Chapter 133
The Little Priest of the Gods (Part 3)
The words and actions upon meeting seemed somewhat frivolous.
From the moment Mu Cai was enlightened, he was sent to live and learn sacrificial knowledge from his teacher, longing single-heartedly for divinity and rarely encountering such flirtatious words from a romantic libertine. His soft lips had only kissed the cheeks and foreheads of children, and his thin arms had embraced many: the city-state's departing warriors, crying children, and adults in need of comfort.
They were all children of the gods. He was deeply concerned about the drought damaging the city-state. Combined with these circumstances, in the eyes of the deity behind him, was he not just as urgent a child in need of comfort?
Mu Cai turned around and saw the deity that suddenly appeared behind him.
The deity was very handsome, almost as if cast from gold and ivory like the statue. Tall and muscular, he fluttered his unsullied wings against the backdrop of dark clouds and a raging wind, and at this moment, he had his arm around Mu Cai’s waist, looking down at him with a smile.
The first drops of rain fell to the ground and were swiftly followed by more, pouring from the sky, seeping into the split, dry earth, and cleansing the parched river beds. The sun-scorched people fell to their knees in amazement at this abrupt rainfall, their prolonged aridity vanished, and they started cheering.
Mu Cai had initially thought that the dark clouds and raging wind were catastrophes resulting from a failed sacrifice. But with the peoples' cheers and the sound of rain infiltrating his ears in the mist, this rainfall must be a blessing from the gods. A surge of gratitude filled Mu Cai's heart. His slender hand resting on the deity's broad chest, he was about to kneel in thanks to the god who had rescued his people.
However, a strong arm tightly wrapped around his waist, halting Mu Cai’s actions. The deity in front of him caressed Mu Cai's soft cheek and said with a coaxing voice, "Are you offering your thanks to me just for a little rainfall? I don’t appreciate such displays of gratitude."
The undeniably pure and beautiful high priest asked without hesitation, "Oh Divine One, what do you prefer? Mu Cai is willing to acquire it for you within his capacity."
The deity laughed, his eyes revealing a slyness and cunning that should not befit a merciful god. But the hoodwinked priest failed to notice this and earnestly waited for the deity's demands, full of gratitude, "As I said, I only appreciate you as a gift, no one else. I will linger in the human realm for a long time, and if I ever need anything, I will come directly to you. I only hope that you won’t decline."
The poor divine priest didn’t realize he had made an unwitting pact with a devil. His heart remained immersed in the elation resulting from relief from the drought, regarding the deity in front with a gentle and firm gaze, "Any reasonable demand of yours, Mu Cai will unquestionably meet!"
Pleased with his offering's obedience, the deity nodded. He swept away the white fog on the altar with his hand, revealing himself to the crowd. The people watching from a distance observed that:
Their pure, beautiful high priest was held tightly in his arms. The deity's tall, muscular stature made their high priest to appear particularly petite, making his slender hand resting on the deity's rugged arm appear exceedingly frail.
The man holding Mu Cai was blond and blue-eyed, with giant, powerful wings spanning his back. Only a few noticed that these wings slightly differed from the ivory ones seen on the temple's statues. The edges seemed blurred, as if dispersing wisps of faint black smoke.
Yet, this so-called deity never glanced in the direction of his people. His eyes, which could be described as feverishly greedy, fixated on the figure in his arms. Ironically, their high priest did not notice this either. Instead, he turned to his people, his beautiful snow-white face full of joyous smiles.
Compared to the so-called deity, their high priest showed more concern for them, embodying true divine compassion and love.
Despite their confusion, they couldn't ignore the rain that fell from the sky. After all, how could one bear to burst the bubble of the high priest whose face was radiant with satisfaction? Thus, everyone prostrated themselves on the ground, suppressing their doubts, and thanking the deity and their priest for his service.
The priests around the altar who had been chanting spells also bowed in worship. The only exception was Patro, whose eyes revealed shock as he stubbornly faced the dazzling display.
Of course, Patro knew that the humanoid creature on the altar was not a deity at all, but a demon he had intentionally summoned, disrupting the ritual and offering himself as a sacrifice! Despite careful confirmation of the recorded texts, following each step meticulously, using his own blood and incantations as a medium, why wouldn't this demon obey his command?!
As this realization hit Patro, his emotions clashed. The pain he had been repressing could no longer be contained, causing a wave of bloody, metallic tasting vomit to surge up his throat and be expelled from his mouth.
The fresh blood that spread on the ground quickly dulled and seemed to ripple subtly as though something was squirming underneath. Patro strained his eyes to see, but his vision promptly blurred.
The episodes of vomiting blood made him dizzy. The next moment, he collapsed to the ground, his eyes vacant and motionless.
Just before his eyes closed, he saw a slender figure clad in a pure white robe rushing towards him. A voice, as melodious as a celestial lute echoed, "Patro, what's wrong with you?!"
An instinctual thought surfaced in Patro's incapacitated mind:
How wonderful, his beloved high priest saw him again.
With that final thought, Patro completely lost consciousness.
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Night fell.
The bath filled with ripples, floating with crimson rose petals, held a distracted Mu Cai.
"What's wrong, my little priest? What in the world has you so troubled?"
A deep, magnetic voice resonated, drawing Mu Cai back to reality. Hastily, he rose from the bath and bowed in the direction of the voice, saying, "My Lord, you've arrived."
The sheer curtain fluttered, the candlelight flickered, illuminating half of the figure's body standing in the glistening water. His black, wet hair hung down to his slender waist, the entirety of his skin as white as the finest mutton-fat jade from the East, glowing softly in the warm candlelight.
Rounded droplets of water trailed down his elongated neck, over the shoulder, gliding past silky-smooth skin before merging into the rippling bathwater, heading towards a place that sparked imagination.
Swallowing reflexively, the demon's body tingled with anticipation. The innocent sacrifice under his gaze was oblivious, his eyes twinkling with joy and gratitude, reminiscent of a galactic summer night.
Savoring delicious desserts required patience, it must be enjoyed slowly. Especially, he loved this beautiful and pure offering and didn't want to frighten him at all.
Thus, the demon squatted down and asked again with a rare patience, "What troubles you so much, can you tell me?"
Deities possess the power to turn the world upside down.
Recalling the weather's drastic shift from the scorching sun to a downpour during this morning's sacrifice, Mu Cai humbly spoke with a plea, "My Lord, can you..."
A finger gently pressed against his rosy lips akin to rose petals. The deity shrouded in shadow squatted down, cupped the high priest’s cheek, with a low voice, slightly husky and alluring, "Don't address me so formally. When we're alone, just call me Perseus."
As much as the demon desired to address his little sacrifice so intimately in public, their true names were the source of their power and their shackles. If the little sacrifice were to call his true name aloud in front of others and that was overheard by people with ill intentions, even his formidable powers might fall prey to unexpected conspiracies.
Perseus had ascended to the rank of a demon lord. Mere human conspiracies could not harm him. Even if someone invoked a true deity to battle with him, he had a fair chance of victory. But if the plot involved forcing Perseus back to the demon realm, that could be problematic.
Transitioning between the two realms was not easy, and the demon lord didn't want to leave his little sacrifice.
Not even for a single day.
Such a pure, beautiful, and helpless little sacrifice should be sheltered under his wings, properly cherished and loved.
When Mu Cai heard the request of their deity who saved them, he immediately agreed and changed his address, "Perseus, do you think Patro will get better? How many days will it take for him to wake up?"
He then unintentionally clenched his hand and the look in his eyes strayed from gazing at the deity onto something distant, "I'm really worried about him."
A human had captivated the attention his little offering and preoccupied his mind.
Jealousy surged in the demon's heart, bordering on breaking through his chest. He remained silent, reached out and brusquely pried open the little offering's hand, interlocking his fingers with his own.
Seeing the man in the pool finally came back to his senses and did not resist his hold, the demon felt content. With a smile on his face, he said, "That human isn't going to die, don't worry."
Although Perseus was annoyed by Patro, he had to admit that he was the one who brought him to his beloved little sacrifice. Even though the insignificant human overestimated his influence, attempting to control Perseus' thoughts and actions, his suffering from the backlash could be seen as punishment.
As a demon who stepped into the realm of the divine, Perseus didn't enjoy wanton killing as lower demons would. When Patro suffered the backlash, he received some of Perseus' powers as well, resulting in his current slumber while absorbing said power. Naturally, he would awake once the absorption was complete.
Though he didn't get an exact recovery time, the deity provided answers, allowing Mu Cai to relax. His face broke into a smile, saying, "Perseus, do you need me to bathe you?"
As a high priest, Mu Cai had waited by the pool for this very purpose. Deities' arrivals required a ceremonial washing. According to the rules, such a task naturally landed on him as the highest-ranking priest in the city.
The pure little sacrifice raised his head, innocently inviting the demon god through intimate words, nearly driving Perseus mad with desire.
His eyes deepened, and a faint crimson flashed within, as he grabbed Mu Cai's shoulders and whispered, "Of course I need that, but I also need you to do something else for me."
As the demon god finished his words, he descended into the warm bath, gently kissing the perplexed little sacrifice's rosy lips.
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The corridor from the bath to the bedroom was dim, with warm yellow candlelight flickering along the walls.
A tall and robust man carefully cradled the sleeping high priest, whose face still held traces of blushing.
The man in his arms breathed steadily, his fair cheeks resting against his chest and his delicate hand softly curled up. He was covered with an oversized white robe and slept peacefully in his arms.
The demon god felt triumphant, and his mood was unusually bright at present.
Therefore, he chose to be more tolerant towards the figure obstructing their path at the end of the corridor, who seemed utterly unaware of the situation.
Themis held his ritualistic staff tightly.
He was only sixteen; he was not yet adept at managing his facial expressions. His dark eyes were filled with blatant jealousy, greedily looking at the high priest cradled in the demon's arms.
Compared to the robust figure of the demon god, his teacher seemed so small, quiet and obedient. It was eerily similar to a scenario Themis had once dreamed of when he first matured.
Now, his dream was being occupied by this demon!
Yes, a demon indeed!
Themis was born with the "Golden Eye" and an extremely high sensitivity, which was why he was chosen by Muses to be the successor of the high priest. The divine being who appeared to others as golden-haired and green-eyed, with pure white wings, has nowhere to hide before Themis' sight.
A demon with horns on its head, bat wings on its back, black hair and eyes, and a lightning-like tail was holding his pure and beautiful teacher. The once rich and fragrant scent on his teacher had been tainted with a detestable smell.
His teacher, the guiding light of his life, the person he had admired and adored since childhood and ultimately became infatuated with, had mingled with this disguised demon!
Whenever Themis thought of this, his grip on his staff tightened uncontrollably.
His heart was filled with unspeakable resentment, but he could only pretend to be ignorant. His teacher was still in the demon's hands; he had to endure. Otherwise, if the demon detected any sign from him and discovered that he knew its identity, his teacher's life would be in danger!
The demon could see right through the young man's thoughts.
Look at that restrained expression, and the white knuckles clutching the staff.
It was clear he had unspeakable feelings for the little sacrifice in the demon's arms.
But what did it matter? The person in his arms had already given himself under the demon's coercion and seduction. With Muse's temperament, he would never have done such a thing if not for the demon's unique identity and sweet words.
This young man had no chance or ability to separate them!
The demon arrogantly held his beloved and strode away with his head held high.
The young man left at the corner was trembling with rage. However, the angrier he was, the calmer he became.
His teacher was being deceived by the demon and was waiting for him to save her. He couldn't just let it be!
Upon this, Themis went back to his room and changed into a set of black night-clothes. He quietly walked through the main hall of the temple, the front hall, and the long corridor, heading towards the direction of the city-state palace all the while.
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Author's Note:
The secret is out - there are four gongs in total! I just don't know why everyone thinks the king doesn't seem like a gong. _(:зゝ∠)_
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