Chapter 18

"Let's think about it." Shangguan Mingyue pulled Shangguan Junyi out of the room.

"Zhong Wen, the formula for 'Immortal Competition' can be sold for a much better price. You don't need to worry about the 'Qingfeng Pavilion' matter." Lin Zhiyun, who had been listening, knew that Zhong Wen had made significant sacrifices for the Piaohua Palace, "I will find a way to repay the favor from 'Shengyu Trading Company.'"

"Palace Master, my concessions are not entirely for the Piaohua Palace. Building a good relationship with a top trading company like the Shangguan family will always have its benefits," Zhong Wen smiled, "Besides, what use do I have for so many spirit crystals?"

Unconsciously, he added "sister" after "Palace Master," trying to subtly eliminate the generational gap in Lin Zhiyun's mind.

Lin Zhiyun knew he wasn't entirely honest but couldn't refute it, so she could only appreciate his sentiment: "By the way, can you really treat illnesses?"

"Of course, I am a gynecological... medical expert," Zhong Wen said confidently.

"But didn't you lose your memory?" Lin Zhiyun had been holding back this question for a while.

"Palace Master, I only can't remember my background and the language of Dagan," Zhong Wen had already thought of a response, "Medically speaking, this is called 'selective amnesia.' I still remember many other things."

Lin Zhiyun, who didn't understand medical techniques, found it plausible and didn't delve deeper: "Zhong Wen, Shangguan Junyi's aunt is also a Tianlun realm cultivator, possibly even stronger than me. If you don't have full confidence, don't take on the trouble lightly, to avoid offending her."

"Don't worry, Palace Master!" Zhong Wen said nonchalantly, "There are few in this world whose medical skills surpass mine."

Looking at Zhong Wen's inflated expression and considering his age, Lin Zhiyun found it hard to believe.

...

At the same time.

"Aunt, this young doctor, how skilled can he be at his age? Are you really going to accept his treatment?" Shangguan Mingyue was trying hard to persuade her, "At worst, I can offer 10,000 spirit crystals for his formula. As long as the formula is genuine, we can make it back eventually."

"Yue'er, if we only look at age, would you have thought this young doctor could have such exquisite culinary skills?" Shangguan Junyi asked gently.

"..." Shangguan Mingyue was momentarily speechless but quickly recovered, "Aunt, think about it. For someone so young to have such remarkable culinary skills, he must have spent a lot of time studying it. How could he have time to learn medical skills?"

"You've always been quick-witted," Shangguan Junyi shook her head and smiled, "I know you're worried about me, but since the sages in the holy land can't cure me, what harm can it do to let him try? I don't want to be a monster all my life."

"What monster! Aunt, you're a fairy!" Shangguan Mingyue protested, "Not getting married is no big deal. I won't get married either and will stay with you forever."

"That's not possible. Your father would come after me if he found out," Shangguan Junyi said, "Let the young doctor examine me. Even if he can't cure me, it won't get any worse."

"Fine, let him try. If anything goes wrong, I'll skin him alive."

"Skin him, and you won't get to taste such delicious food again," Shangguan Junyi said with a teasing look.

"Aunt!"

...

When they returned to the room, the deal was quickly finalized.

"Doctor Zhong, this is the contract with the spirit pattern. Please confirm it with your blood," Shangguan Mingyue took out a contract paper with a spirit pattern, wrote some terms, and then lightly bit her finger, dropping a drop of blood on the spirit pattern.

This was a magical spirit pattern. Once all parties involved dropped their blood on it, the contract was binding and could not be forged.

Zhong Wen, seeing the spirit pattern not recorded in the Medicine King Valley books, marveled and asked while dropping his blood, "Miss Shangguan, since the deal is done, can I use these spirit crystals to purchase some spirit herbs and seeds from your trading company? Also, please arrange for some seawater to be delivered. It's a main ingredient for making 'Immortal Competition,' and I'll demonstrate the process to you."

"Sure," Shangguan Mingyue said without hesitation, "I'll send a message right away to have the items and seawater delivered."

As she spoke, she took out paper and pen, wrote down Zhong Wen's purchase requests, and then formed a circle with her thumb and index finger, placing it to her lips and blowing a pleasant whistle-like sound.

Soon, a small gray bird flew in and perched on her shoulder, its leg tied with a wooden cylinder, hopping around lively.

Is this the legendary "pigeon post"?

The bird looked nothing like the pigeons Zhong Wen remembered, but it reminded him of the ancient dramas he watched in his past life.

"My top messenger can travel 6,000 miles a day and deliver the message to Cangyun City in half an hour. Your items should arrive within three days," Shangguan Mingyue said to Zhong Wen, "Doctor Zhong, I entrust my aunt's health to you."

Why does that sound a bit strange...

Zhong Wen's mind wandered, but he said, "Don't worry, I'll ensure your aunt's health."

Shangguan Mingyue suddenly thought, "Doctor Zhong, if 'Immortal Competition' requires seawater, how did you make it on the mountain?"

Zhong Wen's heart skipped a beat, thinking this girl was too smart: "Actually, 'Immortal Competition' requires salty water. There are a few 'salty wells' on the mountain, but for mass production, seawater is better."

Shangguan Mingyue nodded, about to ask more, but Zhong Wen interrupted, "Miss Shangguan, you said it takes half an hour to send a message to Cangyun City?"

"Yes."

"Then why did the messenger return so quickly?" Zhong Wen pointed to the sky.

Everyone looked up and saw a small black dot flying towards them at high speed.

Shangguan Mingyue: "..."

Lin Zhiyun suddenly said, "This is our Piaohua Palace's messenger."

Sure enough, the messenger bird landed on Lin Zhiyun's shoulder. She took a piece of paper from the wooden cylinder on the bird's leg, unfolded it, and her expression changed.

"I need to go to Cangyun City," Lin Zhiyun said with a serious face.

Shangguan Mingyue immediately understood, "Palace Master Lin, is there trouble at 'Qingfeng Pavilion'?"

Lin Zhiyun nodded, "Everyone at 'Qingfeng Pavilion' has been taken to the city lord's residence."

"What's the charge?" Zhong Wen asked.

"They say the fake medicine sold by 'Qingfeng Pavilion' killed someone," Lin Zhiyun frowned, "All the herbs sold at 'Qingfeng Pavilion' come from the fields around Qingfeng Mountain, handled by me personally. There's no way they could be fake."

"It seems the Dantai family is behind this," Zhong Wen thought, "Palace Master, what do you plan to do in Cangyun City?"

"Of course, I'll go to the city lord to reason with him," Lin Zhiyun said without hesitation.

"What kind of person is the city lord of Cangyun City?" Zhong Wen turned to Shangguan Mingyue.

Compared to the overly kind Lin Zhiyun, he trusted Shangguan Mingyue's judgment more.

"From my observations, City Lord Zhao Tianhao appears approachable but is actually cunning and deceitful," Shangguan Mingyue thought for a moment, "He doesn't offend people easily, but once he acts, he leaves no room for a comeback. In recent years, the Dantai family has become more powerful, and their relationship with the city lord is only superficial. This time, the city lord's arrest of 'Qingfeng Pavilion' is likely due to pressure from the Xiao family, who support the Dantai family."

Zhong Wen asked, "Miss Shangguan, after deducting the cost of the spirit herbs and seeds, how many spirit crystals are left from the 10,000?"

Shangguan Mingyue calculated for a moment, "About 2,000 spirit crystals."

"Can I have them in advance?"

Shangguan Mingyue seemed to understand Zhong Wen's intentions and nodded, "Sure."

She took off an emerald ring from her left middle finger and handed it to Zhong Wen, "With this ring, you can withdraw up to 5,000 spirit crystals from the 'Shengyu Trading Company' branch in Cangyun City without interest."

"Thank you." Zhong Wen didn't hesitate, took the ring, and handed it to Lin Zhiyun, "Palace Master, this matter is not simple. When you go to Cangyun City, don't be frugal. Use the spirit crystals to get the people from 'Qingfeng Pavilion' out of the city lord's residence and bring them back to Qingfeng Mountain as soon as possible. Don't stay in Cangyun City."

"This, this is too much, I can't accept it," Lin Zhiyun shook her head.

"Saving lives is important," Zhong Wen said casually, "Besides, if it weren't for your help, I might have been overwhelmed by Miss Shangguan's presence. A life-saving favor can't be repaid with just 2,000 spirit crystals."

Shangguan Mingyue, hearing Zhong Wen's nonsense, rolled her eyes, looking charming.

"Well, consider it a loan. I'm not worried about debts," Lin Zhiyun, feeling anxious, stopped arguing, "But... will the city lord agree to release them?"

"If the city lord and the Dantai family are only pretending to be on good terms, he won't refuse 2,000 spirit crystals. That's a significant amount, and the city lord is always short on money," Zhong Wen said, "Moreover, if I'm not mistaken, the Dantai family's goal is to lure you to Cangyun City. Once you go there to demand their release, the city lord's task is complete."

"How do you know that?" Lin Zhiyun asked, puzzled.

"Without you, the only Tianlun expert, they can attack the Piaohua Palace," Zhong Wen explained, "There are Dantai family members watching Qingfeng Mountain. Once you leave, they will know. If they see you taking all your disciples, the city lord won't release them."

Lin Zhiyun looked troubled. She was a talented cultivator but not skilled in political intrigue. She usually left such matters to her senior disciple, and now, without her, she felt helpless.

"Palace Master, have you forgotten our allies?" Zhong Wen smiled at Shangguan Mingyue.

Shangguan Mingyue couldn't help but feel both amused and annoyed, "Doctor Zhong, are you treating me like a free bank? You haven't even received any benefits, yet you're already spending money and sending people."

"Miss Shangguan, since your condition is due to your cultivation method, once I cure you, you won't be able to continue practicing it, right?" Zhong Wen ignored Shangguan Mingyue's question and started chatting with Shangguan Junyi.

Despite the negotiations between Shangguan Mingyue and Zhong Wen, they always focused on Shangguan Junyi and Lin