Qin Shi: I went astray in the Heavenly Sect

Chapter 188 Duke Chu Nan and the Yin-Yang School: A Standoff at the Royal Palace
"Yan girl, he's already gone!"

At the city of Shouying, Chu Nan Gong stroked his beard and sighed.

A girl, an extremely beautiful girl, walked out of the inn next to the stone bridge.

This person was none other than Yan Fei, the Eastern Lord of the Yin-Yang School.

"He is indeed a funny little guy."

Chu Nan Gong sighed softly. Although he hadn't spent much time with this young man named Qing Xu, he could still sense that the young man seemed to know a lot.

"Master Nan, you're joking. He's no ordinary little fellow. Even if you were to fight him now, he might not necessarily lose."

Yan Fei's words were quite interesting. She said that Xiu Yuan might not necessarily lose, which meant that Chu Nan Gong might not necessarily win.

"But I guessed correctly, he does indeed know the secret of the Azure Dragon Seven Constellations!!"

Yan Fei slowly walked to Chu Nan Gong's side, watching the crystal-clear river flow naturally, her heart stirred with ripples.

After her last encounter with him, she had a hunch that the secret of the Azure Dragon Seven Mansions was related to the Eastern Seven Mansions, and that this young man's understanding of the Way of the Stars had reached an extremely profound level.

This insight may be just a drop in the ocean for the entire Star Realm, but for the Seven Kingdoms today, it is already among the top.

Therefore, after she reported to Donghuang Taiyi, the Yin-Yang School made a deal with Chu Nan Gong, asking him to test whether this boy who should not have appeared in the world would affect their future plans.

"The Taoist Tianzong emphasizes the unity of heaven and man and the supreme detachment from emotions. Qingxu comes from the Tianzong and is naturally indifferent. If it weren't for those two people from Jinghu Medical Manor, he would never have come to Shouying."

At this point, the foremost sage of Chu seemed to have thought of something and sighed again.

"Go back and tell Donghuang Taiyi that this boy has already transformed into a dragon. If he has any other ideas, I advise him to give them up as soon as possible!"

"There is another old fellow in the Heavenly Sect who has been a Grandmaster for many years. Now his realm is probably at the late Grandmaster stage, only one step away from the legendary Land Immortal realm. If you force him to leave Taiyi Mountain, your Yin Yang School will not be able to stop him. The best outcome is that Donghuang Taiyi and he will both be severely injured. If other forces come to your door then, it will be a catastrophic disaster for your Yin Yang School."

Yan Fei clasped her hands in front of her, and a gentle breeze blew across the river, lifting her long black hair and causing her long dress to sway in the wind, revealing a section of her snow-white wrist.

Standing still, the girl's eyes flickered uncertainly.

"I never expected them to be disciples of Bei Mingzi."

Previously, Yanfei had not asked about the young man's lineage, or rather, in her view, the other party already possessed strength comparable to a Grandmaster, so his lineage was no longer important.

However, upon hearing about the other party's lineage today, the girl was at a loss for words.

"The Taoist Heavenly Sect has been quite lively lately."

When the Taoist Tianzong was mentioned, Chu Nan Gong chuckled.

What does "Nan Gong" mean?

Chu Nan Gong stroked his long beard, a glint of shrewdness flashing in his cloudy eyes.

"Has the Yin-Yang School not received any intelligence yet?"

Yan Fei frowned slightly. Chu Nan Gong's reaction was rather strange, as if he thought she knew something.

During this time, she was always outside and did not return to the Yin Yang Clan. Even when she was transmitting information, she used other methods.

"About two months ago, something called paper spread throughout the seven kingdoms. It was fine in texture, could be used for writing, was extremely light in weight, and was inexpensive. It was very popular among the countries. Compared to the bamboo slips used before, this thing called paper was more suitable for the exchange and transmission of written words."

"In today's world, a hundred schools of thought contend, and the key to victory lies in whether the essence of each school can be disseminated. The addition of paper will inevitably bring this contest of a hundred schools of thought to a climax."

"Such a thing exists right now in Shouying City. If Yan girl doesn't believe me, she can go and see for herself whether what I'm saying is true."

Yan Fei shook her head. This kind of thing might have a great impact on some sects, such as Confucianism and the Agricultural School. The wider the spread of their ideas, the more potential disciples and followers they might have. But this is not the case for some sects, such as the Yin Yang School. They have enough disciples within the school. They follow the top route. Including her, the Yin Yang School only has a handful of elders.

"When has the Heavenly Sect ever had the time or inclination to concern itself with such matters?"

She didn't know much about the Taoist Heavenly Sect, but she was still aware of its fundamental doctrines, the number of disciples, and the number of top combatants.

From what she knew, Tianzong should not have done these things in any way.

"The Heavenly Sect has always been mysterious, so it's not surprising that something strange happened there. Along with paper, there was another thing."

At this point, Chu Nangong's tone inevitably became more volatile.

"Oh, what is it??"

People came and went on the stone bridge, but most people did not stop to look at the two of them. They just glanced at them briefly and walked away. Therefore, most people did not hear what the two of them were saying.

Blend with its light, and mingle with its dust.

Taoist practices have been extended to many schools of thought. Those wise people who live in seclusion in the city usually conceal their brilliance and make themselves look more like ordinary people.

That's just how things are for them, so most people don't really care about them. They think they're just ordinary people, and since they're just ordinary people, they don't really pay much attention to them.

After a moment of silence, Chu Nan Gong spoke again: "Salt, refined salt, is a huge treasure for any sect or even a country. The wealth it contains could even shake the entire Seven Kingdoms."

Yan Fei was taken aback.

She naturally knew about salt. In this era, salt was considered a luxury that ordinary people couldn't afford on a daily basis and could only eat things that contained salt.

"This is also something created by the Heavenly Sect?"

After a while, Yanfei asked in disbelief. If such a thing had appeared in the Confucian or Mohist schools, she probably wouldn't have felt this way, since the areas these two schools were involved in were related to them.

To be honest, if an old fellow from the Taoist Heavenly Sect suddenly ascended to immortality, it would be less surprising than inventing paper or salt, since that's the scope of Taoism.

"Doesn't Master Nan find this strange?"

Upon hearing this, Chu Nan Gong smiled but remained silent.

It was certainly strange, but he didn't take it too seriously. After all, at his level, worldly matters no longer had much of an impact on him.

"Just now, I heard Master Nan advising Qingxu not to get involved in this matter?"

Yan Fei looked up towards the direction of the Shouying City Palace, wondering what interesting things might be happening there at this very moment.

Chu Nan Gong slowly raised his head and looked in the direction of the royal palace. As the first sage of Chu, he was well-versed in the teachings of all schools of thought, and even had some knowledge of divination and prediction techniques.

He had his own predictions about the future of the Chu state, and even the future of the seven states. The Yin-Yang School also had these predictions, otherwise they wouldn't have joined the Qin state now and become the Protector of the State.

The current King Mi Han of Chu is not a king capable of wielding the reins of power, a fact that Chu Nan Gong is well aware of. Therefore, he has never stopped the schemes of the two members of the royal family.

The involvement of the Xiang clan and Qingxu this time has added uncertainty to the matter, making the future unpredictable. In order to correct this mistake, he advised the young man not to get involved.

But the other party's final statement, "Man can conquer nature," forced him to concede.

The opponent was not an ordinary person, but an extremely powerful expert. If the opponent were just a grandmaster, he might have used force to force the opponent to compromise, but the opponent was a grandmaster-level fighter, so it was unrealistic to use that method.

"The changes in the world are governed by a predetermined pattern, which mortals call fate. Those who have a deep understanding of the ways of heaven and earth can understand what is really going on."

"Just like Donghuang Taiyi, after learning of Qingxu's existence, he sent me to test him. Wasn't that also because of that predetermined fate?"

The old man chuckled, his tone carrying a hint of sarcasm.

Although a grandmaster may seem detached from worldly affairs, in the end, he is still just a mortal and cannot escape the seven emotions and six desires.

His approach is essentially the same as that of Donghuang Taiyi.

However, it seems that the effect is not good. Just as the girl next to me said, if they really fought, I might not be a match for that young man.

He felt a faint pressure emanating from the other person, a feeling that only appeared among those of the same realm or those stronger than him.

Therefore, he did not force himself to stop the boy, but only touched on the issue briefly.

"Does Master Nan mean that the fate of the State of Chu will change because of Qingxu's arrival?"

Upon hearing this, the old man gently shook his head.

"I don't know about that, but I think that Qingxu's arrival may not be a bad thing for Chu. What is bound to happen will happen eventually, it's just a matter of time. At present, Qin and Chu have not yet officially clashed. If these matters can be resolved in the next few days, there is still hope for Chu's future."

Yan Fei slowly raised her right hand, and a petal gently fell into her palm. Looking at the object in her hand, the girl said softly, "Does Master Nan want to make a bet?" The old man did not speak, but a sharp glint suddenly appeared in his calm eyes, and an imposing aura locked onto the girl beside him.

"Yan girl, I hope you can stay here and watch a show with this old man."

Shouying City was already in chaos, a fact that Chu Nan Gong was aware of. As Xiang Liang, Mi Fuchu, and Li Yuan mobilized, undercurrents were already flowing deep within this seemingly calm city.

If matters within the royal palace are not handled properly, they can cause enormous turmoil.

Furthermore, this turmoil would affect the entire city of Shouying in a very short time, and then radiate to the state of Chu.

"What does Master Nan mean by this?"

Yan Fei's voice turned cold. She never expected that Chu Nan Guild would suddenly attack her. The Yin Yang School had a good relationship with Chu Nan Guild, and Donghuang Taiyi was a Grandmaster-level expert. Chu Nan Guild had no reason to target her.

"It doesn't mean anything. I just hope that Yan girl won't cause trouble right now. Although a Grandmaster won't change the overall situation of Shouying City, he can still make Shouying City chaotic."

The Yin-Yang School had allied with the Qin state, making them natural enemies of the Chu state. Now that Chu was in turmoil, he didn't believe that this girl wouldn't take advantage of the situation and add fuel to the fire.

He claimed to be a man from the state of Chu, and if it could provide Chu with a better option, this wise man from Chu would not mind going along with it.

In the royal palace, Ling Yin Li Yuan appeared in the inner palace with Nian Duan and Duanmu Rong. These past few days, King Chu had been ill and had not attended court. He was thinking of visiting King Chu after treating Li Huan.

The previous poison, the Broken Heart Moon, had truly frightened this Prime Minister of Chu. So, upon hearing that he was ill, his thoughts uncontrollably drifted to the possibility of poisoning.

Of course, this is not his fault. It's just that in this short period of time, Lord Lingyin has experienced too many things, making it impossible for him to calmly face every problem.

“Master Nianduan, just tell me what you need later.”

At the door, Li Yuan turned around and whispered instructions to Nian Duan.

Just then, a figure appeared in front of the house. Upon seeing Li Yuan, the person's expression darkened, and then he quickly walked over.

“Mi Fuchu greets Lord Lingyin.”

Upon seeing the newcomer, Li Yuan narrowed his eyes. The person he usually challenged was not his opponent, but another member of the royal family.

"It's Lord Fuchu! Where is Lord Hao?"

The visitor was none other than Mi Fuchu, one of the two royal uncles of the Chu Kingdom. When Li Yuan asked about his elder brother, Mi Fuchu gently clasped his hands in a fist salute.

"I appreciate your concern, Lord Magistrate, but my elder brother has been unwell recently and his hands and feet are not very nimble, so he has not been able to come."

When Li Yuan noticed that her hands and feet were not quite nimble, a sense of suspicion suddenly arose in her mind.

When Nian Duan examined his pulse before, he mentioned the current state of the Poison of Broken Intestine and Crescent Moon, and that his hands and feet were not very nimble. He hadn't seen him for the past few days. Could it be that Mi Hao had also been poisoned?

Thinking of this, Li Yuan suddenly shook her head.

He wondered if he was being too sensitive, immediately associating any health issues with poisoning. He knew one thing very well: he had never sent any assassins to target Mi Hao and Mi Fuchu before.

Since he didn't make a move, given the power of Mi Hao and Mi Fuchu, no one in Chu or Shouying should have dared to provoke them. So how could he have been poisoned?

"Lord Fuchu, health is still the most important thing for a person. Just like the Empress Dowager, she has lost so much weight in just a few days."

"If Lord Fuchu also feels unwell, he may return first."

Fu Chu's lips twitched. His words were just polite, but he didn't expect Li Yuan to actually challenge him to a duel.

He came here to confirm whether the poison in Empress Dowager Li Huan's body would be discovered, so that they could make further arrangements.

"Lord Lingyin is joking. I am not feeling unwell at all. It is the Empress Dowager who has been in poor spirits and weak these days. Is it a bit much for you, Lord Lingyin, to swagger in with such a large group of people?"

"The imperial physicians previously stated that the Empress Dowager needed to rest and recuperate. If her condition worsens because of these people, who will bear the responsibility?"

Mi Fuchu pretended not to know anything about Duanmu Rong and Nian Duan, treating them as ordinary people. Li Yuan brought quite a few people with him when he entered the palace this time, probably to prevent someone from appearing and kidnapping the Mirror Lake Physician.

"Lord Fuchu, you are overthinking it. The Empress Dowager is my sister. How could I possibly have such thoughts as those villains? The two doctors beside me are from Jinghu Medical Manor. Their medical skills are extremely high. The Empress Dowager's illness came on strangely. The imperial physicians in the palace were helpless and only told her to rest. But some illnesses cannot be delayed. That's why I invited Mr. Nian Duan to examine the Empress Dowager."

Now that they had arrived at the Empress Dowager's palace, Li Yuan didn't think Mi Fuchu could cause any more trouble, so he spoke frankly.

Moreover, he didn't believe that the matter of Jinghu Medical Manor could be kept from the person in front of him. Both Mi Hao and Mi Fuchu had considerable influence in Shouying City, and such information could still be obtained.

"Oh, a master from Jinghu Medical Manor?"

Upon hearing this, Mi Fuchu was slightly surprised and looked into the crowd. When he saw Nian Duan and Duanmu Rong, two women, he raised an eyebrow. In his knowledge, doctors were all men, but today he saw two women.

"Could it be some quack doctor from the streets? The Empress Dowager's health is too fragile to withstand such treatment. If something goes wrong, can Jinghu Medical Manor afford the consequences?"

Mi Fuchu's words seemed concerned, but in reality, he began to put pressure on Nian Duan and Duanmu Rong. Nian Duan and Duanmu Rong understood his meaning and their expressions darkened.

Upon hearing this, Li Yuan's eyes turned cold.

After so much time, he has only encountered one doctor, Nian Duan, who saw through the poison of the Broken Moon in his body from the very beginning. He knows in his heart how good Nian Duan's medical skills are. Mi Fu Chu's words seem to be concerned, but in fact they are putting pressure on him. If Nian Duan sees through the clues in a while and is afraid of the consequences and dares not speak, it will not be a good thing for him.

"Lord Fuchu, this man was invited by me. If anything happens, I will naturally take responsibility. However, if the Empress Dowager really finds out something, don't blame me for petitioning the King to investigate thoroughly!"

Upon hearing this, Mi Fuchu narrowed his eyes. He stood still and subtly observed Li Yuan, as if the magistrate had discovered something.
"What do you mean by that, Lord Magistrate?"

"I am merely concerned for the Empress Dowager's safety. After all, there are too many charlatans outside. At least eight, if not ten, have come to the palace to examine the Empress Dowager's pulse, but still, there are no results. The Empress Dowager's complexion is getting worse every day. The other day, when my brother and I came to the palace to pay our respects, the Empress Dowager was already bedridden. In my opinion, the Empress Dowager's current state is the fault of these quack doctors!"

When Li Yuan heard the other party's righteous words, his eyes showed a strange look. If he didn't know that Mi Hao and Mi Fuchu had a problem with the two siblings, he probably would have thought that this uncle was genuinely concerned!
"As I said, I will take full responsibility for whatever happens. If there is nothing else, Lord Fuchu, you should leave now!"

Mi Fuchu's eyes flickered slightly, then he shook his head.

"Lord Lingyin is joking again. Now that I have seen this doctor from Jinghu Medical Clinic for a consultation, how can I leave now? If my brother Wang knew about this, he would probably accuse me of being unfilial!"

Seeing that the other party was unwilling to leave, Li Yuan's face suddenly darkened.

"Lord Fuchu, what do you mean by this?"

Mi Fuchu's face remained expressionless, but he sighed and said, "Lord Lingyin, the person inside is the Queen Dowager of Chu, not an ordinary person. If she were an ordinary person, I could leave, or even if she were the King's wife, I could leave. But she is the Queen Dowager. Now that I have seen her, do you think I should leave?"

Upon hearing this reason, Li Yuan couldn't help but sigh softly in her heart.

In terms of seniority, that was indeed the case. Li Huan was the Empress Dowager, which meant she was the other party's elder. It was only natural for a junior to care about an elder. However, he could also sense from the following words that the other party looked down on Mi Han.

"In that case, Lord Fuchu, please wait with me outside the door!"

Seeing that the other party did not leave, Li Yuan thought for a moment, then called Nian Duan, Duanmu Rong, and several servants who were serving there into the room, while he confronted Mi Fuchu in the courtyard.

"Squeak!"

As the room door closed again, Nian Duan and Duanmu Rong finally arrived at Empress Dowager Li Huan's side. In the end, their trip out of the mountains was for this person.

Lying on the bed was a woman who appeared to be under forty years old. Her eyes were closed, and her face had an unnatural flush.

His forehead was covered in cold sweat, but his hands and feet were ice cold.

Through simple observation, Nian Duan was able to determine that the other party was indeed poisoned, and that it was a highly toxic poison.

"master?"

Duanmu Rong gave a soft reminder, and Nian Duan immediately ordered her medical tools to be brought out. With the help of the servants, she began to take Li Huan's pulse.

A moment later, Nian Duan's face suddenly darkened. Just as she had expected, the other party was indeed poisoned, and it was the same kind of poison that Li Yuan had been poisoned with.

"A heartbreaking waning moon!!"

Nian Duan murmured the name of the poison to herself, but this time she did not reveal it aloud.

After identifying the poison, he began to think about how to detoxify it. The purpose of taking the pulse was not to determine what disease it was, but to prepare for the next treatment.

Just then, a young general led thirty to fifty men into the small courtyard. Upon seeing the newcomers, Li Yuan and Mi Fuchu were both taken aback.

Li Yuan was surprised by the arrival of the person, while Mi Fuchu was surprised by the speed at which the person arrived.

"General Xiang Liang!"

(End of this chapter)