How come I'm the one being conquered?

Even if Bai Jun said he wasn't going anywhere, it wouldn't matter. They had already gotten stuck on the word "belonging," and at this point, his answer was irrelevant.

What can I say?

For the next thirty minutes, Bai Jun had no memory of how he managed to get through it. When he came to his senses, Bai Jun was huddled in a corner, looking utterly dejected.

Meanwhile, Jing Yuan, Yukong, and Fu Xuan, the three titans, finally felt a slight thirst. They walked to the water dispenser in perfect sync, refilling their drinks. Their attitudes had clearly softened, and they were finally able to communicate normally with each other.

However, the conversation had already veered off into other dimensions.

"Listen to me, my Yan Qing is truly diligent. At such a young age, he's already become a Sky-High Guard through his own abilities. You know, even I was still training under my master back then."

"Heh, in terms of intelligence, Qing Que under me is no less inferior. At a young age, she can already recreate ancient techniques from mere fragments in classical texts. Such talent is probably no worse than your Yan Qing's, right? Plus, she's very cute."

"You have to listen to me, my Tingyun is even more amazing..."

It had clearly turned into a parent-teacher conference for showing off their children. Bai Jun seized the opportunity, held his breath, and shuffled towards the door like a crab, inch by inch. His eyes remained fixed on the three of them. Just as he was about to reach the door of the Palace of the Diviner, a voice startled him, freezing him in place.

"Bai Jun! You be the judge, which of these three children is more outstanding! Wait..." Yukong turned her head and happened to see Bai Jun's half-extended arm by the door, her eyes instantly becoming subtle.

"Alright, alright~ I surrender."

Bai Jun immediately raised his hands. Under the intimidating gazes of the three, he obediently returned to his original spot and gave a rather diplomatic answer: "Okay, honestly, I think my Lord Bailu is the best..."

"Trying to please everyone might just result in pleasing no one, you know?"

Cornered by the three again, Bai Jun swallowed. Seeing that they were determined to get an answer on this matter, he meekly said, "Before that, I wanted to ask if you've heard about what happened in Jiren Alley yesterday?"

It was obvious he was changing the subject again, but Jing Yuan seemed to realize something. "Jiren Alley? You mean... the Mara-struck Body incident."

Information flowed quite smoothly within Shence Mansion. What happened yesterday afternoon was already on the table by evening, and Jing Yuan had naturally reviewed it.

He knew that Bai Jun had resolved this matter. Because of this, Jing Yuan was well aware that Bai Jun's question was not without reason.

Bai Jun nodded, took out a diary wrapped in kraft paper from his pocket, and recounted the events of yesterday, including many details not recorded in the official case files, and the most crucial one—

"I learned about an organization from that child..."

"You mean the Medicine King's Legacy?" As the words left Jing Yuan's mouth, Yukong and Fu Xuan beside him instantly grew serious.

Verifying this from Bai Jun's expression, Jing Yuan suppressed his lazy smile and nodded as if he had expected it. "Last night, while reviewing the case report, I was wondering where that child Qiu Zhou got the medicine from... I didn't expect it to be like this."

"Can you tell me about this organization?" Bai Jun handed the diary to Jing Yuan and asked the question that had been bothering him all night.

Jing Yuan took the diary and was about to explain, but Fu Xuan jumped out first to answer. "The Medicine King's Legacy is a complex matter, and it's hard to explain clearly in a short time. How about this, you come back to the Divination Bureau with me. We have intelligence on the Medicine King's Legacy stored there."

Bai Jun thought nothing of it at first. After all, it was perfectly normal for the Divination Bureau, responsible for intelligence, calculations, and information, to possess information about the Medicine King's Legacy. He agreed without thinking, completely unaware of the shocked expressions of Yukong and Jing Yuan.

Fu Xuan turned around, trying her best to hide her suppressed smile from Bai Jun, and then continued, "Ahem, that's good. Come with me quickly!"

"Actually, the Palace of the Diviner has information on the Medicine King's Legacy..." Yukong added faintly at this moment.

"Shence Mansion isn't lacking either," Jing Yuan chimed in.

"But he promised me first!" Hearing the vying tone in Jing Yuan and Yukong's words, Fu Xuan decisively grabbed Bai Jun's wrist and forcefully dragged him away in front of them.

Jing Yuan and Yukong watched the receding pink-haired shorty, one with a wry smile, the other with a sigh of reluctance.

"My biggest regret now is transferring Bai Jun to work at the Divination Bureau for a period. Alas, it is what it is. Better safe than sorry. I'll let Fu Qing have him today."

Jing Yuan, who understood Bai Jun's character well, stretched lazily. He wasn't worried about anyone poaching Bai Jun; the only thing truly worth his consideration now was the matter of the Medicine King's Legacy.

Although Yukong was reluctant, she was indeed occupied with official duties at the moment. After some thought, she decided to find Bai Jun later to discuss a potential job change.

In the past, the Xianzhou Alliance experienced a period of faith crisis, during which the populace's choices of faith were incredibly diverse.

For instance, the worship of the Sky-Mending God became the mainstream belief among intellectuals and merchants.

However, the Sky-Mending God was a star god who paid little attention to mortals. It did not actually align with the pragmatic spirit of most ordinary Xianzhou people.

A considerable number of people went against the trend, adhering to their own beliefs in the Medicine Master.

They firmly believed that the actions of the Abundant Prosperity were not in accordance with the Medicine Master's will, and that the existence of the Mara-struck Body was merely because the Medicine Master's will had not been correctly implemented. These people called themselves the "Medicine King's Legacy."

In fact, for a long period of history, the "Medicine King's Legacy" was not a notorious organization. They had welcomed doubts with an open attitude and established numerous medical clinics to help the poor. To most Xianzhou people who had long abandoned the worship of the Medicine Master, the actions of these Medicine Master remnants were pitiable and laughable, but not particularly detestable.

However, after the outbreak of the third Abundant Prosperity War thirty years ago, some individuals with ulterior motives blamed the calamities of the Plague of Immortality and Ancestor Worship on the ruthlessness of the Emperor's Bow God and the Xianzhou Alliance, thus developing the idea of overthrowing the Xianzhou.

The "Medicine King's Legacy" founded by the so-called "leader" was entirely different from the former Medicine King's Legacy. They openly preached an obsession with eternal life and hatred for the Emperor's Bow, not as a revival of old beliefs, but as a resurrection using a borrowed corpse.

"The 'Medicine King's Legacy' that is now committing crimes in the Xianzhou Alliance is a criminal organization that has been operating under an ancient name for less than thirty years. Jing Yuan has organized many encirclement operations over the years, but they have all ended without success."

On the way to the Divination Bureau, Fu Xuan recounted the origins and deeds of the Medicine King's Legacy in Bai Jun's ear. To keep pace with her, Bai Jun deliberately slowed his steps. Upon hearing "ended without success," Bai Jun asked doubtfully, "Without success? Does that Medicine King's Legacy have the ability to resist the Cloud Cavalry?"

"How could they? Although the followers of the Medicine King's Legacy are said to number in the tens of thousands, they are ultimately a disorganized mob and do not pose a significant threat."

"Then why..."

"As I said earlier, the common folk of Xianzhou have always retained the custom of worshipping other star gods. Whether it's the 'Sky-Mending Faction,' the 'Omniscient Faction,' or the 'Medicine King's Legacy,' they are all essentially branches stemming from the original worship of star gods. The Medicine King's Legacy can be suppressed, but it cannot be eradicated. As long as the opportunity arises, the embers will reignite."

Unconsciously, Fu Xuan had walked ahead. Despite her lack of height, when she became serious, the aura she exuded was as reliable as Jing Yuan's.

"Without the Medicine King's Legacy, perhaps the Medicine Master's Legacy will appear again after some time. As long as people are alive, the worship of star gods will never cease. Furthermore, the Luofu has just emerged from turmoil in the last century and has had some breathing room. It is not suitable for large-scale conflict. I believe Jing Yuan considered this, which is why he has never made up his mind to thoroughly eradicate the remnants of the Medicine King's Legacy."

It was midday, and only a few guards were sparsely stationed at the entrance of the Divination Bureau. Upon seeing Fu Xuan, the previously lax guards immediately straightened up, pretending to be diligent.

Normally, Fu Xuan would have reprimanded these slacking individuals, but she was engaged in a good conversation with Bai Jun at the moment, so she didn't bother. Instead, she walked in with Bai Jun, chatting along the way.

After Fu Xuan and Bai Jun left, the others scratched their heads and continued their conversation, "The Grand Diviner is actually smiling. The sun must have risen from the west today."

"Heh! Be careful she doesn't hear you, lest you get yourself into trouble!"

"That's true. Let's get back to our topic. Can this fried tofu be eaten without shrimp oil?"

"My lord, you are quite the picky eater. But speaking of which, where is that new girl, the one called Qing Que? It's already three minutes past the shift change. Does she still want to work or not!"

ps: I've revised the synopsis. If you have any more good ideas, feel free to let me know~

Chapter 28: Shedding Armor, Shedding Armor!

Fu Xuan usually works in the conference hall of the Divination Bureau, where she conducts her daily divinations and reports around the central divination apparatus, working alongside many diviners.

However, this doesn't mean she doesn't have an office. It's just that its use is limited. It's generally used to store her personal belongings or for brief moments of rest when she's tired. Most of the time, it's piled high with her pending case files and documents.

Fu Xuan had intended to let Bai Jun rest in the hall while she tidied up a bit, but Bai Jun clearly didn't mind such things and walked straight in.

His thoughts were simple: how messy could the room of such a beautiful girl be?

As soon as he opened the door to Fu Xuan's office, Bai Jun was stunned by the mess.

The floor in front of the half-open window was a mess. The desk was piled high with documents, and the disorganized papers were like fallen leaves scattered by the wind, each occupying its own territory. The coffee cup beside them was long empty, with dried rings on its surface.

The trash can in the corner overflowed with crumpled paper balls and empty packaging boxes of all sizes. The walls were plastered with sticky notes, filled with blurry reminders and to-do items.

It wasn't just messy; it looked like a recycling center for waste paper!

Bai Jun struggled to close his jaw, which had dropped in shock, and looked at Fu Xuan beside him with a slightly strange expression.

"Ahem, I'm usually very busy with work and rarely come here. After a long time, it just... it just... Anyway, help me tidy it up, and I'll help you find the Medicine King's Legacy scrolls later." Fu Xuan, with a blush, wanted to explain, but eventually couldn't even convince herself. She could only tug at Bai Jun's sleeve and say softly, a little shyly.

Then, she crouched down, her small body like a shy little rabbit, lowering her flushed face deeply. Her small hands quickly picked up the scattered documents on the floor.

...She's quite cute.

It was rare to see her like this, so Bai Jun suppressed the urge to take out his Jade Omen to take a picture. He silently bent down and helped her tidy up the mess in the office, incidentally tossing the crumpled paper balls near the trash can to clear them out later.

As expected of a beautiful girl, even though her room was so messy, there was no unpleasant odor. Instead, the air was filled with a faint fragrance, which didn't evoke any sense of disgust.

While picking up case files from the floor, Bai Jun's hand brushed against a piece of silk fabric tucked between the papers. It was soft and light, with a delicate texture, much like silk. Yes, it was just like the finest silk from Yaoqing.

Out of curiosity, Bai Jun slowly pulled it out from between the pages.

At that moment, Fu Xuan also happened to look up. The instant she saw the snow-white silk fabric with intricate patterns in Bai Jun's hand, her light golden eyes slowly widened, and her pupils flickered with surprise and shyness—it was her spare pair of pantyhose.

"Give it back! Give it back to me!"

Fu Xuan's cheeks instantly flushed as she quickly grabbed one end of the pantyhose and snatched it from Bai Jun's hand.

Bai Jun blinked in confusion, staring at his hand. He subconsciously clenched his empty palm, as if trying to feel the lingering touch, but he quickly realized what it was.

"Say you didn't see anything."

Fu Xuan suddenly grabbed Bai Jun's sleeve, her voice low and trembling, filled with both shy vulnerability and stubborn anger.

"What are you talking about, Grand Diviner Fu Xuan? I was just tidying up the documents on the floor." Bai Jun raised his hands, acting very sensibly, his clear eyes showing no fault.

Fu Xuan lowered her head, her fingers clutching her sleeve, seemingly trying to hide her inner nervousness and shyness. However, her slightly trembling shoulders, reddened earlobes, and fair neck with a faint pink blush still betrayed her emotions.

After a moment, she regained her composure and, as if nothing had happened, turned her head away and continued to tidy the documents on the floor.

For a while afterward, Fu Xuan deliberately refused to speak to him, even deliberately looking away when their eyes met, leaving him with only her proud back. This made Bai Jun unable to figure out where to put the tidied documents.

"Fu Xuan, are you angry?"

Bai Jun placed the tidied documents on the desk and gently poked her shoulder from behind.

When they were alone, Bai Jun no longer used distant titles and formal language when addressing Fu Xuan. She had always appreciated this. She let out a soft hum and turned around, giving him a speechless glance with her beautiful light golden eyes, "No, why would I be angry?"

"It's good that you're not angry... By the way, where are the Medicine King's Legacy scrolls?" Seeing that she could still communicate normally, Bai Jun felt relieved and got straight to the point.

"Tch, you were tricking me again. Here!"

Realizing she had been fooled, Fu Xuan let out an extremely displeased "Tch" and threw a thick, old volume from the bookshelf at Bai Jun.

Bai Jun caught the thrown document steadily, flipped through a few pages to confirm it was correct, and was about to leave, "Thank you, I'll take my leave then."

"Wait! Don't go yet."

Just as Bai Jun's left leg was about to step out of the room, Fu Xuan suddenly called out to him. Under Bai Jun's puzzled gaze, she asked hesitantly, "Are you sure you don't want to return to the Divination Bureau? I can guarantee that the salary and benefits here will be much better than anywhere else."

Fu Xuan's words that morning were not false. The Divination Bureau was indeed lacking qualified successors, and the only promising candidate was a lazy person—this was also true. She was quite troubled by this. If, in the future, she were to take over the position of General, the position of Head Diviner of the Divination Bureau would inevitably become vacant. Who would she pass it on to then?

After much thought, she felt that among the people she knew, only Bai Jun seemed reliable. At least during a period when he was temporarily transferred, she had truly witnessed Bai Jun's capabilities.

His abilities were indeed outstanding, on a different level, but his shortcomings were also obvious—

"I refuse."

That's right, this guy was even more laid-back and prone to slacking off than Qing Que.

Although transferring Bai Jun to the Divination Bureau had solved an immediate problem, the unfortunate thing was that he had also corrupted Qing Que!

This time, Bai Jun's answer was the same as always, but it was within Fu Xuan's predictions. She sneered as if she had expected it, turned around, and sat down securely next to her seat, which was propped up by several books, "Alright, let's put that aside for now and talk about yesterday."

"Yesterday's events..."

"That's right! I want an explanation as to why you took Qing Que to play cards again, and why you dared to stand me up this afternoon!" Her steady, gentle voice suddenly rose in volume. Fu Xuan, her face dark, angrily slammed the table, spilling the coffee she had just finished brewing.

"You spilled your coffee again."

"Are you my mother? Be serious!"

"But I just finished wiping down your table."

"My apologies." In the face of Bai Jun's innocent and wronged gaze, Fu Xuan finally relented, defeated. Muttering, she took out a rag and wiped the table clean.

As the saying goes, "Strike while the iron is hot; courage wanes with the second attempt, and is extinguished on the third."

Fu Xuan felt much the same. After wiping the table, when she looked up at Bai Jun again, she found it difficult to muster the same level of anger. She could only sigh helplessly, dropping the topic. "Fine, I'll let you off this time. If you dare do it again, I won't forgive you!"

Little did she know, she had told Bai Jun almost the exact same thing four times already, yet he managed to talk his way out of it every time.

Bai Jun inwardly rejoiced, his expression remaining guileless. "My duties are overwhelming, and circumstances often conspire against my intentions. I hope, esteemed Fu Xuan, you can grant me a little more time to prepare for a proper discussion."

With that, he took a few steps back, hugged the ancient tome he was holding, and prepared to leave.

"Wait, there's one more thing!"

Fu Xuan picked up her coffee and stopped Bai Jun again, saying irritably, "Take off your armor."

"Huh? Why..." Bai Jun froze for half a breath, thinking he'd misheard. He tentatively asked again.

"Don't ask so many questions, just take it off! I'm telling you to take off your armor!" Fu Xuan took a sip of coffee, urging him on with an ominous tone.

Bai Jun quickly understood the situation. He took off his jacket, inwardly lamenting, Why is my fate so bitter? I only came to pick up some documents, but I've stumbled into a pit of fire. Whoever you are, come and save me quickly! We still have to meet, and if I'm even a moment late, my life is forfeit!

Despite his distress, Bai Jun remained attentive to Fu Xuan, who was still seated.

"Hurry, take it off, take it off, take it off!"

Seeing him take half a day to remove just one jacket, the short, pink-haired woman had lost all patience. She jumped off her chair and personally pulled open his shirt, revealing Bai Jun's tall, sturdy body with its well-defined muscles.