Chapter 84: An Irresistible Temptation
Xu Zhi checked on Yu Shenwei’s condition. Lately, the girl had been awake less and less—not because her health was worsening, but simply because she didn’t want to wake up. She didn’t want to face reality.
Why not?
Naturally, it was because she had started to waver.
But that hesitation wasn’t strong enough yet. If forced to choose, she would still pick her faith without a second thought. Perhaps what she needed was a catalyst—something to tip her fully into uncertainty.
She fed a bit more of her blood to the unconscious girl and noticed that, even in her sleep, Yu Shenwei would instinctively tilt her head toward the scent of Xu Zhi’s blood. Xu Zhi chuckled softly. “Why do I feel like you’re getting addicted?”
That wasn’t a good habit.
She pulled her finger back. The tiny wound healed on its own after a while. Once it was gone, she patted Yu Shenwei’s face to wake her, then deliberately opened the door and called in Huo Ze.
“Miss Xu, what is it?” Huo Ze asked, puzzled. Until now, Xu Zhi had never allowed him to be in the same room as her and Yu Shenwei. Though she occasionally chatted with him, Huo Ze found talking to her mentally exhausting.
She always seemed to speak in riddles, asking questions he didn’t want to answer. Her topics jumped around—one moment discussing the number of Aberration beasts on the streets, the next asking if the cultists ever fall in love. It was maddening.
So when she called him in now, Huo Ze had a bad feeling—she was probably about to ask more questions he didn’t want to answer.
Sure enough, her first question darkened his face.
“If you had the strength, and were already a candidate for Archbishop, would you kill the high-rank zealots?” Xu Zhi asked casually, her tone light.
Huo Ze couldn’t guess her intentions, but he had seen her strength—it far outclassed his. He didn’t dare lie and could only answer honestly:
“I would.”
He didn’t notice the slight twitch of the saintess’s fingers on the bed.
Xu Zhi pressed further. “Why? If you’re already next in line, why bother killing her?”
“I wouldn’t feel at ease otherwise. Who knows if she’d just find someone even more suitable to replace me?”
He was being very thorough in his reasoning. Xu Zhi smiled and asked:
“Wouldn’t someone more suitable be better? As believers, shouldn’t you want the one who best serves your Archbishop?”
“That’s different!” Huo Ze retorted firmly.
Xu Zhi’s eyes narrowed in amusement as she heard him say with certainty, “The Archbishop doesn’t care who becomes Archbishop. It just needs to happen. I can do it just as well—better. I don’t trust anyone else.”
A perfect excuse—justifying his ambition and greed. But that was the answer Xu Zhi wanted.
She continued, “Then what about the saintess? What if she became Archbishop? Her supernatural ability is quite special. She might be a good candidate.”
Huo Ze scoffed. “Her? That ability was granted by the Archbishop only to make her a proper offering for the Archbishop’s rise.”
“She may be noble, but she’s just a sacrifice—not fit to be Archbishop.”
“So no matter who becomes Archbishop, she’s just a sacrificial lamb, doomed to die, right?” Xu Zhi asked, her voice tinged with mock sympathy.
Huo Ze grew wary, worried she might act on that pity. He quickly said, “She would feel honored to be sacrificed for the Archbishop’s birth! She looks forward to that moment!”
“Really? But having your guts ripped out doesn’t exactly feel good, does it? Will your Archbishop even remember her sacrifice?”
Xu Zhi already knew the answer—of course not. Yu Shenwei was just cannon fodder. That unspeakable existence wouldn’t even notice her.
Huo Ze clearly knew this too. “It’s just her duty as a saintess. Lower-ranked believers would kill for that honor. It’s her role. Why expect anything in return?”
His tone was emotionless, just stating facts.
Yu Shenwei surely knew this as well—and used to accept it.
But hearing that fact again now, from someone else’s mouth, must have struck her deeply.
“Well, your beliefs are certainly… cruel. You can go now. I have nothing more to ask.”
Xu Zhi dismissed him with a wave. Huo Ze dared not complain, nor show any resentment on his face.
After closing the door, Xu Zhi returned to the bed. Hearing the sound, Yu Shenwei opened her eyes. Her gaze was filled with disapproval and confusion—clearly not understanding why Xu Zhi had done that.
Xu Zhi didn’t explain. She just smiled and said:
“I think he’s wrong. If your organs were meant to pave the way for an Archbishop, why shouldn’t that Archbishop be you, the owner of those organs?”
Like a devil whispering in her ear, Xu Zhi’s voice trembled the ruby-colored eyes of the girl beside her—shaking her resolve.
Unbeknownst to Yu Shenwei, at some point Xu Zhi’s voice had become unusually clear to her. Even in unconsciousness, she could hear her—especially the laughter. It was a subtle change, one that gradually nudged aside the “Archbishop” who should have held all her devotion.
Xu Zhi wasn’t directly leading her to abandon her faith. She simply said, “Look—your companions don’t care who serves the Archbishop, or whether someone is more devoted. They only care about power—about whether they get to keep it for themselves.”
And cleverly, she hadn’t lied—just stated the truth.
“You were willing to sacrifice your life and endure unimaginable pain for your Archbishop. Who could be more loyal or devoted than you? What gives them the right to step over your corpse and take your place?”
Her words, equal parts confusion and temptation, echoed in Yu Shenwei’s heart.
She began to think—Xu Zhi was right.
Why had she suffered so much, only to pave the way for someone else’s glory?
Those others didn’t even seem truly devoted. Not like her.
She, the most devoted one of all—why was she being treated like livestock, casually assigned and sacrificed?
“Why not cooperate with me, for now? I think you’re more suited to the Archbishop’s seat than Huo Ze.”
“If you become Archbishop, the pain will stop. More importantly, you are far more loyal than them, aren’t you?”
“If you agree, blink three times.”
