INE Chapter 111: Green Lotus

With nothing else to do, Gu Baiyi sat in the carriage waiting for Ji Rong and ended up finishing The Hidden Records of Cultivation without realizing it.

She vaguely recalled flipping through the book once when her soul had still been attached to Chu Changli. But since her body had been under the control of a heart demon at the time, her memories of it were hazy.

The book recorded rumors and legends from across the centuries, covering magical artifacts of various sects as well as curious and fantastical tales.

However, when she reached the section on the Immortal Scatterflower, Gu Baiyi couldn't help feeling puzzled.

The depiction of the Immortal Sanhua was rather odd.

According to the account, she was a cultivator who had walked the path of emotionlessness. But for the sake of a girl from the Divine Sect, she had forsaken her path and fallen into demonic cultivation, slaughtering countless innocents just to forge a sword that could defy time itself.

On the surface, the tale sounded dramatic and coherent. Yet Gu Baiyi had one question.

If these records about the Immortal Sanhua were indeed real, then, who had written them?

The narration was so vivid it felt as if the author had witnessed everything firsthand.

But aside from the Immortal Sanhua and the girl from the Divine Sect, who else could possibly have known what transpired between them?

Clearly, the author had taken liberties for the sake of selling yet another sensational tale.

Calling it The Hidden Records of Cultivation certainly made it sound impressive.

Gu Baiyi smiled faintly and closed the book.

Judging by its contents, it had likely been written by someone from within a sect.

But what truly puzzled her was why the author had made special mention of the “Blood of the Heavenly Demon” and the “Heaven Yin Physique.”

After all, the Heavenly Demon hadn’t even appeared a thousand years ago, and the Heaven Yin Physique was incredibly rare.

Frowning in thought for a long moment, Gu Baiyi couldn’t shake the feeling that she was missing something important.

Just then, as her gaze lowered in contemplation, Ji Rong lifted the carriage curtain and called from outside, “It’s done. We can leave now.”

Gu Baiyi snapped back to herself and smiled. “That fast? Doesn’t Senior Sister want to talk with City Lord Ji a little longer?”

Ji Rong had intended to respond with, “What’s there to talk about?”, but when she saw Gu Baiyi’s fingers resting on the book’s cover, and the smile in her eyes, 

, for some reason, the heroine looked particularly obedient and sweet at that moment.

So Ji Rong kept her expression calm and changed her words. “My Junior Sister is waiting for me. Of course I need to leave quickly.”

Gu Baiyi paused, clearly not expecting that kind of answer.

A moment later, she smiled and asked, “Senior Sister, do you want to move faster?”

Of course she did.

After all, the Qingshuang Sword was still waiting for her.

Ji Rong nodded honestly.

But no sooner had she dipped her head than the heroine disappeared from her sight.

Before she could react, Gu Baiyi had already scooped her up by the waist and soared into the sky.

It was a beautiful day. The sky over Xuanji City was a flawless, glazed blue, like celadon glaze on fine porcelain.

By the time afternoon rolled around, the sun brushed against the mountain peaks, painting the horizon in hues of gilded gold and rich jade green, like a sheet of luminous glass fired in a divine kiln.

After bidding his daughter farewell, Ji An stepped out of the Taiping Hall and looked up at the sky over Xuanji City.

As the city's lord, he had long since grown accustomed to every sunrise and sunset within its walls.

Staring at the fading twilight, he let out a quiet sigh.

There should have been someone standing beside him, watching this dazzling dusk.

But now, there was only him. And there would only ever be him.

The beauty of it all only deepened his loneliness.

He lowered his head, about to return to the hall, when he overheard two guards talking outside.

Their voices were low.

“Is there something flying up there?”

“No way. After that one nouveau riche rained gold from the sky a few years back and caused chaos in the city, the Lord banned flying inside Xuanji.”

“But I swear I saw two people up there, flying…”

Ji An raised a brow at the whispers.

Someone was actually daring enough to break city law right under his nose?

They must be tired of living, or eager to experience the hospitality of Xuanji’s prison.

Drawing on his spiritual power, Ji An looked up as he reached for the sword at his waist, ready to pull it out and bring those two lawbreakers down.

But just then, a sleeve edged in embroidered vermilion plum blossoms brushed through the clouds and entered his line of sight.

He hadn’t noticed at first, but once he did, he froze.

His spiritual energy halted in his palm. The sword at his waist suddenly felt… unnecessary.

He wanted to draw it. After all, the bold woman in black was shameless enough to wrap her arm around his daughter’s waist and fly through his city like she owned the sky.

But if he did draw it and gave chase… what then? Was he supposed to personally throw his daughter into jail?

Ji An stood rooted to the spot and slowly lowered his hand from his sword.

A grown daughter can't be kept at home, he thought silently.

…

To be honest, Ji Rong was speechless.

Sure, she did want to get back quickly, but this was a little too quick.

Flying? That kind of flashy, energy-draining nonsense? She had no desire to experience it at all.

She just wanted to sit quietly in the carriage, squeeze the last bit of usefulness out of Master Gu, maybe pet her own fox a little, and peacefully finish the journey back to Wanjian Sect.

But Gu Baiyi had suddenly used Phantom Flowers, Hidden Moon to teleport right in front of her.

At that moment, Ji Rong couldn’t help but marvel, how had the heroine’s movement technique improved so dramatically? It was seamless, almost untraceable.

Then she realized something felt… off.

Phantom Flowers, Hidden Moon, the famed technique of Huanhua Palace, was this how it was supposed to be used?

If the old Palace Master found out, he’d probably come back to life out of sheer rage.

Before Ji Rong could finish cursing in her heart, Gu Baiyi had already picked her up, lifting her higher and higher off the ground.

The fox barely managed to scramble onto her shoulder, clinging on for dear life, but the carriage…

Ji Rong gritted her teeth and cursed silently: Gu Baiyi, you reckless little spendthrift.

Still, on the surface, she maintained her usual air of indifference and asked calmly, “You’re just going to leave the carriage behind?”

Now that Wei Zongqiu and his group had left, Gu Baiyi had taken off her mask. At the moment, she was standing atop the crimson sword Chixiao, wind tugging at her robes, eyes bright with laughter.

“Carriages mean nothing to me. As long as I have you, Senior Sister, that’s enough.”

“…”

You might love running around on your own two feet, but I just want to sit in a damn cart, Ji Rong thought.

She was about to retort, but her gaze was drawn to the sword beneath their feet.

Somehow, without them noticing, they’d already flown past the bounds of Xuanji City. By now, the sky had grown overcast as dusk settled in.

Against the dimming backdrop, the ornate floral patterns on Chixiao’s blade stood out more clearly than ever.

Ji Rong frowned. “When did Chixiao get those markings?”

Hearing that, Gu Baiyi looked down, and paused. “These don’t look like they’re part of Chixiao’s original pattern… More like…”

Ji Rong stared at the elegant, symmetrical lotus design, and suddenly remembered where she had seen it before.

“Bodhi Sect.”

They spoke the words in unison.

There was, of course, another unspoken possibility: Palace Master Gong Yu’s sword also bore the same lotus pattern.

Ji Rong and Gu Baiyi exchanged a glance, then simultaneously leapt into the air, trying to withdraw Chixiao back into their storage bracelets.

But it was too late.

The moment their feet left the blade, a single lotus petal bloomed from the intricate pattern on the sword.

That one petal unfurled, and then multiplied, giving rise to thousands.

The blossoms surged upward from the sword’s hilt, forming a dome like a golden bell. Droplets of light fell from the petals like rain, trapping them both within.

Gu Baiyi’s expression remained composed. She immediately drew the Hanshui Sword and slashed at the dome with a sword technique.

It was a formidable formation, so she didn’t hold back, she went straight for Fenchuan.

Fenchuan could consume all things. And just as she attacked, Ji Rong unsheathed Cangming Sword and followed with a strike of The Moon in the Sea, Washing in Waves.

Even the toughest walls should have crumbled under that onslaught.

Flames of dark energy and roaring thunder struck the lotus petals, shattering their crystalline surface in an instant.

Ji Rong thought that would be the end of the formation.

But then, a chime rang out, low and resonant.

Gu Baiyi frowned.

She watched as the petals regenerated slowly, mending the broken lines.

A second chime followed, and the green lotus bloomed with a soul-stirring fragrance.

The dome of petals reformed even larger, more complete, completely sealing them inside.

Then came the third chime.

And with it, a rain of countless lotus petals.

The world fell into silence, vast and empty, like a secluded temple lost in time.

As the petals drifted down, Ji Rong narrowed her eyes. Through the falling flowers, she saw several figures walking toward them across a bridge of lotus.

“Amitabha.”

The leading monk fingered a strand of Bodhi beads, smiling serenely at Gu Baiyi and Ji Rong. Pressing his palms together, he said warmly, “Peace be with you, honored guests. It has been a while, hasn’t it?”