You're my wife, don't doubt it!

"Yes, that's about it." Yu Luying nodded in confirmation.

Xiao Yao looked closely and realized that the drawing on the paper was the same ghostly figure that appeared behind him when Teacher Yao was beating him.

Teacher Yao's... spiritual fortress?

“This, this isn’t the one behind Teacher Yao…” Xiao Yao stammered.

I never expected that Father Yu was also a novice artist. Although it's not exactly the same, it's pretty close to the original image.

"It really is it," Father Yu sighed.

"Him? Who is that?" Xiao Yao asked, puzzled.

"The image you see behind Mr. Yao's shadow is very similar to the image of Asmodeus, the devil, described in 'The Key of Solomon'."

"A demon?" "Asmoda?" Xiao Yao and Yu Luying asked at the same time.

“Don’t you know Asmo? It’s in the Bible.” Father Yu’s tone was a little impatient.

"Is...is it?" Yu Luying asked, her eyes glazed over. Her uncle grabbed a book as thick as a brick from the desk and pretended to throw it at her: "I told you to read the scriptures more often, but you never do it properly!"

"Hey, don't throw it, don't throw it," Xiao Yao waved his hands in front of him and sat down next to Yu Luying. "Can you explain to me what you're talking about? Also, can you tell me what day of the week it is?"

“On Saturday,” Father Yu said, “you and Xiao Shen were only inside for a little over three hours.”

"How is this possible?!" Xiao Yao exclaimed. "I feel like we've been inside for two or three days!"

“It is a bit strange, and I can’t explain it either,” Father Yu said. “I remember that when you were at the KTV this morning, you only went in for a short time, and it was already noon when you came out, right? That’s what you told me, isn’t it?”

"Hmm..." Xiao Yao fell into thought: "Actually, I'm not entirely sure. Maybe I was unconscious in the love hotel room for longer than I thought?"

"Can't you be a little more reliable?!"

"A love hotel?" Yu Luying turned to Xiao Yao.

"Stop arguing, stop arguing, let's take it one step at a time." Father Yu lowered his head and stretched out his arms: "We can discuss the issue of the speed of time's passage inside later. Yingying said you cut off Teacher Yao's shadow?"

"I didn't chop it, the little bear did it," Xiao Yao answered truthfully.

“How could you cut off someone’s shadow?” Father Yu held his head in his hands.

“I didn’t cut it,” Xiao Yao repeated. “So what happens when you cut off a shadow? That’s what I was just about to ask you.”

"I don't know," Father Yu said, shrugging.

"I don't know what you're in such a hurry for?" Xiao Yao asked, puzzled.

“But it’s definitely not a good thing,” Father Yu said. “A shadow is also part of a person’s complete personality. If a person’s shadow is eliminated, I don’t know what will happen to him.”

"Is it like what we Chinese say, that one or two of the three souls and six spirits are missing?" Xiao Yao was starting to understand.

“If you insist on understanding it that way, then so be it,” Father Yu said. “Desire is an indispensable part of being a person. What would a person become if they had no desires at all? So…”

"And who is the White Knight?" "So who exactly is Asmodeus?" The two men asked each other at the same time.

"You go first, you go first." Xiao Yao raised his right hand.

“Asmotai is one of the ancient demons whose names appear in the Bible,” Father Yu explained, “and one of the 72 demons of hell described in The Key of Solomon.”

"That's awesome..." Xiao Yao clicked his tongue in amazement.

"Asmoda is generally considered to represent 'lust' among the seven deadly sins."

“That’s quite fitting,” Xiao Yao thought for a moment and said, “Is Teacher Yao a devil?”

“Bullshit,” Father Yu rolled his eyes. “How can a person be a devil? Only the devil enters a person’s heart…”

"So that's how it is." Xiao Yao recalled the words spoken by the shadowy figure behind Teacher Yao when Teacher Yao was beating him up, and it seemed he understood something: "So, Teacher Yao was also a victim after all?"

“Boy,” Father Yu said, his fingers interlaced and his eyes fixed on Xiao Yao, “tell me everything that happened after you and Xiao Shen entered the mirror. Don’t miss a single detail. Yingying has already told me everything she knows.”

“Okay.” Xiao Yao then began to recount how they entered the school through the mirror, how they escaped from the maze of the love hotel, how they were defeated by Sekir and sent to the water dungeon, how they escaped, how they witnessed Zhou Qi’s memories and heard Teacher Yao’s confession, how they “defeated” the gigantic Sekir, how they were rescued by the White Knight, how they went to the parent-child education center to find Yu Luying under the White Knight’s guidance, and the entire process of fighting Yu Luying. He recounted the whole story in detail, only omitting the part about his agreement with Shen Jie regarding the “MBA”, and (at Father Yu’s request) omitting the specific content of Teacher Yao’s confession.

Throughout Xiao Yao's narration, Father Yu kept taking notes in his notebook, occasionally offering a few comments or asking questions.

"You mean Xiao Shen awakened the Blood... uh, Queen Mary I's Fortress?" Father Yu muttered to himself, "That's too unbelievable, Xiao Shen isn't even a member of the church?"

“Yu Luying should have already told you everything that happened after that,” Xiao Yao said.

"So you went through so much danger before you rescued me!" Yu Luying exclaimed. "Xiao Yao, you and Sister Shen Jie really suffered a lot."

"Of course," Xiao Yao said.

Father Yu had been scribbling something in his notebook, then suddenly threw down his pen: "This White Knight you mentioned... he knows me, right? I've always felt that this person... whatever he really is, is probably not a good person."

“I think so too,” Xiao Yao blurted out, expressing his agreement.

"Uncle, Xiao Yao, why do you think that way?" Yu Luying asked, puzzled. "He is our savior."

"Objectively speaking, that's true," Xiao Yao said with a wry smile. "But things in this world aren't that simple. There are just too many suspicious points about the White Knight, so it's best not to jump to conclusions too early."

"What's the problem?" Yu Luying was still unconvinced.

“You women are all so naive…” Xiao Yao shook his head.

"Them? All of them?" Yu Luying pouted and stopped talking.

"Yu Luying, look, what's this?" Xiao Yao took out the dark chocolate that Shen Jie had given him from his pocket and waved it in front of Yu Luying.

"Is it chocolate?" Yu Luying asked.

"Shen Jie and I finished this chocolate on our way to the parenting education center to find you."

"Why drink? So what?"

“But now, it’s still safe and sound in my hands, so we can eat it again.” Xiao Yao tore open the chocolate wrapper.

"What exactly are you trying to say?" Yu Luying asked, puzzled. "Any changes inside won't actually translate into reality, didn't you just realize that?"

“But the White Knight’s horse kicked Zhou Qi,” Xiao Yao sighed, “and that wound carried over into the real world. Don’t you think that’s terrifying? And think about that sword that could easily obliterate Teacher Yao’s shadow…”

“This…” Yu Luying fell silent: “Indeed… a bit…”

"How did you become a top student with such a pig brain, you bookworm!" Xiao Yao couldn't help but tease.

"You—!" Yu Luying's eyes reddened: "Does being highly skilled necessarily make someone a bad person?!"

"Okay, okay, don't cry, I was just kidding." Xiao Yao was a little flustered.

"Who said I was going to cry! You idiot!" Yu Luying continued to be stubborn.

Father Yu seemed not to have heard their conversation at all. He simply tapped the surface of his desk with his knuckles, making a "tap" sound, and the three of them fell into a brief silence.

“Yu Luying,” Xiao Yao said, “it’s almost 11 o’clock and you’re still not home. Your mother will go crazy!”

“What do you think?” Yu Luying pouted. “It’s because my uncle has been covering for me, so I’m not going back today. I’ll spend the night at the church.”

“Then I have to go back,” Xiao Yao shifted his position. “Father Yu, I’m really exhausted, and my grandma is probably about to lose her temper…”

Father Yu didn't speak, but just rested his head in his hands, completely absorbed in his own thoughts.

“Knock, knock, knock.”

"Xiao Yao, let me see you out." Yu Luying stood up, acting as the host on behalf of his uncle.

“Father Yu, you should go to sleep early too, don’t stay up too late,” Xiao Yao stood up, took two steps forward, and placed the dark chocolate in his hand on the priest’s desk: “Eat something when you need to, replenish your energy.”

“Knock, knock, knock.”

Sorry I'm half an hour late today... I overslept...

Chapter 69 Testing

2023-01-05

Xiao Yao returned home and calmly endured the scolding and the cold dinner prepared by his grandmother. After a quick wash, he went back to his room, moved a small chair over, stood on it, and reached down to take the small Bible from the top of the dresser.

Pat, wipe, swish, swish.

Isn't it a bit unfair to treat the gift Yu Luying gave us like this?

He lay down on the bed, pinched the small metal cross, and unzipped the cover.

What they were just talking about... yes, the Book of Tobit, found here, before the Old Testament.

It doesn't seem... very long?

Hmm... A long, long time ago, there was a beautiful girl named "Sarah," who was possessed by the demon Asmodeus and caused the deaths of seven husbands she was not yet betrothed to...

"This is quite courageous. After two of them died, there are still five women who dare to marry him." Xiao Yao muttered to himself.

Sarah was filled with sorrow and prayed to God for death. God heard Sarah's prayer and sent the archangel Raphael to save her.

Archangel... that's the highest level, right? Such a high rank? This demon seems difficult to deal with. In that case, the White Knight is even more suspicious.

Xiao Yao picked up his phone and saw that it was a message from Shen Jie, which made him very happy.

"We've already arranged for Zhou Qi to be hospitalized, and her family has arrived. She hasn't woken up yet, but the doctor said she's not in any danger. I'm on my way home now. You should get some sleep and not think too much. I'll come see you tomorrow."

Upon seeing this message, Xiao Yao felt much lighter.

He thought for a moment, then didn't reply to the message and continued reading the story.

Hey, you didn't expect that, did you? I'll also be someone who reads messages but doesn't reply.

The archangel Raphael descended to earth, disguised as a cheerful young man, and accompanied the protagonist, Tobias. On the banks of the Tigris River, they caught a strange fish, and ultimately used the fish's heart and liver to drive away the demon Asmodeus.