No one could say for sure just how many Disciples of Sanctus Medicus there were on the Xianzhou.
Bailu watched with her own eyes as the people of the Alchemy Commission, under Dan Shu's control, threw themselves entirely into a faction called the Pure Land Sect.
This faction had a clear division of labor: some preached, some explained, and some debated.
There were even people specifically responsible for related medical work, explaining how every medicine was connected to the Ambrosial Arbor, tracing the ultimate origin of each herb, and clarifying the true nature of these products.
Some even raised a banner calling for the medical knowledge of the Alchemy Commission to be made accessible to every person on the Xianzhou.
In their discussions, they argued that the people of the Xianzhou didn't truly understand the issues surrounding the Sanctus Medicus, nor were they clear on the source of the Alchemy Commission's benefits.
From artisanship and production, to alchemical refinement, to the operation of the starskiffs—the entire Xianzhou was inextricably linked to the Ambrosial Arbor and the "blessings" of the Sanctus Medicus.
To think that faith in The Hunt alone could sever the past and the suffering of long life was absolutely impossible.
This was a reality the Xianzhou had to face. It was not something that could be simply cut away just because the Xianzhou people wished it so.
Dan Shu's goal was very simple. Since the Pure Land Sect could merge with the Xianzhou's current faith, she, as a representative of the old school of believers, had to rip open the problems that were hidden within the Xianzhou and force everyone to confront them.
In any case, she was already burdened with so much bad karma and was inevitably heading toward her own death.
So she might as well make an even greater sacrifice for the future return of the Sanctus Medicus.
Dan Shu decided to bring the current Disciples of Sanctus Medicus out into the open to publicly discuss these issues.
Under the guise of spreading medical knowledge, she would teach the people of the Xianzhou about all these internal matters, forcing the forgotten history of the past back into everyone's minds.
And so, in Bailu's eyes, everyone in the Alchemy Commission had gone completely mad.
She was even beginning to feel afraid of these fanatics. After splitting from the Pure Land Faction, this group had become calmer, more extreme, and more... unrestrained.
The people of the Alchemy Commission prepared to further promote their medical teachings. They were even planning to publicly release the formulas for many elixirs. Among them was one of utmost importance: a formula for how to maintain one's sanity while Mara-Struck.
This formula was just a gamble, a mere possibility. But if it were distributed to every person on the Xianzhou, it would no longer be a possibility—it would become a historical pursuit that the people would chase with wild abandon.
And the upper echelons of the Luofu would be forced to rely on the Pure Land Sect to win over the people who possessed this formula.
A solution to the Mara-Struck state exists. All that's needed is for you to know that the possibility is there.
The Alchemy Commission's meeting was, without a doubt, a success.
An unspoken understanding existed among the Disciples of Sanctus Medicus. They had completely forgotten about the presence of the High Elder.
Some recorded the lectures on the Pure Land, others copied down certain formulas onto simple notes. All that was left was to spread this information.
After laying out the next steps, Dan Shu led Bailu away from the area.
Bailu desperately wanted to run, but now, she truly didn't dare.
Before, the people of the Alchemy Commission at least seemed to have their own joys and sorrows, their own likes and dislikes.
But now, they seemed to have entered some incredible state of mind. They were like ascetics immersed in some kind of pious trance.
"Lady Bailu, please stay with me for the time being. Some unfortunate things might happen soon, and... I think someone might have their eyes on the Xianzhou's Ambrosial Arbor."
Dan Shu's words had become somewhat ethereal.
Bailu didn't understand. Years of being sheltered had left her with a certain naivete in some respects.
"Hasn't the Ambrosial Arbor already been severed?"
Dan Shu pondered for a moment before explaining, "The problem isn't the Arbor, but us, the Disciples of Sanctus Medicus. Our current actions will inherently attract outsiders who covet long life. What happened to the Xianzhou in the past will inevitably happen again."
Fearing Bailu still didn't understand, she elaborated, "Do you remember what I am preparing to do? The matter concerning the Mara-Struck is actually connected to the Ambrosial Arbor, connected to the Alchemy Commission. Once I make this information public, the people of the Xianzhou will inevitably leak it one day."
"And along with the leaked formulas will be the secrets the Xianzhou people have tried to protect with their lives."
Dan Shu used to have some respect for the Xianzhou ancestors, but now, that last shred of respect was gone.
"Heh..." she let out a soft laugh. "The ancestors tried to escape their troubled lives by solving the problem of the Arbor, yet they didn't dare to actually throw it away? Why is that? Did they not know how much trouble this thing brought to the Xianzhou?"
"It's simply because they couldn't bear to part with it."
"Where in this world can you find such a good deal, where you only reap benefits and pay no price? The moment I decided to resume research on elixirs related to the Mara-Struck, I knew that the same crisis the Xianzhou faced before would surely appear again in the future."
Bailu was completely dumbfounded. She never thought Dan Shu would actually dare to say such things to her.
"No, why are you telling me all this? Don't tell me you think I can stop you? You've been planning this for so long, you've even roped in the Vidyadhara. Is there anything you wouldn't dare to do?"
Dan Shu didn't answer Bailu's question. Her mind was on something else entirely.
She held Bailu's small hand, looking for all the world like a mother taking her child for a walk. Her gentle, almost wife-like temperament seemed perfectly suited for caring for children.
But the truth was, this woman was thinking about other matters concerning the Xianzhou.
"Lady Bailu, tell me... do the people of the Xianzhou fear long life because they fear they cannot change the gnawing oppression of the nobility, fear they cannot change the frenzied nature of the Xianzhou people of that era? Or is it because they fear the curse that long life brings?"
"Are they afraid of the mortal suffering they must face with a long life?"
"Then why did the long-lived people of the Xianzhou choose to be wary of and even abandon long life, instead of trying to find ways to change that suffering? To punish the nobles who persecuted the Xianzhou?"
Dan Shu considered a question she had never thought of before.
She proposed a possibility her former self would have never imagined.
"Lady Bailu, what if... what if it's because they couldn't change the suffering they themselves created, so they could only choose to change their views on long life and change their faith?"
"As far as I know, the descendants of the nobles who started wars and oppressed the people of the Xianzhou in the past still exist on the Xianzhou today."
"Could it be..."
"That some Xianzhou people are simply bullies to the weak and cowards to the strong?"
Dan Shu's smile never faltered, which only made Bailu all the more terrified.