Free Web NovelChapter 78: Chapter 78: Yue Yue’s Doubt
The light beneath the surface exploded into a brilliant radiance as Yue Yue’s body shifted.
The small white snake vanished, and in its place, a beautiful figure materialized deep within the crystal waters. Her long hair swirled like silk threads in the current, but her lungs were burning.
Just as the darkness began to pull at her consciousness, a powerful arm wrapped around her waist.
With a sudden, violent splash, she was hauled out of the water. Yue Yue choked, her chest heaving as she coughed out the lake water that had filled her lungs.
She felt almost dizzy, the world spinning in a blur of white and black. Suddenly, a pair of cool, firm lips pressed against hers, forcing air into her lungs in a sharp, desperate breath.
Her eyes snapped open.
She wasn’t in the water anymore. She was being held against a broad, solid chest, and the oxygen she had just received came directly from the man whose eyes were currently boring into hers.
Feng Yanshen pulled back just an inch. His red eyes were dark, glowing with a terrifying intensity as he frowned at her. He looked like a god of death who had accidentally saved a mortal.
Yue Yue’s face flushed a deep, hot crimson.
She lay limp in his arms, coughing weakly as tears of fear and physical pain rolled down her cheeks. "H High Priest..." she managed to whisper, her voice trembling.
The man didn’t answer. His expression remained cold and stern, but he reached out and patted her back with a surprisingly steady hand to help her breathe.
Without a word, he lifted her up effortlessly. He grabbed a snow white robe from a nearby stone and draped it over her shivering, wet body, cocooning her in his scent.
He carried her back to the massive silk cushion where she had first woken up and placed her down, and surprisingly there was no ripple of emotions in his eyes.
He was very calm, like she was nothing but one of his pets that had accidentally fallen in the lake.
On the other hand, Yue Yue was a mess of nerves. She secretly pinched the back of her hand under the robe. Ouch. It hurt. This wasn’t a dream. This was real. But why was this psycho in her "paradise"? And why was he acting like he owned the place?
Feng Yanshen picked up a soft towel and began to wipe the water from her face with slow movements.
She became speechless at his attention and she peeked at his face to find that same infuriating calm face. Why did she feel like he was wiping down an unruly pet of his?
"It is good that you took a bath in the Holy River," he said, his voice dropping into a low, icy tone.
He leaned closer, his eyes narrowing as he looked at her. "Washing that... wild scent off yourself was a necessity."
Yue Yue’s eyes widened.
Wild scent? What wild scent? She had no scent on her.
And then she realized another thing. Who was washing? You bastard, I didn’t "take a bath". I fell into the lake because your stupid overgrown bird form tried to eat me. And what do you mean "washing the wild scent"? Am I stinking?
She wanted to curse him out loud, to tell him that he was a terrifying psycho with a bird brain, but one look at his blood red eyes and his stern, frozen expression made her throat go dry.
"I... I didn’t mean to..." she stuttered, clutching the robe tighter.
"Silence," he commanded softly, his hand pausing near her neck.
"You have much to explain, female. But for now, sit. The Holy River has purified your body, but your heart... your heart still needs work."
Yue Yue glared at his chest, cursing him in her head with every bad word she knew. Purified my body? You almost drowned me, you fake priest psycho. And what do you mean by cleaning my heart... she is a very good person.
Feng Yanshen stood tall, his silhouette framed by the glowing mists of the paradise.
He looked down at her with those chillingly beautiful eyes. "You possess a pure aura, little snake," he said, his voice echoing like a cold wind through a canyon.
"But you have been tainted by the greed and filth of the outside world. To remain in the Inner Sanctum, you must be purified. Only then are you worthy to stand in the light of the Temple."
Yue Yue’s inner monologue was reaching a boiling point. (Purified? Tainted? Who wants to live in your creepy Inner Sanctum anyway? Just let me go back to my husband!) freeweɓnovel.cøm
"Follow me," he commanded, turning on his heel without waiting for an answer.
Yue Yue had no choice. She scrambled to her feet, clutching the heavy snow white robe tightly around her body to keep it from slipping. Because the robe was made for a tall man, she had to almost run just to keep up with his long, graceful strides.
As she hurried behind him, a frustrating thought popped into her head. Wait a minute... how come every time I shift back from my snake form, I’m totally naked, but he and they always have clothes on? What kind of high level cheat code magic is this?
She made a mental note to ask Han Soi if there was a clothes retention skill she could learn, because this was getting embarrassing.
They walked through a series of corridors that seemed to be carved from solid white jade.
Soon, the scenery shifted into a massive living area. It was the height of luxury... pristine, elegant, and filled with ancient treasures... yet it felt strangely modest and cold.
You tell me to stay away from the desires of the world, but you live in a mansion made of jade, Yue Yue grumbled silently. You big hypocrite. If you want to be holy, go live in a cave on a mountain.
The High Priest stopped in front of a heavy door carved with lotus flowers. "This room will be yours," he stated. "You will stay here."
Yue Yue was stunned. She blinked her big gemstone eyes and asked in a tiny, timid voice, "Um, High Priest... don’t worry about me. I can just go back to my own room to sleep. I don’t want to trouble you..."
The temperature in the room instantly plummeted. The easygoing aura around Feng Yanshen vanished, replaced by a pressure so heavy Yue Yue felt like her tongue had turned to stone. She immediately shut her mouth, sensing the danger.
Feng Yanshen leaned in, his face inches from hers, his voice coming out in a dark, gritted tone that promised no mercy.
"My room is directly across from yours. Do not think of leaving."
Before she could even blink, he vanished in a blur of white light, leaving her standing alone in the doorway of her new room, not realizing that one day she would yearn to get out from this place.
Yue Yue stood there, clutching her robe, her heart thumping. She looked at the door across the hall... his door... and then at her own.
She was trapped in the lion’s den, and the lion was sleeping right across the hall. Should not everyone be forbidden to live beside the High Priest? Don’t tell me the High Priest is high on something.
