115: Chapter 115 The Ceremony of the Hundred Flowers (Part 2)

On the high platform, Ling Hao turned around.

Chi Wanhe was looking up with her pretty face, gazing at him eagerly, her lively eyes filled with anticipation.

Ling Hao chuckled, plucked a fully bloomed Golden Dawn Red Lotus from the sea of flowers, and refined it with a casual gesture.

The outer petals were a refined, elegant pinkish-white, gradually transitioning inward to a scorching crimson gold. At the center, a spark of brilliant, molten-gold light danced, accentuating Chi Wanhe's radiant face.

Ling Hao gently pinned the flower beside Chi Wanhe's hair bun, his fingers taking the opportunity to affectionately ruffle the top of her head.

Chi Wanhe immediately looked like a satisfied little cat, squinting her eyes as she rubbed against his palm, a smile blooming on her face brighter than the Red Lotus.

"Revered Master, I knew my flower would be the prettiest!" she muttered softly.

Qin Zhaoxue lowered her eyes with a gentle smile, her temperament quiet and serene.

Ling Hao pinned a Warm Jade Hibiscus, suffused with a faint rosy glow, into her hair.

As his fingertips brushed through her soft hair, Qin Zhaoxue looked up, her gentle gaze meeting Ling Hao's, carrying the unique understanding of a Transmigration practitioner and a hint of shyness. She lightly squeezed Ling Hao's palm; everything was understood without words.

Du Yuqing was silent as always. Ling Hao plucked a Profound Gold Narcissus, flowing with dark golden luster, from the fragrant sea of flowers and gently pinned it beside her jet-black hair bun.

Du Yuqing's body tensed for a moment before relaxing. Her eyes were fixed on Ling Hao; there was nothing else in her gaze, only loyalty and devotion that were pure to the extreme.

Lu Changning was so nervous that her little face turned bright red, her fingers twisting the hem of her clothes.

Ling Hao leaned over and pinned a petite, exquisite Pink Jade Lily of the Valley, which emitted a sweet, milky fragrance, into her hair.

His warm breath brushed against Lu Changning's sensitive earlobe, causing her whole body to tremble. Her little head nearly buried itself into her chest as she called out, "Revered Master..." in a voice as thin as a mosquito's buzz, her neck flushing pink with shyness.

Huang Yutong, Qu Qingzhu, and Li Sumei stood side by side, each with her own unique charm.

Ling Hao smiled slightly and plucked three identical, exquisite, translucent Green Heart Peaches from the sea of flowers, pinning them to the temples of the three women. The three women exchanged smiles, bowed gracefully to Ling Hao in unison, their eyes filled with affection.

"Oh my god! The Sect Master has pinned a flower for the Deputy Sect Master!"

"And Senior Sister Chi, Senior Sister Qin, and the others... The Sect Master and the Personal Disciples are also..."

"I'm so envious of Elder Huang and the others! To be personally pinned with a flower and bonded by the Sect Master..."

The Disciples whispered among themselves, their exclamations intertwined with envy.

Ling Hao walked with a calm gait, continuing to pin flowers for the other Core Disciples.

Hua Youyou, dressed in a light cyan gauze dress, was so excited her little face glowed.

Ling Hao pinned a White Snow Magnolia, with dew gathered in its center, for her. When Ling Hao's fingertips brushed her burning cheeks, Hua Youyou was so happy she nearly fainted.

Jiang Wangqing and Jiang Tingyu, the sister pair, stood side by side; one had eyes that darted with natural allure, while the other was dainty, lovely, and full of vitality.

Ling Hao specifically chose Purple Jade Peonies that grew from the same root; one was a deep, enchanting purple, and the other was a vibrant, delicate peach-red, pinning them to the sisters' temples respectively.

While pinning the flowers, his long fingers gently lifted Jiang Wangqing's chin, gazing deeply into her alluring eyes, yet he turned his head to whisper something in Jiang Tingyu's ear, causing her to giggle. Jiang Tingyu even boldly stood on tiptoe and gave a light bite on Ling Hao's earlobe.

Yun Yanran was petite and exquisite. Ling Hao leaned down, plucked a cute and delicate Golden Stamen Verdant Flower from the sea of flowers, and gently pinned it beside her hair bun.

Yun Yanran trembled, her earlobes instantly turning red as if bleeding, and she lowered her head in deep shyness. "Thank you, Sect Master..." That shy appearance was even more pitiable than the flower in her hair.

...

After passing by a hundred people, Ling Hao walked with steady steps and stopped in front of a female Disciple dressed in blue-purple robes.

Name: Zhang Baifeng. Age: 22. Spiritual Root: Heavenly Spiritual Root. Cultivation: Jade Bone Major Achievement. Loyalty: 99.

Ling Hao's fingertips lightly brushed over the sea of flowers, plucking a Green Phoenix Neon Dress flower.

"Baifeng,"

"Today we bond, sharing our hearts and cultivation; are you willing?"

Zhang Baifeng trembled all over.

"Disciple Zhang Baifeng is willing to entrust this life, this heart, this body, and this soul entirely to the Sect Master! I will obey the Sect Master's orders and guard the Sect Master's Dao, without regret even unto death!"

"Good."

Ling Hao's lips curled slightly as he gently pinned the Green Phoenix Neon Dress flower into her meticulously combed hair bun.

Around every Core Disciple who received a flower, sincere blessings from their fellow sisters rang out, and they exchanged knowing looks and shy smiles with one another.

Under a peach tree blooming with flowers, Lin Xiwei stood gracefully, gazing with a complex expression at the radiant Revered Master on the high platform.

She was clutching an ice heart epiphyllum, as cold and white as snow, tightly in her hand. This flower was not from the garden; it was quietly floating in front of her door this morning when she opened it. The moment she saw it, Lin Xiwei's heart was thrown into chaos.

"Fifth Senior Sister,"

Xia Yingying beside her blinked her clear, large eyes and asked curiously, "Will we also become Dao Companions with Revered Master in the future?"

Lin Xiwei came back to her senses, looked at the ice heart epiphyllum in her hand, and whispered:

"I suppose... so."

Her voice carried a hint of confusion.

"Huh, Fifth Senior Sister, where did you pick this flower? It's so pretty! It doesn't look like the ones in the garden."

Xia Yingying was attracted by the unique epiphyllum.

"This..."

Lin Xiwei unconsciously rubbed the cold petals with her fingertips, as if she could still feel the lingering warmth of Revered Master, her earlobes heating up slightly,

"It... it was placed in front of my Immortal Cave door by Revered Master this morning."

"Ah! So it was given by Revered Master!"

Xia Yingying exclaimed in surprise, then felt a bit envious, "Then I also..."

"There aren't any more,"

Lin Xiwei shook her head, casting her gaze back to the figure on the high platform, and carefully tucked the flower in her hand into her bosom, as if treasuring a secret,

"There is only this one."

"Only one..."

Xia Yingying muttered with some disappointment, but looking at Fifth Senior Sister's precious demeanor, she seemed to understand something.

Chi Shuying watched as Ling Hao pinned flowers one by one for Yu Lingshuang, for her own juniors—for other women.

From the full anticipation at the beginning, she was now starting to feel uneasy. Her plump, mature figure stood tall, but deep within her alluring phoenix eyes, a trace of loneliness and bitterness flickered.

She had waited a long time, she—

Just then, she suddenly felt her hair bun grow heavy.

She looked up in astonishment, meeting Ling Hao's handsome face, which was close at hand and filled with a teasing smile.

"My dear Deputy Sect Master, in such a grand ceremony, how could your flower be missing?"

It turned out that an Ink Jade Peony had already been pinned into her cloud-like hair. The petals were thick and a dark purple color, with the edges flowing with a molten-gold luster, setting off her mature charm to be even more breathtaking.

Chi Shuying was stunned for a moment, then smiled like a flower.

As her eyes darted, her allure bloomed; she boldly reached out to hook Ling Hao's palm, her red lips slightly parted:

"Thank you, Sect Master... for your deep affection."

That gaze was enough to melt anyone.

Ling Hao continued to pin flowers for the other Disciples.

"Oh my, Senior Sister Gu is so lucky... Will it be our turn next?"

"When will it be our turn..."

"Don't rush, don't rush, Junior Sister, don't rush yet..."

"Sect Master! Look here! This Disciple is here!"

There were even bolder female Disciples who couldn't suppress the anticipation in their hearts, calling out softly, their cheeks flushed with rosy clouds. Every time a flower was pinned, it stirred up ripples of envy and longing. Whispers filled with envy and anticipation, like the most beautiful accompaniment in spring, lingered amidst the sky full of falling flowers.

I am collecting them all, I feel I should write about the Hundred Flowers Ceremony. After this, I will return to the main storyline. I hope you don't mind the rambling or filler.

Thank you all for your support.

Yun Yanran is the one from the Golden Lotus Workshop who requested Ling Hao's guidance in Chapter 83; I will go back and fix that.