Chapter 202: Steaming The Imperial Preceptor
Translator: Ninetales Editor: DarkGem
On Mount Meru's apparition, a bodhisattva put his palms together. "My Buddha, Eternal Peace Imperial Preceptor said he was injured, why didn't we take the chance…"
"Is it real or fake?" Old Rulai asked amiably and gently.
The bodhisattva was stunned. "Disciple… disciple does not know."
Old Rulai smiled. "Those that believed so have already lost, and some of them even died. Teacher Poor, it's because you guys believed he was injured that it was such a defeat, wasn't it?"
The expressions of Teacher Poor and the rest were ashen, and Spiritual Master Dao Quan blamed himself deeply. From the medicinal dregs of Qin Mu, he deduced that Eternal Peace Imperial Preceptor had been severely injured and everyone believed him, which was why they had chosen the second choice, the Martial way.
However, he couldn't be blamed for it all.
The surprise attack by the three old monsters of the old generation—Teacher Poor, Wanderer Li, and True Lord Tian—had to have severely injured Eternal Peace Imperial Preceptor. The three old monsters were the peak existences of today's world. No matter if it were their abilities or reputation, they were at the top in the martial world.
No one would doubt the abilities of these three seniors, so even though Eternal Peace Imperial Preceptor was known as the genius that comes once in every five hundred years and had a high reputation, he still couldn't be compared to any of the three. It was because of this that everyone believed that he was severely injured. The tiny details that came after only strengthened this notion.
For example, when he gave a lecture in Imperial College, he only did so for two days, and there was perfume to cover the stink of his wound.
There was also the event of the dragon king of Dragon Rider Sect visiting Imperial Preceptor's manor at night and leaving unscathed. Eternal Peace Imperial Preceptor hadn't been able to hold him back.
In the battle between Imperial Preceptor and Wanderer Zhen of Little Jade Capital, Eternal Peace Imperial Preceptor's injuries had relapsed, which was why he needed Qin Mu, this little divine physician to nurse his body day and night.
The deduction of Spiritual Master Dao Quan and all kinds of other things indicated that Eternal Peace Imperial Preceptor's injuries had relapsed. It was then deduced that even with Qin Mu's treatment, he would require at least a month to recover.
And all of this had begun when Eternal Peace Imperial Preceptor was ambushed. From the very start, they were destined to be made use of in his scheme.
The two choices were also part of the scheme.
There had never been two choices, only one.
"It's not so easy to deal with a genius that appears once every five hundred years," Old Rulai said indifferently. "These five hundred years don't only mean his wisdom, aptitude, and comprehension are that profound, but his strategies and tactics are also something one may see only once in five hundred years. If such a genius can't become a saint, then he will become a lawless devil, and it won't be fortuitous to this world. Believe?
He smiled, then said, "Fool."
Everyone was bewildered. They didn't know why Old Rulai had said this kind of words, but they felt that his speech was concise and comprehensive, having a deep meaning.
Beggar Sect Master Qi Dayou said, "He had allied himself with Heavenly Devil Cult and is destined to be a lawless devil. What a pity we don't know who's the new cult master of Heavenly Devil Cult."
"We know." Old Rulai smiled. "It's none other than the young man that returned my greeting. Come to think of it, this old monk had a destiny with him and wanted to enlighten him to Great Thunderclap Monastery, but it's a pity that the destiny was suddenly broken and passed on to another wonderful being."
"It's him?"
Most of the monks, Teacher Poor, and the rest of people on Mount Meru were stunned for a moment. Old Rulai smiled. "It's him. Those old Dao friends are quite remarkable, to have taught such a little devil. What a pity Khakkhara staff couldn't retain its destiny. I was only a step late, only a step…"
...
"Imperial Preceptor, you're smarter than me, couldn't you see any problems with Mount Meru's arrival?" Duke Wei looked at the headless body entering the coffin and turned his head to talk to Imperial Preceptor who was beside him. "They were clearly here to take advantage of the situation and save Teacher Poor and the other old monsters, strengthening the power of their Great Thunderclap Monastery! If these people aren't rid of, they will be a problem in the future!"
"Teacher Poor and the rest have only ten to twenty years left, so they are of no concern, let Old Rulai save them," said Eternal Peace Imperial Preceptor. "I understand Old Rulai's actions, it's as expected that he came to take advantage of the timing. I'm injured so I had no strength to stop him."
Duke Wei sized him up in suspicion, his expression quite weird. "Real or fake?"
Eternal Peace Imperial Preceptor said solemnly, "It's real."
"Are you sure?"
Eternal Peace Imperial Preceptor scowled at him. "Of course it's real. You try fighting with those cult master level existences! And there were even three god-like existences among them! How can I be unscathed when it was a fight to the death with them?"
"I don't believe!" Duke Wei said resentfully. "I'd be a fool to do so! I won't believe a word you say! Those that believed you are all lying in coffins, unable to move an inch."
Eternal Peace Imperial Preceptor didn't know whether to laugh or cry. "Actually I'm quite truthful sometimes."
"That's why you can trick others convincingly. I can't read you." Duke Wei looked down at the coffin and kept quiet for a moment. "You should know who is in the coffin."
Eternal Peace Imperial Preceptor shook his head. "I can't say."
"I will know even if you don't say. When we go back to the capital, we will know once we see which old prince has suddenly died."
Duke Wei looked left and right before whispering. "There's a conflict in Ling Family, and this won't be an isolated incident. What if the old Empress Dowager is the same? I feel that you should take a step further and just be the emperor…"
Eternal Peace Imperial Preceptor glanced at him with murderousness in his gaze.
Duke Wei jumped in shock and hurriedly said, "You and I have been friends for over two hundred years, don't scare me! This isn't my idea, this is what the old brothers that are following you think. Your position has been raised to the max, so even if you do an enormous contribution, there will be no way for the emperor to raise your official position anymore. Now that you have done another huge contribution by quelling the rebellion, how do you want the emperor to reward you? To hand the throne over to you?"
Eternal Peace Imperial Preceptor shook his head. "The emperor and I are bosom buddies. The emperor knows me and knows I won't ask for credit. What I want is to achieve the aspiration of my lifetime."
"That's why the emperor is troubled. If he won't reward you, everyone in the world will be bitterly disappointed. If he wants to reward you, there's nothing he can reward you with. Do you want him to give you beautiful women? Do you want him to give you gold?"
Duke Wei said in a low voice, "The emperor knows you well, but what about the crown prince? When the crown prince succeeds the throne in the future, will he know you as well as his father? What would the crown prince use to reward you? Furthermore, those old brothers that have followed you all their life can also get promoted if you go a step further. Some can't wait to be promoted, and if they want to achieve that, they have to support you up to the throne. What do you think Empress Dowager is worried about? About you? She's worried about those people under you!"
"I seek my own path. There's no need for you to say anything else." Eternal Peace Imperial Preceptor walked forward while speaking calmly. "It's tiring to talk to you. You shall just quell the rebellion properly and clean up all the rebel remnants. I shall find the little divine physician to treat me."
"Treat you again?" Duke Wei was puzzled. "You're really hurt? You aren't lying to me again?"
Eternal Peace Imperial Preceptor didn't give him a pleasant look and waved his hand as he walked away.
Qin Mu brought the dragon qilin, Chen Wanyun, Yue Qinghong, and the rest down the mountain. Meanwhile all the hall masters, as well as left and right guardians of Heavenly Devil Cult, activated their teleportation flags to leave.
Below the mountain, Qin Mu and the rest met Imperial Preceptor.
"I'm injured," Eternal Peace Imperial Preceptor said.
"Pssh…" the dragon qilin tried to stifle its laughter.
Eternal Peace Imperial Preceptor gave a glance at this enormous creature, and the dragon qilin immediately shut its mouth. Eternal Peace Imperial Preceptor's complexion was a little pale as he told Qin Mu, "I'm injured."
Qin Mu asked suspiciously, "Real or fake?"
"It's real." Eternal Peace Imperial Preceptor's complexion grew even paler.
"You serious?"
"It's true!" Veins started to pop out on Eternal Peace Imperial Preceptor's forehead.
"Alright then."
…
Only an empty city remained in place of Daxiang City which was razed to the ground. There was no medicine store here, so they could only return to Hidden Fog City. There was a lake around here which frequently saturated the air with fog. The city ended up appearing and disappearing in the fog which was how it got its name.
In a governmental office, Qin Mu checked on Eternal Peace Imperial Preceptor's injuries and discovered that there were more than a hundred places in which he was wounded. Most of them were internal injuries, and there were even venomous insects in his body. There were also injuries in his divine treasure, but he was lucky he had a dense cultivation which helped him suppress them.
The injuries were all different, and the ones that had invaded his divine treasures were especially hard to deal with, testing Qin Mu's medical skills. The injuries in the Spirit Embryo Divine Treasure, Five Elements Divine Treasure, Six Directions Divine Treasure, Seven Stars Divine Treasure, Celestial Being Divine Treasure, Life and Death Divine Treasure, and Divine Bridge Divine Treasure were all abnormally hard to deal with. The injuries on the soul were also a huge test. This was a rare opportunity for Qin Mu to learn about the secrets of the divine treasures in great depth.
The external injuries, on the other hand, weren't as severe.
If he wanted to nurse Eternal Peace Imperial Preceptor's injuries, it was going to be a huge project. Qin Mu calculated for quite some time before setting his mind on a treatment method and ordering people to collect the herbs.
Most of the herbs in the medicine store were ordinary ones, with the precious ones being harder to find. Even though Hidden Fog City was large, there were still many herbs that were unavailable here and required them to seek them out in the capital.
Qin Mu first treated the injuries that could be treated with the herbs available. The other injuries would have to wait until they were back in the capital.
In the governmental office, Qin Mu ordered to find him an incomparably huge pot. The pot was then filled with water and herbs and a huge steamer was placed inside to let Eternal Peace Imperial Preceptor lie inside naked. Hundreds of needles were pierced into his body, their points reaching his divine treasures. The silver needles were used as a bridge to draw the medicinal energy into the divine treasures.
Eternal Peace Imperial Preceptor lay inside the steamer quietly when he suddenly said, "If the emperor rewards me with beautiful women and gold, should I want them?"
Qin Mu twirled the needle in the heart of his brows. That silver needle had a hollow center which could help guide the medicinal energy. "What else can the emperor reward you with?"
Eternal Peace Imperial Preceptor was silent for a moment. "There's nothing else."
"Then you should take them." Qin Mu took another needle and jabbed it into the lungs. "Who else is in Imperial Preceptor's house?"
"Other than me, just a few old servants and bodyguards."
"How much money do you have?"
"The salary every month is enough for me."
"Do you have a wife or children?"
"With heaven's law in one's heart, what's the need for desire?"
"Imperial Preceptor should start a family… You should stop talking, after I place this needle, I will have to cover the steamer and raise the fire."
…
After half a month, Eternal Peace Imperial Preceptor had regained much of his complexion. While treating him, they had passed by fifteen cities yet Qin Mu had not found all the spirit herbs he needed. However, the injuries were more or less cared for.
Qin Mu was proficient in using medicine, so when not having top quality spirit herbs, he used ordinary ones to replace them. However, some injuries really needed incomparably precious spirit herbs which left him helpless.
When they reached the capital, they saw white lanterns and white banners hanging on numerous streets. After asking around, they learned that North Garrison King Ling Yinfeng had passed away. The emperor was mourning, so the entire empire was griefing.
North Garrison King Ling Yinfeng was the younger brother of the former emperor and was ranked eight, so he was referred to as Eight Imperial Uncle. He was well respected and loved by the people, since when the former emperor was conquering the world, Eight Imperial Uncle had outstanding military service, conquering numerous countries. The injuries he received were very severe, and he had almost died a few times in battle, yet he had also saved the life of the former emperor quite a few times.
The successful ascension of Emperor Yanfeng to the throne was due to his support. He played a huge part in paving out the empire of the Ling Family.