บท 29: Chapter 28: The Secret of the Disciples of Sanctus Medicus
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Su Jinyan scoffed, "Honestly, Shen Hai, I'm quite curious."
"Just who gave you the confidence to believe I wouldn't expose you?"
Shen Hai sneered, "Yes, you could certainly accuse me of being another cultivator of the Disciples of Sanctus Medicus."
"But I anticipated this day long ago and made preparations accordingly."
"Oh?" Su Jinyan raised an eyebrow.
"In truth," Shen Hai said gravely, "I didn't join the organization solely due to my faith in the Benevolent Medicine King."
"I joined the Disciples of Sanctus Medicus solely for personal gain."
"Ever since successfully infiltrating the Divination Commission, I've been planning my exit from espionage."
"The occasional intelligence I provided to the Disciples had minimal impact on Luofu, with negligible losses."
"As one of the earliest members, my seniority within the organization is substantial."
"Therefore, I possess knowledge of their hidden strongholds, their intelligence network in Luofu, and even the identities of fellow cultivators."
Su Jinyan shook his head slightly. "The Disciples of Sanctus Medicus devoted time and resources to train you, hoping you would serve their cause, not exploit both sides for your own benefit."
Shen Hai sneered, "Hah, and you dare lecture me?"
"Once captured by the Ten-Lords Commission, these insights could allow me to atone for my crimes and secure redemption, ultimately leaving that life behind."
"As for you, you'll be doomed to languish forever in The Shackling Prison's darkness, until death claims you."
Su Jinyan glanced at Shen Hai and activated Mind Control. "Very well, continue speaking."
"Reveal everything on your mind; answer every question I pose."
Shen Hai burst out laughing. "What's this? Did I hit the mark, Mr. Xiaochuan? Feeling guilty?"
"Have you been enjoying your time at the Divination Commission lately? Are you bewitched by Fu Xuan's allure?" Shen Hai asked with a grim expression.
Su Jinyan remained silent.
"The Disciples of Sanctus Medicus went to great lengths to train you, hoping you'd serve their interests," Shen Hai continued, "not to play both sides for personal gain. Sun Xiaochuan, these words apply equally to you."
"Don't forget, the organization sent you to infiltrate the Divination Commission, not become Fu Xuan's lapdog. You even sabotaged our plan to assassinate Tingyun—what exactly is your agenda?"
Before Su Jinyan arrived, Shen Hai was the sole undercover agent from the Disciples of Sanctus Medicus within the Divination Commission.
Infiltrating the Divination Commission as one of the Medicine King's disciples was no easy feat. To ensure his loyalty, the Disciples periodically supplied him with abundant resources. In return, Shen Hai only needed to occasionally leak intelligence, allowing the Disciples to reap benefits accordingly.
However, Shen Hai was exceptionally cunning and unwilling to risk exposure by divulging crucial information. Consequently, the Disciples decided to groom another capable cultivator to act as an undercover agent within the Divination Commission.
This cultivator was none other than Sun Xiaochuan, the recently acclaimed rising star within the Disciples of Sanctus Medicus.
Indeed, Sun Xiaochuan's emergence threatened Shen Hai's position. He deeply resented having another undercover operative in the Divination Commission, potentially diminishing his own benefits.
This meant that Shen Hai would no longer have easy access to additional resources or higher status from the Disciples of Sanctus Medicus. Worse still, once the time was ripe, they might secretly move to eliminate him as an uncooperative cultivator.
Su Jinyan's eyes flickered slightly. "Assassinate Tingyun? Why target her? What do you know about this?"
Shen Hai let out a cold snort. "Fair enough, considering you've only been with the organization for a short while. You probably wouldn't be aware."
"The assassination of Tingyun is actually part of a long-planned scheme by the Disciples of Sanctus Medicus."
Confused, Su Jinyan asked, "Why?"
"It's quite simple," Shen Hai explained candidly. "The Disciples of Sanctus Medicus need growth and seek breakthroughs. We must gain favor with the Token Envoy, further elevating our standing in his eyes. Overthrowing the six divisions' regime is currently beyond our capabilities alone. Despite our millennia-long history, our resources are insufficient."
"In such circumstances, the Disciples of Sanctus Medicus must seek alliances and cooperation," Shen Hai continued.
Su Jinyan's heart sank. "Alliances? Are you referring to the Abundance Emanator?"
Shen Hai shook his head. "How could it be that simple? If so, what would be the point of our efforts?"
"I believe everything we've done as Disciples thus far has been aimed at gaining the esteemed Abundance Emanator's favor, becoming his favored associates."
Su Jinyan fell silent, recalling the words spoken by the black-robed figure when he first joined the organization:
"Our Disciples of Sanctus Medicus carry on the knowledge and legacy from the Era of Divine Descent. With doubts about the Alliance's goals, we seek spiritual answers, striving to uphold the faith in Abundance.
"Essentially, our status within the Disciples of Sanctus Medicus is equal to that of the Abundance Emanator."
From the beginning, Su Jinyan had harbored skepticism towards these claims. As the Disciples repeatedly proselytized in Exalting Sanctum, forcing others to embrace the belief in the Benevolent Medicine King, they were relentlessly pursued like stray dogs by the Cloud Knights and Ten-Lords Commission. This only deepened Su Jinyan's doubts.
Now, at this moment, he finally understood the truth.
It turned out that the Disciples of Sanctus Medicus were merely sycophants to the Abundance Emanator, who may not have even been aware of their allegiance.
Shen Hai continued, "To secure the most suitable identity for our ally, someone had to make a sacrifice."
"At first, we considered various targets such as Yukong from the Sky-Faring Commission and Dahao from the Realm-Keeping Commission..."
"However, these individuals were ultimately rejected due to their high status and formidable strength. Acting rashly against them would easily expose us and raise suspicions among the Ten-Lords Commission and Jing Yuan."
Su Jinyan asked, "So, Tingyun, the skilled Shuttle Envoy of the Sky-Faring Commission's merchant fleet, became the target of the Disciples of Sanctus Medicus?"
Shen Hai snorted. "Correct. After much deliberation, Tingyun's position proved the most fitting. We simply needed to find the right opportunity—somewhere remote—to discreetly eliminate him without arousing suspicion."
"Then, our collaborator could seamlessly assume Tingyun's identity and infiltrate Luofu undetected."
"What a pity—you managed to ruin such a perfect chance."
"I must admit, I'm genuinely surprised that the organization didn't penalize you," Su Jinyan said expressionlessly.
In truth, his standing within the Disciples of Sanctus Medicus was quite high. Considering the importance of their plan to assassinate Tingyun, even if they didn't require his assistance, he should have been informed about it. The black-robed figure likely withheld this information due to knowledge of Su Jinyan's relationship with Tingyun.
Su Jinyan furrowed his brow and asked, "This ally from the Disciples of Sanctus Medicus you mentioned, who exactly is she?"
"Ironically, how would I know?" Shen Hai replied, visibly irritated.
"Having been part of the Disciples for so long, my clearance level is already quite high."
"But when it comes to such sensitive matters, even now, the leader refuses to disclose anything to me."
"Only the leader knows her true identity; no one else does."
"Despite my current clearance, I can only access vague information."
"For deeper details, I fear only the leader has full knowledge."
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