Green Hibiscus fed the pill to the young Cloud Knight, then lightly tapped him on the forehead.
The knight let out a muffled groan. The tension in his brow eased, and his breathing grew steady, as though he had fallen into a deeper sleep.
"This Forget-Sorrow Pill will make him forget everything that happened tonight," Green Hibiscus said as he rose to his feet. "When he wakes up, he'll only remember dozing off during patrol. He won't notice a thing."
Mebius glanced at the Cloud Knight, and after confirming that things really had gone just as Green Hibiscus said, she found herself a little surprised.
Were the people of the Sanctus Medicus this gentle now when they handled things?
…
The two of them passed through the shanties of the old goods market and stopped in front of an abandoned warehouse.
Its iron doors were mottled with rust, but the chains on them gleamed as bright as new, clearly showing signs of frequent use.
Green Hibiscus pulled out a key from his sleeve, unlocked the chain, then pressed somewhere along the inside of the doorframe.
A faint click of machinery sounded. A crack opened in the floor deeper within the warehouse, revealing a stone staircase spiraling downward.
"Please, Saintess."
Green Hibiscus stepped aside and made an inviting gesture.
Mebius did not hesitate. She walked right in.
The staircase was long and winding. At intervals, ghostly green lamps were set into the walls on either side, their dim light throwing shifting shadows across the stone.
The air smelled damp and moldy, with a strong medicinal scent mixed in. The farther down they went, the thicker that herbal odor became.
"Our Sanctus Medicus has been operating on the Luofu for many years," Green Hibiscus said in a low voice as he followed behind her. "This stronghold may not be the largest, but it is the most concealed."
"Back when Lady Dan Shu was still here, this place was one of her alchemy chambers. After Lady Dan Shu… met with misfortune, this site came under my care."
"Dan Shu?" Mebius paused and looked back at him.
She remembered that woman's name too.
Wasn't that the former head of the Sanctus Medicus—the one who'd tried to kidnap Kiana and got thrown into prison by Jing Yuan?
"Does the Saintess know of Lady Dan Shu as well?" Green Hibiscus's tone shifted slightly.
"Lady Dan Shu was once the leader of the Sanctus Medicus and also held an important position in the Alchemy Commission. It's a pity… she was captured by the Cloud Knights and remains imprisoned in Shackling Prison to this day."
There was a trace of regret in Green Hibiscus's voice when he said it, but not much grief.
Mebius picked up on that immediately.
So the Sanctus Medicus wasn't exactly a united front.
After Dan Shu fell, these surviving believers didn't seem especially interested in avenging her. If anything, they seemed relieved, too busy dividing up the vacuum of power she had left behind.
"Lord Green Hibiscus, you've finally arrived!"
Once Mebius and Green Hibiscus reached their destination, one of the sect's followers immediately hurried out to greet them.
It wasn't hard to tell that these people had urgent business tonight.
But Green Hibiscus ignored the subordinate entirely. He stepped forward, spread his arms wide, and let his voice ring through the underground space.
"Everyone, look whom I've brought back!"
A stir went through the crowd.
Green Hibiscus turned to one side, revealing the small figure behind him.
"This child's aura of Abundance is pure as the first light of dawn! From this day forward, she shall be the Saintess of our Sanctus Medicus!"
Whispers broke out like the buzzing of a hive.
"So young?"
"That aura… it's true, I can feel it. That's the blessing of Abundance…"
"But she looks only a few years old…"
Even with all their questions, though, no one stepped forward to challenge him.
For one thing, Green Hibiscus was the highest-ranking person here. Since he had said it, the others naturally would not object.
And more importantly, the reason was brutally practical.
Like Green Hibiscus, they too had sensed the dense Abundance aura surrounding Mebius.
It was obvious to them that this child had definitely received the gaze of the Plagues Author.
If she were properly nurtured, it was not impossible that she might one day receive the Medicus's favor and become an Emanator.
Green Hibiscus was very pleased with their reaction.
Turning to face Mebius, he bowed with even greater respect.
"Saintess, these are our most loyal believers on the Luofu. From now on, should you require anything at all, you need only command them."
Mebius swept her gaze across those faces.
Old and young, men and women, all dressed differently. The one thing they had in common was the same fanatical devotion gleaming in their eyes.
"Mm." She responded faintly, saying nothing more.
That aloof, unfathomable manner only further convinced the believers of her status as someone "chosen by the Medicus."
After all, a child that young, facing so many strangers without crying or panicking, and remaining so calm, was already far from ordinary.
Green Hibiscus felt even more certain that his decision tonight had been the right one.
He clapped his hands, and two people stepped out of the crowd.
A man and a woman, both dressed like ordinary Luofu civilians, utterly unremarkable at first glance.
"These are Purple Violet and Blue Moonflower," Green Hibiscus introduced them. "They run a sundries shop in Exalting Sanctum on the surface. To the outside world, they are nothing more than common shopkeepers. If the Saintess needs to move around in public from now on, they can handle escort and support."
Then he turned to the others. "Remember this well: the Saintess's identity is not to be revealed to any outsider. While within this stronghold, you are to treat the Saintess with the utmost reverence. Not the slightest disrespect will be tolerated."
Everyone answered in unison.
As Mebius watched those faces—some reverent, some zealous, some merely curious—she quietly calculated in her mind.
The remnants of the Sanctus Medicus on the Luofu were larger than she had expected.
Dan Shu's arrest had crippled them, yes, but like cockroaches, they had hidden underground and still managed to preserve their basic organizational structure.
And Green Hibiscus…
Mebius cast a sidelong glance at the sallow-faced man beside her.
For him to have taken over this stronghold amidst the chaos after Dan Shu's downfall, he was clearly no mediocrity.
He treated her with such respect on the surface because he valued the aura of Abundance around her. As for what calculations he was truly making, that was likely known only to himself.
But none of that mattered for now.
Just then, when it seemed Green Hibiscus was about to say more, a disturbance came from outside.
It was three short knocks and one long one, urgent and rhythmic, like some kind of coded signal.
Green Hibiscus's brows knit at once, a hint of displeasure flashing across his waxy face.
"Wasn't there supposed to be no meeting tonight?" he muttered, then gave Purple Violet a look.
She understood immediately and strode toward the entrance.
Moments later, she returned with a figure in a dark teal robe following behind her.
Mebius's eyes fell on that robe. The cloud-pattern embroidery of the Vidyadhara shimmered faintly in the green lamplight.
Oh?
A nearly invisible smile tugged at her lips.
Wasn't this the very same person who had come visiting that afternoon?
The newcomer was none other than Tao Feng.
But now he looked nothing like the mild, courteous Vidyadhara envoy from earlier that day.
His robe hem was stained with mud, sweat clung to his temples, and his breathing was uneven, as though he had rushed a long way to get here.
"Green Hibiscus, something's happened." Tao Feng's voice was low, but the anxiety in it was unmistakable.
"And what could be serious enough to bring you here in person?" Green Hibiscus replied, his tone indifferent and clearly unwelcoming.
Tao Feng didn't answer at once. His gaze swept the room, pausing briefly on the Sanctus Medicus followers before finally landing on the tiny figure crouched in the corner.
Mebius was squatting beside a pile of herb baskets, her back to the others, idly turning an unknown medicinal sprig over in her fingers as if studying it with curiosity.
"And this is…?" Tao Feng asked, frowning.
"Someone new." Green Hibiscus subtly shifted to block Tao Feng's line of sight. "One of ours. There's no need for secrecy. Say what you came to say."
Tao Feng hesitated for a moment, but in the end he did not press the point.
He stepped forward, lowering his voice even further.
"Our cooperation may have been exposed."
At once, Green Hibiscus stiffened. "What did you say? Exposed?"
Tao Feng nodded again. "You heard about what happened in Exalting Sanctum at midday, didn't you?"
"A dragon sovereign turned up out of nowhere on the Luofu. Her methods were terrifying—even Chiya, that brute among the Borisin, was crushed beneath her hand."
Green Hibiscus's brow tightened. "Chiya is dead?"
That had not been part of what he expected.
The midday incident had spread through the Luofu like wildfire, but there had been very little information concerning the Borisin themselves.
And that Borisin called Chiya had been one of the stronger forces in their temporary alliance.
"Not even enough left to bury," Tao Feng said, his throat bobbing. "More troublesome still, the Cloud Knights have begun investigating every shop and warehouse in Exalting Sanctum. Your side may be concealed, but the old market will definitely be searched in the coming days."
"So?" Green Hibiscus's tone gave away nothing.
"So?" Tao Feng's expression turned sharp. "That is a dragon sovereign, Green Hibiscus. How can I know whether you people from the Sanctus Medicus didn't sell us out?"
A crackle of tension went through the underground chamber.
Tao Feng's face changed instantly. His voice shook with anger.
"What exactly do you mean by that?"
"What do I mean?" Green Hibiscus sneered, his sallow features twisting into mockery. "Tao Feng, I know perfectly well what kind of situation your Vidyadhara are in. The Dragon Elders have controlled power for centuries, and now the dragon sovereign Bailu is a sovereign in name only."
"And now a foreign dragon sovereign with such overwhelming strength suddenly appears on the Luofu. Who knows what schemes your Dragon Elders are cooking up?"
"You—" Tao Feng's breathing quickened, his chest heaving. He was truly furious now.
"I what?"
Green Hibiscus did not give an inch.
"It would be only natural for your people to borrow a knife and kill with another's hand—use the Sanctus Medicus and the Borisin to gain your own advantage. That I can understand. I'm even willing to cooperate, since everyone gets what they want."
His voice turned icy.
"But if your Vidyadhara intend to curry favor with that newly arrived dragon sovereign by handing us over as tribute—"
"Bullshit!" Tao Feng finally exploded.
"Green Hibiscus, what do your Sanctus Medicus amount to? However low the Vidyadhara may have fallen, we haven't sunk so far as to throw ourselves in with rats like you and then sell you out for merit!"
"Oh?" Green Hibiscus raised a brow, his tone dripping with scorn. "Then explain today's events. Chiya is dead. Most of the Borisin elite have been wiped out. The Cloud Knights have begun a massive sweep. People like us only survive because we stay out of sight."
"And now the moment that dragon sovereign appears, our position turns this precarious. How do you expect me to believe your Vidyadhara aren't behind it?"
"She is not one of the Luofu Vidyadhara!" Tao Feng almost shouted.
The whole underground chamber fell quiet.
Even the sect members who had been whispering among themselves now fell silent, every eye turning toward Tao Feng.
Green Hibiscus's eyes narrowed. "Not of the Luofu Vidyadhara?"
"Tao Feng, do you take me for an idiot? The five Vidyadhara lineages each have their own elemental affinities—everyone in the Xianzhou Alliance knows that."
"And the dragon sovereign who acted at midday wielded water attuned power of the exact same lineage as your Luofu's Imbibitor Lunae. But your Luofu's current dragon lady Bailu doesn't possess anything close to that kind of strength."
Hearing that, Tao Feng took a deep breath and tried to suppress his anger. When he spoke, it was almost through clenched teeth.
"That dragon sovereign truly is not one of the Luofu Vidyadhara."
"But she is also not someone we can afford to provoke. Green Hibiscus, I don't care what scheme your Sanctus Medicus are pursuing, but there is one thing you had better remember."
"Our cooperation with you exists only on the premise that both sides remain alive."
He stepped forward again.
"If you lose your nerve and ruin everything yourself, then forget the Dragon Elders honoring any agreement—even I, Tao Feng, will be the first not to let you off!"
Green Hibiscus stared at him for a long moment. The anger on his face slowly faded, replaced by a darker, more calculating scrutiny.
"So Chiya's death, the Cloud Knight search—they have nothing to do with your Vidyadhara?"
"Nothing."
"And that dragon sovereign's appearance was an accident. No one foresaw it. The Dragon Elders are already investigating her background. Until they know exactly what she is, they will not act rashly."
"As for the Borisin…" Tao Feng paused, his tone softening just slightly. "What does their life or death have to do with us?"
That was a cold thing to say, but Green Hibiscus's expression loosened a little.
He was right. To Tao Feng, the Borisin were merely pawns. If a pawn broke, another could be found. It was not worth tearing the alliance apart over them.
"…And you still intend to continue the cooperation?" Green Hibiscus asked.
Tao Feng did not answer right away. Instead, he scanned the room.
Some of the Sanctus Medicus followers lowered their heads to avoid his gaze; others busied themselves with the medicinal materials in front of them. Only Mebius, still crouched in the corner with her back to everyone, seemed entirely indifferent to the argument.
"I came here for one reason only," Tao Feng said in a low voice. "To warn you."
"The Borisin may have lost Chiya, but the matter of Hoolay will not stop. The plan must simply be adjusted. It can no longer proceed so openly as before."
"Adjusted how?"
"By waiting," Tao Feng answered simply. "Until the Wardance officially begins. Until the Luofu's attention is drawn away by all the guests gathered for the tournament."
Green Hibiscus frowned. "Wait? Do you know the state the Sanctus Medicus are in right now? After Lady Dan Shu was taken, it took a great deal of effort just to steady people's hearts. If we keep delaying—"
"Then delay anyway," Tao Feng cut in. "Green Hibiscus, you cannot seriously think the scraps of manpower you have left are enough to storm Shackling Prison by force?"
Green Hibiscus fell silent.
Tao Feng was right. The remnant forces of the Sanctus Medicus were in no shape to assault the prison directly. They could barely manage ordinary Cloud Knight patrols without treading carefully.
They had survived to this point not through strength, but through concealment.
If exposed, they would be wiped out.
"And what about the Borisin?" Green Hibiscus tried another angle. "They won't be as patient as we are."
"The Borisin have their own methods," Tao Feng said, not bothering to hide his contempt. "Those savages think that once they rescue Hoolay, they can revive their former glory. Ridiculous. They're nothing but beaten curs. If the Dragon Elders hadn't thought they were still useful—"
He cut himself off abruptly, as if realizing he had said too much.
Green Hibiscus's eyes narrowed slightly, but he did not pursue it.
There were some things better left unsaid. Ask too many questions, and trouble would follow.
"Fine," Green Hibiscus said at last. "Then we wait. But let me make one thing clear—if your Vidyadhara side screws this up, don't blame the Sanctus Medicus for turning on you."
Tao Feng gave a cold laugh. "Likewise."
At that point, neither of them seemed interested in continuing the argument.
Yet just as they seemed ready to part ways, something unexpected happened.
The ceiling above them began to shake violently.
A terrifyingly powerful Path aura descended over everyone present.
Then the entire roof was ripped away, exposing the night sky dozens of feet overhead.
"Enemy attack! Damn you, Tao Feng—was this your doing?!"
But before Green Hibiscus could even finish accusing Tao Feng, he caught sight of the figure in the air and froze.
"G-General… Feixiao?!"
In an instant, both Tao Feng and Green Hibiscus fell speechless.
An Emanator had personally arrived. There was no point struggling now. They may as well surrender.
And yet Green Hibiscus suddenly remembered the Mebius he had brought back.
His heart hardened.
"Members of the Sanctus Medicus, hear me! Even if it costs your lives, buy time for the Saintess to escape!"
"Saintess?" came Feixiao's voice from above, tinged with confusion.
She clearly had not expected that the Luofu's Sanctus Medicus, already reduced to little more than a handful of trash fish and shrimp, would still have the leisure to set up some kind of "Saintess."
Naturally, Feixiao concluded at once that there had to be a scheme here she had not yet uncovered.
Her gaze swept the room and quickly landed on the little figure in the corner.
Mebius:
…Haha.
When a person is truly, profoundly speechless, sometimes the only thing left to do is laugh.
Join here to read ahead.
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