Chapter 84

A Nasha stood outside the brightly lit wooden cabin, surrounded by wine jars of various sizes. Standing next to her was a silent and reserved personal guard—her beloved, Wen Qi.

Wu Yi, the guardian, walked out of the wooden cabin, then stepped aside, revealing Qu Panyan behind her.

Qu Panyan stopped at the doorway, and the dim light poured down from above, softening her stunning face, with a gentle and tender charm shining in her eyebrows and eyes.

A Nasha was overjoyed that the Saintess was willing to meet her and quickly stepped forward toward Qu Panyan. Wen Qi followed closely behind, frowning from time to time to remind her, “Lady A Nasha, slow down.”

She still had bruises from the fall today!

Qu Panyan looked at her agile steps and noticed that she had changed her clothes. A light purple short robe with a wide opening, revealing a slender and snowy waist. Her lower body wore a long skirt that reached her ankles, looking comfortable, beautiful, and not restrictive like the one she wore today, hindering her movements.

The wide skirt kept drawing arcs in mid-air, making her look like a butterfly—both beautiful and agile.

Qu Panyan stared at her, saying nothing.

A Nasha had the exact same face as A Yiduo’s, but her personality was completely different. She was kind, lively, and enjoyed drinking. Unlike A Yiduo, who was arrogant and domineering, A Nasha was enthusiastic to a fault.

This difference in personality was likely influenced by their upbringing. One grew up as an ordinary person in a mundane environment, while the other was called Holy Child and was raised as the future Saintess, surrounded by devout offerings. Naturally, their personalities diverged significantly.

However, having seen this face act so arrogantly towards her, Qu Panyan still found it hard to get used to her friendly and enthusiastic demeanor…

Qu Panyan couldn’t help but wonder: how did these two usually get along? Was A Yiduo just as arrogant and heartless towards her own blood relatives?

As A Nasha approached her, she greeted with joy, “Greetings, Your Highness!” Then she asked, “Have you finished your business, Your Highness?”

Earlier, after A Nasha went back to rest for a while, her father returned. He didn’t bother to entertain the Saintess and her cold wife. Only after inquiring did she learn that the Saintess had important matters to attend to, and the people in the tribe did not dare to delay her.

But after returning, A Nasha felt even more embarrassed about what happened today in front of the Saintess. She regretted not being able to let the Saintess taste the delicious wine, so she came to seek an audience.

Qu Panyan nodded slightly, “You don’t need to worry about what happened today; it wasn’t your fault.” Then she asked, “Does the place where you fell still hurt?”

Seeing that Qu Panyan was still concerned about comforting her, A Nasha secretly breathed a sigh of relief.

Thank goodness, the Saintess is not harsh and doesn’t have a bad temper like A Yiduo.

At that moment, she smiled even more happily. Even though she still had bruises, she firmly said, “Your Highness, don’t worry, I don’t feel any pain at all, there’s no pain!”

As long as she didn’t touch it, it wouldn’t hurt!

Wen Qi, who was standing by, glanced at her sideways, suddenly recalling her pitiful appearance when she clung to him earlier today, complaining of pain, but now confidently claiming having no pain despite the bruises on both her legs and hands. He fell silent, deciding not to expose her inconsistent statements in front of the Saintess.

Qu Panyan slightly furrowed her eyebrows as she looked at A Nasha. She remembered how heavy the fall was today, so how could she have no injuries at all? 

However, on second thought, she realized that Nasha was just trying to reassure her, telling her not to worry. So she changed her words and said, “Well, clothes like that are not suitable. You shouldn’t wear them again in the future.”

A Nasha was taken aback for a moment, then smiled and replied, “Okay! Thank you, Your Highness. I’ll remember that and inform my father.”

She didn’t want to wear that long gown today either, but as the daughter of the chief, receiving the new Saintess was an important occasion, so her father had ordered her to dress formally and ceremoniously.

Now, with the Saintess’s command, she wouldn’t have to wear such cumbersome clothes for any important occasions in the future!

Looking at her innocent smile, Qu Panyan suddenly apologized, “I’m sorry.”

“I didn’t mean to be harsh on you today, it’s not how I usually am. It’s just that something special has happened recently…” she sighed heavily, “I hope you can understand.”

A Nasha seemed a bit surprised and instinctively looked towards the person she depended on.

Wen Qi naturally knew what she was thinking and calmly nodded, confirming her doubts—indeed, the Saintess was apologizing to her.

A Nasha suddenly became flustered, “Your Highness, you don’t need to apologize to me…”

She thought about it and felt it was wrong, so she immediately corrected herself, “The Saintess doesn’t need to apologize to anyone.”

The Saintess and the Ancestor of Fire are both esteemed gods. As mere mortals, they cannot bear the divine authority nor the gods’ apologies—they are not worthy of either.

Upon hearing these words, Qu Panyan felt uncomfortable and furrowed her brow, “If one makes a mistake, they should apologize and accept punishment; it’s a matter of justice.”

“Even if they are gods, they should be treated equally like everyone else, without exceptions.”

Without rules, there can be no order. How could one exclude others from the realm of fairness just because of their special status? Even if they are divine beings, they should still adhere to basic etiquette, shouldn’t they?

A Nasha didn’t respond; instead, she became more restrained, as if Qu Panyan had touched upon some forbidden topic.

Seeing this, Qu Panyan decided not to say anything further. Forcibly correcting her thoughts at this moment would only distress her.

Revering and serving the Saintess was deeply ingrained in the minds of the people of the Skyfire Tribe. It was an eternal and unchanging duty that had persisted for thousands of years, leading them to lower themselves and become increasingly humble before the Saintess.

When the Saintess expressed anger and punished them, it was divine authority; when she treated them kindly and affectionately, it was a divine blessing.

In short, the Saintess, despite being in human form, could never be regarded as their equal. If she were treated as an equal, they would immediately fall into a state of confusion and unease, just like A Nasha.

Qu Panyan didn’t even have the energy to ask, ‘Would you hate me if I was the one who killed A Yiduo?’ because the answer was all too obvious.

After some thought, Qu Panyan still spoke up, “Your sister, A Yiduo, is dead.”

A Nasha looked at her.

She asked, “Will you be sad?”

A Nasha was stunned for a moment, then shook her head and helplessly smiled, “Speaking of it, Your Highness might think I’m heartless because, as her sister, I feel… nothing about her death.”

Qu Panyan’s expression remained unchanged as she asked, “Was A Yiduo just as arrogant and overbearing towards the tribe members and blood relatives?”

A Nasha let out an almost inaudible sigh, and Wen Qi gently placed his hand on her back to comfort and support her.

A Nasha replied, “Yes, she was the same.”

When A Yiduo was five years old, she was chosen by the Ancestor of Fire to become the Holy Child, the next heir of the Heavenly Fire, thus she began to be revered as a divine being by her people. Before the age of five, she was just an ordinary little girl, somewhat delicate but not conceited, and her closest companions were her father and sister.

The sudden favor from the Ancestor of Fire came too abruptly, leading that five-year-old girl to gradually lose herself in her exalted position, believing herself to be a deity. She became more and more arrogant, looking down upon others.

She no longer felt close to her blood relatives, no longer leaned on them, and no longer pretended to cry to soften their hearts.

She became aloof and esteemed, to the point where she even felt that A Nasha should not exist—mortals were not worthy of having the same face as the Holy Child.

She had considered killing her blood relatives because the Holy Child had to be pure and untainted. However, she was stopped by the two guardians, who somehow persuaded her to temporarily abandon this idea.

As long as A Yiduo was alive, they, as her blood relatives, would eventually die.

So, A Nasha had no trace of familial affection or fondness left for this sister a long time ago.

When she heard the news of A Yiduo’s death, she felt neither joy nor sorrow, and she remained calm as if she were hearing news about someone entirely unrelated to her.

But now, as she recalled it, she had faintly felt a tinge of sorrow.

She initially thought that becoming the Saintess meant severing familial bonds and romantic love, remaining pure like a gentle breeze untouched by any leaves. However, after she witnessed that the cold and distant lady was the wife of the Saintess, she realized that it was not inevitable as she had thought.

The new Saintess chose to resist this unwritten rule, while A Yiduo… chose to submit.

A Nasha looked at Qu Panyan, gathering her courage, and asked, “Your Highness, may I ask a question?”

Qu Panyan replied, “You may.”

A Nasha hesitated and said, “In your family…”

Qu Panyan understood her question and spoke frankly, “I have a brother and a sister, and they are both alive.”

A Nasha fell silent.

A Yiduo really didn’t resist at all!

Qu Panyan noticed that A Nasha’s emotions seemed a bit off. Just as she was about to comfort her, A Nasha suddenly recovered and waved her hand nonchalantly, saying, “She’s gone now; I don’t want to think about her anymore!”

She turned to point at the rows of wine jars behind her, saying as if presenting a treasure, “Your Highness, I’ve brought a lot of wine for you and your wife, all made by me, and it smells especially fragrant. Please have a taste! If it’s not enough, I’ll go and dig up a few more jars for you!”

Qu Panyan: “…”

Those barrels of wine, large and small, stacked together, were at least a dozen or more. To say it was not enough was an understatement…

The main problem was that her tolerance for alcohol was really poor. After three cups, she’d be on her knees. She didn’t need much at all to get drunk, and who knows if she would go wild after getting drunk. In any case, Qu Muqiu and Qu Changye both forbade her from drinking.

Qu Panyan felt a bit embarrassed and said, “I’m afraid I’ll have to disappoint your kindness. I can’t drink, my alcohol tolerance is really poor.”

A Nasha had a look of regret on her face.

She had carefully collected so much good wine. Each jar, when opened, would send a delightful fragrance that could entice anyone within ten miles. Not to mention personally tasting it, but now, the Saintess couldn’t drink because of her poor tolerance, and this… was truly a pity!

A Nasha tried to persuade her, “Give it a try, Your Highness. Your alcohol tolerance will only improve if you drink more often.”

Qu Panyan: If I follow your advice, I’ll end up being beaten up by a sibling double team when I get home!

Qu Panyan shook her head and said, “No need, I don’t understand wine, so it should be left to someone who knows how to appreciate it like yourself.”

A Nasha coaxed, “But good things should be shared, right?”

Suddenly, she patted her head and exclaimed, “Your Highness, are you about to undergo tribulation?”

Qu Panyan was surprised, “How did you know?”

A Nasha smiled and said, “Because you mentioned being in a special period. We of the Skyfire Tribe know that the Saintess’s temperament can be a bit irritable during tribulations, and she can’t sleep well either.”

The Saintess during a special period was not someone to be provoked; this was no secret in the Skyfire Tribe.

After saying that, A Nasha pulled Wen Qi to search through the pile of wine jars. After watching for a moment, Wen Qi simply reached out and picked up a small jar. A Nasha took the small wine jar, happily running towards Qu Panyan, “Here you go. This wine is not strong, very mild, plus it is truly fragrant! If you can’t sleep, just have a little, and you’ll fall asleep easily!”

Qu Panyan was still hesitating when a hand suddenly reached out from behind, steadying the bottom of the jar.

“In that case, we’ll accept it,” Su Lingyu’s voice sounded in Qu Panyan’s ear, “Thank you.”

Qu Panyan immediately turned her head to look at Su Lingyu, Sect Master Su had appeared behind her out of nowhere.

Su Lingyu effortlessly took the wine jar and calmly uttered four words, “To help you sleep.”

Qu Panyan hesitated for a moment and said, “Sister Lingyu, my alcohol tolerance is not good…”

Su Lingyu nodded, “Mm, I know. You can just drink less.”

Qu Panyan: …

Sect Master Su, do you think that is what I’m afraid of?

What I’m afraid of is that I might act crazy when I’m drunk!!!

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Translator: Glariosa
Editor: iToon

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