"I saw it with my own eyes. There can be no mistake. The Jadeglow Lotus had already bloomed, its seven-petaled lotus cup fully unfurled, translucent as ice crystals; its stamens glowed with a crimson-gold radiance."
Qing Lian spoke with certainty and continued explaining.
"These past few days, you went to the Human Race Pavilion every afternoon. During that time, under the pretext that my elder sister had asked me to inspect the spirit fields, I investigated each one in turn."
"After searching through most of the spirit fields without finding the Jadeglow Lotus, I had nearly given up hope. I thought there was no Jadeglow Lotus within the Willow Snake Clan, or that it had been planted in some forbidden ground I could not enter."
"The reason I did not come to see you this morning was that only three spirit fields remained unchecked, including the Iridescent Water Spirit Field. I planned to search them all before coming to see you once I had an answer. Unexpectedly, I truly found the Jadeglow Lotus in the Iridescent Water Spirit Field."
"However, the Jadeglow Lotus seemed to be an important treasure of the clan, guarded by sentries. I could not pick it without authorization. I could only take a hurried glance before leaving at once."
After hearing this, unease welled up in Song Wen's heart, and his gaze could not help drifting toward the outside of the cave dwelling.
Fortunately, there were no Willow Snakes outside.
Qing Lian had conducted such a high-profile investigation. Song Wen truly feared that she had already drawn the attention of the Crimson-Scaled King or certain members of the Willow Snake Clan.
"Miss Qing Lian, when you searched the spirit fields one by one, you did not arouse anyone's suspicions, did you?" Song Wen asked.
"Absolutely not.