Quest for Whitelotus

By Erna J. Weissman

Tamara Carter is a professor in world mythology. She never really believed in the supernatural. But Tamara's view soon changes when her husband Valentino went missing in China. When Tamara and her friend Finn go to China to look for him, they discover that Valentino was kidnapped by Gang Jiao-long. He is the demon lord of monsters who is trying to escape the Yaoguai Realm and take over China. To stop him, Tamara has to reunite Whitelotus, a group of magicians that defeated the demon lord before. Will Tamara find her husband? Will she reunite Whitelotus before Gang Jiao-long conquers China? Quest for Whitelotus is the fourth and latest book written by Erna J. Weissman.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Erna J. Weissman
• Release date: Jun 27, 2021
• ISBN: 9798201169039

Book preview

DEDICATION

I’d like to dedicate this book to all who’ve been affected by COVID-19.

CONTENTS

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

I want to thank everyone who read my books. You are the reason why I continue to write. I would also like to thank Ira-Rebeca for designing the book’s cover I hope everyone is doing okay during these crazy times.

Prologue

Twenty miles from Luoyang, a cave lies hidden in a temperate forest. For centuries, this landmark was non-existent to humankind. But all that changed when hikers and nature enthusiasts started noticing it. There have been reports of strange noises coming from the cave. Those who have gone inside the cave found what appeared to be a message in ancient Chinese engraved in one of the walls. It read, Only the dragon’s power can control the world. As for the noises, no one could determine where they’re coming from.

Anyone near or in the cave had heard growls, unintelligible whispers, and laughter. Some even claimed that the voices sounded as if they were coming from inside the wall with the engravings. Authorities never took this seriously despite the paranoid demands for an investigation. They weren’t willing to waste time and resources on something that was by no means a crime. One officer suggested that it’s some prankster using an audio device to play those sounds. However, no prankster or device was ever found. Convinced that the cave is haunted, the public called the cave The Ghost Cave.

One day, Xun Lian, Luoyang’s Museum of Natural History curator, decided to visit The Ghost Cave. Like the police, he was confident that The Ghost Cave was a hoax. To disprove the rumors, the curator chose to explore the cave himself. The plan was to camp out in The Ghost Cave until he hears at least one of the noises. Lian would then get out his phone and catch the culprit red-handed. He carried out his plan the day his museum would be closed. Early that morning, he packed a few things before going to the allegedly haunted cave.

Hours passed, and the cave was dead silent the whole time. As the sun began to set, Lian was about to give up. Before packing up, he stood in front of the words engraved in the stone wall attempting one last guess at the meaning behind the riddle. Lian took out a cigarette as the frustration was getting to him. As he struggled with his lighter, Lian noticed something off about the engravings. When a few sparks escaped from the lighter, the words emitted a dim glow. But when it finally lit up, the faint glow was bright as the sun.

Lian jumped as the wall shifted downward, revealing a doorway to an underground cavern. He turned on his phone’s flashlight, shining a beam of light into the blackness. The inquisitive curator then crept down the stone steps venturing into the unknown territory. The cavern was massive in size. The limestone walls and stalactites glistened as Lian’s flashlight shined onto them. After scanning the area with his source of light, he made another strange discovery.

The cavern was furnished. Lian found a bed, a table, a cauldron, and a large chest. A rolled-up scroll sat upon the table with a melted candle next to it. Lian was about to open the scroll when he heard a low growl. The curator froze in fear upon realizing that the growl came from the opposite side of the cavern. Slowly, he turned around, expecting to see a carnivorous beast. But instead of a wild predator, Lian encountered something he never would’ve anticipated. Two great doors stood before him.

The doors were red and twice Lian’s height. On each door was a bronze knocker sculpted in the form of a dragon-like head. Lian had seen images of many types of dragons in his country’s folklore. But this one looked different from the rest. The horns were curved like a ram’s and the pupils were narrow like a cat’s. Lian studied the knockers, trying to analyze the entity when he heard incoherent whispers. He pressed his ear against the wood listening closely to the murmurs.

There was a mix of Chinese and English dialogues. Lian was fluent in both languages, but that didn’t help in this case. Many voices were overlapping each other, rendering it impossible to make out a single sentence. Lian opened one of the doors just a bit and all whispering stopped abruptly. He paused for a moment, taken aback by the sudden silence. Thinking that he was caught, Lian opened the door all the way, apologizing for eavesdropping. He stopped as soon as he saw what was on the other side.

Inside the doorway was a black wall. Lian stood there in awe, trying to process what he was seeing. When he collected himself, the curator inspected the barrier closer. It was made of what appeared to be some type of igneous rock. The texture looked phaneritic with transparent splotches of red and the feel of it was glassy. Lian was no geologist, but he was confident that such a mineral doesn’t exist.

This is clearly fake. the curator said to himself. He was convinced that the door and everything else in the cavern were props used to create the illusion of a haunted cave. To confirm