Chapter 17 Blooming Flower
The sensation Zhao Lingjun received from touching the lotus with his fingers, was like touching the real thing.
Before, Zhao Lingjun had guessed that the Black Lotus was made out of an unknown hard metal. But now, he was baffled, it was as if he was touching a real lotus petal instead of a metal replica.
This kind of sensation, for no intelligible reason, made Zhao Lingjun a.s.sociate it with a memory from his childhood. When he was a child, there was a pond in front of his home with a lotus, the lotus would sway as the light breeze swept across it.
Just as he was reminiscing, the light from the center of the Black Lotus pulsated in ripples, illuminating the room with an obscured vibrance.
“Whats happening now?”
Before he could react, he heard a loud thump, and a black metal box dropped on the ground before him, just a few inches from his leg.
No matter who it was, a black metal box appearing before them would cause them to quiver uncontrollably in fear.
This kind of feeling was more unnerving than a flower pot crashing down and smashing into smithereens from a high rise building just barely inches away.
Zhao Lingjun almost blacked out as he fell to the ground.
To Zhao Lingjun, the scene appearing before him, was just too strange.
Zhao Lingjun was sure that it was caused by a spirit of sort, and everything that just played out before his eyes was a figment of his imagination. It wouldn’t be explainable otherwise, a black metal lotus floating, giving off light, changing its shape, and finally a black box appearing, none of these would happen under normal circ.u.mstances, or even any. Therefore, Zhao Lingjun’s first cause of action was to drag his limp legs, scream for help and hobble out of the apartment. However, just as he was about to put it into motion, he heard an annoyed snarl from below.
“Zhao Lingjun, what are you up to!? If you want to commit suicide by jumping of a building, go to the roof. Why are you jumping around in your bedroom. You don’t want to let us sleep? We still have to work tomorrow, do you not have any sense of social responsibility?”
Zhao Lingjun knew that it was his neighbour from below, Lin Yiren.
Immediately after Zhao Lingjun heard Lin Yiren, he suddenly turned around.
“Was the thump created by the box real, and not my hallucination?”
Coming to the realization that everything may not be a hallucination, Zhao Lingjun couldn’t resist taking another look.
The Black Lotus was calmly hovering over the black box, but the center was no longer exuding its brilliant rays.
“What happened to those vibrant and brilliant rays? Why did they suddenly disappear?” Zhao Lingjun once again couldn’t resist but reached out and poked the floating Black Lotus.[1]
Once his finger grazed the Black Lotus, he hurriedly hopped backwards with his one good leg, in fear of the lotus materializing another box. Even if it didn’t crush him, or flatten his feet, it was still not something to be trifled with.
However, his fears didn’t transpire, and Zhao Lingjun only saw the Black Lotus begin whirling in the air.
He also noticed that the dull and lifeless middle part started to give off light again.
Another pulse of rippling light illuminated the room.
As soon as that happened, Zhao Lingjun felt like he was really going crazy, the black metal box disappeared right in front of his eyes.
Dumb struck, Zhao Lingjun couldn’t accept that such a big thing appeared and disappeared whimsically like a magic trick.
While in a daze, the multicoloured rays of light emitted from the Black Lotus all but disappeared.
After which, the Black Lotus slowly fell from the air, and dropped onto Zhao Lingjun’s bedroom floor, making a ‘ding’ sound.
Zhao Lingjun rubbed his eyes in distraught, almost everything that caused him to be perplexed had all but disappeared.
Only that Black Lotus remained, lying on the floor, unmoving.
When Zhao Lingjun finally apprehensively picked up the Black Lotus, he noticed that the lotus had reverted to its original state, an unbloomed bud. Not only that, but the lotus was ice cold, totally unlike the lifelike feeling he had sensed at the start.
Zhao Lingjun then held it firmly with his left hand, and used his right hand to pull on a petal.
“How come it’s like this?” Zhao Lingjun pondered, unable to figure out how the Black Lotus was able to disa.s.semble itself, and rea.s.semble into a fully bloomed lotus that emitted rays of multicoloured light.
Staring foolishly at the flower, Zhao Lingjun was tempted to see what would happen if he bit the lotus a few times. But considering the lotus unknown origins, and the fact that it was even steeped in sludge and mud for ages, Zhao Lingjun abstained.
After this ordeal, and all his physical exertions, Zhao Lingjun had already broken out in a sweat, and was drenched from head to toe.
The impact from all these things were too much for Zhao Lingjun to handle, and he felt the need to take a calming cold shower.
As the cold water trickled over his head, Zhao Lingjun had a sudden flash of inspiration. As if a hinged door creaked open.
Not even bothering to wipe himself dry, Zhao Lingjun hopped into his bedroom stark naked, still sopping wet.
He was afraid that the Black Lotus would disappear into thin air just like the black metal box.
Thankfully, the Black Lotus was still on the bedside table.
Zhao Lingjun quickly hobbled over to his table and grabbed it.
The Black Lotus as before was still icy cold, however Zhao Lingjun shuddered in excitement.
After taking a deep breath, Zhao Lingjun slowly turned over his palm and loosened his grip.
Released from Zhao Lingjun’s grip, it fell onto the floor. Just as he had imagined, the lotus didn’t make a sound.
The scene of the Black Lotus disa.s.sembling, followed by the petals revolving around the center, then forming a fully bloomed Black Lotus, and finally the myriad of colours exuding from the center of it, once again played out before Zhao Lingjun.
“As expected, it’s like this.” Zhao Lingjun exclaimed exhilarated, as he watched the silent floating Black Lotus.
“What kind of madness befell this b.u.g.g.e.r today?” Lin Yiren also felt that he was pretty unlucky. Not only was he berated by a customer for no reason at all in the morning, he returned home to a apartment with the water supply and electricity cut off, and now, this happened.
Lin Yinren after restoring everything to normal with difficulty, was finally peacefully relaxing, but was interrupted by Zhao Lingjun who lived above. Lin Yinren could hear Zhao Lingjun tossing things around, causing a loud thump earlier, shaking everything like an earthquake, and now, this b.u.g.g.e.r is pounding the ground, jumping around like a monkey.
Lin Yinren really wanted to dash up to his apartment, and ask him why isn’t he walking properly and hopping around like a monkey. But after remembering what Zhao Lingjun experienced today, he sympathised with him, and felt that he too was quite miserable, and let it go.
However, just as he had such thoughts, another loud thump was heard from above, and immediately jumped off his bed in fright.
Seeing the hanging light swaying above, his inner rage erupted, and screamed at the top of his voice. “MLGBD! Zhao Lingjun are you not finished yet!? Do you intend to rip apart your apartment or what!?”
“I’m sorry…” Lin Yiren heard Zhao Lingjun shout from above. “It’s an accident, it won’t happen again.”
“F*ck you. If there is a next time, I will sprint up and slap you to death.” Lin Yiren hollered back as he depressingly climbed back into his bed.