Abandoned Woman Busy Farming
Chapter 1364 - 1366: The Saintess Who Blocks the Way_1

Chapter 1364: Chapter 1366: The Saintess Who Blocks the Way_1

With the addition of the crowd that had followed the Saintess, the already narrow streets had become blocked, and Lian Jia, unable to pass with his team, could only instruct his men to fall back to the side.

Saintess Honglian, still looking so sacred and gentle, ordered the flower carriage to stop midway through its journey when her gaze landed on Jiang Yichun, who lay on the stretcher.

"Master Bai seems to have been seriously injured, let me pray for him," said Honglian, her vermilion lips parting to release her melodious voice, and the surroundings instantly fell silent.

Soon, the commoners whispered among themselves again.

"Saintess Honglian truly pities the suffering of the people. Even for a foreigner, she is willing to help; she is just too kind."

"Yes, that foreigner is really lucky to have encountered the Saintess. Otherwise, he’d still be lying there, unable to get up."

"Why bother with those foreigners? They don’t even believe in our deities."

"..."

Bai Ruozhu narrowed her eyes; Honglian had begun her counterattack, also using her own reputation and public opinion.

If she objected now, all it would take was a few provocative words from Honglian to incite public resentment. Even the presence of the Emperor might not be enough to calm the angry masses.

But if she didn’t oppose, she would be the foolish one.

Would Honglian simply act out of kindness to rescue Jiang Yichun? Would she go to such lengths just to earn a reputation for saving someone? Could a person capable of turning her own sister into a corpse and casually chopping off an innocent girl’s leg be considered good?

The fear was that Honglian might do something to Jiang Yichun under the pretense of offering blessings.

After giving it some thought, Bai Ruozhu performed a gesture of respect from the Western Regions towards Saintess Honglian and smiled, "Thank you for your kindness, Saintess. My husband is merely exhausted from the journey, he’s just asleep for now, and there’s nothing seriously wrong with him."

"His complexion doesn’t look good. Demons are devouring his strength, only the power of the deities can save him," said Honglian lightly, her meaning already somewhat implying that Bai Ruozhu didn’t recognize what was good for her.

Indeed, the onlookers all showed displeasure, and Lian Jia, standing by, grew anxious. If the city’s commoners caused trouble, it wouldn’t be right for their guards to directly kill them, and if the crowd grew, they might not even be able to handle them.

Hadn’t the incident in Qun Lian a few years ago been an example?

Maintaining a very composed expression, Bai Ruozhu quietly instructed Furball to bite Jiang Yichun, to wake him up first and deal with the situation at hand.

Furball was her Poisonous Insect, which she could control not to inflict Poisonous Insect on Jiang Yichun.

She communicated the acupuncture points to Furball through her thoughts, and with a sharp bite, as if striking with a needle, Jiang Yichun indeed woke up.

Bai Ruozhu smiled and helped him, saying, "Husband, you’ve finally woken up. The Saintess thought you were ill and wanted to pray for you."

Jiang Yichun quickly caught on and got down from the stretcher, saying, "Thank you for your kindness, Saintess. I am just weary from standing guard on the way and fell deeply asleep. I must have caused some amusement for you. To receive your prayers would be an honor for anyone; I, Bai, am not injured or sick, and it would be remiss to trouble the Saintess with hard work. Perhaps this chance for prayer could be given to someone in dire need instead."

Jiang Yichun’s words were beautifully spoken and immediately won the favor of the onlookers, especially as some started to call out, "Saintess, my wife is pale and almost fainted, I beg you to bless her and dispel her calamity."

Bai Ruozhu narrowed her eyes as she looked over; the complexion of the woman was pale and bloodless, but it seemed to be the result of malnutrition combined with low blood sugar.

Meanwhile, someone else said, "Saintess, my stomach has been hurting for several days now, surely a demon is devouring my entrails. Please, Saintess, pray for me."

An idea struck Ruozhu, and she said to Honglian, "Saintess, that old gentleman and the woman over there really do look terrible. You should hurry and help those in urgent need."

"Bai is but of modest ability, yet he is also willing to consider others and would not dare to take up the precious time you need to save people. Please, Saintess, hurry and pray for those in urgent need," Yichun said as he gave a bow in the style of the Western Regions.

Honglian’s normally gentle facial features stiffened noticeably; she was surely grinding her teeth in anger. However, her schemes ran deep. Even though she was seething with hatred inside, her face still bore a gentle smile.

"Everyone, do not fret. I will pray for all of you together. As for young master Bai who is noble and virtuous, even though you are not ill, do come and accept the grace of the divine spirits," Honglian said with a soft voice.

Ha, she still hadn’t given up hope!

Upon hearing that the Saintess would pray for everyone together, those feeling unwell immediately squeezed their way toward her, while Honglian looked at Yichun with an expression that said, "I’m waiting for you."

Just as Ruozhu and Yichun were unsure how to proceed, the sound of galloping hooves suddenly came from the direction of the Imperial Palace, and a guard shouted loudly, "Is that young master Bai ahead? The ruler of our country orders you to enter the Palace immediately. The Emperor of your country has issued an urgent decree, saying that any delay would be a grave offense, punishable by beheading as a warning to others!"

Ruozhu and Yichun exchanged glances, quickly hiding the smiles that were about to show in their eyes. Ruozhu then feigned panic and said, "Husband, we must hurry to the Palace and must not miss the appointed time to avoid provoking holy wrath."

Putting on an urgent demeanor, Yichun bowed to Honglian and said, "Thank you for your care, Saintess. We will come to the Holy Hall to express our gratitude another day. For now, Bai must take his leave!"

He made a gesturing wink to Lian Jia, indicating that their group was about to leave.

"Aren’t you just ordinary merchants from Danliang Country? Why would your Emperor issue a decree for you? And since when does an Emperor act unreasonably, threatening beheading at the drop of a hat?" Honglian’s voice rose gloomily, "The people of your country live without divine protection, suffering through extreme hardship."

Yichun’s expression did not change as he cupped his hands towards Honglian, "Today’s matters are urgent and cannot be explained one by one. Bai will explain to the Saintess another day, or you could ask His Majesty the Emperor yourself. I must take my leave now."

This time, he simply tapped into his inner strength and used his lightness skill to dash ahead.

Ruozhu’s heart tightened, and she quickly followed suit. Sure enough, as soon as they entered the Palace Gate, Yichun spat out a mouthful of blood.

She hastily supported him, calling for Chenfeng and the others to bring a stretcher, "It’s safe now, you must lie down quickly to rest. As soon as we reach our Residence, you will be fine, but you must not use your inner strength anymore."

Yichun indeed looked worn out and gave a hum before lying down on the stretcher, his face as white as paper.

Ruozhu’s heart ached as she watched. Gnashing her teeth, she cursed at Honglian, vowing silently in her heart that she would never let that hypocritical and pretentious woman off the hook.

...

In the streets, Honglian’s complexion remained unchanged. After blessing the commoners, she returned to the Holy Hall. The people watched as the Saintess departed, each of their gazes filled with piety.

At that moment, someone uncertainly said, "Why do I feel that Saintess Honglian showed exceptional care for that foreigner, young master Bai? Wasn’t he said to be just an ordinary merchant? Although his appearance is indeed handsome, could it be that the Saintess has taken a fancy to him?"