A beauty dances like a spinning lotus, unseen by the eyes of the world. In the grand hall, the floor covered with red carpets, she dances a tune unrivaled. This melody, introduced by foreigners, astonishes the guests with its beauty. With a delicate face and slender yet full figure, adorned in light silk with golden threads, her sleeves and skirts flutter like flying snow, creating whirlwinds with her movements. The pipa and transverse flute play together, yet not fully, as the mountain peaks gather yellow clouds. Suddenly, the music shifts to the sounds of going in and out of the frontier, the white grass and cold sand rustling. Her movements, divine and fluid, continuously new and fresh. Only then do people realize that other dances are incomparable; picking lotus or falling plum blossoms merely clutter the ears. People dance just to dance, how could they achieve such grace?
That pool of water lilies looked like lazy, ethereal sleeping fairies, so pure and flawless, but something seemed to be missing… Here is the :
With a touch of human warmth, even the most beautiful flowers would go unnoticed… Inside a water lily at the center of the pond, a black-haired woman, completely naked, was sweetly asleep, her breath like orchid, her eyes gently trembling as she slowly opened her lazy, large black eyes, curiously looking around. White, the scent of lotus… where was this? The moment she opened her eyes, heavens, what a pair of eyes—clear as water, without a trace of impurity. Who else could possess such beautiful eyes? Yes, it was Ai Xiaotu, the “Goddess of Lingying.” As Xiaotu lay within the water lily, sensing her awakening, the large white petals fell one by one, covering Xiaotu’s snow-white body, transforming into a snow-white dress, soft as if each petal was gently pressed against her skin, the fragrance of lotus flowers subtly present. Xiaotu stared in astonishment. “Where are the Hundred Flowers? Where is this place?” Xiaotu murmured to herself in surprise. There was no rosy peach orchard, no ethereal white figure, nor “Shui Shui.” In this strange world, all she saw was a vast expanse of white, numerous elegant water lilies. Was that her reflection in the water? Her hair fell in large waves to her knees, her eyes not purple, without the golden cherry blossom mark. This was her in another world. What had happened? Where exactly was this place? She was without any magical powers, her black pupils full of confusion, reflecting the white water lilies…
“Ha ha, what are you daydreaming about?” A crisp voice sounded behind Xiaotu, as clear as a warbler emerging from its valley, equally pure and without impurity. Xiaotu turned around in surprise to see a mischievous face enlarged before her, a pair of smiling eyes on a small, palm-sized face, hair just reaching the neck, with fine bangs framing a sweat-glistened forehead full of sunshine. Her delicate ears seemed translucent under the direct sunlight, adorned with two silver earrings that sparkled brilliantly. She wore a sharp black short jacket on top, and a purple bubble skirt below, with a string of bells at her waist that jingled with her movements, cute yet dashing, sweet yet enchantingly seductive. Behind her were almost transparent white wings, with faint silver water lily patterns visible. “En, this outfit really suits you, sister, he he, my taste isn’t bad, right?” said the elf-like girl, proudly wrapping her slender arms around herself.
“Who are you?” Xiaotu asked curiously.
“I, I am the renowned ‘Goddess of the Water,’ my name is ‘Qian Yu Lian,’ he he, isn’t my name nice? Much nicer than yours, Tu Tu.” The fantastical girl named Qian Yu Lian fluttered her delicate wings proudly.
“Goddess of the Water? Little sister, don’t try to fool me,” Xiaotu genuinely liked the girl in front of her, straightforward and genuine.
“Hmph, I am the ‘Fairy of Water Lilies,’ but ‘Goddess of the Water’ sounds better, doesn’t it? That old Jade Emperor, he hasn’t promoted me even after I’ve been a fairy for thousands of years, I’m quitting!” she pouted, sitting on a water lily.
“En, Lian Lian is great, let me tell you, the flower language of water lilies is ‘purity, innocence, allure.’ It’s said that water lilies are the goddesses of mountain marshes, also known as the ‘Goddess of the Water.’ Pretty impressive, huh?” Xiaotu leaned against a white lotus, contentedly saying, calling her affectionately.
“Really? He he, seems like the Jade Emperor isn’t that bad after all, I won’t sneak his fine wine anymore.”
“Lian Lian, how did you know to call me Tu Tu?” Xiaotu blinked her lively big eyes in curiosity.
“That’s because, when I was catching little demons in the ‘Devil’s Lair,’ I saw that dreadful ‘Soul Lock’ dart through your body, and your soul drifted out. I’m a righteous fairy, so I brought your soul back to the ‘Jade Pool of Water Lilies’ to keep it from dissipating. You should thank me.” Qian Yu Lian vividly recounted the events, her exaggerated gestures dispelling Xiaotu’s earlier worries, and she burst into a radiant laugh, something she hadn’t done freely in a long time.
“Thank you, Lian Lian, did you see the Hundred Flowers? The ‘Jade Immortal of Hundred Flowers’?”
“Don’t worry, you can’t go out now because this is just your soul, very fragile. Only immortals with great power can see you. You should stay here; there’s enough spiritual energy to help you recover. Just play with me, Tu Tu. That idiot, it seems he’s gone back to the divine realm for training, don’t worry, he’s quite capable.”
“Thank you, if it weren’t for you, I might have scattered by now.” Full of gratitude and sincerity, the affectionate “Tu Tu” sounded much sweeter to Xiaotu than “Goddess of Lingying.”
“Come on, come on, I’ve set up a swing over there, it’s very comfortable.” She pulled Xiaotu to the shore, excited like a child. They tasted wine made from water lilies, ate exquisite pastries with a faint lotus fragrance, wandered through the water lilies, stepping on large lotus leaves to catch dragonflies, and swung on a rattan swing, feeling like they were flying…
Everything seemed to turn misfortune into a blessing. Xiaotu found the laughter and freedom of her past, and it felt like everything had returned to the way it was before…
Chapter Twenty: The Devil
“Tu Tu, let me tell you, I’ve been stuck here for thousands of years, nearly dying of boredom. That damn Jade Emperor, just because I stole some of his fine wine, picked a few of his wife’s rotten peaches, and, oh, because I thought that dead monkey’s fur was too much and it had fleas, I kindly set it on fire. Now he won’t even visit me, how annoying. You tell me, can I be blamed for that?” Lian Lian sat on a green lotus leaf, pouting her pink lips, complaining to Xiaotu about those “ungrateful immortals.”
“Lian Lian, are you sure it was just that?” Xiaotu chuckled, watching Lian Lian’s face gradually turn red.
