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    Chapter Index

    Chapter 161 Under the Temple 2

    The bishop looked at him sternly for a while, then suddenly lowered his eyelids, his expression changed quickly, and in a blink of an eye he looked kind again.

    “Since the time has not come, forget it this time. I will pray for you, help you atone for your sins, and win the love of the Holy Father as soon as possible.” He said, reaching out to Luke, who caught it without hesitation, kissed He’s ring, and decisively let go.he This set of movements is smooth and elegant.It was all over, and the bishop’s hand was still frozen in the air. The old man’s face was slightly gloomy, he glanced at him without any trace, turned around and left.

    When the bishop was further away, Luke stood up straight, turned around and walked in the opposite direction.I was left alone behind the pillar with mixed emotions.

    It’s Luke.In a blink of an eye, ten years have passed.

    If it were not for the name Luke, he would have been erased from my memory.He and I don’t have a close relationship. I played with him a few times when I was young ten years ago.Later, when the war between the North and the South started, out of sympathy, I forced him to keep carving rabbits and bring them back to me, so that he could have some thoughts during the cruel war and know that there are still people who are looking forward to him and thinking about him.After he left, I forgot about this matter. Instead, he always kept his promise and kept asking messengers to bring rabbits to me for several years. He became more and more skillful in carving them.When I was twelve years old, this gift came to an abrupt end. He asked a messenger to tell me that he would be very busy in the future and would not be able to carve rabbits for me anymore.

    We both knew that this was just a high-sounding excuse.The truth is, I grew up.It’s time for him to start avoiding suspicion.

    Later, I occasionally heard his name and learned that he survived the war and took over the position of master of the knights.The breathtakingly beautiful boy from ten years ago gradually disappeared from my heart. Now that he appears in front of me again, I can no longer remember him.

    I don’t know him very well, and now that I think of him, I have no intention of going up to him to get to know him.I quietly watched he leave the private garden, hid for a while, and after confirming that no one noticed my existence, I quietly left and went to the solitary room to confess myself.

    In the gloomy corridor behind the church, there are countless narrow and dark single practice rooms arranged like small cells.And not everyone can come to these extremely simple practice rooms. Only those with money and power can apply to the church to “donate” one.After most of the nobles donated their practice rooms, they never visited them once in their lives. There was once a nouveau riche who decorated this humble room with extreme luxury, but was severely reprimanded by the church which upheld the Qing laws. It was not until the unlucky man donated all the property in the room to the church that he became clean.

    The housekeeper has donated a quiet meditation room for me, and donated indoor items to the maximum extent allowed by the church.Moisture-proof blankets are hung on the walls, and an offering table, idols and thick leather mats for kneeling are placed in the room.I had to recite scriptures and repent here every afternoon until evening. The housekeeper did his best to ensure the comfort of the environment and prevent me from being invaded by the coldness of the stone chamber of the church.

    As usual, I knelt on the leather mat, held the rosary beads in my hands, and began to recite verses from the holy book.Use mechanical and profound rhetoric to brainwash yourself, forcing you to ignore the abnormalities in your body and the worries in your heart.I had just had my menstruation a few days ago, and now I am taking the medicine modified by Godiva. The physical pain has been alleviated. In the quiet and holy atmosphere of the church, and in the bone-chilling coolness of the confessional, I have really found some peace.I was addicted to this kind of self-narcosis, unaware of the passage of time, until slowly, I realized that there were some regular sounds that disturbed the silence of the space. One after another, they continued, interrupting the rhythm of my fiddling with the rosary beads, making me frown slightly.

    Although the nobles would spend a lot of money to donate the practice rooms, they only wanted to have peace of mind. Very few people would actually come here to suffer. Occasionally, they would pretend to be pious and leave as quickly as possible.Who is so bold as to make a noise here?

    The sound was clear and sharp at intervals, resounding in the empty stone chamber, as if it was amplified several times.I was disturbed by the noise and became more and more irritable. Finally, I couldn’t stand it anymore, so I opened my eyes, dropped my rosary and sulked.

    Forget it, let’s go back today.

    I got up depressed, adjusted my linen robe, covered my head and face with a thick linen hood and veil, opened the wooden door and walked out.In the winding and quiet corridor, the sound was louder and more concerning. It should come from a nearby room.I became suspicious for a moment, so I followed the sound and looked for him quietly.

    It was not yet evening, but the corridor was backlit and illuminated by torches. The stone rooms on both sides were empty, making the atmosphere very eerie.I searched slowly, gradually feeling a little scared, and finally found the source of the sound.I approached cautiously, looked in through the tiny window on the simple wooden door, and was stunned at just one glance.

    This stone room was empty, almost like a cave in the mountains. Only a small window at the top of the stone wall let in a faint beam of sunlight.In the center of the room, a man knelt directly on the dark stone floor, his upper body naked, holding three whips in his hands. While reciting a confession in a low voice, he swung the whip back mercilessly and slapped his back.Each stroke of the whip left three shocking whip marks on his broad and well-proportioned muscular back.

    It is self-flagellation. In the holy religion that advocates self-punishment, this is one of the most extreme forms of asceticism.Even among the most devout and fanatical believers, there are only a few who are willing to self-flagellate as repentance.This was the first time I saw a self-flagellating person. I was immediately frightened by the horrific and bloody sight. I took a big step back with a low cry, almost falling into the stone wall behind me. At the same time, the sound of whipping in the room stopped.

    My head and face were covered, only my eyes were exposed, and they were wide open in fear. I saw the wooden door of the confession room being pushed open, and the man inside appeared.At this moment, the depression in the entire corridor was illuminated by the warmth and beauty of his face.He A pair of lake green eyes, with deep color and sparkling light, glanced at my embarrassment, then immediately lowered his head, knowing that he had scared me, and whispered softly: “I’m sorry.”

    I was shocked, and when I saw he’s face, I was even more stunned. I didn’t expect that the person in the room who was cruelly punishing himself just now was actually Luke!

    Under the dim light, I was wrapped tightly, and he didn’t recognize me.Seeing that I was frightened, he didn’t say anything, picked up the shirt from the ground and put it on.I stared blankly at his elegant movements, but thinking about the scars on his back, I couldn’t help but shiver.But he had already put on his coat and walked out of the room. He didn’t say anything anymore, he just nodded to me as a courtesy, then passed me and walked away.

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