You Su’s brain was racing, who exactly targeted Ji Xueruo, an outsider?
Thinking it over, he could only co up with one answer - Little White Fish.
Yet, he couldn’t understand why.
Little White Fish was elusive, it hadn’t appeared again so far. All lotus seeds had been gathered and destroyed, and You Su didn’t know how to lure it out once more.
Two venerables stood behind You Su, equally worried and frowning.
Just then, a servant approached, leaning towards Chengtao Venerable, and softly reported:
"Patriarch, Jade Butterfly Saint Maiden’s ceremonial matters are done, it’s ready for water transformation."
Chengtao Venerable nodded, "Go ahead and do it..."
"Yes." The servant briskly withdrew.
You Su, imrsed in the urgent need to find Ji Xueruo, felt a sensation like pebbles underfoot upon hearing an unfamiliar term:
"May I ask, Venerable, what does water transformation an?"
"Jade Ring Pool reveres water above all. Hence, in Jade Ring Pool, when one dies, a water transformation ritual is held. Water transformation doesn’t actually turn them into water but involves placing them in a specially made coffin and extracting all the water from their body. Unlike external rites that worship bodies, here the deceased’s flesh and bones are incinerated, and the water extracted from them is poured back into Jade Ring Pool," Mr. Cuihe explained patiently. "Every pilgrimage to Jade Ring Pool thereafter becos an act of worship for all departed kin."
With both extraction and cremation, dead indeed was dead.
You Su nodded, too preoccupied to attend to Jade Butterfly Saint Maiden’s matters, continuing to ponder Ji Xueruo’s whereabouts.
You Su had just regained so energy, yet today, in pursuit of Ji Xueruo, he hadn’t eaten or drunk for a long ti. Mr. Cuihe, feeling pity, advised:
"Mr. You, you are Jade Butterfly’s only friend. She is about to undergo water transformation; let us bid her farewell together. You can grab a bite too; we’ll continue dispatching people to seek Miss Ji’s whereabouts."
Chengtao Venerable and Mr. Cuihe had indeed heard rumors; should Jade Butterfly not die, they even considered defying thousand-year traditions to betroth Jade Butterfly to You Su.
You Su paused, sighed, and agreed.
...
Small Pool Palace, under starlight.
Everyone gathered around the saint maiden’s exclusive pool, a mysteriously elaborate black coffin miraculously floated on the water.
You Su slowly stood up; he was the last to pay respects to Jade Butterfly Saint Maiden. Frankly, his feelings were mixed towards her: fragile yet strong, weak yet courageous, had she lived during Jade Ring Pool’s prosperous tis, she would have been a stunning saint maiden...
"Chengtao, do you think the next saint maiden will be mortal or immortal?" Mr. Cuihe asked quietly.
"With evil purged, Jade Ring Pool is not what it used to be; it’s uncertain whether another saint maiden can even erge," Chengtao Venerable responded pessimistically, unsure how long it would take for the spiritual pond to restore itself.
"Begin."
Upon his command, two elders began reciting chants and casting spells, and the black coffin glimred dimly as the array extracting water began functioning.
You Su raised his head and sighed; his thoughts weren’t on Jade Butterfly’s water transformation but on the missing Ji Xueruo.
Through the deep night, his already blurred vision revealed nothing but darkness.
The Jade Ring Pool Protection Array was formidable, Chengtao Venerable ensured nothing had departed from Jade Ring Pool in recent days, not even a bird.
You Su could only sketch the structure of the entire Jade Ring Pool within his Sea of Consciousness, hoping to ponder over where Ji Xueruo might be hidden.
Pondering, he discovered a startling coincidence—
Opposite Small Pool Palace across the lake was precisely Zilan Hall!
"Open the coffin!"
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