Divine Tang Era

Xu Dan was originally the name of the ruler of the ancient state of Xu.

The character 诞 (dàn) has the meanings of nurturing, giving birth, and having faith.

When Xu was born, his father searched online and thought the name sounded grand, so he used it.

When he was little, Xu Dan didn't understand and didn't think much of his name. It wasn't until he grew up and heard people call him Xu Dan, A Dan, Xiao Dan, Da Dan, etc., that he started to feel uncomfortable. Some close friends even like to call him Dan Dan, which sounds like "egg." Good heavens, it's amazing how many different ways they can pronounce his name!

But there was nothing I could do; it was my name anyway.

Sometimes I think: this name belongs to the ruler of the ancient Xu state during the Western Zhou Dynasty. He was a king, after all, majestic, domineering, and awesome. Others calling him that is just envy and jealousy. It's a small matter, nothing to worry about.

Every time he hears others making random noises, Xu Dan comforts himself with this thought, instantly feeling much better.

"Um..."

In his sleep, Xu Dan suddenly felt something was wrong and woke up with a start. Opening his eyes, he found himself high in the sky, constantly falling. Looking down, the scenery below appeared to be the size of ants, rapidly increasing in size as he fell.

Seeing his surroundings, Xu Dan was dumbfounded and couldn't help but swallow hard. Could...could...it really be true?!

"I...I must be...dreaming, yes, I must be dreaming."

He had dreamt of falling off a cliff before while sleeping on a rock, only to wake up and find it was a false alarm. He thought this time would be the same. He quickly closed his eyes, trying to wake himself from the dream. A moment later, he opened his eyes and found himself still high in the air, his body still falling.

As the scenery below grew larger and larger, Xu Dan felt a deep sense of anguish.

"What are we going to do? Are we going to turn into meat patties? No, maybe we won't even be able to turn into meat patties, we'll just turn into minced meat."

If this were a dream, the scene was far too realistic. The biting wind whipped up by the descent chilled my body, making me feel as if I were about to freeze. Moreover, the scenery below was getting larger and larger, and my body was getting closer and closer to the ground; it didn't seem like a dream at all.

Is it true?

But I was clearly sleeping on the mountain!

Xu Dan was in a state of panic and couldn't help but shout, "Help...help...help me! Is there anyone who can save me? I'll reward you handsomely afterwards. Whoosh...is anyone listening? Please answer if you hear me. Hello, is anyone listening? Can't you understand Chinese? I also know a little Japanese, Thai, and Korean. Konnichiwa, Sawasdee ka, Annyeonghaseyo, Hoduyudo, Lenggakaho..."

···············

In the endless mountains, in this nameless land, lies a vast lake, lying quietly.

The lake water was a deep, pure, and gentle blue. In the center of the lake, a cluster of giant lotus flowers stood proudly.

The lotus is colorless, meaning it has no color whatsoever. If not for the backdrop of the lake water and the gentle breeze, it would be completely invisible. The colorless lotus resembles a pillar reaching to the sky, almost touching the heavens, perfectly embodying the phrase "lotus leaves stretching to the sky, an endless expanse of green." Upon closer inspection, the broad lotus leaves resemble a small mountain lake, hundreds of feet wide; the vigorous stem is like a giant pillar, tens of feet thick; and the budding lotus blossoms resemble enormous houses, at least tens of feet in diameter.

A group of people stood silently by the lake, each with an air of otherworldly grace and extraordinary appearance.

After a while, a lotus bud quietly bloomed, releasing boundless radiant light. A faint fragrance wafted from the bud, refreshing the mind and invigorating the body, leaving one feeling as if they had just taken a bath. People by the lake couldn't help but close their eyes, exhaling the fresh scent of the lotus.

"Help! Help! Help! Help!"

Xu Dan descended from the sky and landed precisely on a blooming lotus bud.

The lotus bud was struck by the immense force of his fall; the lotus platform sank, the blooming petals retracted, and it returned to its budding state. The point where the lotus bud connected to the stem was suddenly broken by the impact, and it fell into the lake. Sensing the icy water, the lotus bud abruptly contracted, shrinking to the size of a palm.

The lake connects to an underground river, where a whirlpool of water surged and swept the lotus buds into it.

It all happened so fast, almost in an instant.

When the person who had been breathing with their eyes closed heard the noise, they opened their eyes and saw a figure disappear into the lotus bud and fall into the lake.

Upon seeing the vanished lotus bud, the group's eyes widened in fury, and they shouted, "You audacious thief! How dare you steal the colorless lotus!" One by one, they jumped into the lake to search for the lotus thief. But they quickly jumped back ashore.

The lake is not only connected to an underground river, but it is also an extremely cold and icy lake.

Although these people possessed extraordinary cultivation, they could not withstand the coldness of the icy lake.

"Ha... Ha Qiu"

An old man emerging from the lake suddenly sneezed. He quickly used magic to dry his clothes and took a pill to ward off the cold. After a moment, he recovered and turned to the person next to him with a cold face, saying, "Are we just going to stand by and watch the lotus thieves leave?"

The white-bearded old man beside him flicked his whisk and said, "Did you see the thief's face clearly just now?"

Everyone shook their heads.

The event happened too quickly and too suddenly. Everyone was cultivating, so no one went to see what was going on. When they heard the commotion, they saw a figure disappear into the lotus bud and then fall into the lake. They didn't even have time to see what it looked like.

"This makes things difficult?"

The white-bearded old man calculated with his fingers, but the secrets of heaven were too obscure to discern the thief's origins. After a moment's thought, he said, "The colorless lotus is a rare treasure of heaven and earth, seldom found in the world. Once it appears in the mortal realm, it will surely be discovered. After we leave, all sects will issue orders throughout the land. If anyone is found to possess it, they are undoubtedly the thief, and we can send men to capture them. If we can offer one or two more treasures as a reward, the whole world will be our eyes and ears, and that thief will be caught in no time."

The others nodded, agreeing that it was a feasible idea.

After discussing the matter, everyone stood quietly by the lake, waiting for the next colorless lotus to bloom.

However, after the previous accident, everyone kept a close watch on the situation at all times, not daring to slack off in the slightest.

······················

Xu Dan fell off the lotus platform and fainted. The lotus bud separated from the stem and entered the lake, where it was swept into an underground river by the swirling current and drifted with the current. It is unknown how much time passed before the lotus bud was carried by the underground river to a dark cave, where it lay quietly.

A moment later, the shrunken colorless lotus bud emitted a sky full of rosy light, gradually grew larger, and returned to its original appearance.

The glow of the sunset illuminated the dark cave, making it look like a fairyland. After a while, the glow dissipated, lotus buds bloomed, and a delicate fragrance wafted out.

The fragrance emanated from the lotus bud and spread outwards. In a short while, it dispelled the foul air from the ground, transforming the dark cave into a space resembling a woman's boudoir.

As the rosy light burst forth, the lotus bud petals opened one by one, slowly revealing the central lotus platform. But strangely, Xu Dan, who had just fallen onto the lotus platform, vanished without a trace, transforming into what appeared to be a newborn infant, quietly lying on the lotus platform.

The baby's skin was as soft as water, pink and lovely, and he slept soundly, unaware of what was happening outside.

The delicate fragrance permeating the dark cave was continuously inhaled into his body with each breath.

A delicate fragrance enters the body, transforming into wisps of air that flow through the tender flesh, cleansing and purifying it. Strands of impurities seep from the baby's pores and adhere to the surface of the body.

After a while, the fragrance disappeared.

The blooming lotus bud begins to shrink, becoming the size of a lotus seed, then enters the baby's heart and disappears.

The underground cave was deathly silent, save for the baby's breathing and the silent flow of the underground river.