Función clerical

Capítulo 84

Shen Zhili ate half of it and asked, "What exactly happened?"

Yu Lian helped her lie down: "Qianqian anticipated that the other kings might target you, so she sent me to save you. I saved you, but..." Yu Lian smiled, "I don't really want to return you to Young Master Twelve Nights. By the way, this is the headquarters of the Demonic Sect, and no one knows you are here now."

Shen Zhili had already noticed that the furnishings were exactly the same as when she first woke up at the Demonic Sect's headquarters.

She had initially thought Yu Lian was a good person, but now she couldn't help but have doubts: "If you don't return me to Young Master Twelve Nights, what do you plan to do?" Shen Zhili looked up at him with a strange expression: "Do you like me?"

Yu Lian was taken aback: "Why do you say that?"

Shen Zhili: "They snatched me from my... cough cough, and hid me in a place no one knows..." The more she thought about it, the more uneasy she felt. Shen Zhili crossed her arms and looked wary. "What are you going to do?"

Yu Lian silently looked away: "..."

Shen Zhili: "Why did you turn your head away!"

Yu Lian: "Has anyone ever told you, young lady, that you really like to be delusional?"

Shen Zhili: "...You're the first one."

...Suddenly I felt like I'd been hit hard.

Yu Lian laughed: "Then you really haven't tasted the bitterness of unrequited love." His laughter was somewhat melancholy, and there was a deep darkness in his clear eyes.

Unable to obtain what one desires.

Shen Zhili thought for a moment, then tentatively asked, "You like Ye Qianqian? Ye Qianqian likes Young Master Twelve Nights... so you want revenge? But... if you return me to Young Master Twelve Nights, wouldn't you be able to do it more openly..."

"Shut up." The sudden voice silenced Shen Zhili.

If she hadn't heard it with her own ears, she would have found it hard to believe that the suddenly deep, hoarse voice she had just heard came from Yu Lian.

Yu Lian quickly regained her gentle demeanor.

"It's not that simple." With a sigh, Yu Lian slowly lowered her head. "And... why do you think that Prince Twelve Nights truly loves you?"

Yu Lian leaned closer and bent down, her long, beautiful hands, as if sculpted from jade, touching Shen Zhili's cheek. The temperature was just right, neither too hot nor too cold, and her fingertips conveyed tenderness and affection: "Is being gentle to you called being a bastard? Is sweet talk and being completely obedient called being a bastard? Is disregarding everything to save you called being a bastard? What if... he just wanted someone to pamper him?"

Shen Zhili turned her head, dodging Yu Lian's hand: "What do you mean?"

Yu Lian: "You know about the Seven Emotions Pill, right?"

Shen Zhili suddenly looked at him: "How could you..."

"How would I know?" Yu Lian lowered her head, her expression still gentle. "Because I was the one who revealed that prescription to Qianqian. She trusted me completely and didn't suspect anything when she took it. But actually, only half of that prescription is true."

Shen Zhili's heart suddenly started racing. She grabbed Yu Lian's clothes urgently and asked, "Which part is fake?"

"Sequence and time."

Yu Lian explained softly, "The order of the medicine is reversed, and the time is not one month but three months. So when he took it the first time, he forgot his feelings for Qianqian, but the remaining feelings transferred to you. I know he took it a second time... More than a month has passed, right?"

Shen Zhili frowned: "But..."

Yu Lian continued speaking cruelly in a gentle voice: "From beginning to end, it's nothing more than their love and hate, it has nothing to do with you."

Shen Zhili slowly lowered her eyes to hide the shock in them.

Yu Lian got up and brought over the food: "Alright, eat something and rest first. I'll go out now."

After Yu Lian left, Shen Zhili had no appetite for the food on the table, but fortunately there was some vegetable soup on the side.

After eating a little something and drinking some vegetable soup, Shen Zhili put the bowls and plates aside.

Outside, the sun was shining brightly, the weather was clear and sunny, without a trace of gloom, and warm sunlight streamed in through the window.

A faint cry rang out in the quiet air.

Shen Zhili looked down and saw the little yellow bird jump out of her arms, affectionately pecking at her fingers, looking very happy.

After a long silence, Shen Zhili smiled.

No matter how difficult things get, life goes on.

A hundred miles away.

Someone grabbed the driver by the neck, their sinister face filled with an extremely cold expression: "If you don't make it within two days, I'll kill you."

The coachman was on the verge of tears.

It's clearly because you have no sense of direction, young master, that you always give the wrong directions...

Chapters 6 and 7

As Yu Lian walked out of the courtyard, her hands trembled slightly.

"Lord Protector Yu."

Upon hearing this, Yu Lian was startled, which startled the other party instead: "Lord Yu Lian, are you... alright? You look terrible."

Yu Lian tucked her hands into her sleeves and her voice softened: "I'm fine."

Lowering her eyes, Yu Lian quickly stepped aside to let him pass.

I went into the pharmacy, rummaged through the innermost cabinet for some pills, and swallowed them with warm water.

Yu Lian's trembling hands gradually calmed down.

...He lied; the chronological order was all a lie.

...He just wanted that woman to hate Prince Twelve Nights, to hate him as much as he did.

******************************************************************************

Shen Zhili lay in bed for several days, and her body, which had been severely injured by King Gandharva, finally recovered somewhat.

—It's all just their love, hate, and grudges from beginning to end; it has nothing to do with you.

She dared not fully believe Yu Lian's words, yet they were like a fishbone stuck in her throat, difficult to swallow.

Actually, this might not be a bad thing. Forgetting her is more beneficial than harmful for both Su Chenche and Shen Zhili. However, they will still feel sad or disappointed in the end.

In the end, Shen Zhili had no choice but to force herself not to think about it and focus on recovering from her injury.

Yu Lian regularly delivers medicine and meals to Shen Zhili, and they chat about all sorts of things, but in the end, the conversation always comes up with Su Chenche and his relationship with Ye Qianqian.

The story of Twelve Nights and his confidante Bai Qian, which has become famous throughout the martial arts world.

It is tender and moving, and captivating.

The story ends with Yu Lian asking in a gentle voice, "Do you feel sad or resentful?"

Shen Zhili was initially depressed because of this, but over time, her depression took a turn for the worse.

Why does Yu Lian keep telling stories every day without getting tired of it? Doesn't he get bored, repeating the same things every day?

Boredom and helplessness completely overshadowed the original bitterness.

As her injuries healed day by day, Shen Zhili's desire to leave this place grew stronger.

When Yu Lian wasn't around, Shen Zhili also tried to go out.

She lived in a small courtyard. There was a cold spring outside the back window of the house. Several unknown trees were planted in the yard, with many pale yellow flower buds on them. They looked elegant and beautiful and emitted a faint, ethereal fragrance. After passing through the woods, the main gate of the courtyard had been locked by Yu Lian.

Shen Zhili also tried to attack Yu Lian, but Yu Lian was clearly on guard. The two attempts failed, and instead, Shen Zhili's hidden silver needle powder was confiscated.

Having no other choice, Shen Zhili sighed deeply at the little yellow bird.

The little yellow bird swayed its head and rubbed against her fingers, gently pecking a faint mark, completely unaware of its imprisonment.

This silly bird is so stupid, it won't leave Shen Zhili's side even for a second.

After much painful reflection, there was only one way... to swim out of the cold spring.

Although swimming out may not necessarily be the way out, it is better than sitting here and waiting to die.

After waiting a few more days, Shen Zhili saw that she was almost fully recovered. Just as Yu Lian went out, she tied her clothes up, turned around, and jumped out of the window.

Having spent years soaking in hot springs, Shen Zhili wasn't exactly a great swimmer, but she was confident she wouldn't drown.

It wasn't until I jumped in that I realized... hot springs and cold springs are completely different things!

As soon as I entered the water, I felt a chill run through my body.

Shen Zhili struggled for a long time before finally surfacing. Her body temperature had completely cooled down, her teeth were chattering, and it felt as if even her bones were frozen.

Swimming forward with all my might, I don't know how long it took, but I finally reached land.

After climbing up, Shen Zhili felt so cold that she felt like she was about to die.

Without bothering to find a way out, Shen Zhili crawled into a room and wrapped herself in the bedding.

It was so cold. Seeing that no one was around, Shen Zhili rummaged through her drawers and found two silver dresses and a cloth. She quickly dried herself, changed her clothes, and then scurried back into bed.

Yu Lian hasn't come looking for us, and there's been no one here.

Shen Zhili soon began to feel hungry. She got out of bed and was about to get the steamed buns on the table in the inner room when she saw a painting hanging at the very back of the room—a portrait of a woman.

The woman's silver skirt was adorned with tassels and necklaces. She gracefully raised her arms, her long hair cascading down her back, which curved into an extremely beautiful arc, like a butterfly fluttering its wings. Behind her was a deep blue scene of a moonless, starry sky, but the woman seemed to be fading out of the entire picture as if she were a phantom.

Below is a line of inscription.

I love offering sacrifices to Yuyan

...this woman.

Although only a back view was shown, the resemblance was so striking that Shen Zhili was momentarily speechless.

Just like the portrait I saw at Qingxing's place before, this person is Su Chenche's mother.

But why is Su Chenche's mother's portrait in this place?

Despite her discomfort, Shen Zhili went downstairs to search. The bookshelves in the outer room were piled with many books, including many handwritten notes. She flipped through them one by one, and after what seemed like an eternity, she finally found a few words of information.

Yu Yan is the name of the former leader of the Demonic Sect, while Ji Yue is the former Holy Maiden of the Demonic Sect.

According to the custom of the Demonic Cult, the successor should be the offspring of the cult leader and the Holy Maiden. If the cult leader breaks his oath, he should be deposed. If the Holy Maiden breaks her oath, she should be executed. Those who commit blasphemy should be punished with castration.

More than twenty years ago, the fifteenth generation Holy Maiden of the Demonic Sect, Ji Yue, betrayed the sect, triggering a bloody war within the sect. The Eight Heavenly Kings perished, leaving only four survivors, and the Demonic Sect's bloodline was decimated, plunging it into a tremendous crisis...

All the information kept piling up and overlapping in my mind.

Shen Zhili suddenly realized.

So this is the reason Su Chenche has a grudge against the Demonic Sect...

Shen Zhili put down the book, sneezed, and turned around to find a person standing at the door, completely soaked.

He strode in, completely unconcerned about the water droplets soaking him and still dripping down his body, and snatched the book from Shen Zhili's hand.