"It shouldn't hurt," Luocha murmured, his voice low and soothing, "but it might feel a little strange… maybe sore, maybe numb. Can you bear with it?"
He knelt on one knee beside Xueyi, his expression composed yet gentle. His long fingers hovered over her as he closed his eyes, and the necklace wrapped around his palm began to glow—an emerald green light that pulsed like a living heartbeat. The luminous glow shimmered, spinning into tiny star-like motes that danced in the air, swirling softly around the necklace in a slow, deliberate rhythm.
"Machine or flesh and blood… in the end, they are all tangible things," Luocha whispered, his voice smooth as a midnight breeze grazing across a woman's cheek. "As long as the girl doesn't mind the method I use…"
Felicity's brow furrowed slightly. A flicker of doubt stirred within her, but she said nothing. Her gaze instinctively drifted toward Dan Heng—and just as she turned, their eyes met.
"Abundance?" Dan Heng's lips formed the word, though no sound emerged. Felicity read his meaning with ease and nodded faintly, her lips tightening.
As if sensing the silent exchange, Dan Heng's gaze sharpened, a flicker of guarded vigilance glinting in his eyes as they returned to Luocha's figure.
Meanwhile, Bailu, seemingly unfazed by the ritual before them, gripped Felicity's hand tightly. Her other hand rested lightly on her lips, head tilted, curiosity sparkling in her wide eyes as she watched Luocha's spell unfold. It was as if she were observing a beautiful, incomprehensible phenomenon.
Only Sushang seemed truly awed. Her eyes widened in shock as she took in the scene.
"How… how are you doing that? That's not medical skill at all!" she blurted out, unable to contain her disbelief.
Of course, it wasn't.
As the Emanator of Abundance, Felicity could see it clearly—this was the Blessing of Abundance in its purest form, and in astonishing quantity at that. Luocha wasn't exaggerating: no matter the form—mechanical or organic—as long as it was tangible and alive, Abundance's power could restore it.
Felicity let out a quiet breath, feeling faintly foolish. Why had she worked so hard to hide her fear of using Abundance? Here on the Xianzhou Luofu, aside from Dan Heng, no one even seemed to question Luocha's methods.
It was as if she were the only one seeing a ghost in daylight.
"Good. No need to return to the Realm-Keeping Commission—the mission continues," Xueyi declared at last. Her voice, cold and resolute, cut through the air as she flexed her limbs experimentally, testing for any lingering effects. She turned her head and added, as if it were an afterthought, "According to the Ten-Lords Commission's rules, as a judge, I shouldn't involve myself in external matters. But since you helped me escape… I'll offer you this: leave. As soon as possible."
Her eyes, sharp and piercing, settled back on Felicity—quiet, heavy, almost like a warning left unspoken.
Then she fell silent, as if lost in thought, her expression distant. After a pause, she added, her voice lower this time, "I'm here to uncover the truth… and capture a wanted criminal—the Stellaron Hunter. He is an extraordinary swordsman, armed with a strange, formidable weapon. He is dangerous."
Dan Heng's expression tightened instantly, a shadow flickering across his otherwise stoic face.
Felicity noticed. She raised an eyebrow, her hand rising absentmindedly to brush over Bailu's hair, her fingers threading through the soft strands in a slow, calming motion.
Her gaze drifted skyward. In the distance, the Ambrosial Arbor had begun to stir, its silhouette trembling faintly with an unnatural energy. Even from Cloudford, the signs of its growth were visible—a slow, creeping omen.
She inhaled sharply.
Something was coming.
Every disturbance, every strange vision, carried the scent of danger. She could feel it in her bones.
She needed an excuse to get out—soon.
"I'm injured," she murmured, thinking aloud, her mind already spinning with plans. "I can't move easily. You'll need to carry me. Once we find a Starskiff, I'll step away—"
Before she could finish, Xueyi interrupted, stepping forward, her cold gaze fixed on Felicity.
"I know you have a mission. You can go," she said simply.
Felicity blinked. Then a smile curved her lips. "All right."
With barely a glance back, she took Bailu's hand and strode toward the far end of the platform, her steps light but quick.
Dan Heng watched her leave, his eyes lingering on her back, but said nothing.
. . .
Cloudford, Skiff Boarding Area.
The boarding area stretched out like a vast, utilitarian stage, built for cargo transport in Cloudford. Deeper inside, the passageways connected to the heart of Starskiff Haven, where the real lifeblood of the port pulsed.
Felicity's plan was clear. She'd return Bailu to the safety of the Exalting Sanctum, then head alone toward the Ambrosial Arbor—if danger awaited, she couldn't risk Bailu being caught in it.
But the plan had barely formed when she realized how much Cloudford had changed.
The Disciples of Sanctus Medicus had swarmed the area like ants on sugar, flooding the skiff routes in overwhelming numbers. Though they posed little threat individually, their sheer presence made progress frustratingly slow—worse still, they attacked on sight, hounding them without pause.
Felicity's patience wore thin. After dispatching yet another wave, she paused, her senses sharpening. A ripple, faint but unmistakable, brushed against her awareness—a power radiating with Abundance, though weaker than Luocha's, yet still potent enough to make her wary.
Her gaze darkened.
"Locusts," Bailu muttered from behind, pinching her nose in mock disgust. "Wave after wave, like they're lining up to get thrashed."
Despite her tone, there was a tremor in her voice—a hint of pity she couldn't quite conceal as she watched the Mara being reclaimed from the fallen Disciples.
"The life of a locust is too short to fulfill our long-cherished wish."
A soft, lilting voice responded—not Felicity's, but a light, amused chuckle drifting through the air, faint and mocking.
"The miracle of Abundance has been granted to us… to glimpse eternity, to embrace immortality, to change at will."
Felicity's eyes snapped upward.
A figure hovered above them, her form draped in a strange, revealing garb—tight-fitting, with a shawl flowing behind her like wings, somewhere between a bird's plumage and a beast's pelt. In her hand, she held a wooden staff, wrapped in the unmistakable glow of Abundance.
Yet it was her body that unsettled Felicity most. The woman's form seemed less like flesh and more like a vessel woven entirely from the Blessing of Abundance itself, hollowed of any semblance of life.
"…Dan Shu?"
Bailu's voice trembled with disbelief. Her gaze locked onto the blindfolded face hovering above, her lips parting in shock.
Dan Shu—gentle, kind, a healer from the Alchemy Commission. Bailu had known her, had learned from her. Yet the figure before her now…
It was as if she were staring at a stranger, one who sent a cold shiver racing down her spine.
"Master Dan Shu has met the Healer Lady," the woman intoned softly, turning her head—blindfolded yet precise—and pointed directly at Felicity.
"And the Emanator of Abundance, no less… am I right?"
Felicity's brow arched, a flicker of calculation passing through her gaze. She had used her powers when handling those disciples—perhaps someone had informed the higher-ups. That wasn't surprising.
But that raised a far more pressing question.
"Who are you?" Felicity asked, her tone cool, edged with steel.
The woman's smile widened.
"I am the chief alchemist of the Alchemy Commission… the leader of the Disciples of Sanctus Medicus. I am whoever I need to be—because none of that matters."
Her voice dripped with fervor, the tone of a worshipper meeting her messiah for the first time.
"What matters is that, after centuries of silence, the Disciples of Sanctus Medicus have found a new leader."
Felicity's eyes narrowed slightly, but she said nothing.
"The Merciful Medicus is merciful, and the Ambrosial Arbor grows," the woman continued, her voice rising in a fevered pitch. "The planters are of one mind, and together, they will ascend the path to immortality. All of us, devoted to the Merciful Medicus!"
She stood before Felicity now, eyes hidden yet blazing with a fanatic's light, practically trembling with the weight of her belief. There was no doubt in her mind—Felicity was the one. The lord of Abundance, the guide who would lead them back to the ancient ways.
Far more real, far more tangible, than that so-called Lord Ravager who had only ever sold them empty dreams.
With bated breath, she waited for Felicity's response.
"So… you'll listen to me now?" Felicity asked softly, tapping her chin in thought, her tone light but edged with amusement.
"Yes, ma'am!" the woman replied without hesitation.
"Then go find that Lord Ravager," Felicity said, her voice turning sharp, "and kill her."
"…Kill the Lord Ravager? Me?" the woman echoed, her voice faltering, a note of disbelief threading through her fervor.
--+--
T/N: Nah...(skull emoji) x7