Chapter 420: Twin Lotuses

Chapter 420: The Twin Lotus

With the creaking of the carriage, Bai Lingmiao's vehicle slowly arrived at the edge of Niu Xin Village. Seeing her return, her fellow disciples rushed out to greet her.

However, their attention was soon drawn away by Bai Lingmiao’s adopted sons and daughters.

"Oh well, I've been saying all along that this land around here is too vast—no matter how many oxen we buy, they can't plow it all. Now, finally, we have people to do the work," said Gouwa, supporting his pregnant wife, pretending to be wise as he spoke with great confidence.

"Hey! Heh heh! Isn’t that the scholar? What on earth is he—"

But before he could finish, a tremendous force from behind sent him staggering. Just as he steadied himself, he saw Lü Juren rolling up his sleeves, his face full of anger, charging forward like a furious imperial scholar.

When he saw Lü Zongyuan, the scholar-turned-punisher, swing his right hand in a blur and slap Lü Xiucai twice across the face, Gouwa couldn’t help but grin with delight. "Heh! Now there's going to be some fun to watch!"

Soon after, Lü Xiucai was tied to a tree at the village entrance by his elder brother, followed by Lü Zongyuan wielding his pipe and beating him mercilessly. The father and son exchanged insults in a noisy, chaotic display.

"You dare steal money! You actually stole money and ran away!! Fine! Fine! Our Lü family has always lived with clean hands, but now you’ve brought shame upon us! I’ll kill you, you little bastard!"

"I’m a bastard?! You’re the old bastard! If you’ve got the guts, let me go! I’ll kill you myself!"

"You call yourself my father?! Say it again! Who’s your father?!" Lü Zongyuan’s pipe swung wildly, and Lü Xiucai’s mouth was beaten bloody.

Watching the father and son bellowing at each other at the village entrance, Bai Lingmiao felt somewhat bored. She leaned her head out, glanced left and right, then turned to Gao Zhijian, who stood tall beside her.

"Zhijian, can you bring some paper and ink? We need to sign some labor contracts."

Zhijian looked away from Xiao Man and nodded. "Sure."

Soon, the quiet Bai Family Ancestral Hall filled with activity. These people lined up one by one, pressing their red fingerprints onto the contracts.

Though none of them could read, the contracts were detailed and fair, leaving no room for deceit.

"Miao Miao, what are you doing?" Chun Xiaoman asked, puzzled, watching Zhijian scribble furiously.

"Signing contracts. Grandpa used to hire short-term and long-term workers this way. These are just the beginning; more will come. Since we already have people, might as well start properly from the beginning," Bai Lingmiao tried to recall how her grandfather had run the village.

"You're hiring more people?"

"Of course. Niu Xin Village is huge—there should be at least enough people to fill it." To revive the village, this wasn’t nearly enough. And besides, some with poor comprehension would have to be weeded out.

Once everyone had pressed their fingerprints, Bai Lingmiao looked at them and said, "Since you call me godmother, you’re family now. You’ve traveled far and hard. Tonight, we’ll slaughter a pig—everyone eats well."

At the mention of pork, these people forgot their unease about being strangers in a new place and instinctively began salivating. Some hadn’t even tasted meat in their entire lives, only hearing that pork was delicious.

That evening’s dinner was prepared with great effort by Yang Xiaohai. A black-skinned pig weighing over a hundred jin (about 110 pounds) was transformed entirely into dishes—except for bones and hair—and devoured cleanly.

Later, these people were assigned to empty houses in the village. The once desolate village began to buzz with life.

That night, inside the dark chamber of the Bai Family Ancestral Hall, Bai Lingmiao held a lantern, her fingers lightly tracing the white lotus teachings. Her eyes flickered with longing. "Tell me, with so much treasure here, is there something that can solve our celestial troubles?"

Behind her, the figure covered by a red veil—Er Shen—followed silently like a ghost.

After a moment of thought, a familiar face appeared in Er Shen’s mind. “Brother Li said we could seek balance through Da Sui.”

“He did say it, but it sounds so easy. How are we supposed to find him just from a name?”

Four rows of tears, uneven in size, soaked Er Shen’s red veil. A deep yearning surged in her heart. “I miss him.”

Hearing this, Bai Lingmiao’s expression twisted slightly. “Think, think! All you ever do is think! Do you really believe he’d die without you?”

“Look at this crying, wailing fool—just like when you tried to kill yourself in the ancestral hall. It makes me sick!”

Er Shen choked back a sob, pulling out a jade pendant from her chest and gently stroking it. It was a gift from Li Huo Wang. Originally meant to exchange for travel funds, she never spent it and returned home with it still intact.

As Bai Lingmiao walked, she said, “Didn’t you notice that everything happening around him now is beyond our reach? If you want to avenge your parents, kill the man who killed your father, then go be a burden and slow him down.”

Upon hearing this, Bai Lingmiao sensed no movement behind her. Then, a faint cry echoed from the dim corner.

She rolled her eyes, continuing her patrol through the dark chamber.

After looking at the inheritance left by the Bai family, Bai Lingmiao couldn’t help but feel envious. She picked up a book and opened a page.

She struggled to read, but the content was too complex for her current understanding.

Just as she frowned in confusion, a faint glow from the side caught her attention.

Bai Lingmiao looked over and saw the massive white jade lotus on the cabinet. It no longer glowed evenly as before—it flickered, alternating between bright and dim.

Curious, she approached closer, studying it carefully, yet found no clue.

She had no idea why such an object was placed here. But since it could be hidden so discreetly, the white lotus must be valuable.

Based on her guess, she believed it was related to the “Wusheng Laomu” (Mother of the Unborn). According to previous translations, the powers of the White Lotus Sect came from her grace.

"Why does it shimmer? Could this be a sign?"

Suddenly, a hand landed heavily on Bai Lingmiao’s shoulder. She turned and saw Er Shen gazing upward at the mural on the wall.

When Bai Lingmiao raised her eyes, her pink pupils widened slightly. The petals of the white lotus, previously carried by six white donkeys, began overlapping. Due to the density, it no longer looked like a lotus but resembled a hollow onion.

Suddenly, a strange chanting voice emerged from the left, enveloping everything.

"Great Thousand Auspicious Realm, Qinghua Changle Gate, East Pole Miao Yan Palace, where ten thousand deities gather within, Nine-Colored Lotus Throne, in a billion rays of auspicious light, Jade Purity Spirit Treasure Supreme, compassionate in the great calamity, Seven Treasures Fragrant Forest, responding to the primordial mystery..."

The chanting included voices of men and women, young and old, layering into a strange, haunting sound.

This divine chant made Bai Lingmiao tremble all over. She felt her inner aura of malice nearly dissolving.

"Not just the malice—but my ten emotions and eight sufferings!" Various feelings flooded Bai Lingmiao’s face as she struggled.

Almost instinctively, she reached toward the white jade lotus. As its flickering light enveloped her body, she felt slightly better.

This sensation came quickly and faded just as fast, not lasting long. When Bai Lingmiao looked up again, she saw the mural on the wall—formerly showing the white lotus carried by six white donkeys—had now transformed into a twin lotus.

(End of Chapter)