Seeing General Xuanquan react so violently, her adjutant was also startled.
She looked at her general with concern, wondering if the general had somehow conceived a child in these few short days, leading to physical exhaustion.
It was a pity that the Vidyadhara had been unable to procreate for so many years; as a result, the entirety of the Fanghu lacked proper prenatal care facilities or recovery plans.
Could the treatments meant for short-life species even be applied directly to a Vidyadhara?
Obviously, that wouldn't be appropriate.
"General, are you alright? Is the burden of conceiving a child too taxing? Although the Swarm's expansion usually happens in an instant, you are still Vidyadhara, after all. Madam Bai Ming really shouldn't have been so impatient."
"...Stop! This is getting more ridiculous by the second."
Seeing her adjutant spiraling into absurdity, General Xuanquan ignored everything else and hurriedly told her to shut up.
How had she never noticed this adjutant was such a gossip before?
"Oh..."
The adjutant shut her mouth sheepishly, swallowing the rest of her words. However, her probing gaze remained unmasked; she was clearly still playing it out in her head.
Xuanquan felt a wave of mental exhaustion. This was indeed an oversight on her part.
She had anticipated that people might mistake the egg for her own offspring, and she hadn't particularly minded such rumors. But she hadn't expected the rumors to drag Bai Ming into the mess as well.
To be fair, it wasn't like she and Bai Ming were the only ones in that room.
Ruan Mei was there too, wasn't she? How did they manage to pinpoint Bai Ming so accurately while leaving Ruan Mei out of the equation?
"First of all, that egg is indeed related to me, but absolutely not in the way you're implying. And her birth is indeed related to Bai Ming, but definitely not in the way you all think!"
Xuanquan felt that this rumor desperately needed to be cleared up.
"Oh... I see."
The adjutant nodded obediently, signaling she knew she was wrong. But as for whether she actually believed she was wrong, that was hard to say.
"Also, where did you get this bizarre information?"
Xuanquan couldn't exactly crack open the adjutant's head to see if she truly believed it. Regardless, she had to nip the source of the rumors in the bud.
It hadn't been that long, and already people were saying she and Bai Ming were having children together.
If this continued, would people start saying she was going to offer the Xianzhou Fanghu as a dowry to marry Bai Ming?
The scary thing was, people might actually believe such a wild rumor.
Xuanquan knew that if Bai Ming made such a demand, claiming she could save the Vidyadhara race, Xuanquan really would petition the Marshal to give up half her General's seat to her.
Thus, this absurdity had to be stopped.
Upon hearing the question, the adjutant spoke innocently:
"It was the Master Diviner. They calculated that the egg shares a deep bond with you, General, and also possesses a mysterious connection with Madam Bai Ming. That's why we..."
The adjutant felt she was being quite reasonable.
While the Divination Commission's predictions weren't 100% accurate, their hit rate was incredibly high.
Since the divination explicitly pointed to a profound connection with General Xuanquan and Madam Bai Ming while barely mentioning Madam Ruan Mei, wasn't the answer obvious?
One couldn't exactly claim the Master Diviner's calculations were riddled with errors. In several centuries, there hadn't been a hexagram so fundamentally wrong.
Yet, looking at the General's expression, she didn't seem to be lying either. As her adjutant, she felt she knew General Xuanquan well. If the General were lying, she should have been able to detect it.
But this time, the adjutant felt Xuanquan was telling the truth.
So, here was the problem.
The General wasn't lying, and the Master Diviner's result couldn't be that far off. Where was the disconnect?
The adjutant lowered her gaze in thought, and suddenly, a flash of insight struck her. She remembered!
Madam Bai Ming's swarm, while certainly related to Propagation, also clearly shared a connection with the power of Remembrance. They could multiply based directly on a person's memories.
After that great war, the internal discussions within the Xianzhou concluded that Bai Ming's swarm possessed a unique power of Remembrance, and the source of that power was likely Bai Ming herself.
The power of Remembrance was usually impossible to guard against, let alone a power strong enough to alter the Swarm. If it were targeted, the probability of General Xuanquan falling victim to it wasn't low.
But if Madam Bai Ming really had tampered with the General's memories... what was the motive? Or rather... was it even necessary?
The adjutant didn't think Bai Ming intended any harm toward the Xianzhou.
The fact that Bai Ming was an ally of the Alliance had been verified many times. Her reputation was solid.
So, why?
She couldn't figure it out, but she could only keep this doubt tucked away in her heart for now.
General Xuanquan, naturally, had no idea that in this short span of time, her adjutant's thoughts had wandered off into a distant galaxy.
She was currently thinking about having a serious chat with the Fanghu's Master Diviner about this hexagram.
The hexagram itself was correct; Xuanquan knew the Saint Graph originated from Bai Ming.
So, strictly speaking, the connection was indeed close. But you can't interpret a hexagram like that! Who taught you to read it that way?!
Thus, after grabbing another command tally, Xuanquan gave her adjutant some instructions, telling her to properly clear up these strange rumors within the General's Residence.
After that, she hurried toward the Fanghu Divination Commission.
She needed the Master Diviner's cooperation for a public statement. Otherwise, if she were the only one explaining, those gossip-loving types would only believe the current version of the story.
General Xuanquan hurried away. Although the adjutant remained skeptical, she would still carry out Xuanquan's orders diligently. Since the General called it a rumor, she would treat it as one.
As she began her work within the residence, news arrived from those who had gone to the Ancestral Sea.
It was mostly good news, but the adjutant caught one key piece of information: the individual inside that Vidyadhara egg was not in human form!
The adjutant's overactive imagination immediately made the leap.
That was it!
To the Vidyadhara, the more one resembled a dragon, the more noble they were. But that was just the Vidyadhara perspective.
To an outsider, seeing one's offspring look completely different—even becoming a beast-like creature—was probably difficult to accept.
Perhaps General Xuanquan's memory wasn't altered because of some conspiracy.
Maybe Madam Bai Ming simply couldn't accept that the child was dragon-shaped rather than human. Given that the two of them hadn't known each other long, there probably wasn't much of an emotional foundation to begin with.
So, to make things cleaner, perhaps General Xuanquan—or the other party—had chosen to completely sever this connection to avoid future complications.
"Sigh..."
The adjutant sighed.
If that was the reason, there was really nothing to be done. She couldn't force an outsider to accept Vidyadhara values.
Moreover, since the two weren't a couple, there was no ground to talk about feelings or commitment.
Fine, she would clear up the rumor!
Ultimately, the adjutant decided to keep her theories to herself.
Soon after, word came from the Divination Commission saying that there were some issues with the Master Diviner's interpretation and that it shouldn't be taken so literally.
In short, with the cooperation of both the General's Residence and the Divination Commission, the strange rumor was successfully suppressed—at least it wasn't being told with vivid, "eyewitness" details anymore.
But even so, the fact remained that their General had indeed produced a so-called "blood relative."
And unlike Dan Feng of the Luofu, who had coveted immortality and committed a Great Sin, General Xuanquan's guarantee aside, that Vidyadhara egg pulsed with the pure aura of Permanence, untainted by the power of Abundance.
To the Vidyadhara, the significance of this was no different than placing a living god in front of a group of religious devotees.
It was impossible to stop people from talking or speculating. Over time, the news spread rapidly across the entire Xianzhou Alliance.
--+--
On the Luofu.
After receiving the news, Jing Yuan's mood became exceptionally complex.
If this news were truly authentic, then the Vidyadhara—no, the entire Scions of Permanence—would likely turn their full attention to this person named Bai Ming.
"Dan Feng... compared to such a genius, we are truly but flickering fireflies competing with the bright moon. If only back then, sigh..."
Jing Yuan held the report, sighing softly. Yingxing's death had occurred after Madam Bai Ming had gone missing.
Even if Bai Ming could have achieved such a feat back then, she was nowhere to be found.
Moreover, coveting immortality was one of the Ten Unpardonable Sins; how could they have dragged a benefactor into that mess?
It was all down to fate and timing.
Now, Jing Yuan could only comfort himself.
At least his master had escaped the Mara-struck state, Baiheng was flourishing among the Galaxy Rangers, and Yingxing... no, Yingyue, was safe under his and General Huaiyan's care.
Only Dan Feng's reincarnation wandered the cosmos, his tracks hard to find. He couldn't return to the Xianzhou, but why did that old comrade-in-arms never show his face even once?
Thinking back now, Madam Bai Ming's evaluation of him had truly hit the mark.
"A chauvinist... Heh. At first, I thought it was nonsensical, but now it seems incredibly fitting."
Jing Yuan shook his head with a sigh.
"I wonder how the Preceptors will feel when they find out. Years of plotting all gone to waste, and instead, they've become estranged from the new High Elder."
Once the news from the Fanghu spread, the petty schemes of the Luofu Preceptors seemed even more pathetic in Jing Yuan's eyes.
Back then, Dan Feng could at least claim he was forced by circumstances.
Now, despite the Luofu having a much more distant relationship with Madam Bai Ming, it was General Xuanquan—who had only just met her—who had taken this historic step first.
According to the intelligence from General Xuanquan, Bai Ming had been the one to approach her, wanting to study the power of the Scions of Permanence. General Xuanquan had stood her ground against all opposition to agree to it.
Jing Yuan thought it over and felt that, given the friendship between the Luofu and Madam Bai Ming, the only reason she hadn't chosen the Luofu Vidyadhara was likely because she had considered their complicated internal situation.
To avoid unnecessary trouble, she had turned to General Xuanquan instead.
Regardless, it didn't matter to Jing Yuan. He was a Xianzhou native, not a Vidyadhara.
Seeing that bunch of Preceptors turn into absolute clowns was a joy to witness. Perhaps he could even use this as leverage to seize more authority for Yingyue.
With that thought, Jing Yuan summoned his lieutenant and began making arrangements with a smile.
--+--
Meanwhile, on the other side.
'Cipher' felt like hardly any time had passed. In fact, right in front of her, Ruan Mei had just hand-crafted another draconic descendant, similar to an Eastern dragon—snow-white and winged.
Compared to the Chimera, this one looked far more majestic, though it wasn't large, barely over a meter long when stretched out. A total lightweight.
However, unlike the Chimera, Ruan Mei hadn't used Saint Graph fusion this time.
She had truly relied solely on analyzing General Xuanquan's flesh and blood to artificially create a draconic being. And this one bore a temperament strikingly similar to 'Cipher's' own body.
Clearly, this was Ruan Mei's own little indulgence again.
"You finished it already?"
'Cipher' looked at the creature lying in the nutrient tank, marvelling at Ruan Mei's efficiency.
"Mm. The analysis went smoothly, thanks to the tissue sample you collected from that Xianzhou General."
Ruan Mei smiled at 'Cipher'. That sample had been a massive help, saving Ruan Mei a significant amount of time.
"But a whole day has passed. What is Xuanquan doing? She's not back yet... Didn't she say she was just going to settle that little one in?"
'Cipher' scratched her head in confusion. But soon, her expression shifted. She began to feel a surge of power brewing within her body.
"What's wrong?"
Seeing 'Cipher's' face suddenly change, Ruan Mei thought she had remembered something important. Instead, 'Cipher's' expression became quite subtle.
"...I think I have a guess as to what General Xuanquan has been up to. It seems your previous suspicion has come true."
"Eh? Oh..."
Ruan Mei started for a moment before realizing what was happening, swallowing the words she was about to say.
But what kind of rumor had it turned into, exactly?
Looking at 'Cipher's' nuanced expression, Ruan Mei felt that this "believed lie" might be a bit strange.
As for 'Cipher', her curiosity was satisfied. But the problem was that because of this bizarre lie, her abilities were starting to veer off in a weird direction.
Based on the results of the "Enigmata" power activating, 'Cipher' could now actually cause the Vidyadhara population to increase.
But the method... was a bit odd.
First, she needed a female Vidyadhara to cooperate.
Then, 'Cipher' could use the power of Propagation to conceive an egg inside the other party's belly...
Once the egg reached a certain stage of development, the mother would birth the egg, and after a further period of incubation, a new Vidyadhara would be born.
She really wanted to know now.
What exactly was this rumor? It was one thing to use Propagation to create new Vidyadhara, but why did it turn into needing the mother to incubate it internally and then lay an egg??
Wasn't General Xuanquan supposed to be dealing with this the whole day she was gone? Why did it end up like this??
What on earth did Xuanquan say to the other Vidyadhara to make them believe she had birthed that egg herself??
--+--
T/N: If you want advance chapters, you can find it at [email protected]/AspenTL