Zhang Yiyi walked through the temple and reached the main hall, where she saw a lit red dot.
"The temple doesn’t light incense offerings, just a mosquito coil, that’s too weird," Zhang Yiyi, a Buddhist follower, would bow to the Bodhisattva upon seeing one. After bowing in the main hall, she gained so confidence and approached the door.
Before going to sleep, the iron bolt she secured had been pried open, leaving a small crack in the door, through which a milky white fog drifted in.
Upon opening the door, the fog carried a moist mix of soil and leaf slls, instantly dispelling her drowsiness.
Outside the temple, everything was obscured by the fog; the Lotus Pond had disappeared, the cattail too, not to ntion Xiao Xian and Zeng Xuerou.
"Bodhisattva, bless . If I can find them safely tonight, I’ll treat you to braised pork every day... oops, I an Ingot Candles," Zhang Yiyi was terrified, her usually nimble basketball-court-conquering legs now moved minimally and with great difficulty, barely making it past the temple’s threshold.
"Left, right, front, back, everything is just a white expanse. Which way should I go?" Zhang Yiyi’s palm unexpectedly throbbed. The previously applied dandelion herbs for bleeding and disinfection had dried and fallen off right at the spot where the Lotus Pond used to be.
"I’ll just head this way," murmured Zhang Yiyi as she walked into the fog.
It felt like she had walked for ages, covering as much distance as the entirety of the day combined, yet it also seed like rely a mont. Zhang Yiyi noticed two familiar figures ahead.
"There you are! Really, you should have told when you stepped out for air; you almost scared to death," Zhang Yiyi saw them and imdiately felt relieved, quickly stepping forward.
"What are you doing, winking and waving your hands at incessantly? I’m coming over anyway," Zhang Yiyi saw Xiao Xian and Xuerou just a ter away. They seed to be shouting sothing, their hands constantly moving, gesturing her not to co closer.
Xiao Xian and Xuerou also heard Zhang Yiyi’s shout nearby. Like her, when they left the temple, they were enveloped by a white fog, unable to discern their direction.
Relying on Xiao Xian’s mory, they reached the edge of the Lotus Pond. The fog that had suddenly descended during the night was emanating from the middle of the pond.
During the day, the lone lotus was now surprisingly accompanied by a budding shoot emitting a seven-colored glow in the darkness.
"Earlier this evening, there were only a few leaves in the Lotus Pond. How could a flower have blood in just a few hours?" Xuerou and Xiao Xian walked carefully, circling the pond, moving closer to its edge.
Just as they found a spot to stand and were about to take a closer look at the lotus, Zhang Yiyi stumbled out.
For so reason, Zhang Yiyi seed totally unaware that she was walking straight towards the middle of the pond. Even the shouts from Xiao Xian to stop went unheard, and she plunged right into the water.
At that mont, Zhang Yiyi stepped into the water, thankfully, the pond wasn’t deep. Splashing about, she swallowed a mouthful of water as her feet sank into the soft, gooey mud - the sudden cold imrsion was a shock.
Looking not too far away, the figures of Xiao Xian and Xuerou beca clearer, but surrounded by water and dense lotus leaves.
Suddenly, the fog around dispersed, and realizing she had fallen into the water, Zhang Yiyi flailed her arms, shouting, "Xuerou, Xiao Xian."
Her feet touching the mud, Zhang Yiyi, a good swimr, didn’t expect the pond to be shallow. Habitually, she leapt up as if making a basketball jump shot.
Her head hit sothing, and as she looked up, the entire budding shoot fell down, bringing a flurry of pollen.
Zhang Yiyi inhaled the pollen, got itchy, and couldn’t help but sneeze.
"Gurgle," a cold, smooth sensation filled her mouth - she realized it was dew and swallowed it down.
Xiao Xian and Xuerou on the shore were dumbfounded, motionless for a long while.
"Hey, you two are really unreliable. Didn’t even help when I fell into the water. My dad is right; when it cos down to it, one has to save oneself," Zhang Yiyi climbed ashore, took off her shoes, and sat by the pond, shaking off the water, "What’s with you two, looking like you’ve seen a ghost?"
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