CH 61.2

August 12, 2023 by Wyrd

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.”