CHAPTER 468: CHAPTER 21: THE REWARD OF THE EPHEMERAL LOTUS

After another day, the bowl used for soaking lotus seeds had sprouted lotus leaves and stems about three to four centimeters tall.

Xiao Xian and Zeng Xuerou took different actions again, and the ancient locust trees outside the temple suffered as a result, Xiao Xian pruned away their most lush branches and leaves.

The temple’s Monk Tianya switched the Heart Sutra with the Dabizhou, still calm and collected, letting Xiao Xian and Xuerou create chaos outside.

"Eating off others makes one’s words soft," Monk Tianya muttered in his mind during lunch after having a meal of stir-fried lotus roots.

Another day passed, and the lotus leaves had already grown six to seven centimeters tall; the bowl could no longer contain the lotus seeds that had sprouted young roots. Xiao Xian saw this and decided it was time to divide and replant the lotus roots back into the pond, thus selecting the tubers to be used for propagation.

"Xuerou, if you were to choose, which ones would you plant?" Xiao Xian put all the lotus roots to one side, leaving the choice to Zeng Xuerou.

"Judging by their appearance, I would choose the thick, fat, and white ones," Xuerou hesitated, picking out a few pieces.

"You need to choose the ones with more top buds," Xiao Xian said with a smile, selecting a few pieces of lotus root, their outward appearance fairly average.

During planting, Xiao Xian did not dare let Xuerou help, fearing she might damage the top buds of the lotus roots. Xiao Xian’s method of planting lotuses was quite particular; she waded into the pond and at certain intervals, planted sections of the tubers. Once everything was planted, Xiao Xian turned back, and Xuerou threw a bottle of water to her, both exchanging a smile.

Just after the lotus roots were planted, the solitary Night Lotus saved in the pond flourished the best, growing about half a meter tall. The other lotuses that had just been added to the pond looked like small children by comparison.

Four days passed, and the lotus leaves in the pond had grown to a full twenty-something centimeters wide, seemingly speeding up to catch up with the Night Lotus’s growth.

When they woke up on the fifth day, the lotus leaves changed dramatically, adorned with red, white, pink, purple, and yellow lotus buds, standing full against the green leaves. The earliest planted Night Lotus was now completely submerged among the lotus leaves.

In the scorching summer, the Lotus Pond was silent, only occasionally with dew falling upon the pond’s surface, causing slight ripples.

Monk Tianya still roamed around the pond every midnight, making sure that the two girls in the tent were asleep before stepping out for his stroll.

Seeing the pond full of lotus buds, he spat out, "People from Mei Family certainly do have their ways. But do they really think my place is Yihong LiuLv Courtyard, planting a pond full of flowers and greenery." After saying so, he swung his monastic robe and went back into the temple.

On the sixth day, Xiao Xian got up and took a look around the pond, then put on her raincoat and rain boots. On the edge of the pond, a few round leaves showed signs of withering and yellowing, "Remove and trim the overly dense lotus leaves, which will help them bloom sooner," Xiao Xian directed while asking Xuerou to collect the trimmed leaves, which could also be taken back and dried to make lotus leaf tea.

During this process, Xuerou also saw Xiao Xian throwing several buckets of water said to be drawn from the vicinity of "Qinglian Island" in the mansion, into the pond. Xuerou couldn’t tell if it was an illusion, but she felt that the water was shimmering with silver light.

"All right, only one last task to do," Xiao Xian said, holding the bucket and a flashlight, then leading Xuerou away.

When they returned, their hair disheveled and clothes stained, Xuerou’s expression was indescribably strange, staring at the bucket in Xiao Xian’s hands.

That night, a chorus of frogs erupted from the Lotus Pond.

Monk Tianya, who preferred quietness while sleeping, was disturbed the whole night by the incessant calls of frogs, tossing and turning until dawn barely broke, then he came out dressed in his yellow monastic attire.

"You two come out," Monk Tianya walked to the edge of the pond, shouting towards the Mongolian Tent with full vigor, shaking the tent canvas violently.

Barefooted Xiao Xian and Zeng Xuerou, holding a pillow, crawled out from inside.

"You’ve done some fine work, planting so many messy lotuses, bringing in all those frogs, and even the ancient locust trees by the temple look bald, making it impossible for people to live peacefully," Monk Tianya, so angered that his sleeves and beard trembled with his hair.

"Senior Tianya, please calm down and take a look behind you, just one glance, and you’ll understand," Xuerou pointed to the pond, her arms trembling, her eyes which she struggled to open when coming out of the tent were now as wide as they could be.

It was the break of dawn, with a few strands of morning light shining through the treetops that had been pruned away.

The lotuses in the pond, each at least five to six centimeters in size. There were reds and yellows, whites and purples, some crimson like fire, some resplendent like rose gold, some delicate as secluded orchids, others green as jade waves; at the moment when the sunlight lit up the pond, they bloomed at a speed visible to the naked eye.