"Um... aren't you tired of staring at me like that all the time?"
"Shouldn't you relax a bit? Maybe take a nap?"
"Or why don't you go check on Jiaoqiu and Moze? They might have already left their rooms."
Guided by Lingsha, the group first arrived at Feixiao's room.
Pushing open the door, they were greeted by the sight of Feixiao and Little Swarm.
Feixiao was incessantly trying to sweet-talk Little Swarm, hoping to create an opportunity to slip away.
"General Feixiao, we've come to visit you!" March 7th shouted cheerfully as she burst into the room, completely oblivious to the situation.
Feixiao immediately clamped her mouth shut and sat rigidly upright in bed, adopting a surprisingly demure posture.
It was rare to see such a docile expression on Feixiao's face.
But without a doubt, the fact that she could even manage such an expression meant she was definitely up to something mischievous...
"General Feixiao, are you trying to leave again?" Everyone present, except March 7th and Little Swarm, could see through her charade.
Feixiao was clearly trying to deceive Little Swarm to slip out of the sickroom.
Lingsha, having realized this, smiled sweetly and raised her fist.
"Ha ha, how could I?" Feixiao chuckled. "I'm just worried Jiaoqiu and Moze might run off."
Though her tone was obedient, no trace of guilt or being caught in the act appeared on Feixiao's face.
Sitting at the bedside, Feixiao waved her hand and smiled. "With Little Swarm here, and the ever-present threat of Moon Rage, how could I possibly wander off?"
"Heh heh heh, with General Feixiao's assurance, this humble servant can finally rest easy," Lingsha replied with a smile, though her eyes betrayed her skepticism.
If not for Little Swarm guarding her, she'd probably have vanished by now, Lingsha thought.
"Sister Lumina, what brings you here too?" Initially, Feixiao's attention had been focused entirely on Little Swarm. As the group entered, her gaze shifted first to March 7th, then to Lingsha.
Because Lumina had been standing behind March 7th and Lingsha the entire time, Feixiao hadn't noticed her presence immediately.
Feixiao stood up and approached with a smile.
"I'm just here to check on your condition," Lumina said, scanning Feixiao briefly to assess her physical state.
Finding no issues, she withdrew her gaze and added with a hint of amusement, "Seeing you so energetic, General Feixiao, puts my mind at ease."
"It seems swallowing the Scarlet Moon hasn't had any adverse effects on you."
"Ha ha ha, Sister Lumina, you're teasing me!" Feixiao couldn't help but feel a little embarrassed, knowing Lumina was teasing her about the earlier scene.
Lumina chuckled but remained silent, turning to Lingsha. "Lingsha, Feixiao is doing well now."
"From my observations, the Scarlet Moon has fully stabilized within her. Even with external stimuli, there should be no complications."
"If the Alchemy Commission's examination shows no issues, Feixiao can be discharged from the hospital."
"Hmm, I understand. Then allow me, your humble servant, to conduct one final examination of General Feixiao," Lingsha said, nodding in agreement. She stepped forward and approached Feixiao.
Extending her hand, Lingsha took Feixiao's wrist, closed her eyes, and carefully sensed her energy for a moment before nodding.
Releasing Feixiao's wrist, Lingsha smiled. "General Feixiao, congratulations. From this moment onward, you are discharged."
Feixiao had never truly been ill. Lingsha had kept her confined to the ward for a few days solely to observe whether swallowing the Scarlet Moon had produced any effects, such as loss of control or transforming into a giant wolf under the full moon.
However, after several days of observation, none of these symptoms had materialized. Combined with Lumina's reassurances, Lingsha was finally at ease.
After all, Lumina was an expert in Abundance. If she declared there were no issues, then there definitely weren't any.
"Excellent! I've been cooped up here for days, nearly dying of boredom," Feixiao exclaimed, her face lighting up with relief as she received the discharge notice.
Feixiao was no homebody; she rarely enjoyed staying cooped up indoors.
These past few days confined to the hospital ward had forced her to mentally relive every joyful memory she possessed...
"Oh, right, let's go check on Jiaoqiu and Moze in their rooms," Feixiao suggested, her gaze sweeping across the group.
She had long sensed that their auras had vanished from their rooms.
If she hadn't been so loyal to her comrades, she would have told Little Swarm and Lingsha about it sooner.
But now that things had reached this point, Feixiao figured it made little difference whether she betrayed her teammates or not.
"There's no need for that. Those two left here quite some time ago," Lingsha replied immediately after Feixiao finished speaking.
"Hmm? So you knew about it, Lingsha?" Feixiao was surprised.
After all... even her minor injuries had warranted Little Swarm being assigned to guard her and prevent her escape. Jiaoqiu and Moze, who were far more seriously wounded and in greater need of supervision, had somehow managed to slip away.
Feixiao assumed Lingsha was unaware of the situation, realizing she had been overthinking things.
"Of course I know," Lingsha replied with a smile. "I'm fully aware of everything happening in the Alchemy Commission. The moment those two stepped out of their sickroom, they were under my observation."
"I see," Feixiao nodded slightly, offering no further comment.
"They're currently near the Wavymoon Ancient Sea. If you want to find them, you might try looking there," Lingsha revealed Jiaoqiu and Moze's exact location.
"I have other matters to attend to. Please excuse me."
The Alchemy Commission wasn't just treating Feixiao and her fellow patients. There were also those injured during the Borisin incident and the Wolf Hunting Ceremony, and Lingsha couldn't afford to be away for too long.
After a brief bow, Lingsha left the sickroom.
"March, Stelle, Little Swarm, would you like to go visit Jiaoqiu and Moze with me?" Lumina asked the trio after Lingsha departed.
While the trio had been chatting idly, Lumina hadn't shown any interest in joining their conversation. But as a "little Physician," she still had responsibilities to fulfill.
She needed to check on Jiaoqiu and Moze's conditions to ensure their injuries hadn't relapsed.
"Of course we're going! Isn't that why we came here in the first place?" Hearing this, the three exchanged glances, communicating silently through their eyes.
Little Swarm's blank, bewildered expression suggested she had no idea what they were talking about.
Stelle, her face alight with ambition, had completely forgotten—or perhaps simply ignored—March 7th's earlier warnings.
Knowing neither of them would object, March 7th took the liberty of making the decision for them.
Lumina nodded and smiled at Feixiao. "Then let's go together, Feixiao. This will be a good opportunity to thoroughly examine Jiaoqiu and Moze's conditions."
"Mm-hmm, thank you, Sister Lumina." Though Feixiao showed no outward reaction, his heart was filled with deeper remorse.
He had initially sought Lumina's help to cure his Moon Rage. But just as the treatment neared completion, he had swallowed the Scarlet Moon aboard the Skysplitter, reducing all of Lumina's painstaking efforts to foam.
While he had inadvertently gained some benefit from this misfortune, Feixiao still deeply regretted wasting Sister Lumina's precious time.
Moreover, when Feixiao had swallowed the Scarlet Moon and descended into madness, Sister Lumina had stepped in to shield her. By inflicting physical pain in the real world, Lumina had stimulated Feixiao's spirit world, preventing her from being fully seduced by the Inner Demon and preventing her from leaving the Skysplitter, which would have led to disaster.
And in the end, Lumina had even helped heal everyone...
Weighed down by all these deeds, Feixiao's guilt toward Lumina had reached its peak. She was utterly at a loss for how to properly express her gratitude.
As long as it didn't endanger the Xianzhou, Feixiao would agree to even slightly excessive or outrageously unreasonable requests.
After all... she truly owed Sister Lumina far too much...
Sigh... well, I'll ask Jiaoqiu and Moze later to see if they have any good ideas for expressing my gratitude...
So Feixiao thought to herself.
Little did she know, the best gratitude for Lumina—the kind that would truly make her happy—was neither far away nor hidden.
Hmm... what this means is, don't overthink it. Lumina herself wouldn't care much about grand gestures.