He knew, even if not the Preceptors yet, this time the Disciples of the Medicus Sanctus was finished for good.
-----------------------------------
In the end, this person from the Disciples of the Medicus Sanctus was beaten so badly by the Cloud Knights that he couldn't even speak.
He was imprisoned on the spot along with the rest of the Borisin.
"Fortunately, some time ago there were quite a few prisoners released."
"Otherwise, we really wouldn't have had enough cells to hold them."
That was how one Cloud Knight complained.
One can only say, fate has its ways of arranging things, sometimes even with a bit of dark humor.
...
: Damn, when I saw the Cloud Knights beating up the Borisin, I was already having a hard time holding it in.
: When that quip came out, I completely lost it.
: The way he swung that club, for a moment I hallucinated it was someone I knew.
: Hahaha, I wonder if Star Rail is doing this on purpose as a meme.
: But back to the point, now that the entire prison has been purged and key evidence has been found, those bastards in Luofu's factions probably won't be able to run anywhere.
: With such decisive and ruthless handling, they clearly had a plan prepared in advance.
: Unless something unexpected happens, that rabble has no chance of fighting the Cloud Knights, it's pure wishful thinking.
: The only question is, what about the events teased in the preview, and what's going on with Jingliu?
...
The comments scrolled by.
Although things were going smoothly so far, the viewers still didn't dare relax.
They continued watching along with the story.
"General, the Disciples of the Medicus Sanctus has intervened in this matter, and suspicions are mounting."
"When does the General plan to act? To cut away this stubborn poison?"
By now, Lingsha had already calmed down. Her earlier anger was mostly from the danger and losses brought by those conspirators.
"No rush. The key still lies with Hoolay." Jing Yuan shook his head.
Lingsha was silent for a moment before asking: "May I know, General, why was Hoolay imprisoned in the Luofu instead of the Yaoqing?"
Though she was a Vidyadhara, she knew of the ties between the Foxians and Hoolay.
She could never understand.
If the Foxians feared him so much, why didn't they personally guard him after capturing him?
"Hmm…" Jing Yuan crossed his arms, his expression subtle.
"What is it? Could it be this matter is not something honorable?" Lingsha immediately sensed the key issue.
Jing Yuan didn't reply, instead leading the two of them before a mech.
This was one of the Borisin mechs the Cloud Knights had previously disabled.
During the battle, they had already witnessed its power, though just a lump of iron, it could unleash moves similar to a Borisin in a berserk Moon Rage state.
"This…" The clever Lingsha realized the truth as soon as Jing Yuan brought her before it.
As the new head of the Alchemy Commission, she could easily discern that the core of this mech's technology lay in the flesh and blood of the Borisin.
Linking this back to her earlier question…
The real truth was already in sight.
"I understand now."
"I've heard that the bloodlines of the Foxians of Yaoqing and the Borisin are especially close."
"Some Foxians, just like the Borisin, cannot restrain themselves from falling into madness."
"So…" At that point, Lingsha stopped herself.
What came next, even as speculation, was not something she could casually say aloud.
"You guessed correctly. For Foxians, the Moon Rage is a curse."
"But for them, it's an unavoidable frenzy. Generations of Yaoqing healers have tried to solve this riddle."
"Why can the Borisin control Moon Rage? And can Foxians perhaps overcome this barrier?"
"Someone will always ask such questions."
"Every person who asks does so out of good intentions. But all roads to disaster are paved with good intentions."
Jing Yuan sighed with some emotion: "For Yaoqing, Hoolay is not just the Borisin's warlord, but also a subject of their research, a walking embodiment of corrosive poison."
Though his words were tactful, the meaning was clear.
Moon Rage, research, medical experiments under the guise of treatment.
And the heart, cannot endure temptation. There will always be those who harbor thoughts they should not, leading in the end to chaos.
"So, the Marshal's choice to imprison Hoolay in the Luofu, it wasn't an honor, but… a burden." Lingsha instantly understood.
Jing Yuan lifted his head toward the sky, sighed, and said: "For the sake of selfish desires, for so-called benevolent acts, a tragedy once befell the Luofu."
"..." Lingsha fell silent, unwilling to comment on the matter of the Sedition of Imbibitor Lunae.
First, because it touched on the grudges among the Cloud Knights.
Second… One of the parties involved was standing right beside her.
"..." Dan Heng also remained silent.
He had come just to spectate, yet somehow the story circled back to him.
After a moment of awkward silence, Lingsha took the initiative:
"Thus, the Marshal used the transfer of Hoolay to temporarily appease the resentment of the Yaoqing Foxians, while also stabilizing Luofu's fragile balance."
Jing Yuan nodded: "That is the weighing of scales, a necessary step. The Xianzhou Alliance is not the voice of the Xianzhou alone. Only with Foxians, Vidyadhara, and Xianzhou natives allied together is there a future."
Hearing of weighing, gains and losses, good intentions… Already holding resentment, Lingsha couldn't help but sneer slightly:
"Lingsha is enlightened. But was it with the same mindset of 'weighing' that you exiled my master to the Xianzhou Zhuming, while letting the 'Disciples of the Medicus Sanctus' rekindle in the Alchemy Commission?"
She had already once spoken with veiled sarcasm.
Now again.
Jing Yuan had no choice but to look more closely at her.
This old wound… it truly still lingered.
So he answered directly: "You say I was unwilling to cut away rotten flesh, preferring instead to send the healer into exile in the Xianzhou Zhuming…"
"Then did your master never tell you? Out of her own one-sided benevolence, she used the access granted during visits to cast a technique on Dan Heng, newly reborn at that time, forcing him to recall memories of his past life?"
"What?!" Dan Heng and Lingsha's faces both changed instantly.
They stared at Jing Yuan in shock.
"She thought that if the Imbibitor Lunae regained his memories, he could once again fulfill the duty of guarding the Ambrosial Arbor, that restless factions would quiet down, that the Vidyadhara's Tribe's splintered hands would return to their rightful place."
Jing Yuan slowly revealed the hidden secret: "But just as I said earlier, many so-called benevolent acts are nothing but the beginning of calamity. From that time on, the Alchemy Commission no longer had a true Head Alchemist, until your arrival today."
A few short sentences.
Yet like stormy waves. They painted vividly the turbulent state of the Luofu after the end of the Drinking Moon rebellion.
...
: So there was such a secret?!
: Hiss... I don't even know how to comment on this.
: Lingsha's master definitely had good intentions, and most likely belonged to the gentle, moderate faction, but in the end, it all turned into something bad.
: She probably couldn't bring herself to tell Lingsha about this, which caused the whole misunderstanding about Jing Yuan's circle.
: Jing Yuan knew everything... but he never said a word, just silently endured it. No wonder when he first met Dan Heng, he said: "Long time no see, old friend."
: Yeah, if Lingsha's master had unlocked Dan Heng's memories back then, then according to the Vidyadhara's words, Dan Heng would basically be Dan Feng!
: Wuwuwu, maybe the medics couldn't prevent it after all...
: Enough! I really feel sorry for Jing Yuan!
: And now thinking about it, damn, Blade's motive for chasing Dan Heng suddenly makes complete sense.
: It was probably precisely because this Cauldron Master helped Dan Heng recover his memories that Blade became so determined to kill him, endlessly and without rest!
: This really was a case of good intentions leading to bad outcomes.
: Without Lingsha's master and the Preceptors, Dan Heng might have lived his life as an ordinary Vidyadhara.
: The last mystery of the High Cloud Quintet has finally been unraveled!
: So this is the power of an outline?!
...
Those abnormalities hidden in the details.
All of them found their explanation with the emergence of this secret.
Lingsha, and even the audience. All gained a profound understanding of Jing Yuan's words.
That Cauldron Master's original intention, without doubt, was good.
And judging by her stance, she belonged to the moderate faction.
What she desired was nothing more than stability for the Xianzhou Luofu, stability for the Vidyadhara.
She did not want internal strife to spread. She hoped to use Dan Feng's prestige to suppress those dissenting forces.
But once she took that action... Things were already beyond repair.
The Preceptors faction would surely hate her to the bone. And they would absolutely oppose Dan Feng's return.
The de facto division among the Vidyadhara had already begun from that very moment.
Not to mention, the more hardline masters would certainly refuse to let the matter rest.
And judging from Cauldron Master's way of handling affairs, if she were tasked with managing the Disciples of the Medicus Sanctus, an even greater disaster might occur.
After learning these causes and effects...
Looking back at Jing Yuan's decree of exile for Cauldron Master, and even the subtle protection hidden within it... It didn't look like exile at all, it looked like protection.
"In that case, I must thank the General for protecting my master with an exile order." Lingsha's gaze was complicated.
"No, on the contrary, I should thank you."
"Thank me?"
"That's right. Now that the Alchemy Commission's situation is so entangled, the Alliance sending you to take on this troublesome task has saved me the trouble. Shouldn't I thank you?"
"... Truly worthy of being the Divine Foresight General, not leaving even a trace of an accusation."
If the art of human relations and speaking had a path... Jing Yuan would surely be its Emanator.
With Lingsha's heart knot already loosened, in just two or three sentences, he had her completely in hand.
Especially that last sentence. He said nothing outright, yet conveyed: I trust you; we are on the same side.
His words were flawless, truly the work of a master among masters.
"Sigh... Let me be clear: the Alliance sent me here to handle affairs properly."
"Not to choose sides." Lingsha could deeply feel the General's art of speech.
Even though she said so, in reality, she had already chosen his side.
The three of them continued walking deeper into the Shackling Prison.
With Lingsha's help, they discovered traces of the Disciples of the Medicus Sanctus and obtained crucial evidence.
And deeper inside... That would depend on Dan Heng.
Although Dan Heng still remained silent as ever... His work was efficient.
Those residual traces of Cloudchant techniques lingering on the corpses were all pointed out by him one by one.
Strictly speaking... These Preceptor-related evidences were even more convincing than Lingsha's accusations.
Because the one identifying them was Dan Heng, a half-High Elder himself.
But just with these alone, it was still far from enough to arrest people within the Vidyadhara's sanctum.
At this moment... Lingsha proposed a suggestion.
Those Preceptors had repeatedly invited her to meet, but she had always ignored them.
Now, she planned to send over these evidences, the Borisin's remains, and even the Shackling Prison' escape route map to the Preceptors' residence.
Then invite them to meet her at the Scalegorge Waterscape.
During the negotiation, they might obtain ironclad proof.
This plan was very delicate. If Jing Yuan went, it would surely alert the enemy.
But with Lingsha, it was different. The Preceptors very much wanted to win over this newly appointed Cauldron Master.
"This plan is good."
"Miss Lingsha, don't put too much pressure on yourself."
Jing Yuan comforted her: "Even if it doesn't go well, don't worry. Once the Borisins' Hunt concludes, the truth will naturally come to light."
He didn't actually care much whether Lingsha obtained the key evidence. Rather, through this action, securing Lingsha firmly on his side was already enough.
As for the rest, as long as Hoolay was dealt with, everything else would sort itself out.
Lingsha nodded, though her gaze was a little dazed: "Speaking of Hoolay, I wonder how that abducted Foxian is doing now."
Her words reminded them.
The audience shuddered in realization.
Right, while this side looked like an unstoppable, thrilling drama...
On Jiaoqiu's side, it was an absolute uphill battle...
It wasn't even certain if he was still alive at this moment.
At this time... The arrangements of the three generals, and the unfolding plot, all intersected.
The scene shifted.
To Central Starskiff Haven.
In a small courtyard located in a bustling district. Jiaoqiu was surrounded by a group of Foxians.
But at this moment... Jiaoqiu looked completely relaxed.
He even had the leisure to talk about ideas related to dietary therapy.
"To turn all manner of things into dishes, for patients to consume, that is the marvel of dietary therapy."
"No matter what medicinal food it is, once boiled into a soup without care, in an instant it becomes... waste."
Jiaoqiu said with narrowed eyes.
At the side, Mok Tok coldly said: "Delicacies? Aren't they just one flavor overwhelming another?"
"You're not wrong."
Jiaoqiu looked at Mok Tok, and suddenly asked: "Brother Borisin, say you want a child to eat green peppers, but the child refuses, what would you do?"
Mok Tok sneered: "Stuff the green peppers in his mouth and cook him in a pot."
"Hahahaha, truly fitting for a Borisin."
Jiaoqiu opened his eyes slightly, staring at Mok Tok, and laughed: "I've heard Borisin have lost many of their taste buds, unable to savor complex flavors, only flesh and blood can stir your appetite."
"Chop the green peppers, mix them with meat, make them into meatballs. The flavor of the meat overwhelms the flavor of the peppers, and even a picky child can eat them."
Jiaoqiu's unfinished words hung in the air...