Qin Shi: I went astray in the Heavenly Sect

Chapter 191 Duanmu Lei, Compassion?

"My lord, Xiang Quan requests an audience!"

Shouying City, the residence of the magistrate.

Li Yuan was dozing in his study when he heard the servant's words. The magistrate suddenly opened his eyes. Before he even left the palace, he received news of Nian Duan's assassination attempt, which almost made him faint.

He had finally found a savior, and if he were to be killed like this, he would be filled with deep regret.

While cursing Xiang Liang as a coward, he also sent people to gather information, but the Xiang clan was not so easy to deal with, and they didn't reveal a single word.

"Xiang Quan? Is he a member of the Xiang clan?"

The Xiang clan was a large and influential clan in the state of Chu, with numerous branches and offspring. In addition to the main line, there were also many collateral branches, which is why Li Yuan asked this question.

The servant nodded and replied softly, "In reply to your question, sir, they are members of the Xiang clan, belonging to the Tenglong Legion."

Li Yuan narrowed his eyes. The State of Chu had several legions, but the most elite of them all was the Tenglong Legion led by Xiang Yan.

His surname is Xiang, and he belongs to the Tenglong Legion, so he is undoubtedly from the Xiang clan.

Did he say what he wanted to see me about?

Li Yuan asked again, since a member of the Xiang clan had suddenly appeared at this time, he naturally wanted to know the purpose of the visitor.

"They said they had something to give to the adults in person."

As if he had anticipated Li Yuan's question, the servant bowed slightly and replied again.

"Oh?"

Li Yuan's gaze flickered slightly, and after a moment's hesitation, he waved his hand.

"Invite him in!"

The servant responded and withdrew. A short while later, the servant brought in a middle-aged man. If Xiu Yuan and Xiao Meng were here, they would definitely recognize this man as Xiang Quan, the one they had rescued on the way to Shouying City.

"Greetings, Lord Magistrate."

Although Xiang Quan came from the Xiang clan, he was courteous and showed no sign of disrespect.

Seeing the other party's attitude, Li Yuan felt relieved. Back in the palace, Xiang Liang's attitude had been far too domineering.

In return for the favor, since the other party had given him face, he was naturally happy to give them a way out.

"What brings General Xiang here?"

Xiang Quan then took out a piece of paper from his pocket and handed it to the servant beside him, saying in a deep voice, "Mr. Nian Duan has been invited by the General to be a guest, and I'm afraid he won't be able to come for a while!"

Upon hearing this, Li Yuan's face darkened.

You see, he's still counting on Nian Duan to cure his poison!

Just as Li Yuan was about to question him, Xiang Liang had said that Xiang Yan only wanted to see Nian Duan and had not said he wanted to detain anyone.

Before he could speak, Xiang Quan continued, "After Mr. Nian Duan learned of the General's intentions, he wrote something and asked me to deliver it to you."

Li Yuan raised an eyebrow, a strange look appearing in his eyes. He seemed to have guessed something, and then beckoned to his servants.

Seeing Li Yuan's actions, the servants did not hesitate and quickly walked over, then placed the items in front of Li Yuan.

Li Yuan looked at the items on the table, gently stroked his goatee, and asked with some surprise, "This should be the white paper that has recently become popular in Shouying City, right?"

Xiang Quan nodded. He had only recently seen this new item. The price wasn't expensive, but the quantity was limited, with only the palace and the General's Mansion having some.

"Your Excellency has a keen eye. This item was brought from the Qin region by a traveling merchant. It is said to originate from Taoism, and is easy to write on, making it sought after by various countries."

"Rumor has it that the King of Qin personally sent people to the Taoists to order tens of thousands of carts, and then other countries followed suit. The originally cheap and high-quality white paper is now being sold at exorbitant prices."

At this point, Xiang Quan couldn't help but shake his head.

If it weren't for the Qin state's commotion, this piece of paper wouldn't be so expensive. But he had also heard that the price of this item had never changed when the Taoists sold it, and he had to admit that he admired that.

"Taoism?"

Li Yuan had naturally heard of this unique school of thought among the Hundred Schools of Thought.

"I have heard that Taoism is divided into two schools, the Heavenly School and the Human School, due to differences in their cultivation philosophies. Which school does this paper come from?"

Xiang Quan shook his head.

He currently only knows that the paper originated from Taoism, but he doesn't know which school of thought it belongs to. From the information he has received, it seems that both schools of thought are involved in the paper business.

However, he could understand this situation. Such emerging things contain huge benefits. If it were just the Heavenly Sect or the Human Sect, they might not be able to stop the prying eyes of the martial arts world. But if both sects participated at the same time, the situation would be different.

"I don't pay much attention to Taoist matters. Whether the paper comes from the Heavenly Sect or the Human Sect is not important to me. What is important is that it can benefit the community."

Benefiting the public?

Li Yuan glanced at the man in front of her with a strange look in her eyes and sighed softly in her heart.

He then picked up the papers on the table and began to look through them.

All that could be seen were specks of ink on the white paper, and at first glance, Li Yuan's eyes lit up.

"Did Mr. Nian Duan say anything?"

Upon hearing this, a strange look appeared in Xiang Quan's eyes.

"Mr. Nian Duan said that this prescription can help adults heal their ailments. If taken regularly every day, the adults will be healthy again in a month at most."

Upon hearing this, a hint of joy flashed in Li Yuan's eyes. Back in the palace, Nian Duan had left behind a prescription, and now that the other party had asked Xiang Quan to bring him another prescription, he naturally guessed that this prescription was for treating poisoning.

Hearing Xiang Quan's explanation, he was overjoyed.

Just as the magistrate was secretly pleased, Xiang Quan suddenly spoke up again: "Mr. Nian Duan also mentioned something to me privately. He said that there was a swordsman named Duanmu Lei under Lord Chunshen's patronage. He and she were from the same village and were childhood friends. Unfortunately, he died young due to some events, which she greatly regretted."

"Ok??"

Li Yuan was suddenly stunned, and his gaze subconsciously turned to the man in front of him.

Duanmu Lei?
The floodgates of memory seemed to open at that moment, and countless memories rushed in. The magistrate, who was still overjoyed, felt as if a bucket of cold water had been poured over his head, chilling him to the bone.

His hand gripping the paper tightened instinctively, and his face turned extremely pale. When he looked at the prescription in his hand again, he shuddered and almost threw it away.

After a moment, Li Yuan asked with a grim face, "What do you mean by that, General Xiang?"

Xiang Quan shrugged.

"It's just an anecdote. I heard Mr. Nian Duan mention it, and since I was also a disciple of Lord Chunshen back then, I thought I'd help inquire about it. If there's any inconvenience, I hope you'll forgive me!"

"Lord Chunshen once had as many as three thousand retainers, but I have only met one or two out of ten of them. I have never heard of this person."

"Alright, I'm not feeling well, so I won't see General Xiang off."

Seeing Li Yuan pick up his teacup, Xiang Quan smiled slightly, then turned and took his leave.

After watching the other person leave, Li Yuan plopped back into his chair. Then he looked at the prescription in his hand, his expression turning extremely complex, alternating between pale and flushed.

"Duanmu Lei!!"

After a while, Li Yuan suddenly raised his hand and slammed it hard on the table.

As a retainer of Lord Chunshen, he naturally knew this swordsman named Duanmu Lei. The other party's swordsmanship was extremely skilled and his cultivation was superb. Lord Chunshen relied on him as his right-hand man.

However, some things happened later. When Lord Chunshen was killed, Duanmu Lei was also implicated and killed along with him.

The death of Lord Chunshen was closely related to him. It can be said that he was the ultimate murderer who killed Duanmu Lei, which is why he had such a strong reaction just now.

Looking at the prescription in his hand, he couldn't tell whether it was a priceless remedy for curing diseases and saving lives, or a death warrant that would cause one's intestines to rot.

Suddenly, Li Yuan stood up abruptly and shouted urgently, "Guards!! I want to enter the palace!!"

Previously, this Mirror Lake Physician had also left Li Huan a prescription. If the other party really had that kind of relationship with Duanmu Lei, that prescription might very well cost his sister her life.

"Damn!!"

"how so??"

"Nian Duan, if anything happens to Xiao Huan, I will make you, you madman, pay the price!!"

Recalling the terrible consequences, the powerful Prime Minister of Chu suddenly went mad.

At the General's Mansion, Xiang Yan looked at the person in front of him with a hint of curiosity in his eyes.

The other party is merely a woman; how could she possibly have formed a karmic connection with a grandmaster?

"I am somewhat curious as to why that young man would speak up for you two. You should know that the promises of my Xiang clan carry considerable weight even outside of Chu."

Nian Duan and Duanmu Rong sat opposite Xiang Yan. Hearing his words, they felt a warmth in their hearts. In the carriage, they had thought Xiu Yuan's words were just casual and insincere. They never expected that the young man would make such a precious promise to get them out of danger.

"Perhaps it's fate!"

Nian Duan remained silent for a moment, then spoke softly.

Logically speaking, Jinghu Medical Manor should not have access to someone like him. After all, Taoists have their own methods of health preservation, and medicine and Taoism are inseparable. Most of the elders in the sect are probably knowledgeable in medicine, not to mention the reclusive Beimingzi in the sect.

But after leaving Daliang City, the other party still came to Mirror Lake. Isn't that just fate in the context of the whole thing?

Upon hearing this answer, Xiang Yan chuckled.

fate?

It was a novel idea, but he didn't refute it.

Perhaps he couldn't think of a better explanation than this. He knew in his heart how much the Xiang clan had paid to gain the other party's friendship, but what could these two women possibly give up?

With this thought in mind, Xiang Yan then looked at the young girl beside Nian Duan. Although she was simply dressed, she was extremely attractive, especially with the natural aura she exuded that put people at ease. Thinking of this, the general's heart stirred slightly, but after a moment, he shook his head inwardly. That young man came from the Daoist Heavenly Sect, unlike him. Whether the other party truly harbored such intentions was truly hard to say.

"There's one more thing. Is the prescription that Mr. Nian Duan gave to Li Yuan genuine?"

When Nian Duan was explaining things to Xiang Quan, he did not hide from Xiang Yan, so Xiang Yan also knew the inside story.

He could understand Li Yuan's feelings. She had murdered the other woman's man, and it was good enough that the other woman didn't torture her to death. Now that the other woman had given her a life-saving prescription, should she use it or not?

He wouldn't use it, as his life would be in danger; if he did, his life would be entirely in the hands of fate. If he were in a different place, he would absolutely not dare to use the prescription Nian Duan had given him.

"If I were to say it is true, would the General believe me?"

Nian sat to the side and spoke leisurely.

Xiang Yan narrowed her eyes and gave the other person a deep look. At this point, Nian Duan's answer was no longer that important.

Even if she said it was true, that Lord Lingyin probably wouldn't dare to try it easily, or rather, wouldn't dare to try it at all.

Hearing Nian Duan's words, Duanmu Rong lowered her eyes. She had seen the prescription and there was actually no problem with it.

In other words, if Li Yuan really followed that prescription, it was possible to cure the poison of the Broken Heart Moon, but the key issue was that the magistrate probably wouldn't dare to use it.

There was another thing she hadn't expected: Nian Duan and this Lord Lingyin actually had such a grudge.

If it were her, she couldn't guarantee she would travel thousands of miles to Shouying City to save an enemy.

Even now, she doesn't quite understand what her master is thinking. Her master always taught her that doctors should have a benevolent heart, but should she also have a compassionate heart even towards her enemies?

But if that's really the case, what was the meaning behind the prescription Nian Duan gave and the words he said to Xiang Quan?
She knew perfectly well that if Li Yuan knew about her relationship with that man named Duanmu Lei, he would definitely not dare to try that prescription easily. Facing such a choice would undoubtedly be more painful than death for him. This kind of mental torment was even more cruel.

"It's a pity, it's a pity."

Xiang Yan suddenly shook her head and said "What a pity" twice.

After a while, Xiang Yan arranged for servants to take Nian Duan and his apprentice to a side courtyard to rest.

At the same time, Xiang Yan also received another piece of intelligence: Ling Yin Li Yuan rushed to the palace.

Upon seeing this, the general of Chu gave a cold smile.

He cursed under his breath for being stupid.

If Nian Duan really wanted to take action, killing Empress Dowager Li Huan and him, would he still tell him such a secret? Rather than making a big fuss, it would be better to do it quietly. With just a few ingredients, making someone disappear without a trace is not a difficult task for this master of medicine.

One of the two "I regret"s he just uttered was directed at Nian Duan. In his opinion, Nian Duan was too compassionate. If it were him in this situation, Li Yuan and Li Huan would have died long ago.

The compassion of military strategists is to stop war with war, not to be compassionate or merciful.

The second regret was directed at Ling Yin Li Yuan, who was caught in a fog and unable to accurately assess the situation. He could be described as someone who was blinded by his own involvement. If he could have understood things a little better, he would never have acted this way.

Did Nian Duan really intend to take his life?

On the other side, Li Yuan hurriedly arrived at Li Huan's courtyard. Seeing that Li Huan was safe and sound, he felt a little relieved, but then he told Li Huan about Nian Duan and Duanmu Lei.

When the Queen Dowager of Chu heard about this, she was greatly shocked. Others might not know how Duanmu Lei died, but she knew it all too well.

Therefore, she was so frightened by the situation provided by Li Yuan that she turned pale. She had already taken one dose of the medicine prescribed by the Immortal Physician of Mirror Lake.

"Brother, this can't be real, can it?"

Li Yuan's eyes flickered uncertainly. Judging from Li Huan's current reaction, Nian Duan's prescription seemed to be correct. However, after being poisoned by the Broken Moon Poison, he could no longer take the world's poisons lightly.

If Nian Duan tampers with the prescription and they can't detect the problem for a while, but eventually he dies, how can they protect themselves?

"That bitch asked Xiang Quan to tell me this, there's no mistake!!"

"Nian Duan!"

"I knew it! That person's name was so strange. It seems to be related to that guy from back then!"

Li Yuan paced back and forth in the room, but he had no good solution to the current situation, as he and his sister were the ones who had been poisoned.

Furthermore, judging from the other party's methods, they should be able to cure this "Heartbreak Moon Poison".

"Where's the prescription?"

As if she had thought of something, Li Yuan turned to Li Huan and asked.

Li Huan frowned, then called a maid to bring up the prescription. Li Yuan took the prescription without hesitation, placed it on the table, and then took out another prescription from his pocket.

Soon, he realized something was wrong. According to Nian Duan, he and Li Huan had been poisoned by the same kind of poison, so the antidote should be the same.

However, several medicinal herbs were different in the two prescriptions. Seeing this, Li Yuan's heart leaped into her throat.

If Li Huan's prescription is genuine, then in other words, my own prescription must be fake.

"asshole!!"

Li Yuan gritted his teeth and roared angrily. From the prescription, he seemed to be able to sense Nian Duan's murderous intent.

"Brother, what should we do now?"

Upon seeing Li Yuan's changed expression, Li Huan also came over. After seeing the comparison of the two prescriptions, the Empress Dowager also became nervous.

"The Poison of Broken Heart and Crescent Moon is almost incurable in Shouying City. In the next few days, I will send people to the Jianghu and the other six countries to find a way to cure it. As for the medicine, you should take it on time. You have been poisoned for many days and it is not advisable to delay any longer. In addition, Nian Duan is still in Shouying. If something happens to you, I will not let her off the hook."

"If we really can't find a solution, we can always find someone to test the medicine. I refuse to believe we can't test whether the formula is genuine or not!"

In the end, Li Yuan's tone revealed a hint of ruthlessness.

Upon hearing this, Li Huan clenched her hands involuntarily. Li Yuan was worried that the prescription was fake, and she had no reason not to be worried. Everyone in the entire Chu Kingdom knew about her relationship with Li Yuan, and the Immortal Physician of Mirror Lake naturally knew as well.

In a way, you're also their enemy.
"Brother."

“Nian Duan might not dare to harm you. Even if she has the protection of the Xiang clan, she will definitely not escape death.”

Li Huan stood to the side, and upon hearing Li Yuan's words, her eyes flashed wildly.

Her brother's words were not without reason, but there was one thing she didn't want to do: perish together with Nian Duanyu.

She was the Empress Dowager of Chu, while Nian Duan was just a wandering doctor in the martial arts world; the difference between their statuses was immense.

If something were to happen to her, even if Nian Duan were to die anyway, by then she would already be dead.

"Brother, how about I postpone it for a few more days?"

Upon hearing this, Li Yuan turned around and looked over. Seeing the extremely conflicted expression on Li Huan's face, he couldn't help but sigh inwardly.

Few people can face life and death with equanimity, and Li Huan is no exception. It is not surprising that Li Huan reacted this way.

However, as he himself mentioned, Li Huan's situation is different from his. Li Huan's poisoning is already deep, and the treatment has just begun. If it is interrupted without authorization, it may affect the detoxification process. No one can say for sure.

"Sister, your condition can't be delayed any longer."

“You were already unconscious before. If something happens because you didn’t take the medicine on time according to the prescription she left, even if we confront her, she can deny it. Then we won’t be able to do anything about it.”

Upon hearing this, Li Huan's eyes flickered again.

It must be said that Li Yuan's concerns are possible. She is a woman, and she understands these kinds of calculations about women much better than Li Yuan does.

"If things don't go well, we can simply go to Xiang Yan and demand the person back. Then, will Xiang Yan still have any reason to stop us?"

Li Huan felt relieved when he heard about the request for the person. Since Nian Duan had not yet left Shouying City, they still had a chance to try and make a mistake. If the other party had really left Shouying City, it would be troublesome to find him again.

After an incense stick had burned, Li Yuan left the palace with a sullen face. Although Li Huan finally agreed to take the medicine on time, the risks involved were something the siblings had to bear themselves.

Recalling this matter, the magistrate was even more furious.

"Nian Duan, I was able to kill that scoundrel back then, and I can kill you this time too!!"

Li Yuan lowered the carriage curtain in her hand and said fiercely to herself.

In a luxurious mansion in Shouying City, Mi Hao looked at the intelligence report in his hand, a playful smile playing on his lips.

The once life-saving miracle doctor has now become a deadly killer; he finds it all quite amusing.

"Brother, what's wrong?"

Seeing Mi Hao's behavior, Mi Fuchu looked at him with a strange expression.

Li Huan was rescued and woke up, something he witnessed firsthand. The current situation is unfavorable for them, as is Mi Hao.
"Brother Chu, don't panic, take a look at this intelligence!"

Mi Hao then handed over the intelligence in his hand. Mi Fuchu took it with some doubt. Before long, the look in the eyes of this royal uncle of the Chu Kingdom became strange.

"That's quite interesting!"

"This time, Li Yuan and Li Huan are probably going to be terrified!!"

They were both naturally bewildered by this reversal, but they were also delighted by it.

Some are happy, some are sad.

"Until the very end, no one knows what the outcome will be. This battle of wits is far from over!"

Mi Hao looked at the wine cup in his hand, a hint of mockery in his eyes. Li Yuan and the others had only been happy for half a day, but now the situation had suddenly reversed.

Mi Fuchu sat to one side without saying a word.

Things seemed to have spiraled out of his control; Nian Duan's sudden betrayal caught everyone off guard, even him.

He had previously been planning to get rid of this troublesome Mirror Lake Physician, but now he had to consider how to make the most of this person.

"Lord Chunshen, Huang Xie, and Duanmu Lei"

(End of this chapter)