"The Lotus Lady was more beautiful than the moon. The rain-like strings of her guzheng healed even the deepest of emotional heartbreaks. Her ice-like needles flew through the air silently and accurately."
- Ruan Xiaomen, "The Bamboo Chronicles of a Good-For-Nothing"
***
The only reason that Ruan Shanqiao had dared to follow the perhaps pseudo-legendary bird was pure curiosity. It could be considered one of powerful traits: child-like curiosity.
Naturally she caught the traces of door in front of the grass that the bird landed in.
"Hmm?" she squinted as she stared hard at the rock wall in front of her.
She placed a palm on the wall and pushed slightly.
"It's not moving?" she questioned with a frown as she gave a harder push-
"GUP."
Shanqiao shrieked quietly with her mouth closed as the ground shifted.
"Now, what kind of place is this?" the frown deepened.
As she took a closer look at her surroundings, she relaxed.
It was far warmer environment than the outside. Or, better put, there was clear evidence of human tampering.
"But how could a human-"
A beautiful woman walked across the luminescent pool of water. She sat amongst the lotuses and raised her electrifying blue eyes towards Ruan Shanqiao. Her long white hair floated around her creating a halo of elegant ambience.
"Who-"
Without a single word, the woman spread her fingers in front of her and plucked the air as if playing a guzheng. Beautiful notes floated through the air and filled the space. The sound was fine and clear. They were filled with an unspoken peace.
Shanqiao stood shellshock as she watched the woman's fingers perform acrobatics in the air.
Only when the final note had been plucked did she snap out of her stupor. That was when she realized a nearly transparent object sitting in the woman's lap. It was a guzheng made out of a crystalline wood and strung with water-like strings.
"Young lord, you are?" a cold voice interrupted Shanqiao's observations.
"Excuse me," she bowed politely, "I am Mei Lukai."
"Mei… Lukai…"
"Yes, and what is this lady's name?"
"Manners of a young lord," the woman observed. "I am the Lotus Lady."
"The Lotus Lady?" Shanqiao thought she had heard it incorrectly.
"Yes, that is this lady's name."
She remembered in one of many adventures of her ancestor, Ruan Xiaomen, one of them involved the Lotus Lady. To be more accurate, she had once saved him and even invited him to ascend to the upper realms with her. He had grabbed her hand as he had ascended. Unfortunately for the lady, Ruan Xiaomen was a well-known player. He soon abandoned her for another woman.
"If I'm not mistaken, I believe an ancestor of mine has once met the lady. In his stead, I would like to apologize for the faults of our Clan ancestor." Shanqiao bowed deeply.
"Of what clan do you descend from?"
She hesitated. As far as she could tell, this Lotus Lady was a benevolent creature, albeit a little cold. Though the fridginess had detained her ancestor, it had no affect on her.
"I am Ruan Shanqiao from the Ruan Clan."
"You declared yourself to be the young lord, Mei Lukai."
"Indeed I did, my lady," she straightened. "I am Mei Lukai at the same time I am Ruan Shanqiao."
"How so?"
"The world believes I am no more, as such they call me Mei Lukai. But I was born Ruan Shanqiao."
"I see. You are Ruan Xiaomen's descendant?"
"Yes. I must apologize for his faults, lady."
"There is nothing to apologize for. Despite his faults, he had fulfilled his end of his promises."
"Hmm?" Shanqiao frowned. The Bamboo Chronicles had never mentioned promises made with the Lotus Lady.
"You are quite similar to Xiaomen."
'Should I take that as an insult or a compliment?' (⇀‸↼‶)
"Ah is that so?" she coughed awkwardly.
"Well, both of you are non-cultivators to start off," the lady lashed out calmly and viciously, sending Shanqiao into a fit of coughs.
It was the first time she had been so bluntly told that she was a non-cultivator.
"That is true," she agreed good-naturedly.
"Seeing as you've reached this abyss, it appears that both of you are adamant to prove that the talent of cultivation isn't the only precious talent in this world."
"Of course!"
"If I'm not wrong, both of you lost your family quite early."
"... Was Ruan Xiaomen like so as well?" she considered it. "When I was reading the Bamboo Chronicles, he came off as a carefree, slightly dim-witted, perhaps even naive person. I would have never thought he had such a past."
"You don't shed a tear for your family?"
"No," Shanqiao smiled bitterly. "Not anymore. They would want me to be happy. My brother once told me that I was the joy of the Ruan Clan. If I wasn't joyful, no one else could be."
"So strong willed…" the Lotus Lady's cold eyes softened as she watched Shanqiao. "Just like you…"
"... That's why I have to be strong…"
"Hmm?"
"I have to be strong so that I can establish my own happiness."
"Is that why you came to the Huangshan Mountains? To gain strength?"
"No, I came to spectate my father's legacy. He must have mentioned that legendary bird for a reason, right?"
"Indeed."
A silence fell on the two. It wasn't an awkward silence, but it was a comfortable one. For a short moment, Ruan Shanqiao felt the warmth of a family and a small smile stretched across her face.
"You both share the quirk of roasting meat incredibly well," the Lotus Lady mentioned out of the blue.
"How can you tell? The slight aroma of meat that is still left on your clothes is quite fragant."
Shanqiao sniffed her shirt. 'I don't smell anything?' (¯ . ¯;)
"I have a well-developed sense of smell," the lady explained patiently.
'I can tell… to discern the aroma of meat from at least half a day ago…' ( ´ д ` )
As she thought of her well roasted meat, her stomach growled a complaint. 'Ah, that being said, I'm a bit hungry.'
"You must be hungry," the lady stood up and waved a hand.
In front of her appeared a feast of dumplings.
"I'm sorry, all I have are dumplings…" the Lotus Lady looked a little embarrassed.
"Thank you, dumplings are better than air!" Shanqiao grinned. "I will not stand on rituals and dig in!"
"Of course, in return, will you listen to a story of mine?"
"Yes! What is it about?"
"It's about my first meeting with Ruan Xiaomen…"