Northern Li, Tianning, Western Zhou, and Tianan didn’t come purely for the Apricot Woods Conference, but to have Medical City take the lead to help them all work together and destroy the Poison Sect, thus facing down the south central region’s commander-in-chief’s estate together.
Who would have expected this turn of events instead?
The medical academy was hard pressed to save itself now, much less coordinate their alliance. What these people wanted was decisive victory. They didn’t care about Gu Yuntian or Gu Qishao’s old scores! Many in the crowd could tell that this Northern Li physician was no simple man. How could a pure doctor say such incisive words now?
But none of them could guess his origins.
Very soon, Western Zhou’s crown prince Duanmu Baiye stood up as well. “For the moral and upright medical academy to know poison arts is really a surprise! Looks like Gu Qishao wasn’t lying. If he can raise Poison corpses, I expect you must know how to as well, right, Gu Yuntian?”
“Heheh, so it turns out the medical academy and the Poison Sect were jackals from the same lair,” Tianning’s military officer guffawed. “As things stand, we not only have to destroy the Poison Sect...but Medical City as well!”
Silence greeted his words.
Destroy Medical City…
What frightening words. At least, no one had ever entertained the thought before today. But now everything had changed. What kind of reputation did the medical academy have left after Gu Yuntian’s box of goods? And its prestige? Most likely, even its own people were losing their heads over it all.
Department Head Ouyang glared at the instigators before he said, “Gu Yuntian’s activities are a reflection on him personally, and have nothing to do with the medical academy! The academy shall punish Gu Yuntian accordingly for the public! If there is anyone with evil intentions to slander the academy, don’t blame us for being brusque!”
Duanmu Baiye and the Tianning officer withered at his words and resentfully shut up. After all, the medical academy still held a monopoly across Cloud Realm’s medical community. If they offended them too much, it would only disadvantage them. Still, the Northern Li physician only laughed coldly.
“Gu Yuntian is the academy head. Could a single sentence from you, Department Head Ouyang, whitewash him or the medical academy? Department Head Ouyang, do you think you’re coaxing a bunch of three year olds?”
“No one else in the academy knew of Gu Yuntian’s doings besides Head Elder Ling! Back then, Little Qi was expelled for stealing medicinal ingredients. That was all we knew!” Department Head Ouyang retorted.
“Heheh, then what about those poison arts? Why does Gu Yuntian know those? And also, the Poison Sect was originally part of your Medical City. The Poison Sect’s forbidden grounds are still under Medical City control. How can you expect everyone to believe that there are no unspeakable secrets between the medical academy and the Poison Sect?” the old imperial physician challenged.
“It’s true that the Poison Sect was one of Medical City’s strengths, but the medical academy destroyed them in the past for the sake of world peace. Truly, it was Medical City’s oversight that allowed Gu Yuntian to learn poison arts and raise Gu Qishao in the forbidden grounds!”
Department Head Ouyang didn’t like to argue, but he was a smart man. He knew what the Northern Li imperial physician was aiming for. After a pause, he added, “Ladies and gentleman, please set your cares at rest. The medical academy won’t s.h.i.+eld Gu Yuntian, much less Gu Qishao! Even if Gu Qishao was a victim, he colluded with Han Yunxi and the remnants of the Poison Sect to raise so many Poison corpses. He’s risked the safety of Cloud Realm Continent and committed unforgivable crimes!”
Northern Li’s imperial physician was waiting for those very words. With Gu Yuntian off his high horse, the medical academy would still be willing to take the lead for their multi-nation alliance to suppress the south central regions. That was already enough.
“Someone come, capture Gu Yuntian and Gu Qishao!” Department Head Ouyang ordered.
Gu Yuntian had already abandoned himself to despair. He never took Little Qi’s hatred seriously, nor did he expect to fall so far. He had wanted to be the most outstanding researcher at the Apricot Woods Conference and rise to ninth rank Sovereign Doctor. But a female n.o.body had stolen his thunder instead! He had wanted to destroy everything about the Poison Sect and formed an alliance to do that while solidifying his position as academy head, but lost all standing and reputation on the same stage!
He shut his eyes and allowed the guards to drag him away, still in the depths of denial. This has to be a nightmare! It must be!
Meanwhile, Gu Qishao’s icy glare simply froze the guards in their tracks. He swept his gaze across the crowd before finally resting on Department Head Ouyang. “Department Head Ouyang, which eye of yours saw this old man’s Poison corpses hurt a single person?”
Department Head Ouyang found himself unable to retort. Had anyone seen Gu Qishao’s Poison corpses injure another human being? No one! All they did was scare off the Carefree City people without injuring a single one.
“You haven’t hurt anyone, but you’re helping the descendant of the Poison Sect! You’re colluding with them!” Duanmu Baiye insisted.
Gu Qishao laughed next. “Crown Prince Ye, may I ask what kinds of atrocious deeds the Poison Sect has ever done? Have they killed your father or coveted your mother?”
“Gu Qishao, you’re seeking death!” Duanmu Baiye lost it and drew his sword to rush the man, but he simply kicked him back into the crowd.
“You can go die instead!” he snapped. Then he turned towards Department Head Ouyang with a face full of smiles. “Department Head Ouyang, why don’t you tell us just what kinds of heinous crimes the Poison Sect committed in the past for the medical academy to kill them all? And destroy their entire sect?”
With Duanmu Baiye as an example, no one else dared to speak up. All of them waited quietly for Department Head Ouyang’s answer.
“The Poison Sect sold poisons to outsiders and risked the lives of the common people. Moreover, they even developed the art of nurturing poisons to make Poison humans, Poison corpses, and the undying Poison Gu humans. They wanted to destroy all lives with their poisons! If they hadn’t been destroyed, Cloud Realm Continent would have long turned into h.e.l.l on Earth!” Department Head Ouyang declared righteously.
Gu Qishao’s laughs grew louder. “These are nothing but hypotheses from the medical academy. Dare I ask whether the Poison Sect publicly opened stores to sell off poisons? Did they actually do anything outrageous or terrible?”
Department Head Ouyang was rendered mute. There was precious few records on the Poison Sect’s history because it was all spread by word of mouth. Both rumors and historical records alike lacked any clear accounts of their crimes. As the silence stretched on, Gu Qishao’s voice seemed exceptionally bright and clear.
“Did they?”
No one answered him. Even those who wanted to retort couldn’t, because a place like this demanded proof. Next, Gu Qishao asked, “Ladies and gentlemen, do you know why Gu Yuntian knows poison arts? Do you know where I learned my nurturing poison skills from?”
A complicated look flickered through the Northern Li imperial physician’s eyes. He wanted to say something, but ultimately stayed quiet.
“There’s a secret only privy to the academy heads of the medical academy. Unfortuantely, my father accidentally revealed it to me.” Gu Qishao gave Gu Yuntian a meaningful look, but the listless man sprawled on the ground seemed like a balloon that had lost all air. He showed no reaction to anything around him.
In truth, Gu Qishao had discovered the secret after sneaking back to Medical City and doing research based on his childhood memories. Gu Yuntian hadn’t told him everything. In fact, Gu Qishao long had his counters in place to defeat Gu Yuntian, but he hadn’t moved because it was a double edged sword. Still, he was going ahead and risking everything this time for Poison la.s.s’s sake! He had promised to let her acknowledge her status and sect openly and free of cares!
Gu Qishao continued, “In the past, the medical academy and Poison Sect shared control of Medical City. The Poison Sect intended to cure poisons, so they raised poisons doctors. They were never going to use poisons to hurt people. Unfortunately, the medical academy grew jealous as the sect increased in strength. The Poison Sect only raised Poison humans and Poison corpses as a way to defend themselves against the medical academy’s increasing control over their matters. It was never to hurt the world’s people. Instead, the medical academy were the ones to leak their poisons to the outside world, then news of their poison nurturing skills to wreck their reputation. In the end, the academy joined hands with Medical City’s various clans to destroy the Poison Sect and seal its grounds…”
“Nothing but nonsense!” Department Head Ouyang interrupted.
Gu Qishao couldn’t be bother to deal with him. “After the medical academy eliminated the Poison Sect, the academy head back then didn’t completely destroy its books and records, but claimed them for himself. They were secretly pa.s.sed down to each successive head from then on.”
Even Academy Head Gu raised his head at those words as he realized the seriousness of the situation--and Gu Qishao’s true motives. He wasn’t just here to seek revenge on him, but destroy all of Medical City! He wanted to stop him, but it was already too late.
Gu Qishao said, “My father and my poison arts both came from those poison manuals. There’s two boxes’ worth of books, all hidden in the secret underground chamber in my father’s back courtyard. You can search for them if you don’t believe me!”
Now everyone including Department Head Ouyang had fallen silent. Were Gu Qishao’s words true?
All they had to do was search Gu Yuntian’s back yard to verify the facts.
Department Head Ouyang and his other two fellow heads, as well as the three elders of the council, all exchanged glances. None of them had any idea about this, nor did they want to believe it. But in the end, they were afraid! Suppose it was true? Then Medical City’s reputation would be completely destroyed. No matter what, they had to protect the city!
Gu Qishao’s menacing air didn’t feel like a joke. They couldn’t risk such a threat!
At this moment, Department Head Lin scooted over to speak with Department Head Ouyang in hushed tones. It was a rare moment for the two rivals to stand together.
Soon enough, Department Head Ouyang came to a prompt decision. “Gu Qishao, you’re willing to make up such lies just to absolve the Poison Sect of its crimes? Do you think everyone will be tricked by your fabrications? Someone come, ah, capture both father and son! The medical academy must punish Gu Yuntian severely to give the world’s people an answer! As for the plans to eliminate the Poison Sect, I ask everyone to still stay on for a few more days after the Apricot Woods Conference ends. We must unite our efforts to discuss strategies together!”
Department Head Ouyang signaled with his eyes before a large group of guards rushed over to stop Gu Qishao from saying anything more. But soon enough, more medical apprentices rushed onto the scene to whisper in Department Head Ouyang and Department Head Lin’s ears.
Whatever they said left nasty expressions on the two men’s faces. They exchanged helpless glances just as restless noises rose from beyond the forest. The last row of the seated ran into the forest and back out again with bad news.
“The medical academy’s in trouble! Big trouble!”
“Everyone, hurry over and take a look! It’s really bad!”
“I never would’ve thought! Never at all!”
As more shouts came from the rear, the front grew restless. Tang Li and Ning Jing were the first to leave, followed by old w.a.n.g from Medicine City and their respective elders. Mu Qingwu became the third until gradually, more and more people left the scene. Even the representatives from Northern Li and Tianning went to investigate, leaving the upper levels of Medical City with no choice but to chase after them.
Soon enough, the scene was all but deserted except for Gu Qishao, Han Yunxi, and Gu Beiyue…