Chapter 147, Chapter Forty-Eight: The Lost Manor
The back door of the confessional was locked. Behind the wooden board, the person Song Xiaona had arranged was still confessing: "I haven't told anyone about this. You know, the person I've wronged the most in my life is my mother..."
Bang--
A sound like an explosion rang out, and the crowd outside the church erupted in shouts: "What are you doing, you surnamed Cheng? This is our Second Church's premises!" "Get the hell out of here, you pretty boy!"
"Actually, I'm also sorry to my sister... She sold all her wedding gold jewelry to support my education, but all I did in college was play video games every day..."
"That guy surnamed Cheng is insane, damn it!" "Cheng Yuzhou, what do you want to do? Do you want to kill someone?! Don't think we're afraid of you!"
Boom—! The sound of the collapse was so loud that even Li Yufei could hear it clearly. Amidst the crashing noises, there was a banging on the door. "Alright, alright, she didn't turn into a demon. Come out and let me take over!"
"How's it going outside?"
"Cheng Yuzhou has arrived at the gate!"
"Wait, let me finish confessing about my sister's postpartum period!"
"What time is it to be talking about this!"
"No, I feel like I'm almost there! The people inside seem to be turning into demons!"
"real?"
"Really, listen—there's a banging sound inside. Something big is bumping around inside, it must be a scallop! It's crashing towards me!"
Bang—!!!
The wooden planks separating the clergy and the believers suddenly broke apart!
A strong, powerful long leg suddenly kicked through half of the wooden plank and emerged from it.
The man outside the board screamed in terror, pulled his leg back and kicked again, then kicked the other parts of the board a couple more times.
At this point, a lithe and graceful figure was revealed behind the tattered plank.
The dim light blurred her features, making it impossible to see her true appearance; only her pair of fox-like eyes shone brightly, fierce and menacing.
"Ah!" the man screamed in terror, scrambling to open the door. "The demon is out! A new demon! A female demon! Everyone, get ready!"
"Shut up, you're crazy! Get out of here!" Li Yufei stepped over the broken planks of wood, grabbed the man's shoulders and pulled him away, then asked as she went outside, "Where's Song Xiaona! Where did she go!"
The area outside the gate was crowded with people preparing to attack the demon.
They stared in awe at the violently demolished confessional and at Li Yufei, who was bare-handed and wearing only ten manicured nails.
"I don't know... Miss Song didn't say, she only told us that we must guard the Second Church."
Li Yufei was extremely anxious. What on earth was Song Xiaona doing at this time?!
No one knew Song Xiaona's whereabouts. Li Yufei wanted to find the person who knew Song Xiaona best to ask, and after looking around, she realized that she was the one who knew Song Xiaona best among the people present.
She'd known Song Xiaona for thirty-two years—they'd had their checkups at the same hospital when she was still an embryo. Think, think about where that woman would be rushing off to right now…
Song Xiaona's goal was always very clear: she wanted to kill Cheng Yuzhou, and she firmly believed that killing Cheng Yuzhou was the best way.
She called so many people over and asked her to hold off Cheng Yuzhou, but at this moment, Song Xiaona only had one place to go—
Go and retrieve the Queen of the Underworld's box!
That's too dangerous!
"Li Yufei?" "Li Yufei, stop right there! Miss Song told you to stay here!"
Ignoring the advice of those around her, Li Yufei pushed these people aside one by one, like walking through a wheat field.
The castle was inhabited by so many of Cheng Yuzhou's confidants, and there were also several ants. For Song Xiaona to go alone was like a wolf entering a tiger's den—yes, she was capable and had some skills, she couldn't be considered a sheep, but a lone wolf charging into a tiger's den would still end up like a sheep.
Most importantly...
Li Yufei gritted her teeth and rushed out of the church.
A night breeze swept over her, making her eyes dry and sore.
Oh no, oh no—at yesterday's celebration dance, Song Xiaona asked her for the box so earnestly that she started to take it seriously and felt that the box was something extraordinary.
She did tell Song Xiaona that the box was in the cabinet next to the bed, and the cabinet wasn't locked.
But inside the cabinet was a safe!
Song Xiaona doesn't know the password!
This time, the password wasn't her birthday. To prevent Cheng Yuzhou from accessing her, Li Yufei had a brilliant idea last night and changed the password to the day before her birthday. That way, Cheng Yuzhou wouldn't be able to get her box... Who would have thought her clever idea would work on Song Xiaona!
As Li Yufei ran towards the castle, she frantically called Song Xiaona.
The call still couldn't be made, so Li Yufei opened the toolbar to take a look.
Damn it! That beast Cheng Yuzhou turned off the signal in the manor!
This bastard not only reads romance novels, but also military strategy, and knows to cut off the enemy's communications first!
It's okay, it's okay.
Thinking about it calmly, she burst out the door as soon as Song Xiaona left, which was only two or three minutes later.
Song Xiaona is only 1.61 meters tall with shoes on; even if she runs ahead for five minutes, she can still catch up.
Just as Li Yufei had suspected, Song Xiaona was not far from her.
Song Xiaona was even behind Li Yufei.
When Li Yufei dashed forward and ran out of the Second Church area, Song Xiaona was still unable to get out.
She quickly surveyed the situation outside. There were nine people responsible for killing the demons, but there were as many as a hundred people gathered outside to block Cheng Yuzhou.
In addition to the human defense line on the outer perimeter, she also placed twenty or thirty smoke bombs at the back door.
With buildings blocking the way, even Cheng Yuzhou couldn't pinpoint Li Yufei's location unless she had a tracking device on her—Song Xiaona tended to believe that Cheng Yuzhou wouldn't install a tracking device on Li Yufei.
That was Cheng Yandong's method towards Fang Yuzhou back then.
The elders in the family occasionally mentioned that when Cheng Yuzhou was three years old, Fang Yuzhou once ran away with him.
They had already left the province, but were still caught and brought back.
These were just casual conversations among adults, and it was impossible to verify whether they were true or false, but Song Xiaona felt that this was in line with Cheng Yandong's character.
Cheng Yuzhou deeply resented his father and had been deliberately avoiding any behavior similar to Cheng Yandong's; moreover, the manor wasn't large and was basically under his control, so the possibility of him installing a tracking device on Li Yufei was low.
Without a location, if he wants to find Li Yufei, he will inevitably have to brainwash and interrogate her subordinates.
Looking at Cheng Yuzhou in front of the crowd, Song Xiaona clutched her abdomen, which had been hit by black smoke, and gave a cold smile.
Let's give it a try and see how many answers he can get out of his ability to manipulate people's minds.
Without a car, Song Xiaona took the horse that Li Yufei had brought and was about to leave around the back when a huge collapse sound suddenly came from ahead.
The tightly closed doors of the Second Church, along with the surrounding walls, crashed outwards with a deafening roar.
The crowd parted, and those at the door didn't have time to escape; one of their feet was trapped under the stone slab of the wall.
"How can he have such an ability? Is it a divine card?!" A chorus of exclamations erupted, and everyone was stunned by this.
"Impossible! The divine tablets can only attack demons; that's the priest's power!" "How could the priest have such abilities!" "Monster! He's a monster!"
Black mist billowed up, and everyone was horrified to see wisps of black smoke gathering at Cheng Yuzhou's feet.
The young man, who had not yet taken off his priest's robe, was lifted up by these eerie wisps of smoke and raised into the air. He was supported by the black mist, and thick black mist was being secreted around him.
"What is that thing?!" "Is it a person?"
"Don't panic! There are so many of us, it's not like we haven't seen demons before!"
Cheng Yuzhou was dozens of meters above the ground, level with the top of the Second Church's tower.
Black mist swirled around his eyes as he looked down, searching anxiously.
No, no… no, it wasn’t her…
Where is she?
A golden-red bullet suddenly shot down from below and pierced through Cheng Yuzhou's body.
He looked down and met the gaze of the person on the ground who had shot the arrow at him.
The man holding the bow and arrow unconsciously took two steps back. He was astonished to find that what Cheng Yuzhou had in his eye sockets were not eyeballs, but two swirling black mists!
Those around him cried out in alarm, "The arrow went right through! It didn't work on him!" "Then he's not a demon, he's still human?"
"How could a person be like him!"
The black mist that was supporting Cheng Yuzhou dissipated, and he fell back to the ground.
Before people could even retreat, several plumes of black smoke shot out like tentacles, precisely lifting eight or nine members of the Song faction from the crowd and suspending them in the air. Each of them was a trusted veteran who had been with Song Xiaona from the very beginning.
Screams and shouts filled the air, and fear was clearly visible on every face.
Cheng Yuzhou's eye sockets no longer had any eyeball characteristics; they had completely transformed into two swirling black mists.
He examined each person who was hanging upside down. As his gaze swept over them, the people who were screaming and struggling in mid-air suddenly fell silent. Their horror dissipated, replaced by emptiness and numbness.
They were like puppets being pulled on strings, their mouths opening and closing mechanically, uttering words devoid of emotion:
"I don't know... Miss Song didn't say anything..."
"I saw a group of people leave through the back door alone."
"The horse that was tied up at the east gate is gone."
"Miss Song said they were going to leave through the west gate... and asked me to cover them."
"Li Yufei isn't here. She left this afternoon and hasn't come back."
“The basement… Miss Song said that everything else was a smokescreen, and Li Yufei was actually hiding in the basement.”
Every mouth gives a completely different answer.
The black smoke suddenly dissipated, and several people were thrown out and crashed to the ground.
Cheng Yuzhou pressed his throbbing, aching temples, trying to suppress the billowing black smoke.
Since absorbing the feathers, this is the first time he has truly realized that he is a vessel.
He is the container for this black smoke, and when the container shakes violently, the black smoke contained within him immediately becomes violent and agitated.
Every negative emotion in his body was boiling and surging impatiently. He propped his forehead up, and black smoke still trickled from his eyes.
Yufei…Feifei…Where is she?
He knew he was wrong; he shouldn't have kept it from her... He had already caused such a commotion, why didn't she come out to stop him?
Feifei, Feifei...
Is she still here...? Why is it so dark all around...?
Cheng Yuzhou staggered forward, looking at his hands, where black smoke flowed across his pale skin.
He looked up, glancing around in a panic.
It's so dark, so dim... Where's the light?
There should be light here...
More and more black smoke billowed from Cheng Yuzhou's body. Hundreds of people blocked the church door, but none of them dared to rush forward.
They stared in horror at Cheng Yuzhou, who was engulfed by billowing black smoke. His entire body was almost completely submerged in darkness, with only his head and neck barely visible.
Surrounded by eerie darkness, he looked up, his eyes swirling with black mist as he searched around, bewildered and anxious, looking for something.
Who exactly is the man in front of me?
He was definitely not human; he was undoubtedly a monster, a demon!
"Miss Song is right!" Suddenly, someone shouted, "Cheng Yuzhou is indeed suspicious! Everyone, don't panic, proceed according to Miss Song's plan!"
The call was met with immediate and overwhelming response. The terrified people snapped back to reality: "He's the mastermind!" "If we don't deal with Cheng Yuzhou, we'll all die!"
"Everyone, charge together and kill this monster!"
"Trust Miss Song! Do as she says!"
In an instant, dozens of golden-red light arrows pierced through the black smoke and shot towards Cheng Yuzhou.
At the same time, countless golden and red divine cards flashed, and lightning, red sun, golden net, flames... all kinds of card skills and light arrows descended on Cheng Yuzhou, and he was instantly engulfed by the colorful attack.
However, neither the light arrow nor the card skill paused at all. The moment they touched Cheng Yuzhou, they passed through him as if he were nothing, without causing any effect.
Bang--
Suddenly, a conical flask hit Cheng Yuzhou on the forehead.
Broken glass shards mixed with water and black blood gushed down.
The icy pain suddenly jolted Cheng Yuzhou awake from his search for light.
He sluggishly raised his hand to touch his bleeding forehead.
"It works!" shouted the Song faction member who had hit him. "The holy water works!"
"Quickly, bring the holy water! We must hold on until Miss Song returns!" "Hold on, buy Miss Song some time!"
Song Xiaona...
The smooth, cool sensation spread across Cheng Yuzhou's fingertips.
Yes, it's Song Xiaona.
The black smoke suddenly surged, and the darkness, deeper than the night, instantly burned like flames.
A sinister rage consumed Cheng Yuzhou, and he thought of the culprit who had destroyed his marriage.
He tolerated and forgave her so much, yet she remained unrepentant and repeatedly deceived Li Yufei.
She not only ruined his hard-won marriage, but also instigated Yufei to commit suicide!
Unforgivable, unforgivable! She stole his sun—once again snatched the light from his side!
Song Xiaona! Why is she so cruel and vicious? Why is she so greedy and selfish, insisting on monopolizing all the sun's brilliance?
"What is he going to do?" "Where did the monster go?"
A sharp chill suddenly swept over her, and Song Xiaona looked up abruptly.
Above the church bell, Cheng Yuzhou, dressed in all black, stood prominently atop the tower.
He found her.
The next moment, a chilling aura enveloped Song Xiaona's neck, black smoke constricted her, and she was lifted off the ground and brought to Cheng Yuzhou.
Suspended high in the air, Song Xiaona's head immediately became congested with blood.
She struggled desperately, trying to tear the black smoke off her neck, but all she touched was intangible smoke.
"Finally caught you... Where is she—where is she!" Cheng Yuzhou roared, a black bulge protruding from beneath his pale skin. The bulge did not contain bone and flesh, but rather a sticky black mist.
A thin sheet of human skin struggles to restrain the restless blackness, to restrain the hysterical anxiety and hatred.
"Where is Yufei! Where did you hide her?!"
"Ah, uh..." The towering building was beneath her feet, and a cold, gust of wind swept over Song Xiaona.
With difficulty, she opened her bloodshot eyes and looked at Cheng Yuzhou with a hatred and disgust that was no less than his.
This madman, this monster! A vermin from the gutter!
He disgusted her when he was alive, and even after he died, he still wanted to take away her life and play her for a fool!
Amidst her nausea and disgust, Song Xiaona also felt a helpless sense of relief.
Fortunately, she locked Li Yufei up.
She knew things wouldn't go so smoothly; Cheng Yuzhou's abilities were far more terrifying than she had imagined.
Fortunately, Li Yufei wasn't told, and fortunately, she ran away alone; otherwise, she wouldn't be the only one arrested now...
When Song Xiaona's eyes began to roll upwards and her kicking legs gradually weakened, Cheng Yuzhou seemed to finally realize that he could get no response when he strangled Song Xiaona.
He suddenly raised his arm and slammed her onto the platform of the next rooftop.
Song Xiaona landed and rolled twice, took a few breaths of oxygen, got up and ran.
Three wisps of black smoke bound her from behind. The next instant, Cheng Yuzhou appeared in front of her, their eyes meeting at close range.
Meeting those dark, swirling eyes, Song Xiaona immediately realized that she had unintentionally guessed correctly about Cheng Yuzhou's brainwashing method:
He must rely on visual communication to control the human brain.
Okay...very good. This kind of brainwashing is destined to be inefficient. Even if she falls into Cheng Yuzhou's hands, the more than two hundred people in the Second Church that she arranged in advance will help Li Yufei escape.
Song Xiaona immediately closed her eyes, but a few wisps of black smoke climbed over her head, like the legs of a beetle, forcibly prying open her eyelids and making her look at Cheng Yuzhou.
No...don't...
Her eyes, exposed to the wind, secreted physiological tears. Before she could resist, her mouth opened and closed automatically, uttering words intermittently.
Where is Yufei?
"Confession room..."
"Confessional?" Cheng Yuzhou suddenly opened his eyes. "How dare you—"
He instantly saw through Song Xiaona's plan.
As a servant of God, she dared to possess God for herself, turning the great God into a nun who assisted her, and even trying to turn her into a demon!
Song Xiaona, she clearly enjoyed the glory of the gods, how dare she do this!
This is a heinous crime, an unforgivable blasphemy!
“Atony…” He staggered back, horrified as if he had seen a demon, muttering in a daze, “Atony! You must atone!”
A silver longbow appeared in Cheng Yuzhou's hand. He looked at Song Xiaona with a mixture of fear and rage, and drew the bowstring taut.
As the distance between them increased, Song Xiaona's unfocused pupils gradually cleared.
As soon as she regained consciousness, the holy bow was pointed at her.
"You will pay the price for this." Behind the gleaming silver bow was Cheng Yuzhou's gloomy, dark face. "Song Xiaona, a wicked blasphemer like you, your soul does not deserve forgiveness!"
There was nowhere to escape from the rooftop.
Song Xiaona covered her throat, which was burning and stinging with a metallic taste, and coughed as she took a step back.
The silver bow was aimed at her, and points of light gathered on the string.
She didn't understand what Cheng Yuzhou was trying to do. The sacred artifact only harmed demons, so shooting it at her was pointless.
This initial surprise was shattered within seconds.
Unlike the usual golden-red color, this time what's gathered on the bow is a gray arrow of light.
After a brief moment of stunned silence, Song Xiaona immediately realized what this was—
Eros's lead arrow.
Legend has it that Eros, the god of love, has two kinds of arrows: one is a golden arrow that symbolizes true love, and the two people struck by it will fall in love with each other; the other is a lead arrow.
There are many stories about lead arrows. Some legends say that people who are hit by lead arrows only pursue physical stimulation and their emotions will quickly dissipate.
Some say that those struck by lead arrows will close their hearts and stop loving others;
Some say that people who are hit by lead arrows will hate each other.
The legends differ, but the moment Cheng Yuzhou aimed at her, Song Xiaona immediately concluded that this lead arrow would be the final result.
He wouldn't kill her; he wanted her to be despised and hated by thousands, to live a life of pain and despair in ghost stories, and to suffer eternal loneliness!
Just like when Cheng Yandong dragged him into the solitary confinement room, all the world could see was darkness and a deathly loneliness.
She dared to try to destroy their god, and therefore has no right to live in the light.
The moment he released the string, Song Xiaona grabbed the dagger at her waist with her other hand.
She witnessed Cheng Yuzhou's abilities firsthand; no matter how much she schemed, she could never defeat such superhuman power.
She had done everything she could and should do. Song Xiaona realized in despair that there was no longer any possibility of defeating Cheng Yuzhou in this strange tale. Staying would not bring a turning point, but only endless torment.
Li Yufei, she did her best, she did right by her.
The blade flashed coldly, piercing Song Xiaona's heart along with the silver-gray arrow.
The silvery-gray light penetrated her chest, but the dagger could not pierce her clothes.
Song Xiaona stared in shock at her hands, which seemed to have a mind of their own and were not under her control, keeping the dagger firmly suspended outside her skin, refusing to penetrate even an inch!
"I command you." A gloomy, icy voice rang out in front of Song Xiaona.
She looked up helplessly, her eyes fixed on Cheng Yuzhou, her brain unconditionally obeying his commands.
He ordered her: "You are absolutely not allowed to do anything to harm yourself, Song Xiaona. You must do everything in your power, try your best, and find every possible way to ensure that you survive."
"No, no—!" Song Xiaona screamed in despair as her pupils constricted. "Let me die! Kill me, Cheng Yuzhou!"
"I won't kill you." Cheng Yuzhou drew his bow again, this time aiming it at the sky.
A massive amount of silvery-gray light gathered on the bowstring. He drew the bow towards the sky, his eyes fixed on Song Xiaona, and cruelly pronounced his sentence: "I want you to live well; I want you to repent for the crimes you have committed every day of the rest of your life."
The bowstring snapped back, and a massive arrow shot into the sky, piercing the clouds and transforming into countless gray wisps of rain that fell upon the manor and descended upon everyone's heads.
Cheng Yuzhou was no longer visible on the rooftop.
He rushed to the confessional, eager to stop everything before Li Yufei turned into a demon.
Song Xiaona staggered, exhausted.
She was staring blankly into space when suddenly she heard her own name.
"Song Xiaona!" "She's over there!"
Hearing the call, Song Xiaona mustered her strength.
She looked down from the roof and saw that the area below had become crowded with people, and every face she recognized was familiar.
But on those familiar faces were expressions she didn't recognize.
"You stinking woman, get down here!" A stone was thrown at her, but she fell down before she even got halfway down.
A light, gray drizzle enveloped the manor, soaking everyone. They craned their necks, angrily shouting insults at her:
"We're fighting Cheng Yuzhou down below, and you were hiding here all along?"
"We thought you'd gone somewhere, but you've just been hiding away all by yourself. What do you take us for!"
"I've had enough of her behaving like this!" "What a rotten bitch, what are you pretending for!" "You're always ordering us around, who do you think you are!"
These foul words did not discourage Song Xiaona; instead, they gave her a pleasant surprise.
She can't commit suicide, but these people seem to want to kill her now...
The thought had barely formed when it was abruptly suppressed by a powerful fear that seemed to dominate her very soul:
No! She doesn't want to die! She must live! She can't die! She doesn't want to die, she doesn't want to die, she doesn't want to die!
Seeing that someone had entered the house and was preparing to go to the rooftop to catch her, Song Xiaona was driven by an inexplicable will to survive and took action.
No, what is she doing? She should die and leave immediately, why is she running?
No, she doesn't want to die! She absolutely cannot die!
Song Xiaona clung to the drainpipe on the outside of the wall and slowly climbed down from the other side of the enclosure, using the air conditioner units on each floor as footholds.
Torn between the cries of survival and the cry of death, she lost control of her limbs and every cell in her body was working frantically, desperate for a glimmer of hope.
Her body wouldn't allow her to die.
After descending several floors, her strength gradually waned, while the cursing grew closer and closer, as if it were right next to her ear.
"Song Xiaona!"
Suddenly, there was a loud noise beneath her, and Song Xiaona shuddered violently. The rain-soaked drainpipe was incredibly slippery, and her hands froze, causing her to slip and fall from the second floor.
She didn't fall directly; someone caught her in their arms, and they both fell onto the wet ground.
Song Xiaona immediately turned around.
Turning her head, she saw Li Yufei lying on top of her.
"What are you doing here!" she exclaimed in surprise.
"I came to find you!" Li Yufei nudged her. "Get up! You're making me feel like I'm going to throw up."
Li Yufei had run two miles outside the church, but still couldn't find Song Xiaona.
She sensed something was wrong; there were no private cars on the estate, and even if Song Xiaona were riding a horse, she wouldn't be going this fast.
She guessed that she had gone too far, and when she turned around, she saw Cheng Yuzhou, a dark figure, in the sky above the Second Church.
Good heavens, what is this?!
Is this also the "YU" phenomenon? Why can't she become a demon even after praying to God and performing rituals, while Cheng Yuzhou can turn evil and fall into demonic ways in a matter of minutes?
The plume of black smoke looked extremely ominous.
Worried that Song Xiaona would be captured by Cheng Yuzhou, and also worried about what the ruthless Cheng Yuzhou might do to others, Li Yufei decided to come back and take a look.
At first glance, one could see Song Xiaona clinging to the second floor, her face as pale as a corpse.
The two helped each other to their feet, and before they could even brush the mud off themselves, a loud shout came from the corner of the wall: "Here she is! Song Xiaona is here!"
Startled, Song Xiaona turned and ran.
Li Yufei was stunned for a moment, then followed behind her, "What's going on? Aren't those your people? Why are they chasing you? Could it be... they've been brainwashed too?"
"More or less." Song Xiaona had no time to explain. Her vision went black as Cheng Yuzhou strangled her with black smoke and hung her in the air. Every breath she took was painful and filled with the taste of blood.
Not only her neck, but also her internal organs ached terribly after being knocked away by the black smoke from Li Yufei's hand, making it almost impossible for her to walk.
Song Xiaona kept running for a while, then suddenly turned around.
She looked at Li Yufei, who was standing beside her. Li Yufei's head, face, and body were all soaked by the rain.
Like everyone else, she was drenched in Eros's leaden rain.
Song Xiaona's pupils contracted sharply, and her pale lips moved as she murmured, "You..."
"Huh?" Li Yufei looked at her blankly.
"You hate me!" She suddenly pulled away from Li Yufei and demanded in a shrill voice, "Li Yufei, you hate me! Do you hate me like everyone else does?"
Li Yufei was stunned.
"What's wrong with you?" The fox's eyes widened to their limit. "Otherwise what? What do you want to hear me say now?"
"I'm not saying this to be mean, Song Xiaona, but you're incredibly shameless," Li Yufei said, incredulously. "In the confessional, I wanted to have a heart-to-heart talk with you, thinking we might have some misunderstanding that we could clear up. What did you say to me then—"
She crossed her arms, mimicking Song Xiaona's tone from back then, and genuinely laughing in exasperation, "Song Xiaona, 'Do you think we're so idle that we have time to reminisce about the past and pour our hearts out here?'"
"Am I some kind of despicable person?" Li Yufei retorted angrily. "When I wanted to shake hands and make peace, you laughed at me. Now you're trying to be sentimental? Do you think I'll accept reconciliation? Dream on!"
On that familiar face, there was still the same expression that Song Xiaona knew.
She closed her eyes, took a deep breath to catch her breath, then abruptly turned around and continued running forward, shouting, "Hurry up!"
Li Yufei stared in disbelief. Was this woman crazy? She stopped during her tense escape and caused this inexplicable incident.
What is she trying to do?!
A light drizzle hit her face, and Song Xiaona couldn't tell if the rain on her face was sweat or the torrential rain brought down by Cheng Yuzhou.
She ran until her breath was thick with the smell of blood, her heart and lungs ached terribly, and her consciousness began to drift away; she couldn't tell what was keeping her going.
Her mind was controlled, and she couldn't bring herself to tell Li Yufei to "kill her." She could only desperately run towards the castle, clinging to the Queen of the Underworld's box as her last hope.
But that hope seemed so far, so very far away from her...
The pain in her abdomen, caused by the black smoke, was excruciating, as if her internal organs were being torn apart one by one and put into a meat grinder along with ice. Song Xiaona had never experienced such pain before, as if someone were cutting off her organs one by one and putting them into a meat grinder along with ice.
So tired, so very tired... but she couldn't stop to catch her breath even for a moment.
Rain stung my eyes, ruining what should have been a lively and joyous night of the goddess's parade. All that remained between heaven and earth was a gray, cold drizzle.
She wasn't tired! This was her last hope; she couldn't give up, she had to keep going!
"Song Xiaona! Song Xiaona!" A sudden call came from her fading consciousness.
As always, the voice was full and vibrant, so full of life that Song Xiaona hated and resented it.
She ran forward mechanically, and Li Yufei couldn't stop her, so she grabbed her and pinned her down.
"Song Xiaona..." "What's wrong!" Song Xiaona suddenly shouted, "Why are you stopping? Run!"
Li Yufei was stunned.
The woman in front of me, Song Xiaona, was completely pale. She was clearly too exhausted to run. Her speed was barely faster than walking, and she could even be described as being in a semi-comatose state.
A layer of gray rain covered that sickly, pale face, and in the fine, damp rain, the tear stains were even more striking.
She was crying.
She was in so much pain.
“Song Xiaona,” Li Yufei stared intently at her, “you know I’m not as smart as you sometimes, so you must never lie to me.”
"What?" An inexplicable sense of irritation filled Song Xiaona's mind. She couldn't control her emotions. "Li Yufei, what are you planning now? Don't waste time..."
"I'll ask you one last time—" Li Yufei grabbed her shoulders, her voice serious and stern, "Are you sure death really is the way to leave this world peacefully?"
"Otherwise what!" Song Xiaona opened her eyes wide. "At a time like this, you're still asking such a stupid question! I've really had enough of you!"
"Okay." Li Yufei nodded, blinking away the raindrops clinging to her eyelashes.
"If you know, run!" Song Xiaona turned around, "We..."
She suddenly froze.
The scorching sound of gushing water echoed through the rainy night.
After a moment, she slowly turned around and looked at Li Yufei behind her in disbelief.
The instant she turned around, Li Yufei pulled out a dagger from her waist, grabbed her hair, and slit her neck.
To prevent Song Xiaona from healing her wounds through prayer, Li Yufei used all her strength to sever Song Xiaona's trachea as well.
Bang……
She collapsed, her hot blood mingling with the cold rain, staining the ground. Her eyes remained fixed on Li Yufei, filled with shock.
The dagger slipped from Li Yufei's hand, sliding out of her palm covered in sticky blood.
She knelt down beside Song Xiaona with a thud and blindfolded her.
After a long while, Song Xiaona heard a hoarse, trembling voice say, "That's enough... I'm sorry."
Just like on the day of the match, Li Yufei saw Song Xiaona's battered and bruised feet.
That was the first time Li Yufei realized that even someone as strong as Song Xiaona could get tired.
It turns out that Song Xiaona also needs rest.
The eyes beneath her palm slowly cooled, and finally, Li Yufei felt Song Xiaona's trembling eyelashes.
She closed her eyes in her hands, in this gloomy, cold rain.
"Song Xiaona, why are you always going against me?"
In her final moments, Song Xiaona remembered the question Li Yufei had asked.
Why……
Perhaps it's because, like Cheng Yuzhou, she couldn't help but be drawn to her vibrant energy.
Li Yufei, she also wanted to ask her:
Why is she so arrogant?
Why doesn't she care at all what other people think?
Why isn't she ashamed of her failures and mistakes?
Why is it that, despite her ignorance, she can always confidently appreciate herself and steadfastly love herself?
Why is she so strong? Why is she so free-spirited?
Why is it that whenever she is exhausted, in pain, and even hates herself, just one glance at her vibrant and passionate appearance gives her a breath of fresh air and a glimmer of life?
Why……
Why is she always so dazzling and beautiful?
Li Yufei, she really envied her...
The gray, leaden rain drifted in and out like smoke and gauze, and Li Yufei knelt in the muddy, bloody water.
As if sensing something, she looked up and gazed in the direction of the Second Church behind her.
Through the damp, cold, and gloomy rain curtain, she and Cheng Yuzhou, who was not far away, stared at each other in silence.
The gray rain and black fog obscured her vision, so she couldn't see the expression on Cheng Yuzhou's face. She vaguely felt that it was a kind of weeping, like the drizzle itself.
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Author's note: Oh dear, everything's so tragic.
Hearing that the god he served was being turned into a nun and manipulated at will by a bishop below him, and that the god would be corrupted into a demon:
The devout monk, Yuan Yuzhou, was about to faint.
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