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Bai Shaofeng was injured because he had been hiding in the icy river water for too long, and the cold had penetrated to his bones. Moreover, he had also cast spells several times while in the water, fighting with others, although it was only for a short time but he had used all his strength. In that kind of winter river where the ice was half-frozen, an ordinary person would freeze stiff within ten minutes, but Bai Shaofeng's special talent and recent progress in his cultivation allowed him to hold his breath and hide underwater with one mouthful of true energy protecting his entire body for half a night.
When facing the enemy, he was fully focused and didn't feel anything. But after Laxus died, Xiaobai felt a chill in his bones, like being pricked by needles all over, and knew that cold air had entered his body. That's why he told Gusui to go drink some strong liquor to dispel the cold. If Gusui had just given him a few cups of strong liquor to dispel the cold, it wouldn't have been a big deal. But Gusui thought he was joking and cast a spell to warm him up and dry his clothes instead. Xiaobai felt a bit nauseous and uncomfortable at the time.
He wasn't frozen stiff and needed to warm up, but rather the cold air had entered his body and needed to be dispersed. Being treated by Gu Ying like that made the cold air congeal inside him, forming an internal injury. However, he didn't say anything. Gu Ying was being kind and it's rare for her to show kindness to others, sometimes accepting help is a form of respect. Anyway, it was just a minor illness, nothing serious, and after a few days of recuperation, he would be fine. So when he got home, he didn't alarm Zhuo Ru and Qing Chen, pretending as if nothing had happened.
However, when speaking with Zhuo Ru, the chest felt somewhat uncomfortable due to blood stasis. He spat out a mouthful of stagnant blood and fell to the ground, feeling much more comfortable. Upon hearing Qing Chen's questioning, he smiled and replied: "I won't go back home, where else would I go? Even if it's death, I'd rather die at my own home."
Zhuang Ru: "Don't spout nonsense! What's with all this talk of death?... Qing Chen, what kind of injury did he sustain? Should we call a doctor?"
Qing Chen was also skilled in treating internal injuries, and sat on the edge of the bed, holding down Xiao Bai's wrist to take her pulse. "Don't worry, just use a medicinal decoction to dispel the wind and cold, it'll be fine. As it happens, I know some about this too. I'll write out a prescription and go get the medicine, then we can brew it right away."
Bai Shaoliu: "Qingchen, you also understand these things? Then there's no need for me to write a prescription." He had been studying under Xiao Zhengrong for so long and understood quite a bit about internal injury rehabilitation.
"Quickly write down the prescription, and I'll go get the medicine right away."
Bai Shaoliu: "Don't rush to take the medicine, eat first, Zhuang sister, I'm hungry!" Xiaobai said he was hungry, this is the most normal reaction of a person who has just recovered from catching a cold. Qingchen also let out a sigh of relief.
Zhuang Ru: "The dishes are all ready, you sit on the bed and I'll bring them over."
"Sorry, I just knocked over the food on the table."
Zhuang Ru: "I'll go and clean up again. You go buy some medicine, there's money in the shoe cabinet drawer."
Xiaobai sat up, Qingchen hastily used a pillow to support his back. He took out a bunch of keys from his pocket and asked: "Who among you can drive?"
Qing Chen shook his head and Zhuo Ru said: "I will, what's wrong?"
"White Shaofeng: 'The parking lot at the entrance of the community, the first row on the right side, there is a white sedan parked, which I drove back. ...Zhuang sister, wash your face and drive to buy medicine, Qingchen, wash your hands and make breakfast again. I'm fine, just lying down and resting for a while.'"
Bai Shaofeng sat up in bed and began to arrange tasks, buying medicine for those who needed it and cooking for others. Although his injury was not serious, he had fallen ill, saying he would rest for a while but actually sleeping for a week. What illness did he have? Nothing special, just a cold - a heavy cold! He had a fever, coughed, sneezed, and had a runny nose for three or four days. Zhuang Ru and Qingchen, including Huang Jing who didn't know the inside story, surrounded him, taking care of him with great care, like protecting a giant panda, not even letting him get out of bed casually.
Xiao Bai's physical body is very good, but that is relative to ordinary people. He is not yet an iron-clad Golden Elixir True Person, and his cultivation still has a way to go before reaching the realm of unity between body and mind. As such, he can still get sick. When someone like him gets sick, even if it's just a common cold, their symptoms will be more severe than others. Poor Xiao Bai had hardly ever been sick since childhood, and after starting his cultivation, he shouldn't have gotten sick at all. Now, he's actually bedridden for a week due to a cold, which is embarrassing enough to spread the word.
He hasn't had a peaceful day since he met Qingchen, encountering a car accident, losing his job twice, being stabbed once, and almost losing his life in an assassination attempt. Now, he's lying in bed recovering from illness. Xiaobai lies in bed thinking about the past half year, secretly laughing to himself, but can't figure out if he's lucky or unlucky.
But deep down, he still thought he was lucky, even happy, like the protagonist of a fantasy novel. Just having a cold, there were three beauties taking turns to serve him, he didn't have to do anything, good food and drink, sleepy then sleep, woke up with beautiful women chatting with him softly and warmly, probably this is what it's like to be a god? Even if he got sick again, it would be worth it, something he wouldn't have dared to imagine a year ago. The only thing that was a bit annoying was that after staying for a few days, he had to blow his nose in front of the beauties and hand over the tissue, which really damaged his handsome image.
There's another thing that makes Xiaobai feel indescribably happy. That is, the relationship between Zhuang Ru and Qingchen has become more harmonious than before, and their words are also more tacitly understood. The question Zhuang Ru wanted to ask that day was problematic, and something must have happened between her and Qingchen, but now because of Xiaobai's illness, the conflict has been reconciled. Thinking about it, if Xiaobai had a fatal accident, wouldn't all other things be meaningless? Harmony is happiness!
Xiao Bai was ill but felt comfortable, while another person was not ill but had trouble, that is Feng Junzi who no longer took the initiative to provoke others. Who would be so bold or say who would be so stupid to provoke him? It's a long story...
Rudolph rescued Sheik and Hainet, then gathered the remaining followers back to Uyo. The Holy Mother seemed to have returned, but Lachesis and Father Buni were nowhere to be found! Both Sheik and Hainet needed rest, and Rudolph, who was unscathed, became the only person in the Uyo diocese who could take charge of things. Having such a big incident happen, he first had to take responsibility for investigating it and reporting the results back to the Holy See.
Rudolph quickly finished writing his report and called upon Sheik and Hainet to discuss it, the contents of which were roughly as follows:
Signs of dark creature activity were discovered in the suburbs of Uyo City, and Bishop Rahis led a group to eliminate the dark creatures for the sake of the people of God in the diocese. In the battle against the ferocious werewolves and the dangerous aquatic monsters, Bishop Rahis and Priest Buni fought bravely and died together with the dark creatures, buried in the Grand Canyon of the River of Elyon. Priests Shekh and Haynt also fought valiantly but were unfortunately injured and are currently recovering from their wounds. Priest Rutz is leading the believers of the diocese to handle the aftermath and is conducting a further investigation into the incident to ensure that all remnants of dark creatures in Uyo Diocese are thoroughly eliminated, for the glory of our Lord!
Haynt saw the report and immediately had a different opinion. He questioned Rutz's priest - Laxius and Buni were just missing, why did Rutz say they were already dead? The top priority now is to find out what happened to the bishop, not to report the incident to the Vatican. Moreover, although he fought with a werewolf, he couldn't confirm that the real enemy was the dark creature. It's impossible for the Virgin Mary to be stolen from the church by some dark creature, it must have been done by humans, and Bai Shaoliu can't escape responsibility. Before the incident, rumors of Bishop Laxius' mysterious whoring had already spread secretly. Now Rutz's report doesn't mention this at all, but instead portrays the event as a battle for merit.
Haint's doubts are reasonable. After the boat capsized and everyone got ashore, only Buni, the priest, was missing. He and Sheik, the priest, fainted while Rashid was still fighting a mysterious woman, who clearly wasn't a dark creature. None of them saw Buni or Rashid die with their own eyes, so it can only be said that they are missing. Moreover, before taking action, no one knew that there would be dark creatures appearing, and they were going to welcome back the Holy Mother statue. There is another suspicious point in this incident: many followers who rushed to the Inguru River Valley claimed that they saw Bishop Rashid leading three people and ordering them to turn around and go to the Uyu city district, which is impossible! But it's unlikely that so many people would lie about the same thing.
Now Luz is writing a report like this, it's simply lying, and the Vatican may never be able to investigate the truth!
Facing the inquiry, Luz's priest smiled and asked in return: "This is a public report. Do you want me to write down the scandals of Uyea Diocese? I ask you two priests, do you have any share in going out to flirt with girls and then signing Rashid's name on it? How do you want to investigate? If the Virgin Mary statue incident and those two ransom letters are written in the report, how will you explain them? Now that the Virgin Mary statue has been recovered, let's not mention it again if we can. And don't mention that Bai Shaoliu again either."
Sheikh Godoff nodded hastily: "Yes, this matter does not need to be reported to the Vatican, we just need to find back Lord Laxius and Buni."
Rudz priest: "Given the circumstances at the time, Archbishop and Priest Buni are likely to be killed. It is the most glorious destination for clergy to sacrifice in the battle against dark creatures. The report can be written like this and should be written like this. If Archbishop Lachesis can escape from death, it will be a miracle of my Lord's blessing again, which will be beneficial to the reputation of the archbishop no matter what. Don't you think so?"
"However, how do you explain that many of our followers in other places have seen Archbishop Lachesis? This is something that cannot be concealed. Those who saw him at the time were our own people, and the congregation will inevitably know the contents of your report."
Rudolph the High Priest: "This is easy, we can just add another item to the report. Lord Rashid arrived at the Inglis River Valley and discovered a dangerous and powerful evil aura. We several high priests decided to go and eliminate the darkness, but did not want the weak and feeble church members to get hurt, so the Archbishop himself had them leave the battlefield. This fully demonstrates that the children of God are both kind and brave, with both sides shining brightly!"
Heintz: "But that's not true! Are we just going to drop it?"
Rudolf: "Of course, we must continue to investigate and pursue the matter, but it's best to do so discreetly. This is just a public report, and when the new bishop takes office, we will also need to provide the Vatican with a confidential investigation report detailing the true facts of the case."
Xie He: "A secret report? Will the Vatican send a new bishop soon? Will the report mention the incident of the Virgin Mary statue?"
Lutz smiled: "Write, of course, but some things can be ignored. It depends on how the two of you cooperate. I can only say that for now. Let me reveal a bit of news to you. The Vatican will soon appoint a new bishop and send a Temple Knight to assist in the investigation. With the help of a powerful Temple Knight, the secret investigation will go much more smoothly."
Heint: "The Temple Knights who were assisting the Gospel work of the UwU diocese, originally from Vienna, I think her magic and martial arts are both top-notch. If she was with us, we wouldn't have suffered this setback. She had a conflict with Lord Rashisu and was recalled to the Vatican, will she come back this time?"
Rudolf: "I don't know, this is something that should be decided by the Pope and the Council of Cardinals. We don't need to rush, the result will come soon." In fact, Rudolf had already counted on the outcome in his heart. If Lachesis died, he would be one of the top ten candidates to take over as the new bishop. So even though Lachesis' life or death was still uncertain, Rudolf couldn't wait to report him dead.
The report was delivered to the Vatican, and the Pope's edict came down the very next day. The Vatican's reaction speed was unexpectedly fast. The edict fully acknowledged the statement of the report by Luz's priest without raising any doubts, highly praised Bishop Lachesis' bravery and merciful heart as well as his determination to devote everything to God, and declared that his soul had ascended to heaven and obtained eternal rest.
There is a very boring but also interesting anecdote about this edict. As for what Raxius did, he probably can't go to heaven and can only go to hell. However, the Vatican overlooked one thing - Raxius died in the country of Zhi Xu, and according to local legend, he should have gone to a different kind of hell. If Raxius stayed in the 17th level of hell, it would be considered a bargain, probably due to the Eastern Hell's preferential treatment of foreign guests. These words were later joked about by Bai Shaofeng after hearing about the Pope's edict.
The edict also praised the fighting spirit of Xie He and Haiteng Shengu for the glory of the Lord against the evil dark forces, especially commending the meticulous handling of Luz Shengu after the incident, which well maintained the stability and unity of the Wuyou Diocese. At the end of the edict, Luz Shengu was appointed as the new bishop of the Wuyou Diocese in Zhixu Country, and it was decided to dispatch Lingdun Houjue, who had just received the title of Temple Knight, to assist the new bishop in spreading the gospel.
The contents of the imperial edict were transmitted back to Uyo on the same day, but the formal letter was brought by the newly appointed Temple Knight, Marquis Linton, three days later. Marquis Linton arrived in Uyo City under the guise of a tourist, as he loved Uyo's beautiful coastal scenery and urban environment, as well as the warm hospitality of the people of Uyo. He even bought a villa and a yacht here, making Uyo his ideal place for long-term residence and vacation. This news was reported by major media outlets as a joyful achievement in Uyo's city construction and development, and was even covered by national-level media.
But the Marquis of Lington had another unknown identity, that of a Temple Knight dispatched to the Uyo diocese. After his arrival, he held a long secret meeting with Bishop Rudes and then inquired into all the followers who participated in the incident at the Yingliu River Valley, writing a confidential report on the results of the investigation within just two days. The contents of this report were known only to him and Bishop Rudes because before submitting it to the Vatican, the confidential report written by the Marquis of Lington needed to be signed and confirmed by Bishop Rudes.
Bishop Rudes frowned after reading the secret report and asked, "Your Excellency Marquis, how can your investigation result be like this? The source of all evil is a person named Feng Junzi. This name sounds familiar to me."
Marquis Lington: "You must have heard of it when you were in the Vatican, now this person's name is well-known among the high-ranking officials of the Vatican... Think about what happened to the Knights of Vienna twenty-three years ago?"
Bishop Rudes sucked in a cold breath: "It's that person, he's not easy to mess with, and he's actually in Wuyou!"
Marquis Lington smiled: "Don't be afraid, this is a secret report and it won't get out. You may not be able to provoke him, but I'm not afraid, and once this report is sent up, he will have to face the power of the entire Vatican, and sooner or later he will receive his due punishment... He is in Wu You, and for your and my career, it's a hindrance that needs to be removed. Using the power of the entire Vatican to get rid of him is beneficial to everyone."
Bishop Rutz: "How did you find evidence to determine that everything originated from him?"
Marquis Lington: "It's actually simple, on that night someone impersonated Bishop Rahis and deceived our followers to the Uyu district. I didn't find out who this person was, but Feng Junzi was with him!...I showed Feng Junzi's photo to many people for identification, and quite a few people recognized him standing behind the fake Bishop Rahis that night, holding a strange cross in his hand. According to the descriptions of many people, I can conclude that the cross is the lost sacred object of the Vatican - the Tearful Cross Sword."
Bishop Rudes: "You've already written this in your report, you think it's a premeditated trap set for the Vatican and Archbishop Lachesis, with Feng Junzi as the mastermind behind the scenes... But why didn't you mention Bai Shaoliu at all?"
Marquis Lington: "So many of you went, I'd like to ask who saw Mr. Bai appear with which eye? Is there any evidence? Feng Junzi participated in this matter and the evidence is solid!"
Bishop Rudes: "It seems he was indeed involved, but it's also hard to say for sure if he was the mastermind?"
Marquis Lington smiled: "What's wrong with being determined, he must be the mastermind! You don't understand his identity, he is a legendary Kunlun cultivator and a great master. Think back to when he single-handedly repelled the Gospel War Team led by the Knights of Vina, so your defeat at his hands does not harm the honor of the Uby Church or the reputation of the Vatican. Otherwise, a dignified bishop leading three deacons and over a hundred believers would mysteriously lose to an unknown woman and a wolfman, even the bishop died, reporting it back would bring no glory to you or anyone who has made contributions to God's cause in the Uby Church... ... On the other hand, fighting with Feng Junzi is different, this is a kind of fearless spirit, also the greatest honor to uphold God's dignity."
It seems that one cannot be too famous! Lord Lingdon poured all the dirty water on Feng Junzi's head, because Feng Junzi is the number one master among the Kunlun cultivators, and he is in Wuyou. This matter is not his doing, but it has to be his doing! Lord Lingdon knows that Feng Junzi has an extraordinary background, as a hidden Kunlun cultivator in the world, but he is not very clear what it means for him to seal his divine consciousness and no longer pay attention to worldly affairs. In fact, even if he were clear about it, he would probably still do so.
Marquis Lington framed Wind Gentleman with his own private motives, of course for Aphthita. The old grudge between Aphthita and Wind Gentleman had long been spread among the high levels of the Church, which was the greatest shame in Aphthita's life. If he could take advantage of the Church's power to get rid of Wind Gentleman, he might be able to win the favor of the beauty. As a royal noble, he volunteered to come to the Uyu district, actually also because of Aphthita, as long as Wind Gentleman was still here, Aphthita would never forget Uyu.
If a Kunlun cultivator saw this intelligence report, they would definitely sneer at it. How could Feng Junzi do such a thing? If he really broke the seal of the divine consciousness and wanted to kill a few Laxises, wouldn't Laxises be completely unaware of how to die? Would it still need to be so troublesome? However, if this intelligence report were sent to the Vatican, it would be different. The investigation and explanation by Lord Lingdon were very convincing, and many people would be willing to believe that it was indeed Feng Junzi who did it!
The Pope's intention was to maintain the status quo and slowly infiltrate and develop, gradually penetrating the power of the Holy See into the entire Zixiao continent without causing a direct conflict. In order to maintain the dignity of the Holy See, he did not deal with Laxius, but in his heart, he also knew that Laxius would eventually lose his life after returning to Wuyou, and the conflict event would be resolved, so he was very satisfied with the public report from Rudolph's priest and did not pursue it any further.
However, the Vatican's fundamental attitude towards Kunlun practitioners is not friendly, but rather a head-on conflict that would be too costly and uncertain to win, so they think of ways to weaken them from the side. As Feng Junzi, the master of Mei Ye Shi, the leader of the Kunlun Alliance, is said to be the highest-ranking grandmaster in legend, and was also the first person to openly provoke a conflict with the Vatican, he must be eliminated. What to do? In fact, the Pope's letter to Mr. Mei clearly stated that any conflicts are personal grievances and have nothing to do with the relationship between the Vatican and the Kunlun practitioners.
The report of Marquis Lingdon complicated and sharpened the issue after it was sent to the Vatican. The Pope and the twelve cardinals all believed that Feng Junzi should be eliminated. However, eliminating him in the name of the Vatican would be equivalent to declaring war on the Kunlun Immortal Sect, so another method had to be thought of. Someone who could take on this responsibility without implicating the Vatican was needed. Who was this person? It should be Aphrodite!