Ning Su sat in the tea room watching them discuss. After the discussion, Jia Chensheng comforted Dai Dong for a while. He didn’t leave until Dai Dong’s emotions stabilized by lunchtime.
Lunch was as usual, with people from both houses gathering in
the tearoom to eat together.
While eating, Ning Su asked Ning Changfeng, “Where are you
going after lunch?”
Ning Changfeng replied, “I’ll take a short nap and then it’ll
be time for the Flower God worship event.”
“Oh,” Ning Su said, “I’ll go with you.”
Ning Changfeng looked up at him and said, “Sure, my brother.”
The welcoming period marked the beginning of a new week, and
the streets remained lively. In the morning, some would come to the Temple of
the Flower God with gifts, and in the afternoon, more people would kneel before
the temple to pray.
When Ning Su arrived, the endless crowd slightly took him
aback. Perhaps because the afternoon was the dedicated time for worship and
prayer, the number of people here far exceeded Ning Su’s imagination.
The fervent belief of Furen County in the Flower God could be
seen from the grand and solemn Flower God’s Temple. The temple’s courtyard
could accommodate tens of thousands of people kneeling in prayer.
By the time Ning Su and his companions arrived, the place was
nearly full. Those kneeling at the outermost edge might not even see the
five-meter-high door of the Flower God’s Temple .
“Brother Ning! Over here! I saved you a spot!” someone waved
to Ning Changfeng.
Ning Changfeng glanced at Ning Su and confidently walked
over.
Ning Su: “...”
Ning Su silently followed, blinked at the person with a touch
of meekness, and asked, “Big brother, I’m also his brother. A brother’s brother
is also a brother, so can I also have a place?”
“...”
In the end, that person also provided a cushion for Ning Su.
Ning Su: “Thank you, my good brother!”
“You’re welcome, my good brother!”
In just a few minutes, the two of them exchanged brotherly
words. If it weren’t for the appearance of the Holy Maiden, they might have
continued chatting for a while longer.
The Holy Maiden’s presence indicated that today’s worship
ceremony was about to begin, and the scene suddenly grew particularly quiet.
The Holy Maiden’s mat was placed in front of the crowd,
separate and alone within the gate of the Flower God’s Temple .
She was still wearing a black veil with black silk and red,
runic patterns.
The flowing black robe shimmered as it spread across the
ground. She knelt on the mat, palms pressed together against her chest,
performing a gesture of worship to the Flower God. Then, she devoutly lowered
her head to touch the ground, remaining in that position for a while.
Ning Su was slightly taken aback.
Even though he knew she was the Holy Maiden of the Flower
God’s Temple, Ning Su hadn’t expected this highly complex Holy Maiden to bow to
the Flower God so devoutly every day.
He turned his head to see that Ning Changfeng was also doing
the same. Following the Holy Maiden’s lead, he performed the same gesture of
worship to the Flower God. Then, he placed his hands palms-up in front of him,
touching his head to the center of his palms.
The first time Ning Changfeng was seen, he was a descendant
of a bewitching nine-headed serpent. Later encounters revealed him with an
ethereal and dignified aura, but he always carried a hint of non-seriousness.
He was a lone wanderer, with an intrinsic disdain for
traveling alongside foolish companions.
Beneath the unserious demeanor, there was an air of
arrogance.
Whether it was his unserious attitude or his arrogance, none
of it seemed to connect with the scene before his eyes.
He bowed devoutly.
Ning Su continued to turn his head to the back, where rows of
people were consecutively bowing in worship. From front to back, it resembled
the ceaselessly undulating waves of a sea, with thousands upon thousands
kneeling silently before the Flower God’s Temple .
A profound silence enveloped the area in front of the temple,
and the atmosphere of devout faith lightly touched Ning Su’s heart.
“Do you have faith?” Ning Changfeng’s voice came softly from
the ground.
“If you don’t have faith, then treat the ones you love as
your faith. If you don’t have loved ones, then solidify your tranquil heart
into faith.”
Ning Su felt like Ning Changfeng was reminding him of
something.
He lifted his head again and looked into the Flower God’s
Temple. He suddenly realized that there was a statue of the Flower God inside
the shrine.
It was a massive black statue, the same color as the Dark
Swamp, made from an unknown material.
Ning Su’s gaze slowly moved upward from the statue’s dark
robe.
It passed over the trailing black vines of hair at the waist.
Past the slender fingers entwined with black vines.
Past the straight shoulders.
Past the delicate neck.
For some reason, his heartbeat grew faster and heavier, so
much so that he could hardly breathe.
Perhaps it was because this shade of black was so deep, as
deep as the depths of the Dark Swamp, formed from the heart of darkness.
Perhaps it was because this statue was so mysterious,
depicting the most concrete form with the deepest black.
In that moment, Ning Su understood why countless people would
believe in Him so fervently and heavily, going mad for their faith.
As his gaze passed over the statue’s neck, there was a rise
and fall.
Then, it reached the face of the statue.
The slightly lowered, frozen peach blossom eyes suddenly
widened.
This dark and heavy statue was different from the usual
front-facing seated statues. The statue of the Flower God was cast not in a
common frontal pose but with a slight tilt of the head, looking over.
His long hair fell behind as he turned his head, leaving only
a blurry outline.
One could see the curvature of lowered eyes, and a tinge of
blood-red at the corner of the eyes, as well as a sharp nose bridge, and
straight lips, but one just couldn’t see His face clearly.
Mysterious and vague.
Ning Su’s heartbeat thumped heavily. Just by looking at Him,
it felt like gaining faith, an indescribable sensation that encompassed the
whole body.
“If you don’t have faith, then treat the ones you love as
your faith. If you don’t have loved ones, then solidify your tranquil heart
into faith.”
Ning Changfeng’s words echoed in the mind once again.
The young man gazed at the statue of the deity, and the black
color spread in his eyes, melting into his limbs.
Dark energy churned within his body like waves and mountains.
He continued to gaze for a long while.
The deity’s statue, also in human form.
A halo trembled faintly within the depths of his pupils.
The Gu insect in his arm went wild, colliding with the power
of belief, ultimately returning to a profound silence.
After an unknown period of time, he gazed at Him and joined
the myriad of people murmuring, “My God...”
***
During the welcoming period of the deity, continuous
offerings are presented to the Flower God.
Boss Qi’s business here had always been prosperous.
The first water prison no longer bore familiar faces,
replaced entirely by a new wave of flower slaves.
In the second and third water prisons, few old faces remain,
with only the fourth water prison still inhabited by those familiar figures.
On this afternoon, another beautiful young girl arrived. Like
the others, she had come to purchase a flower slave.
“Boss Qi, I would like to purchase an immortal person.”
Boss Qi: “Alright, please state your requirements.”
The young girl spoke a few words to Boss Qi, who scanned the
four water prisons and then fixated his gaze on the fourth prison, unmoving.
There were still over 20 players left in the fourth water
prison. These days, they had been watching flower slaves die one after another.
Above their heads hung a sword that could fall at any moment, adding to their
worries and torment. Under the constant stress and agony, they were gradually
becoming haggard and almost on the brink of collapse.
At times, they might think it would be better to be chosen
and die early.
But when Boss Qi’s gaze settled on them, they would pray in
fear that it wouldn’t be them, their heartbeats nervously out of balance.
Boss Qi seemed to have an idea in mind. He smiled and pulled
someone out from the third prison, then entered the fourth prison.
He walked up to a very young male player and said with a
smile, “Child, come with me.”
The other players all let out a sigh of relief, but Fang Qi’s
face instantly turned pale.
Repeated futile struggles before have proven that resistance
was useless. He was rigidly pulled out by the boss.
In the past few days, he applied the ointment the boss gave
him and drank water diligently. The scars on his face disappeared long ago.
Yet he still couldn’t be sold off as a Flower Attendant.
Fang Qi bitterly smiled. Eighteen years of life, and he still
didn’t know?
He’s just an incredibly ordinary high school student. He
didn’t possess striking looks, above-average intelligence, courage, and
perseverance.
Alongside him being pulled out was Yang Tai. Yang Tai was
saying something to him, but he didn’t catch a word.
He’s dragged into the dark warehouse by the guards. He had
been curious about what the warehouse looked like, but now he couldn’t see it.
The warehouse wasn’t dark; it’s black to conceal blood.
Fragments of limbs flicker past in his vacant pupils.
The strong smell of blood lingered in his numb nostrils.
He’s placed in a black porcelain jar. When a sharp iron pipe
was inserted into his wrist, his pupils trembled.
However, he’s unwilling.
He’s worked so hard, he’s changed so much, and he’s risked
his lifetime and time again to find him.
He’s unwilling.
He still hadn’t found him.
He’s unwilling!
“Let go of me! I want to go find him!”
“Get lost!!!”
His face twisted, struggling wildly like a trapped and dying
beast.
The black porcelain jar exploded, sending the guards around
him flying.
The iron pipes inserted all over his body were thrown off by
him, splattering the ground with blood from numerous small holes in his body.
“Huh?” Boss Qi widened his eyes in astonishment, excitedly
watching the broken iron pipes being plugged into his veins, “I never expected
it! I never thought you’re actually a naturally born Flower Attendant embryo!”
“Quick, quick, quick! Let him go.” Boss Qi covered the blood
gushing from his neck with gauze, “Child, I didn’t discover this potential in
you. I’ll send you to the Flower God’s Temple right away.”
The young man gasped heavily, looking at him with fierce
eyes, “I’m not good-looking, I’m not talented enough, so you all can...”
“No, no, no.” Boss Qi interrupted him. “You’ll know soon
enough. While being good-looking is important, there are even more precious
things.”
His hand caressed the blood vessel on Fang Qi’s neck, his
fingers excitedly trembling along with the pulsing vein, smiling with a deep
and meaningful expression, “It’s right here.”
Thanks for the update
ReplyDeleteThat sounds creepy 👀
ReplyDeleteThanks for the update!! 🤗 🤗