Chapter 224

Chapter 224

Seeing how determined they were, Joshua felt worried.

They had gone through so much trouble to get there, and Ella had endured so much along the way, that they simply could not go back empty-handed.

He tried to continue communicating with them.

But those two men wouldn't budge, insisting they leave.

Seeing this, Aurora managed to squeeze out a few tears and said with a sob in her voice, "Please, sirs, let us in. Someone drugged my mom, and now she's in love with someone else that doesn't want me and Dorian anymore."

"We can't be without our mom. Please help us."

Dorian caught on quickly and immediately started crying too. "Sir, please, help us. As long as you're willing to help my mom, I'll do anything to repay you."

The two guards looked at the children's heartbroken expressions, and their attitude clearly softened.

One of them said to the other, "Go notify the High Priest."

The other nodded and quickly turned to walk into the dark tunnel behind them.

The remaining guard still stood in place, blocking them with his hunting rifle to prevent them from entering.

Seeing things take a turn for the better, Joshua breathed a sigh of relief and immediately returned to Ella's side to watch over her.

Soon, the guard who had gone in returned with orders, "The High Priest will let you in, but only two people can enter. The others must stay outside."

Dorian seemed to realize something and quickly pleaded, "Sir, we can't be separated from Mom. Please let Aurora and me go in together."

"Sir, please." The guard looked at Dorian and patiently explained, "These are our rules. The High Priest allowing you in at all is already an exception. If you're not willing, you can leave now."

"We'll go in." Joshua immediately answered, then pulled Aurora and Dorian aside. "You two stay outside and wait for Mom and Dad."

"Once Mom gets better, we'll come find you right away. Listen to the drivers, don't run around, and remember to eat and rest on time, okay?"

Aurora and Dorian had no choice but to agree.

But Dorian was still worried. "What if you're in danger inside?"

Joshua stroked his little face and smiled, "We won't be. I believe they're good people. You're a boy - you need to take care of Aurora, okay?"

Dorian nodded.

Before leaving, Joshua reminded the two drivers again to make sure they took good care of the children.

Although he was very worried about leaving such young children here, under their rules, they had no other choice.

Right now, the most important thing was to solve Ella's problem first.

Led by one of the guards, Joshua carried Ella on his back into the tunnel.

After passing through a long, dark tunnel, the scene before Joshua's eyes shocked him - it was exactly like the legends described.

This place was like a paradise cut off from the world.

Waterfalls cascaded down from high mountains, and streams ran through the village. Along both sides of the waterways were wooden houses built in layers against the cliff walls. In the fields, villagers were working, and the crops were growing well.

At this time of year, with birds singing, flowers blooming, and streams babbling, it made one feel refreshed and relaxed.

Joshua carried Ella on his back, following behind the guard. The villagers working in the fields all looked up curiously, watching them with scrutinizing, wary eyes.

All along the way, this feeling of being stared at made Joshua very uncomfortable. He had a bad feeling about this.

Fortunately, they soon arrived at a wooden house.

The guard gestured to him, "You can rest here. You can put her on the bed. The High Priest will come after finishing their work."

Joshua nodded.

He placed Ella on the bed and tried calling her name a few times, but she still didn't wake up. At least her breathing and pulse were still normal.

After waiting about an hour, someone finally came.

Joshua saw it was a young woman wearing an elaborate set of ethnic clothing, with exquisite silver ornaments on her head that were very eye-catching. Her clothing was much more ornate than the other villagers', clearly indicating an unusual status.

Realizing she might be the key person, Joshua stepped forward and politely nodded slightly.

"Hello, sorry to disturb you. My wife has been drugged. If you can cure her, I'm willing to agree to any conditions you propose."

The woman appeared to be about twenty-five or twenty-six, with healthy wheat-colored skin but extremely delicate features and a slender figure. The unique outfit she wore gave her an extraordinary presence, with a sense of authority that couldn't be questioned.

She walked straight past Joshua and sat down by the bed, picked up Ella's wrist to check her pulse, and looked at her pupils.

Then she gestured to Joshua, "Bring me those things."

Only then did Joshua notice a bowl and a small knife on the side table.

He handed the items to the woman.

The woman showed no expression and without hesitation made a cut on Ella's wrist.

Joshua was startled and immediately stepped forward to stop her. "What are you doing? My wife is pregnant - you can't hurt her!"

The woman glanced at him but paid no attention.

She collected some blood in the bowl, then quickly bandaged Ella's wound. She stared at the blood in the bowl for a while before saying softly to Joshua, "It's not serious. It can be solved."

With that, she put down the bowl and turned to leave.

Joshua confirmed that the wound on Ella's hand was properly bandaged and quickly followed the woman.

"Miss, can you help? How long will the treatment take? I have two children outside the village - can they come in too?"

The woman stopped, her back to him. "My tribe has rules. We don't solve these kinds of problems for outsiders."

Joshua's heart sank, and he pleaded desperately, "Miss, please help. This thing is causing her so much pain, and my children can't be without their mother. I can tell you're kind-hearted. Since you allowed us to come in, I believe you'll help me."

"As long as you're willing to help, I can give you whatever you want."

The woman hesitated, then turned to look at Joshua.

She studied him - tall, handsome, with an outstanding presence. A man with such excellent appearance was extremely rare in their village.

The woman calmly told him, "My name is Dahlia Morris. I'm 26 years old and the High Priest of this tribe. Our ancestors made a rule not to remove curses for outsiders. If you want me to save your wife, you must marry me and become my husband."

Joshua was stunned, hardly able to believe his ears.

Marry her? This was absurd.

Joshua immediately objected, "Ms. Morris, you must be joking. I have a wife and three children. How could I possibly..."

Dahlia's lips curved into an enigmatic smile, and she turned away again, her posture graceful.

"These are my tribe's rules. You can take your time to think about it. Also, as High Priest, I will have many husbands. Even if you marry me, I won't belong only to you."

"If you can't accept this, rest for the night and leave with your wife tomorrow."

With those words, Dahlia seemed completely unconcerned with Joshua's decision. She waved her hand, her wide robe drawing a graceful arc in the air, and turned to leave.

Joshua felt like his throat was blocked - he couldn't say a word.

Hearing sounds from inside the room, he realized Ella might have woken up and hurried back.

Ella had indeed woken up. Her wrist hurt a bit. She propped herself up to sit and found her wrist wrapped in bandages.

Seeing Joshua come in, she demanded unhappily, "What happened to me? Joshua, did you dare to hurt me?"

Joshua sat down beside her and answered vaguely, "Sorry, I accidentally hurt you."

Ella was about to get angry when she suddenly realized she was in a very strange and unfamiliar place. Everything around was wooden structures, even the bed was that old-fashioned wooden frame type.

She stared at Joshua. "Where are we? Is this the beautiful place you mentioned?"

Joshua nodded.

Ella felt it was very quiet around and asked again, "Where are Aurora and Dorian?"

Joshua didn't want to worry her, so he could only continue lying. "They're playing outside. You must be starving. I'll go get you something to eat."

When they came in, he had left all the food with the children. Now to find food, he could only ask the villagers for help.

Ella really thought they were just here on vacation, experiencing rural life. She was indeed hungry, so she let Joshua go prepare food.

She got out of bed and walked out of the wooden house.

Seeing the scenery outside, she did find it beautiful. They seemed to be in a huge valley surrounded by cliffs. In the distance, waterfalls cascaded down the cliffs. The village's wooden houses and farmland created a scene like a paradise.

Ella had grown up in the countryside as a child and felt a natural affinity for this kind of place. She began strolling around the area.

Joshua soon returned to the wooden house with food, only to find Ella gone. Worried she might have an accident, he hurried out to look for her.

He found Ella by the fields chatting with a villager and immediately went forward to call her. "Ella, I've got the food ready. Let's go back."

Ella was enjoying her chat with the villager and was unhappy about being suddenly pulled away by Joshua. She shook off his hand. "We didn't come here for vacation. We came to find someone to treat me, right?"

She finally understood why Joshua had insisted on bringing her to this strange place. He thought she had been cursed and brought her here to seek treatment.

Ella didn't think there was anything wrong with her, and she had just looked around for a long time without seeing Aurora and Dorian.

She started losing her temper with Joshua again. "I want to go home! Where are Aurora and Dorian? Call them back!"

Joshua didn't give in to her but grabbed her hand and forcibly led her back to the wooden house.

Ella remained stubborn. "Joshua, did you hear me? I'm perfectly fine. I'm not cursed. Take me home right now, or I'm going to get really angry!"

Joshua thought of the condition Dahlia had proposed, then looked at Ella losing control of her emotions in front of him. He felt exhausted, almost unable to hold on anymore.

He said in an almost depleted voice, "Ella, can you just listen to me for once? If there's nothing wrong with you, why would you suddenly fall in love with Michael?"

These words stunned Ella again.

She truly didn't know how she had fallen in love with Michael. But who had cursed her? Did such love curses really exist in this world? She couldn't believe it.

"Be good. Once you're cured, you'll be back to normal. Then we'll take Aurora and Dorian home, okay?" Joshua held her hand, patiently coaxing her.