“Bandan, Sangbuluo, get out.”
“Saint Lord?”
“This lord said, ‘Get Out’. If you guys stay here, the painter might get nervous.”
“Then we will wait outside the door. Shengzun has issued a decree that painting the Saint Lord’s portrait is one of the most important tasks in the sect. We must remain here to supervise and cannot leave our posts. We hope the Saint Lord understands.”
When the footsteps faded to several meters away, I finally heard his voice, lowered to a whisper: “What’s wrong? Are you feeling unwell?”
I lifted my gaze to look at him. “This canvas…”
“It’s piglet skin,” he replied quickly, his voice even softer now, but his eyes were calm and certain. “In recent years, I sent people to secretly send away the many children who were captured as sacrifices from outside. These canvases are all made from piglet skin. Though they feel like human skin, they are definitely not human. You don’t need to be afraid.”
I froze there. He was definitely not the kind of person who would lie to me about something like this.
I suddenly realized a possibility. Nalin’s good deeds… Perhaps they had already been seen through him. The one high above quietly watched everything he had done, silently erasing his goodwill, leaving no trace, maybe not entirely erasing it, but controlling it within limits, without Nalin noticing, keeping him in the dark so that he would willingly carry the weight of lives and continue his cultivation.
I felt as though I were drowning in deep water, struggling to breathe.
If… if I were to tell you this truth, what would you do, Nalin?
I closed my eyes, remembering the words he had spoken when facing that underground creature.
Perhaps that was the belief that had allowed him to hold on until now. You, who are only one step away from ascension, what will you do if your faith suddenly crumbles at this crucial moment?
Would you… go mad? Would you… fall into darkness?
This thought rang through my mind like a thunderclap.
So that’s it. It turns out that his karmic burden lies not only in the bond between us but also in this entanglement.
“It’s not human skin… that’s good, that’s good.” I nodded, murmuring in response, reaching for the brush, but I knocked over the candleholder. The oil spilled down, and in an instant, it set the canvas on fire. Without thinking, I lunged forward, trying to extinguish the flames that were burning Mi Luo, when I heard a sharp shout. My body was abruptly pulled into an embrace, and the next moment, I was plunged into the water.
“Are you burned?” A pair of hands pulled me out of the water, tearing open my soaked clothes. I looked at the blazing canvas, and my vision blurred for a moment.
It’s good that it burned, it’s good. Mi Luo will be freed, won’t she?
“Saint Lord!” Two priests rushed into the altar, both visibly shocked. “How did the canvas catch fire?” “Yes, this canvas was clearly made by Shengzun herself, and it was enchanted!”
Shengzun… personally… made it?
I curled my fingers into a fist, my nails digging into my palm.
“It was I who wanted to see how the painter was doing and accidentally knocked over the candleholder. Don’t make a fuss. Go quickly and bring another canvas and some dry clothes as well. Once he’s finished, the two of you… stay behind.” Nalin lifted me out of the water and said to the two priests. They exchanged a glance, clearly seeing an opportunity, and without asking further questions, they hurried off to clear away the remaining ashes.
“What’s wrong with you? Why are you so absent-minded?” He stroked my cheek. “Were you scared by me last night?”
I was a little dazed and didn’t know how to reply to him. I shook my head and nodded: “After painting you, can I paint Shengzun? Before entering the palace, someone said that I would paint you two.”
He was silent for a moment, then spoke, “You want to ask when you can finish the painting and go home, don’t you? Haven’t I already said, from now on, you will be my goddess consort. Once the painting is finished, you won’t be able to leave anymore.”
Becoming a goddess consort… does that mean I would have the chance to get close to Shengzun to avenge Mi Luo and my mother?
I slowly turned my gaze, meeting his eyes nearby, and for a moment, I seemed to see a pair of blue eyes, identical in color to his, yet with a completely different expression. My throat tightened as though gripped by a venomous snake.
“Why are you looking at me like that? Do you despise me?” He furrowed his brow, staring at me.
I quickly lowered my eyelashes, startled by the thought that had just crossed my mind. I had actually considered using Nalin to take revenge. I had allowed the flames of hatred to burn through him.
But what has he done to deserve this!
“I won’t be your goddess consort… I refuse, I absolutely refuse.” I shook my head, feeling as though my heart was being torn apart by a wild beast. “I don’t want to be with you. I can’t…”
The grip on the back of my neck suddenly tightened, producing a soft cracking sound. “Whether you want to or not, it’s not up to you.”
“Saint Lord, the new canvas has arrived.” At that moment, a sound came from behind me.
Nalin stood up. “Change him into dry clothes, then leave.”
A new canvas was placed before me. I numbly picked up the brush, dipped it in oil, and brushed it over the surface. Just as I was about to pick up the brush to start painting, I noticed a faint red mark appearing in the upper right corner of the canvas.
My hand froze in mid-air, unable to believe my eyes as I stared at the birthmark that belonged to Mi Luo.
Why? It was burned, and the skin was replaced, why is this birthmark still here?
Why?
A faint, sorrowful sobbing drifted into my ears. I froze, looking around me, but saw nothing. Yet the sobbing seemed to penetrate deep into my ears, growing louder and louder.
“Big Brother… The Saintess, take me to refine… the oil!”
My heart jolted and I looked at the copper pot on the table.
It turned out that it was not skin… but oil, which was refined from Mi Luo’s body.
I reached out to the pot, only to find that the oil in the pot was almost gone, having been used up by me on the two canvases. I curled my five fingers and looked at the candlestick again.
“Stop destroying the canvas on purpose!”
I was startled and looked towards the altar.
Nalin stared at me, his eyes dark with clouds of anger. “If you destroy another canvas, this matter will surely spiral out of control, and we won’t be able to cover it up. Even if you are unwilling to paint me again; tonight, you must finish my portrait. At the end of the month, the envoy from Modaluo Kingdom will come here, and we will present my portrait to them as a return gift. If you fail to finish it, it will be a grave crime. I can protect you, but I can’t guarantee that my mother won’t lash out at your family. The last artist, who failed to finish my portrait, was executed along with his entire family. Don’t you worry about your mother?”
My hand froze in mid-air as I recalled the face of my adoptive father. The tip of the brush trembled.
The sobbing in my ears grew louder, and I gritted my teeth, forcing myself to bring the brush down.
With each stroke, it felt as though a knife was being driven into my heart. I used my other hand to steady the one holding the brush, but the lines were horrible to look at. Countless times, I had to pause and retrace, adding to the broken lines over and over again. By the time I finished the portrait, my clothes were soaked through, and I was completely drained.
The portrait of Nalin on the table, of course, was stiff and lifeless, lacking any spirit or vitality.
Seeing that the mark on his forehead was missing, I dipped the brush in cinnabar, about to touch it up, when there was a plop sound, I felt a warmth in my nose, and a drop of crimson fell onto the tip of the brush.
“Mi Jia!” He exclaimed in shock.
I covered my nose, and before I could lift my head, a wave of dizziness suddenly overwhelmed me.
Fearing I might ruin the painting, I braced myself against the table and tried to stand up, but my legs went weak. I staggered a few steps before almost tumbling down the stairs. Just as my feet missed the step, my wrist was suddenly gripped tightly, and I fell into his arms. His blue eyes constricted as he gazed at me, his fingers trembling as they brushed across my nose.
“I can’t paint you anymore… the painting is ruined,” I murmured. “It’s not like when I was younger.”
“You’re unwilling in heart, unwilling in spirit, of course, the painting won’t be good.” He held me tightly, lifting me to the table. Grabbing the brush, he turned the single drop of my blood into a flower shape. “But it’s sufficient for the task.”
“Then my family…”
“As long as you stay by my side obediently, I’ll protect them. They won’t be harmed.” He whispered into my ear, his hand gripping the back of my neck.
“Saint Lord, His Majesty himself has arrived at the Holy Temple. He is just outside the door.” A voice came from outside the door.
“What is he here for?” Nalin’s tone darkened. “Do not let him in.”
As soon as his words fell, a burst of noise and commotion erupted from outside.
“Your Majesty must not enter the Holy Temple without permission!”
“Ridiculous, under heaven, all land belongs to the king. If this king wants to enter, what can you do?” A cold laugh came from outside. I turned my head and saw the curtain being lifted, revealing a face still bearing signs of illness. A pair of light brown eyes gazed at me, settling on me: “Ninth Brother, is the painting finished?”
“With Empress Mother absent, you’re acting so recklessly, daring to step into the Holy Temple so casually?” Nalin replied coldly, helping me to my feet, but his hand remained around me, not letting go.
“Didn’t we agree earlier? I came to find Ninth Brother to ask for the person.”
I looked at the figure not far away, feeling a mix of emotions. I hadn’t expected that the tenth prince, once gravely ill but unwilling to accept his fate, would become the king he is now. But it need not be said, he was nothing more than a puppet emperor, with his hands and feet controlled by his Empress Mother, unable to grasp his own destiny.
When our gazes met, Naluo’s smile faded, and his expression turned unexpectedly serious.
A heavy feeling sank in my heart, and I had a bad feeling. It was already difficult enough to sever Nalin’s feelings for me, but now, with him adding fuel to the fire, I feared Nalin would cling to me even more tightly and refuse to let go.
“This painting is too poor; it’s not suitable to be used as a gift for Modaluo. It needs to be redone.”
“Oh?” The king glanced at the finished portrait of Nalin on the stone platform. “This king thinks it looks neat and detailed. Isn’t it good enough? It should be fine as a gift. Empress Mother will surely be pleased. Why is Ninth Brother nitpicking? Look at him, his face is so pale, he must be exhausted. Ninth Brother doesn’t pity him, but this king does. Besides, Empress Mother is about to leave seclusion…” He lowered his voice and fixed his gaze on Nalin. “Ninth Brother is not like me. In my harem, adding another person wouldn’t concern Empress Mother, but you’re the Saint Lord, someone who must sever all emotions to ascend to godhood. If someone suddenly appears by your side…”
“Who said that in order to become a god, one must sever all emotions and desires? You know nothing about the way of cultivation in this holy temple.” Nalin sneered, pulling me toward him as he looked at the priests trying to stop the king from entering the hall. “Bandan, Sangbuluo, take the painter to the Tower of Ascension. He will paint for this lord there.”
“Ninth Brother!” The king’s smile vanished entirely, replaced by fury in his eyes. He stepped forward but was stopped by several blue-robed priests at the foot of the altar. I immediately recognized that the blue-robed priests were lower-ranking and took orders from the two red-robed priests. Nalin had won their favor, and now he had his own influence within the sect. They ignored the king entirely, walking up the stairs, grabbing my arms, and dragging me down from the altar toward a door at the back of the altar.
“Look, Ninth Brother, if you want to take something from me, it’s as easy as flipping your hand.”
As I was being dragged out the door, I heard Naluo’s laugh, mixed with coughing.
I was dragged up the cloud bridge behind the holy temple, and from afar, I saw a white palace standing on the opposite cliff, with a tall tower rising straight into the sky above the palace. I froze for a moment and asked, “That place is…?”
“The Tower of Ascension, the Saint Lord’s residence.”
