Jiaoqiu

A foxian healer and counselor from the Xianzhou Yaoqing. Often greets people with a smile on his face and a scheme in his heart.

Born into a prestigious Alchemy Commission family, he once withdrew from practicing medicine due to a broken heart. However, he returned to the field to treat "the Merlin's Claw," General Feixiao.

Skilled in the study of alchemical prescription that views food as medicine, especially those that induce a sensation of spiciness. He invented a cauldron-based medicinal formula known as the "nine-squared grid."

Rainsoar Lake, the Yaoqing.

In the misty rain, yellow floating heart foliage and blossoms decorated the lake as frolicking fishes leaped out of the water from time to time. This lakeside abounds with lotuses and water chestnuts, and old turtles basking on the pebbles were an everyday sight.

A foxian youth with a basket for storing harvested ingredients on his back rowed a small boat, raindrops running down his ear before being lightly flicked away.

As he scooped up floating heart plants and picked out lotus flowers, he peeled open wild rice stems and threw them casually into his mouth.

"So sweet and refreshing, it delights the palate...."

After harvesting the plants, he steered the boat to shore and crossed the lakeside with graceful ease before changing into the attire of a healer.

Inside the apothecary, misty steam hung in the air as tantalizing aromas filled the premises.

"Your pulse has become more stable since you last visited, but you should still work on getting more rest and nourishing your body. Care to try one of my new medicines?"

With a smile, he put away the wrist cushion and golden needles, bringing out a whole new set of medical tools.

As the elderly man gazed at the nine-squared cauldron in front of him, he couldn't help but break into a wry smile.

"Others can hardly even invent a few decent medicines in their lifetimes, yet a single day is all you need to achieve that and more."

"You flatter me, Master. This cauldron-based medicinal formula is called the 'nine-squared grid.' Not only is it simple to make, but its effects are also wondrous."

The youth poured out the ingredients from his basket, cleaning them quickly before slicing them. As he did, the stock inside the cauldron began to bubble and boil.

"A tael of euphorbia, three mace of bitterwood, and four cash of desert cistanche... Boil with big bones, then pair with deep sea shellfish to dispel the bitter flavor. The concoction can aid one in achieving peaceful slumber." "As for the white loach and threadfin snapper, their constitution-warming properties are great for nourishing the qi and blood. We need only dip the slices in boiling water for two to three seconds."

"These green mushrooms, silver needle tea leaves, and snow lotus roots were all carefully cultivated with decoction dregs by me at Rainsoar Lake. Not only are they tasty and refreshing, but they also offer medicinal benefits."

As glistening fish slices met boiling soup, both master and disciple enjoyed a delicious meal that quickly made them forget about the damp coldness of a rainy day.

In the aftermath of the meal, the older man put down his chopsticks, seemingly having realized something.

"This meal that I've just had, the 'nine-squared grid'... It seems there is more you wish to tell me with this meal than what I'd thought."

The youth stood up and solemnly bowed.

"Master, you are perceptive indeed. I have long since made up my mind about whether to join the Alchemy Commission."

"While the Alchemy Commission is a good place to be, it is ultimately not compatible with my wish to practice medicine for the masses. The one place that requires a healer the most is undeniably the battlefield where the Yaoqing's forces are."

"Among the many schools of healers, only practitioners of the Ranzhi School — such as you and me — place emphasis on the tenet of 'food is medicine,' using the joy of food to alleviate the pain of ailments... The 'nine-squared grid,' with its convenience and effectiveness in dispelling the cold that ails one's constitution, was specially made by me to provide succor to those on the battlefield."

"For those who yet breathe, there is nothing more important than the preservation of life. If I could deliver the people from pain and suffering with a mere medicinal formula, the Alchemy Commission's time and effort spent in grooming my talents would be well-spent indeed."

The elder looked as though he wanted to talk the youth out of his decision, but he ultimately decided against it.

"The battlefield is a bitterly cold place... Don't forget to bring more foods that warm the constitution ere you depart."

The Yaoqing's troops perennially fought on outer planets. He continued to improve the cauldron-based medicinal formula in a multitude of ways so that he could adapt it to the increasingly challenging, complex, and unpredictable environments that the soldiers must brave.

The unusual yet profoundly effective formulation his medicine came in soon made his name a common utterance across the forces of the Yaoqing, winning him the trust of officers and soldiers alike.

Such achievements nevertheless failed to assuage his heavy heart.

Every day, when the bugle call for departure sounded, he knew the wounded that he had nursed back to health would have to step onto the battlefield once more.

Every day, when he heard the footsteps of returning troops, he knew he would be missing a few more familiar faces among those that gathered around his cauldron.

Just recently, even the soldier who always returned to camp yelling about wanting to eat from the cauldron had departed this world for good.

He finished up the day's consultation and left the field hospital, letting out a long sigh. The cold did not bother him in the slightest, even with the snow flurries pelting at him.

When the bugle call sounded yet again, the army was equipped and ready to depart. The field hospital will soon be burdened with grievously wounded soldiers like before. Yes, he has the skills to bring the wounded back from the gates of hell, but these young lives still end up lost in the endless, ravenous war.

Every night, he would always talk with General Yueyu. This day, however, he was uncharacteristically silent for a long time.

"Recently, I have been thinking... If the patients that I nurse to health are destined to hurtle toward death once more, what is my purpose as a healer?"

A dull cry sounded from the direction of the wards. It was only after blinking several times that he realized both his eyes had gone dry, probably since some time ago...

So dry that he no longer had tears to shed.

It was time once again for the army to move out.

However, grisly bodies of the dead, the perpetually high death rate, ongoing blasts of artillery fire, and a monstrous creature that appeared in the air were all portents that heralded a devastating war unlike anything that had ever occurred before.

Until one day, when the towering Cloudpeer Telescope that bore the wills of the trillions of living beings aboard the Xianzhou finally received a response from THEM.

A searing blast appeared out of nowhere, obliterating the weak Abominations of Abundance into a miasma of blood. A light so blindingly bright that tore the sky asunder.

Even mountains and hills that the light reached turned into dust.

He saw the Abominations of Abundance and members of the Xianzhou Legion that were slow to retreat crumble to dust.

He heard about how the girl always by General Yueyu's side weaved in and out of the annihilated enemy ranks, attempting to bring the remaining soldiers back with her.

Before the wave of light could reach them, he dashed in with every last ounce of his strength to save that young lady before losing his consciousness in the afterglow of the obliterating light.

Tattered banners thrashed in the wind as the few remaining survivors gathered around the bonfire in silence.

Clank, clank, clank...

A strong gust of wind swept across, rolling a battered cauldron along the barren ground.

His body should have long acclimated to the frigid cold climate given the time he had been stationed on this planet. But he had never felt this cold before. He was cold from the inside out.

In a seasoned manner, he picked up the iron receptacle, filled it with water, and brought it to a boil before throwing in scraps of leftover ingredients.

"It's still so cold..."

The survivors ate their food in silence.

"Maybe I should add some spice."

With that, he retrieved the medicine pouch that he always carried with him.

"Not spicy enough."

He added more chili peppers to the mix.

"Not there yet."

He emptied every spice he had on him into the cauldron.

"That's it."

As oil from the chili bubbled, he used chopsticks to pick up a wild vegetable from the cauldron to taste. When his already numbed sense of taste finally picked up on the spice, it was the first time that he felt so strongly, so utterly alive.

It was a sensation that bordered on pain.

Rainsoar Lake, the Yaoqing.

In the misty rain, yellow floating heart foliage and blossoms decorated the lake as frolicking fishes leaped out of the water from time to time. This lakeside abounds with lotuses and water chestnuts, and old turtles basking on the pebbles were an everyday sight.

With a herb basket on his back, he rowed a small boat out into the middle of the lake as the falling rain slid down the back of his ear, soaking his clothing wet.

Scooping up floating heart plants, picking out lotus flowers, and peeling open wild rice shoots, sending them all into his mouth to taste.

"Ugh, too bland..." He shook his head.

"Mister, there's an elderly man looking for you over at the restaurant. He claimed to be an old friend of yours..."

A disciple called out from the other side of the lake, to which he sighed and rowed his boat back to shore.

He is of course aware of the visitor's intentions, but he had long grown weary of resuming his old profession as a healer.

"Master, are you here today to try out the dishes cooked with Rainsoar Eatery's cauldron? I must warn you, though: We only serve very spicy and insanely spicy food here."

The elderly man sighed from his seat at the table.

"I remember you preferred bland food before joining the army."

As he readied the cauldron, a glimmer of nostalgia flashed across his eyes.

"People... tend to change."

The elder picked up a slice of threadfin snapper, scalding it in the bubbling red broth.

"I should try it then. But know that I did not come for that. Do you still remember the girl you saved?"

"Feixiao, that's her name. The girl that followed the former general everywhere. She has since assumed the role of General of the Yaoqing and now requires a healer by her side. There's no one more suitable for that position than you."

He smiled wryly, for some reason recalling the sharp pain he felt on his tongue that fateful day. "Those I saved only ended up as another dead soul when they dived head-in back into the battlefield. I prefer to no longer engage in such futile efforts."

The elder placed his chopsticks down and shook his head.

"You misunderstand me. This time, I'm not here to persuade you to heal the masses in this world. I'm here because I want this general ... to heal your despondent heart."

"She will tell you... what the true purpose of a healer is."