101: Carriage

Outside the carriage, a cacophony of voices filled the air.

When you get close enough, you can even hear what the people are saying.

It's nothing more than the words of those fanatical believers who worship the Holy Son.

Inside the carriage, the boy, covered in cold sweat, knelt trembling on the wooden plank, his body stiff.

In fact, even before getting into the carriage, Huaiyan had already anticipated that if the man knew about this...

They will definitely be furious.

Most importantly, Huaiyan did not offer much resistance at the time.

A man will seize on this one point and use it to settle accounts with him.

Now that retribution has come knocking, Huaiyan is actually relieved.

At least, you don't have to live in constant fear.

The boy lowered his head and slowly moved his knees toward the man.

"Father, Father God..." the boy's voice was soft as he clutched the man's clothes, his expression pitiful, "I was wrong, I was wrong..."

This is a trick that teenagers often use.

Whether it's towards Wolf Green and his group, or towards Father God.

Every time he acts cute, the other person's attitude softens and changes immediately.

So the young man tried to use the same trick again to win the man's pity.

"No whining allowed."

Unfortunately, the Father God clearly didn't buy into that.

The man looked down at the boy, lifted his chin, and said coldly, "Baby, you knowingly did it."

She knew perfectly well that if she didn't resist, she would anger him.

The boy, however, seemed to be defying him, ignoring Lang Qing and his gang's attempts to harass him.

"No, I wasn't being coquettish..." Tears streamed down his chin, landing on the wooden board, and the boy's nose turned slightly red. "Please don't be angry, okay?"

The man paused for a moment, his face darkening.

He felt like he was going crazy with anger at this little brat.

Taking advantage of her ability to act cute, she deliberately avoided his questions and refused to answer them.

"Can't I..."

"Can't."

Before Huaiyan could finish speaking, the man cruelly interrupted her.

Don't try to get away with it.

Getting close to Lang Qing and his group comes at a price.

Seeing that the man was on the verge of anger, Huaiyan wisely kept quiet.

Listen to the voices outside the carriage praising His Majesty the Holy Son.

The inner world of Huaiyan is particularly complex.

Who would have thought that His Highness the Holy Son, who was second only to the emperor?

He was in the carriage, receiving punishment from God the Father.

-

"Oh no—"

073 rested her chin on her hand, looking at Huaiyan with pity, "You got into such a big mess the moment I was gone."

He hadn't expected the Father God's wrath this time.

It far exceeded expectations.

“It’s normal,” the boy said weakly. “He’s angry.”

The man was angry that the man knowingly committed the crime, and angry that the man did not resist.

He was clearly a saint, beloved by all.

But we are at their mercy, like fish on a chopping board.

In the carriage, during the latter half of the journey, Huaiyan clearly sensed the man's anger.

But no matter what explanations were given, the man's expression remained cruel and rigid from beginning to end.

So in the latter half, Huaiyan didn't put up any more resistance.

All of that is futile and will only make the man angrier.

"Oh." 073 said sarcastically, "You know he'll be angry, but you won't resist Wolf Green."

Huai Yan: "..."

Huaiyan didn't feel embarrassed at all when her secret was exposed.

He was incredibly grateful that after the 073 system upgrade, even his rusty brain had improved.

At least 073 can now see that he did it on purpose.

He deliberately acted as if he could be bullied by others in front of Lang Qing and the others.

In fact, Huaiyan has already won the favor of the Father God.

Huaiyan could sense the man's favoritism towards him.

For example, in full view of everyone, a man in a temple gives him a rose.

This was not a spur-of-the-moment decision by God the Father.

It is likely that Huaiyan knows that she wants to use her own abilities to drive Bai Li out of the Sai'er Continent.

That's why the man didn't kill Bai Li.

But a man can't just do nothing.

The only thing we can do, and the most effective thing we can do, is to help Huaiyan solidify his position as the Holy Son.

Only those holy sons who have been certified by the Father God will thrive in the continent of Seer.

To put it simply, Huaiyan is now using offensive magic against others.

They may not necessarily be punished.

Because of a man's boundless tolerance.

Adding this point to our discussion of Lang Qing and his group, we see them cornering Huai Yan in a side hall and almost forcing the boy into it.

That's a bit strange.

Given that the teenager has the right to resist, why force them?

073 can only think of one possibility.

—The boy did it on purpose.

He was testing the limits of the Father God, trying to find out exactly where those limits lay.

However, there is one more thing that 073 doesn't know.

Huaiyan was trying to figure out the man's intentions.

Why?

Why must this kind of thing be done only during the Father's admonition ceremony?

Does it have any special meaning or significance?

Thinking this through, Huaiyan asked 073 the truth.

Since he can't figure it out, why not drag 073 along?

Unfortunately, it's all just speculation.

“It feels like…” 073 hesitated, then said, “Some kind of ritual?”

In the continent of Seer, this is something that can only be done at specific times.

It is generally assumed to be "a rule of a certain ritual".

“But,” Huaiyan blinked, “does the Father God also need to perform this kind of ritual?”

As the Father God, how can a man also be required to abide by such rules?

“We’ll have to wait and see,” 073 said, his eyes sparkling. “Perhaps we’ll find out on the day of the admonition ceremony.”

There are still some days until the admonition ceremony.

During this time, Lang Qing and his group did not cause any trouble.

The guards and Xiuyi remained completely unperturbed.

It's as if what happened that night was just Huaiyan's illusion.

And during these days, Bai Li also disappeared without a trace.

Logically, the closer one gets to the Father's admonition ceremony, the more flustered one should become.

But after observing for the past few days, Huaiyan had a vague feeling that something was wrong.

Bai Li didn't seem anxious at all.

The other party even seemed somewhat excited, and would frequently disappear.

In addition, Huaiyan has been busy with the admonition ceremony these past few days, and even when he leaves the palace, he is followed by people.

Therefore, the matter of keeping a close eye on Bai Li was put on hold.

After all, right now, Huaiyan has practically no one he can trust.

The guards and the great mage Xiu Yi are in cahoots with Lang Qing and his group.

Before figuring out what these seven people were up to, Huaiyan preferred to avoid them if possible.

Soon, the day before the Father's admonition ceremony, Bai Li finally appeared.

During this time, Bai Li still managed to infiltrate the church through his own means.

The exact reason remains unknown to Huaiyan.

All he knew was that Bai Li was actually looking forward to tomorrow's admonition ceremony even more than he was.

"You mean..." 073 was still a little scared, "Could it be that Bai Li has joined forces with Lang Qing and the others?"

The boy, who was taking a bath, was startled and his movements suddenly froze.

“I’m serious.” 073 said with unusual seriousness, “You see, Bai Li’s reaction is strange, and I think Lang Qing and the others are reacting the same way.”

That night, seven people showed up at my door for no reason, and afterwards acted as if nothing had happened.

There are only two types.

They simply believed the boy's answer without question, but that possibility is extremely small.

There's one more.

They have found a good way to solve the problem.

However, this "good" method must be specifically for Huai inkstones.