Chapter Ninety: The Ancient Moon-Offering Lotus, Part Two

For now, he put it away in his cosmos pouch.

After that, the wandering through the valley—chasing butterflies and admiring flowers—was relatively carefree.

And because the so-called reward was gone, many of the loose cultivators who had come only to pursue cultivation had left on their own and taken no part.

Tomorrow was the grand assembly. Senior Brother Lu had already gone early with Senior Rain-Zhen to the main hall of Frostflower Valley to discuss matters.

The disciples of Cloud Abyss Sect and the two disciples of Sun-Shooting Sect wandered about together under Yan Xun’s lead.

Flowers and beauty should have made the day relaxed and leisurely, a pity that Cheng Yu had to ruin the scene.

In front of Sheng Yun and Gu Qingqing, he was forever putting on tiresome airs of attention and telling dull jokes.

Beneath the waterfall of blossoms, beside the vine bridge.

Xiaohe clung to Song Yan’s wrist, its snake tail coiled around a cluster of spirit flowers as it swayed to and fro.

A swarm of spirit butterflies rose from between the wisteria; a few even circled above Gu Qingqing’s head.

The valley was full of flower sprites and spirit beasts.

Still, they were all mild in temperament, fond of peace and harmony.

Li Qingfeng slyly drew a black iron pot from behind his back and pretended he was about to swat the spirit butterflies, frightening Gu Qingqing so badly that the image pearl in her hand nearly fell off the bridge.

Laughter burst from everyone at once.

As the sun sank westward, they each went their separate ways.

In the small bamboo courtyard, Song Yan had an ancient sword laid across his knees.

Its blade was mottled blue-gray, the patterns in the edge winding like two green plums growing from the same branch.

At the junction of guard and blade, the ancient characters for "linked branches" had been carved.

Now that he had truly obtained a flying sword, he found himself hesitating at every turn, at a complete loss.

Of course he could not determine for himself whether some mystery lurked within this ancient sword; he would have to rely on the miraculous effects of the yin-yang pearl.

In the past, the unmoored boat had been intended from the start as the future body of his personal flying sword, so there had been no problem with refining it through sword qi.

But a sword cultivator’s life-bound flying sword could only be one. How, then, was he supposed to refine this sword, Linked Branches?

The ancient sword now lay before him.

Yet the yin-yang pearl showed no sign at all, remaining quiet and still.

" ... "

After some thought, he decided to begin by refining it with spiritual power.

He slowly poured spiritual power into it, and in about a quarter of an hour, the process was complete.

Under his command, it moved as readily as an arm or finger.

Only...

The yin-yang pearl still produced no change at all...

"Could it be that I must use sword qi?"

Shaking his head, he rejected the guess himself.

Earlier, before the "inner demon" had even made a move, the yin-yang pearl had already drawn it in.

Only after the demonic flames had dispersed did he begin the refinement.

So that should not have been the reason.

Still, he tried anyway.

Song Yan dispersed his spiritual power and divine-sense imprint, then refined it once more with sword qi.

The yin-yang pearl still gave no response.

"So it seems not every ancient sword can be invited by the yin-yang pearl into its realm..."

He felt a pang of regret, though he also could not understand why the pearl had shown such a slight stirring at the beginning.

After toying with it for a while, he stored the flying sword in his cosmos pouch.

Though he had failed to achieve his original purpose, the disappointment was only slight.

After all, it was still his prize.

The introduction had said that this was the flying sword forged by an ancient cultivator who died for love before taking his own life...

At the very least, it was highly commemorative.

It was a pity that young Song did not have such notions of romance yet; otherwise, giving it to a beloved dao companion would have been quite fitting.

For now, he could only put it away in his cosmos pouch.

Suddenly, Yan Xun’s voice came from outside.

"Daoist Song..."

Song Yan opened the door and welcomed him in.

After the excursion through the valley, Song Yan had asked him for a jade slip containing the names and descriptions of the spirit flowers and spirit plants in the valley.

He had not expected Yan Xun to deliver it personally, and even bring some flower tea besides.

Sweeping it with his divine sense, he found a Flower Compendium.

There was a great deal of content in the jade slip, and the descriptions of the various spirit plants were very detailed.

Not hurrying to send him away, Song Yan invited Yan Xun to stay for a cup of flower tea and chatted with him for a bit.

When the conversation turned to the Flower Compendium, Yan Xun became talkative.

"This compendium has actually existed all along."

"Within Frostflower Valley, generation after generation of cultivators have always had people who loved flowers and devoted themselves to the study of floral arts."

"This edition is the most detailed one in recent years."

"It was compiled by Big Brother Liang Feng."

Song Yan blinked. "Liang Feng?"

Come to think of it, Sheng Nian had once warned him to be careful around this person, Liang Feng.

Yet until now, the man had always been proper and restrained, never doing anything excessive.

At least not where Song Yan could see.

Yan Xun nodded. "Yes, Big Brother Liang Feng and his beloved partner both adore floral arts."

"Because of that, when the position of chief steward of Frostflower Valley was given to him, everyone felt the most at ease."

Liang Feng was now at the tenth level of Qi Refinement and not especially old, only in his early forties.

If he had resources to support him, he still had a very good chance of building his foundation.

He had both ability and a good reputation and connections; there was nothing improper about him serving as steward.

"Brother Liang’s wife?"

She did not seem to have appeared in public.

Yan Xun gave a faint sigh. "Big Brother Liang Feng’s beloved wife was critically injured more than twenty years ago and has remained in slumber ever since."

"Oh?" Song Yan frowned. "How did that happen?"

After some hesitation, Yan Xun recalled, "I do not know the details very well either. I only heard the elders in the valley say that more than twenty years ago, several demonic cultivators were chased here."

"In the fighting, Big Brother Liang Feng’s wife was caught in the aftermath. Though she still has a thread of life, she has no consciousness and cannot wake."

"To think such a thing happened..."

"Afterward, Big Brother Liang Feng kept searching for a way to save his beloved wife. Over the years, he has traveled far and wide."

"Unfortunately, there has still been no result."

"Still, the good thing is that Big Brother Liang Feng did not grow overly despondent. Previously, he even joined several senior figures from Sun-Shooting Sect in an attempt to explore the spirit seed of the ancient Moon-Bearing Lotus, and they made some progress..."

Song Yan nodded slightly. During his wanderings through the valley, he had heard Frostflower Valley cultivators mention this.

He had heard that although there were methods, the cost was too great, and preservation was difficult.

Not to mention any lotus seeds—the blossoms could not even fully open.

After sharing flower tea for a while, Yan Xun took his leave.

Left alone in the courtyard, Song Yan sank his divine sense into the jade slip.

He scanned it quickly and found his true target.

"Moon-Bearing Ancient Lotus."

Beside it was a painting of a lotus blossom.

"When the bud first emerges, it resembles ice crystals congealing; after blooming, the petals are translucent, like moonlight itself."

"One Moon-Bearing Ancient Lotus can only condense a single lotus seed."

"When mature, moonlight lifts the seed, and it becomes entirely luminous white."

"The petals may be used to refine Purifying Moon Talismans, which suppress yin souls, inner demons, and illusions."

"The lunar spiritual energy released when the ancient lotus is in full bloom can slightly improve a cultivator’s natural endowment."

"The lotus seed may be used to refine many ancient medicinal formulas..."

"Furthermore, the seed overflows with vital force. It is said that it can even be used to remold a cultivator’s fleshly body."

" ... "

Song Yan felt a little pained.

He remembered that when the lotus had bloomed, there had indeed been a strand of moonlight lifting the seed.

He had not expected that moonlight to be able to improve one’s natural endowment.

Back then, all his attention had been on the seed, and he had no idea when the moonlight had dissipated.

"Still, if that was not mere luck, I can ask the valley cultivators to trade me a few withered seeds. There will be plenty of chances in the future."

Now it seemed that these withered ancient lotus seeds were not considered especially precious among Frostflower Valley cultivators.

From what he had learned while studying alchemy, Song Yan knew that many rare spirit plants and spirit medicines in the cultivation world had gradually become scarce over a very long time and were now nearly extinct.

Perhaps only ancient ruins and lost mystic realms could still yield them.

It seemed this Moon-Bearing Ancient Lotus was one such thing.

Even its spirit seeds had grown withered and rotten, making them difficult to cultivate.

At the very end of the section on the Moon-Bearing Ancient Lotus, there appeared to be some experiential advice regarding how to hasten the ripening of the withered seeds.

"The spirit seeds of the Moon-Bearing Ancient Lotus, passed down through the generations in the valley, wither in dark and filthy places."

"If watered with the spiritual power of pure yang thunder methods, their vitality may be restored."

"However, thunder arts are better at dispelling filth than at fostering sharp growth. They can only hasten blooming, not produce lotus seeds."

" ... "

So that was how it was...

He fell silent, his thoughts growing lively.

Stable updates, stable updates!

I did not play games all night today—I spent the whole time writing!

Two chapters together!

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