Jiang Bai patted his back: "Okay, I'll wait for you."
He felt a pang of resentment at his own powerlessness, his inability to take Jiang Bai away.
Jiang Bai dared not delay any longer, so he released him and hurriedly returned to the palace he had just left.
If Li Kejun discovers that she is not in the house, Zhao Yi's situation will be even more dangerous.
But what people fear most often comes to pass.
As Jiang Bai approached the house, he already sensed that someone was inside.
She hid in the corner of the house and saw two rows of guards standing in the open space in front of the house.
Is he one of Li Kejun's men? Has he come over now?
Jiang Bai frowned. After thinking for a moment, she decided that since she had already revealed that she wasn't inside, she might as well go in through the front door.
She tousled her hair and walked straight in through the front door.
Inside the room, Li Kejun was fiddling with the hairpin she had just taken off.
Seeing her enter through the main gate, he looked in this direction with a sharp gaze.
"What? You don't like the hairpin I gave you?"
"I like it," Jiang Bai answered loudly, without the slightest hesitation.
"Then why didn't you take it off? You even took off your coat and ran outside."
“I got up too early today. I was planning to lie down for a while and put my hairpin back on when the banquet started, but after I lay down, I saw a long snake swimming under the window, so I got up and chased after it.”
Li Kejun's face hardened: "If there are snakes, you can simply ask someone outside to catch them. Why do you have to chase after them yourself!"
Jiang Bai pursed her lips: "I'm just a country woman, I'm used to catching snakes myself, how could I remember to order others around? Your Highness doesn't trust me? Well, there's nothing I can do but let Your Highness remain suspicious, after all, I'm all alone, and I really have no way to explain myself."
The maid standing next to Li Kejun was Jiang Bai's personal maid. She trusted Jiang Bai quite a bit, and at this moment she also spoke up for her: "The Holy Maiden has not rested well these past few days. She sometimes rests in her room during the day. Perhaps it was a real accident today that caused her to come out of her room."
Li Kejun glanced at her, which startled her.
But he stopped dwelling on it, put down the hairpin and stood up: "The banquet is about to begin, you should get ready."
"Yes." Jiang Bai nodded as he watched him leave.
After she finished getting ready, she was led to the square.
The place was already crowded with people, leaving a path in the middle. Li Kejun was waiting for her at the corner.
After she arrived, he took the lead and walked forward, with Jiang Bai following behind.
As she walked along, the surrounding tribesmen stared at her intently, while Jiang Bai wore a smile throughout.
The Wu tribe had long heard that their holy maiden had returned, and the priest who had presided over the sacrifice not long ago was their holy maiden, so they all recognized Jiang Bai. However, they were still a little excited to see her on this occasion.
Previously, Li Kejun only released the news of the saintess's return; even during the sacrificial ceremony, he never publicly revealed Jiang Bai's identity.
Today, although it is called a homecoming banquet, it is actually an opportunity to publicly announce Jiang Bai's identity. Only through Li Kejun's announcement and the witnessing of the entire clan can Jiang Bai's status as a saintess be legitimate and have a voice.
Li Kejun arrived at the main seat on the high platform first. He turned to look at the crowd below, his face bearing the majesty of a king: "Fellow members of the Wu tribe, I have summoned you here today to announce two things to you."
"First, our Holy Maiden, who had been separated from us for some time, has finally returned. Today is the opportunity to announce her identity to all our people. From now on, our Holy Maiden will pray to God day and night to protect our people and ensure their well-being. May our Gu worms be invincible and our people prosper forever."
As soon as he finished speaking, the tribespeople below began to cheer and scream. Finally, their beloved Holy Maiden had returned, and they would have protection.
The saintess is the person closest to God, a messenger sent by God to earth. Those who can win the favor of the saintess will naturally receive God's protection.
Thinking of this, the clansmen looked at Jiang Bai with great respect and shouted in unison, "Our clansmen respectfully welcome the Holy Maiden's return!"
"Our people respectfully welcome the Holy Maiden's return!"
"Our people respectfully welcome the Holy Maiden's return!"
The people below shouted again and again, their voices waking the birds in the woods. A dark mass of birds soared from the forest and took flight into the sky.
Birds swirled in the sky, their long cries piercing the heavens.
Zhao Yi was standing beside the stone gate of the Wu tribe. In front of him was a vast sea of purple flowers, which swayed gently in the wind.
He heard a deafening sound behind him, so he stopped and turned around.
The sound came from the place where the birds took flight.
"Stop dawdling, let's go!"
The guards behind him urged him on, pushed him out of the stone gate, and escorted him toward the poisonous miasma forest.
"Go in yourself and don't come back, or you'll be killed without mercy!"
They pushed him into the poisonous forest and only turned away after he had disappeared from sight.
As they walked, they mocked, "The Gu worms on his body have encountered the poisonous gas of that poisonous forest; they'll kill him in no time!"
Zhao Yi walked a distance and then stopped. He looked down at the Gu worm he had crushed in his hand, his eyes cold.
Jiang Bai's medicine prevented the Gu worm from entering his body, allowing him to seize the opportunity to capture it.
After dealing with the remaining Gu worms on his body, he quickly left the poisonous miasma forest.
He still needs to find Amu and Ayina, and then return to the Wu tribe to bring Jiang Bai out.
Inside the Wu tribe, Jiang Bai looked at the large group of tribesmen below, his gaze slightly distant, mysterious and noble.
"Today I swear to all my people that I will wholeheartedly pray for the well-being of my people, wishing them long-lasting blessings and freedom from misfortune and worry. If I have even the slightest selfishness, you may all condemn me, and I will not shirk my responsibilities."
She made vows in front of everyone and said some touching and inspiring words.
The tribespeople were thrilled by her return, and they all became very obedient to her.
Li Kejun frowned, feeling that something was slipping out of his control.
He glanced down at the crowd and raised his hand to signal them to be quiet: "Next, I have the second matter to announce."
His authority remained, and although the tribespeople were excited, they obediently kept quiet.
The room quieted down, and then Li Kejun continued, "The second thing is that I will be marrying the Holy Maiden in a month."
As soon as he said this, the people cheered again.
Historically, the Holy Maiden would marry one person from her clan, and the man chosen by the Holy Maiden to marry would become the next king.
The people felt it was normal for the king and the saintess to get married, so most of them cheered.
However, a small number of people remained silent, their eyes turning dangerous as they looked at Li Kejun on the stage.
Whoever possessed the Holy Maiden was considered to have the right to inherit the throne. At that time, the Holy Maiden of the Witch Clan disappeared, and the Witch Clan's king at the time unfortunately passed away without designating a successor.
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