Mutated Tao

“That’s strange. Why is the Antrabhara Temple seeking out the White Lotus Sect?” Chun Xiaoman was worried, so she said goodbye to the children before quietly following the Lamas.

She quickened her pace when she saw that the Lamas were headed towards the residence of Bai Lingmiao. The Lamas probably wouldn’t fight in the city, but Chun Xiaoman still felt uneasy.

As she was drawing nearer, a sense of dread washed over her, as though death itself was inching closer. Her scalp went numb, and her fingers froze in place.

Struggling, she attempted to draw her serrated sword from her waist so she could employ her techniques. However, her limbs remained frozen—she could not move at all.

At that moment, Chun Xiaoman caught sight of someone's head in front of her. At first, she assumed it belonged to one of the Lamas, but to her surprise, it was her own!

Is that me in front? Then who am I?

Chun Xiaoman shivered. She looked down and was shocked—there was nothing there!

I’m… dead? Is this my soul?

The feeling retreated as fast as it had come. When one of the Lamas walked past her. Xiaoman crashed into her own back uncontrollably, and she woke up.

Their techniques are too bizarre! What are they doing here? Chun Xiaoman picked up her pace and ran towards Bai Lingmiao’s residence.

“Miaomiao, are you alright?” Chun Xiaoman urgently asked Bai Lingmiao, who was seated on her lotus throne.

Bai Lingmiao lightly shook her head and remained calm as if nothing unusual had happened.

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“The Antrabhara Temple asked us to bring a statue of the Heavenly Mater to them. They needed a new deity after the death of Da Heitian, so I agreed.”

Bai Lingmiao had no reason to stop another person from devoting to the Heavenly Mater, especially since it was also the latter’s intention.

Besides, the Antrabhara Temple would also provide some of their techniques as payment.

In the future, the White Lotus Sect could use not only its own techniques but also part of the Heavenly Dao of Death, just like the Lamas from the Antrabhara Temple.

However, the techniques of the Antrabhara Temple were rumored to be extremely hard to learn. Thankfully, the White Lotus Sect had many devotees, so they could just pick from the large pool of devotees.

Chun Xiaoman sighed after learning that Bai Lingmiao was okay. She had almost called the other sect members to intercept the Lamas.

“But Miaomiao, why do they want a statue of the Heavenly Mater?”

No matter how Chun Xiaoman looked at it, the White Lotus Sect had nothing to lose and earned much more than expected from the negotiation. She believed that it was too good to be true.

As the Saintess, Bai Lingmiao naturally knew more than the others, especially since she learned a few things from Suisui. However, she didn’t know how to explain it to Chun Xiaoman since it was related to the Heavenly Daos. Simply telling the truth to Chun Xiaoman could be bad.

“Hmm… How should I explain this to you…” As Bai Lingmiao was worrying over the matter, a devotee barged in.

“Saintess, the Emperor wishes to see you.”

Both Bai Lingmiao and Chun Xiaoman were confused. They didn’t know why Gao Zhijian was looking for them.

Nevertheless, they had to go. He had once traveled with them. Without any hesitation, Bai Lingmiao stepped outside.

“Let me accompany you.” Chun Xiaoman was worried, so she followed Bai Lingmiao.

They got into an intricate carriage. The wheels, covered in bronze, started turning as they were ushered to the palace.

However, when they reached the gates, the carriage did not stop and continued inside. None of the guards stopped them. The carriage stopped in front of a grand palace before Bai Lingmiao disembarked.

Bai Lingmiao frowned when she looked at the building. It seemed like a place for discussing official matters rather than reminiscing about old memories.

“Let’s go.” Bai Lingmiao lifted her white skirt as her white shoes touched the smooth marble floor. She walked into the palace without fear.

The palace was empty, but Bai Lingmiao could clearly see with her mind’s eye[1] that several people were having a meal in the middle of the hall.

She saw the Emperor of the Liang Kingdom, the Khan of Qing Qiu, the Emperor of Si Qi, the Emperor of Hou Shu, and the Emperor of Nan Ping. All five Emperors related to the Dragon Veins were gathered in the middle of the hall.

They turned their gazes toward Bai Lingmiao, and she felt a massive pressure on her.

Gao Zhijian placed his wine cup down and happily pointed at the space beside him. “Senior Bai, come. Let’s talk and eat at the same time.”

Gao Zhijian was slightly startled when he saw Chun Xiaoman. He raised his wine glass and toasted the Emperor of Hou Shu.

The meal of the Emperors was a stark difference from the outside world. It included steamed chicken soup, stir-fried bamboo shoots, Fotiaoqiang, winter melon fish balls, stir-fried crab yolk with shark fins and osmanthus, and braised scallops with mushrooms.

The dishes were unparalleled and couldn’t be compared to the food outside. The best chefs of the Liang Kingdom were all hired by the palace.

When she looked at the delicious meals on the table, Chun Xiaoman remembered the beggars eating the fruit peels. She became upset.

Even the things thrown out from the palace were rare food the commoners could barely afford. And yet, the emperors didn’t pay much attention to the meals, regardless of how delicious they were.

Bai Lingmiao sat down and recalled what she had seen when entering the hall. They were already eating before we arrived here. It doesn’t seem like he wants to treat us to a meal.

“Here, let me give a toast to the Saintess. Your hard work was paramount in ending the Natural Disaster.” Gao Zhijian and the other emperors raised their wine glasses in unison.

Bai Lingmiao raised her own glass and toasted each of them before sipping on her wine.

The bitter wine did not affect Bai Lingmiao at all. She placed down the cup and asked directly, “Gao Zhijian, just tell us what you need. We’re all the same, and we traveled together for a long time.”

“Hahaha!” Gao Zhijian laughed. “That’s true. We did escape Zephyr Temple together in the past. I somehow miss the days when we were eating and camping outdoors. Since we are all friends here, I won’t beat the bush around anymore. I’m here to treat you to a meal and talk about the White Lotus Sect.”

1. The relic that restored her sight. ☜