Chapter 112, Chapter Thirteen: The Lost Manor
No one dared to take any chances anymore.
The thorns of activity may just be mechanisms or procedures, but in an instant they transform into wooden tripods, into metal instruments of torture, and change atomic structures out of thin air.
Existing science and technology cannot explain what is happening here; law and morality have vanished.
The person who drove away under cover of night never returned. Six or seven hours passed without any rescue efforts; the ghostly figures in the room, the more than thirty patients, the ripped intestines, and the people who were burned to death after their cavities were stretched open…
An unprecedented fear and panic filled the manor; the people returning from the square huddled together, their faces ashen. Beneath the magnificent murals of the gods, only the cries and groans of the thirty-odd patients could be heard.
The three people whose intestines had been ripped out clutched their stomachs in lingering fear.
After confessing to the goddess, the intestines that had detached from the body returned to their original position intact without any discomfort.
Even the most skilled surgeon could not achieve this effect without the right tools.
Without a doubt, "God" exists here.
Li Yufei put on her earrings and immediately returned to the crowd.
She was afraid of missing the rescue and was also eager to know what happened to the four people who had been captured by the knight.
When she returned to the first floor, she was startled by the eerie atmosphere.
Something seems to have happened.
Li Yufei didn't see her older brother who had been taken away by the knight at the beginning. Her fox-like eyes darted around, and she found someone she could question—
She lifted her foot and walked in Song Xiaona's direction.
Song Xiaona leaned against the wall, arms crossed, her eyes slightly unfocused.
When Li Yufei stood in front of her, she didn't react at all.
"Hey!" Li Yufei kicked her, "Just now..."
Song Xiaona suddenly looked up, her pupils trembling as she stared at the thing that had touched her.
Li Yufei's words were interrupted by her trembling silence.
Upon recognizing Li Yufei, Song Xiaona breathed a sigh of relief. "It's you..."
"You're so jumpy," Li Yufei said suspiciously. "What happened just now? Where are the people who were taken away?"
Just as Song Xiaona was about to speak, she looked up and met Cheng Yuzhou standing behind Li Yufei.
She suddenly remembered the look he gave her when they parted ways in the square.
That look in his eyes was completely mismatched with his dark, handsome face, which had a slightly foolish and straightforward appearance.
"Li Yufei," Song Xiaona stared at the woman in front of her, "why did you leave just now?"
"My earring fell off, I'm going back to get it." Li Yufei flicked her fingernail at her earring. "Tell me quickly, what exactly happened just now?"
Sparkling pink diamonds swayed in her hair, and her new crystal nails were adorned with golden-red roses.
The moment she saw the pattern, the roses on the knight's armor and the rose thorns that had become instruments of torture immediately came to mind, and the scenes in the square once again impacted Song Xiaona's spirit.
She covered her mouth and nose, trying to block out the smell of blood and burnt human fat.
Suppressing the nausea rising in her throat, she didn't want to think too much and summarized as briefly as possible, "Many knights appeared... The priest was an ant, and they were under the statue, using the bitter pear torture and the intestines-rolling torture on those people."
Li Yufei asked blankly, "What is that?"
Cheng Yuzhou, however, spoke thoughtfully, "Bitter pear torture and intestine-rolling torture? Were these punishments used to deal with heretics in the past?"
Song Xiaona glanced at him again.
She gave a rough description of the situation in the square, which sent chills down Li Yufei's spine.
"You mean, a cartoon ant and a bunch of roses burned someone to death?!"
In the quiet church, her voice was so loud that it instantly attracted countless skeptical glances.
"Quiet down!" Song Xiaona hissed. "You, come here."
She stepped through the crowd and walked forward.
After passing through several connecting doors, Song Xiaona arrived at the corridor leading to the main hall and turned around.
She looked at the two people who had followed her with a grim expression, her gaze first meeting Cheng Yuzhou's. "Could we be alone for a while?"
Cheng Yuzhou didn't move. "I'm sorry, but during this special time, I can't let Feifei act alone. Please understand."
"It's okay, go ahead and say it," Li Yufei said.
She was also worried about leaving Zheng Jianbin alone, so they agreed to spend as much time together as possible from now on.
Song Xiaona wanted to talk about Zheng Jianbin's problem.
Li Yufei's inability to read the room made Song Xiaona irritably rub her forehead.
"Okay, then I'll get straight to the point." She chose to say what she could say in front of Zheng Jianbin first, "Something is very wrong here."
She looked around at her surroundings but couldn't find any overtly visible cameras.
Just to be on the safe side, Song Xiaona took out her phone, typed a few lines, and showed them to Li Yufei.
Li Yufei glanced at her warily before taking it.
It said on it:
[escape]
Just as Li Yufei was about to ask her how to escape, she saw the next line:
[Shut up, don't make a sound, just type]
She forced her open mouth shut, feeling a surge of frustration at being seen through.
The nail technician swiped twice on the screen, but before she was finished, Song Xiaona pulled away.
"I haven't finished writing yet!" she exclaimed.
Song Xiaona didn't even glance at it, and wrote after her unfinished "[How to t]" post: "[Find an opportunity, first circle around the perimeter]"
She looked up at the two people in front of her.
There are three people here. Splitting up is undoubtedly the fastest way, but how to divide them into groups...?
As fate would have it, Zheng Jianbin noticed that Li Yufei's earring had fallen off, and took her away from the square, thus avoiding the bloody punishment.
The timing of the earring falling off may be a coincidence, but is Zheng Jianbin someone who values his girlfriend's small jewelry so much?
With riots looming ahead, he was preoccupied with going back to find his girlfriend's earrings.
He is too suspicious.
As for Li Yufei—well, she has nothing to say.
Song Xiaona continued typing: [We need Dean, find a chance to cure him]
When it comes to observing the environment and finding a way out, the suspicious Zheng Jianbin and the intellectually challenged Li Yufei are of no use, but Dean, as the navigator, might be useful.
Li Yufei took the phone, read it, and replied below with "[How z]".
Before she finished, Song Xiaona snatched it from her hand again.
"You're so disrespectful!" Li Yufei exclaimed angrily.
“Remember when the shop assistant we met said, ‘Let the injured person go to the statue to pray and repent, and as long as they are sincere enough, the goddess will respond to their wishes’? I did see with my own eyes their intestines being pulled out, and after they repented and praised the goddess, they were restored to normal.” Song Xiaona ignored her and analyzed on her own, “Although I don’t know the principle, it can’t be explained by common sense now. I’ll persuade Dean to try praying later.”
"Really?" Li Yufei couldn't believe it. "It sounds weird..." Two hands reached out and covered her mouth at the same time.
Li Yufei: #!
Song Xiaona was standing far away and a step slower, so she placed her palm on the back of Cheng Yuzhou's hand.
She flung her hand away as if she had touched something dirty, frowning and scolding, "This is not the usual time. Think before you speak."
Cheng Yuzhou glanced at her.
Song Xiaona didn't take his words to heart and continued to treat Li Yufei badly.
“Ms. Song, I have a question now,” he said.
Song Xiaona glanced at him and said, "Speak."
"If praying to the goddess can bring healing, then conversely, the goddess can probably easily cripple or kill someone the moment they are discovered to have defected."
Li Yufei was reminded: "That's right!"
Song Xiaona typed on her phone and turned to them:
[So you plan to stay here for the rest of your life, and join the Psyche Church?]
Li Yufei turned her head and glared at Cheng Yuzhou: "That's right!"
Are you kidding me? She doesn't want to!
“I didn’t say that, I’m just reminding you,” Cheng Yuzhou’s eyes were dark, “that trying will come at a price.”
Li Yufei said worriedly, "Yes..."
[So you're planning to just give up without even trying?]
“Yeah, that’s right.” Li Yufei glanced at Cheng Yuzhou, “We can’t do this.”
“I don’t mean to stop you,” Cheng Yuzhou said. “You are free to try, but there is no need to drag Feifei into this risk.”
"Wait...this isn't right." Li Yufei realized, [What if she finds the exit and sneaks away, leaving us here?]
Haha, she finished typing it all out, using her own phone!
As Cheng Yuzhou looked at the words she typed, he heard Song Xiaona's slow, mocking laugh: "That's right."
If there's anyone in this world who hates Song Xiaona more than Li Yufei, it's Cheng Yuzhou.
He was utterly fed up with her childish methods of trying to get Li Yufei's attention.
A bell rang, interrupting their conversation. Li Yufei suddenly pressed closer to Cheng Yuzhou, tense and wary: "What's that noise!"
The close contact of her body made Cheng Yuzhou tremble. He paused for a moment, then tried to relax his body and tentatively embrace her.
He glanced at the clock beside him and said, "Let's go out and take a look."
The three returned to the crowd and saw two nuns coming out of the corridor on the other side of the chapel.
They were small in stature, and their black robes were of the same lineage as those of priests.
Those who had just witnessed the execution immediately retreated in fear and became on high alert.
Two nuns, also hidden under hoods, spoke from a distance from the crowd, "Morning Mass is ready. You may enter."
"Morning Mass?"
Song Xiaona frowned. "Let's go."
Not everyone dares to go like Song Xiaona did. The nun's robe and the priest's robe are extremely similar; who knows what's underneath—a person or something else entirely.
Most people avoided the nuns like the plague and dared not take a step closer.
"No, I don't think so," Li Yufei said, pulling Cheng Yuzhou along. "It might be some kind of evil... ritual."
Cheng Yuzhou leaned down and whispered in her ear, "If that's really the case, then not cooperating with them will not end well."
That makes a lot of sense.
Li Yufei grabbed his arm and swallowed.
She turned her head and saw that Song Xiaona had already strode forward, so she had no choice but to bite the bullet and follow.
The corridor leading to the chapel was poorly lit, dark, damp, and cold.
Li Yufei glanced down at the two nuns leading the way as they walked out of the dark corridor. Sunlight streamed in through the floor-to-ceiling windows, and in the bright light, Li Yufei's pupils suddenly contracted.
She frantically tugged at Cheng Yuzhou's clothes, causing him to stumble.
Cheng Yuzhou turned his head and saw Li Yufei gesturing to him repeatedly to be a nun.
Following her gaze, he understood what Li Yufei wanted him to see—
There was no shadow at the nun's feet.
The sunlight was like a judgment, casting shadows on all life that passed through it, except for the two nuns, who were themselves shadows, draped in black robes.
Li Yufei dared not make a sound, and shook her head desperately at Cheng Yuzhou. She couldn't go with them anymore, or they would reach the River Styx!
A look of panic and pleading welled up in those alluring fox eyes. Cheng Yuzhou was taken aback, then turned his head away.
Li Yufei glared at him. What was she doing? She was communicating with him through her eyes!
She reached out, grabbed Cheng Yuzhou's chin, and twisted him back, making him look at her.
When Cheng Yuzhou turned around, Li Yufei's face was right in front of him. She was staring at him intently, her gaze as intense as the sun, so beautiful that he almost melted.
His chin was gripped by her, rendering him unable to move. He hurriedly looked away, unable to meet her gaze.
Li Yufei frowned, interpreting his behavior as cowardice towards the nun, and muttered in exasperation, "Coward!"
Song Xiaona looked over, her eyes filled with rage. At a time like this, these two idiots were still flirting!
She pinched Li Yufei's waist, telling her to wake up and be mindful of the situation.
Ah! Her fingernails pinched and twisted that little bit of skin half a turn, and Li Yufei cried out in pain. She opened her mouth to scream, but when she saw the nun who was nowhere to be seen, she forced the cry back down her throat.
Noticing her unusual behavior, Cheng Yuzhou, flustered, turned around and glared at Song Xiaona.
A wisp of black smoke gathered at his fingertips. He slightly raised his index finger, but Li Yufei grabbed Song Xiaona's hair before he could react.
Are you crazy?! You dare to pinch her?
Song Xiaona was pulled to the side by Li Yufei. She covered her head and glared at Li Yufei through gritted teeth.
She reminded her to be mindful of the occasion, and this woman actually repaid kindness with enmity?
Li Yufei glared back fiercely. What was there to be angry about? She was angry because she had been suddenly pinched!
Two nuns walked silently ahead, while two others silently pulled at each other's hair behind.
The other tourists stared in disbelief at the scene.
Cheng Yuzhou hesitated and raised his hand, but before he could touch Li Yufei, she glared at him fiercely. Her fiery fox-like eyes were bright and clear, each one clearly stating:
roll
Cheng Yuzhou then stopped.
He lowered his eyelids slightly, concealing the shadows in his eyes.
Whenever Song Xiaona was around, Li Yufei's gaze would always linger on her.
The nun suddenly stopped.
The two were taken aback and quickly separated.
One was tidying up her long, curly hair, while the other was combing her short, straight hair, like two little birds preening their feathers after a fierce battle.
Li Yufei had no idea how she and Song Xiaona ended up fighting; it seemed like it always happened this way whenever they met.
The adrenaline rush from the fight interrupted her fear, and she wasn't so scared anymore.
Two nuns stopped in front of the chapel where the previous day's baptisms had taken place. They pushed open the ornate bronze doors, revealing a clean and refreshing chapel in the early morning.
Upon entering through the door, the statue of the goddess standing opposite is immediately visible.
The stained glass windows are beautiful under the sunrise and at dusk, and aside from other factors, Psycheburg is indeed a magnificent and luxurious place.
The priest was already in his place on the altar. Today, he was not wearing a large outer robe, but only a well-tailored black priest's robe.
A round, cartoonish ant head peeked out from under its clothes. Upon seeing the nine tourists who had bravely arrived, its calm tone softened with a hint of joy: "Morning Mass is about to begin. Please take your seats."
Two nuns stepped inside first, coming into the goddess's view. They also removed their hoods, revealing a pair of ant heads.
It's hard to say whether this big-eyed, round-faced cartoon character is frightening, but in this context, it certainly qualifies as eerie.
The nuns were slightly smaller than the priests, and regardless of gender, a section of their wings protruded from under their collars.
Li Yufei sat close to Cheng Yuzhou in the back seat. Cheng Yuzhou stared at the ants peeking out from behind, trying to decipher Li Yufei's expression.
He saw disgust and resistance on her face, but not towards the insect, but towards the talking ant.
He felt a little relieved.
Song Xiaona squeezed into their seats without any hesitation.
Li Yufei glared at her, but didn't force her to leave.
The ant priest on the stage opened the Covenant and began reading pages two and three.
The two pages didn't contain much content, but he read them aloud repeatedly, inviting everyone to stand up and read after he finished.
"Is this the Mass?" Li Yufei asked softly.
The organ at the side of the chapel suddenly started playing, startling her.
The rich, deep sound of the piano filled the church, but no one was playing; the keys and pedals were pressed down on their own.
Everyone was startled and looked in the direction of the sound. They saw two ant nuns standing beside the harp, their forelegs raised in front of their lower abdomens, emitting a high-pitched and ethereal chant.
The harmonies overlapped layer upon layer, far more than just two, as if countless living beings stood there, drawn in and resonating with each other's souls.
The singing is sacred and healing; even if it comes from the mouth of an ant, it can make people feel relaxed.
The people who had experienced the strange events gradually calmed down through this chanting.
The morning sun was bright and clear, with dust floating in its beams. The sacred hymns were indistinct, their lyrics unclear, but their melody was noble, beautiful, and flowing.
The fear and darkness gradually faded away, and at least for this moment, the frightened travelers received some solace.
Song Xiaona listened and pondered.
Priest and Mass are Catholic terms; however, unlike the strict hierarchy of Catholicism, the management here is quite flat, and the baptism and Mass process is simple and casual, leaning towards the Protestant model.
The culture here is a blend of different cultures and does not belong to any one of the existing religions.
The Covenant, which the ants revered as their guiding principle, was rather barren and insufficient to sustain their faith.
This place is less a religion and more a club imagined by Psyche's brainwashed fans; no one with a sound mind would follow such a rudimentary sect.
Who exactly is holding them captive, him or her, or perhaps "He"? How does He intend to force these outsiders into such a crude faith?
Song Xiaona observed every detail here as closely as possible until the hymn was finished.
Father Ant spoke again, “Thanks to the guidance of the Goddess of Souls, we are gathered here. Next, I will introduce the daily prayers to you.”
It then picked up the Covenant and read it to the crowd: "The Goddess who gives light to the soul will fall into rest on the seventh day of each year, and evil will take advantage of this. Believers must do their utmost to guard the Goddess's territory until she awakens."
"What?" Li Yufei couldn't help but exclaim in surprise.
Being controlled by a bunch of cartoon ants is ridiculous enough, but why do they have to fight a demon too!
As soon as she called out, the three ants shook their antennae and turned their heads.
Two hands, one large and one small, immediately covered Li Yufei's mouth.
Li Yufei: ###!
As soon as the ant turned its head away, Li Yufei immediately pulled her hands off.
All you do is cover your mouth!
Why are they like dead dogs, not reacting at all? Is she the only one who thinks fighting demons is absurd?
She was indignant, but now was not the time to speak out against injustice, so Li Yufei forced herself to keep quiet.
She looked at the ant priest on the altar and noticed that it was constantly reading the Covenant.
Li Yufei was certain that the passage it had just uttered was not in the Covenant.
What is it reading?
She opened it with a puzzled look, then froze in surprise.
On the third page, which only contained three rules, a fourth rule suddenly appeared! It was exactly what the priest had just said.
It continued, “The Baptismal Tablets contain the blessings of the Goddess, and devout believers can activate their energy to ward off evil spirits.”
"The Baptismal Tablet?" Li Yufei read aloud, puzzled.
Song Xiaona pondered, "Could it be the card I got yesterday?"
Li Yufei was startled: "What is that?" She had no idea where she had thrown it.
Cheng Yuzhou drew two cards from his "Covenant" and handed them to Li Yufei, saying, "I'll keep them."
"That's great!" Li Yufei exclaimed in surprise, reaching for the card, but Cheng Yuzhou put it back into the Covenant.
"Feifei, I'll keep it safe," he said.
Song Xiaona immediately looked over.
Her gaze was sharp, but fortunately, this time Li Yufei didn't need her to remind her and spoke up on her own, "No, give me my cards."
Cheng Yuzhou paused, then after a moment, conceded, "Okay."
Song Xiaona breathed a sigh of relief, but she was still worried about Li Yufei's impulsive personality.
“Give it to me,” she said. “I’ll keep it for you.”
Li Yufei looked at her in surprise, "You wish!"
She must be out of her mind to give something like this, which sounds like a survival tool, to Song Xiaona.
Song Xiaona rolled her eyes; she couldn't be bothered to care.
“While amulets imbued with the blessings of the goddess can certainly offer assistance, it is our own hearts that can truly defeat evil,” said Father Ant. “The Covenant will record our actions and evaluate our faith.”
"In six days, the holy war to defend the goddess will begin. I hope you will all strive to practice and strengthen your faith. The chapel and confessional will always be open to you."
The priest closed the Covenant, and on the third page appeared two new rules—
[V. The Covenant will record the believers' faith; faith in the Goddess is fundamental to their survival.]
[VI. The confessional is open 24 hours a day. When feeling lost, in addition to praying to Goddess, one can also seek guidance from clergy in the confessional. The noble Goddess will not possess a mortal body. If the clergy in the confessional behave abnormally, please be aware that it is not the descended Goddess, but an infiltrated demon! Leave immediately, or kill it!]
What's this!
Li Yufei was shocked. She went to the confessional to pour out her troubles, but she still had to distinguish whether what was behind the door was an ant or a demon—what was the difference? Weren't these ants demons?
If you're unlucky enough to encounter one, you'll have to choose between running for your life and slaying the demon!
“Only a fool would go to the confessional!” She snapped the covenant shut.
Song Xiaona analyzed the rule word by word.
If the confessional is so dangerous and not mandatory, what is the point of having it? I believe that any normal person would react like Li Yufei and would never go near it.
She narrowed her eyes slightly, unless, there was more than just demons there, there were also irresistible benefits.
Song Xiaona flipped through the book "The Covenant" again and suddenly noticed a rose pattern on the inside of the cover.
The dark pattern is stamped with golden numbers.[3]
What is this? Could this be the faith value the priest mentioned?
Rule Five is not just empty rhetoric; the Covenant will indeed convert everyone's faith into numerical values. But what's the use of that?
Song Xiaona's faith value is 3, but she doesn't think she has the slightest faith in the goddess.
Just as she was about to check Li Yufei's faith level, she heard Zheng Jianbin on Li Yufei's other side say gently, "Feifei, just tell me what's bothering you. There's no need to go to a strange priest to confide in."
“Of course,” Li Yufei thought so too. “Who would tell their troubles to an ant? I’m not Snow White.”
Song Xiaona glanced at the priest above.
Whether it was due to tolerance or because the ants didn't hear, Li Yufei's words did not bring about any disaster.
It seems that the mastermind behind the scenes allows for a certain degree of offense, and is not as strict as a literary inquisition.
The ant announced to the crowd: "This morning's Mass has ended. The nuns will distribute Holy Communion to everyone. Let us share this blessed food with boundless gratitude to the Goddess."
Two nuns came out with bread, but the people who came to worship remained unmoved, none daring to take the food of unknown origin.
Only Cheng Yuzhou turned to Li Yufei and asked, "Feifei, are you hungry? I'll go get some."
"No..." Li Yufei wanted to tell him not to eat anything given by a strange insect, but he had already gotten up and left his seat. He went to the nun, took a piece of bread, and came back, saying thank you.
With him taking the lead, others followed suit.
The tall man, over 1.9 meters tall, had a playful look on his face. After he left his seat, the girl next to him hesitated, seemingly wanting to stop him, but ultimately said nothing.
The man's physique was very eye-catching. Li Yufei hadn't seen this couple in the lobby on the first floor last night, so she didn't know when they had arrived.
He had no injuries, which means he was fast asleep last night and didn't see any ghosts.
"Bread made by ants?" The tall man took the bread, examined it through the packaging, and found it looked no different from ordinary bread. "Let me try it."
The girl next to him grabbed his hand and tried her best to stop him, "No! Don't do this...don't..."
"What's the panic?" the man said impatiently, pushing her away. "You've been spouting nonsense about seeing ghosts ever since last night. What priest? He's obviously wearing a hood, and you guys actually believed him. I'll eat it now and see for yourself. If I'm not poisoned, you'd better shut up and stop talking nonsense that's ruining my mood."
The girl's face turned deathly pale. She gripped his hand tightly, but her arm was not even as thick as the man's wrist, and she could not stop him in the slightest.
He pushed her away, and she watched as he opened the plastic bag and took a big bite.
The man froze.
Li Yufei's pupils contracted sharply as she saw the man's mouth wide open, with several streams of blood flowing from his lips.
Short, thin streams of blood meandered across his skin as his mouth was stuffed with embroidery needles, causing profuse bleeding.
The few tourists who were there screamed and backed away; for a moment, no one dared to approach.
Li Yufei covered her mouth tightly, looking at his bloody mouth, and felt a pang of pain in her own mouth.
"You can't eat this!" Song Xiaona slapped the bread out of Cheng Yuzhou's hand, but Cheng Yuzhou quickly took it away.
He pondered for a moment with a solemn expression, then said, "I understand..."
What do you know?
Before Li Yufei could ask anything, Cheng Yuzhou quickly got up and walked from the crowd, who were trying to avoid him, to the man's side.
The tall man froze, his arrogance vanished, and his eyes bulged out, filled with more horror than pain.
“Brother.” Cheng Yuzhou suddenly grabbed his hand, using a bit of force to bring him back to his senses and listen to him. “I have a way to cure you. If you believe, repeat after me—Thank you, Goddess.”
The man's pupils turned to him, "You..." He had only uttered one word when a fine needle was plunged into his flesh again.
He was in so much pain that the veins on his forehead throbbed, and he wanted to curse, but he couldn't utter a sound.
The girl next to me was so anxious she was crying, "Look at you... read it, give it a try!"
How do you pronounce it?
Doesn't she have eyes? How can he pronounce something with his mouth like that?!
The woman's crying made him feel extremely confused. He pushed her and Cheng Yuzhou away and tried to remove the needle from her mouth with his hand.
He picked at his mouth for a long time, and three or five bloody needles fell out.
Large drops of blood fell onto the table, and his hands and mouth were covered in blood. Li Yufei quickly went over and pulled Cheng Yuzhou back.
This is so strange. The man doesn't look like a decent person either. Why is he going up to him?
Cheng Yuzhou comforted Li Yufei and stood aside without leaving.
A heavy cry of pain mingled with the crisp sound of the silver needle falling, sending chills down one's spine. He fiddled with it for a while, then suddenly stopped.
"Ah!" A tourist who was nearby gasped. The silver needles were getting longer and longer, and the tips of the needles could be seen emerging from his cheek!
He stopped, his lips twitching, and dared not move again.
Blood streamed down his pierced face. After a while, the man raised his yellowish eyes, scanning his surroundings with fear, trembling in confusion.
Everyone stepped back, except for Cheng Yuzhou, who remained by his side.
“I know it hurts. You can read it softly or slowly.” Cheng Yuzhou spoke again. “Trust me, if you don’t read it now, your mouth will be ruined.”
He looked at Cheng Yuzhou, his arrogance gone, replaced by a pleading expression as if clinging to a piece of driftwood.
“Repeat after me—” Cheng Yuzhou looked back at him, “‘Thank you, Goddess.’”
The man uttered a muffled sound: "Thank...Goddess."
In an instant, all the silver needles in his mouth disappeared, and all the wounds healed completely.
The man touched his mouth in shock and reached in with his finger to investigate.
He was utterly shocked and remained seated, too apprehensive to move.
"It's all done? It's all done!" The sobbing girl was clearly terrified, and she kept repeating on her boyfriend's behalf, "Thank you, Goddess! Thank you, Goddess!" At the same time, she hurriedly thanked Cheng Yuzhou, "Thank you, thank you so much!"
The onlookers breathed a sigh of relief and asked, "Thank goodness this young man was there. What exactly happened?"
They wanted to question the three ants, "How...how did you take..." but they remembered the execution that morning and swallowed their anger.
The three-headed ant offered no explanation, and after distributing the holy food, it left through the side door, just as it had the day before.
They left, and the atmosphere suddenly relaxed.
"Why did they leave?" "Good, good."
"Why is this happening? It's just bread..."
Cheng Yuzhou turned around and said to everyone, "Everyone, I have an idea."
As the rescuer, his words immediately drew everyone's attention.
Cheng Yuzhou picked up his bread, clearly said "Thank you, Goddess," and then took a bite.
"Zheng Jianbin!" Li Yufei screamed. Before she could reach out, she saw Cheng Yuzhou chew normally and swallow the bread.
“Look,” he showed to the crowd, “it’s bread.”
"You're kidding me!" Li Yufei smacked him on the head. "You're fine while you're eating it, but who knows what will happen after you swallow it? Are you out of your mind?"
As she spoke, she pressed him down, trying to force the words out of his throat, "Spit it out, spit it out!"
"It's okay, it's okay, Feifei." Cheng Yuzhou tried his best to dodge. "If you don't eat today, you'll have to eat tomorrow or the day after tomorrow. Otherwise, you'll either be pricked to death by needles or starve to death."
Song Xiaona's eyes narrowed slightly.
She had just told them about her escape plan, so why did Zheng Jianbin sound like he was planning to stay here for a long time? Did he think the chances of leaving were slim?
As a professional race car driver, how could he have such a pessimistic and negative personality?
The two argued for a while, and Cheng Yuzhou finally managed to calm Li Yufei down after much persuasion.
He addressed the crowd again, saying, “The intention here is quite clear. For everyone’s safety, I suggest that whenever you ‘receive’ something, whether it’s food, water, or before going to sleep, you should give thanks to the goddess. And when you are hurt, you can also try praising the goddess.”
He saved a person and personally demonstrated the law; given what happened that day, his words have some credibility.
Back in the hall, those who had gone to the chapel shared what had happened with those who hadn't. Cheng Yuzhou went to Dean's side to check his wounds.
He looked solemnly at the festering, mangled kneecap beneath the gauze.
“This can’t go on.” Cheng Yuzhou looked into Dean’s eyes. “Dean, maybe I have a way to cure you. Would you be willing to try?”
This statement made Dean slightly uneasy, but Cheng Yuzhou's dark eyes stared straight at him, calm, firm, and unwavering, as if he were very confident.
"What method?" he asked.
Song Xiaona walked over and said, "Pray to the goddess; maybe it will heal your injury."
"What?" Dean exclaimed in surprise, pulling at his wound as he moved, and then lay back down, wincing and hugging his knees. "No... are you guys crazy? Have you been brainwashed by proselytizing?"
“I know it’s incredible,” Song Xiaona said, “but I have indeed witnessed examples of it firsthand.”
She brushed aside the stray hairs obscuring Dean's eyes and whispered, "The situation is unclear right now. You can't keep going like this. Let's try it first, and we'll see if it works. What do you think?"
Both his best friend and girlfriend said so, so Dean hesitated for a moment before agreeing, "Okay... so how do we do it?"
Cheng Yuzhou gestured out of the corner of his eye to a portrait of Psyche not far away, "I'll help you, and we'll go say a few nice words to the goddess."
With Cheng Yuzhou's help, Dean limped over to the picture frame on the wall.
Someone noticed them and looked over.
Dean felt extremely ashamed at the thought of what he was about to do. Song Xiaona urged him in his ear, "Is your life more important or your pride?"
“Fine.” Dean gritted his teeth. “Great goddess Psyche, please save me and heal me. I will be eternally grateful.”
His body showed no change, so Song Xiaona suggested, "Say a few more words, be more sincere."
"Goddess, you are beautiful and kind-hearted, please help me. I will start to believe in you from today. Please save me, I will always remember your kindness."
Dean managed to utter a few more words, lowering his voice to a whisper.
Dozens of tourists in the hall stared at him strangely, racking his brains in front of the portrait, as if he were possessed.
However, after Dean muttered for two or three minutes, specks of golden-red light fell on him.
He was stunned. Looking down, he saw his bloodied knee rapidly healing in the light. He touched his back with his other hand and found it completely smooth, without any wounds.
"Really better?" Dean stretched his legs in disbelief and exclaimed to the two of them in surprise, "Really better! This method really works!"
"It seems praying to the goddess really works." Cheng Yuzhou patted his shoulder. "You don't have to be afraid anymore."
Upon witnessing this scene, the other thirty victims couldn't sit still any longer. "Is this really true?" "Is praising the goddess enough?" "Quickly, let me help you over there, and you can pray too."
The tense atmosphere that had lasted for nearly ten hours finally eased, and the good news of Dean's recovery was like a shot in the arm, bringing great joy to those who were feeling down.
They eagerly sought out Psyche statues and paintings nearby, and began to confess and praise them incessantly.
"Goddess, Goddess, please bless me!"
"Respected Goddess, please, please beg me!"
The hum of voices echoed in the 23-meter-high church, with different accents and styles of praise and prayer filling the air.
Li Yufei, who was watching from the sidelines, frowned, feeling inexplicably uncomfortable.
"Excuse me, please." A mother with an injured child walked over, heading towards the Psyche statue behind Li Yufei.
Li Yufei turned to the side and watched as her mother grabbed the child's hand, clasped her hands together in front of her chest, and said anxiously, "Just pray here and say thank you, Goddess, and ask the Goddess to help you."
The child looked up and asked, "What goddess? Why?"
"Don't worry about it, just listen to me!" Mom said urgently.
The child, oblivious, did as instructed.
"Thank you, Goddess." The childish voice rang out, each word distinct. "Please help me."
Li Yufei pursed her lips and walked away.
She didn't want to be alone anymore and wanted to be near someone. After looking around, she spotted Cheng Yuzhou.
With his back to her, he stood beneath the magnificent dome murals, at the feet of the resurrected goddess who had captured the attention of all, and recounted the events that had occurred in the chapel to a few young and middle-aged people.
A clear, pleasant voice came through the noisy prayers, breaking into fragments: "Yes, that's right... I believe we should give thanks to the Goddess when we receive all joy... and call upon the Goddess immediately when we encounter danger... It's unbelievable... miracles truly exist..."
These were the people in charge of organizing the patients' treatment at the first opportunity. They were quite opinionated, and when they first heard Cheng Yuzhou's words, they found it hard to believe. However, with the irrefutable evidence of the patients' recovery all around them, they had no choice but to believe it.
They talked, asking Cheng Yuzhou a series of questions, each of them holding a copy of the Holy Covenant, discussing every sentence and every word within it.
Suddenly, Cheng Yuzhou turned his head.
As if sensing something, he precisely caught Li Yufei's gaze behind him.
After speaking to the person next to him, Cheng Yuzhou quickly walked towards her, "What's wrong, Feifei?"
He smiled slightly, a strange light flickering in the depths of his dark eyes. "Are you looking for me?"
For reasons she couldn't explain, Li Yufei unconsciously took a half step back.
No one noticed her; everyone was busy praising and praying before the goddess.
Watching Cheng Yuzhou walk through the group of worshippers, she suddenly had an absurd thought—
Compared to the ants, the man in front of them seemed more like the priest of this place.
-----------------------
A note from the author:
#StrangeTalesMaster#
I wonder if anyone knows this meme hhhhh
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
