Jiang Si feigned surprise at the appropriate moment. She had to show some reaction, otherwise, how could the Grand Elder continue her speech?
Elder Hua was genuinely startled: “Grand Elder—”
The Grand Elder waved her hand, her gaze fixed on Jiang Si: “I’m thinking that perhaps you are the true Holy Maiden, not A-Sang.”
This time, Jiang Si’s surprise was genuine: “Grand Elder, please don’t jest.”
The Grand Elder pointed around: “If it were a jest, I wouldn’t say it here.”
“The Wu Miao Holy Maiden is a divinely chosen spiritual girl, while I am a true-born citizen of Great Zhou.”
The Grand Elder paused for a moment, then said: “A-Sang had Great Zhou blood flowing in her veins.”
“What?” Elder Hua was even more astonished than Jiang Si.
Jiang Si remained silent, only widening her eyes slightly to express surprise. She hadn’t expected that by merely changing her approach with the Grand Elder, she would learn such a secret.
In her previous life, she had been a rootless drifter, living in fear while concealing her identity. In this life, she was the thick-skinned Princess of Great Zhou who dared to do anything. Consequently, the Grand Elder’s choices differed.
The Grand Elder explained solemnly: “A-Sang’s maternal grandmother went to Great Zhou in her youth and returned with a baby girl, who became A-Sang’s mother… A-Sang’s maternal grandfather was likely from Great Zhou, so A-Sang had Great Zhou blood in her…”
Elder Hua was unaware of this, but Elder An knew. It was because Elder An knew this that when A-Sang showed poor talent, she began to suspect that A-Sang wasn’t the true divinely chosen girl, but rather someone the Grand Elder had forcefully promoted to maintain stability.
To be honest, the Grand Elder had her doubts, but she could never agree with Elder An’s view. Under her leadership, they had already missed one generation of Holy Maidens. She could wait for a third-generation Holy Maiden to grow up, but if they missed another generation, the Wu Miao would fall into chaos after her passing.
Both she and Elder An had Wu Miao’s best interests at heart, but their different ideologies led to constant conflicts.
Jiang Si listened quietly to the Grand Elder’s explanation, then calmly said: “From what you’re saying, Grand Elder, A-Sang’s maternal grandmother, and both parents were Wu Miao people. Even if her maternal grandfather was from Great Zhou, A-Sang’s Great Zhou bloodline would be very thin. It’s not surprising that she was a divinely chosen girl. But I’m a pure-blooded Great Zhou person, how could I possibly be Wu Miao’s divinely chosen girl?”
The Grand Elder remained silent for a while, her tone less certain: “Perhaps something went wrong. Maybe the true god’s selection of the Holy Maiden isn’t limited to the Wu Miao. Otherwise, how do we explain the missing generation before A-Sang?”
Jiang Si chuckled: “Are you suggesting that the true god got bored with its children and started admiring others’?”
The Grand Elder’s mouth twitched, feeling helpless at Jiang Si’s interpretation.
“Regardless, since you’ve mastered the insect control techniques, you must be the true Holy Maiden. You should know that throughout Wu Miao’s history, only the Holy Maiden could master these techniques,” the Grand Elder said firmly.
The new generation’s Holy Maiden fully mastering the insect control techniques meant that the Grand Elder had completed her task. Even if something unexpected happened now, there was no need to worry.
The Grand Elder’s gaze on Jiang Si was extremely complex.
The appearance of a true Holy Maiden was a joyous event, but why did it have to be a woman from Great Zhou?
Jiang Si remained indifferent, clearly not accepting the Grand Elder’s explanation.
Seeing this, the Grand Elder steeled herself and revealed another secret: “My guess is also related to the three prophecies left by the Supreme Elder before her death.”
Elder Hua was shocked.
The three prophecies left by the Supreme Elder?
It seemed there were many secrets in the tribe that even she, as an elder, didn’t know.
The Grand Elder seemed to guess what Elder Hua was thinking and sighed lightly: “It’s not surprising that you don’t know. The three prophecies left by the Supreme Elder are related to our tribe’s survival, and very few people know about them.”
At this point, a shadow of gloom passed over the Grand Elder’s face.
Such a crucial secret was known to few even among the tribe’s elders, yet somehow the Snow Miao tribe might have learned of it…
Jiang Si asked: “Was the Supreme Elder your predecessor?”
Although she already knew the answer, she had to ask. Otherwise, the Grand Elder would be more convinced that she was the true Holy Maiden.
The Grand Elder nodded: “That’s right. The Supreme Elder was skilled in divination and once prophesied three omens related to the Wu Miao’s survival. One of them was—”
She looked deeply at Jiang Si before continuing: “The dragon’s seventh son will bring the dawn, dispelling the darkness of the Wu Miao.”
Jiang Si’s heart skipped a beat.
The Grand Elder’s voice sounded old and distant in the secret chamber: “Throughout the world, only Great Zhou sees the dragon as a symbol of imperial power. The dragon’s seventh son must refer to Great Zhou’s Seventh Prince, who is Princess Jiang’s husband, Prince Yan.”
“So?” At this moment, Jiang Si’s face was expressionless.
The Grand Elder stared at Jiang Si for a moment, then slowly said: “Prince Yan once saved A-Sang. At first, I thought this fulfilled the Supreme Elder’s prophecy, but then A-Sang died… And you, who became Prince Yan’s wife, not only look identical to A-Sang but have also mastered the insect control techniques…”
Jiang Si fell silent.
While outwardly calm, her inner thoughts were in turmoil.
A-Jin had saved A-Sang?
No wonder A-Jin knew about A-Sang’s death and understood so much about mystical arts…
Jiang Si began to miss the scissors she had left at the prince’s mansion.
“Fine, I don’t mind being the Holy Maiden,” Jiang Si said casually, having calmed down.
Her easy agreement caught the Grand Elder off guard.
“What are the other two prophecies?” Jiang Si asked.
The Grand Elder shook her head: “It’s not convenient for you to know those two prophecies yet unless you agree to stay in Wu Miao long-term as the true Holy Maiden.”
This was something Jiang Si naturally couldn’t do.
She temporarily gave up on learning about the other two prophecies and smiled: “In that case, let’s discuss cooperation.”
“Cooperation?” The Grand Elder’s expression turned peculiar.
Jiang Si nodded with a smile: “Yes, it would be mutually beneficial. What do you think, Grand Elder?”
“Tell me how you propose we cooperate.”
“The Wu Miao need a Holy Maiden, and I am a princess of Great Zhou. I can’t stay here all the time. How about this: when the Wu Miao needs the Holy Maiden to appear, I will do my best to cooperate. The rest of the time, I’ll continue my life as a princess. This arrangement would last until a new Holy Maiden appears for the Wu Miao.”
“What do we need to do?” the Grand Elder asked pointedly.
She had already realized that compared to the pure and aloof A-Sang, this Great Zhou princess before her was not easily fooled.
There’s no gain without loss; it all depended on whether she could accept the conditions proposed by Prince Yan’s wife.
Jiang Si looked at the Grand Elder, then at Elder Hua, and said calmly: “You don’t need to do anything usually. If the prince and I encounter unavoidable trouble, I hope the Wu Miao will help us overcome it.”
The Grand Elder pondered for a moment, then nodded solemnly: “Agreed.”
After agreeing, she produced a small token: “This is the Holy Maiden’s token. If you encounter trouble, send this token to the Wu Miao, and we will provide full assistance.”
Jiang Si accepted this significant Holy Maiden’s token, feeling that this journey had been extremely fruitful.
Not long after, the Grand Elder received news that someone bearing the Holy Maiden’s token was seeking an audience.