The red-robed eunuch sneered and said in a delicate voice, "Kneel before the Three Pure Ones for a day and a night to rember this. It won’t be so simple next ti if you make another mistake."
Xuanzhen clasped his hands and said, "Lord Commander, thank you for your concern. It was my neglect in discipline, and I am willing to be punished as well."
The red-robed eunuch waved his hand with a smile, "Where is the real person talking? How could we punish you? Well, I have to hurry and deliver the green words to Your Majesty. You all continue with your tasks."
Xuanzhen watched the back of the red-robed eunuch, and without turning his head, he said, "Princess, I ask again, do you wish to take on the position of steward at Jingyang Palace?"
Bai Li did not answer, only silently pulled Zhu Lingyun to kneel in front of the Three Pure Ones.
Xuanzhen smiled, "No matter, take your ti to think it over."
With that, she turned back to the side hall, "Everyone else can be dismissed. Today’s morning class is canceled, go and collect the items you intended to purchase."
The Daoist nuns cheerfully left the main hall, picking items from wooden boxes. Soone picked up a silver mirror, "Look, as expected, Shuixin Pavilion’s silver mirrors are the brightest. The gold-leaf filigree workmanship on the back is unmatched by other workshops."
"What’s the use of looking in mirrors in this palace, to see yourself looking neither human nor ghost? It’s better to buy hand oil. When the weather dries up, it can double as lip oil. When your lips crack, don’t use mine."
"Tch, look at you. I’ll serve the real person well and have the eunuch buy more hand oil next ti."
Zhu Lingyun, kneeling on the ditation cushion, looked back at the hall entrance, surprised that the Daoist nuns in this forbidden palace still had eunuchs buy such items.
She turned to look at her sister, Bai Li, who knelt on the ditation cushion with her eyes closed, lost in thought.
The sun slowly rose above the main hall, and the hall gradually grew quiet, leaving Bai Li and Zhu Lingyun kneeling in discomfort until their legs went numb, pained and unbearable.
The vermilion-lacquered doors of the side hall opened again, and Xuanzhen, carrying a horsetail whisk, gracefully approached the two, "Princess Bai Li, I ask again, do you wish to take the position of steward?"
Bai Li still did not answer.
Xuanzhen smiled again, "It seems you’re still too comfortable, then don’t kneel on the cushion, kneel on the bluestone instead."
She called in the Daoist nuns to remove the ditation cushions from the main hall.
Bai Li and Zhu Lingyun knelt on the hard bluestone, unable to endure even thirty minutes. Zhu Lingyun squird, but no matter how she shifted position, the pain was unbearable.
Zhu Lingyun looked at Bai Li, begging softly, "Sis, why are you suddenly listening to her? Don’t you have Jiao Tu backing you? Let’s fight with Xuanzhen; she surely wouldn’t dare do anything to us."
Bai Li remained silent, eyes closed, until the sun set and there was no light in the main hall.
The vermilion-lacquered doors of the side hall opened again, and Xuanzhen approached them, calmly asking, "Princess, I ask you one last ti, do you wish to work for ?"
Bai Li shook her head, "I don’t want to."
Xuanzhen showed so confusion, "Why not? Because of your so-called good and evil? To , there is no good or evil, only order!"
Bai Li knelt before the Three Pure Ones and spoke softly, "I’m only afraid that after doing those things, I’ll never be able to face him outside."
Xuanzhen was stunned, then burst into laughter, "Go outside? You still want to go outside? Yesterday you were seeking death; today, you want to go outside again? What a huge joke!"
After laughing for a while, she looked down at the two girls in front of her and said, "Good, very good. Zhu Lingyun, since your sister refuses the steward’s position, you shall take it. Once you do, you won’t have to kneel here and can go back to rest."
Zhu Lingyun sneered, "Don’t try to sow discord between and my sister. I enjoy kneeling here!"
Xuanzhen said aningfully, "No worries, my offer stands until dawn. You can go back to sleep anyti."
...
...
In the dead of night, the cold wind from outside blew into the hall, making Zhu Lingyun shiver with cold, while her knees hurt as if being torn apart.
She occasionally looked at the tightly closed doors of the side hall, then turned to look at the desolate palace path outside.
Zhu Lingyun whispered, "Sis, let’s go back to sleep. Everyone’s fast asleep now; no one will know we snuck back."
Bai Li lifted her head to gaze at the statue of the Three Pure Ones, her voice ethereal, "Lingyun, Father once said, rules may seem gentle, but they’re man-eating in usage. Until you have the strength to break free of these rules, you must first live within them. If soone wants to kill you with rules, you kill them with rules. But before using them, you must have no flaws."
Zhu Lingyun hesitated for a mont, then whispered, "Sis, surely Xuanzhen is asleep now. I’ll sneak back for a nap and be back before the bells ring. I don’t an to take on that useless steward’s job; my knees just can’t take it."
Bai Li was silent for a long ti, "Go on then."
Zhu Lingyun propped herself up and staggered towards the back courtyard, leaving Bai Li alone.
A haunting laughter ca from the side hall, as if mocking Bai Li’s stubbornness, "Princess, you’re still young and don’t understand the human heart. Once you do, you’ll be like . Jingyang Palace has a mysterious power that turns everyone into the sa."
Bai Li bowed down, pressing her forehead against the cold bluestone.
Ti faded away until the drum sound of the third watch echoed from outside the hall.
Suddenly, she heard a soft sigh above her, and looked up abruptly. The Heavenly Lord of Spiritual Treasure on the left seed to be looking down at her.
Bai Li instinctively closed her eyes, and upon reopening them, the Heavenly Lord of Spiritual Treasure returned to its normal state, as if she had been seeing things.
The next mont, a white jade leaf floated gently from the celestial sky, carried by the winds through the dark clouds, past Jingyang Palace’s golden roof, and landed on Bai Li’s head.
She slowly closed her eyes, and when the morning bell of the Bell and Drum Tower rang once more, she reopened them with a glint of gold in her gaze.
Bai Li bowed before the Heavenly Lord of Spiritual Treasure, "Devotee Bai Li seizes this opportunity to beco an Executive Officer, wishing to diligently cultivate and quickly attain true permanence. Praying the Dao’s vitality remains eternal, and the Dao Court flourishes forever."
Pausing here, she hesitated, then spoke softly, "But there’s still one thing that puzzles , Heavenly Venerate, please enlighten ...Did I misunderstand Chen Ji?"
With that, Bai Li picked up the wooden divination blocks from the offering table and cast them upon the bluestone.
One yin, one yang, indicating Heavenly Venerate’s guidance: Yes.
She tossed the blocks onto the bluestone three more tis in succession, each ti yielding one yin, one yang.
Bai Li took a deep breath and whispered, "Thank you, Heavenly Venerate..."
She bowed down, pressing her forehead to the bluestone, as tears she’d held back fell from the tip of her nose onto the stone.
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