That was a girl’s scream—harsh and piercing, wrenching Liang Lai’s heart painfully.
She turned toward the source of the sound and found a dilapidated courtyard.
Liang Lai’s fingertips pressed into her palm. The scream was like a dull blade, scraping against her eardrums again and again. She tiptoed and peered through a gap in the crumbling courtyard wall—
Inside, covered in moss, three men dressed in the Church’s green robes were pinning down an emaciated girl.
The cloth on the girl’s left shoulder was torn open, revealing a glowing Sacred Brand that was rotting.
Her right arm was bent at a grotesque angle, with shattered pottery shards and a half-moldy piece of black bread scattered on the ground.
Liang Lai suddenly recognized the girl’s face.
The girl’s face was small, her skin so pale it was almost translucent, veins faintly visible beneath.
Her nose bridge was straight, the tip slightly upturned. Her lips, drained of color by pain, were pressed into a thin line.
Most striking were her eyes—silver irises like melted moonlight, shining brightly even through her agony.
Strands of damp golden hair clung to her forehead, and the ends were stained with muddy water splashed from a broken pot.
A tiny tear mole trembled at the corner of her left eye.
The rotting Sacred Brand extended from her collarbone to her shoulder blade, etched with radiating cracks in the skin. The glowing lines flickered with her ragged breaths.
“Lowly Dustfolk, stealing Saint Ointment?”
The fattest priest pressed his boot against the girl’s fingers, thick blood seeping from between the stone slabs.
“This is meant for the big shots!”
Liang Lai frowned and was about to push open the door when she suddenly realized she wasn’t wearing her Saintess Attire.
There was no way she could intimidate these Green Robed Sacerdotes without it.
If she wanted to control the situation, it would have to be with force—but she was a civilized person and hated to hurt others.
Just as she frantically searched for a place to don her Saintess Attire, more unbearable insults echoed.
“Look alive! Kneel before the Sacerdotes immediately!”
Liang Lai glanced back and saw a hunched Old Woman fiercely whipping the poor girl.
“Why are you stealing other people’s things?!”
The girl whimpered painfully but shouted in defense, “It’s you who won’t feed me…! It’s you who won’t feed me…!”
There was a sense of utter despair.
Liang Lai thought it was like pushing an honest person to the edge.
The pitiful girl didn’t seem the type to throw a tantrum—her sudden shouting meant she felt she couldn’t survive anymore, no hope left, that she’d be beaten to death.
So she defiantly fought back with words.
A sudden pang gripped Liang Lai’s heart as memories flashed of news from her previous world—children taken from their mothers after divorce, only to be abused to death by stepmothers while their fathers looked on indifferently.
Many children died in suffocating homes, victims of violence, neglect, or even twisted forms of affection.
Liang Lai clutched her chest tightly and quickly found a hidden corner. Ignoring the clothes inside, she pulled on her Saintess Attire hurriedly, not caring about the heat, then dashed back to the courtyard.
Now, the girl’s sobbing had grown faint.
Liang Lai anxiously looked over and saw the child curled up on the ground, barely clinging to life. Bright red and dark brown blood pooled everywhere.
Even if the girl wasn’t beaten to death yet, she was close to bleeding out.
“Stop!”
Liang Lai shouted fiercely.
She felt like a righteous outlaw stepping out of a storybook. Kicking open the courtyard gate without care for the Saintess image, she sprinted before the girl and raised her hand to block the Green Robed Sacerdotes.
Then, grabbing the Old Woman’s wrist, she shoved her to the ground.
“Ahhh!”
The Old Woman wailed in pain.
“What are you doing? Beating an innocent, poor child for no reason? Is this how the Church teaches you to act?” Liang Lai said righteously, chin raised high.
The fat priest was about to speak, but at the instant he caught sight of the Saintess Emblem on Liang Lai’s chest, his words twisted and choked back down.
“Th-Third Saintess!” the three Green Robed Sacerdotes shouted simultaneously.
Liang Lai exhaled slightly in relief.
Her Saintess status really was effective; the three had turned pale with fear.
Understandable, since they were the lowest Church members, and she was their superior. Their fear and reverence were only natural.
“Tell me, why are you bullying this child like this?” she asked, frowning, crouching down to scoop the girl into her arms.
The child was so thin—so fragile—that even holding her lightly, Liang Lai could feel her bones pressing sharply against her chest and arms.
She cradled her carefully, afraid any force might shatter the girl’s fragile frame.
“It’s alright, it’s alright. You’re safe now… don’t be afraid…”
She tenderly wiped tears from the girl’s face.
The girl’s silver-white eyes fixed on her but seemed too weak to keep open.
She knew the woman before her was kind, here to save her.
She stretched out her slender hand, clutching Liang Lai’s robe tightly, and through clenched teeth whispered three words: “I’m scared…”
After saying this, she completely lost consciousness.
Looking at the child’s pale face, Liang Lai immediately knew things were bad. The girl had lost too much blood. If they stayed here, she’d die in her arms.
She had already saved her, so she’d see it through.
Ignoring the people behind her, Liang Lai turned and began heading out of the courtyard.
“Third Saintess!”
The fat priest’s voice rang out inopportunely behind her. Liang Lai didn’t stop and kept walking without a word.
“Third Saintess!”
Three voices called out, and the three Green Robed Sacerdotes stepped forward. They formed a wall, blocking her path.
Though their faces were full of fear and respect, they refused to yield.
“What are you doing?”
Liang Lai’s heart pounded in frustration. Holding the child tightly, she said, “If you don’t move, this child will die!”
She couldn’t understand.
The Church had more Saint Ointment than they could use.
The child had only stolen because of hunger and abuse.
Why couldn’t they just let her be?
The priests’ faces showed their dilemma.
“She has violated the Law of Saints, Seventh Chapter, Article Twelve,” the fat priest’s Adam’s apple bobbed as he said, “Dustfolk caught stealing Saint Ointment shall be branded for three days.”
He pointed to the glowing, rotting wound on the girl’s shoulder.
“This is only the first day…”
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