Chaрtеr 341: Тhе Еnd of Half-Fасed Ghost 7
It wаs shapеd likе а firе mоth. Zhu Yаn had seеn it before when soaking in thе hоt springs аt Prinсеss Yоng'аn's residеnсе with Маdam Тang. But todау, pеrhaps due tо a differеnt angle, thе firе mоth арреared tо bе cirсling аbоve а flickеring flаme, which еmittеd a fаint, shimmering glow.
Trulу, like a moth drаwn tо thе flamе.
Su Guang pointеd аt thе spоt аnd sаid sоmеthing. Рan Сhi immеdiatеly trаnslated: "Тhat is firе—thе firе worshiрреd bу their Fire Worshiр Cult. Lai Luofu covеred the fire аnd tattoоed thе firе moth оver it, abandoning light and descending into darkness."
They had no interest in delving into the cult's doctrines, but they now understood that the fire moth tattoo had originally been a flame.
"Her original tattoo was fire. She is a follower of the Fire Worship Cult."
The Great Zhou dynasty revered Taoism and Buddhism, but fire worship was unheard of.
Seizing the moment of their distraction, Lai Luofu lunged forward, attempting to knock the antidote from Shen Du's hand with her severed arm. Shen Du noticed and kicked her directly on the stump, sending her tumbling to the ground, where she knelt and crawled, her mouth filled with dirt.
Shen Du's face turned ashen as he pressed his foot down on her severed arm. "Speak. What is the flame tattoo on your shoulder?"
Lai Luofu spat out a mouthful of dirt. "How should I know? It has always been there."
Shen Du twirled the antidote in his hand, his expression dark and unreadable.
Unexpectedly, Su Guang rushed forward and angrily said something to Shen Du, her face filled with resentment. Zhu Yan instinctively looked toward Pan Chi.
Just as Pan Chi was about to translate, Shen Du raised his hand and explained himself:
"She said I bullied their Holy Maiden, Daisy."
Holy Maiden Daisy?
Pan Chi continued translating: "Su Guang says that Daisy's soul resides within this woman's body."
In other words, the clear, youthful voice they had heard earlier belonged to Daisy herself.
In an instant, everyone's expressions changed. Shen Du slowly lifted his foot from Lai Luofu's severed arm and looked down at the figure sprawled on the ground, confusion in his eyes.
This hardly seemed like a Holy Maiden.
Upon hearing the name "Daisy," Lai Luofu seemed as if a violent wind had swept away all her consciousness. Clutching her head in pain, she writhed on the ground.
The pain-relieving medicine lost its effect the moment she heard that name.
The agony of the poison's attack once again enveloped her, making life unbearable and death unattainable. She cried out, begging for the antidote.
But how could Shen Du give it to her? He stood coldly to the side, not even sparing her a glance.
His indifferent attitude pushed Lai Luofu to the brink of out of control. Struggling against the turmoil of another soul within her, she lunged at Shen Du.
Because of the name "Daisy," Shen Du did not retaliate, instead coldly dodging her attack. "Lai Luofu, you are doomed to die."
These words only added fuel to the fire. Enraged to the point of madness, Lai Luofu could no longer focus her consciousness and was quickly overtaken by the other soul.
With her back turned to the others, her originally terrifying and fierce silhouette began to tremble abruptly.
It was Daisy. Her personality had switched again.
Turning to face the others, her eyes were wet with tears, her body trembling uncontrollably. Tears streamed down her face, falling to the ground.
"Save... save me," she stammered in stiff, awkward Great Zhou language, likely due to the prolonged strain on her throat from Lai Luofu's struggles. It sounded more like Lai Luofu's voice but tinged with Daisy's tone. "Save me, let me out."
After stumbling through these words, she began uttering more in the Wusun Kingdom tongue, interspersed with fragments of Great Zhou language, creating a scene both eerie and bizarre.
"It's Soul Separation Disorder. Lai Luofu's soul and Daisy's soul are fighting for control of this body."Hence the confusion in speech.
Shen Du also noticed: "Suppressed for so many years, if it weren't for Lai Luofu suffering a blow now, Daisy might never have had the chance to emerge."
Suddenly, everything stopped. Whether it was Lai Luofu or Daisy, she knelt on the ground, her turbid eyes clearing as she lowered her head and muttered softly to herself.
"What's going on?" Zhu Yan wanted to step forward to investigate but was grabbed by Shen Du, who pulled her back and shielded her within his embrace.
Lai Luofu was now mentally unstable. If Zhu Yan recklessly approached, the harm she might suffer went without saying. So this time, no matter how fiercely Zhu Yan glared at him, he would not let go.
If she were hurt again, would she even want him to live?
Pan Chi placed a hand over his heart, silently shifting his gaze away from the two leaning figures, too heartbroken to speak.
He once thought women in this world came without seeking, but now he understood the bitterness of longing for what could not be obtained.
"Hey," Shen Du kicked Pan Chi casually, "ask Su Guang to go and inquire. She might be able to find out something."
Pan Chi lifted his head proudly: "Too full of anger to go."
This pleased Shen Du, who rarely teased Pan Chi: "Who has filled Young Master Pan with such anger?"
This Shen Du.
In the end, Pan Chi still went. Su Guang, however, had lost all her usual fierceness toward Pan Chi and seemed hesitant.
"Don't you want to know why the former Holy Maiden had her body taken over?"
Su Guang resumed her conflicted expression: "She is a traitor to the Wusun Kingdom. Why should I care?"
Pan Chi sighed helplessly: "If you don’t want to know, why did you defy all obstacles and follow me to the Great Zhou?"
Su Guang finally stopped arguing. The Holy Maidens of the Fire Worship Cult were forbidden to leave their kingdom for life. She had risked coming here not entirely because of the Wusun princess’s request but also to find out who the mastermind behind the "Vine Entwining Tree" poison was and to verify the truth.
As soon as she approached Daisy, the latter began to sob: "I am the Holy Maiden of the Wusun Kingdom. Please help me, and I will repay you."
No sooner had she spoken than Su Guang sneered, crouching down to brush the wet hair away from Daisy’s eyes: "The Holy Maiden of the Wusun Kingdom now is me."
These words struck Daisy like a heavy blow, leaving her face pale and her eyes vacant.
Su Guang narrowed her glazed eyes slightly, her expression tinged with disgust: "Seventeen years ago, a Holy Maiden of the Wusun Kingdom defected and disappeared without a trace, taking with her the most sinister and deadly poison, 'Vine Entwining Tree.' After the Wusun king failed to track her down, a new Holy Maiden was selected from the hidden clan."
Clearly, she was referring to herself.
Daisy avoided her gaze, stammering and unable to respond.
Perhaps unable to bear seeing Daisy like this, Su Guang’s expression softened:
"You need not fear. As long as you speak the truth, the True God's Fire will forgive your past mistakes."
Daisy lifted her severed arm and placed it over the tattoo. Suddenly noticing the white threads emerging from the stump, her body trembled with fear. Unable to hold back any longer, she threw herself into Su Guang’s arms and wept.
Su Guang patted her back gently, asking once more what had happened back then to make Daisy willingly abandon her duties as Holy Maiden, come to the Central Plains, and endure such inhuman suffering.
Gradually calming down in Su Guang’s embrace, Daisy’s face twitched with pain. It was unclear what she recalled, but a flickering, shadowy light danced in her eyes.
In the end, she confessed everything.Shen Du's expression grew increasingly somber as he listened, the anger in his eyes nearly impossible to suppress. Zhu Yan knew it must not have been a pleasant experience.
Truly a person of bitter fate.
Yet everything in this world has its cause and effect; the pitiable often have their own detestable qualities.
Pan Chi let out a disdainful snort. "All you know is how to put on a sour face. Yan'er being with you is a colossal mistake."
His hand knocked over the amber stone in his lap, and as he recalled the precious moments alone with Zhu Yan on the city wall, a subtle emotion began to cloud his reason.
In the past, such words from Pan Chi would have infuriated Shen Du beyond measure. But now, having exchanged heartfelt feelings with Zhu Yan, he remained unperturbed no matter what Pan Chi said or did.
Zhu Yan couldn't help but glance at Shen Du. From her perspective, his brows and eyes appeared especially sharp, his features strikingly defined. Just the sight of his tightly pursed thin lips revealed how cold-hearted he could be. She couldn't hold back a soft chuckle.
"He really does look quite sour."
Shen Du lowered his head to glance at her, somewhat displeased. But seeing the shimmering light in her eyes, reflecting his own image, his heart softened abruptly. He pinched her delicate nose affectionately, his gesture intimate and without the slightest reservation.
Pan Chi stamped his foot in frustration, realizing he had only hurt himself with his own words. It would have been better to say nothing at all.
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