Luo Jiu was completely bewildered by their conversation and had no idea what was going on.
Although Luo Chentian was questioning him, the power of the conversation seemed to remain firmly in the hands of this mysterious "Taoist priest".
This strange place gave Luo Jiu goosebumps involuntarily.
"Although I don't know why this blood-red epiphyllum suddenly withered, there is still one way to see if it still works."
Luo Jiu saw the Taoist priest put two fingers in front of his mouth and whistle loudly, and then the insect on his fingertip moved.
It flapped its wings and slowly flew towards the sound. Its once shriveled belly was now round and plump again.
Without even thinking, Luo Jiu knew that her blood had gone into the belly of this disgusting worm.
"Please invite the Holy Maiden over."
As soon as the Taoist priest gave the order, Luo Chentian walked towards him without hesitation.
Luo Jiu couldn't help but close her eyes tightly.
Has life finally decided to take its revenge on this little lamb?
Luo Jiu was placed in the center of the magic circle. Although she didn't know what the two old men were going to do to her, she couldn't help but open her eyes.
That withered epiphyllum flower came into view.
The epiphyllum's blooming period is extremely short, often opening in the dead of night. From full bloom to withering, it only lasts for two hours, hence the name "ephemeral beauty."
But if these two hadn't both called this flower the Epiphyllum, Luo Jiu really wouldn't have believed that the reddish-brown flower in front of her, with its strong smell of blood, was the legendary Epiphyllum!
She carefully examined this unusual epiphyllum, whose once bright red petals were gradually showing signs of withering.
Wait, what is being worshipped at the center of the Epiphyllum?
The original flower stamens were removed, and a small, blood-red pool was created, with two thin, transparent objects floating in the water.
Luo Jiu couldn't help but open her eyes wide, only to find the world plunged into darkness once again.
[Ding! Five minutes have elapsed. Item expired.]
Ling Jiu's cold and heartless voice echoed in Luo Jiu's mind, making Luo Jiu unable to help but swear.
You let us down at the crucial moment, system, you really are something else.
Just then, Luo Jiu's palm touched a cold object. The touch felt like a human hand, but it seemed to have no human warmth at all.
Immediately afterwards, Luo Jiu felt her palm being slashed open, and blood gushed out, rushing to be injected into the pool containing the epiphyllum flowers.
Before long, the blood in the pool regained its vitality. The Gu worm in the Taoist priest's hand seemed to smell a familiar scent and flew excitedly towards the blood pool to begin its work of devouring and weaving.
"Master, is this alright?"
Seeing that everything seemed to be back on track, Luo Chentian still couldn't help but want the Taoist's protection.
"Maybe."
"The saintess's blood is enough for them to gnaw at for a while. As long as we provide enough of the saintess's blood during this period, everything will probably return to normal. You can then rest easy and continue being your prime minister."
Luo Chentian's smile widened, then suddenly, as if he had thought of something, he hesitated and said:
"But Luo Jiu is just going home to visit his family. The two of them are newly married and probably won't stay for more than a few days."
"No need to eat every day, once a week is enough. Otherwise..."
Before he could finish speaking, Luo Chentian interrupted him, "Okay, I understand."
His gaze as he turned to look at Luo Jiu was filled with a terrifying fervor.
As Luo Jiu lay on the ground, she inexplicably felt as if she were being watched by a venomous snake, and a chill ran down her spine.
In the evening, Luo Jiu woke up in bed without any surprise.
She unconsciously pounded her slightly swollen head with her hand, and then discovered that she could move her hand again.
Night had fallen, and many hours had passed since I went to the ancestral hall to pay my respects.
This allowed Luo Jiu to deceive herself, comforting herself that everything she saw and heard in the secret room was an illusion and was no longer possible.
"Miss." Jin Xia woke up before Luo Jiu and already knew why she was lying in the room.
"The doctor that the master invited has already come to see us. He said that the food we ate at noon was incompatible with a certain medicinal herb in the cigarette, which is why we fainted in the ancestral hall after lighting the cigarette."
As she spoke, Jinxia took a towel and wiped the sweat from Luo Jiu's forehead.
"I asked the doctor, and he said there won't be any lasting effects. Miss, you can rest assured, it was just an accident."
Luo Jiu gave Jin Xia's reply haphazardly, while secretly clenching her fists.
To her surprise, neither of her palms felt any particular pain.
Why is this happening? I clearly saw him cut open my palm with his own hands. Even with medication, the pain wouldn't disappear in such a short time.
This strange phenomenon frightened Luo Jiu.
"Jinxia, my hand..."
"Oh, you must have scraped yourself somewhere recently. The doctor has already treated it. Please be more careful in the future, Miss."
rub?
Luo Jiu buried her doubts deep in her heart, realizing that she wouldn't be able to get anything out of Jin Xia.
After waking up from a nap, Luo Jiu felt as if she had discovered some earth-shattering secret.
A dark, secret room; brightly colored insects; a strange, blood-red night-blooming cereus; and more...
Luo Chentian obeyed the man in black without question.
Luo Jiu rubbed her wrapped palms and gradually fell into deep thought.
"The Blood Epiphyllum is related to the fate of the Luo family... If you, Daoist, can restore its vitality, you will be a great benefactor to my Luo family..."
Luo Chentian's words echoed in Luo Jiu's mind.
And what about that strange name, "Saintess"?
Why do they call themselves saints?
A bold idea gradually took shape in Luo Jiu's mind.
People are curious as to why the originally unremarkable Luo Chentian would rise step by step to become the prime minister, the center of power.
Xiao Zhuo had always wanted to find the treasure in the Prime Minister's mansion that everyone coveted and that would bring them promotion and wealth.
Is it possible that this "treasure" is not a specific object at all, but a mysterious evil spell?
A wicked technique that could bring him success in his official career.
He so desperately needed his own blood, and called himself a "saint," precisely because his blood could make the slightly waning ephemeral flower bloom again.
Luo Chentian, together with that strange Taoist priest, used his own blood to offer sacrifices to the mysterious epiphyllum, which is why the epiphyllum was not an astonishing blood red.
[Ding! Congratulations, host, the plot progress is 70%.]
A surge of resentment welled up in Luo Jiu's heart. Wasn't Luo Chentian her biological father? This level of ruthlessness went beyond simply selling his daughter for personal gain.
Using one's own daughter to secure a successful career in government. What a brilliant scheme!
So, the reason why a doctor would come to check on you every month was actually to make it easier to draw your blood?
"Oh!"
Luo Jiu couldn't help but let out a cold laugh, her face unusually indifferent.
She clenched her fists, a cold and chilling smile playing on her lips.
Luo Chentian, you're gone.
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