Peacock Lady and Third Elder carried dozens of disciples through the air with their Theríon. They had gathered the wounded while making their way toward Peacock Pavilion, but those disciples needed treatment now. Taking them to the alchemy center meant another stop before they could reach their lord.
For the injured, it was the place that should have offered relief. Recovery pills and the tools needed to treat them were kept there, beyond what the two elders could provide while carrying people from one fight to the next.
They landed at the building and found it unusually quiet. With the school under attack and wounded disciples gathering wherever help could be found, they had expected activity at the alchemy center. Instead, only Second Elder, Mei Hongyi, came to greet them.
The contrast put both of them on their guard. They had just passed through the fighting to bring these disciples here; the calm around Hongyi did not fit what they had seen along the way.
