Chapter 380: Chapter 380, Direct Refusal
"Greetings to the Saintess!"
The five elders said as they knelt down.
Immediately following were Amdo and another two women and one man who also knelt down, "Greetings to the Saintess!"
Then, four men dressed in grey knelt, "Greetings to the Saintess!"
They were closely followed by a throng of people who knelt en masse, "Greetings to the Saintess!"
Behind them, Yun Jinnian could not see anyone, but the calls came from different directions, getting louder and louder.
These people all spoke in official tones, which Yun Jinnian naturally understood.
And she was scared.
What’s wrong with these people?
A Saintess, her?
How could that be!
Towards the five elders, Yun Jinnian was not fond of them; had it not been for them, she would not have been injured and separated from Brother Chu Yu, and she had no idea how he was doing now.
"You...."
Yun Jinnian began speaking softly, a hesitant look on her delicate face.
Lead by the elders, all these people were kneeling and didn’t get up.
Should she tell them to stand? But if she did, wouldn’t it mean she was acknowledging their claim, becoming their Saintess?
But to not call for them to stand, was also problematic—so many people were kneeling, and she couldn’t comfortably inquire!
The five elders looked up, their gazes eager as they watched Yun Jinnian’s indecision.
"What does the Saintess command?" Elder Jin asked.
"I am not your Saintess, you do not need to kneel before me; if there’s anything, any words, say them after standing up!"
"Thank you, Saintess!"
Yun Jinnian pressed her temples and took a deep breath, "Are you here because of this Spiritual Poisonous Insect?"
As she spoke, Yun Jinnian opened her pouch and took out a small cauldron.
The Spiritual Poisonous Insect was asleep inside the small cauldron; it opened its eyes to look at Yun Jinnian, then went back to sleep.
While it was merely an insect, it was also a loyally devoted good insect. Yun Jinnian fell into a snowy hole, landing in the raging undercurrents of a dark river, and it quickly bit onto Yun Jinnian, feeding her all its essence blood, leaving it extremely weak these past days.
Fortunately, Yun Jinnian had been consuming medicine containing Snow Lotus from Tian Mountain in the previous days, and the elderly couple was also from the Moon-watching Cult, so they naturally knew to feed her blood to it, which slightly revived the insect.
Elder Jin respectfully responded, "Replying to the Saintess, yes, this is the Moon-watching Cult’s Spiritual Poisonous Insect, and the small cauldron in the Saintess’s hands is indeed the Moon-watching Cult’s Sacred Relic!"
"...."
Now, Yun Jinnian was confused.
Elder Jin waved his hand, and the people in black retreated, leaving behind the four Hall Masters, the four Holy Envoys; even the elderly couple left.
Yun Jinnian remained seated on the chair, her initially anxious heart now settling down.
These things never belonged to her; she could simply return them to the rightful owners.
But what Yun Jinnian didn’t know was that without the Saintess, the Spiritual Poisonous Insect would die, the Sacred Relic would be useless, and the Moon-watching Cult would fall into panic.
In the end, it was essential for the Saintess’s blood to nurture the Spiritual Poisonous Insect and irrigate the Sacred Relic.
After Yun Jinnian’s disappearance, the five elders realized they had erred, but where could they search for Yun Jinnian? And what should they do once they found her?
So, although they captured Chu Yu and threw him in jail, they dared not torture him, not knowing that Chu Yu would escape due to his own abilities, and that Yun Jinnian would be found.
"Saintess, please follow this one and others back to the sanctuary!"
"I won’t go!"
Yun Jinnian outright refused.
She had no desire to associate with these people.
"Then may the Saintess stay in this valley to recuperate. Subordinates will arrange for people to tend to the Saintess," Elder Jin spoke cautiously, even the others behind him stayed bowed.
Yun Jinnian took a deep breath, "If I return the small cauldron and the Spiritual Poisonous Insect to you, can you send me back? Or perhaps carry a message back so someone can come to pick me up!"
"That cannot be! It is permissible for the Saintess to wish to leave this place to go back, but on one condition; the Saintess must be recognized as the Saintess of the Moon-watching Cult, and both the Sacred Relic and the Spiritual Poisonous Insect must remain in the Saintess’s possession!"