Auspicious Lotus Tower: Three Years with Xiangyi

A few days ago, people in the Mysterious Lotus Casebook group were talking about the heartbreaking process of Xiangyi becoming Lotus, and I got so emotionally wrecked QWQ that I decided to write about it... Here are some excerpts from the chat. Yan Lu: I can imagine Li Xiangyi's arrogance and Lotus's caution, but I can't imagine the transformation from Li Xiangyi to Li Lianhua. Yan Lu: It must have been a pain like having your skin and flesh torn apart. Di Jia Anuo: Then slowly smoothing down your own sharp edges. Di Jia Anuo: Watching the flesh heal and scab over. Di Jia Anuo: Hardening into strong armor. Di Jia Anuo: From then on, immune to every poison, letting the past drift away. [Omitted] Di Jia Anuo: I can't imagine how heartbreaking it was for Xiangyi to make it out of the East Sea alone. So here I am, ready to make you cry. While writing, I found myself lost in thought. It suddenly struck me how heartbreaking it must have been for Li Xiangyi, still proud even after being wounded, to have to set aside all his pride just to survive. The process really was like "tearing your own skin and flesh apart, smoothing down your sharp edges, watching the flesh heal and scab over, hardening into strong armor, and from then on becoming immune to every poison, letting the past drift away": a butterfly breaking free from its cocoon.