Something felt… off.
Logically speaking, Dan Shu should have appeared by now.
According to the "script," once Longlife disciples caused chaos, the Chief Alchemist would personally arrive—bringing the Healer Dragon Lady with her—to treat the wounded in Central Starskiff Haven.
But when Evan scanned the area—
She wasn't there.
Dan Shu wasn't present at all.
Which meant only one thing.
If the leader of the Disciples of Sanctus Medicus wasn't here…
then where was she causing trouble?
Evan's gaze snapped back.
"Wait—Bailu?"
A chill ran through his spine.
Those lunatics wouldn't be targeting her, would they?
The Healer Dragon Lady might be the current Vidyadhara Dragon Sovereign, but she wasn't a combatant.
More than half of the Dragon Sovereign's power resided elsewhere—within Dan Heng.
Bailu possessed the legacy, but not the instinctive mastery of it.
If she truly ran into the Sanctus Medicus fanatics…
She wouldn't stand a chance.
"Hey, kid. Take this."
With a flick of his hand, Evan manifested a Heavy Armor Bunny—a fully armed combat automaton.
"If things get dangerous, this'll protect you for a while."
"The Luofu's not safe right now. If you want to play, wait until later."
"Geez~ you're just as naggy as Sister March," Bailu puffed her cheeks.
"I barely know you!"
"Still… I don't think you're a bad guy."
Her eyes lit up as she hugged the automaton.
"And wow, this thing's cute! Thanks, mister!"
"…Mister?"
Evan froze.
His expression darkened.
"Relax, relax," Bailu waved it off smugly.
"I'm not actually a kid, you know."
"I'm a long-life species. A Vidyadhara Dragon."
"I just look small."
"…Yeah. Not small at all."
Evan glanced at the Dragon Lady who barely reached his stomach, then casually patted her head—
—and her soft, pale-violet dragon horns.
Warm. Slightly squishy.
Huh.
He suddenly wondered what Dan Heng's horns felt like.
Soft too? Or rock-hard?
Meanwhile, Bailu's attendant quietly watched everything.
Her eyes lingered on Evan.
This man… was dangerous.
Not because he looked threatening.
But because she couldn't sense anything from him.
She could read March and Stelle easily—
Travelers of the Path of Trailblaze.
Stelle carried a hidden but terrifyingly stable power.
March radiated an icy aura that went unnoticed unless you were trained.
But this man?
Nothing.
No Path.
No aura.
No trace.
Which was impossible.
Bailu had two attendants.
One was Banxia.
The other was Huanxi.
And Huanxi wasn't just an attendant.
She was a watcher—sent by the Dragon Elders.
And beneath that?
An assassin.
Her final duty, if ordered—
was to kill Bailu.
The rot within the Dan Shu Division ran deeper than anyone realized.
Huanxi's gaze fell on the Heavy Armor Bunny.
A sentient automaton.
This was no ordinary machine.
She clenched her fingers internally.
This had to be reported.
Immediately.
"Lady Bailu," Huanxi said gently, masking her thoughts.
"It's getting late. We should return."
Banxia wasn't present today—she'd gone with the Chief Alchemist to treat the injured.
Which only made Huanxi more irritable.
"…Okay," Bailu sighed.
She waved reluctantly.
"Sister March, Sister Stelle—I'm heading back."
"And mister… thanks for the doll."
"I'll remember what you said!"
Her little tail drooped as she left.
The Dan Shu Division was massive—
Evan hadn't destroyed that much of it.
Jing Yuan's Spirit had absorbed most of the damage anyway.
Once Bailu was gone, Qingque led March and Stelle toward the Divination Commission.
Evan didn't follow.
Jing Yuan had already assigned him his task—
Investigate the Disciples of Sanctus Medicus in secret.
Lure out whoever stood behind them.
Fu Xuan was calling March and Stelle for the same reason.
And Welt was already there.
For someone like him, the ancient archives of the Divination Commission were practically a buffet of knowledge.
Later, Evan sat alone in a teahouse along Xuan Night Avenue.
The most expensive tea.
Slow sips.
Quiet observation.
The Luofu was on lockdown.
Without Jing Yuan's token, movement would've been impossible.
Just as Evan relaxed—
A system prompt appeared.
[Ding! Silver Chest Opened!]
[Congratulations, Host! You have obtained Exclusive Skill: Cloud Hymn Art (Bailu Variant)!]
[This is a Dan Shu Division Exclusive Chest]
[Skill stored in inventory]
"…Cloud Hymn?"
So that was it.
The Dan Shu Division's chest hadn't been stationary—
It was bound to Bailu.
If he hadn't run into her earlier, he would've missed it completely.
Cloud Hymn Art was a versatile draconic technique.
At its peak—
It summoned roaring azure dragons, manifesting overwhelming destructive force.
At its gentlest—
It became healing mist, restorative resonance, and life-saving vitality.
Bailu's version was the latter.
According to Vidyadhara records, Cloud Hymn was originally water manipulation.
But after Dan Feng, the Dragon Sovereign's legacy fractured.
One half became destructive battle arts.
The other—
Healing Cloud Hymn.
And the Dragon Elders despised that.
A Dragon Sovereign who only saved lives, they said, wasn't worthy.
Which was why they favored a replacement.
"…The other half is definitely with Dan Heng."
"Combine both Cloud Hymns…"
"That'd be a gold-tier technique."
As the skill settled, Evan felt it—
Another chest.
Calling to him.
From the heart of the Luofu.
Scalegorge Waterscape.
The sacred land of the Vidyadhara.
Where the Ambrosial Arbor once stood.
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