At first, Xu Taiping paid little attention, but once he recognized where the lotus pond lay, his heart jolted. "Isn't that the lotus pond I used to grow Earth Fruit in the Golden Court Inner Grotto-Heaven?"
After confirming that the pond in the image was indeed the one where he grew the Earth Fruit Golden Lotus, Xu Taiping was deeply puzzled.
Why is the Lotus Eye showing me this? he wondered.
But after a brief moment of confusion, Xu Taiping's eyes suddenly lit up.
"I still have three golden lotuses I haven't peeled open. Could the Lotus Eye be reminding me that the way out of this predicament lies within those three Earth Fruit Golden Lotuses?"
The more Xu Taiping thought about it, the more likely it seemed!
He immediately opened his eyes and stood up.
Just then, after holding out for another half a cup of tea's time, Dongfang Yuejian's Ten-Crow Umbrella once again showed signs of cracking and collapsing.
So, upon seeing Xu Taiping rise, she immediately asked for confirmation:
"Daoist Taiping, can you strike with your saber now?"
Although she could keep the Ten-Crow Umbrella open simply by taking another lotus seed, she still could not bear to waste Xu Taiping's lotus seeds like this.
To her surprise, however, Xu Taiping rejected her proposal outright.
"Miss Dongfang, sorry for the trouble, but please hold out a little longer."
As Xu Taiping spoke without even raising his head, he swiftly took a jade box from his ring.
The jade box opened.
Inside lay three golden lotuses that had yet to be peeled open.
At the same time, a fragrance ten times richer than that of ordinary Earth Fruit Seeds spread from the jade box.
This fragrance, mingled with dense spiritual energy, instantly caught Master Xuanzhi's and Dongfang Yuejian's