novelraw Chapter 148 Deep Inside the Lotus Pond
Chapter 148 Deep Inside the Lotus Pond
I had assumed that when I woke again, I would be sprawled in some damp dungeon full of snakes and roaches.
Reality, however, proved unexpectedly merciful.
Aside from someone pinching my philtrum hard enough to yank my soul back.
“Ow—hey! Ease up! My head is still attached!”
I jolted upright, nearly choking on my own breath.
Sunlight stabbed my eyes. When my vision adjusted, I froze.
I was lying on a bed of fresh, springy grass.
The blades gleamed with color; the breeze carried a faint floral scent, warm and mild, as if the heavens had thoughtfully set down a cushion just for me.
I blinked, pinched myself once. It hurt.
Still alive?
Puzzled, I looked around.
The grassy slope eased upward toward a rise, where an old locust tree spread its heavy branches like an umbrella. Beneath it stood a small wooden cabin.
Except… that cabin was currently being devoured by flames.
Fire roared skyward, turning half the sky blood-red. The blaze was so fierce that smoke billowed in towering plumes.
My brain stalled.
“Wait—did I just jump from water straight into fire?!”
The boy kneeling beside me finally exhaled in relief. “You’re awake. Move! The place is crawling with trouble.”
I rubbed my aching head and eyed him suspiciously. “Trouble? This looks like some peaceful mountain—”
Before I could finish, screams ripped through the air.
I looked up. My stomach dropped.
Not a peaceful mountain. A killing ground.
Dust surged across the lower slope as a squad of soldiers in official armor swept through the area, blades drawn, murderous intent rolling off them.
My mind lagged behind the scene. Even the air felt tight and scorching.
“Go!” the boy insisted, hauling me up.
But I stopped short, squinting at the burning cabin.
“Hold on,” I muttered. “Why does this place… feel familiar?”
He blinked. “Familiar? Don’t tell me you’re confused again.”
“No. I really think—there…” I pointed toward the far end of the slope. “There should be a stream. And… a pond of lotus flowers.”
My throat tightened.
“Wait. This place can’t be—Blood Lotus Sect headquarters, can it?”
The boy’s expression faltered, though he said nothing.
I was about to deny the possibility when frantic shouts rose from below.
The soldiers had found something.
Through the smoke, two small figures burst out of the burning cabin.
One looked ten-odd years old, wearing a strange mask; the other was only five or six, clinging to his hand.
Both soaked to the bone, faces smeared with soot. The older one moved with surprising agility, practically flying across rocks and debris even while half-carrying the younger child.
But the soldiers were many, and closing in fast.
Before I could process anything, the boy beside me barked, “Move!”
I took two steps—then stopped again.
“No,” I said, taking a long breath. “We need to help them.”
He stared at me. “Help—help them?!”
“Yes!” I replied as if it were obvious. “They’re kids! We can’t just watch them die!”
“But what if—”
“No what-ifs! No buts! If we don’t save them right now, they’re dead. We—we need to stand up for justice!”
I was almost moved by my own speech.
I even imagined a divine halo descending on me.
But heaven has rules: whenever I make a speech like that, the universe trips me on purpose.
I had barely readied myself to leap out and shout “Stop—!”
A spear whistled past my ear, nearly giving me a new ventilation port in my skull.
Before my brain caught up, the boy yanked me aside. I staggered forward—
—and plowed straight into three soldiers who had charged too hard.
“Bang! Bang! Bang!”
A triple collapse.
Face-first in dirt, I heard their armor clattering in a heap behind me.
The two kids used the opening and darted past me like shadows.
I glimpsed them just long enough to see the older one shield the younger—and run straight at a rock wall.
“Watch out!” I shouted.
“Boom—”
The rock face shuddered, and with a crisp crack, an invisible panel split open.
The two small silhouettes slipped inside. The stone door snapped shut.
I gaped, dumbstruck.
The little one even looked back at me before disappearing.
If I read that expression right, it clearly said:
—You idiot.
The boy and I stared at each other.
Wind whistled past.
The awkwardness could suffocate a man.
Then—
“Stop right there!”
A roar snapped me back.
A ring of soldiers closed around us again, weapons raised, malice visible even in daylight.
I forced a weak smile and raised my hands. “Uh… sirs, this is all a misunderstanding.”
“Misunderstanding?” the leader barked, pressing his blade to my neck. “Who are you?! Blood Lotus Sect remnants?!”
My heart thudded.
Blood Lotus Sect.
So it was Blood Lotus Sect.
Where was my system?! I tried to call it:
[System! Get out here and explain—did the plot jump tracks?!]
Silence.
I tapped my head again:
[Hello? A reboot? Anything?]
Still nothing.
Typical. Useless when it matters.
I held my smile together. “Officer, you misunderstand. We have nothing to do with the Blood Lotus Sect. We’re just… uh, travelers who accidentally wandered in.”
“Accidentally?” The leader snorted. “Then why did you stop us from catching them?!”
“Well—I saw you rushing in, got scared and my legs gave out! I fell!”
“Fell?” His eyes narrowed in disbelief.
“Yes! Truly! Look—” I gestured at my grass-stained, mud-smeared face. “My handsome face is completely gone!”
He was unmoved. The blade didn’t shift.
“Hmph. Enough lies. Those two brats—the younger one is the next Blood Lotus Sect leader!”
“…What?” My mind blanked.
“What what WHAT?!”
“You’re telling me… that five-year-old kid is—who?”
“The new Sect Master! Hao Lian!”
The world dimmed around me.
“Lian… Lian’er?!”
My lips trembled. “Lian was a child?!”
My brain felt waterlogged all over again.
“How—how is that possible?! Isn’t he my—my—!”
The system was still offline, leaving me to scream internally:
[System! Come out and explain! When did I become the protagonist of a raising-a-child love story?!]
The soldiers mistook my despairing expression for defiance.
“Still muttering curses? Bold for a heretic!”
The blade pressed closer.
I forced a laugh, hands up. “No no no—misunderstanding! Big misunderstanding. In fact—I’m here to turn myself in!”
“Turn yourself in?” The leader’s eyes chilled.
“Yes! I threw myself just now to draw your attention so the two—uh—little devils could run faster!”
The moment the words left my mouth, I knew I was dead.
“Oh?” he sneered. “Knowingly obstructing justice.”
“No, that’s not—!” I flailed for an excuse. “I misspoke! They tricked me!”
“Tricked you?”
“Yes! They’re awful little brats! They—uh—lied to me! Said there was a lotus pond here!”
“Lotus pond?” The leader frowned.
I had a sinking thought: Wonderful. To patch up this excuse, I’d probably need to make up three entire side-story volumes.