Chapter 177:
The prophesized double black woman was not necessarily well known, so although the bandits were shocked by the girl"s stunning appearance, they did not think too much.
"Help?" Long Sasi laughed coldly. "What kind of joke are you trying to make…" But before he could finish speaking, a person beside the girl waved their hand slightly. Instantly, a squall appeared, an incorporeal, powerful force striking the men behind Long Sasi. The bandits cried out fearfully as all of them were sent flying with no exception and then heavily crashed onto the ground.
Long Sasi"s smile froze. The bandits quickly crawled back up from the ground, serious expressions on their faces. They had not been wounded, but they knew that their opponents were only giving them a slight warning, not intending to actually injure them.
Magician?! And they were so powerful?
Long Sasi frowned, subconsciously licking his dry lips. He cautiously eyed the three. Who exactly were they?
"What exactly are you planning?" Long Sasi asked cautiously. One thing was clear: they were definitely no match for the three.
"To make you the master of the desert." The girl with black hair and eyes revealed a bewitching smile, so beautiful it was intoxicating.
The master of the desert?!
Long Sasi froze, staring fixedly at the mysterious girl, judging whether or not she was serious.
"Long Sasi, the sole son of the defeated prince, master of pen and sword, popular with the common folk, the only candidate for the future prince. The crown prince is despicable, definitely not someone who would be a fair and just ruler. You were his greatest obstacle to becoming king, so before you could become a prince, you were framed." The sweet voice was completely emotionless.
"You! Who are you?" Long Sasi"s expression finally changed.
"I… I am Qi Aoshuang." The black haired black eyed girl smiled as sweetly as a flower.
Qi Aoshuang, Qi Aoshuang… A rueful smile flashed in the girl"s eyes. She never thought she would use this name. Yes, this name was Claire"s true name!
"Believe in me, I will definitely make you the master of the desert." Qi Aoshuang"s voice carried an ineffable, faint charm.
"How can I believe in you?" Although his heart had swayed seeing the strength of the person next to the girl, it was not enough to convince him.
Qi Aoshuang"s beautiful face revealed a dazzling smile. For some reason, Long Sasi"s heart shuddered seeing this smile.
Qi Aoshuang"s gaze shifted to the vulgar person at Long Sasi"s side. Suddenly, her eyes glinted.
Something strange happened next.
The vulgar man hopped giddily to face Long Sasi, his voice very enthusiastic. "Boss, did you know I have been admiring you for a long time now? My love for you is as pure as the moonlight, and my heart shall forever be faithful…"
A few of Long Sasi"s men were already unable to stand such a change, holding their stomachs as they puked. However, Long Sasi had a serious expression. The vulgar man had a clear gaze, his words spoken naturally, but! He knew better than anyone the preferences of the vulgar man. It was because of this that Long Sasi"s expression had turned serious. High level spiritual control! It was actually high level spiritual control! He knew this malicious magic better than anyone else. He had been betrayed by his closest beloved this way! And then was accused by his closest comrades!
Long Sasi looked up at the beautiful black haired girl, his voice cold. "Enough. I believe you." His heart started to tremble. How did the girl know what happened to him so clearly? Who exactly was she?
Qi Aoshuang withdrew the spiritual control, smiling faintly. "Apologies for bringing up unpleasant memories."
The vulgar man looked blankly Long Sasi"s calm face, then noticed the strange looks by the other men and became even more dumbfounded.
"Why did you choose me?" Long Sasi"s voice was low.
"Because I need your popularity." Qi Aoshuang smiled faintly. "The people of Youwusali all believe you were framed."
Long Sasi did not respond, remaining silent.
"If you believe me, then find me at the weaponry shop of Clearspring Village." Qi Aoshuang lightly tug on the reins of her camel. The camel started to advance forward. Beside her, Leng Lingyun and Feng Yixuan followed her closely.
Long Sasi"s men shared glances. Unanimously, they moved out of the way to make a path for them.
The three camels slowly advanced. Everyone watched their figures as they left, then looked back at Long Sasi, all waiting for Long Sasi"s decision.
Long Sasi did not utter a word, his expression as placid as water as he watched the three leave.
"Aoshuang, do you think he will find us?" Feng Yixuan asked in a hushed voice. It had been no easy task to find the person they were after in the desert.
"Yes." A small smile surfaced on Qi Aoshuang"s lips.
Clearspring Village was the closest oasis to Youwusali"s frontier. Although it was small, it was very important. Many people came here to replenish their supplies.
Like many other travelers, the three arrived on camelback. The vendors on the side of the roads did not have the energy to call out to potential customers, leaning back and waiting for customers to come themselves. The few stone dwellings mostly had their doors shut tightly. Only a few shops were open. Everyone dressed similarly, a long cloak draped over their entire body.
The three arrived at an ordinary looking stone dwelling. After tying up their camels, they went inside.
"My lady, you"re back," a stocky woman greeted.
"Yes." Qi Aoshuang nodded. "Tonight someone will come to find me. Bring them once they arrive."
"Yes." The stocky woman was one of the Temple of Darkness"s people who had been sent to a.s.sist Qi Aoshuang. She was in charge of relations. Her name was Riya.
The three walked up to a cupboard next to the wall. Qi Aoshuang reached out to open it, revealing a deep tunnel. With a snap of her finger, the entire tunnel was lit up with torch light. She headed in.
After they entered, the cupboard closed, looking once more like an ordinary cupboard. Meanwhile, the three camels outside were led away.
The end of the tunnel opened up to reveal an underground cavern. It was a long corridor with many rooms on either side. Straight ahead was the main hall.
"Divine Princess, you"ve finally returned." Xi Shaoqi scowled.
At the time, Leng Lingyun and Feng Yixuan had been shocked by Qi Aoshuang"s ident.i.ty, not knowing when she had become the Divine Princess of Darkness. Once Qi Aoshuang told them it was that time they had been trapped by the Temple of Darkness, Leng Lingyun immediately understood.
Qi Aoshuang slowly approached, her voice soft. "What is it?"
"His holiness said if you didn"t return any sooner, we would be punished. So many days pa.s.sed, but you still did not return," Xi Shaoqi grumbled.
"Divine Princess." Xi Shaosi smiled and pulled up a chair for Qi Aoshuang, then poured her a cup of scented tea.
Everyone knew how the old pope of Light had lost one of his feet. Twelve archbishops had even lost their lives! It was terribly exciting news. And at the core of it all was this girl! All followers of the Temple of Darkness were riled up, all believing Qi Aoshuang would lead them into a new era.
"Divine Princess, did you already find who you were looking for?" Xi Shaosi poured tea for everyone else as well.
Qi Aoshuang took a sip of the tea with a slight nod. "They will be here tonight."
"We have found everything you told us to look for." Xi Shaosi took out a map. Two spots were marked in red. "This is the stronghold of the dwarves, and this is the stronghold of the earth spirits."
"Oh." Qi Aoshuang stared at the map, musing.
Xi Shaoqi looked doubtfully at the map. Finally, he couldn"t help but ask, "Divine Princess, why are you looking for them? Dwarves are only good at metallurgy, whereas earth spirits are only good at digging. Furthermore, they never mingle with humans and hold a deep grudge towards humans. Why are you looking for them?" Finding the two strongholds has used a lot of manpower. Some had even lost their lives.
"What is the goal of the Temple of Light?" Qi Aoshuang asked instead of responding.
"What else could it be? To reap without sowing, brainwash others." Xi Shaoqi humphed. "The ignorant ma.s.ses lose a fortune, yet act as if it is a matter of course. The Temple does any small act of kindness and it is heavily publicized."
"Is it fair?" Qi Aoshuang said profoundly.
"Of course not!" Xi Shaoqi exclaimed disdainfully.
"To thoroughly purge the brainwashing, do you think only killing the leader is enough?" Qi Aoshuang stared at the two points on the map.
Xi Shaoqi froze. The Temple of Light had suffered great losses against Claire, but their prestige had been increased greatly. The Temple of Light had become the embodiment of justice to the people.
"You mean to say!" Xi Shaoqi clenched his fist, excited. Really? Was it really what he thought it was? Could the girl before him really do it?
Power, money, status…
What humanity pursued…
"Youwusali will become the first country of Darkness." Qi Aoshuang raised the teacup to her lips and sipped, smiling like a flower.
Xi Shaoqi"s heart shook. He suddenly understood Qi Aoshuang"s plan. Such an ambitious plan, something he could not imagine in his wildest dreams. If someone else said her words, he would have thought it was just a joke, but if this girl said it, it would become reality. Deep in his heart, he believed the girl would definitely be successful. She would definitely topple the Temple of Light!