Chapter 94
The snow swirled in the sky, and the hazy moonlight, reflected by the snow-covered ground, appeared even brighter. Beneath the ancient, dilapidated church, a pair of lovers held each other tightly, their feelings sincere and deep. It should have been an incredibly beautiful scene.
But just then, an out-of-place sneeze sounded from the top of the wall, instantly startling the two below.
Zhao Ziming silently rubbed his nose, thinking that it really wasn’t his fault for ruining the atmosphere.
Jiang Liu was content with love alone, but they were still freezing out here!
Yang Caisi’s gaze shot towards him like a dagger. Zhao Ziming dodged her stare, wanting to look around but was blinded by the blowing snow. He could only flash an apologetic smile at her. “Sis! Why don’t you two continue after we get inside?”
Wearing just a long-sleeved shirt in this freezing weather, he couldn’t take it anymore, no matter how good his constitution was!
Thinking of this, Zhao Ziming seemed to find a reason to convince himself and continued to speak quickly, “Besides, it’s so cold in this snowy weather. Sister Jiang shouldn’t catch a cold!”
At the mention of Jiang Liu, Yang Caisi instantly came to her senses. She frowned as she felt the thin coat on her, and the words she was about to say turned into a single worried phrase, “Why aren’t you wearing more?”
As she spoke, she had already bent down, wrapped her arms around Jiang Liu’s legs, and lifted her up to carry her towards the room. Before leaving, she didn’t forget to signal Zhao Ziming and the others to follow.
Jiang Liu was originally taller than her, so being suddenly carried princess-style made her a bit embarrassed. She wrapped her arms tightly around Yang Caisi’s neck, the warm touch making her reluctant to let go.
A rare blush appeared on her face, and she curled up stiffly in Yang Caisi’s arms, not daring to move. Yet, the other person’s expression was as normal as ever, carrying her with a smooth, fluid motion, as if she had done it a thousand times in a forgotten past.
Snowflakes fell on her face like they were free, but they couldn’t lower the heat at all. Jiang Liu unconsciously turned her head and pressed her face against her chest, her tone unable to hide a smile. “Getting handsy on our first meeting, that doesn’t seem very appropriate, does it?”
Yang Caisi’s lips curved into a smile, happily playing along with her act, her voice slightly deep. “You’re the one who threw yourself into my arms. Are you regretting it now?”
As she spoke, she lowered her gaze slightly to Jiang Liu’s reddened ear and leaned in mischievously. “Too late.”
Yang Caisi kicked the door open. The wind and snow behind them seemed unwilling to disturb them, and with a gust, blew the wooden door shut again. Jiang Liu’s vision was instantly plunged into darkness.
There were no lights on in the room. Before she could get used to the feeling, she sensed Yang Caisi quicken her pace. The soles of her snow-covered shoes made creaking sounds on the old wooden floor.
A moment later, the sound completely disappeared, likely because she had stepped onto a carpet. Jiang Liu couldn’t help but peek out. Just as she was about to ask, “What are you doing?” the next second, she was thrown onto a soft, large bed. The bouncy cotton even made Jiang Liu bounce twice.
Then, Yang Caisi seemed to have taken off her outer clothes and climbed up as well. A fresh, clean scent from her body instantly filled Jiang Liu’s nose, enveloping her.
“Wait, shouldn’t we talk about serious matters first?”
Her vision was a bit blurry, and Jiang Liu subconsciously tensed up, her voice a little dry.
Yang Caisi didn’t answer. Instead, she knelt on the bed, pulled up the quilt to completely wrap the person up, and only then did she let out a sigh of relief and turn to light the wall lamp.
Jiang Liu was completely wrapped in the quilt, the soft and comfortable warmth making her instantly relax. Only her head was exposed, staring at her with wide eyes.
“What did you think I was going to do?” Yang Caisi smiled, looking a bit mischievous, completely subverting the image Jiang Liu had of her. Instead, she had a hint of her younger self.
Jiang Liu was speechless and gave her a light kick through the quilt.
Yang Caisi didn’t dodge, instead catching her leg and helping her take off her shoes. She was still wearing single-layered shoes, and her ankles were ice-cold, likely from the freezing weather.
“Warm up first. I’ll make you something to eat.”
Unlike her expression before seeing Jiang Liu, Yang Caisi’s voice now carried a gentle smile as she stared at Jiang Liu’s face in a daze.
She had thought she wasn’t ready to face her, but when Jiang Liu actually appeared, everything seemed to fall into place.
Jiang Liu struggled out of the quilt and grabbed her wrist. “Let’s go together.”
Yang Caisi was slightly stunned. She looked at her, opened her mouth, and finally said, “Okay.”
As the lights in the room were lit, Jiang Liu could finally see her current appearance. The wide nun’s habit hung loosely on her, making her look thinner.
“You’ve worked hard,” she said, looking deeply at Yang Caisi, her tone tinged with bitterness.
In the countless days and nights of the past, perhaps no ‘Jiang Liu’ had ever spoken to her in such a tone.
Yang Caisi’s hands paused for a moment. Like a dam breaking, the heart that had been unshaken for decades finally crumbled at these four words. The aftershocks caused a tiny tremor that was visible from her eyelashes to her hair.
That one look carried too many emotions, making Jiang Liu’s heart ache in sympathy. She pulled her to rest on her shoulder and patted her gently, as if offering silent comfort.
“I’m back now.”
***
Compared to the residents of the town, the living conditions in the church could be described as luxurious.
Countless empty rooms had comfortable and warm quilts, and the cellar stored a lot of food and canned goods. Although the taste wasn’t perfect, compared to the hard black bread outside, it was a rare delicacy.
“So, as a nun, you can’t leave the church?” Jiang Liu found a packet of old black tea from under a box. A faint fragrance soon spread. She frowned slightly as she looked at Yang Caisi’s attire.
“That’s right. The changes to the mission have completely sidelined my identity.” Yang Caisi shrugged, putting a piece of meat on Jiang Liu’s plate and pointing to the nearby furnishings.
They were currently in the church’s dining hall. It was said that it used to accommodate believers for meals and provide relief for the homeless, so the dining hall was made very large. The numerous relief murals on the walls had faded and become mottled over the years.
Unfortunately, in the vast church, the bishop and the others had been executed, leaving only Yang Caisi untouched. The disease had already spread on a large scale, and no one was willing to set foot in the church anymore.
“So I survived and waited here for salvation,” Yang Caisi said, stating her character’s setting.
Zhao Ziming was more familiar with her and couldn’t help but tilt his head. “Doesn’t that mean we’re basically cheating? Sister Yang should know all the key mission points, right?”
Yang Caisi responded with a slightly speechless look.
She tapped the table with her fork and warned, “You’re thinking too much.”
Not to mention that she wasn’t familiar with the changed plotline now, even if she knew, she could never say it out loud. This was a major taboo in the system. Even in so many dangerous situations in the past, she could only give Jiang Liu some hints in certain places.
Jiang Liu drank her tea, her mind racing.
Qiao Ke’s move was indeed clever. On one hand, it completely restricted Xiao Si to the church, unable to act. On the other hand, it also cleverly designed a side quest.
Helping the residents get rid of the nun. This so-called “get rid of,” from the looks of it, was no different from an execution.
But even so—what was the use?
The side quest wasn’t a specific condition for clearing the level and wouldn’t cause Jiang Liu any trouble at all. It seemed completely superfluous.
Would someone like Qiao Ke do something so useless? Or was it specifically designed just to annoy her?
Jiang Liu couldn’t figure it out. Her fingertips tapped unconsciously on the table as she tried to recall the key points of the mission.
Church, curse.
She suddenly stood up and turned to look at Yang Caisi. “Where is the place of prayer?”
Yang Caisi blinked, thinking to herself that she was indeed her, reacting so quickly.
“Go through this corridor, and the most spacious hall on the ground floor is it.” She pointed in a direction, her tone gentle. “It’s too late. I should rest. You all be careful.”
No one could escape the system’s settings for an NPC, and she was no exception.
Jiang Liu looked closely and saw a touch of drowsiness on her face. She looked listless and yawned, as if she could lie down and fall asleep on the spot in the next second.
“See you in the morning.” She took Yang Caisi’s hand and gently placed a kiss on it, as devout as an ordinary believer.
“Good night,” Yang Caisi’s tone lifted, and she quickly left the dining hall.
Zhao Ziming and the other two, who had witnessed everything, were speechless.
Weren’t these two a bit too oblivious to others? Kissing and hugging without any sense of discretion?
When Jiang Liu came to her senses, she saw their complicated gazes and couldn’t help but raise an eyebrow, her look seeming to ask: You have a problem with that?
Zhao Ziming quickly averted his eyes, pretending nothing had happened and looking away. He coughed lightly and asked, “So, shall we go take a look?”
“Let’s go.” Jiang Liu nodded faintly, holding a candlestick and lighting the nearby wall lamps along the way.
The church looked dilapidated from the outside, but it was a different world inside.
After leaving the living area near the dining hall, there was a corridor that ran through the first and second floors. Most of the windows were a bit drafty, and the corridor looked gloomy, but perhaps because someone lived there, the floor was still quite clean.
After leaving the warm area with the fire, the biting cold wind swept in again. Fortunately, Xiao Si had found them some warm clothes. Although they didn’t fit well, they could at least ward off some of the cold.
Since Jiang Liu had been carried upstairs by Yang Caisi, she hadn’t paid much attention when she came in. Now, climbing the stairs herself, she realized that the path down to the first-floor hall was covered in dust, with some messy footprints and signs of something being dragged.
“It looks like someone was dragged down,” Zhao Ziming guessed it was the bishop Yang Caisi had mentioned, seeing the thick dust on the ground and the signs of struggle.
Upon reaching the first floor, the smell of old, rotting wood rushed into their noses. The main door, which couldn’t be closed tightly, was constantly letting in wind. The candlelight in Jiang Liu’s hand was unsteady, flickering and dimming.
“Let’s light the lamps first.” She handed out some candles for them to light the wall lamps together. As the space gradually brightened, the long-sealed church hall finally revealed its true face.
The first floor was clearly not well-maintained. The statue that was originally placed there had been smashed to pieces, leaving only half a body standing in a comical posture. There were even some blood-red circles drawn around it.
Jiang Liu didn’t know much about religious sects, but she sensed a certain disrespect from the crimson color.
Most of the furnishings had been thrown to the ground, and the entire hall looked chaotic, as if it had been ransacked. She scanned the area and found a book-like object under an overturned table.
It was a notebook.