privately raised a fierce beast called Qiongqi, and the second daughter serves as a partner to a tiger...”

“Except for the fact that I raised Xuan Yue, the rest of it is all nonsense!” I said angrily, staring at the word “tiger” for a long while. “Wait, brother, I remember that your ‘tiger’ character always had the tail raised higher. Second sister, this might really be someone’s fabrication...”

My second sister said, “Wei Wei, don’t interrupt. I know you don’t believe he would do such a thing, but I was deceived by him before. Do you know where he went after leaving Sushou all these years?”

“Didn’t he go to learn from a master?”

“Do you know who his master is?”

“I don’t know...”

“Huangdao Xianjun.” At this point, my second sister threw him another look full of hatred.

Fu Chenzhi said, “My master is not him.”

“Then who is your master?”

Faced with my second sister’s relentless questioning, Fu Chenzhi just furrowed his brow but still didn’t speak. Outside, the cold wind still blew, and the candles flickered inside, illuminating my second sister’s exquisite face. She gave a light laugh. “Can’t answer? Then let me ask you a different question: Since you’re a mortal, why have you lived to nearly fifty years old and still look like this?”

Fu Chenzhi remained silent. I said, “Second sister, you’re making it too difficult for brother. His growth rate is slow, isn’t that the reason father brought him back?”

“That’s because he’s not a mortal at all!” My second sister raised her voice, grabbing Fu Chenzhi by the collar. “Fu Chenzhi, answer me, in front of everyone and your sister—are you a human or an immortal?!”

What...

I looked at Fu Chenzhi in disbelief, and suddenly, the incident where he quickly healed after being bitten by a spider flashed through my mind. Fu Chenzhi finally glanced at me quickly, his long fox eyes closing slightly, his pale lips whispering: “I am an immortal.”

My heartbeat skipped a beat. I only felt dry in my mouth and swallowed hard: “When did you find out?”

Second Sister sneered: “He made it very clear in the letter. He was sent to infiltrate Sùzhāo. You still ask when he found out? If you don’t believe it, take a look at this.”

She took a piece of paper from a nearby guard and handed it to me. I quickly scanned the content and found it was a poem written by Fu Chenzhi when he was a child:

The north has a vast sea, unfit for swimming.

The noble lady cannot be sought beneath the stars.

I gaze at the nine heavens, my neck is weary.

The clouds are dragons, the winds are tigers, and soon I will return.

When I was young, I did not understand the last two lines of this poem, but with everything that had happened now, I suddenly realized: I look up every day, longing for my homeland in the nine heavens, my neck has grown tired. The clouds follow the dragon, the wind follows the tiger, and when my great task is done, I can return home.

From childhood, Fu Chenzhi had always been restrained and gentle in the Xuan study, calmly enduring others’ bullying and degradation. It turns out, it wasn’t because he didn’t care, but because he didn’t need to care.

“Vivi, the death of our parents was all because of this good brother of ours. He has been colluding with Huang Dao Xianjun for a long time, intending to take over Sùzhāo for himself. As for us, the Sùzhāo clan will forever become slaves of the immortal realm. I will not give him the opportunity. Therefore, tomorrow I will ascend the throne and become the new emperor of Sùzhāo.” Second Sister looked at Fu Chenzhi with an ice-cold gaze, speaking each word deliberately. “Any immortal soldiers or traitors captured in the city will be executed without mercy.”

I was frantic and shook Fu Chenzhi’s sleeve. “Brother, please explain!”

However, until he was taken away, Fu Chenzhi didn’t say a word. After Second Sister explained, I learned that the informant was Fu Chenzhi’s follower. This follower had always been loyal to him, but unexpectedly, he had committed treason. After our parents’ death, Fu Chenzhi returned to Sùzhāo, pretending to comfort us, and planned to deal with my sister and me, taking the throne for himself.

But no matter what they said, I refused to believe that my brother was that kind of person.

At midnight, unable to sleep alone in my room, I suddenly heard someone knock on the door. I jumped out of bed, opened the door, and a cold wind swept in. Kai Xuan Jun stood under the cold moonlight, looking very dejected. “I’ve come to apologize.”

I opened the door wider. “Come in and sit.”

“No, it’s fine to speak here. I still hope to be your brother-in-law, so I can’t let the fireflies misunderstand,” he said with a smile, exhaling mist, but quickly became serious. “Actually, the one who brought Fu Gongzi back to Sùzhāo was me.”

“...It was you?”

“Yes, it was. After I left Sùzhāo, I passed through the Snow Mountain Ice Valley and met Fu Gongzi. I learned that he was the adopted son of the King of Xuehua, so we traveled together back to the immortal realm. I have an old friend who is close to the old man Ru Yue. A few days ago, I heard that Fu Gongzi and Huang Dao Xianjun had gone to the North Sea to eliminate demons, but they were actually targeting the Sùzhāo clan. Previously, I used some magic in the Luo Shui to make sure I could return to Sùzhāo quickly. I told Fu Gongzi about it and promised to bring him back... But by the time we arrived, it was too late, and Fu Gongzi had been framed...”

“You also think my brother was framed?”

Kai Xuan Jun said seriously, “Of course. Fu Gongzi has the style of mountains and rivers; how could he harm his own adopted parents?”

“But Second Sister doesn’t believe him at all...”

“Your Second Sister appears gentle, but her temper is very impulsive. Once a person is dead, they can’t come back. I fear she will regret killing an innocent person for the rest of her life.”

I sighed, “What should we do then?”

Kai Xuan Jun looked around, then pulled out a key from his pocket and placed it in my hand. “This is the key to Fu Gongzi’s prison cell. I stole it.”

I gasped, “A great immortal like you is stealing keys!”

“This is for your sister,” Kai Xuan Jun shook his head helplessly. “Alright, go see your brother, I’ll go back and try to persuade your sister. By the way, I’ve also dug a hole in the dungeon. If by midnight I don’t have news from my side, it means I failed to persuade your sister. You can let Fu Gongzi escape first, and we can discuss what to do next later.”

I couldn’t help but chuckle, “A great immortal like you is digging holes like a rat! Fine, you’ve passed my little sister test; from now on, I’ll allow you to marry my sister.”

Kai Xuan Jun smiled. “Don’t waste your words, hurry up.”