Who used dragon saliva in medicine?!
Besides, even among the Vidyadhara, only those with an exceptionally pure bloodline could actually produce dragon saliva.
And on the Luofu, she was the only one who could.
But just thinking about that stuff, there was no way she could give it to someone else to use as medicine.
"Really? That stuff actually exists?"
Lingchen's eyes lit up. This was dragon saliva they were talking about.
In his previous life, he had heard all sorts of claims about how amazing it was, but those had only been legends. In this life, he could finally experience it for himself.
"It does, but its effects aren't that impressive. Do you really want it?"
Bailu's little face grew redder and redder, making anyone who saw it want to take a big bite.
Wait... with that look on little Bailu's face, could it really be what I'm thinking?
Better leave that for another time.
"Ahem, never mind. A little kiss from Bailu will do."
"Okay!"
Bailu let out a sigh of relief and immediately kissed Lingchen on the cheek.
The faint sensation of air brushing past as she pulled away, along with the flash of pale purple hair, told Lingchen that fleeting softness had indeed been real.
It was just that little Bailu had been far too quick.
"Now can you tell me what my present is?"
Bailu had no idea why Lingchen had suddenly decided to give everyone presents.
But as the saying went, only an idiot would turn down a gift. She wanted to see what sort of surprise Lingchen had for her, too.
"Here. This is it."
"What's this?"
Bailu picked up the rod-shaped object, a little over twenty centimeters long. There was a button on it, which she pressed curiously. A humming sound came out, and the rod began glowing blue. Moisture seemed to spread through the air as well.
"This is..."
"This is a Curio, the Siren's Song."
"But it doesn't sing."
No sooner had she spoken than the rod transformed into a stream of water, spreading over Bailu's little hand before finally forming a small blue dragon-horn pattern on the back of it.
"That's amazing!"
Bailu cried out in surprise.
"Your voice is its song. Just channel imaginary energy into it, and you can use it to control water and attack. Even the water molecules in the air will work."
As things stood, Bailu could practically only heal. Her combat ability was not particularly strong, but controlling water indirectly like this would give her the offensive power of a top-tier Pathstrider.
He was also a little worried about the unrest the Luofu would soon face.
Only once that unrest was over would Lingchen give little Bailu her real present.
Whether that meant control over all the Vidyadhara on the Luofu or the freedom she longed for, either was possible.
Well, chances were it would actually be a gift to himself, too.
After all, little Bailu was very fond of him.
"But isn't that voice control? Why call it the Siren's Song?"
"Do you think that just because I'm little, I'm uneducated and can't tell the difference between words?"
Bailu planted her little hands on her hips again.
"Of course not. I just thought the name sounded much better than 'voice-controlled water attack device.'"
The abilities of [Elation] really were convenient.
Thank you, Diting Aha Man.
"Oh! Thank you, Lingchen. I love it."
Bailu had only been making a little complaint. Once Lingchen explained, she believed him immediately. The little girl inspected the back of her hand from every angle before happily throwing herself into Lingchen's arms again.
"What, not calling me 'stinky Lingchen' anymore?"
"I never did! You misheard me. How could a young lady like me ever say anything so rude?"
Seeing Bailu look so utterly earnest, Lingchen couldn't help chuckling.
"All right, do you still want Qiongshi Bird Skewers? These are treats even the granddaughter of the Zhuming Xianzhou's general dreams of eating."
"Yes!"
With her present in hand, Bailu was happy again and naturally wanted some skewers. In fact, she had wanted them for quite some time.
Fu Xuan was going to the Jade Abacus Xianzhou. To guard against anyone lashing out in desperation, Lingchen had given her protection, while also making his stance clear.
Tingyun would soon be heading out on another trading trip, and Phantylia's whereabouts remained unknown. Extra precautions were only natural. Besides, with the Path of [Remembrance] available, why let it go to waste?
Yukong had been included along the way. Over the past few days, he had also heard that Qingni still seemed interested in bringing him and Yukong together, so he had simply given Yukong a present. When an Emanator arrived and Yukong entered the fray, she would surely be grateful to him.
If Qingni wanted to play support, that was fine too. He could give her a few presents when the time came.
After all, she was Yukong's adopted daughter. If he rounded things off... tsk, he really couldn't let that train of thought go any further.
Qingque's combat strength was somewhere in the middle. Although she probably wouldn't face much danger in the days ahead, he had given everyone else a present. How could he leave her out?
Lingchen did a pretty good job of spreading his favors evenly.
As for the Xianzhou's current situation... it went without saying that the message he had asked Fu Xuan to deliver would become the spark for a change in the Xianzhou's leadership. There was also a strong chance that other Emanators would get involved later.
Just Phantylia alone... Lingchen shook his head slightly. The appearance of the Imaginary Wall would bring more than one problem in the future, never mind a shake-up of the Xianzhou's leadership. There was no way those Emanators would sit still.
This was the perfect opportunity to bring the turmoil-stricken Xianzhou down.
Lastly, there was Bailu. As the High Elder, she possessed half the High Elder's power. If something really did happen, she had no shortage of ways to protect herself; what she lacked was a means of attack.
After all, the Siren's Song was already connected to the lock on Bailu's tail. If trouble really arose, the lock would melt away on its own.
And, just like the others' presents, once its power was used, Lingchen would know what had happened.
"You certainly know how to enjoy yourself."
Chapter 59: You Said There Were Borisin Too???
"You're here."
"I'm here."
Jing Yuan picked up Lingchen's words without missing a beat.
Clearly, Lingchen had known he would come.
"It's the general. Om nom... are you so sleepy you can't keep your eyes open again? I'll write you a prescription."
Bailu took a bite of her Qiongshi Bird Skewer and spoke indistinctly.
"Haha, today Jing Yuan isn't here for a prescription. I've come to discuss something important with Lingchen."
Jing Yuan didn't mind. Clearly, Bailu was too engrossed in her candied skewers and had only answered him offhandedly.
He also frequently found excuses to visit Bailu, which was why she reacted this way.
"Oh, I see." Bailu looked at Lingchen, her eyes full of questions.
"Should I leave first?"
If the general had come looking for him, it probably wasn't anything trivial.
Bailu did know about Lingchen's identity.
"Jing Yuan and I can talk in the sitting room. You can stay here and eat."
Some of the snacks wouldn't taste as good if they were left sitting too long.
Sparkle had gone out first thing in the morning. Who knew where she had gone looking for fun?
Lingchen had expected as much. After all, who among those who stepped onto the Path of [Elation] could sit still forever?
Bailu had just happened to come looking for him, so he had started feeding her straight away. Otherwise, he would already have taken her out.
"All right, then."
Bailu obediently nodded her little head.
"Bailu really trusts you."
In the reception room, Jing Yuan helped himself to a cup of tea.
"She trusts you a lot too, doesn't she?"
Every time Jing Yuan came, he had to drink Lingchen's fine tea. Fortunately, Lingchen had swiped all of it from the Seat of Divine Foresight.
"That's different." Jing Yuan shook his head. "I've worked with her for a long time, but I've never seen her act like this. She relies on you more than she ever has on anyone. Don't betray that trust."
He had no idea what it was about Lingchen that drew her in.
"Of course. Go on, then. You wouldn't come here without a reason. What brings you here today?"
Bailu was so adorable. Who could possibly not like her?
"You've probably already guessed, haven't you?"
Lingchen nodded noncommittally.
"Is this about using me?"
"So you did figure it out."
"It wasn't hard to guess." Lingchen was getting impatient with how slowly the tea was brewing. "What are you offering?"
"Isn't that a little too blunt?"
Jing Yuan was instantly at a loss for words.
He was used to refined, roundabout exchanges. Being hit with such a direct question out of nowhere felt quite strange.
"Isn't that what you mean? I did expect it, but I didn't think you would move so quickly. So tell me, how are those Disciples of Sanctus Medicus, Borisin, and Vidyadhara involved in this going to die?"
???
"Ahem, this time, we're actually only planning to deal with some of the three races' leaders and a few people who have been getting far too carried away."
Jing Yuan coughed awkwardly.
"Hm? You're not dealing with all of them at once?"
"The Marshal would like to as well, but that would involve far too many people."
The goal of this operation was simple: join forces with the other leaders to exert pressure and eliminate the old fossils who coveted Lingchen the most and were also the most restless, along with anyone in their families who posed a threat.
Of course, their primary targets were those who showed no respect whatsoever for an Emanator.
As for the remaining middle- and lower-ranking members, putting them back to use was preferable to purging them all. Most were only following orders from above. Once their leaders were dealt with, they would have no way to turn things around.
Otherwise, the death toll might reach hundreds of thousands.
"So, most of the people we're dealing with this time are higher-ups."
Jing Yuan sighed inwardly. The population of a single Xianzhou far exceeded a hundred billion, and there was more than one ship. Although a few hundred thousand wasn't much when spread across them, that didn't include the Disciples of Sanctus Medicus, or the Borisin... wait!
"You said there were Borisin too?!"
Jing Yuan's voice rose several notches.
The Luofu really couldn't catch a break.
As for the Disciples of Sanctus Medicus and their ilk, heh, to put it bluntly, the disappearance of those leaders was bound to cause unrest. With such a golden opportunity, how could those people possibly restrain themselves?
So he wasn't worried about them. But the Borisin...
"Mm-hmm. You didn't notice?"
Jing Yuan shook his head, then nodded.
"I only sensed that the Vidyadhara were making a move, and that the Disciples of Sanctus Medicus were showing signs of emerging. I did have my suspicions, but I never thought they really..."