"Who's there?!"
The village doctor rushed out from next door with a hoe in hand, eyes full of vigilance. The earlier commotion had been loud enough to alarm even him.
"Grandpa Doctor, it's us!"
Ningguang waved happily.
"Oh! Ningguang!"
The old doctor relaxed, then spotted her mother and gasped in surprise.
"The village chief didn't make things difficult for you?"
"They were all taken away by Tianquan big brother!"
Ningguang ran up anxiously.
"Grandpa Doctor, how's my father?"
"He's stable," the old man nodded. "As long as he takes his medicine on time—"
Suddenly he froze.
He had noticed the white-haired man standing nearby.
"Y-you said… who took the chief away?"
"Tianquan big brother!"
The old doctor trembled. He hurried forward and bowed deeply.
"This old man greets the Immortal Lord."
Jiang Yan quickly helped him up.
"No need for such formality. I should be thanking you for saving Ningguang's father. Otherwise, that little girl would be heartbroken."
The old doctor waved his hands repeatedly.
"It's only a physician's duty…"
After exchanging a few polite words, Jiang Yan asked to see Ningguang's father.
Hope instantly filled the little girl's eyes.
If big brother could cure Mother with a wave of his hand… could Father recover too?
Inside the doctor's house, Jiang Yan examined the unconscious man carefully.
He placed a hand over the man's lower back. A faint glow shimmered again.
Moments later, he withdrew his hand.
"All done."
As soon as the words fell—
Under everyone's watchful gaze, Ningguang's father slowly opened his eyes.
"Where… is this…"
Then his eyes widened.
"Your mother—!"
He struggled to rise, then suddenly froze.
"My legs?!"
He moved them.
They responded.
"Father!"
Ningguang's mother rushed forward and embraced him.
Jiang Yan quietly stepped outside with the old doctor.
He had no intention of being the extra presence in a family reunion.
—
Just then, a Millelith soldier hurried over.
"Lady Ganyu has apprehended all implicated Millelith officers. Shall we proceed to Guili Plains?"
"So soon?" Jiang Yan blinked slightly.
He had thought he might at least eat before heading out.
"Very well. I'll follow shortly."
The soldier saluted and departed.
Soon after, Ningguang's family came out as well.
"Thank you, Tianquan, for saving our lives!"
Her father bowed deeply.
"Thank your daughter," Jiang Yan said gently. "She's endured far more than you know."
He added, "Your legs have just recovered. Weakness is normal. Nourish yourself well."
The man nodded repeatedly.
"I had planned to stay for a meal," Jiang Yan smiled at Ningguang, bending down to pat her head. "But something urgent came up."
"Don't forget our agreement."
"I'll be waiting at the harbor this afternoon."
A portal opened behind him.
In a flash, he vanished.
The old doctor sighed in admiration.
"As expected of an immortal… even his departure is extraordinary."
—
On Guili Plains, Jiang Yan stepped out of another portal.
The unrest had already been quelled.
Inside the administrative hall, Ganyu was finishing paperwork.
"You're here," she smiled.
"All handled?"
"Yes. They've confessed."
She handed him a thick document.
Every implicated Millelith officer had signed their confession.
Even the lightest crimes warranted no less than ten years' imprisonment.
Jiang Yan's expression turned cold.
Mercy?
Not this time.
This case had to be severe.
It had to set an example.
—
In the execution grounds north of Guili Plains—
Heads rolled.
Wails filled the air.
For three days and nights, the most grievous offenders were subjected to extreme punishment.
The worst among them were flayed, their skins stuffed and displayed as grim warnings.
Over a hundred people were implicated.
Seventy were formally sentenced to severe punishment.
It was the most significant judicial reckoning since Liyue's founding.
Because the majority of the condemned were Millelith officers, history would remember it by a single name:
The Millelith Case.
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