On the surface she looks like a normal person, but once she starts talking about anything related to "Abundance," she immediately starts showing signs of something being off.
'This level… that's basically a fanatic, isn't it?' Levi thought to himself.
Most ordinary followers of the Medicine King's Secret Teachings want to obtain the blessings of "Abundance" through faith, to get rid of the illnesses on their bodies.
As long as their illness is cured, they immediately become devout followers of the "Reignbow Arbiter."
A perfect example of flexible faith.
But if an illness is serious enough to require help from the Medicine King's Secret Teachings, it's probably already incurable. Truly healing it would require the Apothecary to personally manifest.
Yet the Medicine King's Secret Teachings aren't like the Interastral Peace Corporation, an organization with close ties to an Aeon.
How could they possibly make contact with the Apothecary and have Him bestow blessings?
So in the end, most outworlders of the Medicine King's Secret Teachings are buried in some forgotten corner of the Xianzhou.
Of course, that's only for outworlders. If a Xianzhou native joins the Medicine King's Secret Teachings, they're much more devout.
After all, being born in an environment like the Xianzhou and still choosing to believe in "Abundance", how could they not be devout?
That said, there are also people with "Heavenly Defects."
"Heavenly Defect" could be considered a condition unique to Xianzhou natives.
From the moment they're born, all aspects of a Xianzhou person's body are engraved into their genes.
Any defect is likewise fixed into their body.
No medical technique or technology can change it.
A Xianzhou person born blind, even if they try to regain sight by implanting prosthetic eyes, will have those prosthetics squeezed out of their eye sockets by eyes that later grow back.
According to Levi's understanding, this phenomenon does not appear among the people of Abundance.
It seems to be a condition exclusive to Xianzhou natives.
Thus, in organizations like the Medicine King's Secret Teachings that worship the Apothecary, "Heavenly Defect" is said to be the Apothecary's punishment for traitors.
The Disciple in front of him was also a mara-struck being, so Levi couldn't tell whether she had a Heavenly Defect or not.
"Even if that weren't the case, you probably wouldn't live to see the Plague Author of Longevity descend upon the Luofu."
Levi shook his head. Whether she had a Heavenly Defect or not no longer mattered, she was going to die here anyway.
"No matter what method you're using to maintain your sanity, your ending is already decided. Even if I let you go, within a hundred days you'd still die, leaving behind nothing but an empty shell."
"Heh heh, that won't trouble you. We have lots and lots of secret medicines to maintain our sanity!"
"Don't you know the term 'drug resistance'?"
Seeing her suddenly fall silent, Levi shook his head. Clearly she knew, but she refused to accept it.
"Such miraculous medicine must be a blessing from the Apothecary, maybe it won't produce 'drug resistance.'"
That was probably what she was thinking.
Looking at the battle in the distance that was nearing its end, Levi's expression remained calm. "It's almost over. Is there anything else you want to say?"
"..."
"Die!"
The Disciple's face twisted as she pointed at Levi, her voice hoarse.
"Seed the pill!"
Then she grabbed the arm of a fallen comrade beside her and sneered at Levi. "I'm going to die anyway, don't think you're getting out alive either!"
With that, her gaze turned resolute. She raised the blade that had fallen onto her comrade's arm and slashed it across her own neck.
"Pill destroyed!"
Levi simply watched her quietly, without making a single move.
As he watched the mara-struck body lose all signs of life, the talismans behind him dissipated.
Her final counterattack caused him no harm at all.
"You thought when I said 'almost over,' I was talking about you?"
Levi's gaze was calm. Everything that had happened was still within his calculations.
After speaking, Levi stepped back one centimeter. A corpse immediately slid forward, and the blade in its hand stopped exactly one centimeter away from him.
Just as he had said, "Everything is within calculation."
"Qingque."
A familiar voice sounded behind him. The corner of Levi's mouth, which had just lifted, froze.
He turned around and looked at Fu Xuan standing not far away, her expression complicated, and his face stiffened.
'This… I really didn't calculate for this!'
'Think, think!'
'In this situation, what would Qingque do?'
While he was thinking, Fu Xuan had already walked up. Levi felt this body instinctively leap forward.
A flash of understanding passed through Levi's eyes.
'I get it!'
He went with the momentum, his face instantly filled with sorrow. He wrapped his arms tightly around Fu Xuan's thigh, pressing his cheek against her smooth white stockings.
He wailed, "Waaah! Lady Fu Xuan, you arrived just in time! If you'd been even one second later, your excellent employee would've left you forever!"
Qingque: '…Is that really how I act in front of Lady Fu Xuan?'
Levi: '…Don't you know what you're like yourself?'
Hearing Qingque's muttering, Levi continued crying on the outside while complaining internally.
Fu Xuan looked at the scene before her, as well as the mara-struck beings still fighting nearby.
It really was timely. One second later and they would've all been dead.
She recalled what she had just seen, and the words Jing Yuan had said to her at the Divination Commission.
'Never would've expected this, Qingque… truly never would've expected this…'
The Qingque she had always thought was the most useless actually possessed such formidable strength.
For the first time, Fu Xuan felt just how far away she was from Jing Yuan, from the position of General.
Having been with Qingque for so many years, she had never noticed that Qingque was hiding her strength.
She understood Qingque less than Jing Yuan, an outsider, did.
"Qingque, oh Qingque… who would've thought you were hiding so deeply. You fooled me so badly!" Fu Xuan's resentment was plain to hear.
Levi's body jolted. He looked up and asked, "If I may be so bold… when did you arrive here?"
He had thought Fu Xuan arrived not long ago, but from her words, it seemed she had been here for quite some time.
Fu Xuan simply said calmly, "By the numbers of the Great Expansion of Heaven and Earth, I observe all within the six directions."
'It's over, doesn't that mean she's been here from the very beginning?!'
Still, Levi didn't panic. After all, right now he wasn't called Levi.
"Qingque, I have some bad news for you. Your happy life from here on out is probably over."
"..."
Looking at Fu Xuan's expression, she could see it too.
After witnessing "her" true strength, Fu Xuan would definitely no longer let her slack off like before.
She would surely pile a mountain of work onto her and make her shine for the Divination Commission.
"And all of this is because of you! Levi!"
"You have to take responsibility for this!"
'If I have to work, you don't get to run either!'
Qingque roared angrily. Then her nose twitched as she caught the smell of rust, and her expression froze.
'I think… I'm back again…'
"What do I have to take responsibility for?"
Fu Xuan didn't understand why Qingque suddenly shouted, looking so angry.
'Could it be she was upset that I didn't come back in time?'
Thinking this, Fu Xuan sighed. "That truly was my oversight."
She hadn't expected those people to be so bold, attacking the Divination Commission at a time like this, trying to sabotage the Grand Observation Array.
Fortunately, someone tipped her off, otherwise, the consequences would've been unimaginable.
"Oh right, did you run into Feng in the Divination Commission? If it weren't for her informing me of everything that happened inside, I'd probably still be discussing matters with the General right now."
'Strange. Wasn't the Divination Commission's network cut off from the outside?'
Qingque shook her head. "I didn't see her."
'But why does that name feel somewhat connected to the Disciple?'
'Probably just my imagination.'
Fu Xuan nodded, not surprised. "What about Levi? Has he come back?"
As soon as she finished speaking, Levi's wail rang out from the distance.
"Ahhh! Lady Fu Xuan, save me!"
Not far away, a man was being chased at full speed toward them by a group of Seeders.
———
[Exalting Sanctum]
Inside an inconspicuous little house by the street, a small figure appeared out of thin air.
"So this is Levi's room?"