"There's no way the Traveler did this."
When Xuanqing heard that the Traveler was being suspected of the crime and had fled under the pressure of the townspeople, she immediately declared:
"The Traveler is a friend of the Sect Leader. Suspecting her is equivalent to doubting the Sect Leader's judgment—are you questioning the Sect Leader's insight?"
"This…" A woman hesitated. "No one doubts the Sect Leader's ability to judge character, but right now, the Traveler is the only outsider on the island. She also knows how to enter Gaoyang Mountain. With emotions running high, shouldn't we arrest her first and investigate further?"
Xuanqing frowned slightly.
All the islanders of Shanhaijing were, in fact, disciples of the Xuanlong Sect. Even if they weren't currently disciples, they had been in the past. As a result, almost all the islanders were skilled in martial arts, and many could even wield elemental energy without a Vision—this wasn't impossible. Before the system of Visions was established, people in this world used elemental energy in this way to gain extraordinary power. For example, the adepti of Liyue could wield elemental energy as naturally as breathing, even without Visions.
And such individuals were not uncommon across the seven nations.
While they might not be able to wield elemental energy as instinctively as the adepti, they could still use it as a form of personal power.
The Traveler was indeed strong, but facing overwhelming numbers was still impossible. After all, in a world with the elemental reaction system, one plus one didn't simply equal two. Combining the elemental powers of a group could bridge significant gaps in strength.
So, if the islanders were left to chase the Traveler on their own, the Traveler might really be in danger. Xuanqing could tell that the Traveler's strength wasn't at a level where she could completely ignore the power of numbers.
Moreover, even if the Traveler had that kind of strength, it wouldn't be good if she injured the islanders while defending herself.
Thinking this, Xuanqing nodded. "Let the Xuanzi-generation disciples handle this. Capture the Traveler first to calm everyone down. The most urgent matter now is the water source at Gaoyang Mountain—what exactly is happening there?"
All the waterways were poisoned, clearly indicating that someone had tampered with the water source. And since the poison was still present and hadn't been washed out to sea, it meant the contamination was ongoing. Something was definitely still happening in Gaoyang Mountain.
"Should we report this to the Sect Leader?"
Xuanqing hesitated slightly. In truth, it wasn't that the Sect Leader couldn't be disturbed at all—it was just that, out of respect for her authority, minor matters usually didn't warrant her attention.
But this situation was clearly a major issue.
Although the poison didn't seem lethal, the cause was still unknown, and the situation might be far more serious than Xuanqing had imagined.
Was there a dangerous enemy on the island?
But Shanhaijing had been hidden for five thousand years. There shouldn't be any enemies here.
Or had something toxic accidentally been sucked into Gaoyang Mountain?
But Gaoyang Mountain was infused with the Sect Leader's adeptal energy, which continuously purified and transformed the water. Even if something toxic had entered, it should have been completely purified by now.
Thinking this, Xuanqing made up her mind.
"We should still report this to the Sect Leader. If there really is an unknown enemy on the island, daring to act so brazenly despite knowing this is the Sect Leader's domain, this is likely beyond my ability to handle."
As the head disciple of the Xuanlong Sect, Xuanqing was no weakling. In fact, in the eyes of the people of Liyue, she could already be considered an adeptus.
But if there truly was an unknown enemy bold enough to challenge the Sect Leader, Xuanqing wasn't arrogant enough to think she could handle it alone.
So, to be safe, even if it meant disturbing the Sect Leader, it was time to report this.
Meanwhile, on the other side, Lumine and Paimon were already surrounded by disciples of the Xuanlong Sect.
"Surrender now."
"Don't try to resist."
"You've betrayed the Sect Leader's trust! Your crimes are unforgivable!"
Lumine gripped her sword, stepping back cautiously as she eyed the group of young men and women surrounding her in a semicircle.
Each of them carried dual swords—a greatsword on their back and a single-handed sword at their waist.
At this moment, the single-handed swords were drawn, and all of them were pointed at Lumine.
Oh, and Paimon too.
"What do we do, Lumine? Are we really going to fight them?"
Paimon hid behind Lumine, panicking:
"Even if we could win against so many, shouldn't we avoid fighting? It wouldn't be good if anyone got hurt, right?"
Lumine also frowned. "But we can't just surrender, can we?"
"Why not? We didn't actually poison the water! Something this big will definitely reach Longhua. I'm sure she won't wrongfully accuse us."
Hearing Paimon's words, Lumine raised an eyebrow, then…
"—You're right!"
Thinking back to what happened during the Rite of Descension in Liyue, it was her own over-cautiousness that led to her being pursued. In reality, the Qixing were reasonable people who would never have accused her of assassinating the Geo Archon.
At the time, she had overreacted, treating all the gods as potential enemies, and ended up being manipulated by the Fatui.
This situation was similar.
She hadn't done anything wrong and was completely innocent.
Continuing to resist would only make the islanders think she had something to hide.
It would be better to surrender and let them investigate, then have Longhua clear her name.
Thinking this, Lumine finally gave up resisting and surrendered.
Not long after, she was taken to the Xuanlong Sect's prison.
Yes, a prison.
Even in a land ruled by deities, it was still a society. And in any society, not everyone could be virtuous.
"The gods are always watching."
Even knowing this, some people would still take risks, thinking the gods wouldn't care about such minor matters.
In the end, they would naturally face the consequences.
Thus, within the Xuanlong Sect, there was a prison.
—Though, in truth, the prison often went decades without use. The last time it had been opened was a hundred years ago.
Lumine was the first person to be imprisoned in a century.
Oh, and Paimon too.
While the Traveler was being imprisoned, Xuanqing finally met with Longhua and succinctly reported the incident.