Care Guide to Raising a Max Level Leaf in Apocalypse - 65
Hypocrisy
The crying was very faint and weak, and it would be hard for anyone passing by to notice it unless they had enhanced hearing.
Ji Jiu, driven by curiosity, followed the sound of crying. He expected to see something eerie in this eerie place, but as he got closer, he realized it was just an elderly woman dressed in a plain white dress, weeping under the moonlight.
The elderly woman, with poor hearing, only realized someone had come when Ji Jiu approached. She hurriedly apologized, saying, “I’m sorry; I’ll leave now.”
After dark, all the junior believers had to leave the church on their own.
Ji Jiu tilted his head and asked, “Why are you crying?”
The child-like words and expression made the elderly woman pause for a moment. She then smiled and said, “Because I miss my child. As long as I pray here, the Holy Lord would be willing to let my child see me.”
Ji Jiu’s puzzled look intensified, and he stated, “Your child is dead.”
It wasn’t a question but a statement.
This was his intuition telling him, as the elderly woman seemed very sad, like a delicate white flower in the rain, unwilling to wither, even though she was such a fragile human.
Si Yin Yuan rubbed Ji Jiu’s head, and on his behalf, he nodded slightly. “I’m sorry.”
The elderly woman’s white dress slightly swayed as she had likely been a wealthy person before the end of the world. Even in her current humble state, she still maintained some manners from her affluent past. She shook her head at Si Yin Yuan, indicating it was okay.
Her raised hand was covered in tiny scars from working in the base, but she didn’t seem to mind. She told Ji Jiu, “You know, even though those who have passed away haven’t been chosen by the Holy Lord, as long as there’s someone close to them who has been chosen, their souls can accompany us when we pray. So, I have to live, I have to live well for my child.” The last sentence was barely audible, as if she was saying it to herself.
After speaking, she smiled apologetically and said, “Look at me; you’re a intermediate-level believer. How could you not understand?”
Ji Jiu asked, “So, you’re staying because you miss him?”
The elderly woman shook her head and lowered her head, revealing her silver hair with a tinge of sadness. “Lately, there have been more rumors about the church from outside, and even today, someone forcefully entered, causing chaos. I’m just scared…”
She didn’t specify what she was afraid of. Perhaps she was afraid that certain people would have an impact on the church, or perhaps deep down, she was afraid that the recent rumors were true.
The elderly woman bid them farewell and, in a hurry, looked back one last time in the direction of the prayer hall before departing.
Ji Jiu realized for the first time that the church’s existence did indeed have its meaning. Perhaps this was the most beautiful aspect of faith, not allowing this dirty and old-fashioned church to expand as an empty shell.
When they returned to the dormitory, there was a person squatting at the entrance, drawing circles on the ground. When they arrived, the person stood up excitedly.
Xiao Shu, who had been waiting for a long time, suddenly hesitated and fidgeted, with his fingers restlessly stirring. “You helped me this afternoon, didn’t you?”
Even after two years of scraping by in the slums, facing someone who had saved his life, he still showed a childlike side.
Si Yin Yuan raised an eyebrow, and his ordinary face emitted a hint of an unusual imposing aura. “What are you doing here?”
There was no direct response to the question, but instead, another question was thrown.
Xiao Shu was taken aback for a moment, then his eyes widened, and he said, “It’s… it’s you! The two people from that day?”
A black mist emerged from Ji Jiu’s embrace and playfully circled around his neck, making a strangling motion.
Memories of the day he was caught stealing came rushing back to Xiao Shu, and he froze, as if the dark, coal-like ball on his neck was a blade poised to strike.
Ji Jiu snorted threateningly, “Quickly, tell us, what are you here for?”
The black mist expanded slightly and bared its fangs and claws.
Si Yin Yuan looked down at the person beside him, who seemed to be exuding a fierce aura, and his heart fluttered again.
Too cute…
Xiao Shu had no words left, and his image of a lifesaver had just crumbled within his heart.
His hesitation disappeared, replaced by a sharpness honed in the post-apocalyptic world. He looked left and right, ensuring there was no one around before lowering his voice and saying, “I came to find evidence of murders within the church.”
“Murders?” Ji Jiu curiously blinked, “Why do you think the church is involved in murders?”
As he mentioned this, Xiao Shu’s expression darkened slightly, revealing a hint of resentment. “It’s because of my sister.”
The day he begged for mercy after being caught, he had lied about having a seriously ill sister. Later, he confessed it was a lie, but he didn’t expect to actually have a sister.
Ji Jiu tilted his head and asked, “What happened to your sister?”
“She’s disappeared…” Xiao Shu’s gaze grew increasingly hateful. “Ever since our parents died, she would spend half an hour every day at the church, talking to our parents’ souls. But two months ago, after she went to the church, she never came back. I can’t be certain that the church did it, but everyone in the base has been saying that the church worships mutants, and my sister must be…”
He didn’t expect rumors to have spread to this extent. Si Yin Yuan furrowed his brow slightly and said, “We will investigate your sister’s situation. Don’t risk provoking the church’s limits by acting alone.”
Xiao Shu wanted to argue, but the serious look in Si Yin Yuan’s eyes stopped him from saying a word. He stubbornly lowered his head in silence.
Si Yin Yuan continued, “Do you know what would happen if you were discovered there today?”
It was impossible for him to say “I don’t know.” Xiso Shu had just sighed when he was startled by the footsteps coming from behind them.
One of their roommates, a bespectacled man who had just finished showering and was holding a pile of toiletries, came over, looking at them in confusion. “Aren’t you guys going to shower?”
Ji Jiu quickly grabbed his owner’s arm and blinked playfully. “Of course we are!”
The conversation ended there.
…
They thought they would be assigned to sweep the floors the next day, but the senior believer only hastily gathered them.
The person who had previously eyed Ji Jiu lecherously now only gave a brief glance and quickly averted his gaze. He appeared anxious and even straightened his posture, sounding solemn as he said, “The High Priest will deliver a speech shortly. There is no room for any slack!”
Upon hearing this, everyone was surprised, exchanging excited glances. Si Yin Yuan subtly curved the corners of his mouth, and that person was clearly feeling the pressure from public opinion in the past couple of days. With a noticeable loss of faith, he had to come personally to assess the situation.
Ji Jiu didn’t understand why someone would be so thrilled to listen to a speech from a person whose face was barely visible. He discreetly reached out to touch his owner’s hand, playfully stroking it, like the soft paws of a cat. When his hand was reciprocally held, he smiled like a little fox, his eyes narrowing as he softly said, “Brother Zheng, you squeezed too hard.”
Even though he was the one who asked Ji Jiu to call him that, hearing the youth address him so intimately with a name that didn’t belong to him made Si Yin Yuan feel uncomfortable. Instead of releasing Ji Jiu’s hand, he applied his thumb’s pad to gently rub the inner side of Ji Jiu’s fair wrist.
Amid the surrounding excitement, their furtive interactions appeared less conspicuous.
After keeping them waiting for approximately half an hour, the person finally appeared.
Due to yesterday’s incident in the meeting room, he had strengthened his security detail. Originally accompanying twelve senior believers, the count had now increased to twenty.
As he approached from a distance, he appeared quite grand.
The people around dared not breathe, their eager gazes fixed upon him as he stepped onto the platform. Some even became so emotional that tears welled up in their eyes. The fervor at this moment surpassed even the most fanatic star-chasing events from before the apocalypse.
Beneath the monotonous smiling mask, electronic sounds resonated as he spoke, “Thank you for choosing to join the Church.”
Just a single sentence left many people overwhelmed with gratitude. They hesitated to respond, not daring to interrupt his speech. The atmosphere at the event made it seem as if, even if the High Priest were to point at a dog and call it a cat, these people would unquestionably choose to believe.
Si Yin Yuan frowned; he felt that something was amiss but couldn’t quite put his finger on it.
The people around fell silent, captivated by his words.
“The Tower Devouring Civilization approaches, moonlight swallows the earth…on the day the Lord becomes weary…the once great civilization vanishes…
We do not seek Eden…the Lord’s protection is our sanctuary.”
Ji Jiu listened as if deciphering an enigmatic script, his little head gradually drooping in exhaustion.
The High Priest’s voice seemed to fade into obscurity for him. Si Yin Yuan was concerned that he might have actually fallen asleep, so he lightly pinched Ji Jiu’s hand.
Ji Jiu suddenly snapped back to awareness, staring at the speech on the platform with dazed eyes.
Just at that moment, the High Priest introduced a concept and required a demonstration. The people in the audience, who had gone from not daring to breathe to a frenzied state, forcefully pushed forward, shouting, ”Choose me! Me!”
Some even shouted to the point of losing their voices, their voices cracking, and their eyes turning red.
Si Yin Yuan’s brow furrowed even deeper, and his sense of something being wrong grew stronger.
It was too strange. These people’s behavior seemed as if they were under the influence of drugs.
But Si Yin Yuan had been attentive to the food and water within the Church because of Ji Jiu’s earlier mention of Chinese Violet. He didn’t find any issues.
Ji Jiu, pretending to be part of the crowd, raised his hand as well, but he was squeezed into his owner’s embrace and went unnoticed.
Suddenly, the High Priest chose one of the believers and pointed at the person, saying loudly, “Yes, it’s you.”
The chosen person instantly became the target of angry glares from other believers. It was as if he had become their mortal enemy, and they wished to replace him. Under the weight of their condemning gazes, the chosen believer hesitated and timidly pointed at himself, “Me?”
The High Priest nodded approvingly from above, and the onlookers, filled with envy, reluctantly made way for him.
Xiao Shu approached with an air of levity, his expression bearing imperceptible caution. He appeared to be in shock, as if he had just won a lottery and didn’t dare to lift his head. This posture paradoxically masked any suspicious acting, making him seem like an ordinary believer who had been genuinely blessed.
The High Priest leaned down and asked, “Are you an ordinary person?”
Xiao Shu didn’t hesitate and nodded.
The pallid light illuminated the mask, obscuring any indication of emotion.
The High Priest placed his hand behind his back and said, “We are all equal. Even though I am an Awakened, I never use my abilities, and I never measure a person’s worth by their abilities. Equality for all is the absolute truth in the post-apocalyptic world.”
No one found any issue with this statement, and they all began to express varying degrees of infatuation.
Someone couldn’t help but exclaim, “High Priest, you are truly magnificent.”
This statement gained approval from the majority present, who nodded and agreed.
Xiao Shu, standing awkwardly on the platform, glanced around, avoiding any direct eye contact with the enigmatic white mask. A sinister, sticky sensation began crawling over his heart, as if it sought to constrict it.
He couldn’t breathe…
Hypocrisy.
Ji Jiu thought this and asked bluntly, “Is equality for all because we are all failed beings?”
His clear voice yanked Xiao Shu out of his nightmare. He stared in a daze at Ji Jiu on the platform, his brain jammed.
The cacophony around them faded, and they all stared at Ji Jiu with the same eyes as Xiao Shu.
Si Yin Yuan’s eyes flickered with a hint of darkness as he stared intently at the High Priest, and the golden flame within him stirred.
The next moment, unexpectedly, laughter rang out from behind the mask, breaking the silence in an abrupt manner.
The High Priest, visibly delighted, nodded, “It seems you’ve heard many of my speeches.”
He extended his hand towards Ji Jiu, and the smile on his mask remained unchanged, “Come, the Lord will surely like you.”
Ji Jiu’s expression remained unchanged, but he felt an intense sense of repulsion within.
Urgh, who wants to be liked by such a big meatball!?