Amorous S*ave Girl - Chapter 36
Chapter 36 : The Persian Merchant
A plainly decorated but spacious carriage slowly made its way down a deep alley, coming to a stop before an ordinary-looking large courtyard. A black-clad guard stepped out first to open the gate, followed by the Persian merchant Daruth, who gently carried the unconscious Tao'er—her pressure points having been sealed—from the carriage. Three more black-clad guards followed them inside.
Just as the gate closed, the door of a dilapidated tile-roofed house diagonally across creaked open. Lord Ningxi emerged with his medicine chest, his tall figure as graceful as a lotus. Behind him trailed a small, thin boy in tattered clothes, his skin sallow from malnutrition but his large eyes bright and clear. The boy's shy, adoring gaze struck Ningxi as hauntingly familiar.
"Tao'er..." Ningxi sighed, an indescribable emotion unfurling in his chest like seaweed in water.
Had he stepped out just one moment earlier, he would have seen her. But this world offered countless possibilities—just never an "if."
The anxious boy tugged at Ningxi's sleeve. "My lord, why do you sigh? Is my mother's illness beyond cure?"
Ningxi collected himself. "No, your mother will recover after seven days of proper medication. Here." He handed the boy a pouch of silver. "Buy food and necessities. Take good care of her. I'll return in three days."
The boy peeked inside and gasped at the amount. "This is too much!" He tried returning it.
Ningxi smiled gently. "Keep it, Xiaohu. It grows late—I must take my leave." With an elegant turn, he departed like drifting clouds.
Xiaohu stood clutching the heavy pouch, staring dumbstruck at the retreating figure who seemed more celestial than mortal.
*Inside the Courtyard*
It looks like an ordinary courtyard house from the outside, and no one would have thought that there is a whole different world inside.
Lush greenery and tranquil waters graced the courtyard. Rare flowers bloomed in stunning splendor across the garden, where pavilions and bridges adorned a babbling brook. The two-story residence was spacious, its doors and windows crafted from intricately carved sandalwood, exuding classical elegance. The interior furnishings reflected exquisite taste—every antique and painting priceless.
Tao'er lay unconscious on a carved mahogany bed. Daruth tucked the quilt around her gently. Though he'd unsealed her pressure points, she remained deeply asleep.
Daruth's chiseled features and azure eyes softened with tenderness as he gazed at her lovely face—yet his focus seemed to pierce through her to another. Unable to resist, he traced her porcelain cheek. "Yunji, you remain as beautiful as ever."
"Water...so thirsty..." Tao'er murmured drowsily.
Startled, Daruth withdrew his hand, chiding himself for mistaking her for Yunji. He fetched water and cradled her against his broad chest, tilting the cup to her lips.
As she drank, her lashes fluttered open to meet his mesmerizing blue eyes. "Awake at last," he said gently.
Recognition flashed—this was the man whose guards had mercilessly slain Zijuan despite her pleas. Fury ignited. Tao'er shoved him away and scrambled to the corner, clutching the quilt like armor, her clear eyes blazing with wariness.
Seeing her tremble like a frightened fawn, Daruth soothed, "Holy Maiden, fear not. Daruth means you no harm."
"Holy Maiden?" Tao'er steadied her breath. "Aren't you the Persian merchant who negotiated with my master? Why stoop to murder and abduction?"
Daruth smiled bitterly. "My true identity is Daruth, Right Protector of the Demon Lotus Sect. Our new leader assigned me to oversee northern and southern trade. As for Zijuan...that was unavoidable. And you—as daughter of Holy Maiden Yunji—are naturally our sect's Holy Maiden. This is no abduction."
Shocked, Tao'er never imagined this dignified foreigner belonged to the demonic sect—as a high-ranking protector no less! He'd once spared her mother against orders—perhaps not entirely evil. Maybe he'd spare her too.
Barefoot, she knelt before him. "I don't want to be any Holy Maiden! Please, let me go!"
Daruth helped her up. "Being our Holy Maiden isn't as dreadful as you think."
"Your leader uses newborn babies' brains to unlock treasures! How isn't that dreadful?"
"I once explained—while Holy Maidens possess stronger desires than most women, winning their love is exceedingly rare. Unless a Holy Maidens sleeps with her beloved, no red lotus will bloom on her right shoulder, and her daughter will simply succeed her. Only sixteen years ago did a Holy Maiden—your mother—bear the mark. So rest assured, return with me to the western regions as our Holy Maiden. Your status will be second only to our leader's."
"What if the child is male?"
"Holy Maidens only bear daughters. Every sixteen years on the Mid-Autumn full moon, we hold a grand rite—this year's occasion. Hence I must bring you back."
"What does this rite worship?"
"Our sect's treasure—the Demonic Blood Lotus. Every sixteen years, the blood in its pond must be replenished. When the lotus connects with the Holy Maiden's spiritual energy, ten drops of her blood will make it bloom, foretelling all future fortunes and calamities."
"Just ten drops renews the pond?"
"Of course not." Daruth hesitated. "Before the Holy Maiden's blood, five hundred maidens must bleed into the pond. Their bones will sink as nourishment for the lotus."
"Five hundred? How can you treat lives so cheaply!"
"They volunteer." Unable to continue, Daruth stood. "Rest now. I'll have dinner prepared."
Volunteer? The sect's brainwashing ran terrifyingly deep to make so many maidens willingly become fertilizer. Tao'er shivered, wrapping the quilt tightly.
A flower that fed on blood and bones deserved its demonic name. If it could truly foresee the future, could it predict her burning it to ashes? Without it, the sect would crumble. No more cowering—she'd fight back, even if it meant being torn limb from limb. At least she'd have struck back at fate.
Fate was an inexorable force before which all were powerless. The only thing you can rely on to change it is courage!
***
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