Bailu's clear, innocent eyes looked up at the tall woman before her.
It felt strange.
This was obviously the first time she had ever met this big sister.
And yet—
Why did she feel such an inexplicable sense of familiarity?
So strange.
Strange enough that even Bailu's little head couldn't figure it out.
"Um… big sister," Bailu asked, tilting her head,
"Did you come to the Alchemy Commission for something?"
The woman's eyes were completely hidden behind a strip of black silk.
Yet somehow, Bailu could feel concern coming from her gaze.
Very strange.
"I heard that the Alchemy Commission has a Healer Dragon Lady,"
the woman said calmly.
"One who can cure all ailments."
"So I wished to come—
like any ordinary person—
to seek medical advice."
Originally, Jingliu had planned to visit Bailu only after the Stellaron crisis was fully resolved.
But now that she had returned to the Xianzhou…
Not seeing an old acquaintance felt wrong.
After all, once everything ended back then, she had left the Luofu behind.
She did care about her old friend.
"Oh?" Bailu crossed her arms, her dragon tail swaying back and forth.
"Judging by you, are you here to cure your eyes? Or something else?"
Strange.
She felt no wariness toward this woman at all.
The woman had appeared without a sound—
Yet Bailu felt unusually relaxed.
"My eyes are unharmed," the woman replied.
"I merely cover them so I do not see familiar things… and fall into inner demons."
"But recently, my thoughts have been restless.
Nightmares disturb my sleep."
"I wished to ask whether the Dragon Lady has a method to calm the spirit."
Bailu scratched the back of her head.
"That doesn't really sound like something I handle—"
"Ah! No, no, that was rude of me!" she quickly corrected herself.
"The Alchemy Commission doesn't reject patients!"
"Big sister, stretch out your hand. Let's start with your pulse."
"After that, I'll have you take some Transparent Insects, so I can take a closer look."
The woman slowly extended her hand.
But the next moment—
Bailu yanked her hand back in shock.
"S-so cold!"
She had never felt a hand this cold before.
This wasn't a temperature a living person should have.
Her pulse was almost nonexistent.
By normal standards, this meant imminent death.
And yet—
Her body looked perfectly alive.
Holding her hand felt like gripping a block of ice.
Within her meridians, something surged like hidden underground rivers—
restless, violent.
"Big sister…"
Bailu hesitated for a long time before speaking.
"For your condition… I don't have a clear answer yet."
"But I can prescribe some calming medicine first."
"Drink plenty of warm water, too!"
"Your yin and yang are seriously unbalanced—
that's not a good thing."
"If you could stay on the Luofu for a few more days,
I might be able to study it properly and find a solution."
The woman looked at the little Dragon Lady.
She smiled gently—
and shook her head.
"No need."
"The Dragon Lady truly lives up to the legends."
"Merely seeing you has already dispelled much of the heaviness in my heart."
"That alone surpasses a hundred divine medicines."
"Huh?"
Bailu stared at her, confused.
Did this big sister… know her?
But Bailu was certain—
She had never met her before.
So strange.
She rubbed her head, completely puzzled.
"..."
The woman seemed to sense someone familiar approaching.
She turned slightly, preparing to leave.
Better not to meet.
Seeing her today, knowing she was safe—
That was enough.
Outside the Alchemy Commission—
A blond man stood quietly, a massive white coffin strapped to his back.
His gaze rested on the colossal tree growing in the distance.
The Ambrosial Arbor.
The reason he had come.
And the reason she had returned.
The being sealed within the coffin behind him—
That was the true objective.
As for the Stellaron crisis?
It had nothing to do with them.
The blond foreigner didn't care.
Their agreement was simple—
Use the Stellaron as an excuse.
Be captured.
Enter the Shackling Prison.
And meet the Marshal of the Xianzhou.
Above the six Emanator-level generals—
There stood one supreme figure.
The Marshal.
Mysterious. Rarely seen.
Her sole purpose—
The Hunt.
The woman glanced at the man and shook her head slightly.
"It's time to go."
"Thank you."
No more words were needed.
Seeing that her old friend was well—
That was enough.
"Eh?"
"Big sister, you're leaving already?"
"T-then take these warming herbs with you!"
"Boil them daily—twice a day!"
"They won't cure the root problem," Bailu added seriously,
"but they'll help a little."
"If you stayed longer, I might be able to find a real solution."
"No need."
"If there's nothing else—
I'll take my leave."
She waved lightly and walked toward the blond man.
Outside the Alchemy Commission—
The blond man stood silently, staring at the Ambrosial Arbor.
Soon, a familiar presence approached.
"So soon?" he asked.
"Not staying a little longer?"
"The one I wished to see—
I've seen her."
"Knowing she's well is enough."
The blond man was Luocha.
And the blindfolded woman—
Was none other than the former Sword Champion of the Luofu.
Jingliu.
"It's a pity," Luocha said calmly,
"that he isn't here."
"You mean the Stellaron Hunter called Blade?" he continued.
"He escaped the Shackling Prison."
"If you want to meet him…
he should be there."
He gestured toward the Ambrosial Arbor—
Toward Scalegorge Waterscape.
The forbidden zone of the Luofu.
Jingliu nodded slightly.
If the past was to be resolved—
Scalegorge Waterscape was unavoidable.
But before she could speak—
Luocha's gentle voice reached her again.
"Have you heard?"
"A Nameless recently arrived on the Luofu."
"He uncovered certain truths during the Alchemy Commission incident."
"And the way the Vidyadhara treat the Healer Dragon Lady…"
"…is far from kind."
Luocha's tone was always like this—
Soft, calm, yet impossible to read.
After traveling together for so long,
Jingliu understood him well enough.
She nodded once and turned away.
"I understand."
Luocha watched her retreating figure and sighed softly.
"…Still so impulsive."
He turned his gaze back to the distance.
The coffin beside him was his only companion.
Xianzhou people had no concept of coffins.
Immortality made them unnecessary.
That was why Luocha always drew curious stares.
Whenever asked, he simply said—
It was a tool for business.
The coffin never protested.
It couldn't.
After all—
Only he and Jingliu knew what lay inside.
And who it was meant for.
The Vidyadhara were now ruled by the Dragon Elders.
Bailu, the Dragon Sovereign, had long been stripped of real authority—
Reduced to merely the Healer Dragon Lady.
In truth, the elders had long wished to replace her.
Before the Imbibitor Lunae Incident,
Dan Feng's overwhelming prestige had freed him from elder control—
Leading directly to catastrophe.
History was full of disasters caused by unrestrained Dragon Sovereigns.
Jing Yuan knew this well.
The struggle between Dragon Sovereign and Dragon Elders had never ceased.
After the rebellion, the Vidyadhara fell into a deep trust crisis on the Luofu.
Dan Feng was imprisoned by the Ten-Lords Commission.
Yet for some elders, this was opportunity disguised as disaster.
They pushed for abolishing Dragon Sovereign governance—
Replacing it with elder rule.
Their ultimate goal—
Absolute control.
They never expected Dan Feng to designate Bailu as his successor.
Now, with the Stellaron crisis—
Hope rekindled.
The Vidyadhara were riddled with internal rot.
And the greatest traitors—
Were the elders themselves.
Luofu — Vidyadhara Territory.
A woman walked slowly into the grand hall.
Step by step.
Up the long stairs.
Toward the old figures waiting inside.
"Dragon Elder Xuepu. Feng Huan."
"It's been a long time."
"You—"
"…J-Jingliu?!"
Xuepu's brows knotted as he stared at the former Sword Champion.
"You—why are you here?!"
"This is sacred Vidyadhara ground!"
"You didn't receive permission—
how dare you enter?!"
Fear crept into his voice.
As if his schemes had been laid bare.
Jingliu's voice was calm.
Cold.
Unyielding.
"The laws of the Xianzhou…"
"have never had any effect on me."
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