May was dealing with a tax issue that had been imposed on her company by the Ice Cave Sect. The sect seemed to want to squeeze as much money out of them as possible. She frowned and sighed quietly.

  “I have to report this to the higher-ups in the sect,” she said to herself and stood up. “Our company alone can't do anything.”

  Since the sect had already decided to interfere in the company's affairs, May intended to make sure that they at least fulfilled some of the responsibilities they had taken on.

  She went to Hua Tang's office, knocked, but was slightly surprised when she entered.

  There was a familiar face standing there. It was a man with a scar on his face so distinctive that he could not be mistaken for anyone else. It was Daren Wu, the leader of The Blue Goose Company.

  “What a surprise,” May said, bowing slightly. “Have you returned from your trip?”

  “Yes, quite recently,” he replied, bowing even lower with humility. After a moment, he smiled bitterly. “Your company’s medicine has caused quite a stir. Never in our lives has our caravan been attacked so many times.”

  May frowned at his words. She knew that penicillin had caused quite a stir outside the sect as well, but she hadn't expected such a violent reaction.

  “I hope no one got hurt?” She asked with slight apprehension.

  “No one was hurt, thanks to me, of course.” Suddenly, she heard a voice behind her and turned around quickly. Niu Pin suddenly appeared in front of her, shielding her with his body and assuming a fighting stance.

  However, May quickly identified the unexpected visitor as the company's bodyguard. It was Hou Xi Pa, the person who had taught her how to Summon Spirits. She smiled slightly at his arrival.

  “Niu Pin, you can relax, he's harmless,” she said, patting him lightly on the shoulder.

  Hearing her words, he calmed down a little, but did not lower his guard. Only after Hua Tang's words of reassurance he moved to the corner of the room, but he still watched May closely.

  “Huh... I don't know if I am so harmless...” he said, glancing provocatively at Niu Pin after a moment. “After all, you didn't pay me for my services last time!”

  “May...? You can't deceive people,” Hua Tang said with disdain. May felt slightly offended that he immediately believed his words.

  “I didn't deceive anyone,” she replied with a hint of irritation in her voice. “I wanted to pay you, but you wouldn't listen to me. If anything, it's your own fault.”

  “Excuses, excuses. But don't worry, I forgive you,” he said with a smile. “But seeing your company's revenue... I hope you'll throw in a little extra.”

  May was impressed by his audacity, but she just sighed and replied. “No worries. Your skill came in handy.”

  The micro-damage to her soul seemed to have regenerated slightly, so she didn't consider it a waste of money. Besides, she wasn't short of money anymore.

  “Well... Sorry, but we'll have to leave this conversation for later,” Hua Tang said suddenly. “It's good that you are here, May. I was going to send someone after you anyway. Nadine should be here soon, too.”

  “Oh...?” She was slightly surprised. “What's going on?”

  As soon as she asked the question, the door opened and a green-haired girl entered. She bowed low and stood next to her. May looked at her with slight curiosity.

  “Well, Disciple Albrecht already knows about this, but we've been invited to a ceremony.”

  “A ceremony?” May asked, trying to remember if she had heard anything about it. Unfortunately, nothing came to mind.

  “The second wedding of the head of the Haoyu clan,” Nadine replied this time with a fake smile. May tried to read her face to see what she thought about it, but she had trouble recognizing the emotion on her face.

  “Wait, that's...” May started uncertainly.

  “Yes. Sung Haoyu is the son of the clan leader,” Nadine confirmed. “It is the wedding of our old rival's father.”

  Sung Haoyu was their serious opponent in becoming Tang’s disciple. She didn’t expect to be invited to this wedding.

  “We’re invited?” May was taken aback, finding it a little unusual. Then she looked at Nadine. “Forgive me for saying this, but you two didn't seem very friendly toward each other recently.”

  May hadn't forgotten that Haoyu had joined the test solely to prevent Nadine from winning. To this day, it remained a mystery to her.

  “Oh, didn't Disciple Albrecht mention it to you? Hua Tang chuckled lightly. “Sung and Nadine are... kind of related. Some sort of family bond.

  Hearing this, May was greatly confused. She glanced sideways at Nadine and wiped her eyes. She really couldn't see even a hint of similarity between them. However, what was even stranger was their relationship, which was antagonistic to say the least.

  “Calling our relationship ‘family’ is a bit of a stretch,” Nadine replied, frowning at her master. “We are not related by blood or by legal documents. Years ago, the clan leader took care of me after my parents passed away.”

  That also happened to be the only reason Hua Tang took her on as a disciple. Normally, her name, bloodline, and appearance as a mage would have completely disqualified her as a potential disciple. However, Hua Tang discovered the truth and decided she could be useful.

  Stolen content warning: this tale belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences elsewhere.

  But that was his little secret, which he didn't reveal to anyone.

  “I see... I know I probably shouldn't ask this, but why don't you two like each other?” May asked with slight curiosity. “Didn't you grow up together? Even if you're not related by blood, you're still almost like siblings.”

  Hearing her words, Nadine snorted loudly with slight resentment. “We're far from being siblings, May. As for the reasons for our disagreement... Maybe I'll tell you someday, but not now.”

  “Oh, things are getting pretty serious.” Niu Pin chuckled quietly as he watched the whole situation from the sidelines.

  May shot him an angry look. “Why are you still here?”

  “There's a reason for him being here,” Hua Tang said suddenly. “The wedding will take place in the Northern Outer Court, and I would like you to go there under the protection of the Blue Goose Company. Regrettably, I will not be able to accompany you.”

  “Our company will be passing by Dormia Mountain anyway, so we might as well take you with us,” confirmed Daren Wu. “It will be difficult to find safer transportation, although it won't be very comfortable.”

  “Wait a minute!” May suddenly objected, and all eyes fell on her.

  She didn’t like the fact that the whole thing seemed to have been decided without her consent. She herself had never confirmed her willingness to participate in this event. So why was everyone acting as if her participation in this wedding was already a certainty?

  “Excuse me, but I'm not sure why I should attend,” May asked with a hint of anger in her voice. “I have a lot of work to do at the company, not to mention that I have to continue practicing my cultivation. I don't see any major benefits that would result from my participation in this wedding, especially considering that I don't know these people at all.”

  “If you think there are no benefits in this, then you really must be very short-sighted,“ Her master said with a slight regret in his eyes. ”Over time, your influence in the sect will grow, so you need to make the appropriate connections.”

  Suddenly, the leader of the company, Daren Wu, also chimed in. “Most people would kill for the opportunity to attend an event for such an important person. Not attending would certainly be a great loss.”

  May understood these arguments very well, but she was not entirely convinced by the idea. Personally, she considered it a waste of time.

  When she was still a child in the Eastern Outer Court, she had attended several different weddings and understood very well that in this world, weddings and receptions were extremely boring and tiring celebrations.

  It was not difficult to imagine that at a higher level of society, these events would be even more boring. The very thought of it made her shudder.

  May flatly refused the invitation. For a brief moment, both Hua Tang and Daren Wu tried to persuade her. However, their efforts were in vain.

  She made her position clear. May had no desire to participate in the celebration. Shortly thereafter, her master said, “Well, that is your decision. You will do as you see fit. However, keep in mind that since you are not going anywhere, I will not give you any days off.”

  May, however, was not particularly concerned about his words and soon left his office and sighed quietly to herself. She was about to return to her room when, unexpectedly, a familiar green-haired girl appeared before her, grabbed her by the arm, and smiled cheerfully.

  Niu Pin looked at Nadine with slight anger and said “Excuse me, but could you please not grab her like that? One day you might get hit for it.”

  “Oh, please forgive me, that's just how I am.” She giggled softly, not particularly bothered by May's bodyguard's words. “Anyway, May, I have a small request for you... Please come with me!”

  “Hmm? Sorry, but...”

  “Yes, yes, I know what you're going to say. But I think I have something that might interest you...”

  “I sincerely doubt it,” she replied bluntly.

  Although she respected Nadine in her own way, she did not consider her to be better than herself. She was much older than her, but in terms of cultivation, strength, and knowledge of alchemy, May was confident of her superiority.

  “Senlin and Wang Wang…”

  May couldn't believe her ears. Her heart sank and she had trouble catching her breath. She trembled slightly and looked at her in utter shock. “How? How did you...?”

  “You underestimate me, May Shang,” she said with a venomous smile.

  “Anyway, I know where they are now...”

  May never spoke openly about her past. Only those who attended Cloud Academy in the Eastern Outer Court knew about Senlin and Wang Wang. So she couldn't understand how this green-haired girl could have obtained such information.

  Zhifang or Izzy had told her...? How the hell did she...

  “You can ask around, but I warn you that not even Master Tang or anyone else knows this. So this is information that you can only get from me,” she said with a smile. May swallowed hard. She hadn't known this dark side of her until now.

  “How do you know about this...”

  “The less you know, the better you sleep, May. The source is irrelevant, only the truth of the information matters,” she replied dismissively.

  “How much do you know about...?”

  “Eastern Court, the parasite attack, then your friends' bodies being taken over, finally Elder Ze Yun recapturing academy, but the parasites escaped," she said, twirling her finger. “I know a lot more.”

  May fell silent, trying to digest the whole situation. Of course, May couldn't rule out the possibility that the girl was bluffing. However, for some reason, she subconsciously felt that she was telling the truth.

  “May, you idiot!” Minnie suddenly shouted. "You have the ability to find out the truth! Use it, damn it!”

  Oh!

  May felt like the biggest idiot in the world. She had completely forgotten that she had spent tens of thousands [mu] just to be able to distinguish truth from falsehood. She immediately activated [Dim Eye of Truth] and decided to ask the girl again about what she had just said to verify if there was even a hint of truth in her words.

  “Are you really telling the truth? Do you know where they are?”

  “I know. Just like I said. And I'm the only one who can tell you about it.” She said, and May painfully discovered that her words were not a lie.

  Once she had confirmed the truth of her words, May fell into a slight reverie, not quite sure what to do next. She looked at her uncertainly, as if she didn't understand who was standing in front of her. This wasn't the same girl she had known until now. Could this be her true face? She couldn't believe it.

  “May, we don't have all day,” she pressed.

  “Why do you want me to go there with you?” she asked, getting to the point.

  Nadine smiled and clapped her hands. Her childish attitude was completely out of place given the seriousness of the situation. “You have to do something for me. Make an alchemical mixture,” she said with a smile.

  May raised her eyebrows. “Why me?”

  “Well, you're a genius. To be honest, you have a slim chance of success; many alchemical masters have already tried. But you've surprised me once before. Fleming Company... Huh. An anomaly, just like you. Surprise me again, and you'll find out where your dear friends are.”

  She was becoming increasingly uncomfortable with the whole situation. No matter how she looked at it, it seemed extremely suspicious. May was sure of only one thing: if she didn't do what Nadine told her to do, she would never find out the location of Senlin and Wang Wang.

  “What kind of mixture am I supposed to make?” she asked.

  “I don't know. Like I said, others better than you have failed,” she replied irritably. “You have to cure someone. I don't care how you do it.”

  “Who do I have to cure and from what...?”

  “Enough!” She waved her hand suddenly. “You'll find out more details later, if you agree.” Having said that, the girl with dark green hair turned around tensely and walked away with rhythmic steps.

  May stood in the middle of the hallway, confused. She clenched her fist. She had to verify this as soon as possible and consider her options. She decided to return to Hua Tang's office...