Chapter 66, Part 2: The Magical Maid
Liuguang didn't say what came next, but it was enough for everyone around her to understand the meaning behind it.
Seeing the slight change in the expressions of the maids and servants around him, Xu Qingzhou's face darkened.
He stared at Liuguang expressionlessly. The priest's eyes, which were always filled with tolerance and purity, now carried the majesty of a superior.
That was the aura that Xu Qingzhou had cultivated in his previous life, after serving as chairman for a lifetime.
He commands respect without anger.
"Her what?"
Liu Guang's brow twitched.
She had never seen a priest like this before.
She vaguely sensed that something seemed different about the priest.
Liu Guang was quick-witted and immediately put away the surprised and puzzled expression on her face, maintaining the demeanor of a saintess, and smiled gently.
"Perhaps I misheard."
"That saintess's hearing isn't very good."
A gentle, smiling voice came from behind.
Liu Guang's hand, hidden under her sleeve, tightened, her pupils contracted slightly, and she looked up in that direction.
"Vell?!"
Xu Qingzhou suddenly turned around.
At the stone archway in the garden, a young girl in a white robe, smiling, walked against the light.
Unlike the saintess's deliberately cultivated gentleness, the girl exuded a faint sense of approachability, a quality unique to wood-type mages.
Looking at the girl, Xu Qingzhou's heart skipped a beat.
Unfortunately, the urgency of facing mission failure right from the start prevented him from realizing that something was amiss.
He strode towards her, but stopped abruptly just before reaching her, barely maintaining his priestly demeanor and not impolitely pulling her aside to examine her.
But anyone could see the worry and anxiety on his face and in his eyes.
"Are you injured?"
The priest's voice, like the man himself, possessed a unique ethereal quality, as melodious as a clear spring.
Yu Wanwan rubbed the tips of her ears, her gaze somewhat strange.
Having grown accustomed to Xu Qingzhou's true appearance, his current innocent and saintly demeanor felt quite incongruous.
Why did I get hurt?
Xu Qingzhou carefully examined her. Her complexion was rosy and her breathing was even. She did not look injured at all, so he breathed a sigh of relief.
His behavior shocked the maids and servants in the garden.
In their minds, priests have always been gentle and holy, able to remain calm and handle things methodically no matter what happens.
When have I ever seen him lose his composure like this?
Especially the radiance.
The priest's concern and care were something she could never ask for, so why could this woman so easily make him make an exception?
Yu Wanwan tilted her head, her gaze passing over Xu Qingzhou's shoulder and meeting the resentment she hadn't had time to conceal.
"The saintess seems disappointed to see me here?"
The attendants and maids couldn't help but glance at the saintess.
Although it was done discreetly, she was a saintess with considerable magical skill, so how could she ignore these gazes?
In an instant, she had already adjusted her expression and demeanor, all the resentment receding like the tide, leaving only clean compassion.
"Oh, Violet, how could you think that?"
She looked at him as if he were a naughty child, a helpless smile on her lips, and raised her hand in a prayer gesture.
"Your safe return to the temple is the best blessing from the God of Light. I am overjoyed, how could I be disappointed?"
The awkward and strange tone of voice gave Yu Wanwan a headache.
The thought that everyone around her except Xu Qingzhou would be like this made her feel a little desperate.
"But I never left the temple and returned safely? How can you say that?"
Looking at the confusion and bewilderment on her face, Liu Guang suddenly tightened her grip, her nails digging into her flesh and causing a slight pain, but she seemed not to notice.
How dare she so openly deny it?
Isn't she afraid that the dark elements she's tainted with will be discovered?
Liu Guang suddenly paused, carefully examining the aura emanating from Yu Wanwan.
She was surrounded by a friendly and vibrant wood element, so clean and clear that there was not a single impurity.
Liu Guang's breathing became heavy.
How is that possible?
She watched as she was pushed into the forbidden forest, and after staying in such a place for so long, how could she have no trace of dark elemental energy on her?!
All sorts of thoughts flashed by in an instant. Liu Guang suppressed the resentment and confusion in her heart, raised her hand and made a standard prayer gesture, and naturally changed her mind.
"By the God of Light, I have misspoke."
Yu Wanwan smiled and ignored her, instead looking at Xu Qingzhou.
"Priest, why are you in such a hurry to see me? Is there something you need?"
Xu Qingzhou remained calm and composed, making up stories on the spot.
"There seems to be something wrong with the moonflower in my room, could you go and take a look?"
Whether Yu Wanwan and Liuguang believed it or not, the servants and maids all understood after hearing his explanation.
The priest always loved growing these flowers and plants, and took extra care of the moonflower grass he brought back from the western ice plains.
Now that there's a problem with the Moongrass, it's not surprising that he's so flustered and anxious.
Only Ryuko knew that he was lying.
He brought this Moonlight Grass back from the Western Pole three years ago and has been nourishing it with the element of light every day.
Under such circumstances, how could Moongrass possibly have any problems!
He was covering for her.
Realizing this, Liuguang almost lost control of her expression.
But she couldn't show anything; she could only hide all her resentment, bitterness, and grievances, and had to smile as she watched them leave together.
"Hey! Violet, you've finally appeared! Where have you been? The High Priest was so worried about you!"
This is Andila, the servant who finally caught up but didn't get to see any of the excitement.
Vera was responsible for Xu Qingzhou's daily life, while Adila was responsible for attending to him and also served as his bodyguard.
Yu Wanwan glanced at Xu Qingzhou, who turned his head away, coughed lightly, and did not refute her.
Yu Wanwan curled her lips and casually explained.
"They went to the herb garden."
The attendant suddenly realized.
"No wonder your clothes are wet; they must have gotten wet from the morning dew!"
Yu Wanwan remained noncommittal, but Xu Qingzhou turned around, his expression showing some disapproval.
"Take care of the medicinal herb garden is a good thing, but we also have to worry about catching a cold."
The words of concern drifted on the wind and faintly reached Liuguang's ears, like a thorn stuck in her heart, causing her excruciating pain.
“Holy Maiden, we should go and pray now. If we miss the appointed time, the God of Light will be displeased.”
Liu Guang took a breath, forcing herself to look away from the receding youth, and nodded good-naturedly.
Let's go.
The maid beside her suddenly noticed a bright red spot on her white cuff and exclaimed in surprise.
"Holy Maiden? How did you injure your hand?!"
Liu Guang paused for a moment, then casually clenched her fist to hide the wound on her palm and shook her head.
"I think I fell and scraped against a small stone."
She turned around and gently comforted the maid, showing no airs of a saint.
"Don't worry, it's just a minor cut. A healing spell will fix it."
Upon hearing this, the maid frowned, looking at her with heartache, and a sense of dissatisfaction with Yu Wanwan rose in her heart.
If it weren't for her going to the herb garden without informing the priest, the priest wouldn't have rushed to knock down the saintess, causing her to be injured and have to endure the pain herself.
"I really don't understand why the High Priest values that troublemaker, Violet, so much!"
This time, Liuguang smiled genuinely, but she retorted verbally.
"Don't say that. At least Violet is very attentive to the priests."
The maid pursed her lips.
She only puts her heart into serving the priests; otherwise, doesn't she always leave the saintess to clean up her messes?
Perhaps it was because of Yu Wanwan's unconventional behavior that day that Liuguang was unable to use his backup plan and almost aroused suspicion from everyone.
In the days that followed, she remained well-behaved and did not actively try to get close to Yu Wanwan again.
Since she didn't come closer, Yu Wanwan was happy to have some peace and quiet, spending her days either holed up in Chengxin Palace where Xu Qingzhou lived or in the medicine garden.
As the representative of the divine authority on this continent, the Temple of Light occupies a very large area.
Each wood-type mage in the temple has their own area of herb garden to manage, and it's difficult to run into each other unless you make an appointment.
This is also why Yu Wanwan dared to say she was in the herb garden that day. Even if Liu Guang sent someone to check the herb garden under Wei Er's management, they could only detect the surging wood element.
And that, precisely, serves as proof of what Yu Wanwan said.
Unfortunately, Liuguang was more composed than she had imagined. After being rejected once, she decisively stopped trying to guide her.
Otherwise, she might end up being unable to explain herself and leaving a stain on her record.
Now that Yu Wanwan has returned to the temple, she should, in principle, take over all of Wei'er's work and take care of Xu Qingzhou's daily life.
After that day, Xu Qingzhou announced her seclusion, and she became more relaxed, only occasionally visiting the herb garden.
His attendants marveled at the priest's extraordinary talent, noting that he had gained new insights in such a short time.
However, Yu Wanwan knew very well that his seclusion was not because he had gained any new insights, but simply because he was hiding away to digest and learn magic as quickly as possible.
In two months, it will be the annual blessing ceremony.
He will be in charge at that time, and if he still can't master the priest's magic by then, it will be a big problem.
Of course, his time was very tight, and Yu Wanwan's situation was not easy either.
The Blessing Ceremony is a grand event for the entire continent. Whether or not they are believers in the God of Light, as long as they are magicians, they will come to witness the ceremony.
The Temple of Light will also provide these spectators with precious potions.
The wood-elemental mage responsible for guarding and managing the herb garden has been very busy lately in order to produce enough potions.
That day, the attendant beside Elder Fina, the apothecary, appeared outside the herb garden early in the morning.
"Vell! You've finally arrived! I've been waiting for you for so long!"
"Rinor? Does Elder Fina have any instructions?"
Linor looked somewhat anxious and nodded hastily.
"Elder Fina is going to refine the Spring Dew today, so I've come to fetch the Heart-Healing Grass!"
Yu Wanwan narrowed her eyes.
"Wasn't the Rejuvenating Dew supposed to be refined starting in half a month?"
With the prayer ceremony approaching, the temple is rushing to prepare medicines.
However, these medicines are not made arbitrarily. The time for making which medicine is set in advance, so as to facilitate the planting and harvesting of medicines in the herb garden.
Linor was somewhat helpless.
"Yes, we were supposed to practice the antidote this time, but for some reason, none of the herbs in Adele's herb garden are ripe, so we have to change the order!"
Yu Wanwan leaned against the door without opening it, smiling as she looked at Linor.
"Does Elder Fina know about the change in the order of drug preparation?"
Linor paused for a moment, but quickly regained his anxious expression.
"Of course! What are you waiting for, Vera? If we delay Elder Fina, we'll all be punished!"
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