Cecilia's gaze fell on Yaoguang, seeming a little surprised that she had chosen to step forward.
Hadn't Dan Shu said her artifact was enough to block even an Emanator's senses? And yet it had still been divined so quickly?
Tsk. So these paid-for items really weren't that reliable after all.
Yaoguang smiled faintly. At some point, an ancient set of divination tools had appeared in her hand.
"Lady Cecilia may not know this, but my title as the Xianzhou's General of Stratagem wasn't earned for nothing. I still can't calculate your daughter's exact location at this moment, but with a little time, it won't be difficult."
She lightly shook the divination instrument in her hand, letting several copper coins fall into her palm.
"The hexagram says this matter is tied to the character 'Dan,' and its purpose is 'wood.'"
Less than half a day later, the Disciples of Sanctus Medicus had been rooted out.
Their operation had begun with a bang, and their collapse had been just as complete.
Perhaps under normal circumstances, these dangerous elements had buried themselves so deeply that they went unnoticed.
But today, because of their grand move, Yaoguang—who excelled in divination—had finally caught their trail.
At the very least, everyone on the Luofu connected to Sanctus Medicus had now been purged in large part.
And at this very moment, inside the Seat of Divine Foresight on the Luofu, an extremely solemn trial had begun.
Jing Yuan sat in the seat of judgment, the expression on his face too complicated to describe.
He had only just finished dealing with the wrath of a Lord Ravager, and now he had to turn around and handle the remnants of Sanctus Medicus—and somehow, the two incidents were connected.
At this rate, he felt he might be on the verge of mara-struck madness himself.
What a pity for the Luofu, though. As things stood, there wasn't a single person who could take over his position.
"Bring them all in," Jing Yuan ordered with a wave of his hand.
A few Cloud Knights soon escorted in a group of bedraggled prisoners.
At the front was Dan Shu. Her black robe was already in tatters, her hair hung loose in disarray, and there were still streaks of undried tears on her face.
She looked genuinely heartbroken over the failure of this Sanctus Medicus operation.
Behind her came a crowd of other bound Sanctus Medicus members, each one dejected, heads lowered.
But among them stood one figure that was especially conspicuous.
Kiana stood in the middle of the prisoners, looking as innocent as a little white rabbit that had somehow wandered into a pack of wolves.
She even had the spare energy to wave cheerfully at Jing Yuan on the dais.
"General Jing Yuan, we meet again."
The corner of Jing Yuan's mouth twitched.
Right now, he genuinely wanted to ask this young lady just what, exactly, had been going through her head.
You were a perfectly good Destruction Lord Ravager—why had you gone off and gotten mixed up with Sanctus Medicus?
But he didn't dare ask.
Because on the far side of the hall, two pairs of eyes were fixed on him without blinking.
Forget Cecilia—just dealing with a single Xingxiao already required his full attention.
Jing Yuan drew a deep breath and decided to deal with the matter at hand first.
"Dan Shu," he said in a low voice, "as a physician of the Alchemy Commission… do you know your crimes?"
Dan Shu lifted her head, a mocking smile curling onto her lips.
"My crimes? What crimes do I have?"
Jing Yuan began listing them one by one.
"Plotting to reawaken the Ambrosial Arbor. Inciting rebellion. And colluding with a Lord Ravager—cough, cough—and attempting to abduct a Destruction Lord Ravager."
"Well? Are those not enough?"
"Ha—ha—ha—ha!"
Dan Shu suddenly burst into laughter, her voice filled with contempt.
"General Jing Yuan, what do you know? Everything I did was for the glory of Abundance! You lapdogs who submit willingly to the Reignbow Arbiter—how could you ever comprehend the majesty of the Plagues Author?"
She suddenly whipped her head around to look at Kiana standing among the captives, her eyes blazing with fanatical devotion.
"More importantly, we have welcomed the Long-Life Emissary!"
"A true messenger of Abundance, one whose body carries the pure, untainted origin of Abundance itself! So long as she is with us, the revival of Abundance is only a matter of time!"
"Long-Life Emissary?" Jing Yuan was taken aback, his gaze instinctively shifting to Kiana.
Young lady… what exactly have you been doing? How did you end up becoming Sanctus Medicus's Long-Life Emissary?
Kiana blinked innocently. "Uh… well… it's kind of a long story?"
"What's so long about it?!" Dan Shu cried excitedly, cutting in.
"Long-Life Emissary, you need not fear these vermin! You are the true emissary of the Lord of Long Life—your power is enough to crush all opposition!"
"…Cough, cough. Lead us in sweeping the Luofu clean!"
She struggled as if she wanted to rise to her feet, but the Cloud Knight behind her pressed her down hard.
"Did you not already agree to it while we were underground? So long as we rescue Lord Shuhu, so long as we reawaken the Ambrosial Arbor, then we can—"
"Wait, wait, wait." Kiana hurriedly waved both hands.
"When did I ever agree to that?"
Dan Shu froze.
She had clearly never imagined that the Long-Life Emissary in whom she had placed all her hopes would respond like that.
Dan Shu wanted to continue struggling, but Jing Yuan had already decided not to give her any more chances.
In the end, Dan Shu was dragged out of the hall by the Cloud Knights. Her shrill cries faded farther and farther into the distance until they disappeared behind the many doors of the Seat of Divine Foresight.
Silence fell briefly over the hall.
Kiana had just been about to breathe a sigh of relief when she suddenly felt a gaze pinning her in place.
She stiffened.
Then she slowly turned her head and met Xingxiao's calm—almost terrifyingly calm—eyes.
"Uh…"
Kiana laughed dryly. "Haha… Xingxiao, I think I kind of lost track of time."
But Xingxiao said nothing. Her face did not display the slightest extra expression.
And it was precisely that composure that made Kiana feel even more uneasy.
"Um… Xingxiao?" Kiana tried again.
"Are you… okay?"
Xingxiao bowed slightly. "This subordinate is well. As long as Miss is unharmed, this subordinate can rest easy."
Her tone was respectful. Her posture was impeccable. There was nothing one could pick fault with.
But Kiana couldn't shake the feeling that something was very wrong.
After all, from Cecilia's perspective, she had seen everything Xingxiao had done on the Luofu earlier.
Well, since Xingxiao didn't seem inclined to say anything for the moment, Kiana decided to settle the matter another way first.
Cecilia gave a light cough, breaking the subtle tension in the hall.
"General Jing Yuan, these last few days really have caused you trouble. What happened with Kiana was our failure on our side."
Jing Yuan quickly cupped his hands. "Lady Cecilia, you are too kind. It is the Luofu's honor that all of you came here. If there was any lack in our hospitality, I hope you will forgive it."
Internally, he was furiously complaining.
But those complaints were things he could only keep to himself. Naturally, what came out of his mouth was an entirely different tune.
"Now that Miss Kiana is safe and sound, let this matter end here. As for the remnants of Sanctus Medicus, that is internal business of the Luofu. If anything, it was we who alarmed your daughter, and it is I who should apologize."
Every word was measured and flawless, providing each side with a perfect way to step down.
Cecilia inclined her head slightly, evidently satisfied with how tactful Jing Yuan was being.
And just as this farce was about to end—
"Wait."
A new voice rang out.
Yaoguang rose from her seat at the side and slowly walked to the center of the hall.
Her gaze lingered on Kiana for a moment, then swept over Xingxiao, and finally came to rest on Cecilia's face.
"Lady Cecilia, since you are already here in the Seat of Divine Foresight, why not seize the moment and let us have a proper conversation today?"
At once, the atmosphere in the hall shifted.
Jing Yuan frowned slightly, as though he wanted to say something, but in the end said nothing.
Awkward as the events of the day had been, Yaoguang had come to the Luofu for this very reason.
If they delayed any longer, Cecilia might leave the Luofu at any time.
Cecilia turned her head slightly.
"Oh? And what exactly does General Yaoguang wish to discuss with us?"
Most likely, it was still about what had appeared in the Divination Matrix earlier.
Though Yaoguang hadn't stated it outright, the only thing that could have drawn this much attention from the Xianzhou Alliance was information concerning Yuanqiao.
Naturally, Yaoguang did not deny it.
"Indeed. After all, this concerns whether the Alliance may recover one of its lost Xianzhou ships. No matter how cautious we are, it would not be excessive."
She paused briefly.
"However… before that, there is actually someone else I would like to speak with first."
At that, Kiana froze.
Speak with her?
Speak with her about what?
Unless she remembered wrong, when it came to the Xianzhou Alliance plotline, she had always used Cecilia for everything.
Cecilia asked calmly, "You wish to speak with Kiana?"
"And may I ask what it is you wish to discuss with my daughter, General Yaoguang?"
Yaoguang smiled faintly, and somewhere along the way, the divination tools in her hand had vanished again.
"Lady Cecilia need not be so wary. It's only a few personal questions."
"Personal questions?" Now Kiana was even more puzzled.
She and this General of Stratagem had barely met. What private matters could there possibly be between them?
Jing Yuan gave a light cough from the side. "Yaoguang, if there is something to say, it might be best to state it plainly. Miss Kiana has gone through quite an ordeal today, and likely needs rest."
On the surface, he sounded as though he were speaking up for Kiana.
In reality, he was reminding Yaoguang that this young lady had two top-tier figures standing behind her—and was a top-tier figure herself. Tread carefully.
Yaoguang shot Jing Yuan a sidelong glance, smiling without smiling.
"General Jing Yuan, you may rest assured. I know what I am doing."
She turned back to Kiana, her expression growing more serious.
"Miss Kiana, do you still remember our first meeting yesterday?"
Kiana thought for a moment. "I do. But I don't think we really exchanged more than a few words, did we?"
Yaoguang nodded slightly.
"Though we barely spoke, Miss Kiana, perhaps you still remember that at the time… I cast a divination?"
Kiana paused.
Now that she thought back on it, the other woman really had cast some sort of reading.
It was just that afterward, when Jing Yuan had asked what she saw, Yaoguang had said nothing.
"So what are you trying to say?" Kiana's tone grew more attentive.
Yaoguang answered quietly:
"In my divination, you and I… are fated to become entangled."
Join here to read ahead.
In Star Rail, Ultra-Beast Armored — Have I Caught "Equilibrium"? l (Chapter 80)
Uma Musume, But I Only Have Five Years Left to Live (Chapter 178)
Zenless Zone Zero: I'm a Doctor, Not a Bangboo (Chapter 139)
Ben Tennyson Wants to Join the Justice League ( 126 )
TYPE-MOON: Redemption Beginning with the Holy Grail War (Chapter110)
Yu-Gi-Oh! — Transmigrated into the White Dragon Girl (Chapter171)
"Is this chat group even serious?" (Chapter100)
I, Lord Ravager, Utterly Loyal! (Chapter184)
Can Playing Games Save the World? 65
Crossover Anime Multiverse: The Demon Hunter of an Unnatural World 77
From Junkman to Wasteland 66
Weekly Refresh of Overpowered 31
I'm Grinding Proficiency Like 46
From Kiana, Lord Ravager, Onwa 168
Honkai: Is This Still the Prev 42
Elf: My Starter Pokémon Is Inc 65
Warhammer: My Primarch Is Remi 156
From Demon Slayer to Grand Ass 105
The Way the Umamusume Look at 68
Uma Musume, but My Cheat Power 185
Naruto: Weaving the Future, Be 65
Zenless Zone Zero, but Kamen R 76
Multiverse Crossover: The Perf 66
My Cyberpsycho Girlfriend 65
Uma Musume: The Dark Trainer 160
Uma Musume: A Calamity Born fr 150
I, a Reincarnation-Loop Player 76
The Violent Girl Group Is Beat 97
Uma Musume: The Horse Girl Who 66
Uma Musume: From Beginner 116
Becoming a Horse Girl, I Will 75
Uma Musume: I Want All 93
I Can Copy Unique Skills 79
Summoning an Evil God, but the 55
Supernatural Multiverse 75
My Harem Is Indescribable 68
Jujutsu Kaisen: Heroic Spirit 70
"I'm just a Valkyrie passing through." 66
Uma Musume: Today Is Another Romantic Battlefield 69
Still playing traditional Honk 49
The Most Filial Son Under Heav 53
What Should I Do After Switchi 42
Reincarnated as a Demon, Skill 50
Hell-Difficulty Dungeon? 38
Transmigrated as Sukuna 35
Checking In in Demon Slayer 40
The Reincarnating Trainer of Tracen Academy 55
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