Seat of Divine Foresight.
After receiving the news that Aponia had executed the four Preceptors—Fengwan, Gouchen, Taoran, and Xuepu—Jing Yuan, Fu Xuan, and Qingzu all fell silent.
"That was too fast, wasn't it?"
Jing Yuan rubbed the bridge of his nose, feeling that his scheme was spiraling out of control.
He had originally intended to use Ryuga's hand to clean up the secessionist tendencies within the Preceptors.
But he hadn't expected it to happen so quickly.
And the one who took action was Aponia.
Looking at Aponia's gentle and submissive appearance, it now seemed that beneath her cool and soft face was hidden a blade tempered in frost.
It unsheathed silently, yet it severed bone and split the soul.
However, after seeing some of the evidence of the Preceptors' crimes that Aponia had submitted to the Alliance, Jing Yuan felt that these Preceptors deserved their deaths.
"Where have they gone now?"
Jing Yuan asked.
"We just received a report; they've taken the four Preceptors' bodies to the Alchemy Commission."
Beside him, Chief Counselor Qingzu took a deep breath, forcing herself to calm down.
Her fingertips were trembling.
She had just finished reading the evidence Aponia had submitted, and she felt a chill throughout her body.
Regarding the execution of four Preceptors at once, she had been angry at first, but...
Page after page of records like blood-written letters.
Extracting the bone marrow of their own kin while they were still alive.
Practicing forbidden arts.
Secretly turning toward Abundance research.
The blood-like words gnawed at her sanity like insects, making her almost unable to breathe.
Those four Preceptors deserved to die!!
"Hmm? What for?"
Jing Yuan was a bit bewildered.
He had originally thought Ryuga was going to rescue Bailu, but why did this sound like the flavor was a bit off?
"Aponia... the High Elder said that since they extracted their kin's bone marrow for medicine while alive, then after death, they shall serve as medicinal materials themselves, refined into pill formulas."
Qingzu said, shivering slightly; this one was truly ruthless.
The Seat of Divine Foresight was deathly silent.
Jing Yuan suddenly pinched the bridge of his nose, closed his eyes, and let out a deep breath.
Impressive.
Beneath that soft voice and indifferent face was a ruthlessness he had overlooked.
Those four Preceptors were once top-tier power players on the Xianzhou Luofu, and now, their bodies were about to be dismantled and boiled, turned into cauldrons of medicinal soup to dispel poison and cleanse filth for the masses to consume.
This punishment could not be described as anything but cruel.
Vidyadhara turn back into eggs after death to be reborn; this was directly stripping them of the possibility of becoming human again.
They were being completely erased.
Their souls were incinerated, and their bodies were sent to make medicine.
Killing the monkey to warn the chickens.
"Cough~ It seems we all underestimated this new High Elder."
Jing Yuan finally let out a self-deprecating laugh.
"As soon as she ascended to High Elder, she executed four Preceptors, among whom Taoran could even be considered a contributor to her rise."
Saying this, he slowly stood up and let out a long breath.
"But it's just as well; this strike can be considered a cleansing of the filth within the Vidyadhara, and it also establishes her authority."
"This new High Elder of ours is not to be underestimated."
Qingzu nodded, a hint of awe flashing in her eyes: "From now on, no one will dare to look down on this new High Elder."
Fu Xuan stood in the corner, her fingers quickly calculating and divining; after a while, the results gradually manifested.
"The 'Dragon of Serenity' focuses on the mind and telekinesis; no wonder she could instantly see through the evils of the four Preceptors."
She admired Aponia.
The Way of Heaven is clear; Fengwan, Gouchen, Taoran, and Xuepu deserved to be executed.
Even if they were sent to the Xianzhou Fanghu, they would have ended up being erased by General Huixing himself.
Cruel methods are also a form of justice.
Jing Yuan sighed lightly; fortunately, Ryuga still had some connection to him, and the friendship of being fellow disciples under Jingliu remained, so he wouldn't wreak havoc on the Xianzhou Luofu.
However...
He still had to take down Jingliu as soon as possible and couldn't let her continue to run wild on the Xianzhou.
Jingliu had always acted unpredictably, and now that she had returned to the Xianzhou, she might not stay quiet.
Aponia had killed four Preceptors in a row to establish her authority; if Jingliu caused more trouble, the entire Luofu might fall into turmoil.
"Qingzu, I'll leave this side to you."
"Fu Xuan, return to the Divination Commission immediately and divine Jingliu's whereabouts; make sure nothing is missed."
Jing Yuan said, striding toward the door.
He had to find out what Jingliu's intentions were for returning this time.
...
Inside the Alchemy Commission.
The fragrance of medicine was dense, and wisps of pale purple pill qi rose from the cyan jade furnace, coiling like dragons and slowly lingering among the beams and pillars.
"Mhm~ Mhm~"
Bailu's small face was flushed red, her short hands waving wildly, and her short legs kicking and thrashing.
On the tip of her tail, the fine dragon scales flickered with purple lightning, faintly 'crackling.'
"Elysia, let go quickly, Bailu is about to shock you."
Looking at Bailu, who was nearly smothered by the 'cleansing milk,' Ryuga couldn't help but pinch the bridge of his nose and helplessly remind Elysia.
"Ah~ Sorry, sorry!"
Elysia finally realized, quickly loosening her arms and placing Bailu back on the prayer mat.
As soon as Bailu hit the ground, she immediately looked up and took a deep breath.
Then, she nimbly moved her short legs, 'pitter-pattering' away like a startled young animal, hiding far away behind a table and only poking out half a head.
A pair of large, watery eyes warily sized everyone up.
"You, you're also an assassin here to kill this lady?"
"Are you trying to smother me to death? This move is too evil!"
Bailu trembled, her tail curled behind her, still 'zizzing' and 'crackling' with lightning.
Beside her, the maid Yuanli was already laughing so hard her shoulders were shaking, and she quickly explained: "No, Miss Bailu, this is Miss Elysia, a friend of the new High Elder."
"From now on, you are free."
"High Elder!?"
Bailu was stunned, her ears twitching slightly, and she turned her small head to look toward the corner.
A woman stood quietly by the window, her pink and blue heterochromatic dragon horns shimmering with rainbows in the sunlight, looking very much like the clouds at the intersection of dawn and dusk.
The woman had a smile on her lips, and her gaze was very gentle when she looked at her.
In that instant, Bailu's heart trembled.
Strange, yet familiar.
Like something deep in her distant memory—a blurred embrace, a softly hummed nursery rhyme—had suddenly awakened.
For some reason, the first time she saw her, it was like seeing 'Mama.'
But...
The Vidyadhara clearly don't have mamas?
What a strange feeling?
"Are you the new High Elder?"
"Then... will I not be one anymore?"
Bailu asked in a timid voice.
After hearing about freedom, she was suddenly happy for a moment.
But soon, she became dejected.
The previous excitement receded like a tide, leaving only an empty beach.
Lowering her head, her small hands tugged at the corner of her clothes, and her tail also drooped listlessly.
Since she was small, she had been called 'High Elder' by those around her, raised as a High Elder, and taught complex etiquette, restrictions, and responsibilities.
She hated those complicated rules and hated not being able to go out and play as she pleased.
She had been pushed into the position of High Elder and didn't want to be one in her heart; not to mention so many rules, she was also locked up here and couldn't get out.
But now, suddenly being told she 'wouldn't be one anymore.'
There was an indescribable sense of loss in her heart.
Like being suddenly abandoned, she felt a sense of... the world is vast, but where is 'home'?
The title of High Elder had been forced upon her.
Now, she was also being forced off the position of High Elder.
She had no choice in either.
Bailu's eyes grew hot, her nose felt sour, and she stubbornly refused to let that tear fall.
"Let's go, I'll take you out to play."
Aponia stepped forward slowly, squatted down, and gently reached out her hand.
"..."
Bailu stared blankly at the large hand reaching out, hesitated for a moment, and placed her soft little hand on it.
In that instant!
Like a lonely boat that had been drifting for a long time finally reaching the shore.
"From now on, you are free; no one will lock you up or try to harm you anymore."
Aponia led her toward the outside of the room.
Big hand holding a small hand, it was a warm scene like a mother leading her daughter.
Ryuga smiled; Aponia naturally had a 'motherly' vibe.
The wind blew, stirring Aponia's long hair.
"Really?"
Bailu's voice was trembling as she looked up at the High Elder's gentle face, her eyes gradually filling with crystalline tears.
"Really."
Aponia looked down and smiled.
The smile was very faint, but to Bailu, it was like the first ray of the morning sun rising at the end of an ice field.
She knew that little Bailu was very pitiful.
Wrapped in fate, bound by identity, living without a childhood.
She shouldn't have grown up among the incense burners and medicinal herbs of the Alchemy Commission; she should be rolling on the grass, catching fish by the stream, and splashing in puddles.
"Oh~ Going out to play! Going out to play!"
Bailu suddenly cheered, breaking free from the gloom and jumping in circles, her small hands waving and her tail wagging happily.
For the first time, she laughed like a pure child who had received candy.
Everyone's heart felt a pang of sourness.
At an age when she should have been indulging her nature and playing to her heart's content, she had been bound within a house.
Yuanli raised her hand to wipe away the tear falling from the corner of her eye: Miss Bailu is finally free.
From now on, she is no longer the 'High Elder' who was pushed forward.
She can just be Bailu, a little girl who can cry, laugh, make trouble, and jump.
In this world, no one can lock her in a cage again.
...
The corridor was full of Alchemy Commission doctors prostrating on the ground.
Aponia had swept through with the force of a thunderbolt, uncovering a large number of people who were secretly practicing forbidden medicine and were too close to the Abundance.
When a mental telekinesis user walked by, it was like a giant lie detector.
No monsters or demons could hope to escape.
Vidyadhara with problems were all taken down by Aponia.
The rest were escorted by the Cloud Knights and locked in the Forbidden Garden to await sentencing.
For a time, the Alchemy Commission was in a state of panic, and they completely dared not resist Aponia, the new High Elder.
"They?"
Bailu was frightened and took a step back.
"They acted in the name of protection but practiced imprisonment; I, naturally, must hold them accountable."
"Additionally, there are some who were secretly practicing forbidden medicine."
Aponia looked at Bailu softly.
"Chief Alchemist?"
Bailu suddenly broke free from Aponia's hand and ran forward.
"..."
Chief Alchemist Danxin looked up, her clouded eyes looking at Bailu with complexity.
In that instant, a thousand words were stuck in her throat, finally turning into a sigh.
"From now on, the Dragon Lady is free; you no longer have to worry about anyone harming you."
Every High Elder is protective of their own; as soon as they ascend, they naturally come to find trouble with them.
"The Chief Alchemist is a good person; she didn't lock me up, let her go!"
Bailu suddenly turned around and looked up with her small face, her eyes red.
"Mhm, then let her go."
Ryuga suddenly spoke.
Most of the time, he didn't interfere with Aponia's decisions; after all, it was the new High Elder establishing her authority.
He remembered that in Bailu's companion mission, there was indeed a kind mirage of the Chief Alchemist; it should be her.
After her rebirth, the Chief Alchemist was replaced by Dan Shu.
Although she was still scolding Bailu as a mirage, since 'kind' was used to describe her, she shouldn't be too bad.
She was also one of the only two people who were good to Bailu.
The reason she was taken down by Aponia was that she was researching Dan Feng's "Transmutation Arcanum."
"Mhm."
Aponia nodded.
In the next instant, Danxin felt the iron chains locking her soul melt away inch by inch.
Her shoulders shook violently, and she gasped for breath.
...
On the small path after the rain, the air was filled with the sweet scent of grass that had been washed clean, mixed with the moist smell of earth.
"Is this the outside world? Am I free?"
Looking at the unknown world, Bailu asked cautiously.
Her clear eyes were full of curiosity about the outside world.
"Mhm, from now on, no one will harm you."
Ryuga gently stroked Bailu's head.
"Giggle~"
Bailu tasted the flavor of freedom for the first time.
Taking a deep breath, like a bird breaking free from a cage, she ran across the grass laughing, her short legs moving incredibly fast.
Perhaps because of her long imprisonment, she didn't run too far.
Though freedom had arrived, her heart was still hesitant.
After running for a while, she began to roll on the grass, grass sticking to her dress and her hair dampened by dew, but she didn't care at all.
"Step on the shadow!"
Her eyes curved into crescents, she raised her small foot, gave a light stomp, and giggled as she played at stepping on her own shadow.
Chasing and stepping left and right, playing hide-and-seek with another version of herself.
When she got tired of playing, she moved to a small puddle by the road.
Standing on tiptoe, she gave a sudden stomp.
"Splash!"
Water splashed everywhere, mud flew onto her calves, and the corner of her skirt was also wet.
But she didn't care and giggled very happily.
She picked wild flowers and wove them into a small ring to wear on her head.
Then she chased a bird, pouncing at it; though her steps were unsteady, she never tired of it.
She was no longer a pawn in imprisonment; her innocent and romantic side was completely released.
"High Elder."
Qingzu approached, looking at Bailu's figure, a rare softness appearing in her eyes.
"Look, this is how a child should be."
Aponia smiled gently.
"Mhm."
This was the second time Qingzu had seen Bailu.
As the Chief Counselor beside the General, she had only seen Bailu twice, let alone the other Vidyadhara.
"I'll leave those people to the Chief Counselor."
"The High Elder is too polite; I am also a Vidyadhara."
Qingzu bowed her head in salute, her posture respectful.
Before this High Elder, she didn't even dare to have a single stray thought.
Because whatever she thought would be known by the other party; mental power was too much of a cheat.
With a hurried salute, she turned and left to arrest people.
...
"Will I live here from now on?"
Bailu followed Aponia to the sanatorium, where there were children the same age as Bailu.
"Mhm, from now on you can do what you like."
Aponia looked down and smiled, her eyes gentle.
"What I like?"
Bailu repeated in a murmur.
She didn't understand, but she had plenty of time to think.
Whoosh, a group of children swarmed up, instantly surrounding Bailu.
"Wow~ It's a little dragon person!"
"Don't talk nonsense, this is the Dragon Lady!"
"Dragon Lady, are your horns and tail real?"
"Dragon Lady, can I be your friend?"
Bailu was stunned.
Suddenly being surrounded by so many children, she seemed a bit at a loss.
But soon, they were all in a circle.
Mhm, in the literal sense of 'hitting' it off.
"You're all quite ill, aren't you?"
"How can there be so many chronic and old illnesses in seven or eight-year-olds?"
"Spleen and stomach deficiency, insufficient qi and blood, neurasthenia!"
"Wah-ya-ya~ Let me treat you!"
Saying this, Bailu rubbed her small hands together, and a cluster of fine lightning burst from her palms, crackling.
"Ah—!"
The children were instantly shocked into the air.
Aponia covered her mouth and chuckled; Bailu knew her limits, and the electricity wouldn't hurt anyone.
The subtle current would awaken long-dormant vitality, clear the blockages in the children's bodies, stimulate cell regeneration, and accelerate the healing of pain.
It was just that it would indeed be very stimulating.
Soon, laughter and noise filled the entire sanatorium once again.
...
On the day Aponia succeeded as the Luofu High Elder.
The 'Fanghu' High Elder Huixing, the 'Yaoqing' High Elder Tianfeng, the 'Zhuming' High Elder Yanting, and the 'Yuque' High Elder Kungang immediately invited her for a call and congratulated her.
With the support of the four High Elders, Aponia completely secured her position as the 'Luofu' High Elder.
"Elysia."
"Giggle~ You should go find Aponia; we're going to be away for a long time this time."
"How about together?"
"In your dreams, hmph~."
Elysia gave a light snort and gave Ryuga a charming eye-roll, her voice trailing off like a thread of honey, making one's heart itch.
The moment she turned around, the ends of her hair lightly brushed against Ryuga.
Immediately after, with a 'bang,' the door closed.
"Sigh."
The wish to be together ultimately fell through.
Oh well, I'm also missing Aponia's 'J' after all.
To be continued…
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