Chapter 61: The Devil’s Sacrifice (11p1)
As sharp as Helan Duo was, he naturally noticed the moment Yu Jiao began to act abnormally.
After drawing everyone’s attention to the jumping Yuan Cang, Helan Duo stood tall and crane-like, his gaze on her. His pale eyelashes were lowered, his pure and jade-like face slightly composed.
He asked in a low voice, “What’s wrong?”
This proper gentleman’s demeanor, in Yu Jiao’s eyes, was a giant cockroach, baring its fangs and claws as it approached.
“…”
Yu Jiao could even clearly see its brown shell, the spines on its legs, and its slightly moving body segments.
Yu Jiao closed her eyes.
This original husband’s trick to deal with the third party is truly vicious! Now I don’t even want to look at these people.
…No.
Yu Jiao gritted her teeth.
I will not let Yu Fenghe have his way.
She made a quick decision and asked the Helan cockroach for help—
“He’s bothering me again.”
Her voice was light and trembling.
Her long, slender fingers clutched the hem of his clothes, her fingertips tense, a pitiful, pale white against her crimson-rimmed eyes, making her look even more delicate and vulnerable.
No one knew that her face, hidden under the hat, was ashen.
This seemed to be her most difficult performance—she saw the giant cockroach opposite her shake its antennae, as if in puzzlement, its two compound eyes looking at her darkly. Its mouthparts twitched, and it suddenly began to tremble violently. The whole insect suddenly exploded!
Wet, fine, white insect eggs shot out, splattering her all over.
A real, sticky coolness on her skin.
Yu Jiao was stunned. She screamed subconsciously and retreated, unable to dodge.
Her head was buzzing.
Countless intersecting roars exploded in her ears, like the resentful howls of the damned in a hell of slaughter. It was saying:
[You. Are. Courting. Death.]
…She was about to sink.
“Yu Jiao.”
Like a clear, ringing bowl, it tore through the chaos and confusion. A pair of steady hands gripped her trembling shoulders.
“Don’t be afraid.”
His uniquely enunciated voice was like a holy chant, a reassuring maxim: “It’s alright, it’s alright. It’s all an illusion.”
“…”
Yu Jiao gradually calmed down. She smelled a familiar, medicinal fragrance and only then realized that she was half-held in his embrace.
Just as she was about to look up, a long, slender, jade-like hand covered her eyes. His voice was clear and elegant. “Don’t look yet. Leave it to me to solve.”
Helan Duo summoned a servant and gave a few low-voiced instructions.
Yu Jiao let out a heavy breath.
…She had never thought that the worsening illusion would have such a great impact on her mind.
It seemed her plea for help had angered her dead husband. But this just proved the correctness of her decision: Yu Fenghe must be wary of some of his methods.
***
At this moment, many guests were drawn by the commotion.
There, the priest of the Apocalypse Cult was holding the bishop’s wife in a protective posture, his hand pressing her head to his chest. His drooping, complicated robes were like a barrier, completely enclosing the slender woman.
The crowd looked at the two, who were almost embracing, with strange expressions, and they all thought to themselves:
This… Bishop Yu has not been dead for long, has he? And there are so many people here. In such a formal occasion, no matter what the reason, isn’t this a bit scandalous?
Just as they were thinking this, they saw a servant of the Apocalypse Cult bring the Seed of Life. On the tray was also a glittering dagger.
Helan Duo picked up the dagger, his gaze dark as he stared at the blood-red vine. A fat merchant cried out in alarm, “Priest! What are you doing?!”
Helan Duo didn’t answer, but his actions made his intentions clear.
His eyes were nonchalantly lowered, his hand holding the dagger, its blade hovering over the vine.
“Priest, you can’t! The Tree of Life is withering day by day. We are counting on this blood vine, which contains divine power, to nourish its roots.”
At this, the political and business celebrities could no longer sit still. To protect their common interests, they all said:
“That’s right, that’s right. Lord Helan, please put down the knife. Isn’t the point of today’s holy communion to nourish the Tree of Life?”
“This Seed of Life also sprouted and grew under your ceremony. What is your intention in harming it?”
“Does Priest Helan intend to go against the will of my God…”
“Could the Priest have been deceived by the honeyed words of those god-slaying heretics? Could he be about to betray the Apocalypse!?”
Someone spoke without thinking.
All the blame was pointed at Helan Duo.
Helan Duo was still holding her in one arm, the dagger in the other, his expression composed, his bearing elegant.
As leisurely as if he were preparing to cut fruit for his lover.
In the increasingly tense atmosphere, Helan Duo let out a soft laugh and lifted his smiling, clear, mellow eyes. “Everyone, you’ve misunderstood. I do not intend to harm the Seed of Life. In fact, it’s the opposite—”
He raised his voice, his tone righteous. “I am going to bestow vitality upon the weakened Seed of Life, in the hope of awakening the great Tree of Life.”
Hearing this, everyone looked closely, and sure enough, the blood-red vine was limp, looking very withered.
“Does the Priest really have a way?” someone asked with suspicion.
Helan Duo said gently, “Yesterday, it was Madam Yu who went deep into the coffin and moved the true God, which made the Seed of Life sprout and grow. Today, the Madam was once again inspired by the true God and received this message of revival… Does anyone have any objections?”
The corners of his eyes swept over.
The questioner quickly waved his hands. “No, no!”
“Madam Yu is truly worthy of being the bishop’s wife! Amazing, amazing.”
“Hahaha… then it was we who judged a gentleman by our own petty standards.”
“Lord Helan, please forgive us. We were also thinking of the cult. We were just anxious.”
Helan Duo smiled and exchanged a few words with them. “Not at all, not at all. Don’t worry, don’t worry. Leave it to me.”
After successfully dealing with the opposition, Helan Duo’s expression didn’t change. Without a glance at the wicked vine, he raised his hand and ruthlessly stabbed the dagger into it.
With a squish.
“…”
Yu Jiao suddenly felt her body relax, as if something cold and dark had been drawn out.
In contrast, the blood vine, as if a life force had been injected into it by an invisible hand, was shining with a strange, moist, red light.
The people who had been doubtful were now completely at ease, thinking: This Mrs. Yu is truly favored by the true God…
“Now,” in the midst of the numerous devout prayers, Helan Duo leaned in close to her ear and said gently, “you don’t have to worry about that old fool giving you illusions anymore.”
This old fox’s words and actions were always flawless.
Helan Duo paused and sighed, half-sincere, half-false. “It’s my fault too. That day, Yuan Cang and I were so focused on crushing this avatar’s spirit that we didn’t expect him to take the opportunity to slip out a sliver of his soul to harass you. But…”
He couldn’t help but press his lips together and smile, his lips almost brushing against her ear, looking intimate and teasing.
“I’m very curious. In your eyes just now, what kind of ghost did I look like, to have scared you so much?”
Yu Jiao was silent.
She remembered the rotten flesh, the cockroach, and the braised egg.
If she had to say, it wasn’t her subconscious image of the three of them. It was clearly Yu Fenghe’s subjective, malicious display.
Perhaps, in his eyes:
Nie Hongshen = old thing;
Helan Duo = dirty thing;
And Yuan Cang…
The braised egg, which was out of place with the disgusting aura of the other illusions, came to mind. Yu Jiao made a deduction:
Yuan Cang = stupid thing.
***
After telling Helan Duo this deduction, he held a fist to his lips and laughed uncontrollably, not straightening up for a long time.
As if tired from laughing, Helan Duo bent down and rested his chin on her shoulder to catch his breath.
He paused for a moment, then gracefully looked up, his gaze meeting a pair of deep, cold hawk eyes.
Nie Hongshen had been watching for who knows how long.
His dark purple gaze was unwavering. Even after being caught, he did not back down, just held the rim of his cup with his five fingers and took a sip of the bitter wine.
Helan Duo curved his lips and, not backing down an inch, continued this ‘love triangle that the involved party, Yu Jiao, was completely unaware of’—he tilted his head slightly and, while staring at the other man as if in provocation, whispered in her ear.
His posture was almost like they were whispering sweet nothings.
Nie Hongshen’s glass was already empty.
“…”
Yu Bingci, who had been watching the current news, gave a sliver of her attention and commented sharply, “Childish.”
Drip.
Nie Hongshen placed his glass on the table and, at the same time, withdrew his gaze, turning to look at his nominal wife with a smile. “Hmm?”
Yu Bingci took off her plain glasses. “Nie Hongshen, although we had an agreement not to interfere in each other’s private lives, I must say: anyone but her. Don’t provoke her.”
Nie Hongshen raised an eyebrow. “Why?”
Yu Bingci: “Because I like her.”
“…”
Nie Hongshen: “?”
At first, the words were shocking, but thinking that they had come from Yu Bingci, Nie Hongshen was not surprised at all. He asked humbly, “What do you mean?”
—He knew that her “like” had a different meaning.
“You know,” Yu Bingci put her glasses back on. “She’s very much like an old friend of mine.”
—Of course he knew.
Nie Hongshen placed his hands on his knees and leaned back in his chair, closing his eyes to rest. The dim sunlight outlined his deep features, making them look dark and rugged.
The hand that was hidden by his sleeve was slowly turning a string of grey, dusty beads.
After a long moment, just as he thought Yu Bingci had returned to her work, he suddenly heard her say lightly:
“I promised her one thing.”
***