That night, after they returned to the residence, Lingsha no longer looked as angry as she had in Shackling Prison. Instead, she turned to look at Mebius.
For a moment, the courtyard fell into silence. Neither of them seemed in any hurry to speak first.
"…Little Dragon Sovereign, you did that on purpose tonight, didn't you?"
In the end, it was Lingsha who broke the silence.
Back in Shackling Prison, she had stood firmly on Mebius's side and scolded Feixiao without reservation.
But the truth of the matter was not hard to guess.
Given the strength Mebius had shown, even if General Feixiao was an Emanator, she still probably could not have actually bullied her.
Naturally, Mebius was not about to admit it.
She put on a puzzled expression and asked, "What do you mean? I don't understand."
Lingsha only sighed.
As the Alchemy Commission's Cauldron Master, her status might not compare to an Arbiter-General's, but she was not stupid.
A three-year-old child sneaking out alone in the dead of night, just happening to run into the Disciples of Sanctus Medicus, just happening to be mistaken for their saintess, and just happening to get rounded up in one sweep by General Feixiao?
If the world really had that many coincidences lined up so neatly, then they were no longer coincidences.
"Did you run into Tao Feng at the Sanctus Medicus hideout tonight?" Lingsha changed tack and asked instead.
"Tao Feng? The one who came by in the afternoon to deliver medicinal herbs?"
"Yes."
"I did see him." Mebius nodded. "He seemed to know that Green Hibiscus fellow. The two of them talked for quite a while—something about cooperation, Borisin, Shackling Prison, and the like. But before they could finish, that foxian general had already arrived."
Then Mebius threw the question back at her.
"So? Has General Jing Yuan's side finished investigating it now?"
Though she asked, Mebius already knew the answer perfectly well.
After all, the Vidyadhara had been caught red-handed colluding with outsiders. Even if they wanted to deny it, that was unlikely to work.
"Mhm." Lingsha nodded, sat Mebius down on the reclining couch, and pulled over a small embroidered stool for herself.
"The Vidyadhara dragon elders of the Luofu intended to collude with the Disciples of Sanctus Medicus and the Borisin. They planned to break into Shackling Prison and rescue Hoolay."
"Not only that," she continued, "they also wanted to free Shuhu—whether dead or alive."
Mebius blinked, clearly not expecting Shuhu to be part of this mess too.
"Shuhu? The Abundance Emanator the Xianzhou sealed away?"
"Precisely." Lingsha's gaze darkened.
"Though the records say Shuhu fell nearly a thousand years ago, as an Emanator of Abundance, even if only a scrap of flesh remained, there would still be a chance for it to return."
"And that flesh is still astonishingly active. If it were released and then resonated with the Ambrosial Arbor…"
She paused, lowering her voice.
"The dragon elders believe that by using Shuhu's Abundance to resonate with the Arbor, and then infusing the Vidyadhara with the power of Propagation, they could solve the Vidyadhara's inability to reproduce."
At that, Mebius finally understood the whole scheme.
So this was what those dragon elders had been plotting.
Propagation was indeed a Path closely tied to the continuation of life.
The greatest pain of the Vidyadhara race had always been their inability to reproduce naturally. Every new life meant the passing of one of their own from the past.
And when a Vidyadhara truly died—unable to molt and reincarnate—their numbers were permanently reduced. With loss outpacing renewal, their population would only continue to shrink.
If they really could obtain the power of Propagation…
Well, she had to admit it: their line of thinking was not entirely wrong.
After all, if one wanted to solve the Vidyadhara fertility problem, Propagation was probably the Path with the highest likelihood of doing so.
Though that Path itself was… more than a little twisted.
No wonder the Borisin had brought along so many Propagation-born Sting insects at noon. So those had been prepared for the Vidyadhara.
A Propagation Vidyadhara?
Mebius felt the very image was horrifying.
If she had to choose, she would rather be a snake than become something like those bugs.
"But it's utter wishful thinking." Lingsha's tone sharpened abruptly.
"Taiyi, the Aeon of Propagation, has long since been devoured. That Path is fractured and incomplete. Even if some remnant power could truly be extracted from it, it would never be something the Vidyadhara could control."
"And what is Shuhu? That was an Emanator of Abundance that forced the entire Xianzhou Alliance to exhaust itself just to seal away. To release it again? That would be no different from drinking poison to quench thirst."
Mebius tilted her head and looked at the rare anger on Lingsha's face.
At least among the Vidyadhara of today, there were still a few clear-headed people left.
"So General Jing Yuan already knew about this?" Mebius asked again.
In the original sequence of events, Jing Yuan had seemed to know something in advance too.
"He knew part of it," Lingsha answered honestly.
"He knew that the Disciples of Sanctus Medicus were colluding with the Borisin. He just never expected the Vidyadhara dragon elders to be mixed up in it as well."
"And now?" Mebius pressed.
"Now…" Lingsha hesitated. "Now the evidence is conclusive. Tao Feng was caught red-handed. Even if the dragon elders want to deny it, they can't deny everything."
"But given how slippery those old foxes are, they'll most likely push Tao Feng out as the scapegoat and wash their own hands clean of the whole affair."
"After all, Tao Feng was only a dog raised by the dragon elders. And what do masters know of what their dogs do?"
"Still, this matter is far too serious. Even if those dragon elders want to wriggle free, General Jing Yuan will never let them."
Mebius tilted her head. "Lingsha, you seem to understand them quite well."
Lingsha did not answer immediately. She fell silent for a long while.
"…Little Dragon Sovereign, you only need to remember one thing: as things stand, try not to have too much contact with the Vidyadhara dragon elders of the Luofu."
There was something faintly off in her tone.
After all, before going with Jing Yuan to Shackling Prison that evening, she had gone to see the dragon elders herself.
To be honest, her own people had left her deeply disappointed.
She knew all too well what state the Vidyadhara were in.
To struggle for survival was not a sin. At least, that was what Lingsha had once believed.
But what the dragon elders had been doing lately had long surpassed the line of what one might excuse as survival. There was not the slightest trace of compassion or humanity left in them.
At first she had been uncertain, half-doubting the accusation that the Luofu Vidyadhara had betrayed the Alliance. But after hearing the dragon elders' own account, she felt that any lingering trust was meaningless.
They had violated one of the Alliance's highest taboos—and in doing so, invited war and slaughter upon the entire Vidyadhara race.
Even if they truly regained the ability to reproduce, so what?
At that thought, Lingsha felt her chest tighten.
In the end, she only shook her head, as though trying to cast off the matter altogether.
"Enough. Let's not talk about this anymore. It's getting late. Little Dragon Sovereign, you should rest."
She stood, unfolded the light blanket on the couch, and gently draped it over Mebius.
"There are things to do tomorrow. You shouldn't sleep too late."
"Hm? What things?" Mebius poked her head out from under the blanket.
Lingsha's hand paused briefly.
"Tomorrow… I need to make a trip to the Divination Commission."
Mebius frowned slightly. "The Divination Commission? What for?"
She had assumed tomorrow would, at most, mean sharing a meal with Jing Yuan and hearing that Heavenstrike General offer her an apology, and that would be the end of it.
So why was there now a visit to the Divination Commission mixed in?
"Naturally, because of Yuanqiao," Lingsha replied.
"Little Dragon Sovereign, do you know how many Arbiter-Generals are currently gathered on the Luofu?"
Mebius blinked and began counting on her fingers.
"Jing Yuan is one. Feixiao is another. And Huaiyan, whom I met at noon… Are there more?"
"Four." Lingsha held up four fingers.
"General Jing Yuan, General Feixiao, General Huaiyan, and… the Yaoqing's General of Strategy, Yaoguang."
"Yaoguang?" Mebius froze for a moment.
Qiyana and Cecilia had met her before, back when they had just left the Luofu.
But for Mebius, this would be the first time.
And in the original Wardance story, Yaoguang had not seemed to have any role at all.
After a bit of thought, Mebius could only arrive at one conclusion.
Were these generals planning to imitate the divination Cecilia had once undergone on the Luofu?
But hadn't the Divination Commission supposedly already been squeezed dry back then and left only barely scraping by?
"…Let me guess. These generals are here because of me?" Mebius asked.
Though she already knew the answer was very likely yes.
As expected, Lingsha nodded and continued, "Yes. These generals truly have all come for your sake."
"The Wardance is a grand event of the Luofu. It may not be common, but not even that is enough to gather four Arbiter-Generals together at once."
"They have come here, most likely because of Yuanqiao."
"Little Dragon Sovereign, your appearance is a major matter for the entire Xianzhou Alliance. General Jing Yuan has already reported it to the Marshal."
"And the Marshal's reply was this: during the Wardance, let the four generals deliberate together, then perform a divination to determine the auspices and dangers surrounding Yuanqiao."
Mebius fell silent.
She had not expected the Alliance to react this quickly—or with such a grand display.
Then again… after all the foreshadowing she herself had set up, maybe it was not really that surprising.
In that case, so be it.
Sooner or later, this day had to come.
…
By the next day, morning had arrived.
After breakfast, Lingsha helped Mebius wash up, dressed her in a fresh set of clothes, and then took her out.
Just as planned, the two of them arrived early at the Divination Commission.
Someone was already waiting for them at the gate.
It was Jing Yuan.
Today he was dressed in a dark teal robe, his white hair bound up with a jade crown. Gone was most of his usual laziness; in its place was a certain solemnity.
Though the faint crease at the corner of his eyes and that almost-smiling curve to his mouth still betrayed the ease buried in his bones.
"Miss Mebius. Miss Lingsha." He stepped forward and inclined his head. "Did you rest well last night?"
"Thanks to the General's concern, quite well," Lingsha answered for them.
Mebius, meanwhile, said nothing.
They did not linger outside. Jing Yuan simply turned and gestured inward.
"Come in first. The wind is strong out here."
The three of them passed through the gates of the Divination Commission and followed a long blue-stone corridor inward.
At the end of it lay a spacious courtyard, and in the center of that courtyard stood a huge circular stone table.
Three people were already seated there.
The first to catch Mebius's eye was Feixiao.
Today she wore a silver-white fitted outfit, her long hair tied high behind her head, revealing a face as sharp and heroic as ever.
When she saw Mebius enter, her expression visibly stiffened for a moment, but she quickly returned to normal.
"Good morning, Miss Mebius," she greeted first, her tone steady enough.
Mebius gave her a glance, did not respond, and turned her attention to the other two instead.
To Feixiao's left sat an elderly man.
Huaiyan, the Candleflame General of the Xianzhou Zhuming—the one Mebius had met yesterday in Exalting Sanctum.
"Little Dragon Sovereign, we meet again," Huaiyan said with a small nod and a warm tone. "Yesterday's parting was too hasty for proper conversation. Today should provide the opportunity."
Mebius returned the nod politely, then shifted her gaze to the last person.
Yaoguang.
Qiyana and Cecilia had already met her before, but for Mebius this seemed to be their first encounter.
At the moment, Yaoguang appeared to be bickering with someone standing beside her—Taibu Fu Xuan.
The two seemed to be arguing over the resources needed for today's divination.
"Honestly, Junior Sister, why are you pulling such a long face?" Yaoguang said, wearing an expression of exaggerated concern. "This divination is for the whole Alliance. Surely the Divination Commission can suffer a little for the greater good?"
Judging by her tone, the two of them were indeed quarreling over the cost of today's divination.
Which made sense. From the last incident, even with Nous essentially footing the bill, the Divination Commission had still been nearly emptied clean.
"You don't understand, Senior Sister." Fu Xuan's expression was darker than Mebius had anticipated, and the heavy circles under her eyes made it clear she had not rested properly in a long time.
"After the last divination concerning that Miss Cecilia's warning about Enigmata, the resources the Divination Commission had accumulated were almost completely exhausted. Do you understand what that means?"
She raised one finger and pointed into the air.
"It means the Divination Commission cannot perform any large-scale divination at all until supplies are replenished."
"It means my diviners spend their days checking star charts, organizing ancient texts, and cleaning storerooms!"
"That sounds rather nice, doesn't it?" Yaoguang cut in with a smile. "Peaceful and leisurely. Plenty of people would envy that."
"Peaceful?" Fu Xuan's voice rose several notches. "Senior Sister, you are the Strategy General of the Xianzhou Yuque. Of course you don't understand the plight of us poor people on the Luofu!"
"This time, with four Arbiter-Generals gathered to divine Yuanqiao, all the cost comes out of our Divination Commission's foundations. We've only just barely recovered from the previous drain. If this empties us again, what then?"
Yaoguang tilted her head. "Then you save up again."
"Save up again?" Fu Xuan gave a cold laugh. "Easy for you to say. The Divination Commission's reserves were wiped out in one stroke. Where exactly do you expect me to save from?"
She took a breath, clearly trying to control herself.
"And to make up the shortfall from the last divination, I haven't closed my eyes properly in days."
"Everyone sees the Divination Commission's diviners lounging around with their holidays, but who's going to care about me, the Taibu?"
At that, the courtyard fell quiet for a beat.
Jing Yuan coughed lightly and deliberately looked away, pretending to admire the distant scenery.
Only Yaoguang remained smiling, utterly unmoved by her junior sister's complaints.
"Yes, yes, very hard work," she said, patting Fu Xuan on the shoulder with not the slightest sincerity. "But Junior Sister, this is for the entire Xianzhou Alliance. What is a little suffering in the face of such righteousness?"
At that point, Fu Xuan had nothing more to say.
After all, this truly was for the Alliance as a whole. She could hardly refuse.
But her subtext could not have been more obvious: this was her way of telling the assembled generals that the Luofu's Divination Commission should not be expected to bear the cost alone, and that some compensation would be very much appreciated.
Yet somehow every single one of them was acting as though they had heard nothing.
Did they believe that? Because she certainly did not.
"Alright, alright." Jing Yuan finally stepped in to smooth things over. "The Taibu's efforts will naturally be remembered by the Alliance. After this divination, I will petition the Marshal to replenish some of the Divination Commission's resources."
Fu Xuan looked at him, her lips parting slightly, but in the end she only let out a huff and said nothing more.
Watching from the side, Mebius silently lit a candle for Fu Xuan.
Life at the Divination Commission really did not seem easy.
"And this," Yaoguang finally said, shifting her attention away from Fu Xuan and onto the small figure beside Jing Yuan, "must be the little Dragon Sovereign from Yuanqiao."
"Hello, little Dragon Sovereign of Yuanqiao—Miss Mebius."
"My name is Yaoguang. I come from the Xianzhou Yuque. I assume you've heard of me already."
Mebius did not deny it. She greeted her openly enough.
"Hello, General Yaoguang."
The two acknowledged each other briefly.
Then Jing Yuan moved to the stone table and took the main seat, signaling for Lingsha to guide Mebius to hers.
Lingsha settled Mebius at Jing Yuan's right hand, then withdrew to stand beside the other attendants behind the generals.
"Since everyone is here, let us begin," Jing Yuan said first, his tone noticeably more serious than usual.
"The reason I invited all of you here to the Divination Commission today, I believe, is already clear to everyone."
He paused, letting his gaze pass across the faces of those present.
"The matter of Yuanqiao's reappearance is of great importance. The Marshal's intention is that, during the Wardance, the four generals should deliberate together and then conduct a divination to determine its auspices and its perils."
Everyone nodded. No one objected.
Jing Yuan then turned toward Yaoguang, the corner of his mouth lifting faintly.
"General Yaoguang, when it comes to divination, you are among the foremost in the Alliance. And, being of the same school as our own Taibu Fu Xuan of the Luofu, I wonder how the two of you have arranged things?"
Yaoguang leaned back in her chair and waved one hand with a smile.
"General Jing Yuan, you flatter me too much. I would never dare claim to be among the foremost. I've merely lived a little longer and seen a little more."
Then she turned to Fu Xuan and tipped her chin toward her.
"As for the details, let my junior sister explain them. After all, this time's divination will require one of Yuque's prized treasures."
Fu Xuan drew in a breath and stepped forward.
Though the darkness beneath her eyes remained impossible to ignore, standing before the gathered generals she held herself ramrod straight, finally looking every inch the Taibu.
"Honored Generals," Fu Xuan said, her clear voice carrying through the courtyard.
"This divination is unlike any ordinary matter. Yuanqiao vanished long ago, and now that it has resurfaced, the knot of causality and fate surrounding it is too intricate for any commonplace divination to pierce."
She paused, her eyes sweeping across the assembled Arbiter-Generals.
"Therefore, after consulting with my senior sister, we have decided to directly employ the Xianzhou Yuque's great ship-relic—The Dharma Realm of Tenfold Reflected Light."
The instant those words left her lips, the courtyard stilled.
Feixiao's brow twitched ever so slightly. Huaiyan's hand paused in the act of stroking his beard. Even Jing Yuan's gaze deepened.
"The Dharma Realm of Tenfold Reflected Light…" Feixiao murmured the name. "That's one of the Yuque's crown jewels. Activating it once carries no small price, does it?"
"The price is indeed considerable," Fu Xuan replied without denying it.
"But this divination concerns not only the safety of Yuanqiao, but the fate of the entire Xianzhou Alliance. If we use ordinary means, the result will be nothing but haze and uncertainty—and that would only lead us astray."
She looked toward Yaoguang, and for once her voice carried a note of genuine respect.
"That Senior Sister is willing to make use of the Dharma Realm of Tenfold Reflected Light is an act of responsibility toward the Alliance as a whole."
Yaoguang smiled and waved her off.
"Junior Sister, don't heap praise on me like that. The Dharma Realm of Tenfold Reflected Light belongs to the Yuque. When the time comes to use it, we use it. Hoarding it away for appearances would be the real waste."
Then she paused, and her eyes, still smiling, turned toward Mebius.
Something serious flickered beneath that smile.
"Especially since the appearance of this little Dragon Sovereign is, in itself, a variable. And the greater the variable, the more we need the most precise means available to observe it. Otherwise, one wrong step could lead to ruin at every turn."
Mebius met Yaoguang's gaze without speaking.
This Yuque general wore a permanently smiling face and gave the impression of easy warmth—but the things hidden in her eyes were far deeper than that surface suggested.
"The Dharma Realm of Tenfold Reflected Light…" Huaiyan murmured as he stroked his beard.
"I have heard it said that this treasure can illuminate ten directions and reflect both past and future. Much of the Yuque's status as the Alliance's informational nexus rests upon it."
"You overpraise it, General Huaiyan," Yaoguang said modestly, though there was unmistakable pride in her tone.
"The Dharma Realm does have some uses, yes, but it is not as miraculous as the outside world makes it out to be. What it reveals is only possibility within the web of fate—not an unchanging future."
"That is more than enough," Jing Yuan replied. "Fate is, by nature, a field of endless variables. To glimpse even one or two of them is already a profound blessing."
Then he turned to Fu Xuan again.
"Taibu, since the plan has already been decided upon, when can we begin?"
Fu Xuan answered evenly:
"Right now."
Join here to read ahead.
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