A delicate, vibrant lotus blooms in Chen Yun's palm.
Before, there was nothing at all, but now the fragrance fills the golden cup!
Uncertain if it was an illusion, Zhang Chengfan, who was closer to Chen Yun, seemed to faintly catch the delicate fragrance of the lotus; on closer inspection, there was also a trace of rich aroma.
This transformation from nothing to something is terrifying.
Zhang Chengfan was so enraptured that he momentarily failed to regain his senses.
Wang Shī Huì and Sun Zhòngyì were also taken aback, and their gaze towards Chen Yun shifted, becoming somewhat different. There was curiosity, confusion, as if they were pondering how the lotus had appeared.
Even if it were not for them, even Zhang Gān was surprised and looked at Chen Yun, wondering how they could have gone to the lotus pond without picking any earlier.
He suddenly remembered the incident that happened a few days ago in Gāo Liáng's house, and he came to an instant realization.
Understanding why, Zhang Gān's originally tense heart relaxed, and an inexplicable smile appeared on his face.
He knew that today would be fine, and he might even be treated as a guest of honor by several generals and officials from the Tang Dynasty.
At the same time, Zhang Gān couldn't help but secretly sigh in awe. Little did he realize that Chen's brother's power had become so profound, and today's several generals and officials were sure to be shocked out of their wits.
As expected, before his thought had even fully formed,
"Aiyā!"
A painful cry burst from Zhao Kē's mouth.
Then, there was a loud "clang," as if a porcelain bowl shattered to the ground.
The crowd rushed to look, and it turned out that Zhao Kē was so shocked by the sudden change while drinking tea that she accidentally dropped the cup, which was now lying on the ground.
Zhang Chengfan and Wang Shī Huì were about to care.
But to their surprise, Zhao Kē stood up abruptly, her eyes wide with astonishment as she said, "Mr. Chen, are you using a distraction technique?"
"Distraction technique?" Chen Yun smiled faintly, shook his head and sighed: "You people don't recognize my magic arts, oh well, today I will let you see with your own eyes."
The others had not yet spoken when Chen Yun took action again.
Zhang Gān saw Chen Yun casually flip his hand, and the lotus in his hand suddenly vanished.
At this time, Chen Yun's sleeves were open, and he said to the general, "General, come forward and feel if there is anything hidden in my sleeves."
Indeed.
If it's a distraction technique, there must be something hidden in the sleeves.
Zhang Chengfan and Wang Shī Huì looked at each other, though they were not yet certain if the young Taoist master truly had supernatural powers, they dared not touch him.
Sun Zhòngyì had the same thought.
Only Zhao Kē, being a straightforward person, hearing Chen Yun say this, smiled and stood up, saying, "Since Master Chen is so generous, Zhao will apologize for any offense."
Although he was straightforward, his words were no longer as impolite as before.
Chen Yun said, "Please."
In the eyes of the curious crowd, Zhao Kē stepped forward to check if there was anything hidden in Chen Yun's sleeves.
After half an hour, Zhao Kē was about to crawl into Chen Yun's sleeves, but she couldn't find anything there.
"This..."
"Is there really nothing in the sleeves?"
"Is it truly a magic technique?"
Sun Zhòngyì, Zhang Chengfan, and Wang Shī Huì conversed in low voices.
Only Zhang Gān secretly laughed to himself, thinking that Chen's brother had performed a trick, and it was absurd to think they would find anything in his sleeves.
After checking, Zhao Kē looked at Chen Yun with a stunned expression, "Chen...Chen Dao...Where did you hide the lotus flower?"
"Here it is."
Chen Yun once again opened his right palm, which was empty at first.
However, in the next moment, everyone, including Zhao Kē and Sun Zhòngyì, as well as Zhang Chengfan and Wang Shī Huì, watched as the flow of water began to move in his palm. Then, a tender stem grew out at an incredible speed, with purple-red flower buds gradually growing out and tightly clasped together like a button.
Suddenly, the petals trembled slightly, gradually unfolding into a five-pointed shape.
The form was exquisite, and the colors were vibrant.
Isn't it the delicate, vibrant lotus flower that you just saw?
"This..."
"Ah?"
"What?"
The crowd let out a soft exclamation of surprise!
Chen Yun reached out and took Zhao Kē's hand, "General, you should feel this lotus flower to see if it's real or not."
Zhao Kē's arm was pulled by Chen Yun, allowing him to touch the lotus flower. A smooth and cool sensation passed through his arm, causing him to let out a loud "Aiyā" and turn to look at his colleagues, "It's really true! This lotus flower is real!"
Chen Yun moved his hand away and walked over to Sun Zhòngyì, smiling and asking, "Sun Prefect, do you want to feel if my lotus flower is real or not?"
Sun Zhòngyì was very puzzled in his heart, but he dared not express any doubts about the immortal at this moment. He smiled warmly and kept waving his hands, saying, "No need, no need."
"Well, lest you think I'm deceiving you all, let me put it to your touch. What do you think?" Chen Yun once again grasped Sun Zhòngyì's hand and touched the lotus flower. "How does it feel?"
Sun Zhòngyì also felt the soft and delicate touch of the lotus flower, inhaling slightly and said, "Mr. Chen is truly a deity!"
Chen Yun laughed heartily and approached Wang Shī Huì and Zhang Chengfan, doing the same thing.
In no time, all four Tang generals and officials had touched the lotus flower and confirmed that it was real.
The crowd's surprise only grew.
Now, not only them, but even Zhang Gān showed a look of confusion. Isn't the trick to create illusions? How could something false turn real?
Chen Yun didn't rush anything as he collected the lotus flower and said lightly, "If you, General Sun and your colleagues want to see something else, I'll show you all a change."
A single lotus flower alone certainly couldn't convince the crowd present.
Even though Zhao Kē didn't find anything in Chen Yun's sleeves, and Zhang Chengfan, Wang Shī Huì, and others had "hands-on" experiences with the lotus flower, confirming its authenticity, they still believed that Chen Yun was very likely using a distraction technique. They just didn't know where he had hidden the object.
At this point, Zhang Chengfan gave Sun Zhòngyì a subtle glance.
Sun Zhòngyì understood, stood up, bowed and said, "Master Chen, Sun believes in your supreme magic arts and has no questions."
He first cleanly dismissed any doubts he had about Chen Yun, as if he were afraid of being cursed by the immortal afterward.
Afterwards, he completed Zhang Chengfan's task, "I've heard that there are Dandeng Chengri immortals on the mountain, and a single call from the immortal's divine bird can resound in the clouds. Can I see the divine beast?"
Zhang Chengfan, Wang Shī Huì, and Zhao Kē nodded slightly. The lotus flower might still be hidden in the sleeves, but there's no way the immortal bird can be concealed.
If this young Taoist master could truly bring an immortal bird into existence out of thin air, then they would never have any doubts again.
They were actually looking forward to it with interest to see if Chen Yun could produce a divine crane.
However, Zhang Gān was extremely nervous because in all these days, he had never seen Chen Yun use illusory techniques to produce a divine crane, so he was naturally very tense.
Chen Yun smiled slightly, "Ladies and gentlemen, please wait a moment. I will summon my immortal crane."
As he spoke, he closed his eyes.
The crowd didn't know what he was up to, and they all stared intently.
Time passed minute by minute.
It wasn't long before a minute had passed.
Seeing that the immortal crane still hadn't appeared, Zhang Chengfan and Wang Shī Huì both showed signs of doubt, thinking that Chen Yun might not have the ability to bring it out.
Wang Shī Huì couldn't contain himself any longer and said, "Master Chen, you..."
Before he could finish his sentence, the crowd heard a loud "yè" cry and then the sound of a brisk breeze from the doorway.
Zhao Kē looked in the direction of the sound.
What they saw was a divine crane flying in from afar, gradually gliding into the room, and finally landing on Chen Yun's shoulder!
Sun Zhòngyì, Wang Shī Huì, and Zhang Chengfan all blinked wide-eyed in shock.
Zhang Gān was also disbelief.
This was a divine crane with its entire body covered in pure white feathers, with only the edges of its wings and the collar area black as ink.
The feathers on its beak and claws were clearly lifelike!
The crowd was completely stunned. While it could be said that the lotus flower could be hidden in the sleeves and brought out or hidden away using a distraction technique, a half-person-high crane like this certainly couldn't be concealed. Moreover, the crane had not been taken out of Chen Yun's sleeves but had been summoned from outside.
Such a thing only has one possible explanation - the young Taoist master in front of us indeed has incredible supernatural powers!
Zhang Chengfan was in a daze, staring at the divine crane's eyes so intently that he couldn't take his gaze off.
"This place is too small; my divine crane can't glide freely here."
The voice of Chen Yun faintly appeared, and then he gently clapped his hands, causing the scenery before him to change rapidly.
Originally, the several people were sitting in the deliberation chamber.
However, at this moment, a ripple in space quickly expanded.
As the ripple reached the place, the scenery changed. The ground they were sitting on transformed into a pavilion, surrounded by green waters. A small lotus flower emerged from the water, showing its sharp petals.
The next moment, the lotus flower bloomed, and a dragonfly, which seemed to have flown in from nowhere, stopped on the edge of the lotus leaf.
It was a vivid depiction of the famous line from Yang Wanli's poem "The Little Pond": "The small lotus just shows its pointed tip, and a dragonfly has already landed on its head."
Sun Zhòngyì couldn't believe it and let out a loud "Wa" in amazement. He looked extremely shocked, not just because of the appearance of a lotus flower, but also because Chen Yun had summoned an immortal crane. The transformation of the vast lake wasn't just amazing or supernatural; it was simply shocking!
Zhang Chengfan finally came to his senses, and the shock in his eyes grew more intense.
Wang Shī Huì and Zhao Kē both stared blankly, not blinking an eyelash.
Even Zhang Gān, who was usually very meticulous, was completely stunned and didn't know how Chen Yun had done it.
The scenery before them was still changing.
Splash! Another lotus flower emerged from the water and bloomed.
Suddenly, the entire lake surface seemed to boil as thousands of lotus flowers burst through the water and bloomed.
In an instant, the scenery of lotus leaves stretching into the sky, endless greenness, and lotus flowers reflecting the sun's rays in a special shade of red filled their eyes!
The divine crane perched on Chen Yun's shoulder let out a loud cry and dived into the lake, causing ripples of green water to spread out in layers.
Even a drop of water splashed onto Sun Zhòngyì's face, and he reached out to touch it. His fingers felt wet and cold, as if the water droplets were really there. He seemed to have realized something, and his face changed abruptly. He walked over to the red column that supported the pavilion and struck it with his hand, making a "bang" sound!
It's true!
Everything here is real!
Sun Zhòngyì couldn't help but swallow hard. Turning his head, he looked at the young Taoist master in front of him with eyes filled with respect and fear, finally realizing what a deity was.
"Such a wonderful scene of good fortune and beauty!" Zhang Chengfan couldn't help but exclaim.
Wang Shī Huì, even more anxious, said, "Sir, please control your divine power."
Wang Shī Huì's change from initially believing Chen Yun was a fraud to now addressing him as "Mr." shows significant transformation.
Not only did Wang Shī Huì's attitude change significantly, but even Sun Zhòngyì, Zhang Chengfan, and Zhao Kē did not show it outwardly, but inwardly, they dared not question Chen Yun at all. They knew very well that the young Taoist master in front of them possessed supernatural powers beyond human imagination.
The group was extremely excited in their hearts. They had long known that immortals existed in this world, but they had never witnessed them in person. Now, an actual immortal stood before them; how could they not be excited?
"Good."
Chen Yun remained calm, and with one finger, he snapped his fingers, causing the pavilion, lotus flowers, and all other scenery before him to collapse.
The scenery before their eyes changed rapidly.
Just like a mirror shattered, all the scenery disappeared suddenly.
A dazzling light shone through.
Zhao Kē, Zhang Chengfan, and the others looked around in confusion and realized they had returned to the deliberation chamber. The dazzling light was coming from the candle flames not far away.
They were having difficulty distinguishing between reality and fantasy.
The moment before, they were still in the pavilion with its thousand-acre pond and numerous towers.
And the next moment, they were back in reality?
Zhao Kē and Zhang Chengfan exchanged a gaze of shock.
It was as if what had just happened was a dream from the Land of Wonders, yet it was so real that they couldn't tell the difference between reality and illusion.
In an instant, everyone looked at Chen Yun standing there with reverence and awe, no longer daring to question him at all.
At the moment, whether it was Sun Zhòngyì, Zhao Kē, or Zhang Chengfan, Wang Shī Huì, they all had but one thought in their hearts: the world truly does have immortals who can instantaneously shift heaven and earth, alter the seasons!
(End of chapter)
