(MC POV)
My mother and I were in the pavilion in my courtyard as I told her about the recent adventure I just had. I knew that it was not really an adventure, but with the things that happened, it felt like one to me.
"The coiling wood sect is being framed? Menny did receive some information concerning the recent rapid growth of the trees around the villages surrounding Tang city, but right now, he is busy preparing for the festival being hosted by the Pink petals sect, so I am sure he did not respond to it," She said stroking Ernest.
"What kind of information? I mean, did it mention that the ones behind this are the dark sect and not the coiling wood sect?" I asked.
"I'm not sure; he just said it in passing, and you know that we practitioners don't really get into the affairs of the mortals unless it might affect us... And you are the only one that usually cares about them." She said, looking at me. "I know that you are not always happy when you see them being oppressed by another practitioner or someone of power, and I am happy that you have that big of a heart, but sometimes you let it control your emotions, and that clouds your judgment, making you do some stupid things."
"What? Mention one time that my care for them has made me do something foolish, and besides, this is about the dark sect turning the villagers into dryads, and they even have some creatures of the forest from another kingdom ."
"Firstly, you killed a practitioner who you thought was harassing a young girl, but it turned out that they were a couple having an argument, and for all we know, it might not even be the dark sect because the coiling wood sect is even under suspicion since their sect techniques are also involved with trees and nature spirits." She said as she took out a jade slip.
"This contains the information of an elder from the Phoenix sect who was killed by a kid of the coiling wood sect and had all his things stolen, even his storage ring, and the thing that stood out was the fact the plants around him looked strange."
I took the jade slip and sent some elemental energy into it, and then some information appeared on it showing the information of an elder named Feng, who was killed when he was coming back from a trip and was ambushed and killed, having all his belongings taken from him.
"Don't tell me you believe this, right?" I asked her, giving her back the slip.
"Of course not. What I am trying to say is that you are so focused on the dark sect that you are not looking at the others. if what you said is true, that the coiling wood sect is being framed, why is it that it was after this news was released that the dark sect started posing as them? The dark sect, as far as I know would never collude with another group from another kingdom, since it might jeopardize their own rule here in Qidian."
"You are saying that this sect is actually using the dark sect as cover to do this evil thing?" I asked, a little confused.
Mom was right that I was not looking around at the tiniest of details and was only focused on the dark sect, but for another, the coiling wood sect, to use the dark sect as a cover was really strange.
"Yes, there is something big happening that goes beyond some villages"
"Mom" I called out when she said that.
"Look, Zen, I understand how you feel, but when you are as old as me and see the things I have seen, you will realize that some things have to be sacrificed for the bigger picture. if sacrificing these villagers can help us get the traitorous sect among us, then so be it. don't let your anger and sense of justice make you chase after one henchman and leave the boss alone, because if we take out the head, everything will be resolved." She got up.
"And another thing is that no other village has reported having dryads; it's only the Humin and Guming villages that have had reports of that, as even the dark sect is coming after them, and those girls are cute."
Saying those words, she left the pavilion, seeing her retreating back, I sighed not knowing what to do.
It's true that most practitioners won't bat an eye to seeing a million mortals killed, but it seemed even mom was part of those who cared more about the practitiomers than the people.
"I really am different"
Making my way to the disciple quarters in my courtyard, I looked at the imp that was shivering beside me as I entered a fairly simple room that had a bed and a cupboard. Usually this place was always caked in dust, but now because of its dweller, it has been cleaned.
"Any problems?" I asked.
"No, she is just not stirring even after that old woman gave her all the vitality pills she had," The imp replied, looking at the woman lying on the bed.
"It's okay. just stand guard outside," I ordered as I got ready for work.
Taking out a pill cauldron and sixteen jade bottles that were wrapped in ice, I also took out about a dozen or so herbs that I got from the auction and got ready to concoct some pills to help her.
Taking the herbs, I crushed them, extracting the juice from them as I poured them into the couldron, after boiling one, I would use my water magic to remove it and put another one inside until all the juices from the herbs had been removed of impurities.
That was when I added them all together into the cauldron at different times and at different temperatures, making sure that some were still boiling hot before putting them back into the cauldron to mix with the others.
It took some time, and the medicinal solution started boiling. raising the solution out of the cauldron with my water magic, I separated them into smaller globes of water and put them into the ice-wrapped jade bottles.
Spinning the bottles with some air magic to form the pill, I stopped only when I heard ringing sounds, showing that the pills had taken shape.
Looking at the sorceress on the bed, I raised my hands and created a mist cloud with my fire and water magic, using it to cover her important areas as I removed her robes. Making sure that there was no single piece of clothing on her, I created a big bubble of water that covered her as if it was eating her.
Of course I made sure the bubble was very blue so that I could not see some inappropriate things, even though I wanted to.
I removed the pills from the jade bottles and sent them into the bubble one by one. Slowly the bubble started to boil, and the blue color changed to black. Showing that the impurities in her body were being flushed out.
Changing the bubble, I did it again.
After four times, the bubble no longer turned black, and I removed it quickly, putting her robes back on with my air magic.
"Kabbal," I called out.
"Yes?"
I did not even bother talking to him when he came in, as I made a portal using my space and time magic added with gravity to stabilize it and sent him to, hopefully, the demon realm, since the coordinates in the heaven realm that lead to the demon realm were a bit different.
Yes, I can create a portal to the heaven realm too, if that is what you are asking, and no, my time magic can only be used once a day. if I go beyond that, then the mortal realm would deem me a high-level character that came to the novice village and send me back to the heaven realm; that is why I have not really been using it.
Wait, where did I hear that term from? ...
I looked at the now healthy-looking sorceress and left.
It was time to awaken Chuyan's divine affinity.