[After hearing the prescription, Dan Shu's expression did not change in the slightest, seemingly not finding this prescription to be particularly cruel or against human ethics.]
["Hmm... truly a sinister and strange prescription. I believe I understand the pharmacological principle behind this formula. It aims to draw upon the power of the Vidyadhara to allow oneself to attain... Ascension."]
["However, the specific pharmacology still requires my verification. This may take some time." Dan Shu smiled faintly. "After all, I cannot actually procure Vidyadhara marrow for testing, now can I?"]
[Listening to her make a joke in such a bland tone, Stelle felt an eerie, creeping sensation.]
Teyvat Continent, Bubu Pharmacy.
"This Chief Apothecary... is truly not simple." Watching the gentle and virtuous woman on the Celestial Screen, Bai Zhu frowned slightly.
"Oh? Does Mr. Bai see something?" Xingqiu, who had come to seek medical treatment for a family member, looked at Bai Zhu. "Lady Dan Shu is the head of the Luofu's Alchemy Commission and one of the 'Six Commissions'... Could it be that Mr. Bai is amazed by her erudition?"
"Erudition is certainly one aspect, but what shocks Bai Zhu the most… is probably her audacity, right?" The small white snake coiled around Bai Zhu's neck flicked its crimson tongue.
"As expected, nothing gets past Changsheng." Bai Zhu nodded. "This Dan Shu, being a blind person with a natural deficiency, having hearing stronger than an ordinary person is something I can understand. But using that to distinguish between people is simply unbelievable… Besides, she has never seen Stelle before."
"Perhaps an apothecary reported it to her in advance?"
"That is indeed a possibility." Changsheng took over Bai Zhu's words to explain. "But Stelle's footsteps are no different from an ordinary person's. Being able to distinguish her by hearing alone is just too far-fetched."
"So… this reminds me of the scene when Stelle met the Disciples of Sanctus Medicus. Xingqiu, do you remember how the Disciples of Sanctus Medicus discovered Stelle?"
"Hmm, let me think… He said at the time, 'The Merciful Medicus Vidyadhara has granted me keen senses, nothing escapes…'"
"S-so that's it, I understand!" Halfway through the sentence, Xingqiu finally had a sudden realization. "Those who have taken the secret medicine of the Xianzhou are granted enhanced senses, and this Lady Dan Shu is also a member of the Disciples of Sanctus Medicus!"
"There's another key point… Dan Shu's attitude after hearing the prescription. Ordinary apothecaries paled upon hearing about extracting Vidyadhara marrow from a living being, yet only this Chief Apothecary acted as if it were nothing unusual."
Bai Zhu proceeded step by step: "Does this indicate that Dan Shu herself might be one of the developers of this bizarre and cruel prescription?"
"True lunatics…" A drop of cold sweat slid down Xingqiu's forehead. "One of the Six Commissions, performing a case of 'hiding in plain sight'? Such audacity indeed…"
[The two exchanged contact information. Dan Shu said she would contact her again once she had results.]
[After finishing, Stelle was just about to go find Mr. Yang and March 7th when her phone suddenly received a message from Dan Heng.]
[Dan Heng: "There was a situation earlier. I've arrived at the Xianzhou. Are you all okay?"]
[Stelle: "How did you get to the Xianzhou? Is the Express okay? What happened?"]
[Dan Heng: "I'll take that as you replying 'okay'. It's a long story. I'm at Cloudford, with a Cloud Knight. I'll meet up with you all once I'm out. The Express is fine. I came on my own. I'll explain in detail when I have time."]
[Stelle: "Okay, we'll talk about it in detail then."]
[...]
[Dan Heng put down his phone and looked up. Not far away, Luocha and Sushang were resting.]
[They had encountered many Mara-struck along the way. Although they had gotten through without major danger, they were tired and weary, so the group decided to rest for a while where they were.]
["Brother Dan Heng, are you from the Luofu?" Luocha noticed Dan Heng's gaze and took the initiative to ask.]
["..." Dan Heng answered with silence.]
[Luocha keenly sensed that Dan Heng seemed reluctant to answer and proactively apologized: "My apologies, that question was unnecessary. I sometimes struggle to gauge the appropriate in social interactions. I hope I haven't offended you."]
["Let's talk about you." Perhaps feeling that continued silence was impolite, Dan Heng found a topic to ask. "You don't seem like a Xianzhou native. Where are you from?"]
["A merchant has no fixed affiliation, drifting from place to place, making the sea of stars his home. But if you're curious… my registered place of origin within the Alliance is the Xianzhou [Yuque]. Luocha is just a name I commonly use on the Xianzhou." Luocha smiled slightly. "Outside the Xianzhou, I have a more cumbersome name."]
"Otto Apocalypse," Welt Yang said coldly.
"Is it possible that, due to being a counterpart, his personality is completely different from Otto's?" Himeko on the other end of the phone first proposed a conjecture. After all, based on the information Luocha had shown so far, it was difficult to label him as a "bad person."
"A bad person doesn't necessarily look like this, but one who looks like this is definitely a bad person," Welt stated with certainty. He glanced at the coffin beside Luocha. "Can you guess what's inside that coffin?"
"…It couldn't be Kallen, could it?" Himeko shook her head. Calling himself a merchant yet carrying a coffin around—it didn't make sense no matter how you looked at it.
Welt shook his head. "I can't guess either. It might be Kallen's counterpart, but that's just a possibility… What's important is that he must have some hidden, unknown scheme."
Ever since becoming opponents with Otto, he had experienced that man's methods more than once.
"Merchant…" Welt repeated meaningfully. "If this man were content with being just a merchant, it would be too sorry for this face."
["What is that coffin?" Dan Heng asked again.]
["Oh, that's a tie from a ill-fated relationship. I accidentally got caught up in a fight, incurred an unwarranted favor, and had no choice but to help return a body to the Xianzhou."]
[After chatting a while longer, Dan Heng turned to find Sushang. Besides asking about the Luofu's lockdown, it was also about the man named Luocha.]
["Did you know this Luocha before?"]
["No? I met him and met you at the same time, didn't I?" Mentioned by Dan Heng, Sushang recalled. "But, I really feel like I've seen him somewhere before? He looks familiar… Where was it…"]
"Could the Luocha in the screen have also gone to places like the Northern Desert with Sushang?"
Durandal said while giving Li Sushang a strange look.
"Please, that's the galactic universe. Where would there be a great desert?" Li Sushang retorted speechlessly, glaring at Durandal. "Besides, his personality is also way too different from his…"
In her memory, the man from Raksha was rather aloof and cold. During those days testing swords in Mobei, she rarely saw him smile.
This Mr. Luocha is unexpectedly gentle and considerate. Compared to the Raksha man's quiet, distancing aloofness, Luocha is more proactive.
But with a face like that, it's hard to say whether Luocha has ulterior motives or not…
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Two new New stories are out