Wayfarer

Chapter 502: The Lotus Pond

Within the Yin-Yang Cauldron, the purple-furred monster knelt on one knee and bowed down. "Former general Zeng Daniu greets the young princess!"

"Please rise, General Zeng. My mother's dead, and you don't have to bow down to me any longer," Zhang Lingjun said immediately.

Zeng Daniu shook his head. "We generals have sworn to serve the princess to our death. Now that she has perished, Princess, we serve you. If you refuse our service, we'll accompany our princess to the underworld."

"Don't! General Zeng, I accept your service. Please rise." Zhang Lingjun helped him up.

"Yes, Princess!" Only then did Zeng Daniu rise.

"General Zeng, do you know why my mother would rebel?" Zhang Lingjun pressed.

"The princess didn't rebel. I don't know what happened that day, but she would never do so. Before then, she had been preparing a present for the Heavenly Emperor's birthday. Why would she do that if she were planning to rebel?"

Zhang Lingjun sighed in relief. She didn't believe that her mother would have rebelled, either.

"Do you know what happened that day?"

"I don't. We were stationed at the foot of Mt. Kunlun and awaiting orders. Without a summons, we didn't have the authority to ascend the mountain, nor to head into the Heavenly Palace at its peak."

"Do you know who might know anything?"

"I don't." Zeng Daniu shook his head.

Zhang Lingjun fretted anxiously.

"Princess, don't worry. General Zeng might be unaware of the situation, but someone has to know something. We'll keep on searching," Xiao Nanfeng said.

Zhang Lingjun nodded, then asked curiously, "Xiao Nanfeng, how did you awaken General Zeng?"

Xiao Nanfeng turned to Zeng Daniu. "That depends on General Zeng. How did he awaken?"

Zeng Daniu shook his head. "I don't know myself. After the Heavenly Emperor cursed us, we lost our consciousness. I could vaguely sense that my consciousness was being suppressed. Just now, whatever was suppressing me faded away, and I woke up."

Xiao Nanfeng stared at Zeng Daniu for some time before he said, "There was a golden lotus hood on your head, a cursed effigy that I destroyed. You woke up after that. I suspect that lotus hood was suppressing your consciousness."

"What lotus hood?" Zeng Daniu seemed perplexed.

Zhang Lingjun suddenly recalled the lotus hood that she too had seen.

Xiao Nanfeng manifested an image of the lotus hood with spiritual power.

"Ah, I remember! The princess once received such a hood back then."

"Oh?"

"Later, the princess placed the hood in the lotus pond to nurture it, and golden lotuses bloomed throughout the pond shortly thereafter. A few days before this whole mess happened, the pond of golden lotuses vanished."

"The golden lotuses vanished? Could they be what's suppressing all these purple-furred lifeforms?" Xiao Nanfeng frowned.

"I don't know myself..." Zeng Daniu trailed off, likewise frowning.

Zhang Lingjun considered her own memories. "I remember that pond as well. One day, I was planning to pick some golden lotuses from it, but my mother held me back. She even threatened the golden lotuses. I was too young then to understand what was going on, but thinking back, there was clearly something unusual there. Could my mother's death be related to these golden lotus hoods?"

"Let's consider the possibility that every purple-furred lifeform has such a golden lotus hood on them. If we're able to pluck them off, they might be able to wake up," Xiao Nanfeng said.

"We can try it," Zeng Daniu agreed immediately.

Zhang Lingjun nodded as well. "Right, we should test that. If it's true, I'll be able to awaken many of my mother's former generals. I'd like to have a look at that lotus pond, too. We might be able to find a new clue."

"There are plenty of people outside, and I'm afraid we'll have to wait if we want to awaken more of these purple-furred lifeforms. We can start by heading to the pool, but General Zeng shouldn't expose the fact that he has awakened," Xiao Nanfeng warned.

"Indeed?" Zeng Daniu glanced at Xiao Nanfeng in confusion.

"The princess' circumstances are rather awkward, and there are many forces that wish her ill. We can't expose this secret, or some of them might do something untoward to hurt her. Please pretend you've been hypnotized," Xiao Nanfeng said, briefly sketching what was going on outside.

"Those damned thugs! How could they think of hurting the young princess? If her mother were still alive, she'd skin them all alive!" Zeng Daniu roared. "I understand. I'll pretend to be hypnotized."

Xiao Nanfeng nodded.

The three cultivators discussed a few more details before Xiao Nanfeng summoned Chang Bing and the others.

With a whoosh, voices could be heard from outside the Yin-Yang Cauldron once more.

"Open up the cauldron!" Xiao Nanfeng commanded.

"Understood!" Chang Bing replied.

The cauldron's lid opened up as Xiao Nanfeng and Zhang Lingjun walked out with Zeng Daniu.

"Store the cauldron," Xiao Nanfeng continued.

"Got it!"

With a wave of Xiao Nanfeng's hand, the thick fog around them dispersed, leaving behind only the fog that had been present in the valley in the first place.

There were hundreds of people now gathered within the valley. When they saw the purple-furred monster standing docilely behind Zhang Lingjun, they gaped in shock.

"Did they really succeed in subjugating a Heaven Immortal purple-furred monster?"

"They must have gotten lucky. The chance of success is prohibitively low."

"How lucky they were!"

The cultivators murmured to themselves, but quickly stood to attention when they saw Xiao Nanfeng and Zhang Lingjun heading over. They bowed. "We greet Martial Aspect Xiao and Princess Lingjun. We're willing to serve as guards to delve deep into the Palace of the Moon."

Xiao Nanfeng suddenly noticed Ao Shuai among the gathered crowd, standing in the middle with his subordinates. How thick-skinned did he have to be to show up despite what had happened with General Zhang? "Ao Shuai, what are you doing here?" Xiao Nanfeng asked.

"I heard you mention that Princess Lingjun was recruiting guards, Martial Aspect Xiao. We're here to volunteer. Despite the unpleasant misunderstanding between you and General Zhang, we've resolved that issue to mutual satisfaction. You won't prohibit us from joining, will you?" Ao Shuai smiled.

Xiao Nanfeng certainly wasn't enthused about the idea, but the other cultivators weren't doing this out of the goodness of their hearts, either. At any rate, he had gathered them all for grunt labor. Ao Shuai's presence wouldn't be a big deal.

"Very well. I hope you'll keep your word." Xiao Nanfeng nodded.

Ao Shuai was taken aback. He was prepared for Xiao Nanfeng to make his life difficult and had mustered up a counterargument, only to have Xiao Nanfeng agree immediately.

Xiao Nanfeng turned to the cultivators gathered all around him. "Generals, I wish to make a point clear. The princess is recruiting guards; as guards, you must ensure her safety at all times. In addition, this expedition may not be successful, and there may be plenty of injuries and deaths ahead. Are you aware of the danger?"

"Don't worry, Martial Aspect Xiao. If we encounter any danger, the princess isn't to blame," someone began.

"That's right!" All the cultivators nodded.

"Very well. Let's set off, then," Xiao Nanfeng continued.

"Understood!" everyone shouted.

Xiao Nanfeng didn't waste any more time. He wasn't counting on any of these cultivators to guard the princess in truth. He simply wanted to ensure that no one would dare strike at their party. Furthermore, the Palace of the Moon was rumored to be particularly dangerous, so just having more people around would be of use.

Although there was plenty of fog all around them and visibility was low, Zhang Lingjun easily led them to the palace.

They quickly arrived at its exterior, a large, wide-open plaza filled with halls and pavilions, all of which were covered by layers of translucent purple barriers. This was the Palace of the Moon proper. Outside the palace were countless purple-furred monsters.

Upon seeing the horde of purple-furred monsters that numbered in the thousands, even Xiao Nanfeng was shocked. He was relieved that he had requested the support of the other cultivators; otherwise, he would have had a hard time trying to enter with Zhang Lingjun.

"Princess, the Palace of the Moon lies ahead. It's surrounded by a particularly strong barrier and guarded by countless purple-furred monsters. Whenever we approach, the monsters charge forward and attempt to stop us. There are even True Immortal monsters among their number, and they're particularly dangerous. That's why we've never been able to make it past the barrier. With the Palace of the Moon's access token, however, you can lead us in."

Zhang Lingjun suddenly pointed in a certain direction. "Let's head to the Lotus Hall first. There's a lotus pond over there."

Xiao Nanfeng immediately added, "Generals, the princess will unlock the barrier with the access token for the palace. Please guard her from the lifeforms headed her way."

"Got it!" the other cultivators said.

"Let's go!" Xiao Nanfeng shouted.

The cultivators flew off following Zhang Lingjun.

When the purple-furred monsters outside the palace discovered the cultivators, they roared in a threatening fashion before leaping toward them.

"Attack!" the cultivators shouted.

They struck down the monsters in the forefront, opening up a passageway for Zhang Lingjun. The monsters were sent flying one after another, but more continued to appear. There were even a few True Immortals among them.

The fighting raged on as the cultivators fought the monsters.

"Everyone, attack! Let the princess unlock the barrier!" they shouted.

Except for Xiao Nanfeng's group, everyone was focused on the fighting. They had been trying to get into the Palace of the Moon for years. Now that an opportunity had presented itself, it was obvious that they would try their best.

The fighting was so intense that people rapidly grew wounded, but they still managed to deliver Xiao Nanfeng and Zhang Lingjun to the forefront.

Zhang Lingjun retrieved her token and activated it. A ray of purple light struck the barrier.

The barrier began to vibrate. A small crack appeared.

"It's about to open up. Everyone, block the monsters and stop them from disrupting the princess!" someone shouted.

The fighting grew more intense. Even Ao Shuai and General Zhang were doing their best to hold off the horde of monsters.

The crack widened until it was a large hole thirty meters in diameter.

"Alright. Let's enter!" Zhang Lingjun said.

Zhang Lingjun, Xiao Nanfeng, Zeng Daniu, and Chang Bing's group were the first to enter. The other cultivators were overjoyed to see the barrier finally penetrable.

"Let's go!" someone shouted.

The cultivators rushed through the opening, as did a number of monsters that were held back by the cultivators working together.

The barrier slowly repaired itself and sealed up once more right as the last person made it in.

"Haha, we've made it inside! How many years have we tried to batter down this barrier?"

"Be careful. There are still a few purple-furred monsters in here, so don't grow overconfident."

"All the ones in here were the servants of the princess' manor, and they're not particularly strong. That's why they're easy to subjugate. I'm hoping to encounter as many as I can."

The cultivators were particularly excited. They glanced at their surroundings as they searched for treasure. The Palace of the Moon was a princess' residence, and the treasures here were sure to be immensely valuable.

Very quickly, the cultivators arrived at a huge pool, where three blooming golden lotuses could be seen.

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