Chapter 13 The Holy Maiden Recalls the End of the Sacrifice, the People...
After the sacrificial ceremony ended, the people gradually dispersed. Mei Xi stood with her back turned and did not move for a long time, nor did the three of them leave.
Musha walked to her side and whispered a few words. Only then did she turn half her body to look at the three of them again. Her eyes remained unchanged, but as the voices faded and the firelight dimmed, she stood on the high altar. In a corner where no one was paying attention, her hand holding the sword trembled.
Mei Xi didn't speak, she just watched. After a while, she looked in a certain direction outside the altar, a very faint smile appeared on her lips, and then she left with Mu Sha, her steps looking somewhat stiff.
The three returned to the inn, each with their own thoughts. As soon as Liu Taohua entered the room, she called Momo out. The two, one human and one crow, sat at the table, staring at each other.
After a long silence, Momo seemed a little anxious. She cried out twice, then rummaged through her handbag and finally used her long beak to push out a small box.
Liu Taohua said, "Mo Mo, do you suspect that she has been cursed?"
Mo Mo blinked, neither confirming nor denying.
Liu Taohua said, "I do think her eyes are very special, yet also very familiar. However, her reaction is indeed a bit unusual, so it seems I'll have to go and see for myself."
There was no time to lose, so Liu Taohua made up her mind to go out and investigate immediately. As soon as she opened the door, the other two doors next to it also opened.
The three of them walked out at the same time, and Jiang Yu said, "It seems we've thought of the same thing."
Liu Taohua said, "I have a guess that I must see the Holy Maiden to verify."
Lianxi said, "I'll go with you."
Liu Taohua exclaimed "Huh?" and said, "Aren't the three of us supposed to be together?"
Jiang Yu and Lian Xi exchanged a glance and said, "I also have something I need to verify, but we're not going the same way."
Liu Taohua didn't ask any more questions and said, "Then let's not delay and set off immediately."
The three left the inn and split into two groups. The streets were pitch black, but fortunately the desert starry sky was extremely bright, and the roads were still clearly visible.
Liu Taohua said she was going to see the Holy Maiden. As soon as she stepped out the door, she grabbed Lianxi and firmly walked in one direction. Lianxi followed behind her and asked, "Do you know where the Holy Maiden is?"
Upon hearing this, Liu Taohua paused, turned around, and smiled, "To be precise, I don't know. But the Holy Maiden already told us at today's ceremony."
Lianxi raised an eyebrow and said, "You mean the place she looked at last?"
Although it was a question, his tone was very certain, and he clearly agreed with Liu Taohua's statement and thought the same thing as her.
Liu Taohua's eyes lit up, and she said, "Lianxi understands me best. That direction is the royal palace. The Holy Maiden usually lives next to the royal palace. They've already extended an invitation, so it wouldn't be right not to go and see."
Lianxi chuckled almost imperceptibly and said, "Then what do you want to verify?"
Liu Taohua said, "You'll see when the time comes!"
Before long, the two arrived at a house a hundred meters from the palace. Unexpectedly, compared to the brand-new houses around it, this house looked particularly out of place; it was so old that it resembled a long-abandoned, deserted dwelling. A string of broken flower bells hung in front of the door, making a creaking sound in the wind, which sounded rather eerie in the middle of the night.
Liu Taohua said, "She is a saintess after all. It's one thing for the murals to be crude, but why is her living quarters so shabby? Even if she really is a ghost, there's no need to make it so fitting."
Lianxi said, "You're not afraid at all."
Liu Taohua retorted, "Aren't you afraid either?"
Lianxi replied, "In this world, it is others who are afraid of me, so why would I be afraid of others?"
Liu Taohua nodded, quite appreciating his frankness. She always felt that if someone else had said these words, it would have been a boast, but coming from him, it was an absolute and unyielding confidence.
Although arrogant, he has the right to be arrogant.
Lianxi tilted her head and said, "You don't think I'm scary."
Liu Taohua said frankly, "Since we're friends, why would I be afraid? Didn't I tell you before that you're safe with me? Besides, I think having a friend like you is really great!"
Lianxi was amused by her and said, "I also think that having a friend like you is a very good thing."
Liu Taohua thought so too, saying, "You have excellent taste!"
The door bell rang again, as if complaining that the two of them were wasting time standing in front of the door. Liu Taohua quickly said, "Let's go in quickly, we can't keep the Holy Maiden waiting too long."
The two walked to the door and were about to push it open when it opened automatically, releasing a rich floral fragrance. Looking around, they saw a courtyard filled with wildflowers, leaving only a relatively wide passageway in the middle. Opposite was a house with its door tightly closed and candlelight flickering.
The sand grass here is different from what they've seen outside. It grows extremely tall, reaching above a person's calves. The flowers here aren't the usual purple and white, but a fiery red. Even confined to this little world, they bloom passionately, waiting for someone who will appreciate them.
The two walked through the patch of sand and grass to the front of the house, where a stiff voice came from inside: "Distinguished guests, please come in."
The two exchanged a glance, pushed open the door and entered. They saw the saintess still wearing the same gorgeous dress, with exquisite makeup and empty eyes. She sat motionless in the chair, looking just like a porcelain doll.
Lianxi asked, "Was the Holy Maiden waiting for us on purpose?"
The Holy Maiden remained motionless and slowly said, "As the Holy Maiden, I should greet distinguished guests who have come to Yezi."
While the two were talking, Liu Taohua quietly opened the small box, and a tiny butterfly flew out and silently landed on the back of the saintess's head.
Lianxi asked, "May I ask the Holy Maiden's name?"
The saintess said, slowly and deliberately, "Plum, joy."
It really is Mei Xi.
Liu Taohua asked, "Why did the Holy Maiden specifically lead us here?"
Mei Xi's eyelashes trembled slightly, finally showing a reaction. Her expression became more lively as she asked, "Have you ever seen my sister?"
Liu Taohua asked, "You mean, Mei Ling?"
Mei Xi's pupils widened suddenly, her emotions running high. "That's my sister! It's my sister!" she cried. Then, she suddenly covered her face and wept, saying, "My sister became a goddess, but why doesn't she come back to see... Isn't this the Yezi she misses most...?"
Mei Ling became a god? She clearly died in battle!
Lianxi asked, "Your sister became a god, why didn't she take you with her?"
Mei Xi shook her head and said, "I can't leave, I can't leave... If my sister leaves, and I leave too, what will happen to Ye Zi...?"
Lotus said, "If you don't leave, you will be seen as an ominous sign."
Mei Xi suddenly stood up, glaring fiercely at Lian Xi with eyes wide with fury, and shouted sharply, "We are not some ominous sign!!!" She gasped for breath, then cried out in a pitiful voice, "The one who deserves to die is me! It's me! But! Only by staying can I prove to those who doubt us that our choice was right!"
Lianxi sighed, as if she had guessed something, and her tone softened as she said, "You've persevered all these years by yourself, it must have been very hard."
Mei Xi's eyes regained some clarity, and she calmed down, saying, "For my sister, for Ye Zi, it's all worth it."
At this moment, the little butterfly flew back to Liu Taohua's side. She held it to her nose and smelled it, and understood what was going on.
Liu Taohua said, "The people of Yezi we see are peaceful and harmonious, and the government is efficient and just. If she knew everything you have done for Yezi, she would be very happy."
Mei Xi paused, a glimmer of light appearing in her eyes, but it quickly died down. She said, "No, I harmed Ye Zi. I'm sorry to them... I'm sorry to my sister, I'm sorry to these eyes..."
As soon as she finished speaking, Mei Xi suddenly stiffened and fainted.
Lianxi reacted quickly and flew forward to catch her. Liu Taohua rushed forward to check on her and said regretfully, "She was already dead, and she has been poisoned by the Gu worms for too long. Before long, she will completely lose consciousness and sleep in a 'conscious' state until she turns into nothingness."
Lianxi was not surprised. He found no trace of magic on her, and her behavior was very strange, as if she were being controlled. Her brief moments of clarity were a struggle and a cry for help.
Before Lianxi could ask what kind of Gu it was, a sound came from under the chair where Meixi had been sitting; it was a hidden compartment.
Liu Taohua stepped forward to examine it and found an exquisite wooden box inside. She took it out and opened it, finding a thick notebook inside. She opened it and saw that it contained no words, but rather dense, yet regularly spaced, dots.
That's Braille.
Lianxi asked, "What's written on it?"
As Liu Taohua looked at it, she replied, "It's Mei Xi's personal record written in Braille, but I can understand it."
Unbeknownst to Liu Taohua, as she uttered those words, Lianxi's expression darkened, and an unreadable emotion surged in her eyes.
Seeing that he didn't speak, Liu Taohua assumed he didn't believe her, so she began to recount her story in detail, referring to the notes.
It turns out that Mei Xi had suffered a serious illness in her childhood, which caused her to go blind, and she sought out famous doctors everywhere to no avail. The identities of the two sisters were very sensitive in Yezi, but not everyone regarded them as ominous people. Among them was a royal official who had been by their side since childhood, who was their teacher and is now the royal advisor—Mu Sha.
The position of Holy Maiden could only be held by one of them, and there was no one else who could take it. To avoid causing panic among the people, it was always publicly stated that there was only one Holy Maiden. As for those who opposed it, they always felt that keeping them was a hidden danger, and that one should be kept and the other discarded. However, the two sisters were strong-willed and firm in their beliefs, and they gradually grew up under Musa's care.
When they were ten years old, the two sisters' talents gradually became apparent, but Mei Xi suddenly fell ill and eventually went blind. The court officials, under the pretext of "stabilizing the foundation of the country," wanted to sacrifice the blind Mei Xi. Mei Ling threatened to kill her to save Mei Xi's life.
After all, in this country, both the monarch and the saintess are indispensable, and once chosen, it is difficult to change.
Mei Ling became a saintess. To prevent those people from harming Mei Xi, she was ruthless and diligent during her reign. She also worked tirelessly to achieve peaceful coexistence with He Gutai, and in doing so, she met Chi He. The two shared the same interests and aspirations, both hoping to end the centuries-long conflict between the two tribes in this generation.
Just when Mei Ling thought her great wish was about to be fulfilled, Chi He was chosen by a passing priest and ascended to godhood. After her ascension, Chi He came to find Mei Ling and asked if she was willing to cultivate immortality, saying that with her abilities, she was sure she could ascend. Mei Ling refused; her great wish was not yet fulfilled, and she could not abandon her country and her beloved younger sister.
Not long after Chihe ascended to heaven, Hegutai mobilized the entire nation to attack Yezi. There was even a traitor within the city. It was later discovered that some of Mei Ling's subordinates had already defected to Hegutai. The crown prince's ascension gave Hegutai's internal opponents of peace talks an opportunity to annihilate Yezi in one fell swoop.
Beset by internal and external troubles, Mei Ling was overwhelmed with guilt, so she donned her armor and went into battle, repelling the enemy. Knowing that the battle was likely to end badly, her only worry was for Mei Xi. Therefore, before going to war, she gave her own eyes to Mei Xi, so that even if Mei Xi died, her younger sister could live on.
In the end, Mei Ling died on the battlefield, Ye Zi won a pyrrhic victory, and He Gu Tai was also wounded.
Mei Xi, taking Mei Ling's place, turned the tide. Her first act was to personally execute the traitors and the royal advisor who had betrayed Ye Zi and framed Mei Ling in the royal court, and to promote Mu Sha to the position of royal advisor. However, this also exposed their twin identities. The people, unaware of the truth, called her a wicked woman who brought ruin to the country. She calmed the people's hearts, allowed the country to recuperate, and treated everyone with courtesy, winning the support of the entire city. Yet, she chose to inherit Mei Ling's will, willingly becoming a notorious saintess.
Just when she thought everything was going well, Yozu changed; Yozu was trapped.
As a saintess, she was powerless and could only watch helplessly as those who wanted to go home died outside their own homes, trapped forever.
Just when she was about to despair, someone told her that Mei Ling had not died, but had ascended to heaven like Chi He. Hope rekindled in her heart, and she tried again and again to call for help, hoping that her sister would see her, but no one came.
She didn't understand, nor did she know how long she had been trapped; all she knew was that fewer and fewer people wanted to go home. All she could do was erect a blank memorial tablet for them in the temple.
She's the one who deserves to die the most.
Sister, the sand grass is blooming again, did you see it?
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