Función clerical

Capítulo 71

When Hana Kuya first heard about it, she was only a short time old. Someone said that as long as you take the heart of the flower of Twelve Nights Flower, even people who have been dead for a long time can be resurrected.

He had always regarded it as a distant legend, until one day a strange man from a foreign land presented his mother with a seed called Twelve Nights of Blossom, and he realized that it might actually exist.

However, he never expected that the next time he saw that seed... would be in Shen Tianxing's secret room.

Besides the seed, there was also a letter from his mother to Shen Tianxing.

Shen Tianxing only took him as a disciple because of the seeds...

What he found even more unbearable was that... Twelve Nights Flower was actually a demonic flower, and its nourishment was blood.

The blood of a woman with a pure Yin constitution.

From the moment it is planted, it must be done once every three months without interruption, otherwise it will wither in less than half a month. Moreover, each flower can only be cared for by one woman, and even if another woman is found to replace it, it will have no effect.

...The woman Shen Tianxing chose was Shen Zhili.

He agreed to save Shen Zhili, bring her back to Huichun Valley, treat her illness, take her as his apprentice and teach her medicine, all just to support that flower.

All those intimate and beautiful interactions between them were actually fake.

At that moment, deception, hurt, pain, and struggle overwhelmed Hanakoya.

He couldn't bear it, he couldn't believe it, and all of this turned into hatred for Shen Tianxing and for Huichun Valley.

Hua Jiuye pressed down on Shen Zhili's shoulder, her voice barely suppressed: "Even if it's Shier Yehua... then why did you die?"

Shen Zhili lowered his head, his voice calm: "The gestation of the Twelve Night Flowers will end in no more than a year... When it blooms, all the blood in my body needs to be sacrificed, and then the flower will bloom and the heart will mature before it can be taken off and used."

To everyone's surprise, Hua Jiuye's tone suddenly became relaxed after she finished speaking: "Shen Tianxing is dead... You can completely ignore Twelve Nights Hua."

Shen Zhili answered decisively, without the slightest hesitation: "Impossible."

Hana Kuya: "What did you say?"

Shen Zhili said, "That was Master's life's work. I promised Master before I passed away..."

Hua Jiuye: "What good would it do to agree? He's dead! What right does he have to interfere in the affairs of the living?"

Shen Zhili touched her chest: "Whether my senior brother is alive or dead, I will keep my promise to him even if it means death."

Without a second thought, Hua Jiuye immediately said, "I'll go and destroy Twelve Nights of Flower right now."

Shen Zhili pulled the hairpin from her hair and held it against her neck, her eyes resolute with no room for negotiation: "If you destroy Shier Yehua, then I will die now."

Hua Jiuye's gaze towards her became extremely terrifying, and his voice sounded like it was being ground out between his teeth.

"Are you threatening me?"

"I'm sorry, Senior Brother..." Shen Zhili pursed her lips. She lowered her head, her tone softening, "My life was saved by Master, everything I have was given to me by Master. I've never met my biological parents, he's closer to me than my own family. In his whole life, he only asked this one thing of me, and I can't refuse..."

Hua Jiuye: "Even if he wants your life."

Shen Zhili paused for a moment: "Yes."

Hua Jiuye: "Even if you know that everything he did was just to make you willingly die for him?"

Shen Zhili paused again: "Yes."

"Even if my master had ulterior motives, what he gave me was genuine..."

The master stroked her head and said.

Girls are meant to be pampered, and boys are meant to be beaten up. That's fair, isn't it?

The master said to her in a low voice with a smile.

—Silly girl, how could you marry your master? And...even if you get married in the future, you don't need to worry about these things. My Zhili deserves better.

Even on his deathbed, he spoke with a guilty expression.

—I'm sorry, I've wronged you.

Even though it was initially intended for her to raise Twelve Nights of Flower, she simply couldn't believe it was all an act.

She remembered the time her master taught her, explaining each word patiently and without getting tired of it, and never saying a harsh word even when she remembered it wrong.

"...There was no coercion, no resentment. Even if I were to die for Twelve Nights of Flower, it would be of my own free will..."

Yes, willingly.

The first time she entered the secret room, her master told her everything and let her make her own decision.

If she doesn't agree, her master will use medicine to make her forget about it, leave Huichun Valley, and find another family to take care of her so she can live a peaceful and healthy life until old age.

She agreed that she could stay by her master's side and learn medicine with Hua Jiuye, but she would live to be no more than twenty-five years old by the time the Twelve Nights of Flower bloom.

Almost without hesitation, she chose the latter.

...She was originally abandoned by this world. It was her master who gave her life and warmth. She would not mind repaying him with her life.

She didn't want to forget, and she didn't want to leave.

What her master gave her was far more than life itself.

Even if it lasts all night...

How could she forget the scene of her master sitting on the stone bench in the courtyard, unconsciously murmuring as he poured himself a drink by the cold moonlit stream: "Zhi Li, if your senior brother were here, he would definitely try to take the wine from me..."

But she and Hana Kuya are ultimately different.

Hua Jiuye grew up in luxury, pampered and adored by everyone. How could she understand the feeling of redemption for someone who had endured the coldness and warmth of human relationships and struggled to survive in this world? ...A drop of kindness deserves a spring of gratitude.

Even knowing she would die, even knowing she could forget her promise and live on whenever she wanted...

It is something that must be done.

"...So, senior brother, I only have another year or two to live at most...please don't make me forget him, okay?"

Shen Zhili raised her head, a smile playing on her lips, looking at Hua Jiuye with a completely untroubled expression.

Chapter 58

"...Who said he saved you?"

Hua Jiuye gripped Shen Zhili's wrist with such force that it felt like she was going to break her bones: "I'm the one who saved you. Shen Tianxing only paid for it."

On that bitterly cold snowy night, it was he who, out of boredom, wandered out of the inn and dug Shen Zhili out of the snow, where she was almost frozen to death. It was he who brought Shen Zhili back to life, spoonful by spoonful of ginger soup…

Turning Shen Zhili's wrist around, Hua Jiuye glared at her through gritted teeth: "Why would you die for Shen Tianxing?"

A sharp pain shot through Shen Zhili's wrist, which was gripping the hairpin, and she cried out in pain, "Let go!"

Hua Jiuye: "Letting go will let you die? Don't even think about it!"

Before he finished speaking, he took a step closer, and Shen Zhili unconsciously stepped back.

She repeated this process several times until her back pressed against the wall.

“Even if you risk your life to save Twelve Nights Flower, I will not let you save that dead woman that Shen Tianxing is after… If you dare to die, I dare to use Twelve Nights Flower to bring you back to life…” Hua Jiuye paused, then said coldly, “But at that time, I guarantee that you will not have even the slightest chance of hanging yourself.”

"it's useless."

Shen Zhili bit her lip: "You can't save me... Even the Twelve Nights Hua won't come back after someone has died as a sacrifice..."

Almost instantly, Hua Jiuye hoisted Shen Zhili onto his shoulder and strode toward his room, the words escaping his lips: "Since that's the case, then I'll watch over you... for three months, and you're not allowed to leave my side for even a moment."

Hua Jiuye is a man of his word.

For three whole days, it followed Shen Zhili closely with the giant python, never leaving her side.

Whether it was treating the injured, feeding them, putting them to bed, or even bathing them, Hua Jiuye never tired of following her around.

...The most terrifying thing is that even when Shen Zhili got up to use the restroom in the middle of the night, Hua Jiuye would mysteriously appear and follow him with a sinister look on his face...

...How is she supposed to live like this?! She's even more terrifying than Su Chenche!

She only goes to the grottoes once every three months! There's no need to be so diligent!

Also, does Hua Jiuye intend to follow her like this for three months?

Hua Jiuye proved with his actions that he truly intended to stay for three months...

Shen Zhili tried to sneak into the cave while Hua Jiuye was using the outhouse, but was entangled by Xiao Hua and failed...

Shen Zhili tried to sneak into the cave while Hua Jiuye was asleep, but was entangled by Xiao Hua and failed...

Shen Zhili tried to sneak into the cave while Hua Jiuye was taking a bath, but was entangled by Hua Jiuye, who was wrapped in a cloth and covered in water droplets, and failed...

Shen Zhili wanted to cry but had no tears...

"Senior brother, please let me go."

Hua Jiuye glanced at her coldly and sideways: "Do you think that's possible?"

Shen Zhili: "..."

Would it kill you to give me a glimmer of hope?

...I should have known better than to tell him about Twelve Nights of Flower. I forgot what connection Su Chenche had with it; it was all pointless anyway...

Finally, after much anticipation, Shen Zhili witnessed Hua Jiuye's Gu poison take effect.

On the night of the full moon, Hua Jiu disappeared after dinner. She tiptoed toward the cave and saw Dieyi standing at the entrance, her arms outstretched as if to stop her: "Miss... you'd better not go..."

Shen Zhili rubbed his forehead: "Get out of the way."

Dieyi: "Miss...please, don't go...Young Master Hua said that as long as he stops you tonight, he will..."

Shen Zhili: "Get out of my way, Miss... What did Hua Jiuye use to bribe you? I'll give you double!"

Dieyi lowered her eyes, two blushes appearing on her cheeks, and she unconsciously cupped her face in her hands: "...He just kissed my cheek, ah, so shy, so shy, so shy..."

Shen Zhili: "..."

She really can't give that to her...

As they were talking, a leisurely python slowly crawled over, flicked its tail, and tightly coiled around Shen Zhili's body.

Shen Zhili was suddenly startled. She had specially added an invincible dose of paralyzing powder to Hua Jiuye's snake food; it could have overwhelmed a row of tigers without any problem. How could this be...?

The snake coiled tighter and tighter, and Shen Zhili was once again drawn into its body.

The bright red tongue brushed against Shen Zhili's face again and again, and the huge snake head rubbed against her chest before finding a comfortable spot to lie down.

...Shen Zhili was almost completely enveloped by the snake, unable to even move her fingers.

It's happening again!!!