Chapter 74: The Devil’s Sacrifice (24p2)
After Fu Sheng had cleaned up the [larva] and had left, Yu Jiao immediately rolled over and, after properly putting away the dream device that Fu Sheng had left behind, she lay back on the bed and, in her mind, perfected her plan to ‘play with Nie Hongshen in the dream’. Her consciousness gradually grew hazy… She was too tired.
Soon, she had completely fallen into a dream.
After her breathing had stabilized, a gentle blue light suddenly flashed in the mechanical small lantern that was hanging from the ceiling. Then, a mechanical arm silently extended, pulled the blanket open, and gently covered Yu Jiao.
—If a second person had been present, they would have been horrified to realize: the AI butler, who had always followed orders, had not followed the command to activate privacy mode.
It was moving freely.
The temperature and humidity in the room were considerately adjusted to a suitable sleep mode, and a faint, calming incense was burning in the incense burner.
Yu Jiao, who was completely unaware of this, nuzzled the blanket in her sleep.
…
“Madam, wake up. It’s time to prepare for the Metal Sun Day memorial service.”
Yu Jiao was helped up from the bed by Fu Sheng, her eyes still heavy with sleep.
She yawned and glanced at the incense burner, a little taken aback: she clearly remembered smelling a calming incense in her half-asleep state, but why was the incense burner so clean?
Fu Sheng wouldn’t have bothered to clean such a trivial detail during the busy preparations for the memorial service, would she?
The thought flashed through her mind, and she didn’t think about it anymore. Her head was muddled as she threw herself into the preparations for the memorial service.
“…”
Under Fu Sheng’s care, she put on a light memorial service dress. On her ears, neck, arms, waist, and ankles were all exquisite gold ornaments. When she walked, they jingled, a crisp, distant, and strange sound.
It made her look like a walking gold ornament display rack.
Finally, with a veil that covered her face completely, she had completely become an expensive “sacrifice,” about to be sent into a coffin.
Apocalypse Cult Memorial Ground
A vast, grand venue, all snow-white as far as the eye could see. The white gauze that was draped over the grotesque sculptures was fluttering, like pale, mourning white paper.
The devout followers, who had already dedicated their bodies to the god, were wearing wide, white robes. The guests, who had only dedicated their faith to the god, were wearing black and white outer robes.
In a desolate, black and white world, the glittering gold color was dazzling, like a sun in a chaotic world.
The sound of metal clashing echoed, distant and ethereal, in the vast space. From afar, a person, as graceful as a goddess, was approaching.
The ornaments on her memorial service dress were all made of [shining gold]. As she walked, the “divine power” contained within them silently affected the people, making them feel as refreshed as if a cool breeze had brushed past them.
“…”
Helan Duo, who was checking the guest list and the memorial service procedure under the coffin, paused and looked up at the woman who was walking towards them. He only glanced at her, then lowered his head and continued to work, like a wandering soul, unable to look directly at the sun.
“Stay.”
He said, without looking up.
“Tsk.”
An impatient click of the tongue came from the side.
“Yuan Cang, if you don’t want to be the Holy Son, you can give it to me.”
Helan Duo said coolly, his voice as gentle as ever. “Do you know what it means to be in one’s position and to carry out one’s duties? eleven, explain it to him.”
“No need.”
Yuan Cang waved his hand impatiently and said sarcastically, “After all, I’ve been listening to you for eleven years.”
Helan Duo closed the register and smiled. “How surprising. I thought you wouldn’t learn your lesson until you died. After all, an idiot like you, the moment you see the Madam, you’re like a bone-seeking—”
—Dog.
He suddenly paused, his smile gradually fading.
He lowered his head with a blank face and adjusted his already-impeccably-straight name tag, saying nothing more.
“What’s wrong with you?”
Yuan Cang raised an eyebrow. “You’re very strange today. Like a firecracker, you exploded halfway and then went out.”
Helan Duo slapped a screen with the memorial service ritual on it into his arms. “Don’t mind me. Just do your own thing. Because of the deal with Nie Hongshen, the details of this memorial service are different from before. You should check it again.”
***
At the same time.
“Hey!”
A coquettish shout.
Yu Jiao paid it no mind.
“Stop!”
The spoiled, arrogant young woman angrily blocked her path. Her cheeks were puffed out, and her hands were on her hips. She looked like a firecracker, about to explode.
Yu Jiao stopped, and the sound of metal clashing gradually faded.
She curiously looked at Jiao Baishuang’s wide skirt and wondered: I wonder if she can pull a long knife out of her ladylike skirt this time.
“What are you looking at!”
Jiao Baishuang said, annoyed.
Yu Jiao shook her head. “Do you need something?”
Jiao Baishuang proudly crossed her arms and lifted her chin. “You were kidnapped by the Resistance, and my Jiao family also contributed to that sky-high ransom—my mother was so tired from running around, collecting the ransom for you, that she fell ill.”
As she spoke, she glared at Yu Jiao.
Yu Jiao was taken aback and said softly, “Thank you, and I’m sorry.”
Jiao Baishuang choked.
She wrinkled her face and angrily walked over, suddenly grabbing Yu Jiao’s hand. “At least you have a conscience… No! Do you think a few words can make my mother healthy again! That’s too easy!”
To outsiders, it was another scene of a catfight, and the crowd watched with great interest.
But Yu Jiao, who was at the center of the drama, paused.
—In the chaos, Jiao Baishuang had put something in her hand.
In her ear, the young woman’s suppressed, displeased whisper sounded:
“My mother asked me to secretly give this to you. Keep it safe. Hmph.”
After helping Yu Jiao hide it, Jiao Baishuang immediately turned on her, pushed her away, and, with a tense face, she left, her head held high, and she said harshly, “This time, it’s because we’re in your territory, and you have the advantage. Next time we meet, I won’t be so polite! Just you wait!”
Amidst the pointing and whispering of the crowd, Yu Jiao secretly clenched her fist and, with a look of humiliation, she made an excuse to go to the restroom. When no one was around, she opened her hand—
It was a bracelet.
It was made of five round beads, and each bead was wrapped in a transparent, thin film: archaic wood, shining gold, fiery red stone, and water and fire. It looked very strange.
It seemed they were all products of the divine landforms, corresponding to the five sun days.
Though Yu Jiao didn’t know the meaning of this move from Madam Jiao, whom she had only met once, it should be beneficial to her.
After putting away the bracelet, Yu Jiao pushed open the restroom stall door, but she saw that the room was filled with smoke. A tall, thin person was leaning against the sink, smoking, like a twisted, withered tree.
A dark, quiet glance.
Yu Bingci.
She had come to find her as promised.
She was still wearing a formal suit, and her face was tired and bored, as if she had just come from a meeting to attend the memorial service.
“Jiao Baishuang secretly gave you something?”
Before Yu Jiao could answer, she was holding a cigarette. “That kid’s acting is too bad. Anyone who knows her can see it.”
Her tone changed. “Is it the Five Elements Bracelet?”
Yu Jiao hesitated for a moment.
Yu Bingci flicked the ash from her cigarette. “You don’t have to worry. That thing was given to the Jiao family by my brother before he went mad. I naturally know a little about it.”
Yu Jiao walked to her side and, with one arm, sat on the sink. She took out the bracelet and asked in a natural tone, “Then do you know what this is for?”
Yu Bingci: “I don’t know.”
Yu Jiao was silent. She turned her head and asked, “Then the thing you wanted to tell me is about your brother… going mad?”
She paused and added, “Or rather, being possessed by a monster.”
“…”
Yu Bingci’s hand paused, and the ash fell.
Her ice-blue eyes, like a still frame, slowly turned and met Yu Jiao’s calm gaze.
She raised her hand and took a drag from her cigarette. “You already know.”
Yu Jiao nodded, then shook her head. “Not really.”
She explained, “On the Wood Dark Day, I happened to stumble into the dream Nie Hongshen had prepared for Helan Duo. In it, I played Jiao Hongyue and received your message.”
A sigh.
Yu Bingci exhaled a cloud of white smoke and a sigh at the same time, her gaze gradually growing distant:
“Alright, let me think. Where should I start… let’s start from the beginning.”
“…”
“Though Yu Fenghe and I were born a year apart, we are actually identical twins. We were neighbors in a petri dish for several months. In terms of various data, he was a little healthier, so he was chosen by Mother to be the eldest and to be raised as the heir.”
“Because we are twins, we are very similar in many aspects, and we also have a certain telepathy. So, when he fell in love with you, oh, no, with Jiao Hongyue, I also had a vague feeling.”
As she spoke, a smile appeared in her ice-blue eyes, and she glanced at Yu Jiao. But her expression was still indifferent and cold.
“At that time, he was not yet the esteemed Bishop Yu, but the legitimate heir of the Yu family.”
Yu Bingci paused and sneered:
“One day, he suddenly told me: because Jiao Hongyue is the reincarnation of the saintess, to be worthy of her, he wants to become the next bishop of the Apocalypse Cult.”
“…”
Yu Jiao was a little surprised.
“Actually, I could still understand it up to this point. I even supported it,” Yu Bingci let out a very light laugh. “After all, at that time, I was secretly hoping that Mother would be completely disappointed in him and give the heir’s position to me.”
Yu Jiao saw a nostalgic, sarcastic look on her cold, stern face.
The cigarette between her two fingers was about to burn out. She looked down at the glowing ember. “And I knew very well that converting to the Apocalypse was just a means to an end for him. He had never believed in the so-called gods.”
“…”
“However…”
Yu Bingci closed her eyes. “On the day the old bishop died, he suddenly told me—”
…
“I have felt the call of the gods.”
“…Yu Fenghe, are you insane? You’ve recited the Holy Bible so much you’ve actually deceived yourself?”
“Just think of me as insane. Bingci, take care of Mother and Hongyue for me. I’m preparing to lead a team deep into the earth’s core, the very center.” The young voice paused, as if afraid of disturbing something, and his voice was heavy and slow. “There… is the palace of the gods.”
“…”
He closed his eyes, his hand on his rapidly beating heart. A faint smile appeared on his usually cold, stern face:
“The gods told me that Hongyue is really the saintess. One day, she will bring dawn to this benighted land… I am going to retrieve the glory bestowed by the gods. Then, I can become her priest, her saint, her divine official, and assist her.”
…