The Golden Lotus Bearing Witness to the Dao—this kind of anomaly only manifested when one had comprehended the Great Dao and was advancing to a higher realm, or when one’s body carried such pure and righteous great merit that Heaven itself would descend with an anomaly to affirm and reinforce the path.

Such anomalies might take the form of a golden lotus appearing, violet energy floating forth, or celestial blossoms blooming open. Yet these phenomena existed only in legends—or rather, the founding ancestors of the Xuan Clan had once recorded them, but those records dated back at least two hundred years.

In these past two hundred years, when had there ever been such an anomaly as the Golden Lotus Bearing Witness to the Dao?

And yet now, a golden lotus hung suspended above Lang Jiuchuan’s head, gleaming brilliant gold—perfectly clear and visible to every eye present. Before the gate of Marquis Kaiping’s manor, all fell silent. Every gaze fixed upon that enormous nine-petaled golden lotus in stunned awe.

“Heaven has sent down an anomaly—the Golden Lotus Bears Witness to the Dao! Who dares speak of evil? She is not a demonic entity at all—she is purer and more righteous than any of you!” Someone among the common people let out a shout that no one could identify.

The people of Marquis Kaiping’s manor were overcome with excitement. This was now settled. With an anomaly like this, who would dare say another word against the Lang Family? As for the young unmarried masters and mistresses of the household—matchmakers would likely wear a groove into the manor’s doorstep from this day forward.

Cui Shi, supported by the arms of the maidservants, stared blankly at Lang Jiuchuan standing beneath the golden lotus. Tears rolled down her cheeks.

Daoren Zhishang and the others had gone deathly pale. They looked at Lang Jiuchuan—who remained with her eyes closed, seemingly entirely unaware of the anomaly around her—their expressions complex and unreadable.

Any semblance of face they had left was finished.

Gong Qi, meanwhile, glanced sideways at Lang Jiuchuan in astonishment. Surely not—in the midst of a situation like this, she had still managed to enter a state of enlightenment, and had even summoned forth an anomaly. Just what had she comprehended?

It was when Xue Shi and the others had stepped forward to protect her that Lang Jiuchuan had suddenly understood what the Dao was—what conviction a holder of the Dao must carry in their heart, and what the Dao itself was shaped by that heart. It could strike down the evil and protect the common people. Act well, and one receives good fruit; act with malice, and one receives karmic consequence.

She smiled quietly.

She opened her eyes. Their depths held a complete and settled serenity. She looked toward Daoren Zhishang and the others, her expression filled with a supreme contempt: “Now then—does anyone still wish to purge evil and defend the Dao?”

The crowd: “…”

Had anyone looked at what that golden lotus above her head represented? Who would still dare speak of evil?

“This was… actually all a misunderstanding…” Daoren Zhang, cradling the shattered remains of his whisk, squeezed out an ingratiating smile.

Lang Jiuchuan let out a cold laugh. “Do not mention misunderstandings again. You have tarnished my name today, and you owe me an accounting. Third Imperial Prince—what do you think?”

She looked toward Tantai Cong. The latter stared blankly at the spot where the golden lotus had just vanished, and when he met her gaze, he gave a violent shudder, his lips trembling. Not a single word could be forced out.

No one moved.

The face that had grown even more luminously beautiful in the wake of her just-attained enlightenment turned cold. They truly were not taking her seriously!

Daoren Zhishang drew a slow, deep breath. He stepped forward, clasped his hands together in a Daoist salute, and said: “The claim that you are a demonic entity—I admit it was rash of this poor Daoist, without verification, and fell short of fairness. Yet I still hold to the hexagram I divined.”

She would bring turmoil to the Great Dan.

“By your logic, because of a hexagram that has yet to come to pass, I should slit my own throat before the court while the world is still at peace?” Lang Jiuchuan fired back with a sardonic retort.

Daoren Zhishang said nothing. He knew that whatever he said would be without reason.

He dared not say it—but some did.

Tantai Cong spoke up: “You should be placed under the supervision of the imperial family—no, under the Surveillance Bureau. If you bring chaos to the common people, you will be executed on the spot… Ahh!”

“You have some nerve!” Lang Jiuchuan hurled her coin sword at him. The blade did not close the distance between them—it stopped a foot from his face—yet the sword energy drew two lines of blood along the corners of his mouth!

Blood streamed down from the corners of Tantai Cong’s lips.

Tantai Cong let out a shriek of pain, clutching his mouth as he stared at Lang Jiuchuan in a mixture of shock and rage. How could she dare? His surname was Tantai—was she not afraid that he would deal with the Lang Family?

Gong Qi shook his head. Fanning the flames. Why provoke her? This person, when she went unhinged, paid no attention to your identity or rank.

He cast a disdainful glance sideways. This Third Imperial Prince had a modest measure of spiritual roots and had entered his clan to study Daoist techniques—knowing a few simple divination arts made him act as though he was superior to every other prince and princess. With the added weight of his status behind him, he had always looked down on everyone around him. Now that he had been chosen to wed into an alliance with the young master of the Rong Family, he was practically ready to ascend to the heavens with self-importance.

Yet he had not anticipated the man being this foolish. The divination arts he had learned were probably stumbled upon by luck. It seemed the Tantai Family was using him as nothing more than breeding stock—hoping he could be paired with the young master of the Rong Family to produce an offspring with a good foundation in the Dao!

The contempt in his tone was fully apparent as he spoke: “Third Imperial Prince, the Surveillance Bureau oversees cases of strange and supernatural occurrences, and also handles those who use Daoist techniques to harm ordinary commoners. We would not place someone under supervision when they have done nothing wrong. If cultivators of the Dao were to be monitored simply for being practitioners, then all fellow Daoists present should be placed under surveillance as well—and I trust none of you would wish to have your every move watched by us.”

That went without saying—no one could guarantee they had committed not a single error. They might claim they would never use their techniques to harm ordinary people, but if they encountered a genuine evildoer and chose to mete out punishment, that was hardly something that needed to be made public knowledge, was it?

Tantai Cong’s entire face was covered in blood. “She struck and injured me—are you all blind? Did none of you see?”

“You spoke out of turn. Furthermore, was it not you who led people to surround this manor in the first place? Speaking of injury—could it be that Lang Daoist friend was engaged in a contest of techniques with you, and you simply lost?” Gong Qi offered mildly. “After all, it was sword energy that injured you. And we all watched—that sword never even came near your body.”

Inferior skill—who is there to blame but yourself?

Tantai Cong: “!”

Gong Qi—was he too disregarding him, simply because of the Gong Family’s backing?

“You, all of you…” He was so furious that his wound split open further, blood flowing quickly down to stain his collar. He had no choice but to step to the side and let his attendants apply medicine, yet his gaze—filled with bitter malice—remained fixed on Lang Jiuchuan without wavering.

Gong Qi looked toward Daoren Zhishang and the others. “Since it was you who came to condemn someone without verifying the facts, it is only right to offer Lang Daoist friend an apology. Or—shall we have a proper contest of techniques with Lang Daoist friend?”

Someone looked at Lang Jiuchuan, who stood with her hands clasped behind her back, stepped forward, and cupped their hands in a bow: “My Daoist ability is shallow and my learning incomplete. I have tarnished Lang Daoist friend’s name—I apologize.”

The rest, whether willingly or not, all followed with their own bows of apology. Only Daoren Zhishang remained silent—though his gaze never left Lang Jiuchuan, as though he wished to see through every layer of pretense she might wear.

Gong Qi said: “Now that the misunderstanding has been cleared, I ask that all parties refrain from repeating rumors and spreading falsehoods. We who cultivate the Dao understand better than anyone the karmic consequences that the debt of speech brings.”

“Gong Daoist friend’s words are absolutely right.” The crowd bowed their heads in shame one after another.

Gong Qi turned to look at Lang Jiuchuan. “Lang Daoist friend—we are all fellow Daoists. Shall we consider this matter laid to rest?”

Lang Jiuchuan gave him a look that was half a smile, and the bearing she carried eased somewhat, though the coin sword still hung at her side, its Pressure Aura undiminished.

She swept a cold gaze across the assembled faces and said: “Whoever wishes to harm me must be prepared to bear the price. Whoever seeks to kill me—I will kill in return. This has nothing to do with whether I am demonic or evil. It is simply who I am—I repay every grievance in full. That I have not killed a single person here today is not out of fear of any of you. It is because you are beneath my contempt. But should there be a next time—”

Her words paused for a moment, her gaze cutting like a blade: “Those who treat me with kindness—I shall return kindness. Those who treat me with malice—I shall return malice in full.”