Tome of Troubled Times

Chapter 398 You Are No Match for Me

Based on this information, Wang Daozhong’s plan likely involved more than just Cai Wenque.

On the surface, he brought his own renowned doctors here, but in reality, he was not counting on them to honestly cure Yang Jingxiu. During the past few days, he may have even already bribed all the doctors who came to examine Yang Jingxiu. No matter who cured him, the favor would go to Wang Daozhong.

And it would truly be to his benefit as the Wang Clan’s Zhenhai Sword[1] likely faced its own issues. They had probably studied it and shared their findings with these doctors. When someone eventually found a solution, they only had to say that it was thanks to Mister Wang’s advice, and Yang Jingxiu would then owe the latter a huge debt of gratitude.

However, this approach was actually quite despicable.

Yang Jingxiu did not want others to know that there were problems with their clan’s divine sword, so he pretended to be sick to test which doctor’s advice was more reliable, planning to privately consult the one he found trustworthy to officially treat the sword. But Wang Daozhong’s approach effectively betrayed Yang Jingxiu, turning the secret into something known by everyone...

These doctors were pretending to examine Yang Jingxiu’s illness, but they were probably well aware that they were actually investigating the sword spirit.

Of course, the renowned doctors wanted to earn a reputation for their expertise, so they were unlikely to mention this. As long as nobody said anything, Yang Jingxiu would not realize that his act was all for nothing.

It was then no wonder that Wang Daozhong treated Zhao Changhe, who had only studied medicine for a few days, as a serious threat. Zhao Changhe was the only one here who was not under his control.

But Tang Wanzhuang reconsidered and dismissed her own judgment... Things can’t be that simple.

The Yang Clan may be said to be in decline, but that’s only in terms of producing top-tier practitioners who make it onto the Ranking of Heaven. The forces they possess are still strong. They may continue to weaken in the future, but they are still a major force at the moment. Trying to pull this kind of tick against a top-tier clan on par with your Wang Clan—isn’t that a bit ridiculous? What if one of the doctors didn’t dare deceive the Yang Clan and already privately informed them of the truth?

If Wang Daozhong has already deeply offended Yang Jingxiu even before anything has actually happened, then he won’t receive any gratitude at all—so this shouldn’t be the case.

It’s unlikely that he would have spread his net so wide as to bribe all of the renowned doctors... But if he only specifically found Cai Wenque, the scope seems too narrow. If Cai Wenque fails to cure him, wouldn’t it all be meaningless? Unless the Wang Clan is absolutely confident that he can cure it... But then why not take the credit themselves instead of passing it through Cai Wenque?

The only possibility is that the surefire solution isn’t a good one. The Wang Clan is likely using Cai Wenque so that if something goes wrong, they can avoid blame.

This makes the most sense...

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As Tang Wanzhuang was pondering, Zhao Changhe had already gone through the motions of taking the pulse. He then glanced at Wang Daozhong and said, “Since Mister Wang believes that our findings should not be discussed publicly and should be told to Senior Yang in private, then I will tell him in private.”

Wang Daozhong: “...”

Yang Jingxiu said indifferently, “There’s no need for that, just say it directly.”

What could you possibly say? I doubt you’ll reveal anything about the sword.

Zhao Changhe said, “Senior, your illness is due to two factors. First, your soul is weary of the flesh, feeling that what it is doing does not meet expectations, and thus, it has a desire to retreat. It’s somewhat like a split personality, where there are two personas and one—”

Laughter broke out in the surroundings. “Young Master Zhao, you’ve only studied medicine for a few days, right? Stop spouting nonsense here.”

Where are you getting the idea that Yang Jingxiu has a split personality? He’s clearly full of energy and in perfect health.

But Yang Jingxiu himself was drenched in cold sweat. “Young Master Zhao, please have a seat. Let’s hear what the other renowned doctors have to say first.”

He was not sure which would be worse—having it spread that their clan’s divine sword had a problem, or that he, Yang Jingxiu, was mentally ill.

It’s crazy. This young man should have only studied medicine for a bit over ten days, yet he actually spotted the problem. He isn’t even married yet, so I doubt that the Cui Clan told him about the issues with their Qinghe Sword. Did he really figure this all out just from medical insight?

Zhao Changhe did not care and swaggered over to a seat to drink amidst the jeers of the other doctors.

Yang Jingxiu watched Zhao Changhe’s performance and remained silent for a moment. He then sighed in amazement. Such composure in the face of both praise and ridicule, this young man truly has immense potential.

In truth, he was not keen on letting Zhao Changhe get involved in this matter. After all, if the sword spirit’s issues were caused by someone’s manipulation, who could have been the one to manipulate it? It was most likely none other than Zhao Changhe’s supposed father.

Who could trust the son of the very person who caused the problem to be the one to solve it? What if he made things worse, and the original problem, which could have been cured, became incurable? Who could they turn to for justice?

But Zhao Changhe is truly worth watching...

As Yang Jingxiu was observing Zhao Changhe, Zhao Changhe was also watching him. He saw the other renowned doctors step forward one by one to examine Yang Jingxiu, and he could not help but sigh inwardly. The prestige of a top-tier clan was just that grand. Even he was just another one of those who rushed over to treat them, though he could convince himself it was for the greater good. Once you find a reason like that, you can justify anything to yourself.

Huangfu Qing’s comment resonated with him at this moment. If I can take control over it...

This is the key point. Do you really think I’m eagerly coming here to treat you, only to be at your mercy? Who do you think you are?

Zhao Changhe glanced at Wang Daozhong, who was intently watching his Wang Clan doctor take Yang Jingxiu’s pulse.

If the Wang Clan resolved the issue with the sword spirit themselves, would they just selflessly help the Yang Clan without trying to gain some leverage?

However, judging by the performance of the dozens of doctors here, it was clear that the medical knowledge in this world had almost no grasp over the matters of the soul. What they were saying was complete nonsense, and most of them even claimed that Yang Jingxiu was not ill, which left Old Yang deeply disappointed.

Medicine and martial arts were strongly related. It was perfectly normal for a person’s understanding of the soul to have yet to make a breakthrough in this area if their mastery of martial arts was not up to par. Perhaps only Cai Wenque, who was on the Ranking of Earth, has studied this.

But even the Ranking of Earth might not be enough. It might require an expert on the Ranking of Heaven with profound medical knowledge to have a chance at resolving this. Unfortunately, none of the Ranking of Heaven experts in this world studied medicine, at least not extensively. Although they might have a deeper understanding of the human body than normal doctors did, there was still a significant gap in their ability to treat ailments if they had not properly studied medical theory and pharmacology.

So, there was no need to expect much from these doctors. Unsurprisingly, their opinions were all over the place, and in the end, they were arguing heatedly, just like how the renowned doctors in Xiangyang had been quarreling in front of Zhao Changhe.

Yang Jingxiu finally interrupted them. “I sincerely thank you all for traveling from afar to examine me. The opinions you put forward have been quite helpful.”

Everyone responded, “Not at all, not at all.”

“Bugui, present each doctor with a token of our appreciation and see that they are well entertained.”

Yang Bugui bowed. “Yes.”

“Doctor Cai, known as the Enemy of the King of Hell, Doctor Lu from Langya, and...” Yang Jingxiu paused, his expression turning somewhat strange. “Young Master Zhao, please join me in the rear hall for a more detailed discussion.”

Everyone was in an uproar.

Zhao Changhe was also invited for further diagnosis? Could it be that his earlier mention of split personality had some truth to it?

Zhao Changhe leisurely put down his wine bowl and stood up. “I’ve only studied medicine for a few days, so I would dare not spout nonsense like some of you, talking about evil wind entering the brain. Useless.”

Who said this young man had great composure? He’s clearly one to seek revenge without delay!

The doctors who had mocked Zhao Changhe earlier turned red with embarrassment, and their expression toward Yang Jingxiu grew uneasy. Inviting this young man in for further discussion, does that mean you’re admitting to the possibility of having a split personality?

Yang Jingxiu remained expressionless. He had heard that anyone who interacted with Zhao Changhe would find their reputation taking a downturn. Does this misfortune even extend to men?

However, Zhao Changhe said, “Senior Yang, if you want to cure this disease, I recommend bringing someone along with me.”

Yang Jingxiu asked curiously, “Who?”

Zhao Changhe reached out and took Cui Yuanyang’s small hand. “My Yangyang.”

“Oh, right.” Yang Jingxiu smiled and said, “Miss Cui is your fiancée...”

Cui Yuanyang’s pretty face flushed bright red. She lowered her head shyly, but her mouth was visibly stretching into a wide grin, almost reaching her ears. It was hard to tell whether she was blushing from embarrassment or smiling.

Tang Wanzhuang and Huangfu Qing watched with expressionless faces, their fingers clenched tightly, making faint cracking sounds. They exchanged a glance for the third time, and then both of them turned their heads away simultaneously.

Huangfu Qing transmitted her voice to Tang Wanzhuang through gritted teeth, “What did you say to Zhao Changhe just now?”

Tang Wanzhuang replied indifferently, “What does it have to do with you? You’re just a witch who relies on her looks. Oh, do you find your mind empty when dealing with serious matters?”

“Oh? Then why don’t you stop using your looks? The moment he touches you, you’re no longer human.”

Tang Wanzhuang responded with surprising calm, “Even if I do use my beauty to attract him, you still aren’t a match for me. His thoughts are always about how to win me over, while you simply offer yourself to him.”

Huangfu Qing’s eyes widened.

What the fuck?

Yang Jingxiu said, “If Miss Cui is coming along, then Brother Daozhong might as well join us too. Since everyone has similar issues, we can pool our wisdom.”

Zhao Changhe said, “First Seat Tang can also contribute.”

Yang Jingxiu said, “That’s right, then please...”

Huangfu Qing could not hold back any longer. “Do you all think I’m just sitting here for show?”

Tang Wanzhuang almost burst out into laughter.

Once you see things clearly, who’s really upset? If I want to annoy you, it’s all too easy.

1. Just a note that Zhenhai (镇海) is the same word used in the Wang Clan’s Heavenly Sea-Suppressing Palm. ☜