Prajna Lianyue's divine manifestation turned sharply, transforming into a streak of snow-white lightning that flashed into another carriage.
This was one of Tara's other incarnations, known as the "Swift Tara."
This incarnation was as fast as lightning and as hidden as morning dew. For a short time, it could enter the Intermediate Underworld, evading the senses of cultivators at the same level.
Even against another of second rank, it could conceal itself within the blink of a lightning flash.
But her window of action was only that brief.
If she failed to accomplish her goal before that time passed, the moment she leaked the slightest trace of aura, she would immediately be sensed by Ning Songjun, who was also at the divine second rank.
However, what she intended to do now was only to confirm that the Lotus Concealed in the Womb truly resided within Gu Lianqian's body.
Though she did not fear making an enemy of Sword Pavilion, she still had her caution.
Having ruled Tara Sect for so many years, Prajna Lianyue was not one to act recklessly simply because Gu Fangchen had provoked her.
Without confirming the existence of the Lotus Concealed in the Womb, to battle Ning Songjun would only deplete her strength needlessly.
In an instant, Prajna Lianyue slipped into the other carriage.
There, curled in Ning Caiyong's arms, brows knitted tightly, appearing small and insecure, was Gu Lianqian.
Prajna Lianyue stretched out her hand and pressed gently on the girl's lower abdomen. Behind her, twenty incarnations of Tara manifested one after another, merging into one.
Countless arms bloomed behind her like a lotus in full flower, and within each palm an eye opened, gazing down at all beings with compassion.
On Prajna Lianyue's forehead, a bestial and divine vertical eye opened as well.
In that instant, under the gaze of twenty-one Taras,
The girl's body shone with faint golden cracks, threads of light drifting into the air, forming the shape of a lotus that wrapped her within.
The lotus was budding, its overlapping petals shifting from illusion to reality, as though on the brink of blooming.
Prajna Lianyue's lips curved upward into a smile, and she exhaled in relief.
So Gu Fangchen had only been bluffing after all!
For a brief moment just now, she had actually hesitated, wondering if that man might have had another card to play.
Once bitten by a snake, one fears the rope for ten years, she had overthought it.
No one in this world could truly calculate all outcomes!
Even the so-called "Saint of War" had been toyed with by Gu Fangchen until he was flustered and off balance.
The same principle applied here. Gu Fangchen could not possibly be flawless.
So this was all his petty trickery!
Prajna Lianyue calmed her excitement and reached out, gently wanting to cradle those faint golden petals in her hands.
Only now did she notice her own fingertips trembling.
With the Lotus Concealed in the Womb, she could create a vessel capable of bearing a nonexistent cause and effect, and finally have true hope of reviving that man!
She had waited far too long for this.
From the moment she had watched the ancient kingdom of yellow sands crumble to dust, to the day she was taken in by Tara Sect and became known across the Central Plains as Princess Prajna..
All her unimaginable efforts, her reversal of countless karmic lines, from beginning to end, had been for nothing more than one return glance.
Each time she recalled that towering figure, who had held up a shattered door to protect her, pierced through by countless blades,
She felt she had let those men off far too lightly.
Even burying them alive would not have been enough to ease the endless fury and hatred in her heart.
But she had been too weak, too ignorant.
She had waited so long before fulfilling her oath, returning to the small wooden hut where she and he had once lived,
Only to find not even his corpse.
How unjust this world was, some could live eternally through endless cycles of reincarnation, while she had to exhaust every scheme just to revive one person!
Now, the chance to rebuild his body was within reach.
But there was still much to do.
A mortal's soul and karmic threads faded too easily in the river of time; she had to find a way to gather them all again.
"Still," she whispered, "the first step is complete."
Prajna Lianyue drew a deep breath. The eyes upon every one of her countless palms all turned toward Gu Lianqian's abdomen.
A flash of resolve crossed her face. She pressed her hand downward, her aura flowing outward. The many palms extended forward, supporting the lotus-shaped illusion, attempting to stir resonance with the Lotus Concealed in the Womb, to compress the faint golden phantom inward.
Then, she could rip it out by its root-
But when the countless hands of her incarnations touched the lotus, they did not support it as she had expected.
Instead, they passed straight through.
Prajna Lianyue's smile froze, her expression going blank.
Impossible. That could not be!
With her Tara manifestation, she should be the only one capable of touching the true Lotus Concealed in the Womb.
Others could only see the fleshly lotus; what she saw was the true Lotus Concealed in the Womb.
So she should be able to touch it!
Yet reality defied her.
Prajna Lianyue's arms moved again and again, trying to lift it,
But all in vain. It was like reaching for the moon reflected in water.
Moments slipped away.
And finally, Prajna Lianyue understood:
The Lotus Concealed in the Womb was a fake!
Countless thoughts flashed through her mind, but now was no time to ponder. Face darkening, she withdrew her manifestation, pulled back her hand, and vanished into the Intermediate Underworld.
Outside the carriage, Ning Songjun's gaze sharpened suddenly, and he turned his head back abruptly.
His divine sense swept through the area, but found nothing unusual. Frowning, he looked toward the other carriage.
Inside that troublesome nephew's coach, there had been a constant fluctuation of the Xiyin Attendant's spiritual energy.
By logic, Gu Fangchen's wounds shouldn't have required such long healing.
What on earth was he doing in there...
Ning Songjun's expression turned grim. He recalled his nephew's terrible reputation for frequenting pleasure houses.
Even if his incompetence was an act, that lustful temperament certainly wasn't, it was pure, unfiltered nature.
His elder sister had always been strict in running her household, despising every hint of corruption or decadence.
The Sword Saint kept a calm face, but inwardly he laughed coldly. So you like tattling, do you?
...
Gu Fangchen had changed positions, now lying with his head on Xuexiang's lap.
Xuexiang had just awakened from her drowsiness. Chirping softly, she said that the young lord must be tired and that she would see to his comfort. Mimicking the maids she'd heard, she insisted he use her thighs as a pillow.
In truth, Xuexiang's frame was too slender, her thighs had little flesh to them, hardly soft enough for comfort. A layer of blanket had to be placed on top.
Knee pillows were best left to those more voluptuous.
Through the blanket, Gu Fangchen reached back and squeezed Xuexiang's delicate calf, saying seriously, "Too skinny. Once we reach Sword Pavilion, you need to eat more."
Xuexiang blushed, feeling a ticklish warmth at her calf, but dared not move.
She bit her lip and asked softly, "Th-then, my lord, how much should this servant eat?"
Her heart fluttered, she thought the young lord was showing care.
"Until you're plump. Like a little pig."
"Ah?"
Her mouth fell open, stammering, "A little pig? Isn't that... too fat?"
"Hmm?"
Xuexiang let out a pitiful "oh," her face collapsing in dismay.
After teasing his little maid, Gu Fangchen finally looked up at the radiant yet furious figure behind Qing Jian.
Facing the returning saintess of Tara Sect, Gu Fangchen raised an eyebrow, cleared his throat twice, and said with exaggerated mockery, "I only hope you now understand the fate of one who once fooled me~"
Prajna Lianyue: "..."