Chapter 96 Why did you summon it...?

Lu Jinlan's eyes widened suddenly in the darkness, and she turned around hesitantly.

The cool moonlight shone through the broken window frame, and she admired his handsome face by the light.

His eyes were closed, but his breathing was slow and hesitant due to nervousness. His long eyelashes trembled slightly, stirring up her heart.

Chi Li waited anxiously, for the first time in his life he had shared a bed with a woman. In fact, when he saw that there was only one bed in the room, he had anticipated this outcome.

Yet he continued on, step by step, watching himself sink deeper and deeper. He knew perfectly well that she only liked his good looks, yet he still dared to defy the sacred commandment and invite her to take liberties with him.

He had no idea what he was doing. He had lost himself, abandoned the principles of being a saint, and was completely captivated by Lu Jinlan's charm, being swayed by her every word and action.

He couldn't imagine whether his closed-eye, expectant look meant to her that he could do whatever he wanted and be at her mercy.

But before the kiss, her warm palms arrived. She gently stroked his cheeks and the hair at his temples, soothing his tense emotions, before placing a tender kiss on his face.

A fleeting touch, a brief and tentative intimacy. This restraint, ironically, made Chi Li feel incredibly honored, completely and utterly immersed in her web of affection.

When Lu Jinlan saw him suddenly open his eyes and they looked at each other, she was momentarily stunned.

She reached out and covered his eyes, giving him a stern warning: "Think carefully. If you're not asleep, it won't be as simple as stealing a kiss."

Chi Li removed her hand, looked into her unfathomable black eyes, and answered firmly, "I've thought it through. I'm awake now, and I'm doing this willingly."

Lu Jinlan gritted her teeth, and the gentle touch turned into a passionate kiss. Chi Li wrapped his arms around her waist, responding awkwardly but enthusiastically.

Lu Jinlan threw off the cumbersome quilt, and the two couldn't wait to roll into the same bed.

The old wooden bed creaked as it was suddenly moved.

A cold wind howled outside the window, but inside the house, everything was vibrant and full of life.

But Lu Jinlan still didn't finish, and Chi Li asked, "Why?"

Lu Jinlan chuckled softly, "Aren't you going home? You should keep your chastity mark, or you'll scare your family crazy."

*

As Lu Jinlan had predicted, the Jiang people searched the city but found nothing, and soon shifted their search focus to the area outside the city.

The checkpoints at the city gate were lifted the next day, and Lu Jinlan hired a carriage to take Chi Li out of the city in a swagger.

The woman was driving the car, while the two of them were whispering sweet nothings to each other inside.

Lu Jinlan rested her head on Chi Li's lap with her eyes closed. "When you were little, did you ever think about what kind of woman you wanted to marry?"

Chi Li smiled slightly: "I've thought about it, but children's ideas are very impractical."

Tell me about it.

“When I was a child, I wanted to marry the best daughter in the world. She must be intelligent, brave, and skilled in both literature and martial arts. Most importantly, she must be good to her husband and understand the hardships of pregnancy and childbirth.”

Lu Jinlan laughed and said, "Aren't you describing me? I understand the hardships of pregnancy the most. If I'm not considered both scholarly and martial, you won't find another woman in these surrounding countries who is both scholarly and martial."

Chi Li smiled and smoothed the stray hairs by her temples. "That's right. With Lu Hou's abilities, he can be called a peerless talent, a rare find in the world."

Lu Jinlan asked with a smile, "Then you don't want to marry me?"

Chi Li was taken aback. "I've never thought about it, I dare not think about it, I dare not even hope for it."

Lu Jinlan slightly opened her eyes, catching a glimpse of the sadness in his eyes, and then took his hand, "Why do you say that?"

Chi Li said dejectedly, "Lord Lu is young and promising, and I... I am already married and no longer young. I am really not worthy of him."

"Nonsense! You're only twenty-eight, you look like you're in your early twenties, how can you not be young? Besides, your marriage to the Emperor of Jiang has no real marriage, it doesn't count at all. If you marry me, I will treat you well."

Looking into Lu Jinlan's burning gaze, Chi Li's heart wavered. "You...you really want to marry me?"

"Really? You don't believe me?"

Chi Li was silent for a moment, then said, "I don't know. I heard from the border that you act strangely and rarely tell the truth."

Lu Jinlan smiled. "The news isn't false, but that's battlefield tactics. Warfare is all about deception and strategy; you wouldn't understand even if I explained. I don't tell the truth much on the battlefield, but I rarely lie in bed. You're a man, and this doesn't involve matters of national importance, so why would I lie to you?"

Chi Li pursed her lips. "But, if you marry me, it might bring you a lot of trouble."

Lu Jinlan smiled, "One of my skills is that I am good at solving problems. Haven't you heard the saying? A woman's greatest charm is her ability to solve problems. How could a woman as famous for her charm not be able to solve your problems? Marrying me will only bring benefits and no harm. Think about it carefully."

Chi Li remained silent for a long time. Lu Jinlan was almost asleep in the swaying carriage when Chi Li suddenly said, "Tell me about your husbands."

Lu Jinlan hummed in response, then asked groggily, "Why are you asking about them?"

Chi Li's face flushed, and she stammered, "If I... if I marry you, we'll all be living under the same roof. I need to know if they're easy to get along with."

Lu Jinlan's eyes lit up, and she immediately sat up. "Then I'll tell you all about it."

They talked from day to night, and when they rested at the inn that night, lying in bed, Chi Li kept asking her, "So, you gave each of them a white jade hairpin?"

"Yes, my husband has them."

"Is that hairpin... pretty?"

"Isn't that what a hairpin looks like?" Lu Jinlan noticed his longing eyes and suddenly realized, "You want one too? They're all at home. Come back to Shenjing with me, and I'll give them to you."

Chi Li nodded. "Shall we still go to my house?"

“Go, you’re coming back to Huaguo with me. You won’t see your family again. Go say goodbye, so that when news comes from the palace, they won’t think something bad has happened to you and worry about you.”

"Okay, I'll do whatever you say. When we get back to your manor, I'll be your most considerate servant and cook you three meals a day. Even though you already have many children, we'll have our own children too."

Lu Jinlan sensed something was amiss in what he was saying. He opened his eyes and saw the crimson poisonous centipede standing on the blanket in front of him, listening to his "mother and father" talking.

Lu Jinlan sighed helplessly, "Why did you summon it?"

Chi Li said, "We're so close, and you carry my scent. It knows you're its master too. It's very smart and will obey like a child. Why don't you give it a name?"

Lu Jinlan swallowed hard, looking embarrassed. "I...I still prefer children in human form."

But she glanced at the poisonous centipede that suddenly turned its head to look at her, and fearing that it might understand, she quickly explained, "Don't misunderstand, I didn't mean to dislike you."

She said to Chi Li, "Quickly put it away, let's all get some rest. I'll visit your house tomorrow, we need to hurry on our journey."

The next day, upon arriving in Fancheng, one could see followers of the Holy Church everywhere on the streets. The shops along the street sold colorful clothing and accessories belonging to the Meizu people.

Lu Jinlan whispered, "Your clothes are so brightly colored? I thought they were only white."

Chi Li, wearing a veiled hat, laughed and said, "It's just that I like white. But you're really strange. You know I like white, yet you bought me so many brightly colored clothes. Especially that red one. It's not like I'm a groom; who would wear something so eye-catching?"

Lu Jinlan chuckled, "I was just messing with you back then, to see if you'd wear it or not. But you'd definitely look good in red."

Lu Jinlan then asked the shop owner, "What do you sell best here?"

The shopkeeper smiled and said, "Naturally, it's a painting with the image of a saint, which is believed to protect the home from all poisons."

The shopkeeper held up a portrait of Chi Li and asked Lu Jinlan, "Take a look, isn't my Holy Son incredibly handsome?"

Lu Jinlan glanced back and nodded with a smile, "Not bad, but the portrait doesn't do him justice."

Chi Li felt embarrassed by her gaze and quickly pulled her away, saying, "Let's go."

Passing through the bustling city, less than ten miles outside the city, there is a temple dedicated to the Holy Man.

The two hadn't originally intended to go in, but upon hearing the mournful cries coming from inside the temple, they curiously followed the sound and went in.

The main hall of the temple houses a statue over ten feet tall. Upon closer inspection, Lu Jinlan realized it was Chi Li.

She finally understood why there were no statues of gods on the altar in Chi Li's room when she first met him.

It turns out that their holy god is the Holy Man, and those incense sticks are for worshipping himself.

Inside the temple, there were dozens of believers, and a dozen middle-aged mothers and fathers holding their dying children, weeping and kowtowing in prayer before the statue of the god.

Lu Jinlan saw that the children were about seven or eight years old, their faces ashen and unconscious, clearly poisoned.

Only after asking those nearby did they learn that the children had wandered into the training grounds of the Meizu while playing together, and had been bitten by venomous snakes, their lives hanging by a thread.

The person next to him sighed, "Alas, we have already sent someone to invite the Elder of the Demon Clan, but they are too deeply poisoned. I'm afraid even if the Elder comes, she won't be able to help them."

Another person said, "If the Holy Man were here, his red centipede would surely be able to suck the poisonous blood."

Lu Jinlan pulled Chi Li aside, "Can you save the children?"

"able."

Do you want to save them?

"I want to. But..." Chi Li hesitated, "If my identity is exposed, can we still escape?"

Lu Jinlan frowned and thought for a moment, then said, "I've got it! Come closer."

*

The believers in the main hall were quietly comforting the families when someone suddenly said, "It's no use just waiting like this. I've heard that if you kowtow three times, close your eyes tightly, and sincerely recite 'Please, Holy Man, appear' three times, the Holy Man will appear with his divine centipede to save the dying and heal the wounded."

These words were, of course, spoken by Lu Jinlan, and the people around her looked at her in surprise.

Everyone's asking, "Is it true?"

Before Lu Jinlan could answer, an elder frowned and said, "Don't talk nonsense! The Holy Man is far away in the Imperial Palace in the capital. How could he manifest his power? I have been in the sect for more than forty years and have never heard of the Holy Man being able to manifest his power."

Lu Jinlan thought to herself: Your religion used to worship living gods, and now you're talking about objectivity and materialism?

She quickly adapted to the situation and continued to deceive people from a practical perspective: "That's because the previous Holy Man was no good. The current Holy Man is naturally gifted. I heard that he has nothing to do in the palace, but he cares about his followers, so he has learned the art of manifestation so that he can help everyone anytime, anywhere."

The elder was skeptical. "When did this happen? I've never heard of it before. What year did you join the church? How do you know so much at such a young age?"

Lu Jinlan: "I heard about this when I was in Shangdu. If you don't believe me, that's fine. I don't think you want to save anyone anyway."

The family members were crying so hard they were almost breathless. They quickly said, "We believe! We believe! We're willing to try anything to save our child."

Lu Jinlan hurriedly said, "Then let's all pray together. The more people there are and the more sincere we are, the more likely it is to be answered."

No one knew whether it was true or false, but since she spoke in a very convincing manner and there were family members pleading beside her, they all knelt down and kowtowed.

Lu Jinlan took the opportunity to step aside and grabbed a handful of incense ash from the incense burner.

Just as everyone chanted "Please, Holy Man, manifest your power!" three times in unison, they heard Lu Jinlan shout, "The Holy Man has manifested his power!"

Everyone opened their eyes and saw dust slowly falling from the sky; they all squinted.

In a daze, he saw the holy man holding a blood-red poisonous centipede in his palm, sitting upright on the table, and said in a deep voice: "Put the wounded down, and the rest of you retreat outside the hall."

The hall was filled with gasps of shock; everyone was stunned.

Lu Jinlan urged, "Quickly put the child down and everyone get out of here. The Holy Man has limited time and will be leaving soon."

Everyone then seemed to wake from a dream and scrambled out of the hall.

Lu Jinlan was the last to leave, winked at Chi Li, and closed the palace door.

"Go away! Everyone stay away, you can't look, or it won't work."

Lu Jinlan chased everyone outside the temple and secretly peeked through the crack in the door.

The venomous centipede was incredibly agile. It would first bite the wrist of one injured person to suck their venomous blood, then move on to another injured person and bite their wound. Perhaps due to severe poisoning or other unusual circumstances, the centipede would sometimes even enter the mouth of one of the injured.

Lu Jinlan frowned as she watched. A moment later, Chi Li withdrew the poisonous centipede, nodded to her, and went out through the back door.

Lu Jinlan hurriedly shouted, "The Holy Man has disappeared! The miracle is over!"

The family members rushed in and saw that the child inside had woken up and was crying for food. Overjoyed, they wept and began to kowtow and pray, saying, "Thank you, Holy Man, for your miracle!"

Lu Jinlan pursed her lips and walked out of the hall, brushing past several Meizu people.

An old woman sniffed and stared blankly at her retreating figure.

Lu Jinlan met up with Chi Li behind the temple. Chi Li laughed and said, "You really have a way with people. My followers actually believed it. However, this matter will definitely get out."

Lu Jinlan laughed and said, "It would be even better if word got out, making you sound like a god. That emperor wouldn't dare to arrest you and take you back. If you disappear from Jiang Kingdom in the future, people might think you've ascended to heaven. But in that case, you'd better not go home. Once you show your face, you won't be able to hide it."

Chi Li nodded. "Okay, now that this has happened, my family shouldn't be worried about me anymore. Let's go."

Lu Jinlan calculated the days and said, "The timing is perfect. We can bypass Yezhou City, take the back roads, and cross the desolate forest between Jiang and Qu Kingdoms. We can reach Hua Kingdom's territory before the full moon."

Upon hearing this, Chi Li panicked and exclaimed, "We absolutely must not take that road!"

"Why?"

"That desolate forest is where our ancestors of the Mei clan passed away, and it is also the burial ground for many clan elders after their death. That forest is very eerie, and none of us Mei clan members dare to enter it easily. Every year when we worship our ancestors, the elders must lead the way so that everyone can leave unscathed."

"To prevent tomb raiding, many poisonous traps have been set up in the forest. Ordinary people would surely die if they went in. Even I don't know how many traps are inside. We absolutely cannot take this route."

Lu Jinlan said worriedly, "If that's the case, we need to think of another way quickly. If I can't get back before the full moon, my friends will come looking for me in the forest. Wouldn't that be very dangerous for them? Let's go, let's go into Yecheng immediately and find a way to get out of the pass."

Just as Lu Jinlan was about to leave with Chi Li, she suddenly heard someone shout sternly from behind: "Chi Li, you stop right there!"

Lu Jinlan frowned, turned around, and saw that the person speaking was the old woman who had brushed past her in the temple.

Lu Jinlan said rudely, "Who are you? How dare you speak to the Holy Man like that?"

Looking back, she saw that Chi Li was already kneeling down. She tugged at her clothes and whispered, "This is my mother."

Lu Jinlan: "..."