Chapter 349: Competition (Requesting Monthly Tickets)

Chapter 349: Competition (Seeking Monthly Votes)

The mountain clans of Shuzhou had long held sway over the region for thousands of years. Even during the Qyang Dynasty, when barbarian tribes occupied Shuzhou, the mountain clans of Mount Wumeng remained unscathed. Their salvation lay in the miraculous poison techniques and shamanic arts they wielded. In the jianghu, even those who dared not approach them directly, yet remained ever vigilant, would unknowingly fall victim to the mountain clans’ deadly poisons. What chance, then, for a feeble physician like Wen Xiu Yin, heir to the Nine Curves lineage?

Pei Mang glanced at Wen Xiu Yin, smiling mirthfully. “I’ve always acted this way, sister. If you’re offended, you may summon your master.”

“Let me see—does that peddler of a Nine-Curves miracle doctor dare challenge the mountain clans of Shuzhou?”

“You—!”

Wen Xiu Yin’s face flushed a deep crimson, her chest heaving with suppressed fury, yet she dared not retort further. Before arriving in Shuzhou, her master had cautioned her: “Better to offend the Duke of Yimin than to provoke the mountain clans.” Not out of fear for the duke or Shuzhou’s minor officials, but because the mountain clans’ power was vast. Moreover, tales of the Poison Sect’s defeat at their hands had resurfaced, reminding all in the jianghu of their fearsome might.

Thinking this, Wen Xiu Yin’s anger ebbed slightly, her expression softening. “Pei Gong’er, my younger brother’s words were disrespectful. As his elder sister, I offer my apology.”

She bowed formally, as per jianghu custom.

The room erupted in laughter—inside and out. Even the common folk, unaware of such customs, couldn’t help but chuckle.

“The Nine-Curves lineage has grown so bold, daring to court disaster in Shuzhou. How naive!”

“Hah! That brash doctor’s teeth were sharp earlier. Now, look at him cowering!”

“A man beneath the eaves must bow—it’s fitting, isn’t it?”

Ma Liang and Liu Quan exhaled in relief. With Pei Mang stepping forward, their disadvantage would pale in comparison to before.

Liu Ruo’er watched Pei Mang with a hint of envy. She’d only just entered the martial world, never witnessing Pei Mang’s prowess firsthand, yet sensed his mastery through the subtle aromas of medicinal herbs.

“Perhaps one day I’ll be as skilled as Master Pei.”

Unbeknownst to her, Pei Mang found her all the more impressive. Yet here, his round face bore a smug grin.

“It would’ve been better if I’d had to step in.”

Wen Xiu Yin heard the murmurs around her, biting her lip in silent fury, yet resolved to ignore them. She inhaled deeply, steadying herself, then began acupuncture to purge her brother’s toxins.

“Earlier, Master Pei spoke as if she sought to dominate the Pharmacy Hall. What did you intend?”

Seeing her submission, the two young attendants beside her—though momentarily resentful—dared not speak. Clearly, they shuddered at the thought of joining their master in the dirt.

Pei Mang waved dismissively. “Simple. Your medical skills have reached the minor cultivation stage. Challenging a Pharmacy Hall practitioner isn’t proper.”

She turned her gaze to Wen Xiu Yin’s disciples, then to the Pharmacy Hall’s doctors—Ma Liang, Li Lao, Liu Ruo’er—and nodded.

“A competition is fitting. Yet my disciples are but twenty years old, though trained under me, they’ve had little chance to prove themselves.”

Before she could finish, Pei Mang interrupted. “What you truly fear is that a Nine-Curves heir might lose to a common Pharmacy Hall doctor?”

“If so, let them return to where they came from. No need to shame your master.”

Wen Xiu Yin’s face darkened. Yet the onlookers, eager for spectacle, cheered regardless. Even without a formal duel, they relished the hierarchy.

She glanced outward, vowing silently: From this day, she’d never treat a jianghu figure from Shuzhou again. The Nine-Curves School would not!

Yet Wen Xiu Yin’s resolve hardened. The moment had come; she would not linger on petty grievances.

“Then I agree to Pei Gong’er’s proposal.”

She scanned the Pharmacy Hall’s practitioners, her eyes settling on Ma Liang and Liu Ruo’er. Their cultivation seemed the strongest, likely reaching the threshold of medical enlightenment.

Without a trace of emotion, she beckoned to one of them. “If you cannot best even a Pharmacy Hall apprentice, do not blame me for showing no mercy.”

The younger woman knelt respectfully. “I humbly obey your command.”

She stepped forward, bowing to Pei Mang. “I am Zhou Wen Yining, disciple of the Nine-Curves School. Please, Senior Pei, select my opponent.”

The tide of fate turned against her. Even her own master, the Nine-Curves miracle doctor, had bowed his head in submission.

Pei Mang studied them all, then turned to Ma Liang and Liu Ruo’er. “You two—who has the edge?”

Ma Liang stepped forward, but Pei Mang raised a hand, halting him. “Let Ruo’er sister face her instead.”

Liu Ruo’er hesitated, her voice trembling. “Madam Pei… I’m but a novice—”

“Fear not. Your master spoke highly of you. Against a Nine-Curves disciple, you’ll have no trouble.”

“Know this—he said you’d win.”

Pei Mang grasped Liu Ruo’er’s hand, then rapped Ma Liang’s knuckles. “Step back. Don’t just stand there like a scarecrow.”

Ma Liang’s mouth twitched, a bitter smile forming. “The Master instructed me.”

He glanced at Liu Ruo’er, urging her. “Do your utmost. If you lose…”

His posture straightened. “My master remains. No harm done.”

If not for the Pharmacy Hall’s ties to the Xiao family—fearing a loss might tarnish Master Xiao’s reputation—he’d have cared little.

Ma Liang understood Xiao Chenyi’s prowess: a master of medicine, music, calligraphy, and painting. His greatest relief? Xiao was the famed “Dragon and Tiger” Liu Wu of Shuzhou.

Do not merely say that Wen Xiu’nan was a mere disciple of the Nine Curves lineage—indeed, the divine healer of the Nine Curves himself, personally dispatched from Youzhou, held Ma Liangcai in no fear.

When faced with uncertainty, one could always seek counsel from Chen Yi.

After all, Ma Liangcai had become Chen Yi’s foremost disciple, the one who had broken new ground for him.

Yuan Liu’er was unaware of her master’s inner thoughts; once she confirmed that Ma Liangcai was taking the matter seriously, she too set aside her burdens and stepped forward beside Pei Wen’lu.

In truth, Yuan Liu’er was not one to be fussy.

When her father was alive, she would stay home to care for her younger siblings while he was away working.

Raised in independence, she was resolute in her actions.

Otherwise, she would not have silently fled to the East Market after her father’s death, selling herself to fund his burial.

Moreover, she was now a practitioner of the Bureau of Essential Medicines, and when outsiders mistreated her, she ought, both in spirit and reason, to extend the utmost leniency.

Yet, perhaps.

She did think so, but Yuan Liu’er still lacked confidence in her own mastery of the medical arts, and had little assurance of triumph in this contest.

Even she could not say with certainty what level of proficiency she had attained in the foundations of medicine.

All she knew was that her master, Ma Liangcai, had told her—Master Patriarch Chen Yi said her talent was extraordinary, urging her to labor diligently.

As for what that talent entailed, she could not fathom it.

Not long after, a space opened in the center of the Bureau.

Wen Xiu’nan and her disciple stood to one side.

Pei Wen’lu sat prominently on the other side, with Ma Liangcai and Liu Quan standing behind her, exuding the authority of one who ruled by her own hand.

In the midst of this gathering,

Yuan Liu’er, dressed as a disciple of the Bureau of Essential Medicines, wore a blue short tunic, her hair pinned up with a square cloth tucked behind her head, her young face drawn and expression solemn.

Jiu Qu Zhou Wenyin, by contrast, sat with ease, radiating the bearing of a seasoned practitioner.

Wen Xiu’nan surveyed the assembly, then spoke: “In a medical contest, there are medical theory, medical techniques, pharmacology, and herbal knowledge. Which would you, Mistress Pei, care to compete in?”

Pei Wen’lu, unfamiliar with these distinctions, glanced at Yuan Liu’er, who nodded slightly, then waved her hand decisively:

“Let the guests decide.”

No sooner had she spoken than the onlookers all shook their heads in secret, especially those in the circle who understood the prowess of the Nine Curves lineage.

“That mountain girl has overreached herself.”

“This bureau trains ordinary physicians for common clinics—hardly anyone fit to save lives.”

“Indeed, though the Nine Curves name has faded somewhat, they are undeniably gifted, particularly in treating injuries to meridians and internal organs.”

“Earlier, the Golden Light elder of Shu Province, wounded by a demonic force from the Hall of Illusory Sounds, found relief only after seeking the Nine Curves divine healer, whose treatment cured his affliction.”

“How could the martial and medical paths possibly align?”

“The mountain folk excel in poison and sorcery, but they remain unfamiliar with the ways of medicine.”

Pei Wen’lu, having heard these murmurs, fixed her gaze with mild irritation:

“If that young woman loses, don’t say I didn’t treat you kindly.”

“Alas, we dare not…”

Each of these observers fell silent, clearly unwilling to provoke the mountain folk.

Yet Wen Xiu’nan smiled, her composure easing.

After all, the mountain folk were still less refined than those of the Central Plains—how could they hope to surpass others without first mastering their own skills?

She regarded Zhou Wenyin and Yuan Liu’er, smiling gently: “I won’t unfairly burden you, so let us proceed as usual, with the traditional four categories of the medical contest.”

Pei Wen’lu, unaware of what these four categories entailed, was undaunted by fear or hesitation, clearing her throat:

“Then you may pose the questions.”

Wen Xiu’nan, knowing she was ignorant, yet not intending to play games with the matter, simply gestured:

“The first is straightforward. Your disciples must blindfold their eyes, relying solely on touch and the scent of herbs to identify the medicinal substances.

Whoever correctly names the herb wins.”

Pei Wen’lu grasped the gist, instinctively glancing at Yuan Liu’er, only to see her tense face relax slightly, prompting her to ask:

“Sister Yuan, is there something amiss?”

Yuan Liu’er looked toward her and shook her head:

“Senior Brother, it’s simple.”

Over the past few days, she had mastered herbs and pharmacology thoroughly, confident in her ability.

Seeing this, Pei Wen’lu nodded:

“Then we begin.”

Wen Xiu’nan said no more, and while directing others to blindfold Zhou Wenyin and Yuan Liu’er, she prepared the necessary herbs with Ma Liangcai.

One by one, they each retrieved ten samples from the Bureau’s herb cabinets, placing them before the two young women.

Yet Wen Xiu’nan had her own design, speaking up:

“The herbs are from the Bureau, giving the young apprentices an advantage.”

Pei Wen’lu raised an eyebrow:

“How so?”

“I merely propose replacing one with a herb I carry with me, to even the scales.”

“Very well.”

Pei Wen’lu doubted Yuan Liu’er’s skill, but trusted Chen Yi completely.

After all, she had witnessed Yuan Liu’er’s fearsome martial prowess.

So she allowed Wen Xiu’nan to substitute a herb.

Yet when Wen Xiu’nan produced her chosen item, Ma Liangcai and the old physician Li both felt their expressions shift.

For Wen Xiu’nan held not ordinary herbs or creatures, but a scale—gray-black, hard and smooth.

It was an extremely rare “Dragonfish Scale.”

Not from a true dragon, but from a strange beast dwelling in frigid lands—the Deer Dragon, with a serpent’s head and deer’s body, bearing a single scale across its neck.

Ordinary physicians wouldn’t even recognize it, let alone see it.

Neither Ma Liangcai nor Li had encountered such a thing, and their faces grew tense.

Pei Wen’lu sensed the anomaly, guessing Wen Xiu’nan had presented an unfair herb.

Yet she had already closed off all escape routes; now she could only press on without protest.

The onlookers, too, seemed to agree.

Wen Xiu’nan set the Deer Dragon’s scale upon the table, smiled at Pei Wen’lu and company, then turned to leave.

“Begin.”

Then the two women, Yuan Liu’er and Zhou Wenyin, simultaneously grasped their respective herbs, identifying them aloud.

One by one, as they examined each, they spoke their answers.

Yuan Liu’er: “Coptis root.”

Zhou Wenyin: “Coptis root.”

Yuan Liu'er: "Moonflower."

Zhou Wenying: "..."

Both of them, having entered the realm of medicine, their basic skill in identifying herbs was second nature.

Especially Yuan Liu'er, who had spent some time in the herb shop, knew precisely what each ingredient was.

In just a moment's time, they were down to the last one.

Zhou Wenying brushed the sweat from her brow, took the final herb, and ran her fingers over it.

Before she could answer, the words caught in her throat. To be safe, she placed the herb near her nose and inhaled.

After a moment, Zhou Wenying's face showed a hint of doubt.

The herb's shape and texture were identical to that of aloe soil, but its fragrance was nothing like it. Instead, it resembled another, even rarer medicinal herb—Bi Qing Tu.

Wen Xiu'en had intended to tease Yuan Liu'er, but seeing her student's hesitation, she frowned.

To her surprise, before she could speak, Zhou Wenying blurted out, "Bi Qing Tu?"

"This herb is Bi Qing Tu!"

Wen Xiu'en paused, muttering under her breath, "Fool," her expression turning cold.

Meanwhile, Ma Liang's face broke into a smile. During the preparation of the herbs, he had left a trick in reserve.

Inside the aloe soil, he had deliberately placed an aged herb.

Ordinarily, anyone without confidence in themselves would make a mistake.

Indeed...

At that moment, everyone's gaze shifted to Yuan Liu'er.

She still ran her fingers over the scale armor, her expression calm, showing no sign of tension.

After a long pause, she gently took the scale armor and brought it to her nose. A smile touched her lips:

"I understand now."

"This is a 'Deer Antler Reverse Scale'!"

"Impossible! How could you possibly identify this item?!"