Chapter 54: The Lotus Festival
Aunt Xue looked into those two pairs of clear, glistening eyes and felt her resolve waver.
Madam had always been strict—her expectations for both the young master and young lady were exceptionally high. Since childhood, she had permitted them only to cultivate, study formations, and learn alchemy. Unless it was a major festival, they were never allowed to go out. Even then, they had to be accompanied and return before nightfall—no lingering outside.
This upbringing made the young master and young lady's cultivation outstanding, but it also suppressed their childlike nature.
Sometimes, Aunt Xue wished she could let them laugh and play like ordinary children. But Madam's hopes for them were immense. If their cultivation suffered even slightly because of play, Aunt Xue would be the one at fault.
"Aunt Xue, I'll just go out for a bit," Bai Zisheng said. "I haven't even seen what Tōngxiān City looks like yet!"
Aunt Xue still hesitated, but little Bai Zixi tugged softly at her sleeve and called out gently, "Aunt Xue…"
At that, Aunt Xue's heart melted completely. "Alright," she relented, "but only until the Hour of the Boar (10:00 PM)."
"Thank you, Aunt Xue!" Bai Zisheng beamed with joy.
Smiling, Aunt Xue turned to Mo Hua. "We're not familiar with Tōngxiān City yet. Would you mind leading the way?"
Her tone was warm and kind. Mo Hua glanced at the bright, curious faces of the Bai siblings and couldn't bring himself to refuse.
He'd originally planned to go home early to draw a few more formation diagrams, but he had already been painting a lot lately, and his meditation hadn't fully restored his divine-sense. A night of rest wouldn't hurt.
So the group followed the street, wandering into the night market of the Lotus Festival in Tōngxiān City.
Though Tōngxiān City was a small cultivation city—not particularly prosperous—the crisscrossing crowds and endless lights gave it a lively, festive air.
Mo Hua and the Hu brothers walked ahead to lead the way, while the Bai siblings followed a few steps behind, their eyes wide with wonder at everything new. Aunt Xue, still uneasy, silently trailed after them.
Along the way, Shuang Hu whispered to Mo Hua, "Mo Hua, do you know them?"
Mo Hua nodded. "We're all registered disciples under Mister Zhuang."
"They're not from Tōngxiān City, right?"
"No. They seem to be children of a noble clan from somewhere farther away…"
"Farther? Outside Tōngxiān City? I've never even been out of the city."
"Probably beyond the Province."
"Beyond the province? That must be really far…"
The group felt both curious and nervous talking about distant cultivation lands.
Xiao Hu suddenly asked, "Mo Hua, are you close with them?"
Mo Hua thought for a moment. "Not really. I guess we're half fellow disciples at best. We don't talk much."
Xiao Hu nodded. "Well, those clan heirs usually don't have much to say to people like us anyway."
Mo Hua frowned slightly at that—it didn't sound quite right—but after thinking a bit, he couldn't find a reason to disagree.
In the cultivation world, the gap between noble clans and rogue cultivators was like the difference between heaven and earth. The older and deeper a family's heritage, the higher their status. For ordinary cultivators, such people were almost unreachable. Though both were "cultivators," they might as well belong to different worlds.
As they wandered on, the three Meng brothers grew more and more self-conscious walking behind the Bai siblings. The outing didn't feel as fun as they'd hoped.
Seeing this, Mo Hua smiled and said, "You three go play. I'll walk around with them for a bit and head back soon—I still have a few formations to draw tonight."
Xiao Hu's jaw dropped. "You're drawing formations even at night? Trying to become a formation master is brutal work…"
Shuang Hu added, "Then if we see something fun later, we'll get one for you too."
"Hey, what about those sugar figurines from Bighead Pan's stall? We're buying tiger-shaped ones—want one too?"
Da Hu scratched his head and grinned. "If anyone bullies you, just holler—we'll come beat them up for you!"
"Got it." Mo Hua chuckled.
The three of them, like birds freed from a cage, bolted off in a puff of laughter.
Watching them go, Aunt Xue called Mo Hua over. "Do you know what festival this is today? It's so lively."
"Aunt Xue, today is the Lotus Festival."
"The Lotus Festival?" she repeated, puzzled. "I've never heard of such a festival in the cultivation world."
Mo Hua explained, "It's a small local celebration. Only the people around Tōngxiān City observe it. Other places probably don't."
"Why is it called the Lotus Festival?" Bai Zisheng asked curiously, and Bai Zixi, who'd been looking around the whole time, turned her gaze toward Mo Hua as well.
Mo Hua thought for a bit. "When I was little, I asked my parents the same question. They said the Lotus Festival was to commemorate the Cultivator Lotus-Sanren."
"Lotus-Sanren? Was he a great cultivator?" Aunt Xue asked.
"For us, yes—a powerful one. But in the broader cultivation world, perhaps not that great," Mo Hua said. "I don't know his exact realm. The elders say he was at late Foundation Establishment… though some claim he reached Golden Core."
"Long ago, the Li Province was unbearably hot—plants withered, and starving beasts descended from the mountains to devour people, causing a beast tide. The cultivators of Tōngxiān City fought desperately to defend the city, but the beasts were too many. Just as the gates were about to fall and countless lives were about to be lost, Lotus-Sanren passed by. Alone, he held back the entire tide of beasts. In the end, he saved everyone—but died himself, his spiritual power exhausted."
"It's said that today is the anniversary of his passing. Every year since, the people of Tōngxiān City light lotus lanterns and release them into the sky, illuminating the night in remembrance of Lotus-Sanren."
Bai Zixi listened, utterly absorbed, while Bai Zisheng's blood burned with admiration.
In his mind's eye, he saw that ancient scene—the roaring beasts, the desperate battle, the lone cultivator standing between the city and annihilation. After fierce struggle, he slew the beast king… only to perish, spent of strength.
Countless years later, his name still remembered, his deeds immortalized in the hearts of an entire city.
Bai Zisheng clenched his fists, his voice passionate: "To live unafraid of death, to rise through death itself—that kind of life, tragic yet magnificent, is what a cultivator's destiny should be!"
Aunt Xue sighed helplessly. "Young Master, Madam has only one son—you must take care of yourself."
Bai Zisheng's enthusiasm deflated instantly, his head drooping.
Mo Hua laughed, unable to hold it in.
"You're laughing at me?" Bai Zisheng glared.
Mo Hua replied casually, "No."
That only made Bai Zisheng pout harder, while Bai Zixi's lips curved into a radiant smile brighter than all the lanterns in the sky.
After a moment, Aunt Xue frowned thoughtfully. "But… the flesh and demonic aura of beasts far surpass that of cultivators. Even a Golden Core cultivator couldn't withstand a beast tide alone. And a mere Foundation Establishment cultivator—how could one city commemorate him so grandly?"
As they talked, they arrived at a small stall selling all kinds of lotus lanterns—delicately crafted, each costing five fragments of spirit stone.
Mo Hua placed the spirit stones on the counter and picked one shaped vaguely like a mythical beast. Lighting it, the flame reflected in his eyes as the beast seemed to come alive in the glow.
He released it, and the lantern drifted slowly upward, joining the sea of lights above.
Watching the sky full of lanterns, Mo Hua murmured,
"Even among cultivators who can shake heaven and earth… how many would give up their cultivation and Dao foundation for strangers? What the people of Tōngxiān City honor isn't Lotus-Sanren's power—it's his boundless compassion."
Bai Zisheng nodded firmly, lighting a red tiger-shaped lantern and releasing it with solemn reverence.
Bai Zixi chose a golden phoenix-patterned lantern—radiant and resplendent.
After some hesitation, Aunt Xue glanced once at Mo Hua, then picked a blue luan-shaped lantern and sent it into the night sky as well.
Across all of Tōngxiān City, countless points of light gathered—brightening the dark heavens.
(End of Chapter)