Chapter Text
“I’m fine, stop fussing already and let me do my work!”
“You were falling asleep on your feet, Sect Leader. Your calligraphy is barely legible as it is so don’t even try using paperwork as an excuse.”
Jiang Cheng fumed. He tried to stare his subordinate into submission but Chief Healer Yu met his violet gaze with her own blue ones, just as stubborn. In the end it was Jiang Cheng who looked away first, a yawn betraying his earlier words. He clicked his tongue. “Tch, I never should have hired you,” he muttered petulantly.
To her credit, Healer Yu looked more amused than anything. “That’s too bad for you, because you did hire me. Scouted me out, even. You can’t even kick me out because I’m too valuable for that.” If anyone else were to look at her face at that moment, they would probably say it showed less emotion than a lifeless wooden doll. Jiang Cheng, having known her for years, could see the beginnings of a smug smile on the quirk of her lips. “Why don’t you follow my advice and actually get some rest?”
“I’ve had plenty enough these past few days.”
“Passing out does not count.”
Jiang Cheng growled, glaring at the healer to no effect. Eventually, though, he managed to grind out a compromise. “At least let me walk around after breakfast.”
Healer Yu’s face did not move, but her eyes seemed to brighten significantly. “Of course, Sect Leader, I will accompany you all the way too, if you don’t mind.”
“I do mind. Leave me alone.”
“Hm? Did you say something, Sect Leader?”
He groaned and rubbed his face with a palm. It was too early for this. Why was he friends with her again?
Later, after finishing the breakfast delivered straight to his bed and having his morning stretches watched with hawk-like supervision, Jiang Cheng strolled around the more secluded parts of Lotus Pier while receiving reports he’d missed from his Chief Healer. With the Head Disciple busy with not only training but also his own missions, Healer Yu was the next in line of authority when the Sect Leader was out of commission.
Most of it was much the same. Letters from other cultivation sects, negotiation requests from merchants, a complaint or two in between; night hunts, both successful and not, along with finances associated with them; and at the end, the news that their draconic guest had woken up.
“He woke up the other day at noon, though by the time I got to his room, he had already gone back to sleep. I’ve sent my apprentices to tend to him for now, but I would have to check on him again later.”
Their guest – to be called Lord Dan Heng for lack of other appropriate titles – had woken up intermittently, apparently more restless each time, so Healer Yu took it upon herself to give the order that allowed him to roam around as long as he stayed in Lotus Pier and avoided restricted areas. Since then he was, so far, seen in the kitchens (politely asking the cooks permission to make himself a simple meal), the training grounds and courtyard (a brief glimpse, according to the younger disciples), and the pier (where he was last seen).
Jiang Cheng had half the mind to ask her why she’d thought that was a good idea, but ultimately decided against it. He would worry about the dragon lord wandering his home at a later date. Speaking of…
“The three disciples came back with ruptured organs and damaged meridians?”
Healer Yu nodded. “Specifically the ones who came back from the missing persons case. I can’t heal them like I usually would unless I have decent pathways to pour energy into, so I’ve decided to use acupuncture to stop them from getting worse while I repair their meridians first.” She frowned. “It’s like they were unraveled – a little lower and their golden cores would have been gone. I’ve never seen anything like this, Sect Leader, I don’t like this.”
He didn’t like it either. “How did that even happen?”
“Their hunt-mates came only back with minor injuries, thankfully. They said they had encountered some suspicious individuals around one of the missing persons who had returned home after being gone for several days. She has been secured and is being watched by another squad, but our disciples got into an altercation with these individuals before that. They were apparently doing fine at first since there were more of them, until their enemies transformed into resentful creatures.”
“What?”
“They transformed into resentful creatures, Sect Leader, at least according to the disciples’ reports. You can read the written ones at your desk later. I suspect that they’re either yao that can take the shape of a human, or… they are cultivators who managed to harness resentful energy with methods different from Wei Wuxian’s.”
Jiang Cheng sucked in a breath through his nose, willing the mess of emotions that rose up at the mere mention of that man to crumple into a metaphorical ball and tossing it to the far reaches of his mind. “Sounds like a new breed of demonic cultivators for us to hunt then.”
Healer Yu shook her head. “Perhaps, perhaps not. The most concerning part is that we have little to no information after all this time. From what Spymaster Wang said, our informants are either as clueless as us, or are nowhere to be found. I fear this may be more dangerous than a handful of rogue demonic cultivators, Sect Leader.”
“Well, what do we know?” Jiang Cheng growled, stopping in the middle of the open walkway to glare at the rippling waters. “There has to be something! What about the formerly missing resident they were with? You said another squad is watching her; didn’t they ask her what she was doing with those bastards in the first place?”
“Yes, actually, though she seemed genuinely fearful and refused to even open her house to our disciples. Last I’ve heard, she’s locked herself inside. The squad leader did report to hearing her pray for hours on end behind closed doors for a ‘merciful medicus’...”
“Merciful medicus? Is that a new god for another cult now?”
He asked it rhetorically, expecting to be answered with a shrug. Instead, the water he was glaring at parted with a splash and the dragon lord who crashed into his home burst out (again) with wide turquoise eyes. He frantically lifted himself up the walkway, still somehow making the clumsy motion look elegant. Jiang Cheng would have been jealous if he wasn’t gaping incredulously.
“Did you just say ‘Merciful Medicus?’” was the first thing the other man said. Was he eavesdropping?
“What the fuck?” was Jiang Cheng’s incredibly intelligent response, earning him a kick in the shin from his Chief Healer.
The dragon lord had the decency to look embarrassed – or close to it, if the miniscule furrow of his brows and slight hunching was to be called that. Jiang Cheng’s mind halted to a stop when the man bowed with a quiet apology. “I truly did not mean to listen in, but may we talk somewhere more private?”
Jiang Cheng ended up leading them to his office, settling on one of the chairs while Healer Yu stood behind him. Their guest sat across from them, wearing a borrowed hanfu and a resolute look, then gave a small salute with a fist to his palm.
“I should formally introduce myself. I am Dan Heng, a Nameless of the Astral Express. I must thank you for helping me while I was vulnerable, and I apologize for the trouble. I’ve seen the damage I’ve caused so if you are willing, I can offer my help with repairs. Others too, as long as they are within reason.”
Jiang Cheng had… many questions, most of which revolved around what the hell an ‘astral express’ was and why he still gave a name if he was supposed to be nameless, but what did he know of the matters of heavenly creatures? So he returned the courtesy instead. “Jiang Cheng, courtesy Wanyin, current leader of the Yunmeng Jiang Sect. Beside me is Chief Healer Yu Xue. A pleasure to officially meet you.” He straightened up. “I shall consider your proposal, but first,” his eyes narrowed, “Respectfully speaking, what the fuck was that for earlier?” Healer Yu’s stare was scathing in his periphery.
Thankfully, Lord Dan Heng didn’t seem offended at all, clearing his throat awkwardly. “Again, sorry about that. I was searching the water for something I dropped when I heard you talking. I… happened to hear a term I recognized and instinctively jumped into the conversation.”
Both the Jiang Sect members’ eyes widened. Jiang Cheng himself stood abruptly, hands slamming into the table between them. “You know them?! Who are they – what are they? And how, what’s your connection to them?!” he demanded, throwing away basic courtesy.
To his credit, Lord Dan Heng merely blinked at his lack of composure and raised a placating hand. “I’m not with them, rest assured. In fact, I suspect the people responsible for my current situation are at least involved with the people you’re looking for.” He waited for the sect leader to sit back down with a mumbled ‘sorry’ before continuing. “I initially asked for a meeting the other day just to express my gratitude for your hospitality but now… I apologize for imposing, but I need to know the details of the case you were discussing to confirm my suspicions.”
Healer Yu tilted her head. “Forgive me, my lord, but how certain are you of your suspicions being correct? Simply divulging our operations to a stranger is not ideal after all, no matter your level of ascension.”
The dragon lord nodded in understanding but didn’t budge. “Quite certain. And even if – no, especially if this meeting ends up inconclusive, it is… within my responsibilities to ensure this land is free from the tampering of certain groups.” He didn’t elaborate further, and honestly, while Jiang Cheng had questions he had a feeling he would end up more confused if he asked any of them now.
The healer and the guest stared at each other for a moment, before Healer Yu nodded and turned to her sect leader, who had to stop himself from heaving a sigh. “Alright. I’ll only say this once so please make yourself comfortable.”
He spent the next few minutes giving a summarized version of the reports he’d received, Healer Yu chiming in occasionally on the things he missed. Throughout it all, Lord Dan Heng stayed still and attentive on his seat aside from the flicking of his long, pointed ears. The motion would momentarily distract Jiang Cheng whenever it happened.
Honestly though, who wouldn’t be? He’d like to see how other sect leaders would act in his situation – no doubt, he already had a few in mind who would stumble with every sentence, the others either simpering or overly reverent in hopes of accruing some divine favor. As much as the supernatural was a staple in the lives of cultivators, to be graced with the presence of a celestial being was such a rarity that there only existed tall tales passed down generations of storytellers. Even the departure of the rare immortal who had cultivated themselves to ascension from whatever mountain they’d holed themselves in was more common than their celestial counterparts descending from the skies.
“That’s all we have for now,” he finished. “We are still waiting to hear from other sects if there are similar incidents but for now, the entire scope of our investigations are only in Yunmeng. So,” he leaned back, “was that enough for a sound conclusion?”
Lord Dan Heng nodded. “More than enough, thank you. I can’t confirm anything until I see them with my own eyes, but many of the things you’ve said match with the things I know of the Disciples of Sanctus Medicus.”
“Disciples of what, now?”
“Sanctus Medicus.” The dragon lord looked contemplative upon seeing how the sect leader and healer were still confused. “To put it simply, they are a group that worship a… higher being that embodies the concept of Abundance, in all its forms. That is who they call Sanctus Medicus, the Merciful One. Those who follow THEIR path, all have a devotion to life and healing, for better or worse. This group in particular…” He looked subtly discomforted. “From what I’ve read, and from my own personal experiences with them, this group’s goal lies in the pursuit of ‘true’ immortality and further ascension through the use of medicines. Due to the nature of their principles as well as the severity of their methods, the current Disciples have been declared as criminals by their homeworld and are meant to be rooted out as soon as possible.”
“Wait, pursuing immortality is illegal?” Jing Cheng blurted out, unable to help himself even though there were more important questions he could have asked. (Because what in the celestial politics is this? Even higher beings? So their enemies were as otherworldly as their guest, then?)
The dragon lord blinked. “... in some realms – the Xianzhou in particular, yes. I am… not as well-versed as I would like in the judicial implications, though.” His turquoise eyes widened, and he tilted his head curiously. “By chance, is immortality quite common here? You didn’t seem surprised at the mention of it.”
(Xianzhou? A boat of immortals? Were immortals limiting access to immortality or something? Was there a right to exclusivity somewhere and the mortal realm was simply not informed?)
Jiang Cheng’s ears felt hot in his embarrassment. Curse his stupid mouth. Would Lord Dan Heng know if he was lying or not? Probably, who knew. Either way, he would rather not risk it. “Not common, per se, but it is something those of us in the mortal realm aim for and very few actually achieve.”
Thankfully, the other man looked more intrigued, his eyes bright. “Interesting,” he muttered, a hand on his chin, ruminating for a second before snapping out of it. “Right, sorry. I would like to know more about the mechanism of your version of immortality at a later date, if you are willing. Back to the matter of the Disciples of Sanctus Medicus; I believe the cause of death of their victims is rapid cellular degradation.”
What. Jiang Cheng’s indignant confusion (he was getting really tired of that) must have been obvious since Lord Dan Heng looked apologetic soon after. “What I meant was that, it’s just as you’ve observed. The victims likely aged so fast in such a short period of time as their bodies burned away all their energy in one fell swoop. You mentioned how many of them were suddenly cured of their maladies after returning, right? Both that and the sudden madness and death are presumably caused by the medicine given to them by the Disciples. From what I’ve read, the short-lived species – ah, races – who were administered were unable to stand the side-effects after a few days at most… the price of that cure was paid in their swift death.”
Jiang Cheng frowned, looking solemnly at the wood grains of the table. If their guest was to be believed, that made it even worse for the victims. To lack or have lost something and be given hope of gaining it, only to pay for it with your life shortly after, was too cruel. He shook his head. This was getting too close to home. This reminded him too much of the man he used to call his brother and he’d rather not think about that now.
So, he took a deep breath and looked at the dragon lord’s turquoise eyes. “I… admit that we’re out of depth here, more than I’d like to. If we keep sending more of our people without knowing more about the enemy then there will be more casualties than answers. If what you say is true, which I will trust for now that it is, then your presence will undoubtedly make a difference. If you were serious about your offer earlier,” he stood and bowed, “As the Leader of the Yunmeng Jiang Sect, this Jiang Wanyin humbly accepts your aid, Lord Dan Heng.”
There were still more things to discuss and even more to deal with afterwards, but for now, this was enough. As the dragon lord bowed back and Healer Yu inclined her head as a witness to the moment of their cooperation, Jiang Cheng had a feeling he was going in the right direction for the first time in a while.
(“If you don’t mind me asking, my lord, what was it that you were swimming in the river for?”
“Ah,” Lord Dan Heng brought up a jade pendant that he seemed to have been gripping all this time and looked at it with a small smile. “A gift from someone very dear. I thought it was taken from me, but as it turns out, it simply fell to the riverbed.” He hummed thoughtfully. “Perhaps luck is on my side this time.”
Light years away, the Xianzhou Luofu’s Arbiter-General jolted awake from his nap on one of the armchairs in the Astral Express. In one of his hands, a special jade abacus that had been dormant for over a week buzzed briefly before going still once more.)