(12)
It seems that Bai Feng and Murong Yan have been in and out of the Holy Land and approached the Sacred Tree several times this time. It seems that they have been warned in advance - they have a deep connection with this place, and it is definitely not something that can be explained clearly in a few words. This deep connection, It often gives people the illusion that their own subjective will cannot be violated.
When a person is forced to move forward by an unreasonable sense of holiness and mission, he will often fall completely into the abyss at some point.
After Murong Yan and Bai Feng returned to the Holy Land together, they were taken to two different places to rest by Shen Qiongzhi and Dugu Qi respectively. The former followed Shen Qiongzhi and the sisters to their usual resting place to tidy up their appearance, while Bai Feng was taken to rest somewhere else by Dugu Qi.
In the darkness shaded by trees, Shen Qiongzhi and her four sisters washed and changed Murong Yan's clothes, put hairpins on her hair, dotted cinnabar on the center of her eyebrows, and dressed her in a saint's veil. Dress her up as solemnly and plainly as a monk, and as generous and decent as a foreign princess.
A loose light brown burqa wrapped around Murong Yan's body. In order to prevent inconvenience when walking, this kind of clothing needs to be rolled up in layers, and the folds form several wonderful patterns.
Under the guidance of Shen Qiongzhi, Murong Yan followed an unknown path and walked around the sacred tree, then returned to Bai Feng to spend a while.
After a while, Dugu Qi asked Murong Yan for instructions: "Holy Lady, it's time for us to go to the altar and wait for the pilgrims to arrive."
"Oracle." Dugu Qi faced Bai Feng and said without any emotion when speaking. He always looked amiable and said, "You stay here, Qiongzhi will be at your disposal at any time."
After that, Dugu Qi and the four little blond girls who always accompanied her took Murong Yan away from here.
Seeing this, Bai Feng stepped forward to stop him and asked, "What, can't I go?"
"Grandma Saint, please let Brother Feng go with you." Murong Yan also begged from the side.
"Today is the first time you face everyone as a saint. You have to behave well. Your brother Feng will not abandon you, and neither will we." Dugu Qi said slowly, and the four daughters under his knees also chirped. .
"Oracle, we will protect the Holy Lady. You have seen how powerful we are, right?"
"The Holy Lady will have to face thousands of people alone from now on. Oracle, you cannot stay with her forever."
"Just listen to your mother-in-law, we don't want to hurt you."
At this point, Bai Feng was speechless. He had to temporarily put down his guard, temporarily believed Dugu Qi, and agreed to let the woman who had been hunted by the government and Taiping Road face so many strangers alone.
A moment after Murong Yan left, Bai Feng curiously asked Shen Qiongzhi who was accompanying him: "Why don't you go? Yesterday, you were still the saintly lady respected by everyone?"
"I...is not me anymore." Shen Qiongzhi was waiting beside her in a kneeling posture, with her head slightly lowered, deliberately not letting Bai Feng see her face clearly.
"Don't those pilgrims find it strange?" Bai Feng continued: "The you yesterday and the you today are so different?"
"This is not a rare thing." Shen Qiongzhi said: "As long as I declare to the outside world that I am pregnant, it is enough that I can no longer pray for others... My mother-in-law did the same to the previous saint."
"Ha." Bai Feng sneered, stood up suddenly, and cursed secretly: "You are pretending to be a ghost."
"Oracle, please be careful with your words." Shen Qiongzhi still sat there with her head lowered and timidly replied: "If my mother-in-law hears you saying something wrong about her, she will be angry."
"Stand up and take me out." Bai Feng said nonchalantly: "Miss Shen, you don't need to act in front of me. If you really want to get rid of this identity and this life, you don't need to be afraid of anyone... Regardless of whether she is Dugu Qi or what you saints often talk about, fate and destiny."
Shen Qiongzhi's blood, which had been flowing for a long time, suddenly seemed to be boiling again. She stood up and denied it at first: "I think life in the Holy Land is very happy, at least better than the wars and chaos in the outside world. How can you tell that I don't want to stay here anymore?"
"Yes, if you are really satisfied with your current life, life in the Holy Land will indeed be no different from fairyland." Bai Feng continued to mock coldly: "I might as well say some more rude words... That day you were naked with me Bathing in the same pool together, you were not in a hurry to fulfill your 'destiny', but instead made jokes with me and sat there watching the jokes for a long time."
"You should be very concerned about whether your 'destined person' is the one you love, Miss Shen." Before the young man finished speaking, Shen Qiongzhi hugged her chest in shame and ran to the house. Sobbed alone in the corner.
"Miss Shen?" Bai Feng stepped away, and Shen Qiongzhi took half a step back, turned around and pushed him away, saying, "Stop talking!"
After Shen Qiongzhi finished speaking, she turned around and left, "Remember, when the time comes, we can only watch from a distance and cannot show up to disturb the Holy Lady."
"Miss Shen, aren't you angry with me?" Bai Feng apologized slightly and said, "I just tried to provoke the general. I hope Miss Shen won't blame me."
"You're right, I do want to leave."
The two just had a verbal spat, but in the end Bai Feng was slightly better. Then, Shen Qiongzhi led Bai Feng through the intertwined paths and came to the back of a deep forest. Through the gaps in the leaves, she looked at Murong Yan standing on the altar.
But when she saw Murong Yan standing there as if in a dream, her eyes slightly closed, her hands stretched out naturally, there were several birds sitting on her obediently.
These birds had colorful feathers and kept shouting in Murong Yan's ears. From time to time, they would twist their bodies and rub against the skin of the Holy Lady, making Murong Yan laugh non-stop. Since this was a public and formal occasion, Dugu Qi could not freely exercise the rights of his elders to accuse Murong Yan, so he indulged her a little.
When facing the crowd, Murong Yan still looked very green. She could not say a word. The entire sacrificial process was almost presided over by Dugu Qi, who wore a scarlet mask. Murong Yan was more like a The mascot can only say a word or two when pilgrims come forward to confide their troubles and sorrows.
Coming to the last part of the ceremony, Murong Yan prayed to the sacred tree alone for blessings.
"I hope everyone's troubles and sorrows can come to a happy ending." Shen Qiongzhi, who was hiding behind the trees, repeated this.
But in a moment, a miracle that had not happened again in the Holy Land for decades actually happened again today.
The various colorful birds that had been hiding on Murong Yan's body were now standing on the sacred tree, singing softly and continuously, spreading throughout the holy land with a gust of wind.
At the same time, the warm air was mixed with the fragrance of dozens of flowers, filled with the smell of happiness; the saintly lady danced on the altar, and the warm wind lifted the veil on her head.
When people heard about it, they all cheered: "The saint has come to create heaven and earth!"
