Ruan Mei's sudden, non sequitur remark caused 'Cipher' to wear a look of pure bewilderment.
"If they take it, they take it. What's the big deal? Can't bear to part with the little guy? Xuanquan never said anything about it joining the Fanghu, anyway."
Ruan Mei simply shook her head in response, then turned her gaze back toward 'Cipher' with a faint, playful smile.
"What I mean is, General Xuanquan has been behind closed doors for days. The moment she emerges, she's carrying a Vidyadhara egg with that look on her face. Given your reputation on the Fanghu as the one who commands the Swarm... aren't you afraid of some rather peculiar rumors starting?"
"Um... huh?!"
'Cipher' blinked, freezing in place as the gears turned.
She had initially assumed Ruan Mei was suggesting people might think they'd finally cracked the code on the Vidyadhara's inability to reproduce.
How did this conversation suddenly veer off into the territory of 'peculiar rumors'?
She had expected the people of the Fanghu, upon seeing General Xuanquan leave her residence with a Vidyadhara egg, to assume the General had successfully produced offspring with a Genius's help, conquering the reproductive hurdle.
If the misunderstanding followed that logic, 'Cipher' figured she wouldn't even need to weave a cover story.
The rumors alone would do the heavy lifting for her lie.
And yet...
Since when did rumors take that kind of direction?
'Cipher's' lip twitched.
If the gossip turned into something that strange, what would happen to her trickery when she tried to activate it? She hoped it wouldn't turn into something... unbroadcastable.
Still, this was a General of the Xianzhou. Would such rumors really be allowed to spread so freely? 'Cipher' found it hard to believe.
Surely the General's estate would nip them in the bud.
"People might overthink it, but Xuanquan will probably clear the air herself. She is a General, after all."
Having said that, 'Cipher' shot a teasing look at Ruan Mei.
"Though, Ruan Mei, I'm surprised you were the one to jump to such a gossipy conclusion. I hadn't even considered it."
"Be that as it may, while the Swarm Disaster has a foul reputation, the Path of Propagation is often... misinterpreted by the public to mean something quite different."
Ruan Mei's comment gave 'Cipher' pause.
Back when she still played the game, she remembered how many players—despite knowing what Propagation actually entailed—would often let the online discussions slide down a slippery slope toward that kind of content.
It wasn't that they didn't know better; they just wanted to indulge in a bit of fantasy.
If people who had never experienced the Swarm or seen its horrors firsthand started making those kinds of jokes, it wasn't exactly hard to understand.
"Fair point. But I don't think it'll be an issue. The Fanghu military has seen my Swarm; they shouldn't be as easily misled as the common folk."
"Well, one can only hope."
Ruan Mei didn't press the matter further. She felt 'Cipher' was being a bit too optimistic.
Compared to the vast number of Vidyadhara on the Fanghu, the military was only a small fraction. The average citizen likely wouldn't have access to the combat footage.
To the Vidyadhara, the birth of a new member was a matter of extraordinary significance.
Even if it wasn't the first of its kind.
The fact remained that Dan Feng's Transmutation Arcanum had been lost to time.
Xuanquan's situation was bound to draw intense scrutiny. Even with her power to suppress the loudest voices, it was nearly impossible to uproot the private thoughts of the common Vidyadhara.
In the end, there was no telling what kind of outrageous rumors might sprout.
Still, Ruan Mei knew 'Cipher's' capabilities. With her power over Remembrance, she could erase those rumors in an instant if she truly wanted to.
So, Ruan Mei didn't take it too seriously, treating it as nothing more than idle banter.
--+--
Meanwhile.
General Xuanquan's departure from her residence with the Vidyadhara egg had, naturally, not gone unnoticed.
Although Xuanquan had ordered everyone not to disturb her, the staff of the General's estate could hardly just ignore the goings-on at the manor.
Thus, the personnel stationed to observe from a distance witnessed their General cradling a mysterious Vidyadhara egg.
She bore an expression of such maternal tenderness as she made her way toward the Ancestral Sea, where the eggs were kept.
This bizarre and inexplicable sight left every observer wearing a very strange expression.
After a long silence, a confused voice crackled over the comms.
"...Was there another Vidyadhara in that residence?"
"Impossible. We scrubbed that place top to bottom before the guests arrived. Not even a fly could've hidden in there, let alone another person."
"Then did some bold soul sneak in there to... deliver?"
"We're the ones on guard duty, are you sure you want to go with that theory? Besides, the General's face didn't look like she was staring at an enemy!"
"..."
"..."
The comms fell into an eerie silence once more.
Indeed, that was the most unsettling part: the way General Xuanquan looked at that egg. No one dared say it aloud, but she looked as though she were gazing upon her own flesh and blood.
But that raised a question. The Vidyadhara—all Dragonbloods—shared only one parent: the Dragon of Permanence.
Moreover, General Xuanquan had a long-standing reputation for being stern and authoritative. When had her subordinates ever seen her look so... soft?
It was impossible not to let one's imagination run wild.
"Hey, of those two guests, one is Madam Bai Ming, who can control the power of Propagation, and the other is Madam Ruan Mei of the Genius Society. Do you think it's possible that... Propagation plus a Genius equaled... our General...?"
"Are you trying to get killed?!"
"Holy—! If you want to force a rebirth, don't take me with you! I'm only sixty, I'm too young to die!"
The comms suddenly became a chaotic mess as they scrambled to pivot away from the topic. But the problem was that even if you could stop people from talking, you couldn't stop them from thinking.
Originally, many on the Fanghu had opposed Bai Ming and Ruan Mei's visit and their desire to study the power of Permanence and the Vidyadhara.
The General had pushed the arrangement through despite immense pressure. To this day, many didn't understand why she had bothered.
But now...
If General Xuanquan had shouldered that pressure alone—if she had even used herself as the initial test subject—just to gamble on the future of the Vidyadhara and break the curse of their infertility...
Then the General... she really... I'm not crying, you're crying.
Add to that the fact that Madam Bai Ming was on good terms with the Luofu and supposedly close with the former High-Cloud Quintet. And within that group, the Transmutation Arcanum had already caused one scandal involving a new Vidyadhara birth and a change in Vidyadhara High Elder.
When you connected the dots...
While no one dared speak it, many began to feel that maybe, just maybe, that was exactly what had happened.
Regardless, the guards quickly reported the situation up the chain of command. Such matters were best left for the big shots to sort out.
The news sent the General's estate into a panic.
They frantically contacted the Master Diviner of the Fanghu's Divination Commission, urging her to perform a divination immediately to see what on earth was going on.
The Fanghu's Master Diviner didn't say much, but her skills were sharp. Since it concerned the General, she directly activated the Matrix of Prescience.
The results showed that the Vidyadhara egg was, indeed, deeply connected to General Xuanquan.
General Xuanquan had no idea that the General's estate was already brewing such outlandish theories. Even if she had known, she wouldn't have cared much.
She had brought the egg out partly because she genuinely found the little thing adorable, and partly as a demonstration for certain people on the Fanghu.
She was certain that once she took the egg to the ancestral grounds, people would soon arrive to investigate.
That was her goal.
She believed those two could truly solve the problem of the Vidyadhara's succession.
The egg had literally grown itself; she had to have some faith. So, first, she had to find a way to soothe the disgruntled members of her clan.
Words were useless, and force was meaningless. She had to make them realize what Bai Ming could bring to the Vidyadhara.
She knew this would draw some strange rumors, of course.
While she couldn't explain everything openly, she had provided plenty of hints. If Ruan Mei or 'Cipher' had minded, she would have found another way.
But for some reason, Ruan Mei didn't care at all, and 'Cipher' actually seemed to be looking forward to the news spreading. This left Xuanquan's carefully prepared speeches completely unused.
In the end, she simply left her General's token with the two of them. It was a gesture of both compensation and goodwill.
As for why she only gave them one token, it wasn't for any deep reason—she just only had one on her.
Who carries around several of those things just to hand them out? She'd have to grab another from the estate to send over later.
Eventually, once General Xuanquan had settled the egg in the ancestral grounds, a group of Preceptors came rushing over.
On their way, they had used secret arts to sense the number of eggs in the ancestral pool. They confirmed there was indeed one extra—a healthy egg with an aura that was both unfamiliar and strangely recognizable.
The Preceptors were overjoyed. Despite their internal squabbles and differing views, they ultimately cared for the survival of their race.
No matter how it happened, a new Vidyadhara had appeared, just like that. And looking at General Xuanquan, it didn't seem like she had paid much of a price at all.
How could they not be ecstatic?
However, amidst the celebration, some of the more observant ones noticed the egg's aura was somewhat similar to the General's.
Combined with the rumors leaking from the estate, one Preceptor finally plucked up the courage to speak.
"General Xuanquan, this egg and you..."
Xuanquan, still oblivious to the gossip, simply nodded. "It was born with the help of Madam Bai Ming and Madam Ruan Mei. It can be considered an extension of my bloodline."
Whaa...
The crowd gasped in unison.
On one hand, they were shocked that anyone could actually achieve such a feat.
Could Propagation truly be combined with Permanence?
Were their past attempts not impossible, but simply hampered by their own inadequacy?
Or were Geniuses simply so beyond comprehension that they could do the impossible?
On the other hand, they were stunned that General Xuanquan would sacrifice her own body for the sake of the clan to bear an offspring! Especially since the partner was another woman...
The General... she had sacrificed too much!
"General Xuanquan... you've... you've worked hard."
"...?"
Xuanquan looked at the Preceptor with total confusion.
What was with these guys? They usually fought her every step of the way, but one new member and they suddenly had a change of heart?
And she had put in a lot of effort for this. So, the General nodded.
"It's fine. It was for the Vidyadhara. Also, I must emphasize: this little one was not born in human form like us."
Another collective gasp.
To the Dragonbloods, even though they had grown accustomed to human aesthetics over the years, it didn't mean they had stopped pursuing the Draconic form.
Some Preceptors maintained their Draconic features at the cost of constant energy consumption just for the sake of prestige.
To put it simply, the closer one was to the Ancestral Dragon, the more respect they commanded.
A High Elder's ability to take dragon form was a symbol of both status and power. And now Xuanquan was saying this new Vidyadhara was born a dragon.
That was perfect!
Xuanquan saw the look on their faces and knew exactly what they were thinking. It was the effect she wanted. Once the crowd quieted down, she immediately added:
"I have given the General's token to Bai Ming and Ruan Mei. From this day forward, they are to be treated with the highest honors on the Fanghu. Are there any objections?"
"We follow the General's command."
No one objected. Even those who had been most staunchly against the research couldn't find a word to say.
The prevailing sentiment was that the General had been forced to use herself as an experiment because of their opposition, just to bring hope to the Vidyadhara.
In a race where countless members prayed for an end to their slow extinction, anyone who stood up to object now would be looking for a death warrant, Preceptor or not.
Xuanquan was satisfied. So much so that she completely forgot to explain exactly how the little creature was born and how small the actual cost had been.
"Assign someone to look after her. Notify me when she's close to hatching."
Xuanquan couldn't stay there forever. After arranging for guards, she headed back to the General's estate.
She needed to see if there were any matters requiring her attention, and she also needed to pick up that second token.
However.
The moment she saw her adjutant after those few days away, the first thing out of the officer's mouth made Xuanquan nearly lose it.
"General! I heard you had a baby with Madam Bai Ming?!"
"Cough... What on earth?!"
Xuanquan had expected people to mistake the child for her own. But how did they drag Bai Ming into this?!
Wait... even for the Vidyadhara, reproduction used to involve both sexes.
Choking on her own breath, a shell-shocked Xuanquan glared at her adjutant.
--+--
T/N: If you want advance chapters, you can find it at [email protected]/AspenTL