Villainous Emperor (13)
The voice went silent for a moment.
“Are you sure you don’t want to work with me?” the voice coaxed, “I can feel your secret joy now that this goddess is hurt and can only rely on you. You can finally be on equal footing with her. You could work with me, and then you could do more of what you want with her…”
“I know you’re interested in my body,” Jiang Ruoyu was not surprised that the voice could understand her thoughts, but some things are only meant to be imagined. All her wild thoughts are based on Xuyi’s happiness and well-being.
She would rather die than go against Sister Xuyi’s wishes.
At this moment, Jiang Ruoyu’s mind was racing faster than ever before. This evil god has overwhelming power and could easily take over her body, yet keeps trying to persuade her again and again…
This could only mean one possibility: if these “holy maidens” are a kind of sacrifice, then these sacrifices must willingly consent for the evil god to fully take over their bodies.
Jiang Ruoyu decided to take a gamble.
She took a deep breath and reached out to support Song Xuyi, who was pale, and firmly interrupted the voice: “But if you harm Sister Xuyi, I will never submit to you in this life—”
“What a deeply moving sisterly bond!”
The voice paused for a moment, ultimately speaking with reluctance and sarcasm. Next, Jiang Ruoyu felt as if something was nailed into her body, making her feel extremely cold and stiff.
“I can stop this great fire and promise not to harm your Sister Xuyi. You are indeed smart to realize that you are the most suitable body for me in a thousand years, which makes it harder for me to give up on you.”
The voice seemed to read Jiang Ruoyu’s thoughts completely and continued in her mind: “But I give you a chance to change your mind. You’ve lived like a pitiful little thing all these years, so you think this goddess is your only one. When the dazzling power is laid out before you, you will eventually make the right choice…”
“I will help you put out this fire as a condition, even if you are not my follower, you must follow the rules of the Yinyue Sect, and for the next five years, you must be at my service! If you betray, your body may belong to me forever…”
“Dare to gamble with me? You deceitful child?”
Jiang Ruoyu’s eyes flickered as she looked at Song Xuyi beside her, and finally, she nodded.
When Song Xuyi was trying hard to break free from the restraints, at a certain moment, the great fire in the Jiang Kingdom’s royal palace suddenly went out. Soldiers and officers who came from all directions to help rushed into the palace, and the fire was quickly brought under control…
Even though the losses were severe, many people in the Jiang Kingdom’s royal palace survived.
Song Xuyi breathed a sigh of relief and withdrew her divine awareness.
At this time, the divine power that Song Xuyi was barely maintaining was already exhausted. She didn’t know if it was just her imagination, but she felt that the barrier over Guozhou seemed to have deepened, like an airtight cover, enveloping the entire city in a suffocating and violent atmosphere, making it impossible for Song Xuyi’s true spirit to penetrate through.
Song Xuyi later realized that she might have fallen into the trap of that evil god, and the great fire in Jiang Kingdom was likely related to this evil god.
I was too careless! I thought about shaking the foundation of the Guozhou emperor’s faith, but the evil god almost wiped out my support…
What exactly is this evil god in Guozhou?
“Sister Xuyi? Can you help take care of my mother in the future?”
Jiang Ruoyu suddenly spoke softly, interrupting Song Xuyi’s thoughts.
As Jiang Ruoyu said this, the voice in her heart chuckled coldly: “During the time I occupy your body, your mother will also be my mother, so naturally, I will not treat her poorly…”
Jiang Ruoyu didn’t respond to her, instead, she kept her eyes fixed on Song Xuyi.
It was then that Song Xuyi noticed Jiang Ruoyu’s face was also frighteningly pale.
“Ruoyu, what’s wrong?”
“Nothing, I just suddenly thought of my mother. I’ve been away for so long, I wonder if she’s okay now. I also remembered that my mother only has me as her child. If I were gone because of some accident, I wonder how heartbroken my mother would be…”
A weak smile appeared on Jiang Ruoyu’s face, but for some reason, Song Xuyi felt that Jiang Ruoyu looked extremely sad at that moment.
“Your mother is fine, she hasn’t suffered any misfortune.”
“Ruoyu, you will be fine too. I will protect you.”
At such a young age, having to face life-and-death situations, it’s natural to have wild thoughts.
Song Xuyi felt she could understand Jiang Ruoyu’s sudden sentimentality, but she also felt an inexplicable unease in her heart. Thinking about it, Song Xuyi frowned and checked Jiang Ruoyu’s pulse.
Jiang Ruoyu’s pulse was perfectly normal.
Is she just too tired?
Song Xuyi frowned and naturally held Jiang Ruoyu’s hand, intending to channel divine energy into Jiang Ruoyu’s body as she had done before.
Divine energy can refresh the mind and nourish the body, alleviating discomfort. Over the years, with the nourishment of divine energy, Jiang Ruoyu’s body had become stronger than that of an average person.
However, to Song Xuyi’s surprise, Jiang Ruoyu subtly pushed Song Xuyi’s hand away this time. Seeing Song Xuyi’s astonished look, Jiang Ruoyu smiled slightly, “Sister, you look very weak too. I don’t want you to worry about me anymore.”
Jiang Ruoyu had always been thoughtful, so Song Xuyi just assumed she had become even more considerate. Seeing that Jiang Ruoyu indeed resisted her approach, Song Xuyi didn’t insist and returned to the inn with Jiang Ruoyu.
Most of the women who passed the second round were all smiles because entering the second round meant, in the eyes of the followers of the Yinyue Sect, that they already had a divine connection. Even if they couldn’t pass the third round to become a holy maiden, they could still hold a significant position within the Yinyue Sect.
Song Xuyi and Jiang Ruoyu were both popular candidates to become holy maidens, naturally attracting attention from all sides.
Song Xuyi realized that the evil god had used this opportunity to challenge her.
But whether it was arrogance or some other reason, this evil god did not continue to act against her.
After reflecting, Song Xuyi decided to continue with her previous plan: to slowly undermine the evil god’s stronghold within the city of Guozhou.
This process might be extremely slow, but it isn’t impossible to achieve.
This decision came from an accidental discovery.
Because the entire city deeply believed in the tales of the goddess, poor people suffering from serious illnesses without money for treatment would often offer prayers to the locust tree and the moon, earnestly asking the shamans of the Yinyue Sect for divination guidance.
If the divination showed a good omen, the people would spend all their money to treat the patient. If the divination showed a bad omen, most would give up on treatment and start preparing for funerals.
This way of handling everything by seeking divine direction is too easy to exploit, especially since the skills of the shamans vary greatly, and there are many swindlers trying to deceive people.
Song Xuyi once saw with her own eyes a child who simply had a common cold, but the shaman declared it a terminal illness. The child’s parents began sorrowfully preparing for the funeral right in front of their child.
Therefore, even though her divine energy was weak at that time, Song Xuyi still had medical skills accumulated from several previous worlds. Thinking it over, she decided to set up a clinic in the slums of the southern part of the city for the next three days.
Regardless of whether she could cure them or not, Song Xuyi would try her best. Thanks to her performance in the second round, the people of Guozhou City recognized her and regarded her as a semi-holy maiden. This made them set aside their doubts, and people came in an endless stream for consultations. Song Xuyi was busy from morning till night, hardly having time for anything else.
Her efforts also bore some fruit, as the power of faith began to flow into her body, speeding up her recovery.
Jiang Ruoyu did not accompany Song Xuyi in the past few days; she seemed a bit unwell and stayed in her room to rest.
In the past, when feeling unwell, Jiang Ruoyu would always act cute and clingy to have Song Xuyi come and take care of her. Song Xuyi, hearing Jiang Ruoyu’s deliberately sent thoughts of “Ah, actually feeling a bit uncomfortable and wanting to fake being sick, but Sister Xuyi is so busy, it’s better not to bother her, just need to rest more and adjust,” decided not to disturb Jiang Ruoyu and let her rest well.
Therefore, after three days, when Song Xuyi saw Jiang Ruoyu looking even paler than before, she was momentarily stunned and almost instinctively took Jiang Ruoyu’s hand to check her pulse.
However, Jiang Ruoyu’s body seemed very healthy and normal; it was just that her hands were unusually cold. Song Xuyi wanted to channel some divine energy into Jiang Ruoyu, but as soon as she touched Jiang Ruoyu, Jiang Ruoyu grabbed her wrist: “Fu Sheng is coming!”
Zijin Cliff was not far from the inn. To show his devotion, Fu Sheng decided to walk up Zijin Cliff with the ten candidate holy maidens. The group paraded through the streets, and wherever they went, people on both sides of the street knelt down, all chanting “Welcome, Holy Maiden!”
For some, such a scene of everyone kneeling could be very enticing, but Song Xuyi paid no attention, solely focused on Jiang Ruoyu’s condition.
On the way, with the townspeople watching, it wasn’t easy to take action. But once they reached Zijin Cliff and were waiting outside the God-Testing Cave, Song Xuyi couldn’t resist touching Jiang Ruoyu’s body to channel divine energy into her. However, as soon as the divine energy entered Jiang Ruoyu’s body, it was like encountering a bottomless vortex. Song Xuyi couldn’t control her power anymore, and the divine energy was continuously sucked into this vortex…
Song Xuyi’s eyes widened!
Jiang Ruoyu suddenly turned her face and showed her a cold smile.
Song Xuyi had never seen this expression on Jiang Ruoyu’s face before: at that moment, Jiang Ruoyu completely merged with the holy maiden she had seen before, with an even colder and more violent aura.
However, in an instant, the force absorbing Song Xuyi’s divine energy abruptly stopped. Jiang Ruoyu frowned in pain and closed her eyes.
“Is she possessed by the evil god?”
The system widened its eyes in terror and screamed, not expecting the world to take this direction—
The system had previously been very at ease in this world because the little villain looked at Xuyi with the same gaze as before. It originally thought that this world would progress in the same way as previous ones, and completing the mission seemed just around the corner. But it didn’t expect an evil god to suddenly appear.
This evil god is not just a little villain; she truly poses a threat to Xuyi’s life!
Song Xuyi’s heart sank to rock bottom in that instant.
She stared blankly at Jiang Ruoyu in front of her: the young girl was still as exquisitely beautiful as before, but her entire aura had obviously changed in that moment. She was like a dazzling pearl, yet now seemed to be covered with a faint shadow.
“Song Xuyi.” At this moment, Fu Sheng called out Song Xuyi’s name.
Song Xuyi didn’t want to enter the God-Testing Cave at all.
She had brought Jiang Ruoyu here, and now that Jiang Ruoyu was in danger, she felt she had to take her away. Moreover, Song Xuyi had a strange feeling in her heart: once the young girl entered this cave, many things would change…
The young girl, however, seemed to be struggling intensely, her expression shifting between shadowed and sorrowful. Finally, her face turned extremely indifferent, and she no longer looked at Song Xuyi. She turned to Fu Sheng and said, “I want to enter the God-Testing Cave first.”
“Ruoyu, you—” Song Xuyi reached out, trying to stop Jiang Ruoyu. However, her body had just been drained of divine energy and was extremely weak. As soon as she touched Jiang Ruoyu’s hand, a strong force came from Jiang Ruoyu, and Song Xuyi’s eyes widened before she limply collapsed—
Jiang Ruoyu’s gaze began to struggle again. Finally, as if remembering something, she turned back and once more picked up the fallen Song Xuyi. Ignoring Fu Sheng’s probing eyes, she walked into the deep cave.
“Why are you going back on your word?”
Inside the God-Testing Cave, Jiang Ruoyu watched helplessly as her hand uncontrollably channeled dark divine energy into Song Xuyi. She struggled hard and finally managed to regain control of her body, but by then, Song Xuyi had fallen into an even deeper coma.
Jiang Ruoyu carefully held the unconscious Song Xuyi in her arms, her eyes turning cold.
“You really think I don’t know?” That voice came from all directions in the cave: “You value this useless goddess more than your own life. You originally planned to take your own life in the God-Testing Cave!”
“If you were planning to keep your promise, I wouldn’t have done this!”
“It’s all because of this woman!” Deep, intense malice mixed with countless worldly grievances surged from all directions in the cave, like a fierce monster poised to swallow them both in the next instant.
“This was all my plan; it has nothing to do with her.”
Even as everything was exposed by the evil god, Jiang Ruoyu’s expression remained extremely calm—
“Let’s keep it short; pursuing right or wrong is useless now. What will it take for you to let her go?”
“Ten years!” The voice sneered, “I want control over your body for ten years!”
Jiang Ruoyu didn’t speak.
She lowered her head, quietly looking at Song Xuyi in her arms, brushing aside the long hair by Song Xuyi’s cheek. Only her trembling hand revealed her unsettled thoughts—
This was something she had wanted to do for a long time. Before, it felt disrespectful, but now, the situation from her dreams had become real, and it was in such an uncontrollable circumstance…
But for Sister Xuyi, she was willing to do anything.
“Alright!” Jiang Ruoyu lowered her eyes and finally spoke softly: “You can’t harm my mother, and you can’t harm Sister Xuyi!”
The evil god readily agreed.
“But I don’t trust you. I want to see you send her home,” Jiang Ruoyu spoke again.
The evil god seemed to have a lot of patience with Jiang Ruoyu.
A cold snort came from within the cave, and black mist gathered around. When Jiang Ruoyu opened her eyes again, she found herself in a place with beautiful mountains and clear waters.
“This is her homeland, and her father will be here soon!” Seeing the lingering look in Jiang Ruoyu’s eyes, that voice urgently echoed in her mind again. Jiang Ruoyu only had time to glimpse a dark figure approaching before she was back in the cave—
In the pitch-black cave, the voice sounded particularly impatient.
“I won’t meddle anymore; after all, she is from the Nine-Tailed Fox clan. As long as she doesn’t provoke me first, I won’t make enemies out of nowhere. She just needs to rest for a few years and will wake up…”
“Now! It’s time for you to lend me your strength!”
Countless black mists surged from all directions, wrapping around Jiang Ruoyu. Every vein in her body seemed to be pulled by immense force. Jiang Ruoyu bit her lower lip hard until blood flowed, and she fainted on the ground…
Her soul was squeezed into a corner of her heart, and she clearly saw a dark shadow enter her body. At the moment of merging, Jiang Ruoyu had a dream:
In the dream, she was a mass of ignorant and unaware malice, absorbing all human emotions, growing little by little.
One day, she fought with a powerful man named Jiang Bai, and the man called her “Yin Shen”. Being young, she was no match for Jiang Bai and was severely injured, then locked in the Zhen Shen Tower.
Jiang Bai discovered that she had developed consciousness, and with one strike, he split her in half. He sent the pure and good parts of her personality into reincarnation, leaving the larger part still imprisoned in the Zhen Shen Tower.
So, the half that was sent into reincarnation was cleansed of its impurities and was reborn in the royal palace of Jiang Kingdom, becoming Jiang Ruoyu.
Jiang Bai didn’t know that as the first non-born deity in the world, unless it self-destructs, the Yin Shen can never be completely eliminated. All the negative emotions in the human world gathered together, once again giving rise to a new Yin Shen among mortals…
The new Yin Shen, though having developed consciousness, must attach itself to a human body. The most suitable human body can only host it for up to five years before it completely perishes.
Only Jiang Ruoyu’s body, which also originated from the Yin Shen, can have the highest compatibility with the Yin Shen, which is why the Yin Shen was so patient with Jiang Ruoyu.
All remnants of the Yin Shen’s good thoughts were in Jiang Ruoyu, while the new Yin Shen was greedy and malicious.
However, Jiang Bai didn’t expect that even the purest soul could be tainted by its environment. If Jiang Ruoyu had not met Song Xuyi, she would have encountered the new Yin Shen and naturally joined forces with it, causing chaos across the three realms as described in the original story outline.
But Jiang Ruoyu met Song Xuyi.
Since the Yin Shen is the embodiment of human negative emotions and can control people in Guozhou, why can’t she use her own will to gradually devour and control the Yin Shen in her mind?
After all, she originated from the older Yin Shen from a thousand years ago!
Jiang Ruoyu opened her eyes, calmed her gaze, and began to slowly use her primordial spirit according to the method from her dream…
At the same time, the father of Song Xuyi’s body discovered her unconscious form and used all sorts of magical medicines to heal her. Eight years later, Song Xuyi opened her eyes again…
The author has something to say:
Hmm, a conscientious author should give a little preview.
This small world is HE.
However, I recently re-watched 《To Live》 (a renowned Chinese novel and film about survival and resilience) and 《Les Misérables》 (the famous novel by Victor Hugo about social injustice and redemption), ahem, so the attribute of the next small world…
LP: Re-translated on December 09, 2024
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