SUPREME ARCH-MAGUS - Chapter 998: Lock Her Up!

Red Silk City was abuzz with rumors, gasps, and wide-eyed recounts.

“He brewed a pink cloud pill!”

“I swear on my grandfather’s grave, I saw it! The flames were white-gold, and the alchemy cauldron spun like it was alive!”

“But the real jaw-dropper? He said it was a Pill of Possession!”

The streets around City Hall remained crowded even after the event had ended. Onlookers replayed the spectacle again and again—how Phillip, with his robe casually tucked at the waist, stood before the city’s alchemy furnace as if it were a kitchen hearth.

How the clouds turned pink. How Manuka Lan stood still, dazed, her cheeks flushed when he offered her the pill in front of hundreds.

But the nobility didn’t see it as a romantic moment.

They saw it as scandal.

Especially the Lan Family.

Inside the soaring golden walls of the Lan Pavilion estate, the family patriarch, Lan Taiyu, was pacing the halls with a storm cloud on his brow. His fingers fidgeted with a jade ring as his temper steadily rose.

“She has humiliated us!” yelled Lan Housen, the second uncle, slamming his fan on the table. “Does she think our bloodline is some village merchant’s stock?”

“She stood beside Phillip like a phoenix beside a common crow,” scoffed Lan Yanyu, her aunt, eyes filled with venom. “And that too, in front of the city furnace! That place is meant for official Grand Alchemists. Not romantic flirting!”

“Where is she now?” asked Lan Taiyu at last, coldly.

A servant boy bowed. “She returned home just a moment ago, Master.”

“Bring her to the Jade Chamber. Now.”

Moments later, Manuka Lan stood inside the lantern-lit chamber, her chin lifted proudly, even though her heart raced beneath her embroidered robe.

The entire core family was present—elders, uncles, aunts, cousins—and the atmosphere was tense enough to cut through with a sword.

“You dare to walk into this home after what you pulled today?” thundered Uncle Housen.

“I didn’t ‘pull’ anything,” Manuka replied, her voice cool. “Phillip invited me to witness a pill concoction. That’s not a crime, is it?”

“Invited?” Aunt Yanyu snapped. “And you went? To a man already promised to Lily White? How shameless!”

“You’ve brought disgrace to the Lan family,” another cousin spat.

Manuka raised an eyebrow. “Oh? Disgrace? I didn’t know standing beside a genius alchemist was a shame.”

“Enough with your silver tongue!” Lan Taiyu roared, silencing the room. His long beard trembled with fury. “Do you know what the ministers are saying in court? That we’ve raised a bold-headed girl who throws herself at anyone with spiritual flames!”

“I didn’t throw myself at anyone!” she protested.

“Then explain the pill, girl!” barked Elder Zhou, one of the oldest family heads. “A Pill of Possession? Concocted publicly, with your name associated with it? Only a man madly in love would brew that. You made it worse by accepting it.”

Manuka clenched her fists. “And what if he is in love with me?”

A gasp rippled across the room.

“What if,” she continued, her voice louder now, “he concocted it for me because he sees my worth? Because he admires my spirit and wit and knowledge—”

“Spirit?” Aunt Yanyu cut in with a bitter laugh. “All I see is a girl who’s lost her mind for a handsome face.”

“Perhaps I have,” she snapped. “But he didn’t lie to me. He didn’t manipulate me like the rest of you do, trying to force me into some cold marriage with a man I don’t love!”

Lan Taiyu’s hand slammed the table. “You will never see Phillip again. This is an imperial matter now. That man is betrothed to Lily White—if this news reaches the White family, do you know what it could cost us?”

“I don’t care,” she said simply.

“You will care,” Lan Taiyu growled. “Because from this moment on, you are to be confined to your courtyard until you learn your place.”

“House arrest?” Manuka blinked, stunned. “Are you serious?”

“You will have no visitors. No spirit tools. Your spirit crane will be disabled. And if we hear you sent a single message to Phillip—”

“Then what?” she interrupted, eyes flashing. “You’ll disown me? Kill me?”

Silence.

The old patriarch stared at her for a long moment. “I never thought one of my own blood would fall for a man with no official title, no political backing, and the gall to court scandal.”

“He has everything, Father,” she said, breathing heavily. “Talent. Courage. A sense of humor. You only see his lack of name—but I saw his spirit, his fire, his truth.”

“That truth will ruin you,” he said, turning away. “Lock her doors.”

Manuka didn’t flinch as the guards approached. She walked proudly, her head held high, eyes burning with fury. The family whispered among themselves, but she said nothing.

Until she reached the threshold.

Then she turned. “You can cage my body. But you’ll never cage my will. If Phillip dares to brew a pill for love in public, then I dare to answer it. And if the White family has a problem—then they can confront me, not him.”

—

Inside the Lan Courtyard

Guards stood at every corner. Servants were dismissed. A special lock was placed on her communication crane.

But Manuka sat calmly at her window, gazing at the distant sky.

She held the Pill of Possession in her palm, watching the pink shimmer flicker across its surface. It was still warm.

“Stupid idiot,” she whispered, smiling softly. “You really brewed this just for me?”

A breeze carried the scent of alchemy herbs across the room.

—

Meanwhile…

In the outer districts, word of the scandal had reached even commoners.

“You hear?” one vendor whispered. “Lan’s daughter fell for Phillip the wanderer!”

“Bah! I say he’s a dark horse. The way he handles fire, he’s no simple man.”

“Do you think he’ll face the White family next?”

“I’d pay my palace to see that showdown!”

While the city is filled discussion of new love pair… Phillip began gathering information about Sword in Heart Manual and how he should get that from Manuka Lan

– Tq for Support!