LGHTNOVELBOOK Chapter 187: What's Your Name?
Silky smooth gray hair cascaded down, crimson eyes like rubies inlaid on jade. Delicate features, sculpted as if by nature itself, her every expression exuded a tranquil and elegant air, with a subtle hint of fierceness.
The loose white coat couldn't conceal the curves of her voluptuous figure. The only thing that seemed out of place was that the coat looked more masculine. Worn by a girl, it appeared somewhat awkward.
But Kevin clearly didn't notice these details, as she was staring intently at the girl who had entered, somewhat captivated.
She had originally thought that with her devotion, she probably wouldn't be interested in any other girl besides MEI in this lifetime – at least in terms of love at first sight, perhaps only MEI could achieve that.
But...
Looking at this unfamiliar girl who had entered her sight, {Kiana} staring foolishly at the other's delicate side profile, unexpectedly felt her heart flutter.
The temperature of her cheeks rose rapidly, and her heart beat at a much faster rate than usual.
This feeling – undoubtedly, Kevin, who had experienced this with MEI, understood that she had fallen in love at first sight with this unfamiliar girl 'once again'!
Kevin felt very guilty about this – MEI, I'm truly devoted to you.
But... but this girl who suddenly appeared was just too... too cute!!!
Her appearance, temperament, everything about her as a girl was exactly Kevin's type.
And in a direct comparison, she completely outshone MEI!
If she had to choose between her and MEI, Kevin would definitely choose the former without hesitation!
And this girl who had captivated Kevin – Su, was currently having a headache.
She didn't know what was going on. While she was in the hospital, she went to the restroom after drinking too much water, and discovered that her longtime companion had turned into a 'girl' – at the time, Su thought she was hallucinating due to work stress.
But after checking for a while, she was dumbfounded. Unable to hold back, the consequences of a girl standing to pee were obvious, splashing everywhere and wetting her pants.
What was worse, a patient happened to come in afterward... Well, Su almost died of embarrassment and hurriedly fled the scene.
Even after returning to her clinic, Su couldn't figure out what was going on – why did her little brother suddenly turn into a little sister?
Not believing it, she even took off her pants in the clinic to check again... Well, it wasn't a dream.
Now Su was feeling terrible.
Damn it, what was going on?
Even with Su's extensive medical experience, she couldn't figure out why this had happened.
She wasn't sick – besides, what kind of illness turned a man into a woman?
Helpless, although very panicked and distressed, Su could only turn to her senior, Director Faller, for help.
The result was self-evident.
When 'Miss' Su ran to him, Faller was confused – who are you?
Oh, Su... huh? Su?
You're Su? Who are you kidding?
Looking down at his own headlights, my junior is a proper man!
Su had to recount some past events before Faller finally believed that his junior, Su, had suddenly turned into a girl.
But Faller clearly couldn't do anything about it either and could only suggest that Su keep this matter hidden for now – after all, a grown man suddenly turning into a girl was too bizarre, wasn't it?
Su agreed and, under Faller's suggestion and arrangement, assumed the alias {Rita} and worked as Su's {cousin.}
Maybe it was because it was too strange, or maybe because she didn't want to be laughed at by Kevin, but Su didn't tell Kevin about it.
Now, hearing that there was a patient who had been injured, she came to check, and as a result...
It's you! Kevin's cousin!
Seeing the white-haired girl sitting by the bed with bandages wrapped around her head, staring at her, 'Rita' was instantly surprised and also a little distressed. What had happened? She was fine yesterday, and today she was hospitalized?
No wonder she didn't see her when she went home yesterday. She asked Kevin, but he didn't know either. Because she didn't have a way to contact her, Su almost thought 'Kiana' had left, feeling a little down.
"Ki..."
Wanting to speak up, but suddenly freezing, Su remembered that she had turned into a beautiful girl, and Kiana didn't know her at all.
As for revealing herself – although her personality was a bit different from Kevin's, how could Su, who already had feelings for the girl in front of her, say, "Hey, hello, I'm Su"?
That would be too embarrassing!
And if that were the case, wouldn't she completely lose her chance?
Well... it seemed like she already didn't have a 'chance' now.
Subconsciously ignoring this sad fact, Su instinctively chose to conceal it, and she didn't even plan to tell Kevin. After all, with his personality, if he knew she had turned into a girl, who knew how he would tease her? Besides, with his big mouth – what if he told Kiana?
Many thoughts flashed through her mind in a short time. The girl coughed lightly and said naturally:
"Miss Kiana, how are you feeling?"
She didn't mind using her name, as it wasn't difficult for a doctor to know the patient's medical history and name.
"Cough cough... I'm fine... um, doctor..."
"Hmm?"
"What's your name?"
Su found this question a little strange and subconsciously wanted to answer, but luckily, she reacted in time and said in a soft voice:
"Oh, this... hello, I'm Rita. I'm a new intern at this hospital."
"Oh, really? That's a coincidence. I have a friend who's also an intern... uh, I think it's this hospital, right? Do you know him? His name is Su."
Hearing this, the gray-haired girl's expression remained calm, but her heart was filled with joy – friend, she considers me a friend!
She had originally thought that her previous blunder would lead to an impasse in their relationship, but it turned out that Kiana still considered her a friend in private!
Even with Su's personality, she was incredibly excited – if they were in a more secluded place, she might even jump up and down to express her feelings.
But to avoid making Kiana think she was impulsive, she still put on a surprised expression:
"So you're my cousin's friend?!"
"Eh—?"
"You're Su's cousin...?"
The white-haired girl looked surprised – she didn't suspect this identity that was similar to her own, mainly because Su hadn't mentioned anything about his family. And in fact...
Examining [Rita's] appearance, she did look very similar to Su... if she hadn't been blinded, Kevin might have discovered this earlier.
She felt a little annoyed – that guy Su, he didn't even tell me he had such a pretty cousin!
If she had met her earlier, she definitely wouldn't have gone to the Far East!
"Mm-hmm~"
The gray-haired girl smiled radiantly, captivating the white-haired girl lying in bed, and then said, "I've heard about you from my cousin. He also told me that you're about the same age as me and we'd definitely have a lot in common, and that he'd introduce you to me someday. I didn't expect to meet you today."
With a hint of emotion, 'Rita' – Su, telling lies with a straight face, started to make things up.
She couldn't believe how good she was at bluffing.
Miss Kiana seemed to have taken it seriously and nodded happily, then asked curiously, "Where's Su?"
"My cousin..."
"Is something wrong with him?!" Seeing the gray-haired girl's subtle expression, Kevin, who was close to Su, couldn't help but ask. This anxious look made 'Rita' secretly rejoice – it was the first time Su had felt this way.
Joy – as expected, Kiana cares about me!
On the surface, the gray-haired girl rested her chin on her hand and sighed:
"It's nothing serious. It's just that the medical system is a bit strained recently, and my cousin was assigned to Eastern Europe. He probably won't be able to come back for a long time."
Hearing this, a thought crossed Kevin's mind.
There's such a good thing?!
Before, she felt a bit 'reluctant' about Su's presence, because in her current situation, her good buddy seemed to be the only person she could talk to.
But after meeting Su's cousin, 'Rita,' Kevin's only thought was – stay away from me, don't disturb my flirting!
If Su were here, it would be a bit tricky, because her buddy actually had feelings for her. But now that he was gone...
This was a godsend!
What, MEI? Please stay away from me, I'm afraid Rita will misunderstand!
...
Dan Shu was having a headache – she couldn't seem to find a way to get [Qingque] away.
According to what she knew, this child named Qingque should be lazy. Basically, as long as someone invited her to play cards, she would leave happily.
Knowing this weakness, she directly sent a secret message to her Sanctus Medicus subordinates, asking them to invite Qingque to play cards. The result: No, thanks. I don't want to play cards recently.
... What the hell.
Dan Shu decided to deal with those subordinates who gave her false information later.
She helplessly watched the two girls, one tall and one small, leave – [Qingque] even declined Fu Xuan's arrangement for a 'check-up.' After all, Jiang Qiao knew her own situation clearly, and as for the diagnosis report, wasn't there a little doctor right beside her?
With the reputation of the Healer Lady, even Fu Xuan had to admit her medical skills were superb – even General Jing Yuan often sought her treatment.
"Hey – it's quite lively over there, let's go take a look." Bailu walked ahead happily. As a 'figurehead Dragon Heir,' she was always under the watch of the guards and maids sent by the Vidyadhara elders... No, rather than being watched over, it was more like being confined.
Naturally, there was no one in the Alchemy Commission willing or qualified to play with her.
Now that [Qingque] was actively playing with her, the child was incredibly happy.
"Okay."
Responding, the girl pushed through the crowd and lifted Bailu onto her shoulders. Her clear and cheerful voice rang out:
"Step right up, step right up! Come see Little Gui's amazing juggling performance! Ladies and gentlemen, if you have money, throw some money, if you don't have money, throw some people!"
In the center of the area, a charming girl with bright orange hair stood among a pile of juggling equipment, holding a gong in one hand and a stick in the other, shouting loudly, looking full of energy.
"Today, we're going to perform a 'ring of fire' juggling act for all of you!"
"Yay~"
Listening to the cheers of Bailu on her shoulders, [Qingque] watched the girl juggling with a bowl on her head.
Guinaifen, also known as Guinevere, was originally the youngest daughter of Camelot's Protector Duke. Due to the invasion of the Antimatter Legion, her family was ruined, and she became a wanderer.
Later, she and her brother, who became an interstellar pirate, were captured by the Interastral Peace Corporation for hijacking a Xianzhou Alliance merchant ship and handed over to the Xianzhou Alliance.
The Xianzhou Alliance, considering her circumstances, pardoned her death sentence and sent Guinaifen, as a family member, to study at the academy. After graduating, she became a street performer in the streets of Loufu, a well-known abstract artist.
According to the memories of this body, whenever Qingque lost badly at cards, she would come to Guinevere to watch her juggling show to cheer herself up. Of course... what was embarrassing was that Qingque basically freeloaded on Guinevere's performances.
It wasn't that she was stingy, it was mainly because after losing badly, she would search her pockets and find no money left to give as a reward.
Of course, Guinevere was more of an amusement for Jiang Qiao. Even he had to admit that her stunts, like catching bullets barehanded, eating noodles upside down, and brushing her teeth while whistling, were top-notch.
It even made him want to go on stage and perform some magic tricks he learned from Vill-V.
But besides having fun, Jiang Qiao was thinking more about –
Undoubtedly, now that he had put aside the work he didn't need to worry about during his vacation, his main focus was dealing with the upcoming 'Ambrosial Arbor Revival' disaster.
Based on the timeline, Jiang Qiao judged that there was still some time before a certain old fart and the Stellaron Hunter would come to the Loufu with the Stellaron. From the information he learned from the Interastral Peace Corporation, the Astral Express was currently at the Taketandra Ball Pit.
It could be foreseen that a certain pink-haired meatball was currently working to pay off her debts... Hmm, Jiang Qiao was still very interested in that future 'Yanqing.'
And the most pressing matter was to first deal with the Sanctus Medicus lurking in the shadows of the Xianzhou.
Directly reporting them to the Ministry of Industry and the Cloud Knights was a very straightforward solution, but the Sanctus Medicus itself was a huge organization. Even if it was just a 'figurehead' in secret, if he couldn't deliver a fatal blow, then even capturing Dan Shu, the leader of the Sanctus Medicus, would be useless.
Moreover, Jiang Qiao wouldn't view the current Xianzhou Loufu as it was in the game.
The scale of the two couldn't be compared.
After scaling up, the number of people influenced by the Sanctus Medicus would also increase proportionally.
Although, as a Diviner of the Divination Commission, he could also warn the Cloud Knights through divination, perhaps because the time hadn't come yet – at least for now, even if he cheated, Jiang Qiao couldn't divine the hexagram of the 'Ambrosial Arbor Revival' in advance – or rather, he couldn't completely divine it because the time hadn't come.
And according to the rules of the Divination Commission, such an incomplete 'divination' couldn't pass the three reviews, just like Ruoyue later on. Although she also divined the hexagram of the Ambrosial Arbor Revival, she couldn't give an exact time.
And it even accelerated Grand Astrologer Fu's divination of her resignation.
As for fabricating a complete one out of thin air – all divinations of the Divination Commission had to be deduced by the 'Abacus of Divination.' Only after confirming they were accurate would they be reported.
Even if Jiang Qiao personally told Fu Xuan information that couldn't be verified, the latter wouldn't accept it. After all, each department had its own operating rules and couldn't be altered due to personal preferences.
In that case, it would be better to personally take action during this vacation.
And 'Guinaifen' in front of Jiang Qiao's eyes was a very good 'helper.'
Of course – he wasn't referring to her personally.
He was aiming for Guinaifen's good friend, 'Sushang,' a Cloud Knight transferred from the Xianzhou Yaoqing.
The Cloud Knights were the Xianzhou's most powerful weapon. Although they seemed ordinary and could be seen standing guard in many places, perhaps to prevent rebellion or for other reasons, their personnel transfers were extremely strict and could only be carried out with an order from the Cloud Knights.
But Sushang was different. Transferred from the Yaoqing, she was a more open-minded type, someone who could 'abandon her post' under certain circumstances. Coupled with her not-so-bright mind and her strong sense of justice, she was the perfect person to secretly deal with the lurking Sanctus Medicus.
Of course, Jiang Qiao also had some personal thoughts about this.
After all, as a veteran from Honkai Impact 3rd, seeing the same Sushang couldn't help but make him feel a sense of familiarity. If there was a chance, he wanted to take care of her.
Coincidentally, there was an opportunity to gain merit now, so he might as well pull her along to earn some 'military achievements.' He couldn't just have 'a certain Diviner of the Divination Commission single-handedly uncovering the Sanctus Medicus remnants lurking in the Xianzhou Loufu,' right?
If he took all the credit alone... tsk.
He had a feeling that something bad would definitely happen afterward.
And Bailu on his shoulder was also one of Jiang Qiao's targets – besides being curious about the multiple Path powers she possessed, he was also thinking that since he had encountered her, he might as well bring her along.
After all, if Bailu earned some achievements, then it would be the Vidyadhara elders' turn to have a headache.
Confining a hero who had made great contributions to the Xianzhou – previously, the Cloud Knights couldn't interfere because it was an internal affair of the Vidyadhara, and they had to avoid getting involved.
But after this, if the Vidyadhara elders continued to play like this, Jiang Qiao believed that the General sitting in the Cloud Knights wouldn't mind having a chat with those gloomy and stubborn elders of the Vidyadhara.
This was not the Scalegorge Waterscape.
Hearing the Xianzhou heroes talk about the 'High-Cloud Quintet' one after another, even though Jiang Qiao wasn't someone who pursued fame and fortune, he couldn't resist wanting to play the 'hero game.'
The performance ended, the crowd dispersed. Guinaifen, packing up the juggling equipment on her stall, looked at [Qingque] who was approaching, somewhat surprised:
"Yo, you're early today~ Que, did you skip work again?"
She had a good relationship with this frequent audience member, perhaps because of their similarly easygoing personalities. It was just a pity that Little Gui wasn't very interested in Heavenly Jade Tile. Otherwise, she might have become another good friend after Sushang.
But even so, she had a good impression of her – it would be even better if one day she could give some money instead of just showing up.
"No, Grand Astrologer saw how hard I was working and gave me a vacation. So, I came out for a stroll."
"...Working hard?" Hearing this, the orange-haired girl looked puzzled – she wasn't that clear about Qingque's job at the Divination Commission, but from what she occasionally heard from Qingque's card friends, no matter what, this person in front of her had nothing to do with that phrase, right?
Uh... maybe I misheard.
"Whoa, you're quite generous today. Looks like you had good luck, huh? It's rare to receive a reward from you."
"What, you don't want it?"
"Hey hey hey, I want it, I want it! I was just joking. Who would refuse money?" Seeing the girl about to put away the handful of Strale she had taken out of her wallet, Guinaifen quickly smiled apologetically.
"Little Gui wishes you good fortune today~"
Although her business was decent, she wasn't wealthy right now. Performing on the streets to earn a meager living, how could she refuse the money offered?
"How's your good friend doing recently?"
"Sushang? Sigh, she's just like that. What else could she be doing besides working in the Cloud Knights? By the way, Que, why are you suddenly asking about her today? I don't think you two are close, right?" Putting the extinguished fire ring into her bag, the orange-haired girl was a little puzzled.
Although Sushang was the most street-friendly among the Cloud Knights – after all, other Cloud Knights wore Cloud Knight armor, only Sushang followed the Yaoqing's customs and didn't wear armor – but her serious friend, as far as Guinaifen could remember, only met the person in front of her occasionally while on duty in the Perpetual Dream.
At those times, Sparrow was immersed in Heavenly Jade Tile and had no interest in chatting.
Or it was when she was caught performing her 'breaking rocks on chest' act.
"Hmm~ there was something interesting, I think she might be interested."
"Interesting? That's great. I'll give you her contact information..." Looking at the brown-haired girl approaching from afar, Guinaifen stopped talking. "Whoa, speak of the devil, she's here. Alright, if you have anything to say, just talk to her directly."
Meanwhile, the 'real Sparrow' in the present was happily playing cards.
Slacking off is such a wonderful thing, isn't it?
Just thinking about how her post was being covered and she could slack off as much as she wanted.
This is really great.jpg
Undoubtedly, Welt sitting opposite her was also very happy – although he didn't know why the Herrscher of Reason and future successor of Anti-Entropy came to play with him, Welt, who had been under high-intensity 'squeezing' since Tesla caught him, was already exhausted.
He longed to slack off.
Anything was fine, as long as he didn't have to work!
Unfortunately, happiness always seemed to be short-lived – just like now.
"Welt, you! I said why I didn't see you in the office, you're here playing cards!"
As a somewhat 'irritated' voice pushed open the door, Mr. Welt, who had been happily slacking off, was dragged away with a pained expression.
And [Bronya] who stayed behind, looked sympathetic – thanks to Jiang Qiao displaying strength that didn't need to be taught, or rather, couldn't be taught, Qingque, currently using Bronya's body, could be so carefree.
After her card buddy was dragged away and she couldn't find anyone else to play with, Sparrow could only turn her attention to popular online games – well, there was one person willing to play with her.
Unfortunately, Sparrow didn't want to interact with her too much.
After all –
That child named Seele's attitude towards the owner of this body was clearly very strange!
To avoid being exposed, Qingque could only minimize contact with her.
However, this was somewhat obvious –
"Um... Bronya, are you deliberately avoiding Seele?"
The girl who entered pushed open the door and sat down, staring sullenly – Qingque, feeling that resentful gaze, had a splitting headache.
I'm not the Bronya you're talking about!
Although she wanted to continue avoiding her, she had a feeling that something dangerous would happen if she kept doing this. Trusting her intuition, Qingque could only helplessly ask for help from her group friends through the chat group:
Qingque: A child named Seele is blocking the door, how do I deal with this? Urgent, waiting online!
Hu Tao: Tear down the door, so she has nothing to block! Seriously.jpg
Yunyun: Surprised.JPG
Jiang Qiao: Just tell her the truth.
Seeing the message in the group, Jiang Qiao directly gave his suggestion.
Qingque: Will that work?
Jiang Qiao: It's fine, I believe you can do it, Sparrow.
Qingque: You're just watching me struggle, aren't you!
Qingque: ...Fine, I'll try.
With the permission of the 'original owner,' Sparrow suddenly became bolder – after all, since the 'owner' of this body had said so, what was there for her, a temporary borrower slacking off, to be pretentious about?
She directly activated her 'greatest mind,' and after careful consideration, confessed to the girl in front of her.
That is, the owner of this body had temporarily left, and she was the substitute.
After hearing this, Miss Seele blinked, her small eyes filled with big question marks – what are you talking about?
But after Qingque's 'reasonable explanation,' she still accepted this reality and breathed a sigh of relief.
Phew, that scared Seele to death. She thought Bronya was deliberately avoiding her.
So it was a 'substitute.'
Although she had mixed feelings about this so-called substitute, after all – this was her favorite Bronya's body, and a random girl had swapped into it. Shouldn't this kind of thing be happening to Seele?!
But Seele, who was very understanding, didn't express this thought.
She felt it was a bit unbelievable – but perhaps because of the confession, or perhaps because Qingque was currently using Bronya's appearance, even though she wasn't the real 'Bronya,' Seele got along well with her.
The two who hit it off quickly became good friends – Sparrow was currently teaching Seele how to play 'Heavenly Jade Tile,' and the latter was very interested.
Ah, this life is so beautiful.
The lunch at the Salt Lake Base was delicious, and she didn't have to work hard for it – Qingque felt so good at this moment, she wished time could stop here!
If it weren't for her attachment to her parents and her hometown, the Loufu, she would even want to say to Jiang Qiao, the 'original owner': Why don't we just keep swapping like this? I'll give you my body!
Meanwhile, Miss Bronya, the 'true original owner,' who was in the Elysian Realm, was diligently studying.
She said – the Elysian Realm is so great!
As a large-scale simulation facility, carrying the memories of an era of the Previous Era, the Elysian Realm was a perfect 'testing ground' for her as a game designer. And the games left behind were also very fun, and she didn't need to worry about production costs at all. After all, the Elysian Realm itself was a huge calculation facility.
Compared to the trial cities inside, what were the self-made games that Bronya ran?
The only problem was probably that Klein, the Elysian Realm's maintenance engineer, had a headache about the huge consumption of the Elysian Realm's computing power recently – she attributed it to the fact that there were probably more people entering the Elysian Realm.
Fortunately, World Serpent had enough resources, and it could be handled by doubling the workload.
Sigh, my vacation is going to be shortened again... oh, I didn't have a vacation in the first place, never mind.
Qingque: How are things going on your end?
Although she was having a lot of fun playing cards with Seele, Qingque couldn't help but be curious about the situation with her own body.
Jiang Qiao: On vacation.
Oh... on vacation, huh? That's pretty good.
Seeing this reply, Qingque sighed with emotion. It was harder than climbing to heaven for her to get a vacation from the Grand Astrologer.
... Wait, vacation?!
Qingque: You... where did you get a vacation?!
Sparrow was dumbfounded – hey, you're using my body, how could you have a vacation?!
The Loufu's rest day wasn't anytime soon!
It couldn't be that Qingque's leave requests were rejected by the Grand Astrologer, but [Qingque]s' were approved, right?!
Don't be so biased!
Jiang Qiao: Grand Astrologer approved it herself.
Her... herself?!
Seeing these two words, Qingque felt terrible – so it's really preferential treatment?!
Based on her understanding of her Grand Astrologer – was there such a thing as 'actively approving leave' in Fu Xuan's dictionary?
She wouldn't even give you compensatory time off.
And then she would add –
The affairs of the Commission are busy and the responsibilities are heavy. You must not neglect your duties for personal reasons!
Recalling her past life as a worker, Sparrow was filled with grief – and at the same time extremely curious about how Jiang Qiao, as Qingque, managed to get a vacation from that strict Grand Astrologer. If she could learn something from it, wouldn't it mean that after the swap ended, she could also follow suit and have a happy work life?!
But focusing on the present and enjoying the moment, Sparrow ultimately didn't ask – she could figure this out with her intelligence after she went back. And now, of course, having fun was the most important thing!
"Pong – oh ho, I win!"
Although learning that her body was currently on 'vacation' made Sparrow somewhat regretful, after all, she was thinking – you work, I enjoy, but it was also good that everyone was enjoying themselves. Everyone was happy with a wonderful present.
And because of this, Qingque could enjoy this 'vacation' with peace of mind. This was fantastic!
...
Golden Man Alley, the most popular and also the most authentic food street in the Xianzhou Loufu. This was also the most historic place in the Loufu. Usually, the locals of the Xianzhou came here, and occasionally there were also outworlders who came to taste the food after hearing about its reputation.
As a native of the Xianzhou, Qingque needed no introduction – judging from the memories of this body, whenever there was a holiday, Qingque would have fun in the Perpetual Dream and then come to Golden Man Alley for a feast.
And now, Jiang Qiao brought Sushang, Guinaifen, and Bailu to the century-old restaurant that this body liked the most and frequented in her memories – [Shang's Delicacies]. Its owner was named Yan Cui, who was the chief disciple of 'Cloud-Trailing Banner Meteor Fist' before running this restaurant.
"Sister Yan Cui, crispy melon spicy diced chicken, shredded fish with meat floss, and Granny Chen's tofu, hmm... and a portion of wood-fired roasted Shade of Cetus drumstick." Sitting down with the three of them in a relatively secluded corner, ordering according to the memories of this body, [Qingque] was extremely proficient.
Glancing at Bailu, whose eyes were sparkling with anticipation, she remembered something and added, "And a warm goat milk and a momo roll."
Jiang Qiao remembered that Bailu's favorite was warm goat milk, and momo rolls... the most authentic Xianzhou snack, which kids liked.
"Alright~ Eh – isn't that the Dragon Heir?!"
As a regular customer, Yan Cui was quite familiar with Qingque – and seeing Bailu, there was no need to say more. As a Vidyadhara herself, how could she not recognize her own Dragon Heir, the famous Healer Lady of the Xianzhou Loufu?
But since the High Elder Rebellion decades ago, due to various reasons, the prestige of the Loufu Dragon Heir had gradually declined in the eyes of the Vidyadhara locals, no longer as glorious as it once was.
"Looking at this, did you sneak out again?"
Even so, Yan Cui had no interest in reporting this to the Vidyadhara elders – except for the confidants of those old fogies, most of the Vidyadhara themselves disliked those old farts.
Bailu, the small and cute Dragon Heir with superb medical skills, was more popular.
"Hmph, this lady just came out for a walk! I didn't sneak out!"
"Sure, sure~"
Watching the interaction between the two Vidyadhara, [Qingque] didn't pay attention and casually picked up a pair of chopsticks from the chopstick holder, her gaze drifting towards the naive-looking brown-haired girl not far away, who exuded an air of innocence – little Sushang.
Guinaifen although happy about Jiang Qiao's treat, couldn't hold back her curiosity and asked, somewhat puzzled:
"Say, Que, what do you want to say? You're being so mysterious."
"Hmm... it's nothing much, probably about a group of... Sanctus Medicus."
"...Sanctus Medicus!"
Hearing the girl casually utter these two words, Sushang, who was originally a little nervous and dazed, couldn't sit still and stood up abruptly, almost crying out.
This wasn't surprising – after all, the Sanctus Medicus had always been active on the Xianzhou, as wanted criminals.
And the Cloud Knights had always been fighting against these Sanctus Medicus members who were trying to disrupt the Xianzhou.
Unfortunately, they had achieved very little success.
Fortunately, the location Jiang Qiao chose was secluded enough, and there weren't many other customers around, so no one noticed. [Qingque] helplessly pressed her hand down, signaling her to sit – the advantage of little Sushang was that she was easy to talk to and easy to use.
After all, her thinking... hmm, was relatively simple.
Of course, her disadvantage was also obvious; she couldn't hide her thoughts.
"Do you have information about the Sanctus Medicus?"
"I know who their leader is."
"Eh—?!"
Sushang's eyes widened – and Guinaifen, who was sitting next to her, had originally planned to just watch the fun and get a free meal, but she never expected to hear such 'special' news.
Even with Little Gui's cheerful and optimistic personality, she couldn't help but feel a little uneasy at this moment... This meal felt a little dangerous to freeload on.
But glancing at her good friend Sushang beside her, Guinaifen still suppressed the urge to run away and stayed.
"Really?"
"Seriously."
"?"
"Forget it, I'll just say it directly. The leader of the Sanctus Medicus is Dan Shu, the Alchemist Master of the Alchemy Commission."
Hearing this, Sushang blinked. Bailu, who was happily slurping warm goat milk, froze. Little Gui... looked blank. As an outworlder, she didn't know the important figures of the Alchemy Commission.
The next moment, Sushang walked to [Qingque]s' side and wanted to drag her away, saying:
"Let's go, we're going to the Cloud Knights now."
"Sigh... what's the rush?"
The brown-haired girl, whose clothes were being tugged, sighed and raised her hand, "Sit down first, sit down. Little Gui, hold her down in her seat!"
"Hey, don't stop me! Do you know what that is? That's the leader of the Sanctus Medicus!" Sushang, held down by Guinaifen, whispered – although she wasn't very bright in some areas, Sushang knew that this matter was extremely important, so she even lowered her voice.
Sushang was extremely excited.
You should know that the main reason she had specifically responded to the Loufu's call and transferred from the Yaoqing was that she had heard they were short of people here, and it would be easier to develop and escape the control of her parents.
Sushang had been fond of the stories of 'foxian heroes' since she was a child – it was a pity that after coming to the Loufu, she seemed to have no place to use her skills, and because of her lack of knowledge, she mainly did chores and patrols in the Cloud Knights.
After all, for an interstellar civilization like the Xianzhou, you couldn't just rely on martial arts to be a soldier. Every Cloud Knight currently serving in the Loufu was a top student.
Usually, she could only regretfully 'act chivalrously' and help the neighbors. Although this was good, Sushang, who had lofty ambitions and often listened to Mr. Xiyuan tell stories of the 'High-Cloud Quintet,' had always dreamed of becoming a 'heroine' famous throughout the star sea.
And now, this was clearly an opportunity.
The 'Sanctus Medicus' – this organization that had emerged in the Xianzhou after the third Abundance War, its unknown 'leader' had always been a wanted criminal of the Xianzhou. Catching them was a great achievement – even if she was just assisting in reporting them, it was enough to gain some merit and make progress!
Thinking about her mother's question about her 'career,' Sushang felt a sense of urgency.
If she continued to waste her time like this, she might be transferred back to the Yaoqing! She didn't want to rely on connections to take over her mother's position!
The brown-haired girl looked at the excited Sushang, whose headlights were trembling, and asked helplessly, "Do you just want to gain merit?"
"Cough cough, of course not! Although I do have some thoughts about that, I mainly want to eliminate harm for the people." Sushang coughed lightly and then said seriously – she was the type who hated evil. Although she was eager to gain merit due to various pressures, she wouldn't abandon her original ideal.
"Then don't inform the Cloud Knights for now."
"Eh? Why?"
"Because there are also Sanctus Medicus members within the Cloud Knights." [Qingque] sighed.
The Sanctus Medicus's influence was actually very
large – they were originally the 'Abundance' faction within the Xianzhou during the past faith crisis. And the Xianzhou, which itself started as medicine seekers and had the negative buff of Mara-Struck, naturally found it difficult to eradicate this force.
Although not the entire Abundance faction – the Sanctus Medicus' influence still permeated the six departments of the Loufu, and even the Cloud Knights had their people within.
If she remembered correctly, from the information she saw in the game, the Sanctus Medicus had actually been planning an assassination attempt on the 'Blind General' of the Cloud Knights. Although they hadn't achieved any results, Jiang Qiao guessed that the Cloud Knight General also had his own plans, but this undoubtedly proved that the Cloud Knights weren't clean.
If they were to inform them, she believed that General Jing Yuan would definitely take this opportunity to severely damage the Sanctus Medicus in the Loufu, but that would be all.
It wasn't like the later Ambrosial Arbor Revival – because at that time, the Sanctus Medicus saw an opportunity and went all in during the Ambrosial Arbor Revival. At the same time, there was also a Lord Ravager, Phantylia, who could rival Jing Yuan.
Under these multiple factors, the Loufu officials were able to eradicate the Sanctus Medicus in one fell swoop, leaving only a few remnants, like a lingering illness.
Capturing Dan Shu in advance would only make the Mara-Struck believers below become wary and lie low.
The Cloud Knights naturally had to be informed. After all, the Loufu was so large that it was impossible to deal with the Sanctus Medicus with just a few people.
But if they informed the Cloud Knights now, it would only lead to rash actions – Jing Yuan was trustworthy, and Jiang Qiao also believed that this Cloud Knight General could definitely control the Cloud Knights internally.
But even just in case, and for the possible changes that might occur later, she had to make the first move.
After all –
This game had just begun, and he was still waiting for certain people to enter the stage.
[Qingque], resting her chin on her hand, picked up a piece of spicy diced chicken with her chopsticks and put it in her mouth, chewing. The sour and spicy taste spread in her mouth.
Savoring the familiar taste from her memories, she casually looked at the posters on the railings of Golden Man Alley.
Those who do not plan for the future cannot plan for the present; those who do not plan for the whole cannot plan for a single part.
Jiang Qiao wasn't that greedy. She didn't intend to plan for eternity, but at least... she had the present, didn't she?
"The Cloud Knights?!"
"Yes, but don't make a fuss."
"Seeking longevity is human nature. There's bound to be conflict and envy in human interactions. Even the Cloud Knights have their own thoughts." In terms of speech, [Qingque]s' words at this moment were quite heretical.
After all, 'seeking longevity' was the greatest sin in the Xianzhou. Although the Xianzhou didn't often punish people for their words, if someone publicly discussed this topic, they would inevitably be taken to the Ministry of Industry's prison.
Despite this, Sushang didn't say much, but her expression was somewhat complicated – after all, within the Cloud Knights' barracks, those colleagues had taken good care of her as a newcomer. Now, knowing that some of her comrades were connected to the remnants of the Sanctus Medicus, she couldn't help but feel a pang of sorrow.
She really wanted to say – in that case, it's even more necessary to report everything. After all, the Cloud Knights had a heavy responsibility. If something went wrong, the consequences would be unimaginable.
But out of curiosity, she didn't say anything and asked, somewhat puzzled:
"In that case, why are you looking for me?"
Although she had lofty ambitions, little Sushang still had self-awareness.
If she wasn't going to inform the Cloud Knights, then she, a small, low-ranking Cloud Knight soldier, couldn't be of much help.
"Perhaps to find a witness, or perhaps to find a helper. It all depends on whether you're willing or not."
"As a Cloud Knight, it's my duty to defend the Xianzhou."
"But the mobilization of the Cloud Knights is quite troublesome, hmm... why don't we just report it?" Thinking of the regulations within the Cloud Knights, little Sushang couldn't help but whisper.
"Are you sure? If you come with me, it will be a great achievement. But if you report it... it will be discounted."
"Sushang, you also want to be like the High-Cloud Quintet in Mr. Xiyuan's stories, a hero famous throughout the Xianzhou, right?"
"..."
Listening to the tempting words, looking at the girl's smiling face and the spicy diced chicken offered with chopsticks, Sushang swallowed – I just want to eat the chicken!
The next moment, she took a bite of the chicken and, after refusing, said with difficulty and excitement:
"This girl will take this job!!!"
Her loud voice attracted the attention of the surrounding diners – little Sushang blushed and lowered her head in embarrassment.
And Guinaifen was gnawing on a Shade of Cetus roasted chicken wing, trying to pretend to be invisible – they can't see me, they can't see me!
There was no other way. Even with Little Gui's fearless personality, she felt uneasy during this meal.
Damn it, look at what they're talking about!
The Alchemist Master of the Alchemy Commission, one of the six departments, is the leader of the Sanctus Medicus remnants.
There are traitors within the Cloud Knights, even within the Cloud Knights themselves, this this this... is this something a small outworlder like me should be hearing?!
There was no other way. Although she had a deep friendship with Sushang, this was clearly a matter of life and death!
As Little Gui played ostrich, the girl's erratic voice rang in her ear:
"If you participate, you might become famous in one fell swoop and make a name for yourself in the Loufu... In that case, even if your family has a criminal record, you can atone for your sins and be pardoned, right?"
"Hmm, I divined a hexagram... this time, you might even have to deal with people under the Lord Ravager. This looks a bit dangerous... forget it, forget it."
At some point, the orange-haired girl had already run to [Qingque]s' side, holding her hands.
"—Please take me with you!"