Chapter 51: The Nine Lotus Sutra

On the small boat, Shen Lian wore a robe of the Way, fluttering gently in the breeze. His long dark hair spilled over his shoulders, resembling a Taoist figure painted in an ink-and-wash landscape. Behind him followed a boatman, dressed in a manner similar to the one with arched eyebrows he had seen before.

Ahead stood a quiet pavilion by the southern lake, devoid of the usual drifting sounds of zithers or lingering songs. Shen Lian moved with the flow of his robes as he stepped onto the deck. Unlike the brightly lit pleasure boats nearby, this place by the water was built without a single light, serene and tranquil. The small boat and its boatman drifted away, leaving a faint trail on the lake’s surface.

Since arriving at the southern lake’s edge, someone had been waiting to escort him, finally bringing him to this secluded spot. A subtle feeling stirred within him as he gazed ahead, where the characters “Emerald Cloud Pavilion” revealed themselves beneath the moonlight, their brushwork elegant and flowing like drifting clouds and flowing water.

Shen Lian entered the pavilion with light steps, passing through a corridor where a curtain adorned with precious beads hung. The wind did not reach here, so there was no crisp clinking from the beads. Silver moonlight filtered through, shimmering on the beaded curtain’s hooks, creating a dreamlike atmosphere.

Pausing briefly, Shen Lian lifted the curtain, releasing a gentle chime of jade and pearls. Inside, the space was vast, with a skylight above that invited the moon’s glow. The walls and floor were made of special materials, allowing the moonlight to fill the room like flowing water.

A young woman sat on the floor before a seven-string zither. Bathed in the flowing moonlight, her refined and graceful beauty was clear to see.

Shen Lian did not usually place great importance on a person’s looks, but when faced with such a captivating woman, even the wisest sages would find it hard to remain indifferent. After all, even Confucius was moved upon seeing Nan Zi’s beauty.

Beyond her appearance, the woman possessed an aura like a pure lotus blooming after a fresh mountain rain—fresh and sacred—like a compassionate saint walking the suffering world, offering salvation to all beings.

Judging by her youthful charm, she was barely sixteen, her brows and eyes carrying a faint, clear smile.

A woman, especially a beautiful one, who knows how to smile, inevitably attracts good fortune.

She seemed fully aware of this, and her smile was utterly enchanting.

Shen Lian said, “Are you Chao Xiaoyu?”

“Why, do you think I am not?” Her eyes flickered softly over Shen Lian like the clear waters of an autumn river, gentle and pure.

If there were fairies in the heavens, she would surely be one.

In his previous life, Shen Lian rarely had encounters with beauties except online, but in this life, he had met several enchanting women. It was not due to luck but because cultivation itself is a form of evolution and selection.

Among cultivators, ugliness was rare; most grew to have smooth, delicate skin. Even those with less attractive features could become alluring through the transformation of their aura.

For cultivators, allure came more from temperament than mere appearance.

Shen Lian’s gaze upon the woman was natural, his spiritual sense concealed and ethereal. He stepped forward, inhaling the fragrance that mixed the scent of her pure incense with the subtle aroma of youth.

The girl’s fingers danced lightly over the zither strings, producing notes like a clear spring flowing over green stones beneath pine and bamboo—clear, shallow, yet deeply moving.

Her nails shone like crystal buds, shimmering with iridescence. The white, delicate back of her hand occasionally revealed faint blue veins resembling jade patterns, making it impossible to look away.

Shen Lian did not answer directly but softly said, “I suspect you are not only Chao Xiaoyu but also of an extraordinary lineage.”

Chao Xiaoyu raised her finely arched brows like verdant mountains, her nimble fingers still playing the zither, and smiled faintly. “It’s easy to guess these things. Shen Jun, have you not guessed more? That would truly disappoint me.”

Shen Lian softly recited, “Now upon the Nine Lotus Altar, seeking to transform the Peak of Morning Clouds and Evening Rain.” This poem referred to a secret sect branched from the Luo Cult, known as the Nine Lotus Sect.

Chao Xiaoyu’s expression shifted, withdrawing her lingering gaze from Shen Lian’s body. She whispered, “As expected of a disciple from a great sect, well-informed indeed.”

Shen Lian said, “I’ve long heard that the Nine Lotus Sect’s ‘Nine Lotus Sutra’ is the finest method of spirit refining in the world. Meeting you today confirms it is no empty boast.” He had studied many spirit refining techniques due to his possession of the “Supreme Clarity Lingbao Natural Heart Locking and Spirit Calming True Explanation.” Though the woman’s cultivation was profound, she still revealed some traits of the Nine Lotus Sect’s methods.

For instance, the aura she carried was unsullied by worldly grime, elegant and transcendent—a white lotus in Shen Lian’s mind, perfectly matching the “Nine Lotus Sutra’s” description.

“The Qingxuan Taoist Sect is truly a foremost great sect,” Chao Xiaoyu said. “I would never have guessed your spirit refining method allows you to bind a spiritual consciousness even before the returning elixir stage.” She was slightly shorter than Shen Lian, so she lifted her head gently. The faint zither music ceased abruptly.

Shen Lian smiled gently, “It was merely a fortunate coincidence, nothing worth mentioning.”

Chao Xiaoyu knew well that Shen Lian’s words might not be entirely true, but that was not her purpose. Moonlight poured down, and around the girl, silver flows shimmered like clear water.

In this dreamlike scene, Chao Xiaoyu appeared even more ethereal. Though before Shen Lian, she seemed distant and unfathomable. Softly, she asked, “Are you not curious why I summoned you? Do you not fear it might be a trap?”

Shen Lian smiled calmly but said nothing, stepping forward leisurely to sit opposite her.

The girl did not flinch; she met his gaze calmly, as if unmoved by honor or disgrace, watching the clouds roll by.

She sighed softly, “After all, Qingxuan is the orthodox Taoist sect, an ancient great sect. Every generation produces extraordinary figures like you, Shen Jun, or the Sword King.”

Shen Lian replied, “I am still far behind Senior Brother Chen. Please do not overestimate me.”

Her beautiful eyes sparkled with starry light as she said, “Why be modest, Shen Jun? If I have offended you today, please forgive me. They are no longer complete humans; they can only practice heterodox arts, and their hearts are easily agitated.” Then she added, “In your orthodox Taoist eyes, is our Nine Lotus Sect not also a heresy? If you think me a demoness of an evil cult, then there is no need to continue this conversation.”

Her expression was pitiful and delicate. Any man who saw her like this would surely be bewitched, ready to utter any words of kindness.

Shen Lian’s heart, calm as still water, rippled slightly. Inferior charms rely on coquettishness to provoke desire; superior charms move without worldly airs yet manipulate invisibly.

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P.S. Thanks to Baima Feima for the 1888 reward, Reading Is Always Good for the 588 reward, and to Zhen Keng, Duizhao, and Huai Suiying for their support.