After Nexus was gone, Yao Lingxi and Luo Chen immediately bowed to Huai. Lingxi clasped her hands together. "Your Highness! The favor you have shown us is unimaginable. Please, say what you desire. I will send for any price you name."
Huai shook his head. "Isn't your sect the sole medicine provider in this galaxy? Just take it as a gift from me for your good deeds."
Luo Chen looked at the majestic figure of Huai, and a wave of profound respect washed through his heart. Yao Lingxi, however, took out a beautiful black token from her storage ring. "Please accept this token, Your Highness! Whenever you need help from the Medicine Gatherer Pavilion, the entire pavilion will be at your feet."
Huai was about to refuse when she continued, "My father gave this token to me and told me to give it to the person who could cure my disease. That person is to be recognized as the ultimate benefactor of our sect."
Huai took the token and put it away in his system space. "If you don't mind," he asked, "can I ask you something?"
Lingxi nodded eagerly. "Yes! Of course. I'll answer anything I know."
"Do you know the power structure of the Red Lotus Galaxy?"
She was confused at first. How could a person who could shake the Human Federation and was revered as the Divine Physician not know such a small detail? Then she reasoned that His Highness must have always looked down on their small galaxy, never finding it important enough to learn about.
She explained, "Your Highness! There are five forces who can be called the overlords of this small galaxy."
"They are: first, the Shadow Sword Sanctuary; second, the Summoning Beast Pavilion; third, the Red Lotus Formation Hall; fourth, my Medicine Gatherer Pavilion; and fifth, the Martial Soul Sect."
"All of them have a similar power structure. For thousands of years, there have been no other fourth-tier sects in the Red Lotus Galaxy." She trailed off, glancing around her, debating whether to mention the Eternal Sect.
Huai smiled. Wuhe chuckled. "Don't worry," Huai said. "The Eternal Sect just entered the ranks of fourth-tier sects a few weeks ago."
He looked at them again. "You can stay here as long as you wish."
Lingxi's face lit up. She had never been able to enjoy her surroundings, always tense about her disease. Now that she was cured, she wanted nothing more than to relieve her stress for a few days here.
Huai called for Zhao Yue. She entered the main hall, noticing it had been changed to look like a normal courtyard, and saw the two new guests. She understood in an instant and bowed to Huai. He nodded.
"Yue," he said, "take them with you. They are guests from another fourth-tier force in the Red Lotus Galaxy. Show them the scenery of Blue Star and its surroundings."
Zhao Yue was happy to oblige. She bowed to Wuhe and Huai again, then led Luo Chen and Lingxi out of the hall.
Huai settled back onto his throne and said to Wuhe, "Wuhe, I'm bored. Let's go outside for a few days."
Wuhe nodded. "We can return to the sect anytime we want. We can just leave a sliver of consciousness here to see if the sect needs our help."
Huai nodded and did just that. Wuhe did the same.
But Wuhe looked at Huai again and asked, "Where are we going, exactly?"
Huai smiled, took Wuhe's hand, and they vanished from the hall, leaving behind only a decree announcing that they had left the sect for a few days.
They arrived on a vast green planet, a world of sprawling continents and interconnected seas known as Canglan Star. It was two or three times the size of the old Blue Star, a vibrant and thriving world.
Huai and Wuhe walked through the bustling streets of a port city. Wuhe's gaze was fixed on Huai's face, but Huai didn't notice, his attention captured by the colorful street vendors and the unique architecture of the nearby buildings.
He wore a light blue robe intricately designed with golden thread over a long, flowing white inner dress. A simple golden crown rested on his head, with delicate silver and gold chains dangling among his long black hair. A white veil, as was his custom when leaving home, obscured the lower half of his face.
Suddenly, a beautiful woman of twenty-eight or twenty-nine grabbed Wuhe's arm. "Young Master! Are you new here? Come with this little sister. This sister will show you the town."
Wuhe, who hadn't been paying much attention to his surroundings, flinched at her touch. He immediately snatched his hand back and took several steps away from her. He was about to snap at the shameless woman when Huai appeared in front of him, thinking to himself, 'Huh! Someone is trying to steal my boyfriend right in front of me?'
He said, annoyed, "Young lady! Didn't your family teach you manners? Not to touch strangers?"
The girl's pretty face turned ferocious. "You! Who are you to teach me manners!"
The surrounding crowd looked on, recognizing the girl, Lin Mei , all too well. She was known for using her charm to ensnare handsome, wealthy young men.
Huai snapped back, "Huh! You're the one in the wrong! How dare you touch him without his consent?"
Lin Mei gritted her teeth. "Hah! What are you, this young master's servant? The young master didn't say..."
Before she could finish, a cold voice came from behind Huai. "If he hadn't stepped in front of me just now," Wuhe said, his eyes radiating killing intent, "you would be dead."
She saw the raw threat in his eyes and faltered. She never thought she'd hit a stone wall this time. She always managed to catch some wealthy, handsome man. Today, after seeing Wuhe's divine face, she couldn't control herself and immediately grabbed his hand, thinking all men were the same and could be seduced by beauty.
Huai felt a flicker of happiness in his heart at Wuhe's reaction, but Wuhe himself felt a knot of anxiety, worried Huai might misunderstand.
"Now apologize!" Huai demanded.
Anger flared in the girl's eyes. She sneered, "You're interfering again! You ugly bitch! You cover your face because you're too ugly, right? How dare you talk to this beautiful lady?"
A headache throbbed in Huai's temple. He'd never met anyone this stubborn and shameless. With a sigh, he removed his veil.
A collective gasp ran through the crowd. Beautiful! Absolutely, breathtakingly beautiful! Several men audibly gulped. Women stared, mesmerized. It was as if a divine being from the heavens had descended among them.
Lin Mei was dumbfounded. She swallowed hard, unable to believe this person was so beautiful. Wuhe, who had been admiring Huai, frowned when he saw the glittering, possessive eyes of the crowd. He felt a sharp pang of jealousy.
Huai smirked, his perfect face a devastating weapon. "Now, young miss. Apologize!"
The girl, utterly embarrassed, burst into tears on the spot. "I-I'm sorry!" she wailed, turning and running away without looking back. The crowd parted for her as she disappeared down the street.
Huai glanced at Wuhe, took his hand, and they vanished from the spot.
They entered a beautiful restaurant called Heaven's Touch. Huai secured a private room on the second floor, and they sat beside an open window overlooking the bustling streets below.
He ordered their specialty wine and a selection of dishes. The wine arrived first, accompanied by small side plates. Huai opened the bottle and poured two cups, one for Wuhe and one for himself. They touched the cups together and took a sip.
Wuhe stammered, "Huai... I wasn't aware..."
Huai stopped him with a look, then chuckled. "Do you think I'm so stupid I wouldn't know you were not in the wrong?" He looked at Wuhe with gloating eyes.
Wuhe sighed, then chuckled too. "I thought I was dead today."
Huai's expression turned serious in an instant. He picked up his chopsticks and pointed them at Wuhe. "If you had done it yourself, I would have cut off all three of your hands."
Wuhe almost asked, "three?" but then understanding dawned. His eyes went wide, and he shivered for a moment, thinking to himself, 'At least I love him with all my heart and have never thought of anyone else.' He quickly gulped down his second cup of wine.
Huai chuckled again, and Wuhe relaxed. They were discussing their own matters when Huai's gaze fell upon the street below.
A young boy, around ten or eleven, was wearing torn, muddy clothes. He was begging, moving from person to person, simply holding out a small, dirty hand. Huai watched him for a long time, noticing that the little boy never spoke. He could see from the child's thin frame that he was starving, likely having not eaten for many days.
Wuhe noticed his gaze and followed it to the child. "Do you want to bring him here?" he asked softly.
Huai nodded immediately. He had been wondering what Wuhe would think, but seeing his immediate acceptance warmed his heart. 'I didn't choose the wrong person,' he thought.
Wuhe summoned the attending staff member. When the man arrived, Wuhe gestured to the window. "Do you know that child?"
The staff member looked down, and his face grew embarrassed. "That... that child..."
Huai could see something was amiss. "You can say it," he said, his voice calm but firm. "No matter what force is involved in this matter, we are not afraid."
The staff member visibly relaxed. He could tell these two were not simple people. The spirit stone they had used for payment was high-grade, a rarity even in the core of the Federation.
"He is the son of the last patriarch of the Xie family," the staff member explained. "He was born deaf and unable to speak. After his father and mother both died in an accident, the family stopped paying any attention to him, not even giving him proper food. Out of hunger, he left home and now begs on the streets. If the Xie family finds him, they beat him for tarnishing their reputation."
Huai nodded. "Bring him here."
The man hesitated. "Young Master!"
At that moment, Wuhe let a sliver of his aura leak out. The pressure was immense. The staff member shuddered, bowed his head immediately, and hurried out. A moment later, he returned, guiding the terrified boy from the street into their private room.
The little boy stood there dumbfounded, terrified of the two powerful figures in the room. He knew they were cultivators, and for him, cultivators were the most terrifying beings.
Then, the veiled man removed his covering. The attending staff member and the child both froze, mesmerized by the beautiful face revealed.
Huai smiled gently at the child and waved a hand. The dust, mud, and grime vanished from the boy's skin and clothes, disappearing into thin air. The little boy looked down at himself, then back at Huai as if he had just witnessed a miracle. He became excited, touching his clean clothes again and again in disbelief.
Huai waved his hand once more. The attending staff member's eyes widened in shock as the very laws of the world seemed to bend, the Heavenly Dao materialized in the room. Wuhe just smiled, watching. The ethereal energy enveloped the little boy. His tattered rags melted away, and a new, perfectly-fitted white robe formed around him.
The staff member's face went from shock to utter disbelief. He himself was a cultivator at the Star Realm, but he had never seen or even heard of anyone capable of controlling the Heavenly Dao so directly, as if it were a simple tool. He stumbled back a step, bowing his head low, not daring to look directly at Huai any longer.