A few days later.
Xi’er Tuoya put on a beautiful, thick dress, tied the Bell the priest had given her yesterday around her ankle, and was brought by an elderly man to a remote house.
This place was separated from the tribe by a snow-capped mountain, and it took a full three days and three nights of travel, just to make a single trip.
These three days and nights could cost one’s life at any moment, but even so, the man had no room to refuse, because this concerned the entire tribe’s future. As a member of the tribe, he had to do it—especially as the Holy Lord.
There was no smile on his face; his weathered eyes held only endless melancholy and sorrow.
Xi’er Tuoya rarely saw her father look so worried and exhausted. Since that day they returned, he seemed to have aged overnight, with even more white hairs at his temples than before.
She didn’t know what mistake she had made—she had only touched that strange fellow for a moment, and yet here she was, dragged to this desolate place.
At this moment, after days of arduous travel, she was utterly exhausted, yet her stubborn and willful words still hadn’t ceased…
“Father, why do I have to come to a dump like this? This house looks so broken and tiny—can people really live here?”
“I get it, I was wrong, let’s go back, Father!”
She had said words like this countless times. Any normal person, after hearing it for three days and nights, would surely have blisters on their ears—and of course, so did the man.
He habitually didn’t respond to Xi’er Tuoya’s complaints, but straightened his clothes and tidied his wind-blown hair, then led Xi’er Tuoya to knock on the door.
“Priest, I have brought her.” The house was silent.
After a while, Xi’er Tuoya seemed to grow impatient. After such a long journey, her mood was already foul, and now she had even less patience for waiting. She just wanted this all to be over and to go home.
All this fuss just to apologize to that strange person—did it really need to be so complicated?
She simply broke free from the man’s hand and pushed the door open herself.
“Xi’er Tuoya!”
The man tried to stop her, but it was too late.
The moment the door opened, a thick fragrance of Pure Snowflowers rushed into Xi’er Tuoya’s face.
She had never smelled Pure Snowflowers so rich before; even the mountains full of them couldn’t compare. This fragrance was so strong, it was almost unbearable, as if someone had deliberately gathered the nectar and scattered it throughout the room.
Covering her mouth and nose, she stepped inside.
White smoke drifted through the whole house. She wasn’t sure what it was—cloud? Or perhaps a kind of snow she’d never seen before?
She sniffed the floating smoke. There was no scent—only gentle warmth drifting into her nostrils. But the smoke was too thick; it enveloped the whole room, making everything as hazy as a dense fog.
She stepped into the mist, unable to find the figure she had seen a few days ago, even losing her own sense of direction.
“Father!”
She shouted over and over for her father beside her, but only echoes answered her call.
Just as she panicked, not knowing what to do, a wisp of smoke brushed her cheek. It should have felt as light as vapor, yet it felt almost like someone was gently touching her face with their fingers.
This wisp of smoke seemed to be indicating for her to follow.
Though it seemed absurd, some voice in her heart convinced her to trust this strange smoke.
She swallowed hard and followed the guide deeper inside.
Strangely, the house should have been small, yet no matter how long she walked, she never reached the end. It felt like a world covered in fog—no boundaries, no direction.
But gradually, the fog thinned, and her vision ahead grew clearer.
Realizing she might finally be going the right way, Xi’er Tuoya walked even faster.
In her ears, a crisp Bell rang. Vaguely, she saw a hazy figure ahead.
Xi’er Tuoya instinctively thought it was her father and hurried forward.
“Father! So you were here…”
She stopped mid-sentence, because the person before her wasn’t her father, but the strange person in the Sheep Bone Mask.
The one known as the priest was reclining on a Redwood chair, one hand supporting her chin, the other holding a finely carved piece of Redwood, puffing clouds of smoke.
“Why is it you? Where’s my father?”
The priest was silent, placing the Redwood into the dark Sheep Bone Mask’s mouth. After a moment, a few wisps of smoke drifted out.
She pointed the Redwood toward the thick, white fog behind her. Xi’er Tuoya immediately understood—her father must still be lost in the mist.
If not for this guidance, she might have already broken down and cried.
But where did the guidance come from? She looked at the priest’s slender, fair, and well-defined fingers holding the Redwood, suddenly guessing the truth.
It was she who led me in. But what does she want?
A wave of fear finally rose in her heart.
The figure before her was graceful and full, and even though her loose robe covered most of her form, it couldn’t hide her alluring curves. Especially now, as she reclined on the long wooden bench, her wide robe slipped slowly down her fragrant shoulder, revealing a hint of soft, inviting flesh beneath her robes. Even her bare, beautiful feet were fully exposed—fair and delicate as the finest jade, with silver Bells tied around her ankles, which chimed sweetly in the wind blowing through the window.
There were clear rules in the tribe: one was not allowed to approach the priest, and must stay at least twenty meters away. So she had only ever glimpsed the priest from afar, and even last night, she could only catch a sliver of her beauty by candlelight. Now, seeing her clearly up close, even the frightened Xi’er Tuoya was momentarily stunned.
Another wisp of smoke floated out from the hollow mask, drifting toward Xi’er Tuoya.
It circled her cheek, seductively guiding her toward the priest.
Xi’er Tuoya gulped in fear. Though she still tried to keep a proud face, her trembling body betrayed her.
She came before the priest, staring into the mask’s dark hollows, trying to see anything within, but it was futile.
The priest touched the girl’s cheek with the Redwood, glancing up and down, then withdrew it.
Xi’er Tuoya had no idea what she meant. Staring into that terrifying mask, she dared not make a sound.
“Name.”
“Eh?”
Suddenly, a cold, icy voice came from beneath the dreadful mask.
Xi’er Tuoya felt as if a blast of cold wind had rushed into her ear, but the voice sounded again.
“I said, your name.”
Only then did she realize the words were indeed coming from the person before her, but could a human really make such a bone-chilling sound…?
“Xi—Xi’er Tuoya Lehti.”
“…”
The priest suddenly rose from the bench and waved the Redwood lightly—the smoke dispersed instantly, leaving no trace.
Looking around, Xi’er Tuoya saw that this place was indeed several times larger than it appeared from outside. Was it some sort of magic?
She didn’t think more about it, hurrying to look for her father, but couldn’t find a trace of him.
“Where’s my father?”
“He’s gone. From now on, you have no family, no friends, and you no longer belong to yourself.”
“Wha…what do you mean?”
“From today, you are the Saintess.”