Chapter 12: Holy Water

Chapter 12: Holy Water

The box was huge, and Cai Gu carried it, completely blocking his view.

The entire corridor was empty except for him, eerily silent, with gusts of cool wind blowing toward Cai Gu, stirring his white skirt and revealing a section of his slender calves.

Cai Gu pursed his lips and couldn't help quickening his pace. He still remembered the bloody scene he had witnessed in the church that night.

He had been keeping an eye on his phone these past few days, but neither Yasa Academy nor the outside world had reported any news about the murder.

Cai Gu even wondered if he had been too tired that night and had hallucinated it all.

But Cai Gu would rather it had been an illusion, as long as no one had died.

The door at the end was ajar, letting a sliver of light shine through the gap. Cai Gu gently pushed it open with his toes, panting softly as he carefully placed the box on the ground.

As he looked up, he made eye contact with someone lying on the statue. The person on the statue was holding a hammer, and when Cai Gu suddenly pushed the door open, he flinched, dropping the hammer from his hand.

Cai Gu looked flustered, quickly lowering his head: "Sorry, I'm here to deliver the box. I didn't mean to disturb you."

As he spoke, he bent down to pick up the hammer, but noticed a layer of fine rubble on the ground. Before he could react, the statue's head also fell off, tumbling with the rubble.

Cai Gu's eyes widened in disbelief: "You, you're destroying the statue."

Based on his years of egg-collecting experience, Cai Gu recognized this as the deity worshipped by the Blue Luo Religion. Now that it was ruined like this, the prayer ceremony definitely couldn't proceed.

Seeing that his actions were exposed, the man immediately put on a fierce expression and lunged forward to cover Cai Gu's mouth.

Cai Gu instinctively raised the hammer in his hand and smashed it down on the man's head with a "bang." He was very strong, and one blow sent the man crashing to the ground, unconscious.

Staring at the culprit lying on the floor, then at the utterly ruined statue, Cai Gu was at a loss.

"Clap, clap, clap."

The crisp sound of applause came from outside the door. Cai Gu, still holding the hammer, looked toward the door in confusion.

Yue Jin walked in slowly, his long golden hair sweeping the floor. He leaned against the doorframe, a half-smile on his lips, as he looked at Cai Gu: "Oh my, look what I've found—a culprit who injured a church monk and destroyed a statue."

Cai Gu looked around, blinking nervously, and asked cautiously: "Where is this culprit you're talking about?"

Yue Jin smiled without speaking, raising an eyebrow at Cai Gu.

Cai Gu's eyebrows drooped in grievance. He was about to explain when a thought flashed through his mind—the young man's face in front of him gradually overlapped with the face of the murderer from that night.

He swallowed hard, instinctively shrinking back.

"No, it wasn't me," Cai Gu stammered. He looked so timid that he didn't realize he had a beautiful face.

He prayed silently in his heart, hoping that Yue Jin hadn't recognized him in the long dress. Otherwise, he would definitely be silenced.

Yue Jin advanced step by step, his white robe trailing on the ground, his ornaments clinking together.

Cai Gu clutched the hammer tightly, calculating inwardly: if Yue Jin tried to kill him, he would swing the hammer and then run away as fast as he could.

His eyes grew determined, and he kept encouraging himself silently.

Just as he was about to raise the hammer, the monk who had been knocked unconscious shook his head and staggered to his feet. The moment he saw Yue Jin, he flinched violently, his eyes filled with terror.

An overwhelming wave of pheromones oppressed him. The monk knelt on the ground in disgrace, cold sweat beading on his forehead: "Holy Son, it's all a misunderstanding."

His eyes darted as his mind raced, and without hesitation, he shifted the blame onto Cai Gu: "It was him! When I was on patrol, I caught him sneaking in here to destroy the statue. I tried to stop him, but he knocked me out instead."

After saying this, the monk's heart sank. Knowing the Holy Son's temperament, he probably had already guessed the truth. Perhaps he had even been waiting nearby all along, witnessing everything the monk had done.

"Listen—should I believe the church's monk or a stranger?"

Yue Jin's golden eyes reflected Cai Gu's image. He curled his crimson lips and grabbed the ends of Cai Gu's hair with interest.

Wronged, Cai Gu's cheeks flushed with anger, and he wanted nothing more than to knock the monk out again.

As the two faced off, the sound of bells rang out from the church, one after another.

Yue Jin looked at the timid, helpless Cai Gu with a half-smile. His gaze fell on the open collar, and he suddenly laughed: "The prayer ceremony is about to start, and the statue has been destroyed. What do you think I should do?"

"Will I be kicked out by the church?"

Yue Jin pressed on relentlessly, forcing Cai Gu back until his lower back pressed against the stone platform.

He leaned in, his warm breath brushing against Cai Gu's earlobe, but his attention was drawn to the suppressant patch on the back of Cai Gu's neck.

So he's wearing a suppressant patch?

So he was an Omega?

An Omega of this age must be married, right? If he had really been sent by those old men, they would have already used him first.

The thought that Cai Gu might have been in the beds of the church priests made Yue Jin's expression darken. He lowered his eyes, letting them fall on the rubble on the stone platform, and flashed a bright smile: "How about this—you pretend to be the statue. Maybe then I'll let you go."

"What do you think?"

Hearing this, Cai Gu opened one eye and asked timidly: "Really? If I help you, will you let me leave?"

He grabbed Yue Jin's sleeve with his rough fingers, the contrast between his calloused hands and the soft fabric creating an oddly beautiful sight.

Yue Jin tilted his head with an innocent look, as if he weren't the one who had killed someone without blinking that night: "Of course. I always keep my word."

Yue Jin couldn't help but sigh: "I'm so kind."

Cai Gu didn't dare argue. He puffed up his cheeks and silently wiped the rubble off the stone platform, spitefully sweeping some of it toward the monk.

Cai Gu braced his hands on the stone platform, turning his back to Yue Jin. As he moved, the hem of his skirt lifted slightly, revealing the rounded shape of his buttocks tightly wrapped in the fabric.

Yue Jin's eyes darkened. When those priests were in bed, did they also kiss his butt?

Cai Gu sat up straight, still a little afraid, feeling he had agreed too quickly: "But won't this get... noticed?"

Wouldn't a real person pretending to be a statue look strange?

Cai Gu began to waver, muttering softly: "You were the one who falsely accused me..."

Before he could finish, Yue Jin pulled a pair of silver handcuffs from his robe sleeve and bound Cai Gu's legs together. After doing this, he clasped his hands together with a meek look: "As long as you stay still and don't move, you won't be discovered."

But Cai Gu knew very well that he was not a good child—he could kill people and pull handcuffs out of his sleeve at any moment!

Yue Jin picked up the white veil that had fallen to the ground, shook the dust off it, and draped it over Cai Gu's head, covering his face.

"From now on, you are a stone statue—no life, no thought. Others can do anything to you."

The white veil blocked Cai Gu's view; he could only faintly make out a silhouette of a person, unable to see anything else.

In the place he couldn't see, the concentration of pheromones in the air kept rising. The acolyte knelt on the ground, oppressed by the S-grade pheromones, as he clawed at his neck in agony, leaving red marks on his skin.

Before he could even let out a muffled groan, his face turned red, and he died in the room.

As the final bell rang, Yue Jin lowered his gaze to the beauty hidden beneath the white veil. His eyes cold, he waved for the acolytes waiting outside the door to come in.

"Bring the statue out to the altar."

Cai Gu felt the stone platform swaying gently. He bit his full lower lip, not daring to make a sound.

Finally, the platform came to a stop. Cai Gu dazedly crossed his arms over his chest.

When he appeared, the lights in the church went out, one by one, and white candles were lit, plunging the entire church into a silent and sacred atmosphere.

Cai Gu lowered his head, catching Yue Jin's silhouette through the gaps in the white veil. He knelt on the ground, gazing up at him with a devout expression.

"..."

"Pray to our god, that he may bestow his blessings..."

Chanting echoed from all around. Cai Gu's hands clenched nervously, knowing that when the chanting ended, the final ritual would begin.

An acolyte would take holy water from the statue and drink it reverently.

But... but where would he get water?

Cai Gu bit his lip worriedly. The white veil in front of him was lifted, and a slender hand reached in, holding a delicate white cup.

The rim of the cup pressed against Cai Gu's lips without room for refusal. Outside, Yue Jin gave no instructions. Cai Gu reluctantly poked out a bright red tongue slightly, and saliva slowly dribbled from the tip of his tongue into the cup.

After what felt like a long time, Yue Jin finally withdrew the cup. Standing before the veiled "statue," he looked down at the few drops of saliva in the cup, pressed a button on the rim, and the cup instantly filled up with water.

The original saliva was diluted, blending in with the pure water.

After letting everyone examine the holy water, Yue Jin calmly drank it all down.

Quite sweet.

Yue Jin thought nonchalantly.

Author's note:

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A good man gets taken advantage of—by his wife.