Fu Xuan looked at Qingque, who was standing in front of her with a grin, and at the dessert the other party had placed on her desk. After a moment of silence, she finally chose to compromise helplessly and handed the approved leave request form to Qingque in front of her.
"Thank you, Grand Diviner!"
Qingque was very happy after getting the leave request form. She wasn't asking for leave recklessly. These days, she had already finished her work for the near future, ensuring there was no work left to keep her busy, and then chose to take leave for a period of time.
"Hehe! I'll go play two days of Celestial Jade first!"
Just as Qingque was happily holding the leave request form and preparing to leave, Fu Xuan called her back and said very seriously, "Qingque, I have approved this leave, but be more careful these days and go to fewer places with few people."
"Did something happen on the Luofu?"
The smile on Qingque's face also faded as she looked at Fu Xuan.
"I cannot tell you too much about this, but it is indeed a bit chaotic recently. Just be more careful and go to fewer places with few people."
"Mm, I understand."
Qingque nodded seriously, deciding to inform her parents and friends she had good relationships with after going back, telling them to go out less.
At this moment, Caelus looked at the Xianzhou woman sitting opposite him with her eyes closed and said, "What are you people from the Disciples of Sanctus Medicus looking for me for?"
"How can you be so sure that I am from the Disciples of Sanctus Medicus, sir?"
"Ordinary people have no way to sense it, but as a Pathstrider on the Path of Remembrance, and with the special technique of being able to infuse emotions into the food I make, I can sense your difference."
In fact, the reason he could sense it was purely because of Caelus's own power of The End and Abundance. He could clearly judge the power of Abundance on the other person that was different from normal Xianzhou people.
"I originally only intended to have a brief exchange with you, sir, but I didn't expect to have my identity exposed as soon as I arrived. So, what do you intend to do, sir? Go directly to the Grand Diviner of the Divination Commission, or report me to that General?"
Even though her true identity had been exposed, the woman seemed to have no impatience or killing intent. Instead, she sat calmly in her seat, looking unperturbed.
"How about we introduce ourselves first? My name is Caelus, a Traveler temporarily residing on the Xianzhou Luofu."
"My name is Dan Shu, currently serving as a Master Alchemist of the Alchemy Commission. Of course, you can also know my other identity, the leader of the Disciples of Sanctus Medicus on the Xianzhou Luofu."
"Mm, being both a Master Alchemist of the Alchemy Commission and the leader of the Disciples of Sanctus Medicus, in that case, most of the people in the Alchemy Commission must have already joined the Disciples of Sanctus Medicus."
"Yes, you can actually consider the entire Alchemy Commission to basically be made up of people from the Disciples of Sanctus Medicus."
"I have some tea leaves here. Although they are all relatively common goods on the Xianzhou Luofu, would you like some?"
"I have no objections."
Caelus stood up to get the tea leaves, while Dan Shu seemed completely unconcerned, sitting there calmly waiting for him to get them, as if she didn't care at all whether the other party would use this opportunity to pass on a message.
Of course, this was not out of trust in Caelus, but because the surrounding area had already been shielded from information, and the Stellaron had already been transported into the Xianzhou. Now, communication across the entire Xianzhou had begun to have problems.
After Caelus brewed the tea, he poured a cup for Dan Shu and also poured a cup for himself.
"So, tell me, did you come to me for my method to delay Mara-Struck, or are you purely curious about me as a person?"
"Both, I suppose. However, after meeting you in person, I am actually more interested in the latter."
"Outsiders all know that the long-life species of the Xianzhou possess incredibly long lifespans and can self-repair even if their bodies are maimed, but what if one is born with a defect? Such people are truly pathetic.
In the Xianzhou, there is a specific term for such people, 'Heaven-Deficient.' I have been blind since childhood and cannot see anything. The exclusion I have faced on this journey, the bullying, and the various inconveniences in daily life, I have lost count of them all."
Dan Shu picked up the teacup on the table and took a light sip. Even though she could not see, she was able to accurately locate the teacup on the table.
"I know that for the long-life species of the Xianzhou, if one is born with a defect, because of the nature of the Abundance constitution, even if a prosthetic is installed, it can only be used for a brief moment. Then, due to a strong rejection reaction, it causes severe pain, and subsequently, the modified part will be rejected, and the body will return to its previous state."
The third eye on Fu Xuan's head also belongs to a foreign object, so she too suffers pain every single moment.
"In such a situation, if one wishes to see the light again, one must indeed rely on the power of Abundance. Is this why you joined the Disciples of Sanctus Medicus?"
"No. Even though I suffered such hardships, I still gritted my teeth and persevered. I studied hard, even if I had to put in several or even a dozen times more effort than ordinary people, I still gritted my teeth and persisted. I just wanted to prove to those who looked down on me and mocked me that I could achieve higher accomplishments than them."
"Hmm, that is a very inspiring story, but I imagine something must have happened."
"Yes, but to speak of it in detail, it is indeed a long story. I will just speak of it simply."
"I had a very good friend, and she was also a healer at the Alchemy Commission. She went to the front lines, acting as a healer treating the wounded in logistics areas extremely far from the battlefield.
Due to personal reasons, I could not go to the front lines, and I was very worried about her. She was the only friend I had in that long, dark life. I waited for news from her every day, and I prayed every day, praying to the Reignbow Arbiter that she would return safely.
But for a very long time, I did not receive any news from her, and my heart began to feel very uneasy. Until later, I learned that the war had ended. It turned out that the Reignbow Arbiter had personally drawn the bowstring and brought down the arrows of The Hunt. But how great is the power of an Aeon? Even the medical area outside the battlefield was affected, and my close friend died on the spot.
Why did it have to be this way? Everything was such a coincidence, it was as if fate had played a huge and vicious joke on me. I went to verify it over and over again like a madman, but the result I obtained was the same.
She died, died at the hands of the Reignbow Arbiter whom we believed in the most, respected the most, and pursued.
I began to ask myself, what exactly had I gained from the Reignbow Arbiter I had believed in for so long? My Heaven-Deficiency could not be cured, the bullying I endured could not receive justice, and my friend died on the battlefield, not even at the hands of the enemy, but at the hands of the god we believed in.
Then, out of my own selfish desires, I began to hate The Hunt and began to embrace Abundance. The beginning of all this did not stem from high-sounding reasons, nor did it involve any great achievements that sounded stirring. It was merely the revenge of a madman... after the only ray of light in the darkness was extinguished."
Caelus stopped writing, then handed over the open book and said, "Touch it."
Dan Shu was slightly puzzled, groping to take the book. Then, her hand touched the pages. The carvings and drawings on them were like Braille. After groping for a while, a person appeared in her dim world.
"Yufei..."
There could be no mistake. That was the face she had engraved deep in her memory and could never forget during those short ten-plus days after installing a prosthetic eye to see her friend's face.
It was exactly the same as the person seen at this moment.
Tears slid down, carrying hundreds of years of pain and longing.
(To be continued.)
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◇ One bonus chapter will be released for every 200 Power Stones.
◇ You can read the ahead chapter on Pat if you're interested: p-atreon.c-om/Blownleaves (Just remove the hyphen to access normally.)