The Beloved Baby Priestess of the Twelve Zodiac Gods - Chapter 91

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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Chapter 91
As Yeo Ryeong tried to rise, her body swayed, and Do Gyeong quickly steadied her.
“Rest is the priority for now.”
He turned to Do Hoon with a question.
“How many people made direct contact with the tree that day?”
“Ah.”
Fortunately, Do Hoon and Woo Hyun had not directly touched the tree.
The problem was Arin.
Do Hoon’s face drained of color at the thought of her.
“Arin may have touched the tree back then.”
“What?”
“I’ll bring her right away.”
Do Hoon bolted from the room without waiting to hear Do Gyeong’s response.
His body trembled like aspen leaves as he rushed toward the Plum Blossom Hall.
The image of his mother withering away and Arin overlapped in his mind, nearly driving him mad.
Arin was watering flowers in the courtyard of the Plum Blossom Hall when she greeted him with a bright smile.
“Hmm? Brother? What brings you here?”
Do Hoon seized Arin by both shoulders and asked urgently.
“Did you happen to touch that ginkgo tree that day?”
“The ginkgo tree?”
“Have you been sleeping more? Has the top of your head turned white, or does everything look cloudy, like fog in your eyes?”
His hands grew clammy with tension as he rattled off symptoms in disjointed bursts.
Arin was bewildered by his sudden arrival and frantic words.
“If you mean the ginkgo in the forest, I never touched it. Just the mist.”
“Really?”
“Yes. I’m sure. So calm down, brother.”
Arin took his hand with concern, feeling how cold and trembling it had become.
The tense current flowing between them made it impossible for Arin not to feel anxious as well.
“What’s wrong? What happened?”
“The Priestess has been poisoned.”
“……Poisoned? What do you mean?”
“I’ll explain on the way.”
Do Hoon hurried Arin toward where Yeo Ryeong was.
* * *
Having heard of Yeo Ryeong’s condition during the journey, Arin grew grave.
“Priestess……!”
“Why is everyone making such a fuss?”
Yeo Ryeong squinted, having just finished her examination and been about to return to the Temple Shrine.
Do Gyeong had stopped her from going to investigate the tree herself.
“You must refrain from using Divine Power for the time being. The poison worsens with each use of the Twelve Zodiac Animals’ strength.”
Do Gyeong, already intimately familiar with the Priestess’s afflictions, continued his lecture.
“I can feel it already. The target of that tree was clearly me. I walked straight into an obvious trap.”
“It really was the tree? But it was already purified…….”
“Then whoever did this used a Tao Art so elaborate it deceived both you and me.”
“That…….”
A Tao Art sophisticated enough to fool the Priestess herself was unheard of.
Arin asked seriously.
“Could they have used Baek Mu Je’s Yeouiju again?”
“Now that they know Baek Mu Je is alive, they’ve grown bolder.”
The Yeouiju possessed a cohesive nature such that even if split apart, it would eventually reunite.
They had expected that upon Baek Mu Je’s death, they would naturally obtain the complete Yeouiju—his survival was an outcome they had not foreseen.
“It seems I must accelerate the Succession Procedure.”
Yeo Ryeong pressed her throbbing temple and fixed her gaze on Do Gyeong.
Understanding everything from that look alone, Do Gyeong spoke.
“You need not hesitate. I was prepared for this all along.”
Arin, who had been lost in thought the entire time, finally opened her mouth.
“Couldn’t we turn the tables by using Baek Mu Je’s Yeouiju against them?”
“Turn the tables?”
“I’ve heard the Yeouiju is perfect when whole. If they’ve achieved such power with a fragment, wouldn’t they covet the complete one even more?”
The Yeouiju of Baek Mu Je, now fully matured, was far more formidable than before.
Anyone who had tasted half of the power would naturally crave the other half.
“If I mobilize the nature of the Yeouiju and my Divine Power, I might be able to overcome the monster phenomenon occurring now. Of course, we’d have to try first….”
Do Hoon, who had been listening to Arin in silence, showed a negative reaction.
“But for that, we’d need Baek Mu Je’s permission. As you know, to the White Dragon, the Yeouiju is as precious as life itself….”
“There’s no need to worry about that. I already have it.”
“You have it?”
“Before Mu Je enrolled in the Twelve Zodiac Village, he entrusted the Yeouiju to me. Of course, to use it, I’ll still need his permission and help….”
At Arin’s casual words, her family’s expressions shifted by the moment.
Do Gyeong’s face grew the most grave of all.
“Wait, wait just a moment. Girl, that bastard—I mean, that fellow gave you his remaining Yeouiju?”
“He didn’t give it to me. He entrusted it to me temporarily.”
That was the same thing, wasn’t it?
Do Gyeong swallowed hard and trembled.
Arin might not have understood, but the White Dragon’s Yeouiju meant far more than merely his life.
Among their kind, there was a tradition of giving half the Yeouiju to one’s beloved and pledging eternal love with it.
‘That’s why he went so willingly to the Twelve Zodiac Village and hasn’t returned!’
He had been confident, secure enough to afford patience.
Fortunately, Arin seemed unaware of what that truly signified.
Do Gyeong didn’t know how to explain it and showed his reluctance.
It was then that Do Hoon spoke.
“It would be better to return it.”
“Why?”
“Ask him directly why.”
Do Hoon was displeased that Mu Je had proposed to Arin without her knowledge.
For him to set his sights on Arin when the Yeouiju matter remained unresolved was presumptuous.
Naturally, his voice turned colder than usual.
“And let’s think more carefully about using the Yeouiju. There’s no harm in caution.”
Once Do Gyeong eased the situation lightly, he heaved a sigh of relief.
But Yeo Ryeong, who had been watching the entire exchange, interjected.
“Is that so? I think Arin’s idea sounds quite reasonable.”
“Priestess.”
“Can we really afford to leave them untrained in using the Yeouiju? We must do everything we possibly can.”
“That may be true, but….”
“By now, they’ve likely learned what I suffered. Their aim won’t end with merely suppressing my power—we must act quickly.”
The Priestess’s words held merit.
With Yeo Ryeong’s support, Arin’s voice grew firm.
“Then I’ll discuss it with Mu Je on that understanding. When should I begin attending the Twelve Zodiac Academy, Priestess?”
Arin’s eyes sparkled with determination.
“This is driving me mad.”
“Sigh.”
When her eyes shone like that, no one could stop her.
Do Gyeong muttered under his breath with a deeply furrowed brow, while Do Hoon released a heavy sigh.
Regardless of their dismay, Yeo Ryeong continued.
“First, we’ll need to summon the Twelve Zodiac house lords to the village. We must introduce you formally.”
* * *
Several days later, Yeo Ryeong’s letter reached every Twelve Zodiac house lord across the realm.
The Priestess, who had held the position for countless years, had suddenly announced her retirement.
Moreover, she declared she would appoint a new Priestess.
The person in question as the new Priestess was likely the Acting Priestess who had emerged months ago.
If Yeo Ryeong moved mysteriously, the Acting Priestess seemed almost supernatural.
Even shrouded in the Silver Gauze Veil, her distinctive presence could not be hidden.
The Acting Priestess wielded some Mystical Art that changed her aura each time, making her identity difficult to pinpoint.
Currently, only the Gold Tiger Clan, which served as the Priestess’s guards, knew her origins.
And now came this formal announcement of succession.
“A new Priestess? What on earth is happening?”
Hong Yi Jin tapped the letter thoughtfully, lost in contemplation.
It had been ages since the Priestess summoned all the house lords.
The fact that she was summoning them to the Twelve Zodiac Village in particular meant something intimate and grave.
When word reached Hong Yi Jin that Yeo Ryeong had barely left her residence in recent days, she sensed this was no ordinary matter.
“Has something gone wrong?”

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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