Tempting The God - Chapter 12
Chapter 12: Lotus Lanterns
Lin Shuiyu stood before the Feixian Pavilion and, upon seeing three individuals led up by the shopkeeper, quickly ushered forth with his wife and four children to greet them.
“Fellow Daoists, it’s been a long time.”
The newcomers raised their eyes and bowed in unison.
“Greetings, Uncle Lin, Aunt Lin.”
The most composed among them withdrew his hands with a smile.
“Uncle Lin flatters us. We are merely juniors and dare not claim the title of ‘fellow Daoist.’ Please just call us by our names.”
“Very well, very well!”
Bai Yunshen’s courtesy pleased Lin Shuiyu immensely.
He laughed heartily.
“Then I shan’t stand on ceremony. Yunshen, Chaoying, Mengfu—please, come inside.”
When cultivators hosted banquets, they typically served spiritual tea and dishes, and conversations revolved around Daoist principles, sword techniques, formations, alchemy, or magical artifacts.
Yet Lin Shuiyu rambled aimlessly—while his words touched upon cultivation, his true intent lay elsewhere.
He hinted repeatedly that the path of cultivation was long and arduous, and that they ought to seek Daoist companions early to weather the tedious years together.
The three guests hailed from cultivation families.
They understood his implications at once, especially after noting the three young ladies and the bored Lin second young master seated at the table.
Instantly, they lost all desire to stay.
Still, they maintained appearances, nodding along to Lin Shuiyu’s hints with vague “Mm-hmm”s, feigning agreement to future interactions with the Lin daughters while promising nothing concrete.
Lin Shuiyu couldn’t press the matter outright.
Moreover, Bai Yunshen patiently humored him, occasionally flattering him with titles like “Uncle Lin,” puffing him up with pride.
Thus, he failed to notice their evasions.
Lin’s madam, unable to interject, could only listen as they brushed off the suggestions.
Bai Yunshen and Mengfu, being older, were accustomed to such social maneuvering and endured the empty chatter.
But Bai Chaoying grew increasingly impatient.
As the youngest in his family and blessed with a Heavenly-grade wind spirit root since childhood, he had been doted on by his elders.
His temperament was far from as steady as Bai Yunshen’s.
“Brother, I heard the Lotus Lantern Festival in Feixue City is quite lively. Let’s go release lanterns!”
He sprang to his feet, blurted his words, and bolted before anyone could react.
Bai Yunshen called after him, but he vanished without a backward glance, leaving the group in awkward silence.
It was Lin’s madam who recovered first.
She nudged her husband and chimed in, “Husband, let the young ones go enjoy themselves. Moyu, escort our guests around and look after your siblings.”
“Yes, Mother.”
Lin Moyu smiled sweetly, her voice gentle.
“Young Masters, younger siblings, shall we go?”
Bai Yunshen, anxious to catch Bai Chaoying, seized the excuse to leave.
He and Mengfu rose hastily, bid farewell, and hurried off.
Lin Moyu scrambled after them, only to lose sight of them before even exiting the Yujing Tower.
“Say, Second Sister, are we still chasing them?”
Lin Mozhu leaned lazily against a pillar, his eyes roving over the women passing by on the street.
Whenever a particularly striking one caught his eye, his gaze practically bulged out of his head—a lecher through and through.
“Rein in that vulgar behavior. What have you even learned these years at the academy?”
Lin Moyu shot him a disgusted glare and snapped coldly, “Keep gawking like that, and I’ll pluck your eyes out to feed the dogs. Spare everyone the nausea.”
Lin Mozhu wasn’t intimidated.
He rolled his eyes and sneered, “Mind your own business. Why don’t you hurry after your precious ‘Yunshen-gege’ instead?”
Moyu, rarely bested, couldn’t actually lay hands on him.
Noticing Lin Momei stifling a laugh, her anger flared.
She strode past and suddenly slapped Lin Molan, who had stayed silent the entire time.
“A lowly Earth-grade spirit root wretch like you dares laugh at me?!”
Lin Molan crumpled to the ground, long accustomed to such treatment.
She didn’t dare resist, hanging her head without a sound.
Only the tear stains on the ground betrayed her crying—yet she didn’t even wipe them away, murmuring meekly, “Elder Sister, I didn’t… I truly didn’t…”
Lin Moyu pulled out an embroidered handkerchief, wiped her hands, and tossed it at Lin Molan.
Smoothing her hair, she ordered, “Wash this clean and deliver it to my room tomorrow.”
“Yes.”
Lin Molan hastily picked up the handkerchief and nodded meekly.
Lin Moyu smirked disdainfully.
“I’ll go find them. The rest of you, do as you please. Return by 9:30. If Father and Mother ask, say we had a delightful time with the young masters.”
She paused, her voice dropping as she swept a warning gaze over them.
“Cross me, and you’ll regret it. Understood?”
“Got it. Now scram. So annoying.”
“Understood.”
“Yes.”
Once she left, Lin Mozhu vanished in the blink of an eye.
The city’s largest pleasure house was just a street away—no guessing where he’d gone.
Lin Momei bent to help Lin Molan up, softening her tone to comfort her.
She even produced a handkerchief to dry her tears.
“There, no more crying. Let’s pick out a lantern from the stalls and release it later.”
“Okay.”
Lin Molan nodded, her eyes red, gratitude shining in her gaze.
“Third Sister, which one do you like? I’ll buy it for you.”
As Lin Momei chatted with Lin Molan, her eyes flicked toward Lin Moyu’s retreating figure—the latter was already using a tracking spell to pursue the guests.
A mocking glint flashed in Lin Momei’s eyes.
Little did she know, the one who wouldn’t return as promised would be Lin Moyu herself.
“Brother, what kind of trash is the Lin family, daring to reach above their station?”
Bai Yunshen chided quietly, “Chaoying, watch your tongue.”
Bai Chaoying widened his eyes.
“Brother, don’t tell me you actually fancy that ‘Jade’ woman? She’s clearly scheming. I won’t allow it!”
Bai Yunshen glanced behind them and shook his head.
“This trip is solely for training. In ten days, we enter the Xuanxiao Sect. From then on, we pursue the Great Dao alone. Romantic entanglements are not in my plans.”
Bai Chaoying nodded, satisfied, then grinned cheekily.
“Brother, the path is long. You really won’t consider a Daoist companion?”
Bai Yunshen sighed, too weary to engage.
Mengfu seized the chance to tease, “What, you’ve got your eye on someone? The Xue family’s third miss? The Xu family’s fourth? Or perhaps that young lady earlier?”
To everyone’s surprise, Bai Chaoying’s face flushed crimson—whether from anger or embarrassment, it was unclear—as he loudly vowed to thrash Mengfu until his own mother wouldn’t recognize him.
“Slow down, both of you! Watch where you’re going!” Bai Yunshen pushed through the crowd after them.
Behind them, near a willow tree, a flash of crimson skirts swayed—the figure who had been hiding there vanished without a trace.
“Young Master!”
Shen Jixue’s sharp eyes spotted the jade-robed man beneath the willow.
Tugging Luyi along, she dashed over and held out a fruit with a smile.
“Try this, Young Master. It’s very sweet.”
Lin Mozhi accepted it with a smile.
Even with his eyes veiled by white silk, his gentle demeanor was palpable.
“Take care, Jixue. Don’t bump into anyone.”
Luyi patted the man behind her, Xu Chang.
“Don’t worry, Master. With Xu Chang and me here, no one will bully Jixue.”
Lin Mozhi frowned slightly.
“Did something happen?”
Shen Jixue quickly explained, “It’s nothing. I apologized, and they didn’t make trouble.”
Still uneasy, Lin Mozhi cautioned, “This is your first time outside the estate, and with the festival crowds… When we cross Qinghong Bridge later, stay close. If necessary, hold my sleeve so you don’t get swept away.”
“I understand.”
Shen Jixue nodded obediently.
Luyi linked arms with her.
“Don’t worry, Master. I’ll keep an eye on her.”
“Good.”
Lin Mozhi turned to Xu Chang, who shielded him from the jostling crowd.
“The lantern release is soon. Let’s go now before it gets busier.”
“Yes.”
Xu Chang guided Lin Mozhi ahead, while Shen Jixue and Luyi followed.
With Xu Chang clearing the way, the path was much smoother than before.
Having spent her early days in the mortal realm fleeing famine before being confined to the Lin estate’s Songhe Courtyard, Shen Jixue had rarely ventured into Feixue City, let alone during a festival.
Earlier, she’d sampled snacks along the main street.
Now, nearing Qinghong Bridge, she marveled at the lantern stalls lining the banks.
The vendors hung their wares high, their shimmering reflections dancing on the water like scattered gold—dreamlike and enchanting.
“Sister Luyi,” Shen Jixue asked curiously, “why do they release lanterns on the summer solstice?”
Luyi pondered but came up empty.
“Why overthink it? People just feel like it!”
“Feixue City lies in an icy region, where summers are brief and warm,” Lin Mozhi explained, turning back.
“The lanterns carry wishes, released into Zhuoyue River to express hope for the next summer. Over time, it became the Lotus Lantern Festival.”
He then addressed Luyi, “I’ve told you to read more, but you claimed the words looked like tadpoles that put you to sleep. Now you’re stumped, eh?”
“Master, must you expose me like that?” Luyi let go of Shen Jixue to swat Xu Chang’s arm.
“If you’re gonna laugh, just laugh! Quit holding back!”
Noticing none of them carried lanterns, Shen Jixue asked, “Aren’t you going to release any?”
The mood shifted abruptly, a heavy silence settling over them despite the bustling crowd.
Luyi forced a smile and tugged Shen Jixue toward a stall.
“Of course! Let’s pick one.”
Xu Chang guided Lin Mozhi to a quieter spot, his gaze lingering on Shen Jixue’s cheerful expression.
“Jixue…” Lin Mozhi, blindfolded today, hesitated before asking Xu Chang, “Does she look happy?”
“Very.”
“Good… That’s good.”
Lin Mozhi exhaled softly.
The Lin family was mired in filth, and he, trapped within, could only watch himself sink deeper—agonizing yet powerless.
Xu Chang had been abandoned at birth, raised by a master who later perished in a duel.
Alone, he’d pledged loyalty to Lin Mozhi out of gratitude for saving his life.
Luyi had survived a natural disaster as a child, her infant sister her only remaining kin—until the baby succumbed to fever.
Shen Jixue didn’t understand.
They were all people without hope for the future.
What wishes could they possibly write on a lantern?
Better not to release one at all.
Without expectations, they could endure this half-life.
But once something—or someone—mattered, survival itself might become untenable.
“Jixue, how about this one?” Luyi held up a lantern at the stall.
Shen Jixue compared it to others and admitted, “They all look the same to me.”
“Of course they’re different!” Luyi huffed.
“This is a thousand-petal lotus. Those are bowl lotuses, emerald canopies…”
Overwhelmed, Shen Jixue grabbed three at random and pointed to Luyi’s pick.
“We’ll take these four! Boss, how much?”
Luyi blinked.
“Why so many?”
“To release together,” Shen Jixue said, paying before pulling Luyi toward Lin Mozhi and Xu Chang.
“It’s lonely alone. It’s more fun as a group.”
Luyi swayed the lantern in her hand, blinking back tears.
“You little… Since when did you become so smooth-tongued?”
When Lin Mozhi found a lantern pressed into his arms, he froze—just as Luyi and Xu Chang had.
Shen Jixue leaned in with a smile.
“Young Master, whisper your wish. I’ll write it for you.”
His fingers tightened around the lantern.
“Alright.”
Under the lantern’s glow, his moon-white robes shimmered, his handsome features ethereal as the celestial moon itself.
The lantern’s light reveals the beauty’s grace—how true the saying was.
The thought popped unbidden into Shen Jixue’s mind.
Smiling, she took the lantern as he bent close, his voice uncharacteristically hushed and tense.
“Write: ‘The moon in the clouds so bright, this heart to you takes flight.’”
Shen Jixue blinked.
“Young Master, what does that mean?”
Lin Mozhi hadn’t yet taught her poetry.
She wouldn’t recognize the line.
“A… blessing,” he replied softly, offering no further explanation.
