Perhaps because Wuli was still only a student, the work assigned to her was exceptionally light. At first, all she had to do was study and memorize the Church’s professional terminology. Once she had learned enough, Fion personally trained her to serve as a bishop and lead prayers.
Fion was extremely attentive to Wuli.
Everyone could see it.
Naturally, Wuli could see it too.
Whenever Fion’s gaze settled on her, a tingling sensation crawled across her scalp.
Because that look was not the way one looked at a prized student.
It was more like…
The way one looked at a perfect masterpiece.
A chill ran through Wuli. Somehow, she managed to stumble through her first rehearsal as the prayer leader. Sitting in the audience were only the Saint and two or three clergy members.
The surroundings were utterly silent.
In the midst of that silence, Fion lifted his mismatched gold-and-black eyes and asked the others with a smile, “What do you think?”
After a moment of silence, one of the clergy hesitantly replied, “Wuli has an excellent image.”
Fion nodded.
Wuli merely smiled at the group and did not dare say a word.
‘Don’t tell me my performance was so bad they don’t even know how to evaluate it…’
Sure enough, a nun spoke in a gentle voice, “I think it’s already very good for a first rehearsal. She’s just not very proficient yet. Her eyes… still show a bit too much timidity.”
When the nun spoke about her eyes, her gaze lingered on Wuli’s face. Feeling the pressure, Wuli unconsciously narrowed her eyes.
“There’s plenty of room for improvement. Her attitude toward learning is excellent. The younger generation truly has limitless potential,” another person said, expressing their expectations for Wuli.
At that, Fion turned to look at her.
“Overall, the training was rather rushed, and there are still some shortcomings. Tomorrow will be your first time leading the prayer service.”
A chill ran through Wuli.
“We’ll add another two hours of practice.”
A gentle smile remained on Fion’s face, but his words were enough to make Wuli shudder.
And that wasn’t the end of it.
Fion stood up and once again adjusted the collar of the white-haired girl’s outfit.
His sudden closeness startled Wuli. She tensed up and didn’t dare move an inch. The blond young man remained as gentle as ever, even his voice carrying that same warmth as he said to her, “I’ll stay with you.”
*
Under Fion’s guidance, Wuli practiced for another two hours.
She hadn’t even been at the Church for five days!!!
The training intensity was already catching up to the level of those periods when she had crammed and studied on her own!!!
The white-haired girl wore a completely lifeless expression, looking as though all joy had left her body. Forcing herself to stay alert, she continued speaking on the stage until her mouth felt dry and parched.
At long last, Fion finally showed mercy.
“The time is up. You may rest now.”
A smile remained on Fion’s face. Wuli knew what that meant.
He was satisfied too.
“You truly are talented.”
Wuli’s brain automatically translated that into:
‘You truly are suitable to be sacrificed to the gods.’
She forced a smile that didn’t reach her eyes.
“That’s because the Saint teaches well.”
Fion lowered his gaze slightly.
“Was the first day of training too much? Was the pace too fast? Are you feeling a little tired?”
‘A little?’
Wuli sneered inwardly.
‘You know that perfectly well.’
But outwardly, she put on a smile.
“It’s alright. I can adapt.”
Wuli followed Fion out of the prayer hall. One walked ahead, the other behind. Walking behind him, she couldn’t see his expression, only hear him say,
“Just get through these next two days, and things will be better.”
Wuli: “…”
*
After dinner, Wuli had originally intended to take a walk and familiarize herself with the area.
Instead, she got lost.
Wuli: “…”
She really couldn’t be blamed for this.
The Church was nothing but black and white. There wasn’t a single distinctive landmark she could use as a point of reference. She was completely numb to it by now.
The moonlight grew deeper and deeper.
Black and white intertwined beneath it, making the entire Church seem strangely eerie.
A wave of dizziness washed over Wuli, and she simply stopped walking.
Late at night, all the clergy remained indoors. No one wandered around outside, leaving the surroundings deathly silent. The longer Wuli lingered there, the more uneasy she became.
‘I shouldn’t have impulsively come out in the first place.’
She touched the sapphire earring hanging from her ear, cool against her fingertips.
Whatever the reason she had ended up transmigrating into this world, Wuli’s luck had actually been fairly good.
“Miss?”
Wuli heard someone calling out to her.
It was the nun who had evaluated her earlier!
The nun didn’t seem surprised to find Wuli here. In fact, she had come specifically to look for her.
Meanwhile, the white-haired girl awkwardly rubbed her face.
“Well… I originally wanted to take a walk and look around, but I ended up getting lost.”
The nun carried a lantern between them. Its gentle light illuminated their faces.
The white-haired girl truly was beautiful.
Pure and innocent.
The ideal candidate for a Saintess.
The nun paused for a moment. She thought she understood why Fion placed so much importance on Wuli.
So she said to her, “I know. His Holiness the Saint asked me to come. He said you had gotten lost.”
Wuli’s heart skipped a beat.
“His Holiness the Saint… can he tell where people are at any time?”
One look at her expression and the nun knew she had misunderstood.
“No.”
“His Holiness the Saint calculated it himself.”
Oh.
So he was basically a fortune-teller.
Relaxing slightly, Wuli followed behind the nun.
“His Holiness the Saint cares about you greatly. No newcomer has ever been allowed to lead a prayer service so quickly,” the nun remarked casually.
Wuli immediately felt the pressure.
It was true.
Everyone had noticed that Fion’s attitude toward her was anything but normal.
And Wuli knew exactly why.
She was the perfect sacrifice.
Of course Fion would value her so highly.
But she couldn’t exactly say that aloud.
So she could only force an uncomfortable smile.
“The Saint is a very good person.”
The nun nodded.
“Indeed.”
For some reason, that indeed sounded oddly chilly to Wuli.
She unconsciously curled her fingers.
“He has very high expectations for you.”
*
News of Wuli getting lost the previous night had spread everywhere.
So the very first thing the bishop responsible for teaching her said when he walked in the next morning was…
“Wuli, don’t go wandering around in the middle of the night, alright?”
Wuli: “…”
Wuli: “Alright.”
Seeing that Wuli was taking it well, the bishop added,
“I know it’s normal for students who have just arrived at the Church to be curious and want to explore. But for the sake of causing the Church a little less trouble, try not to wander around at night. It’s not very safe, either.”
“If that doesn’t work, well, Fion seems quite fond of you. I’m sure he’d be more than willing to accompany you.”
Wuli: “…”
The bishop burst out laughing at her speechless expression.
“Next comes your first time leading a prayer service. Let’s go over the important parts one more time.”
The two of them spent twenty minutes reviewing everything.
The bishop nodded in satisfaction.
“As expected of someone personally taught by Fion. You’ve improved tremendously.”
Wuli forced a smile.
When she arrived at the prayer hall, rows of worshippers were already seated neatly on the wooden benches.
Wuli spotted the blond young man sitting in the very first row and swallowed nervously.
When the time came, she stepped onto the platform.
She immediately heard sharp intakes of breath from below.
They had actually changed the prayer leader?
And it was an exceptionally beautiful nun at that.
The white-haired girl’s hair had been tied up and hidden beneath a black veil. Dressed in a black nun’s habit, she looked pure and immaculate.
When the bell rang, Wuli began speaking, instructing everyone to close their eyes and meditate.
She noticed that Fion had closed his eyes as well.
He wasn’t wearing the Church’s official attire. He looked no different from any ordinary worshipper who had come to pray.
For no reason at all, Wuli felt even more pressure.
When the thirty-minute prayer session finally came to an end, she at last relaxed.
“Very good,” the bishop commented, smiling broadly in obvious satisfaction.
But Wuli’s heart felt heavy.
The entire walk back to the main hall, she remained distracted and absent-minded.
That was, until she saw Fion waiting there.
The blond young man wore a faint smile, his gaze as gentle toward her as ever.
He extended a hand.
The next moment, a key appeared in Wuli’s palm.
“The key to the Church Archives. I promised it to you.”
Wuli’s head snapped up.
*
“You aren’t from this world, are you? You’re not my sister, not the Duke’s daughter, and your name isn’t Wuli.”
The white-haired young man’s tone was calm, yet utterly certain.
Those words came out of nowhere, abruptly cutting off Wuli’s train of thought. In an instant, her mind went completely blank.
“What do you mean?”
Cold sweat broke out across Wuli’s back.
Shuen’s deep blue eyes swept over her before a faint smile appeared on his lips.
It seemed his guess had been correct.
“Wuli, I’ve lived with my sister for nearly fifteen years. I know better than anyone what she’s like. Your act is really not convincing.”
Countless thoughts flashed through the white-haired girl’s mind.
He was right.
It wasn’t convincing because she had never intended to put on an act in the first place.
Least of all had she ever imagined that Shuen would see through her identity.
This was only a game world.
To her, whether it was Shuen or the original heroine, they were nothing more than fictional characters.
Why?
Why did Shuen know any of this?
In this world, Shuen absolutely could not learn her true identity. If he truly confirmed it, she would be handing him a weapon that could be used against her at any time.
The white-haired girl suppressed the fear rising within her.
“Brother,” she said, her face full of confusion, “what are you talking about?”
The other party let out a mocking laugh.
“Am I really your brother, Wuli?”
“You may have fooled the First Prince. You may have fooled the Duke. But you can’t fool me.”
Shuen’s gaze darkened even further.
It carried a clear message: ‘Keep pretending, and I’ll kill you.’
“Wuli, are you still not going to admit it?”
Wuli took a deep breath.
But during that brief pause, a flash of cold light slipped from Shuen’s sleeve.
The next instant, a blade was pressed against her throat.
“Tell me the truth. Otherwise, I’ll send you to meet God right now.”
Wuli: “…”
A sharp sting followed.
The knife slowly traced along her skin. Wuli had the terrifying feeling that she could die at any second.
Fear flooded her face.
In the suffocating silence, the blade pierced her skin, leaving behind a thin line of blood.
“I’ll talk. I’ll tell you everything.”
Wuli surrendered.
Surviving came first.
She closed her eyes and felt the blade withdraw from her neck.
When she opened them again, the man had stepped back, putting some distance between them. He was now watching her with a smile.
“Then let’s hear it, Miss Wuli. Who exactly are you?”
There was amusement dancing in those dark blue eyes.
Wuli felt her scalp go numb.
She forced out a miserable smile.
“Brother, what exactly do you want to know?”
*
“Who are you?”
“Wuli. Just not your Wuli.”
“Where did you come from?”
“Another world…”
“And what is your purpose?”
Wuli paused for half a second.
“I didn’t come here of my own free will. I want to go home.”
Home?
Shuen slowly repeated those last two words, making Wuli feel an overwhelming sense of pressure.
She looked at him earnestly, trying to prove that she wasn’t lying, that everything she had said was the truth.
Fortunately, Shuen did not pursue the matter further.
Instead, he continued with his next question.
“Where did the original Wuli go?”
“…I don’t know.”
At those words, surprise flashed across Wuli’s face.
She had always assumed Shuen never cared about the original heroine at all.
But perhaps that wasn’t actually the case.
Question after question followed.
Shuen asked them one by one, and Wuli answered them one by one.
Only when they reached the topic of Wuli’s original world did the interrogation finally come to an end.
The white-haired girl’s face had gone pale from the questioning.
Her lips were pressed tightly together, and she looked as though she had just endured a long and grueling ordeal.
Shuen looked at her and smiled.
It was true.
He had deliberately applied immense pressure throughout the interrogation.
The fact that Wuli hadn’t fainted already spoke volumes about her mental fortitude.
In the end, Shuen smiled and lightly patted her cheek with the back of his hand.
“Miss Wuli, that must have been quite exhausting.”
Wuli flinched violently.
Her frightened eyes immediately turned toward him.
“I’ll give you a hint,” Shuen said unhurriedly.
Wuli’s heart sank lower and lower.
“The thing you’re looking for to get home…”
“It’s probably in the Church.”