Su Bai and the others arrived at Cloud Retainer's abode. Sharp-eyed Paimon immediately noticed that the clearing in front was a mess—countless broken rocks and snapped branches scattered everywhere, as if a great battle had taken place recently. Standing amidst the debris was a woman.
"Hello, Cloud Retainer! We've come to visit you."
Paimon flew over to the woman, smiling brightly as she greeted her. The woman glanced at Paimon, then walked right past her.
Paimon's smile froze. She felt as if her sincerity had been thrown to the dogs. Wasn't Cloud Retainer supposed to be a great conversationalist? Why was she so cold?
"Sister Shenhe, what are you doing here? What happened here? Did you and Cloud Retainer fight?"
Su Bai looked at the chaos around him, confused. What were these master and disciple up to? They had completely wrecked the place. Paimon flew up higher and saw that the destruction extended in all directions.
"I don't know what happened. It was already like this when I got here."
Shenhe looked Lumine up and down. She had never seen Su Bai bring a stranger to Cloud Retainer's abode before. This person must have something special about her.
"Oh, let me introduce you. This is Lumine, a traveler. That little white-haired one who greeted you is Paimon, Lumine's traveling companion."
"Lumine, this is Shenhe. Consider her something like an older sister to me."
"Wait? She's not Cloud Retainer?"
Paimon was shocked when Su Bai introduced Shenhe. This ethereal-looking woman wasn't Cloud Retainer?
"Of course Sister Shenhe isn't Cloud Retainer. She's just Cloud Retainer's disciple."
"Huh? Su Bai, why didn't you warn me?"
"Haha, I forgot~"
Inside the abode, Cloud Retainer was fretting over her feathers. Yesterday, Azhdaha had gone crazy again, insisting on testing their strength. The result was predictable: Azhdaha had beaten her soundly and plucked many of her feathers. She strongly suspected Azhdaha just wanted her feathers and was using "testing strength" as an excuse.
"Azhdaha, oh Azhdaha, how am I supposed to face the world like this?"
Just as Cloud Retainer was lamenting her plight, outside the abode, Su Bai had already told Shenhe the news of Rex Lapis's assassination. For the first time, Lumine and Paimon saw an expression on Shenhe's face—shock.
Though Shenhe had never met Rex Lapis, since becoming Cloud Retainer's disciple, she had heard many stories about him. Over time, she had come to respect him deeply. Hearing Su Bai's news, even Shenhe's naturally indifferent nature couldn't help but show surprise.
"We need to tell Master immediately. But she just chased me out, so I probably can't help you with this."
"With all these seasonings, is Cloud Retainer trying to cook something delicious?"
Shenhe waved the bag of ginger, garlic, and spices. Su Bai asked curiously. Cloud Retainer was quite picky about food. Ordinary meals wouldn't catch her interest.
"No, these are medicine for Master."
"Medicine? Is Cloud Retainer sick?"
"Not sick. Master's feathers are thinning. I happen to know a saying: 'For feather loss, use boiling water with ginger, garlic, and scallions.' So I brought them for her."
Shenhe answered Su Bai's question seriously, a hint of worry in her eyes. Cloud Retainer had raised her for many years. Shenhe didn't want anything bad to happen to her.
Su Bai rubbed his chin. Why did that sound so familiar? If he remembered correctly, it was a line from a cookbook in his collection. It had originally been about how to pluck poultry feathers. How had Shenhe twisted it into medicine for feather loss?
Wait—he had wrapped that cookbook in a medical book cover to protect it. Had Shenhe mistaken it for a medical text? Soon, Shenhe confirmed his suspicion.
"I found that book in your abode. If you have any ailments, come to me. I'll treat you."
"I've read all the books in your abode many times. I've grasped most of their contents."
Shenhe's serious expression made Su Bai swallow the words that were about to leave his mouth. He would explain it to Sister Shenhe another time. Bringing it up now might lead to another sparring match.
"Cloud Retainer, I'm sure you heard everything we just said. Won't you come out and share your thoughts?"
"Staying cooped up in your abode every day isn't a good habit. Come out and meet my friends."
Since Shenhe had confirmed Cloud Retainer was inside, Su Bai was sure she had heard every word they said. But why wasn't she coming out? Could she be crying inside?
Thinking of Cloud Retainer's relationship with Rex Lapis, Su Bai found this possibility quite likely. Just as he was about to say something to comfort her, the talismans at the entrance flashed, and Cloud Retainer appeared before them.
Seeing the adeptus's heroic bearing, Paimon blurted out:
"Wow, what a handsome bird! Huh? Su Bai, what's with that face?"
Lumine had been quite serious, but after hearing Paimon and turning to look at Su Bai's contorted expression, she couldn't help but laugh. Even Shenhe's eyes narrowed slightly at the comical sight.
But this wasn't Su Bai's fault. Others might not notice, but Su Bai, proficient in illusions, saw right through the one Cloud Retainer had cast on herself.
The sparse feathers combined with Cloud Retainer's proud demeanor looked utterly incongruous. Su Bai finally understood why Shenhe had brought medicine. Cloud Retainer's appearance naturally suggested illness.
But in Su Bai's eyes, experienced from many pigeon-plucking sessions, the feathers had clearly been ripped out by brute force. The follicles were still intact, but the feathers were gone.
Su Bai bit his lip, struggling to hold back his laughter. The scene fell into awkward silence. It wasn't that Su Bai didn't want to speak—he was afraid that if he opened his mouth, he would laugh, and then Cloud Retainer would be furious.