The Villain Saint is my secondary account

"Brother Ye, the Holy Maiden..."

"I know, that's why I rushed over." Ye Xiao knew what Li Cheng was thinking, but he couldn't explain it easily, so he could only say softly, "Cheer up, there's still a chance to bring her back."

"I'm so sorry, Brother Ye..." Li Cheng's voice, which was already trembling with tears, suddenly froze. "...What did you say?"

"Shh, keep your voices down. We'll discuss this later. Let everyone find a place to rest first." Ye Xiao glanced around, then greeted Freya and the other Seven Stars Society members, but didn't see the familiar petite girl. "Gredia...isn't she here?"

“After she confronted that black-haired fake saintess, she hasn’t shown up since.” Li Cheng said with a worried expression. “After the saintess helped everyone escape danger, we searched the area around the ravaged mist forest, but we couldn’t find her.”

Ye Xiao held the little maid's gold coins in his pocket, his brows furrowed slightly. This little guy was currently his biggest worry.

However, since the fake saintess did not appear or pursue them, and the gold coins are still usable, Greta should be fine.

"Did something happen here too?" Li Cheng wondered, looking at the burned-down farmhouses around him.

"It's a long story. Let's find a place to rest first." Ye Xiao patted Li Cheng on the back, then finally turned his attention to the black-haired girl beside him. "Dong, how did you end up here?"

"After we left the mist forest, we ran into her by chance some distance from Horn Village," Li Cheng added from the side.

"Ye Xiao...it's been a long time." Dong Muge nodded slightly to Ye Xiao. "I've finally found you."

The girl was dressed the same as she had been in the Ancient Tomb, still wearing the brown forest travel cloak of the initial ranger player, and two slightly pale legs wearing animal skin boots under her soft leather skirt. The only slight difference was that she had a gray crossbody bag on her shoulder.

"Looking for me?" Ye Xiao raised an eyebrow. If this female classmate couldn't explain how she escaped the shackles of the Heavenly Qin Peak Divine Tomb, Ye Xiao would have to consider whether he should stab her.

It's not that Ye Xiao is heartless; the real Dong Muge should still be trapped on Tianqin Peak in a half-dead state. There's no reason for him to have wandered over here.

Moreover, he knew there was a fake "Dong Muge" loitering around outside, and his sudden appearance at this time always seemed somewhat eerie.

“Um…yes,” Dong Muge noticed the coldness and suspicion in Ye Xiao’s tone, but didn’t quite understand why. “I…I’m here to deliver a letter to you.”

Ye Xiao stroked her chin. "Who are you delivering the message for?"

“I don’t know… but I can hear his voice.” Dong Muge shook his head. “He keeps asking me in my mind if I want to leave that mountain, saying that as long as I can do things for him, he can let me leave.”

Although this description sounds mystical, it seems to refer to Dong Muge, who is trapped in an ancient tomb.

But this explanation was too suspicious, so Ye Xiao remained wary. "It's a bit strange. I'll tell you the truth."

“I understand.” Dong Muge sighed, his expression slightly helpless. “But don’t worry, I have to leave after delivering the letter. There are still several places that need my delivery.”

"Could this girl be being used as a tool by some evil god?" Ye Xiao pondered. But since that evil god could make her leave Tianqin Peak, it must have some ability. Besides, Ye Xiao was more concerned about what kind of letter the other party was going to deliver.

"Alright, I'm somewhat relieved to see you're out of trouble." Ye Xiao offered a few perfunctory words of concern, then asked, "So, what exactly was that letter?"

"Hmm..." Dong Muge took out an unsigned letter from the small bag he was carrying and handed it to Ye Xiao.

Ye Xiao opened it with a puzzled look and found that it was a piece of paper with slightly torn edges, which seemed to have been torn from a book.

There were some hastily drawn patterns and densely packed handwritten text on the paper. Ye Xiao squinted and carefully deciphered them before she could roughly understand that it seemed to be an introduction to some kind of ceremony.

For some reason, he had a strange sense of familiarity with what was written on the paper.

He casually flipped through the papers and found a rather inconspicuous pattern in the corner that resembled a religious symbol—a simple sketch of a shepherd holding a black staff.

The moment Ye Xiao saw the logo, he finally remembered what it was.

The Dark Shepherds, the sect that first summoned the evil god Ella in the dungeon.

Ye Xiaoxin was startled. He finally realized what the ritual described on the paper was—it was the same séance they had used to summon the evil god Ella.

This piece of paper, without a doubt, was torn from the book that disappeared at the site of the séance.

"What exactly was that voice of yours?" Ye Xiao looked at Dong Muge, her heart filled with turmoil.

The fact that this item was delivered at such a coincidental time speaks volumes.

Dong Muge shook his head in confusion: "I...I don't know either."

Ye Xiao swallowed hard. He had many guesses, but they were all just endless speculations.

Regardless, the deity who delivered this paper appears to be on their side.

Whether it's good or bad, damn it, so many gods have appeared already, and finally there's one who's openly helping them, at least in a somewhat respectable way.

Even if it's well hidden and might have ulterior motives, at least, the appearance of this piece of paper is definitely Ye Xiao's lifeline at this moment.

The text clearly records the medium, formations, and priest's... wait, what about the priest's ritual procedures?

Ye Xiao grabbed the paper and flipped through it, only to find that the record of the ritual was cut off at the part about the sacrificial process. It was as frustrating as a recipe that only listed the seasonings and ingredients but not the cooking steps.

"Um, are you sure there's only this one?" Ye Xiao scratched his head. "Are there any others? Could we have forgotten something? Well, I'm not questioning your abilities, but I just feel like there should be more than one letter."

"No more," Dong Muge said firmly, shaking his head. "I would never make a mistake about what I'm sending."

"Really? Don't lie to me!" Ye Xiao's scalp tingled. Could this girl be retaliating against him for his coldness earlier by deliberately hiding a card?

Of course, this thought only flashed through her mind. Even if Dong Muge wanted to do such a thing, that deity would definitely not allow her to do it.

Since that's been said, it seems there really is only one left.

But this is too ridiculous. Without the sacrificial procedure, the ceremony can't be carried out at all.

Ye Xiao was very distressed. Even in Ella's memory, she was the "messenger of the gods" in that ceremony, but in reality, she was just a foolish sacrifice and did not participate in the ceremony's procedures at all.

That makes sense. A haughty noble lady would only want to reap the benefits without lifting a finger. How could she possibly do anything herself? All those messy, trivial matters would be left to that butler, Dean...

...Wait, Dean?

Chapter Forty-Three: Promises

After delivering the letter, Dong Muge indeed left as she had said.

Aside from the letter itself, the female classmate, who was just a tool, didn't reveal anything else. Ye Xiao guessed that perhaps the deity behind her had placed some kind of restriction on her.

Regardless, Ye Xiao already had a plan of action.

He took the paper recording the ceremony and immediately went to find Li Cheng, who was still discussing things with the villagers near the burned-down Horn Village.

Having experienced a sudden encounter and faced the power of the gods, the Seven Luminaries Society ended in a crushing defeat with the loss of their saintess. The members of the Seven Luminaries Society looked somewhat dejected.

The villagers who lost their homes all wore expressions of grief, and no one knew where to go from here.

"Prison break...?"

Upon hearing Ye Xiao's proposal, Li Cheng was naturally dumbfounded.

“Yes, that’s the only one I know…in fact, probably the only person in the world who still knows how to perform this ceremony,” Ye Xiao admitted.

Looking at the scribbled ritual record manuscript that Ye Xiao had given him, Li Cheng felt somewhat uneasy. "Brother Ye, I've always trusted you, but this manuscript is a bit..."

“…It’s rudimentary, I agree.” Ye Xiao shrugged. “I can understand your thinking. Making everyone risk their lives to fight the Stormport Guards, pinning their hopes of survival and counterattack on this child’s doodle… As the leader of the group, that’s very irresponsible.”

“No, that’s not what I meant…” Li Cheng held the manuscript, his words hesitant, “It’s just…”

"...I can only hope you believe me." Ye Xiao patted Li Cheng on the shoulder. "Of course, if you don't believe me, I'll have to do it myself."

“No, Brother Ye, I’ve always believed in you,” Li Cheng repeated.

He hesitated for a moment, then took a deep breath, noticing Ye Xiao's slightly puzzled look.

Finally, he revealed his thoughts: "It's just that I've been a little confused all along."

"Actually, I had some doubts before—after all, we've been brothers for so many years, and I can tell if you're hiding something. But I thought you must have your own considerations, so I never intended to ask."

“But now, even though the Holy Maiden is… gone… you still seem so calm.” Li Cheng scratched his head. “Then, suddenly you took out a piece of paper and told me that through the ritual on it, you could bring the Holy Maiden back.”

"I've always believed in you, Brother Ye. I'm willing to be honest with you about everything. If you need help, I'll do everything I can."

“我还记得初一的时候，隔壁班那个傻卵，抢了我写给小夏的情书在讲台上念，呵，然后我就看到你冲上去，直接当着班主任的面把那傻卵揍了一顿。”

"Back then, I thought, damn it, you'll definitely be my best friend for life! ... Even now, I still think so."

"Eighth grade, ninth grade... more than six years have passed in the blink of an eye. Skipping classes, going to internet cafes, fighting, flirting with the prettiest girl in the next class, we've done quite a few crazy things together..."

"I remember my dad even asked you to tutor me in math. Sigh, you were the one who taught me that stupid ellipse. Old Zhang charged me 500 yuan a day for tutoring, and all he could do was show PowerPoint presentations. And he called himself a top-level teacher? Bullshit."

"The day before the college entrance exam, you said you wanted to get into Sun Yat-sen University. I said, 'Then why don't I get into Guangdong University of Light Industry? That way, you won't have to have a long-distance relationship with the girls you introduce me to from Sun Yat-sen University.' You laughed at me for being stupid. It's one thing to get into a university, but at least set your sights on getting into a bachelor's degree first."

"Hey, I just wanted to go to Huadu with you... cough cough, I've said too much. I never thought that after arriving in this shitty world, I would actually start to miss our stupid school."

"I just want to say that I have always trusted you, Brother Ye. I feel like I'm not really suited to say anything mushy... but I still want to say that over the years, you have always been my best brother, Brother Ye."

"If that fake saintess were to gather a whole army of merfolk and attack me right now, and I had to choose someone to entrust with my life, I would definitely choose you."

"But... I always feel that after meeting you in the capital, everything seems different from before."

"I'm not saying you've become bad or anything, it's just that I feel you know a lot of things I don't know, and you're hiding more things in your heart."

"You rarely get drunk with us anymore, and you rarely chat anymore. Most of the time, you go out alone with that obviously extraordinary little maid to complete some tasks that we don't quite understand, and then you come back covered in injuries."

"I always feel like you're carrying something on your shoulders. I don't know if it's for us, or for some grander goal."

“The feeling I get is like…like Miss Ella…” Li Cheng gave a bitter smile. “I know that the dangers the Seven Stars Society encountered before were related to her, but I also saw her risking everything to save everyone. So the only thing I regret is why I was so weak and couldn’t save her, but I never regret choosing to leave the familiar imperial city and follow her to this city.”

"You too, Brother Ye, it seems like you both have distant goals and burdens, and you always face difficulties head-on... So, I've always just idolized Miss Ella, and I've always felt that only you are worthy of her."

"And so... I'm afraid too. Afraid that you'll suddenly disappear like Miss Ella."

"I believe in your goals and I believe in your strength. I just don't know... whether I, or the Seven Stars Society, can accompany you to the very end."

“I’m not very smart, Brother Ye. I often feel lost. Most of the time, I just look at your back and feel that one day you will suddenly leave and never come back.”

"So... Brother Ye, yes, from a rational point of view, if you hadn't been honest, I really wouldn't have dared to let the Seven Stars Society risk their lives in this pointless adventure, because they are my brothers."

"But no matter what, I will go with you, because you are my brother."

"Whether it's breaking out of prison, storming into Stormport, or climbing Windseeker's Keep to drag out that damned count and that imposter saint who's been disgusting us all this time and kill them... I might not be of much use and might even be a hindrance, but even if I can take one more hit for you, I won't regret it."

"I just want to know... Brother Ye, are you willing to believe me?"

Hearing Li Cheng speak at length, which was unusual for Ye Xiao, Ye Xiao fell silent.

Li Cheng wasn't really stupid. If he were truly brainless, how could he have led the Seven Luminaries to survive and thrive in this perilous world in his previous life?

He simply chose to believe and never doubt Ye Xiao, regardless of whether Ye Xiao led him towards a bright future or an abyss.

Ye Xiao also knew that it wasn't that he didn't trust Li Cheng, it was just that this matter...

Well, it's a bit of a delicate matter.

"Damn it, are you just confessing your love to me in this long paragraph?" Ye Xiao laughed and punched the other person's shoulder. "I'm not gay, don't give me this stuff."

"Go away, go away." Li Cheng pouted, and this interruption eased the slightly serious atmosphere a little.

Ye Xiao sighed. Fine, it's not very kind of him to keep the truth a secret while letting others do things for him without him even knowing it, even if many of those things were actually for everyone's benefit.

But that's not friendship. Who would like a friend who keeps telling you what to do, nagging "I'm doing this for your own good," but never says anything in return?

This "relationship" could be teacher and student, father and son, ruler and subject... but it could never be friends.

So he hesitated, pondered deeply, and finally spoke: "Alright, after all this is over, I can tell you some of the truth..."

"Hey, you have to keep your word!"

"...But I must warn you beforehand, you will definitely regret it after hearing this."

"Ha! My tolerance is pretty high, go ahead and say whatever you want."

"Okay, you said it. I hope we can still be brothers then." Ye Xiao smiled meaningfully.

"What are you saying?" Li Cheng clearly didn't realize the depth of his words.

"Alright, alright, so your mental block is temporarily resolved, right?"

"Let's assume you win for now. Okay, let's go to that... you know..."

"The Dead Sea prison".

"Oh right, this is the place." Li Cheng stood up and stretched his shoulders. "Let's go, let's rip them out!"

Chapter Forty-Four: The Dead Sea Prison

Two days later.

Beside Storm Harbor, a small island stands on the dark sea.

Dark clouds, seemingly never to dissipate, rolled across the sky. Below, on the dark and precipitous cliffs, birds occasionally flew past the towering gray brick towers.

In a black iron lattice window atop the tower, Dean, the young man who had once been the steward of the Duke's eldest daughter's residence, now sat unkempt with disheveled long hair and beard, quietly gazing at the gloomy sky outside.

Just standing there quietly, like a frozen stone statue.