Chapter 126 Have you ever missed the people of Mount Shu?
Lu Yuanyuan opened her mouth as if to speak, but a hint of concern flashed through her mind, stopping her from uttering a sound.
This time, it's not some other force framing her. Given the seriousness of the Right General's crime, will the High Priest try to protect her and destroy evidence while she's immobilized?
Can she trust this monster who just helped her?
She couldn't see anything, but she had a feeling that the other person's gaze had fallen downwards, and they even raised their hand to straighten her coat, which had slipped down without her noticing: "You can trust me, I will definitely handle this fairly. If the demon race makes a mistake, I will not favor the demon race."
Given that they had only met twice, it seemed rather intimate for him to personally straighten her clothes. However, since his fingertips only lightly brushed against her shoulder before leaving, Lu Yuanyuan did not notice anything amiss.
After struggling internally for a while, Lu Yuanyuan finally told the truth: "It's General You."
She recounted the events in a few words. After listening, the high priest paused slightly, his hands around her back pausing: "I understand. I will definitely give you an explanation."
As she spoke, white specks of light finally appeared in Lu Yuanyuan's dark eyes. The black water receded, and the image gradually took shape, revealing a magnificent room. She sat sideways on a pair of hard thighs, glancing upwards, where a chest with its open collar came into view.
He had a long, slender neck and fair skin. What he had in common with that night was that he was still wearing that exquisite mask, perfectly conforming to the contours of his face.
Her pale eyes, reflected in the candlelight, possessed a captivating allure reminiscent of a lotus flower.
Perhaps, this is what a fox demon should look like.
She thought of Duan Lansheng, whose clothes were always neatly pulled back, so conservative for his young age, like a little antique. When they first met, he would get angry if someone touched his hand, but he would never be so disheveled…
No, why is she comparing the two of them again for no reason?
Lu Yuanyuan's fingers tightened, and she turned her gaze away, only to make another discovery—the other person's hand was still wrapped around her waist.
Do monsters have no sense of boundaries?
Lu Yuanyuan felt a little embarrassed and pulled his hand away, saying, "I think I'm fine now, so I'll go downstairs first."
She had just stepped onto the ground and was about to stand up when something furry blocked her waist. At the same time, the tail that was wrapped around her calf tightened its grip. "Wait a minute. I was just about to ask, was the spring worm residing on your leg brought from the Pool of No Return?"
Lu Yuanyuan paused in surprise, noticing his jaw tighten slightly. Following his gaze, she saw that she had been struck here during the fight, and her clothes had been torn. She hadn't even noticed that the mark on her leg had more than doubled in size, like a beautiful red flower that had been nourished, its petals now reaching her knee. Even now, it seemed to be alive, slowly growing.
Lu Yuanyuan's expression changed, and goosebumps rose on her back. She instinctively reached out to stop it from climbing up.
But her hand was intercepted by another hand even faster. The high priest gripped her hand with an irresistible force, his gaze cold as he looked at her: "Were you injured here just now?"
It seemed she couldn't hide it from him anymore. Lu Yuanyuan frowned: "...Yes."
"Don't press it with your hands. The more you stimulate it, the more easily it will grow." The high priest paused, perhaps thinking that she would be unable to resist touching it. As he spoke, his large hand still held her hand firmly. His body temperature was as cold as cool jade, reminding her of cold-blooded animals: "Spring worms like cold and shady places and are afraid of light and heat. Fire can kill them completely."
Is he trying to teach her how to heal herself?
Lu Yuanyuan said helplessly, "Thank you for your kind reminder, but I can't just burn my leg, can I? I'll find a way to solve this when I get back to Jin'ao Island."
"You can give it a try."
“Yes, so—” Lu Yuanyuan paused, turning to look at him: “What did you say?”
The high priest stared at her intently and said, "I said, you can give it a try."
In front of her, he raised his other hand, palm outstretched. Black smoke rose from his palm, and suddenly a ghostly blue flame leaped out. The flame burned fiercely, distorting the air; its light was cold and beautiful, but at such close range, Lu Yuanyuan felt no heat at all. She was startled: "What is this?"
"It's foxfire from a nine-tailed fox. Look."
His tail was frighteningly flexible; with just one tail, he wrapped it around her waist, pulled her onto his lap, and made her sit up again. Another tail wrapped around her ankle, and the tip of the third tail lifted her trousers at her calves, revealing her skin. Then, he turned his hand and placed his palm on her calf.
Lu Yuanyuan froze, unable to stop his rude behavior, when she saw the unbelievable changes in her legs.
Blue flames burned her skin, but she felt neither heat nor pain, only the slight warmth of the other person's palm. At the same time, the flower parasitizing her skin seemed to have encountered a natural enemy, trembling in fear. Then, its tendrils twisted and slowly retreated, but she also felt an itchy sensation on her legs, as if insects were crawling over them.
But the thing on her leg was indeed disappearing, confirming that the High Priest was helping her. Lu Yuanyuan gritted her teeth, not wanting to interrupt, and suppressed the strange feeling. She touched her face with her hand, lowered her head, and felt that her body temperature was a little high.
After an unknown amount of time, the horrific mark that had climbed up to her thigh finally retreated back to her knee. But the rate of retreat became increasingly slow.
Suddenly, the high priest withdrew his hand. As soon as he stopped, Lu Yuanyuan felt as if the invisible hand that had been gripping her heart had also loosened. Her body inexplicably went limp, and her back was covered in sweat. To steady herself, she couldn't help but grab his wrist.
The high priest's hand froze in mid-air when she took it. He wondered if it was just his imagination, but his body seemed to stiffen for a moment as well.
Lu Yuanyuan was startled, quickly let go of his hand, stood up, and took a few steps back, her movements so fast they seemed abrupt. To onlookers, it appeared as if she was trying to avoid him at all costs.
She looked up, about to thank him, when she noticed the high priest staring at his released hand, his lips pressed together, as if lost in thought.
But in the blink of an eye, everything returned to normal; perhaps she had misread it.
Before she could ask, the high priest explained why he had stopped: "Although foxfire can kill the spring worm, we cannot rush it, otherwise it will harm your body. Starting tomorrow, come to me every day, and I will help you."
Lu Yuanyuan pursed her lips: "Won't this be too much trouble for you?"
The high priest lowered his eyes and said, “It’s no trouble. You were possessed by the Spring Serpent because of my poor handling of the situation, which led you to jump into the Pool of No Return. Besides, now that it has grown so large, its influence on you will also increase. Symptoms such as sudden blindness and weakness will be more frequent than before. You wouldn’t want to suddenly go blind during a meeting, would you?”
Just then, a commotion arose outside. People were speaking loudly outside the building, and the voices carried up to the upper floors. The voices of Yue Hong, Fu Xinguang, and others could be clearly heard.
Lu Yuanyuan perked up, walked to the window and looked down: "It's my people!"
"No rush. You're not ready to go out looking like this. Change your clothes first."
The high priest shook his head, walked to the door, and gave some instructions to the people outside. Soon, someone brought in new clothes.
Lu Yuanyuan accepted his kindness and went behind the dimly lit screen to change her clothes. At that moment, she heard a familiar voice coming from outside the door; it was Bai Ye, the high priest's subordinate.
Lu Yuanyuan paused in tying her belt, then pricked up her ears and heard the high priest giving an order to detain the Right General.
Bai Ye clasped his hands in a fist salute, and his voice sounded hesitant: "Your subordinate understands. However, sir, why did you suddenly come? Didn't you say you were unavailable tonight..."
Lu Yuanyuan was taken aback.
She had assumed that the high priest was one of the people feasting here that night, which was why he happened to be in this room.
So, he wasn't originally planning to come here tonight; he suddenly changed his mind and came. Otherwise, he wouldn't have happened to run into her in trouble.
It must be a coincidence...
It couldn't possibly be that they sent someone to monitor her, and then came to ambush her after knowing she was in trouble.
At this moment, seemingly sensing someone behind the screen, Bai Ye suddenly fell silent and frowned as she looked over.
The high priest knew she was there, yet he didn't change where he spoke to his subordinates, indicating he wasn't afraid of her overhearing. But hiding behind the screen still gave her a feeling of eavesdropping. Lu Yuanyuan straightened her clothes, then stepped out from behind the screen and said, "High Priest, I just remembered, I have some evidence to give you."
When Bai Ye saw her, her eyes widened like copper bells.
The next second, Lu Yuanyuan's bracelet flashed. The next second, a lizard demon suddenly rolled out, covering its bleeding mouth, and rolled around several times in a daze, whimpering.
Lu Yuanyuan said succinctly, "This monster is the subordinate of the Right General I just told you about. He has always been the one helping the Right General to search for and kidnap suitable candidates. But this time, it is likely that someone tried to sow discord by bribing him to target the envoys. You should be able to get a lot of useful information by interrogating him. Now I'm handing him over to you."
The high priest stared at her, his gaze fixed on her. Seeing this, Bai Ye quickly nodded, "Yes, thank you for your help, Immortal Envoy."
After giving her instructions, Lu Yuanyuan rushed off to reunite with her people. After all, her disappearance while shopping for so long must have frightened her companions. As soon as she reached the ground floor, she spotted familiar faces in the distance. Yue Hong and Fu Xinguang looked anxious, negotiating with the demon clan, while Xiao Rou stood between them.
It seems the signal flare she gave Xiaorou when she kicked her out came in handy.
At this moment, the gazes of the crowd below swept over, and upon seeing her figure, they were all stunned.
Lu Yuanyuan's vision blurred, and in the next instant, someone rushed up and hugged her tightly.
The boy was not even as tall as her; he gritted his teeth, his arms trembling slightly.
Lu Yuanyuan originally wanted to tease him a bit, but when she noticed that the boy's eyes were a little red, her heart softened. She patted his head and said, "I'm fine. I'll tell you what happened when we get back."
"You scared me to death! I just turned around and you were gone." Seemingly ashamed of his appearance, Yue Hong gritted his teeth and said angrily, "I already know what happened from that mortal woman. These uncivilized beasts... I will definitely remember this debt."
Before he could finish speaking, a finger touched his lips, and he froze instantly.
Lu Yuanyuan withdrew her hand: "Don't say such things so loudly. I'll go and say a few words to everyone first, and ask them to send that mortal girl home."
Yue Hong unconsciously raised his hand to touch his lower lip, then snapped out of his daze and chased after her: "Wait, are you tired? Are you hurt anywhere? Let me carry you..."
.
Unbeknownst to anyone, a pair of eyes were coldly watching them from the window of the high-rise building above them.
Everyone had left, the room was quiet, the candles were out, and it was pitch black everywhere.
Lu Yuanyuan's clothes were still hanging on the screen.
She was clearly a very organized person; even though she hadn't put on the clothes voluntarily, she didn't treat them as trash and throw them at her feet after taking them off.
Among the colorful garments, a snow-white undergarment stood out. A hand reached out and snatched it away. The smooth silk rubbed against the fabric, and with that movement, the other garments slipped to the ground. But no one paid them any attention.
His palm brushed against her clothes, as if he were caressing her soft, fragrant skin.
When he came to his senses, the garment was already crumpled and wrinkled. It was hard to tell whether it was out of affection or a desire to destroy it. After looking at it for a moment, the hand rolled it up in its palm and reached under the hem.
The cool, smooth silk clung to the burning flesh, like the wind blowing through wheat fields, sending a tingling sensation through the skin.
The flying insects hovered restlessly in the room, crashing into the trembling black shadow on the wall. This continued until the snow-white garment in the palm could no longer bear any more, at which point it was thrown to the ground.
The silver moonlight shone on the snow-white ice silk, creating dappled patterns that made it appear slightly translucent, as if it were damp.
.
After returning home, Lu Yuanyuan first settled the mortal girl named Xiaorou, and then reassured her own people. As the chaotic night drew to a close, she could finally go to sleep.
Although there were many twists and turns today, her opinion of the High Priest has changed after this incident.
Their first meeting clearly had a bad ending. Now that she's in trouble, he has no obligation to help her. Even if he doesn't kick her when she's down, he could easily just stand by and do nothing.
However, he not only helped her cover it up, but also used foxfire to help her fight against the spring worm.
Perhaps she demonized the other person too much and thought too despicable of them.
Of course, if we must indulge in a conspiracy theory, then the High Priest's intervention might also stem from his own preference for collaborating with the cultivation world. Otherwise, wouldn't it have been better for him to take this opportunity to embarrass her in public?
Whether the other party's intentions are good or political, as long as their goals align with hers, that's enough.
.
The next morning, the Demon King sent an envoy with many gifts of condolence, piling them up on the first floor of the palace. He also came to see Lu Yuanyuan in person, saying that he needed more time to thoroughly investigate the demons involved in the matter, but he would definitely give the cultivation world a satisfactory answer.
After lunch, Yue Hong followed her instructions and escorted Xiao Rou home. Lu Yuanyuan, on the other hand, arrived at the High Priest's residence on time as agreed the day before.
The memory of yesterday's rapid crawling of the spring worms under her skin makes her nauseous. Although the black tortoise can help her, the thought of having such a thing inside her body makes her feel extremely uncomfortable, and she wants to get rid of it as soon as possible.
The high priest's palace was surrounded by flame trees, both inside and out. From a distance, it looked like a burning red cloud floating overhead. Within the walls, the area was vast, with a classical palace nestled in the courtyard, attended by only a few servants.
This was her third visit, but the first time she had been invited in as a guest.
The servant led her to the reception room and told her to go in by herself.
Lu Yuanyuan entered the room and looked around. Unlike the oppressive and ornate style favored by many demons, the High Priest's room was decorated very elegantly and simply. A painting of white plum blossoms hung on the wall, and a faint scent of incense filled the air. The High Priest was already waiting for her inside. Today, he was still wearing a mask, his long black hair tied up with a hairpin, and he was writing something by the window. Seeing her arrive, he put down his pen and, without much pleasantry, went straight to the point: "Lie down behind the screen and roll up your trouser legs."
Lu Yuanyuan paused, said "Okay," and saw a chaise lounge behind the screen. She sat down, took off her shoes, rolled up her trouser legs to her knees, and stopped: "That's enough."
The high priest entered behind the screen. The person on the couch was hugging his knees, one leg bent and the other straight. The leg that rarely saw the sun had skin that shone like snow.
He glanced down at her, his tone calm: "You need to take off your socks too."
Lu Yuanyuan was taken aback. The mark was mainly on her calf, with only a little extending to the instep. Judging by yesterday's speed, it shouldn't have reached this point so quickly. Nevertheless, she did as instructed, taking off her socks and going barefoot.
The high priest, sitting on the edge of the couch, suddenly reached out and grabbed her ankle.
Lu Yuanyuan's fingers curled slightly.
Rolling up your pants to get medical treatment is a very ordinary thing, but for some reason, doing it in front of this person gave her a strange feeling. It was as if she was being licked by something sticky, not even sparing the spaces between her toes.
The azure foxfire reappeared in his palm, scorching the flower beneath his skin, causing it to wither. But once again, she felt that strange sensation. Lu Yuanyuan bit her lower lip tightly to endure it. When it was all over, this time the mark had shrunk to below her knees, and sweat beaded on her temples.
Just as he was about to pull his leg back, the other person's hand suddenly tightened: "Are you feeling unwell?"
Lu Yuanyuan's first reaction was that she didn't want the other party to stop helping her out of politeness, so she shook her head: "It's just a little bit of an adjustment."
She circulated her Qi through the microcosmic orbit and found that the sensation had no lasting effect on her body. It was probably just a side effect of the spring eel being burned by fierce fire and struggling in its death throes.
The high priest looked at her, and although she was wearing a mask, she felt that the other woman should have frowned slightly: "In that case, you can stay with me until nightfall. If you feel unwell, I can check on you immediately."
She wasn't short of time, and being careful was always a good thing. Lu Yuanyuan thought for a moment and then said, "Then I'll respectfully comply. Thank you for your trouble, High Priest."
"You don't have to keep calling me High Priest. My name is Xi Ye. You can just call me by my name."
The high priest stood up, looked at her, and said softly.
.
The High Priest—no, he should be called Xi Ye now—invited her as a guest, not to stare at her. He personally showed her around the palace, finally returning to the reception room where they had started, and invited her to sit down.
He seemed very interested in Jin'ao Island and asked her many questions, mainly about what she usually did on Jin'ao Island.
Suddenly, Xi Ye casually asked her about her life before her ascension: "So, you used to be a disciple of Mount Shu, and it's been seven years since you left. Have you ever missed the people and things of Mount Shu?"
Shushan...
Many images flashed through Lu Yuanyuan's mind, images that were seven years ago but remained as vivid as ever. But there was no need to tell this to this stranger, a demon she had just met. She shook her head: "No, during my seven years on Jin'ao Island, I never once dreamed of the people or things of Mount Shu."
The surroundings inexplicably fell silent.
The atmosphere of the conversation had been quite harmonious just a moment ago, but at this moment, Lu Yuanyuan suddenly felt that the air around her had become chilly.
Lu Yuanyuan looked up, puzzled, but couldn't figure it out: "...What's wrong?"
"It's nothing. I'm just a little surprised. I thought that when people stay in one place for a long time, they would always have some unforgettable memories."
Xi Ye's voice turned somewhat cold. He gently wiped his hands with a silk handkerchief, his gaze lowered, and he didn't look at her.
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