Chapter 69: City of Redemption (IV) The Ceremony of Purification
Wen Yin stood in front of the door with her eyes lowered. The pure and strong light almost made it difficult for her to open her eyes.
After an unknown amount of time, the door in front of him finally opened, and a deacon in a silver-white robe walked out slowly.
Her face looked quite young, her skin was pale and bloodless, but her expression was unusually calm, even with a kind of empty tenderness.
"Children, welcome to the inner hall and bathe in the supreme grace."
Her voice was gentle and pleasant, not as harsh as Sister Lorraine's.
"The journey of this world is tiring, and one must first cleanse oneself from the dust before one can settle into the abode of glory. Please follow me."
She leaned slightly to the side and made guiding gestures, her movements smooth and graceful.
The girls woke up as if from a dream, lowering their heads nervously and in awe.
Wen Yin followed them in a line and stepped into the door that seemed to separate the two worlds.
The scene behind the door made Wen Yin dazed for a moment.
A wide corridor connects to the hall in the distance. The two sides of the corridor are not walls, but dreamy carved fences condensed from pure light.
Outside the fence, there is not the sky or the earth, but endlessly surging yet unusually gentle milky white light clouds.
The air is cool, with a pure scent like the first day after snow.
The surroundings were eerily quiet, the only sound in the entire corridor being the extremely light footsteps of the children.
No one dared to speak, and they just followed the deacon forward.
They didn't know how many corridors they passed through, but finally, they stopped in front of an archway made of warm white jade.
A moist and warm breath was coming out from inside the door.
"New children," the deacon said in a gentle, ethereal voice, "this temple will not tolerate even the slightest touch of worldly taint."
"Before entering the inner hall, you must first perform a cleansing ceremony to wash away the last trace of dust and darkness you have picked up on your journey here."
After saying that, he stepped in first.
The hall is extremely spacious, its floor and walls paved with smooth and warm milky white jade. The dome is high and wide, and is filled with hazy and warm vapor.
In the center of the hall is a huge hot spring pool.
The water in the pool has a faint milky white glow, as if melted light is flowing in it.
The edge of the pool blends naturally with the jade floor, emitting wisps of fragrant white mist, making the entire space appear dreamlike.
"This is the Fountain of Purifying Light," the deaconess's voice seemed unreal amidst the mist. "The waters are blessed by the Holy Light, cleansing the body and soul and soothing all worries. Remove your clothes and let the holy water embrace you. From now on, both body and soul will be refreshed."
Her tone was calm, as if she was stating something very ordinary.
The girls looked at each other, their faces flushed with shyness.
Although we are both women, we still feel uneasy and embarrassed to be naked in such a strange and sacred environment.
However, no one dared to violate the rules of the inner hall.
With their heads lowered and their fingers trembling slightly, they began to untie the gray nun robes on their bodies.
The rough gray cloth slipped off, revealing a young body underneath that still bore some traces of life.
Wen Yin stood at the end of the team. The mist in the pool spread up along the jade steps and covered the hem of her robe, which she had not yet taken off.
The deacon looked in her direction suspiciously.
Wen Yin lowered her eyes and immediately placed her hand on the rough knot of her gray robe.
Under the deacon's gaze, the gray robe that symbolized the mortal world slowly slipped off his shoulders, revealing skin as white as mutton-fat jade.
In the hazy holy light and water vapor, there is almost a soft glow.
The slender limbs and the delicate lines of the shoulders and neck are like the most perfect creation of the gods, strangely blending into this holy temple, yet appearing particularly abrupt because of its perfection that transcends ordinary people.
Even the female deacon, whose gaze was gentle and empty, seemed to be briefly surprised when she saw her body.
The underwear was also taken off, and the cool air touched the skin in the private parts, causing a slight shiver.
Wen Yin lowered her eyes, and her eyelashes cast a small shadow under her eyes.
The deaconess stood quietly by, her eyes sweeping over the girls calmly, as if inspecting a group of white offerings about to be sent to the altar, without a trace of emotion in her eyes.
"Go, soak in the spring until your body and mind feel clear and light," she said.
The girls then carefully walked down the jade steps one by one into the huge hot spring pool.
The water temperature is just right, warm but not scalding. A strangely smooth feeling envelops the body, as if one is being gently embraced by some living stream of light.
The water in the pool is not deep, just enough to cover your shoulders when you sit down.
After entering the pool, the shyness and nervousness on the girls' faces were gradually replaced by a sense of relaxation and calmness.
The water flow seemed to have some soothing power, dispelling the fatigue and fear of the past few days.
They relaxed and followed instructions, slowly immersing their entire bodies, including their hair, into the shimmering water.
Wen Yin also sank into the water.
The water flowed gently over her head, and the surrounding sounds became blurred. Only the gurgling sound of the water itself and the sound of her own heartbeat were amplified in her eardrums.
Through the swaying, hazy water surface, one can see the distorted and hazy light and shadow of the dome, as well as the motionless skirt of the deaconess by the pool.
Wen Yin tried calling 028 again, but still got no response.
At this moment, the pool water surrounding her body was warm and smooth enough to make her relax, but Wen Yin felt a sense of life-like flow from it.
Wen Yin's heart suddenly contracted and she almost trembled uncontrollably.
The deacon looked towards Wen Yin again.
Wen Yin had to deliberately pretend to be immersed in enjoyment. Her cheek slowly emerged from the water and she leaned slightly on the edge of the pool, accepting the cleansing of the holy spring like the other girls around her.
Just as she was trying to ignore the strange feeling brought by the water, a more obvious feeling suddenly came from her ankle.
It was like a particularly smooth and warm stream of water, winding around me intentionally or unintentionally.
It snaked up along her ankle, like some soft tentacle made of water, caressing the curve of her calf.
Wen Yin suddenly held her breath.
The surface of the pool was covered with mist, and she didn't notice anything strange. The other girls around her had their eyes closed, looking peaceful, as if they didn't notice anything unusual at all.
But the touch was terrifyingly real.
It continued upwards, with a cold, inquisitive touch, caressing her knees, her thighs...
Wherever it passed, a layer of fine bumps appeared on the skin.
It wasn't because of the water temperature, but rather the creepy feeling of being scrutinized by an unknown being.
It looked at her naked body as if appreciating a new object, slowly and carefully, without any color of lust, only a pure and suffocating observation.
Wen Yin's muscles were tensed all over her body, forcing herself to maintain a relaxed and immersed posture, not even daring to change her facial expression.
She couldn't move or show any abnormality.
In this core area filled with holy light, any unusual movement may be regarded as unclean or blasphemous.
The water continued to flow like tentacles.
It slid across her waist, brushed across her back, and even lingered for a moment on her slightly heaving chest.
Until a girl stood up from the pool, bringing with her the sound of dripping water.
Just as it had come, it merged silently into the pool of water emitting a holy halo, leaving no trace behind.
Wen Yin stayed there for several seconds before pretending to stroke the black hair by her ears.
She raised her eyes and glanced around quickly.
The deacon continued to stand there, her expression unchanged.
The other girls also rose from the water one after another, with a cleansed peace and a faint blush on their faces, and began to take the white robes handed to them by the deacon and put them on.
The robe was soft and felt incredibly comfortable against my freshly bathed skin.
No one noticed Wen Yin's brief stiffness. She walked out of the pool silently, took the robe, and wrapped herself up again.
The soft fabric blocked out the air but could not dispel the cold feeling that seemed to be branded on the skin.
The purification ceremony is over.
They were wearing uniform white robes, and the uneasiness in their expressions had been dispelled a lot by the tranquility after bathing, and they had a little more awe and compliance with the inner environment.
"Very good." The deacon still had that gentle smile on his face. "Now, please follow me to your residence."
They walked in the dreamy corridor again.
Finally, the deacon took them to a relatively secluded area.
"This is your accommodation. Two people per room. Number plates are on the doors. You have been assigned your rooms."
The deaconess paused. "There is no heavy labor in the inner hall. Your first task is to adapt to the splendor of this place, cleanse your mind, and prepare for closer service in the future."
After she finished her instructions, she nodded slightly and turned away gracefully.
Wen Yin’s license plate number is “seven”.
Living with her was Arya, the girl who had stood beside her in the choir hall and was the first one pointed out by the Son of God.
The other party took the lead in pushing open the door of room numbered "seven".
The space inside the door was much more spacious than the novice nun's room outside, but the furnishings were surprisingly simple and elegant.
The floor was covered with a soft silver velvet carpet, and there was a bed on each side, covered with thick cushions, which looked extremely comfortable.
There are no windows in the room. The light source comes from the roof and the walls themselves, which emit a uniform, soft, non-glaring but bright enough light to gently illuminate every corner of the room.
The whole room exudes comfort, cleanliness, tranquility, and a sense of being carefully cared for, like a warm nest of light.
Arya fell in love with this place almost immediately. She touched the soft bed carefully, her eyes full of wonder and gratitude.
"After being purified by the spring water, I now come to a place like this... The Holy Son is truly merciful..."
Wen Yin also nodded in agreement, with an appropriate expression of surprise and gratitude on her face.
Take a shower, change clothes, shed the old dust, put on a new look, and then be placed in a comfortable and perfect environment.
All of this process is smooth and natural, but it also feels more like a...
Silent domestication.
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