Poison Genius Consort

t

Gu Qishao often scorned Gu Beiyue, but for some reason, he calmed down at the other man’s touch. Compared to Gu Qishao, Han Yunxi was less of a worry on Gu Beiyue’s mind, because she could quiet down with a single glance from him. She was smart and quick enough to figure out the current situation.

If they insisted on having their way against the medical academy now, they would only suffer more losses than gains, thus isolating their position from any help. Department Head Huo’s excuse might have been shirking responsibility, but it had its own logic, too. The medical academy destroyed the Poison Sect to eliminate dissidents. If it was just the academy head’s wish, he wouldn’t have been able to accomplish anything. The medical academy must have supported him. Thus, the entire medical academy did have a part in the plot against the Poison Sect!

When the poison manuals were hidden away and passed down to successive generations, that became more of a personal flaw than the fault of the academy, because none of the academy heads had ever used the knowledge to do anything terrible. All they did was keep the texts for themselves to study and research in private. Aside from the academy head, no one else knew the truth. Gu Yuntian taught Gu Qishao enough for him to raise an army of Poison corpses, but that could be considered a special case.

Now that right and wrong had been established, the next step was to assign responsibility. Sometimes, that was harder than pinning down a culprit, because it involved multiple factors of benefits and interests to different parties. Forcing the medical academy to assume responsibility now would affect all of the interests and profits of its members! Leaving aside its upper echelons and most famous doctors, even the youngest medical assistant didn’t want Medical City to be ruined. It was already hard enough for them to test into the academy and find a chance to follow a well-known doctors.

No one wanted the building that housed all of their future hopes to collapse. Moreover, if medical academy fell, then what kind of chaos would overtake the medical community of Cloud Realm Continent? How many powers would seize the chance to step in and rule instead? Many of the academy’s insiders had voices of support for Han Yunxi’s side. If Han Yunxi insisted on making them take the blame now, she would both lose this support and give Northern Li and Tianning a chance to reap the spoils. They could then join forces with the medical academy to seize an advantage against Han Yunxi’s group.

Han Yunxi looked at Gu Beiyue with a gaze that said don’t worry. She knew how the chips laid, so she wouldn’t act rashly at a time like this. Gu Beiyue nodded before murmuring to Gu Qishao, “Little Qi, if we can’t destroy them, we can control them.”

In other words, they could utterly wreck them by controlling them!

Gu Qishao’s lips curved into a grin. “Heheh, doctor, this young gentleman’s really underestimated you! You’re more crafty than Long Feiye!”

“This one will assume that you’re putting me on the same level as Long Feiye as a compliment,” Gu Beiyue smiled.

If Gu Qishao knew that Long Feiye had been keeping his eye on every step of the proceedings at Medical City, how would he feel?

Gu Beiyue finally walked out from behind Han Yunxi and Gu Qishao and asked, “Then as Department Head Huo sees it, how should matters be handled?”

“Who are you?” Department Head Huo asked.

Gu Beiyue took off his fake beard and made a bow with hands clasped that was neither haughty nor humble. “This one is Pill Fiend Pharmacy’s stationed physician, Gu Beiyue.”

“It’s actually him!”

“This guy’s a fifth rank Divine Doctor. He could count as coming from the medical academy as well. His grandfather was Gu Yuandong, a famous director at the academy.”

“He used to be Tianning’s head imperial physician, right? So he really was on Han Yunxi’s side!”

“A mere fifth rank Divine Doctor can show off a bit outside, but what’s he doing flaunting himself in Medical City?”

Amidst the whispers, Department Head Huo showed a hint of disdain as well. It was obvious that the seventh-ranked Sage Doctor didn’t think much of the little Divine Doctor before him.

“Just...who are you speaking for?” Department Head Huo’s tone grew strange. He was implying that Gu Beiyue had no right to speak up here at all. First, he wasn’t a member of the Poison Sect and couldn’t represent them; secondly, he was only a fifth rank Divine Doctor who didn’t have any post in Medical City and so lacked the right to question him.

“This one is speaking on behalf of tens of thousands of citizens in the south central regions.” Gu Beiyue’s voice wasn’t very loud, but it silenced the entire crowd. “Department Head Huo, the medical academy eliminated the Poison Sect for the sake of saving the world’s people. Why would they threaten the lives of the south central region now? Could it be that they don’t count amongst the world’s people? This one is untalented and wants to ask Department Head Huo for instruction. What is the ‘world’s people?’”

Department Head Huo’s mouth was drawn into a long line at the awkward situation. Actually, he and many others in the medical academy knew that this was extremely unjust, but they didn’t move to stop the academy’s actions or propose any other suggestions. It almost seemed to be habit to suppress anyone against the academy with such methods, Poison Sect or otherwise. In some ways, the medical academy wanted to use its doctors as collateral against Cloud Realm Continent despite having no nation nor emperor to its name.

“Department Head Huo, you don’t know who the world’s people are either?” Gu Beiyue pressed.

Department Head Huo was forced to reply. “This matter...this matter is naturally the medical academy’s mistake. In the past, it was also because of the Poison Sect that...in any case--in any case, the Poison Sect’s injustice has already been cleared. Naturally, the medical academy will immediately stop sanctions against the south central region’s commander-in-chief’s estate.”

“In other words, the medical academy would have continued imposing sanctions against the south central regions if the Poison Sect wasn’t exonerated today? You would still put pressure on the common people’s lives?” Gu Beiyue’s smile was full of ridicule as he turned towards Han Yunxi. “Esteemed wangfei, you have to learn to be a bit smarter. Don’t ever disobey the medical academy’s intentions in the future, or else...the consequences will be unimaginable!”

Han Yunxi smiled coldly. “It’s not only this wangfei that needs to get smarter, but all the ladies and gentlemen here. Isn’t that right? Medical City’s medical arts can compensate for the power of an entire army. They’ve swept everyone away before them without losing a single battle!”

Her mocking led to a bubble of jeers and laughter from the crowd. Department Head Huo wiped away his sweat. If this was the past, he could put on a straight face and babble out a bunch of logical excuses, but the medical academy had just exposed its weak point. He didn’t have the confidence to keep blustering! Looking around the crowd, he spotted many of medical academy’s own people lowering their heads in shame. He always knew that the academy’s actions against the south central regions had left many of their doctors angry and dissatisfied, even if they didn’t dare speak out. This looked like a great chance for him to establish an image as a person of high morals and collect support from various sides.

“It was always the academy head presiding over such matters. Actually. This old man had always brooded on the matter and wanted to discuss it with Academy Head Gu, but I never found the chance.” Department Head Huo began to push responsibility again. “Ladies and gentlemen, since such unforeseen misfortune has fallen upon the medical academy, this old man can only represent the academy head to oversee its conclusion! Whether it’s Gu Yuntian’s punishment, the Poison Sect, compensation for the south central region’s commander-in-chief’s estate, reflections on the academy’s long history of malpractice, self-examinations, or reforms, we must choose a new academy head to head it all. Only then can the medical academy give everyone a clear account.”

Gu Beiyue’s mouth curved upwards silently at the words. Department Head Huo prattled on, “After the Apricot Woods Conference, the medical academy will select a new academy head to oversee the ending! May our ladies and gentlemen keep calm. This old man swears by the name of the Vice Council today that the medical academy will definitely give everyone and the world a satisfactory summary!”

Wasn’t Gu Beiyue waiting for those exact words? He didn’t speak, but simply bowed and retreated into the crowd. Nothing major had been settled with results, so everyone had nothing worth talking about. All they could do was wait....

As they fell into silence, their hearts began calculating the results. Those from the medical academy were trying to figure out the academy head’s position from the Vice Council, Council of Elders, and various directors. The sayings went that ‘when the tree falls, the monkeys on it scatter’--hanger-ons to an influential person dispersed after he fell from power. Gu Yuntian had toppled, so the balance of powers within the medical academy would be broken as well. The new struggle for dominance had begun.

Those not from the medical academy were calculating which faction of the academy to support for the most benefits! Different academy heads would deal with Gu Yuntian and the Poison Sect differently, which in turn would affect events across Cloud Realm Continent. Thanks to today’s unexpected events, Department Head Huo announced that the Apricot Woods Conference would began tomorrow morning instead. Han Yunxi required him to immediately issue orders to stop sanctions against the south central region’s commander-in-chief’s estate. Once she was sure the orders had been sent, her group left.

No matter what happened, they had to settle this first. Ning Cheng and the Baili Clan troops had already sent out their soldiers and would start fighting very soon. That would only place more pressure on treatment options in the south. With this danger out of the way, they could relieve the pressure back home and remove reservations for the Baili army.

After coming out of the medical academy, Han Yunxi immediately instructed Xu Donglin, “Hurry and write a message to His Highness. Tell him that the chance to put Ning Cheng in his place has come!”

The south central region’s commander-in-chief’s estate had a strong military to begin with, while Ning Cheng had fought for months against Tianan and Western Zhou. Even with red coat cannons at his disposal to preserve his vitality, his troops should still be fatigued! Meanwhile, they had a navy on their hands, so who was really afraid of whom?

Even if it was just a stalling game, they had to hold out until Northern Li sent its own troops south. With Ning Cheng forced to defend south and north, he would end up as the stepping stone between Long Feiye and Northern Li’s struggles.

“Yes!” Xu Donglin went to report in high spirits while Gu Beiyue remained unmoved.

Han Yunxi’s group hadn’t gone far before Medicine City’s old Wang and a few elders met them. Old Wang made to speak before he stopped. He wanted to explain, but didn’t have the face to say anything, so he only said, “Esteemed wangfei, this old man has already ordered Medicine City to restore all of its previous agreements with Pill Fiend Pharmacy. The Council of Elders has approved it as well. For the next three years, all medicinal ingredients going to the south will have a 60 percent discount.”

Not everyone could be as devoted and loyal as Gu Beiyue and Gu Qishao, nor did they have the duty or obligation to try. Medicine City might have cooperated with Medical City, but they didn’t do anything to make the situation worse. Han Yunxi wasn’t an impetuous child, so she smiled and bowed with hands clasped. “I’ll be thanking the Council of Elders on behalf of His Highness.”

“Then esteemed wangfei, may we meet tomorrow,” Old Wang and the other elders rejoiced. Once they left, Han Yunxi’s group headed for their living quarters.

At the gates, Gu Qishao said coldly, “Poison lass, that fellow’s been tailing us for a while now. Aren’t we going to chase him off?”

After leaving Medical City, a single person had been following them all this time. Han Yunxi had noticed as well.

That person was none other than...