Chapter 121: The Secret of the Medicine King

Chen strolled through the bustling streets of the Exalting Sanctum, whistling an out-of-tune little ditty. With a pocketful of freshly won coins and a spring in his step, the world felt bright.

The sugar-painting stall wasn’t far. Up ahead, he could already spot the unmistakable shock of March 7th’s pink hair, a vibrant beacon in the evening crowd. Beside him, Qiong stood quietly, a white fox-spirit mask concealing her features.

“March! Precious Qiong! I’m back!” he called out, raising a hand in a cheerful wave as he prepared to pick up his pace.

Just then, an arm shot out from the side, resting lightly on his shoulder.

“Little brother, a moment of your time.”

Chen paused, turning his head. The man who had stopped him looked to be in his early thirties, dressed in the dark, common casual wear of the Xianzhou. His face was utterly ordinary—the kind of face that would vanish into a crowd in seconds.

But his eyes… when they met Chen’s, they burned with a strange, unnerving fervor. The man’s gaze swept over Chen, scrutinizing his clothes and hair color, features that clearly marked him as an outworlder.

“Something I can help you with?” Chen raised an eyebrow, giving his shoulder a subtle shrug that dislodged the man’s hand.

The man didn’t seem to mind. Instead, he leaned in conspiratorially, his voice dropping low. “Heh. Judging by your attire, little brother, you must be an outsider who just arrived on the Luofu, yes?”

“And what if I am?” Chen crossed his arms, a sliver of caution cutting through his good mood. A stranger striking up a conversation this late at night rarely led to anything good.

“Hehe, since you’ve just arrived, you probably don’t yet understand the many wonders of the Xianzhou,” the man purred, his voice sinking to a near-whisper. “Especially… the secret to why we Xianzhou people enjoy such long lifespans, allowing us to roam the Sea of Stars so freely.”

Longevity?

Instantly, images of fanatics shouting about the Merciful Medicus from the game flashed through Chen’s mind.

‘Disciples of Sanctus Medicus! Is he trying to recruit me?!’His heart gave a sudden, powerful thump—not from any desire for a long life, but from a far more thrilling thought that immediately took root.’Infiltrate them!’

The idea sprouted and grew with the ferocity of a wild weed, choking out all other reason. The Disciples of Sanctus Medicus! The shadowy organization stirring up trouble all over the Luofu!

He could just picture it: transforming into Jing Yuan, the revered Arbiter-General, the dignified Emanator of The Hunt who commanded the very power of the Lightning-Lord… and then using that form to lead a pack of these shady cultists, wreaking havoc in the darkest corners of the city.

The mere thought of the glorious, beautiful chaos made his hands itch. He wanted to go run that instance right now.

Unfortunately, he hadn’t unlocked Jing Yuan’s archive yet.

Besides, Qiong was still waiting for him. He had just managed to soothe her ruffled feathers; the last thing he wanted was to make his Precious Qiong angry again. Otherwise, he absolutely would have gone with this guy, treating it as an immersive, live-action villain-route murder mystery.

“No, thanks,” Chen said, his voice coming out crisper than he’d intended, tinged with a genuine hint of regret. Regret that he couldn’t immediately go grind this incredibly exciting-sounding side quest.

He took a deliberate step back, putting a polite but firm distance between them. A distant, professional smile settled on his face. “Longevity is a neat trick, but I’m not really interested in becoming an old-timer.”

His tone was casual, even a little teasing. “Frankly, I’m more interested in finding out where the best food stalls in the Exalting Sanctum are. So, you really don’t need to trouble yourself on my account.”

The ingratiating smile on the man’s face froze solid. He clearly hadn’t anticipated this reaction. There was no awe, no yearning, just… a sort of bored indifference.

A flicker of bewilderment crossed the man’s eyes, but it was quickly consumed by a gloomy shadow and a trace of anger he couldn’t quite conceal. He took half a step forward, his voice losing its silky edge and gaining a sharp intensity. “Little brother, do you have any idea what kind of opportunity you’re refusing? This is a chance to transcend the mundane, to touch the very essence of life itself…”

“I know, I know,” Chen interrupted, picking at his ear with a theatrical show of impatience. “The essence of life is eating, drinking, having fun, and messing around with your friends. Now, if you keep pestering me…”

He let his words hang in the air, his gaze pointedly drifting towards a squad of Cloud Knights patrolling a short distance away. He raised his voice just enough to carry. “…I’ll have to call for help. The public security in the Exalting Sanctum seems quite good, wouldn’t you say?”

The man’s expression twisted. He shot Chen a venomous glare, his eyes practically screaming with resentment for this fool who didn’t know what was good for him. “Stubborn fool!” he spat in a low, furious hiss.

Without another word, he spun on his heel, ducked into a nearby alley, and vanished into the shadows.

Chen stood there for a moment, staring in the direction the man had disappeared, a wry curl to his lip.

“What a pity… such a good chance to cause some trouble,” he muttered under his breath, the itch for adventure still tingling in his fingers.

But then again, he reasoned, if the Disciples of Sanctus Medicus were already this active, there would surely be more chances to run into them later. There was no need to rush. The current priority was to appease his Precious Qiong and not keep her waiting.

With that thought, he turned, the bright, easy smile returning to his face as he jogged the remaining distance to the sugar-painting stall.

“I’m here, I’m here! Where’s the Milk Cake? Where’s my Milk Cake?”

March 7th held up two sticks of the dessert, his expression a mask of playful disgust. “You finally decided to show up! Any later and these would have melted! Here, your double-sugar portion—hope it rots your teeth!”

Chen gratefully took one and took a huge bite. The sweetness was so intense it made his throat tingle, but he just grinned wider. “Thanks, Little March!”

He then held his Milk Cake out towards Qiong, who was nibbling delicately at her own. “Precious Qiong, want another taste? This one’s sweet enough to reach your heart.”

Qiong looked at him, then at the dessert held to her lips. After a brief pause, she leaned forward and took a tiny, neat bite from his stick. Behind the fox mask, her expression was impossible to read.

“Right? Isn’t it sweet?” Chen asked with a brilliant smile, as if the shady interlude moments ago had never happened. The faint regret of missing out on a dungeon run was completely washed away by the sweetness on his tongue and the presence of his companions.

He licked a stray grain of powdered sugar from the corner of his mouth, his gaze soft. He watched Qiong, who was now focused on her own Milk Cake, and March 7th, who was already chattering away, planning their next destination.

There would be plenty of chances to cause trouble in the future.

But if he missed this chance to go shopping with Precious Qiong, she would definitely be angry.

With that settled, Chen stuffed the rest of the Milk Cake into his mouth in two huge bites, squinting from the overwhelming sweetness. A deep sense of contentment settled in his heart.

“Alright, let’s go! On to the next stop!” he declared, waving his hand grandly, as if he weren’t the same person who had been sorely tempted by a chaotic side quest just moments before.

[Elysian’s Note:

Having a good time with the story?

Every single bit helps immensely:

Thanks a ton for making this journey possible!]