Minor Matters

Their injuries were critical, leaving no choice but for Lian Yong to summon Lian Fulan from afar.

"Father, weren't you due back soon? What's the emergency?" Lian Fulan asked her father the moment she stepped from the teleportation formation and bowed.

"Fulan... well, several of your Sub-Institute disciples were brought here. The local physicians aren't familiar with them and were worried about potential complications. Their injuries are severe... so I recalled you first," Lian Yong explained to his daughter. Not letting her rest, he promptly led her to the infirmary.

"......" At first, Lian Fulan didn't think much of it. Coming back early was fine. But seeing the figures lying stiff on the beds and another slumped asleep in a chair, her temper flared. Clutching Lian Yong's hand, she vented while moving between beds. "Father, do you realize these are the most troublesome lot in the entire Sub-Institute?"

"This one," she began, pointing at Chi, "set himself on fire cultivating and nearly took the whole Sub-Institute infirmary with him!"

"He's always pushing himself training in the desert, constantly running to the medical office for all sorts of pills. And the thing is, every time a scorpion or something stings him, he only does emergency treatment and refuses to come find us or handle it properly himself. He almost always ends up in the medical office after passing out from the poison!" said Shaheluo.

"And him! Obsessed with studying some strange metal! It's dangerous—overusing it damages his foundation, but it's like he doesn't hear us! Who always cleans up his mess? Look how dark his hand is! He must have overused that metal again!" Lian Fulan grabbed one of Qian Dan's hands, pressed on it, then produced a jar of ointment. She dabbed it on, infused it with her arts, and instantly spread the salve over his entire body.

"He's even worse!" She pointed at Dun. "Trains all day in the mountains with a few senior brothers and has no sense of his own limits! He always collapses from exhaustion in the infirmary when he comes down!"

"Sister Lan, you..." Seeing Lan Jinxi on the sickbed, her face marred by dark blood vessels, Lian Fulan hurried over. She stopped her tirade, placed a hand on Lan Jinxi's wrist to check her pulse—it was faint and unstable.

"Father! Quick, get those treasured pills of yours! Stabilizing her life force comes first!" Lian Fulan channeled her own qi into Lan Jinxi's body to seal her meridians. Soon, Lian Yong brought the pills. Breaking the seal, he placed one directly into Lan Jinxi's mouth. Lian Fulan then used her qi to stimulate Lan Jinxi's body to refine the pill. A long while later, they barely managed to suppress the toxins within her.

"Didn't Master Xian warn her? Her bloodline is special; she mustn't wield its power recklessly. She was probably influenced by these guys. They never learn the right things, only how to show off!" Lian Fulan muttered, seeing Lan Jinxi's condition stabilize, before moving to check the others.

"Fan Cang? How is he also..." Seeing Fan Cang covered in blood, Lian Fulan's heart sank. A sense of foreboding struck her. "What on earth did they go through?"

"I'm not sure either. From what Young Master Jin and the others said, they went to deal with a small remnant force of Danfeng, but it turned out Danfeng's last remaining strength was all concentrated there. And so..."

"Why are the academy's mission reports always wrong lately? And of course this troublemaker keeps running into them!" Seeing Yan, Lian Fulan's temper, which had just settled, flared again. "Father! He's a 'frequent guest' of our infirmary! He's been here at least three times in about a year! His 'best' visit was passing out for days from bloodline depletion!" Lian Fulan was so angry she laughed. She expertly grabbed Yan's wrist; a mere touch revealed his condition. "Overexerted his spirit again. Same as always. Let him sleep it off for a few days!"

"Oh right, and this Mo Wenxi! A divination prodigy. Every time she shows up, she's usually overexerted herself with divination, passed out, and gets carried here by her master. And that master of hers! Says she's too busy with important divinations, no time to look after her, just dumps her here and leaves! Comes back to pick her up days later! Don't even need to check, it's definitely the same thing this time!"

"It's different! I... I was just tired this time!" Mo Wenxi defended herself before her eyes even opened. At the same time, she retrieved a small pouch from her robes and handed it to Lian Fulan. "Senior Sister, Jinxi gave us these before we were ambushed. She had everyone store a portion of their spirit inside, then entrusted it to me. Hearing what you said about her bloodline technique earlier, that's probably it, right? Can we... return it to her body?"

"If it were that simple, she wouldn't be in this state!" Lian Fulan retorted irritably, telling Mo Wenxi to put them away. "Keep them safe! In a critical moment, these might just save the lives of you newcomers! Consider them Sister Lan's last gift to you all!"

"Senior Sister... Jinxi... what's wrong with her?!" Overhearing their talk, Chi managed to wake. Though immobilized, he asked in a trembling voice.

"You two had an arranged engagement, correct?" Lian Fulan walked over to Chi and stared at him impassively, sending a shiver down his spine.

"Ah... yes." Chi suddenly didn't dare speak above a whisper.

"Then you must know about her clan's bloodline, right?" Lian Fulan's voice wasn't loud, but it was low and oppressive, stifling the air. "Born with two mixed bloodlines. She must maintain an internal balance. Otherwise, she falls gravely ill first—her face turns pale, covered in dark veins—then proceeds straight to death!"

Chi's gaze darted away, unable to meet Lian Fulan's eyes.

"And knowing this, you let her use her bloodline power recklessly. You probably thought, 'With Senior Sister Jian and Master Xian here, any depletion can be recovered. As for the balance, as long as both bloodlines are drained a little, it'll be fine.' Right?" Watching Chi's pitiful state, Lian Fulan grew even angrier. "Hah! Not cherishing your own life is one thing, but she's your destined partner! You failed to protect her, and now..." Lian Fulan wanted to continue but was stopped by Lian Yong, who shook his head, signaling her to let it go.

"Master Xian tried. Replicating the Xi-Hua Dragon Tribe's bloodline always copies both; it's impossible to isolate just one. It even tends to amplify whichever bloodline was dominant at the moment of replication." After this final remark, Lian Fulan ignored Chi. She paced the infirmary a few times before asking Mo Wenxi, "What about Yun Feng? I remember you nine set out together?"

"Right here!" Yun Feng entered from outside. Her injuries had fully healed, and she wore a simple green gown, her hair tied back with a ribbon.

"Fulan, what's this young lady's name?" Lian Yong suddenly leaned in to whisper in his daughter's ear.

"Yun Feng. Why? What's wrong?" Lian Fulan eyed her father's mysterious behavior, sensing something was off.

"Nothing, nothing!" Lian Yong hastily waved his hands and stepped back.

A short while later, Su Wu approached, stammering, "Th... that, Yun Feng, are your fellow disciples... alright?"

"We're fine! Senior, if you need Yun Feng for something, don't mind us!" The previously rigid boys on the sickbeds instantly caught Su Wu's hidden meaning and sat bolt upright as if suddenly revitalized.

"You—what?!" Lian Fulan distinctly remembered they were completely unconscious when she checked their pulses earlier.

"Huh?" Surprised by their reaction, Yun Feng turned to Su Wu. "Senior, what is it?"

"Um... well..." Su Wu stammered for a long while, unsure how to begin.

"There's plenty to see in the Imperial City! Once you've recovered, go follow the senior and have a look around! It's not like you're much help staying here anyway!" Lian Fulan had figured out the situation. Though somewhat exasperated, she closed her eyes in resignation and sent Yun Feng out.

Su Wu nodded to her and led Yun Feng away.

Lian Fulan let out a weary sigh. Too busy to rest now, she left instructions for a few to keep watch, then personally led others to fetch the medicine.