Chapter 16 Chapter fifteen

Brother Bartholomew stood in front of the tent, hesitating.Through the raised curtain he saw them. Inside the tent, lying on a bed made of carpets, Jia Boye has woken up, washed his face, and tied a male blue turban on his head.He opened his eyes wide and kissed the hands of his lovely girlfriend, a young Indian girl who was regarded as a princess who had great influence on the Incas.And she's a witch! Hesitating for a second, he hesitated whether to walk in or turn around and leave.Since none of them noticed his presence, he did nothing and let himself sink into the sinful abyss of curiosity.

A smile played on Brother Bartholomew's lips.Witch, this young Indian girl is definitely a Witch!For two nights in a row, he saw her do the trick with his own eyes. If he had been in Spain, he would have sent her to the execution ground. Now, the couple kiss each other affectionately.Love is like a halo that binds them tightly together.Brother Bartholomew hesitated again, but his curiosity continued unabated. He saw her and gently pushed away his kiss.She gently put Jia Boye's injured arm aside, and stroked his cheek with a smile.For a second, she was no different from all the girls in love all over the world.

However, after she got up, she turned back into the dignified princess again, with a serious expression that almost surpassed her beautiful appearance.Later, she saw him. While catching the eyes of his lover, Jia Boye also found him. Brother Bartholomew stepped forward and greeted them with a calm demeanor. "I think a Lazarus here has awakened!" he said sarcastically. His laughter vanished into thin air.In short, the eyes of the young princess impressed him deeply.Without blinking, she gave him a quick nod. "Don't be afraid," he told her. She looked at him expressionlessly.He felt uncomfortable now, as if she had the ability to see through him, to see the twists and turns of his past that he would rather forget forever.Finally, he thought he saw a gleam of a smile in her noble blue eyes, but it took such a short time that even he couldn't be sure what he saw.

The princess hastily said a few words to Jia Boye in the Quechua dialect.After that, he stretched out his wrist, tightened the silk shawl on his shoulders, and walked out of the tent calmly, making people think that he saw the Queen of Spain. Bartolomeo continued to stare at her, and heard Jia Boye's deep voice behind him: "Don't get me wrong, Brother Bartholomew. Anna Maya admires you very much, but unfortunately she doesn't trust all Spaniards." "Don't blame her!" "What's the meaning?" "You should have seen how she pushed me away... Really, like everyone else, I thought you were dead, but she thought you must be alive."

Playing tricks on Jia Boye always gave the monk some pleasure, but Jia Boye was clearly not yet fully awake in mind or body.While the monk continued to talk endlessly, a helpless smile appeared on his face: "One thing is absolutely true. She saved your life, I can testify." Bartholomew looked at Jia Boye's tightly closed eyelids for a while. With his eyes closed, Jia Boye smiled and asked: "Tell me, Brother Bartholomew, because she won't say anything. And me, I can't remember anything—except being cold." Thinking of this only memory, he trembled all over.

"...After that, when I regained consciousness, I only saw those eyes staring at me." "Everyone, except God, thought you were dead. Especially Captain Suto!" Brother Bartholomew said affirmatively. "You have lost consciousness and can't hear the sound of breathing. Su Tuo asked me to perform the unction ceremony before you die. When she came over, I was just about to start!" Jia Boye couldn't help laughing as he imagined the scene at that time. "Do you know what she does?" went on Brother Bartholomew, "and holds you close until morning, as if keeping you warm in a brazier. Ah, I should say you have a very fine figure." , it's hard to forget..."

Jia Boye let his imagination run wild, and was so moved that he couldn't speak.He opened his eyes again, hiding his shyness with a mocking tone: "You just let her do it?" Friar Bartholomew acquiesced.Two strange fingers that were joined together slipped from the temple to the chin thoughtfully. "That's right. It's unusual and inappropriate, I admit it. But there was a lot of noise around you at the time, and after a whole night of tossing around, it seemed almost... normal. However, my good friend Jia Boye, Anyway, don't let those who haven't seen it know. You understand?"

Jia Boye did not respond.He felt a slight heat all over his body, remembering that in the moment of life and death, Anna Maya gave him her whole heart. "In other words, I got a blessing in disguise because of my illness..." Thinking of this, he smiled wryly like a grimace. Brother Bartholomew shook his head, and added: "The next day, after you were placed in this tent, the princess covered your wound with a kind of clay obtained from the shore. In short, she forced you to drink a large amount of medicinal soup prepared by herself." "That's it?" Jia Boye was surprised.

"That's it. And it's really a lot." "what do you think?" "Afterwards, you are healed." Brother Bartholomew's tone suddenly made Jia Boye feel deeply uncomfortable. "Of course," went on Bartolomeo, "you screamed and screamed for a while, but you were very happy. I think you see yourself as a beast. I really don't understand it, because, it's strange, you Speaking the mother tongue of your lovely girlfriend instead of Castilian. You know, I learned it, but only scratched the surface..." "It should be a wail of pain," Jia Boye said. "The Indians here know how to make medicinal herbs, Anna Maya...I mean the princess, who knows the secret. This is known all over the country."

"Perhaps. But the most amazing thing is, you know, the wound on your head stopped festering and bleeding on the spot. You can feel it yourself, and it's already scarred. It's the same as your arm." Brother Bartholomew's tone was tinged with concern, which made Jia Boye tremble all over.Such concern reminded him of some conversations from long ago, and the sinister smile of the clergy before the conspiracy. "What is your purpose?" he asked. "This lovely princess perplexes me," said Bartolomeo gravely, "and is it not said that she possesses certain powers which even the most powerful Inca princes admire?"

Jia Boye sat up, with a displeased expression on his face, all friendly expressions were swept away, and old doubts arose in his heart again. "If you think I know what kind of witchcraft it is, then I tell you that you are mistaken, Brother Bartholomew. Ana Maya is not a woman disguised by a demon!" "Did I say that?" "I hope you don't think so." "You're wrong about me, my friend." Brother Bartholomew seemed really taken aback, and even laughed frankly.He put his deformed hand on Jia Boye's shoulder. "What's wrong with your head, Jia Boye? Do you think I'm going to hurt your friend? Or you blame me, why did you deliberately break things up for you when you were so upset?" Jia Boye twitched the corner of his mouth, ignoring the monk's ridicule. "I have never seen any clergyman manage to undertake for a long time what he does not understand!" "No!" Bartolomeo suddenly stood up and protested. "You are wrong and don't know me well, Jia Boye. I have not come to this country to cause pain, but to make peace! If it can be done. You must believe me!" "Let's talk." Jia Boye retorted indifferently while lying down. Brother Bartholomew studied him for a moment. "Jesus Christ can testify for me. Friends, I think the most important thing is to understand the seemingly impossible to understand." Jia Boye watched him walk out of the tent. He closed his eyes, exhausted.Although still hostile to the latter, he still remembered that if it weren't for this strange monk who was so enthusiastic that he couldn't bear it, he might not have been able to say goodbye to Anna Maya, let alone hear the gentle "I Love you", until now, these words are still lingering in his heart, and even saved him... It was too late to call him back.Besides, he was sleepy too, with a smile on his lips.