"Ancestor?
"Who is playing tricks here?"
Hearing this, Chu Qingze actually calmed down. He took a short sword from the nearby medicine rack, held it in his hand, and slowly walked out with light steps.
"You are my ancestor? Then what is your name?"
The ethereal voice came again, only two short words.
"Rong Zhi."
As soon as the words fell, Chu Qingze burst through the door, his short blade unsheathed, and he rushed towards the direction of the sound.
He never believed in ghosts and gods. This must be someone deliberately causing trouble.
Chu Qingze used his full strength in this move, expecting the other party to be defeated by his sword. Unexpectedly, the next moment he heard a clang, the short sword sank deep into the wall, and his arm was even numb from the shock.
Chu Qingze looked intently and found that the person who had been standing here had long since disappeared. He was surprised by the other party's agility and also calmed down, having clearly heard the name just now.
Rong Zhi?
The Valley Master of Medicine King Valley?
The divine doctor with countless disciples?
The reborn Hua Tuo famous throughout the world?
His... Grandmaster?
But wasn't she dead 15 years ago?
With a "hiss," Chu Qingze pulled out the short sword and turned around to see a woman in white, her long hair loose, with a detached, pure, and unassailable look in her eyes, quietly looking at him under the moonlight.
This familiar face.
"Grandmaster..."
Chu Qingze murmured, as if dreaming.
"Why are you here? Aren't you already dead?"
Slap!
He was met with a resounding slap.
"Wicked disciple! You disgrace our sect!"
Chu Qingze hadn't yet confirmed if the person before him was truly Rong Zhi when he was stunned by the slap.
He swayed, seeing stars and his vision darkening. He held onto the wall to stand up straight and mumbled in a daze, "Why are you hitting me?"
"You still have the nerve to ask why?" Rong Zhi snorted coldly.
"You colluded with the steward of the Zhang family, destroyed medicinal materials, monopolized, and earned black-hearted money. Is this what you learned from Medicine King Valley? Who is your master? How did he teach you?"
Rong Zhi's words were forceful and resounding.
She didn't know if her guess was correct. If Chu Qingze was indeed a disciple of Medicine King Valley, and she had never met him, there was only one reason: Chu Qingze was a disciple of her disciple, thus her grand-disciple. Therefore, Rong Zhi's earlier address of "ancestor" was perfectly valid.
Chu Qingze touched his burning cheek. A name was on the tip of his tongue, but he swallowed it back.
He also finally sobered up a bit.
It was common knowledge that the Valley Master of Medicine King Valley had died long ago. Medicine King Valley had long since changed hands. How could there be a person named Rong Zhi?
"What are you talking about? What Medicine King Valley? I don't know."
Playing dumb?
The previous address of "Grandmaster" had already revealed the issue.
Rong Zhi had already confirmed it. Her current appearance was about seventy percent similar to her past self. With a change of clothes and a different style, she could pass for the real person. Since he recognized her at a glance, it meant he was definitely related to Medicine King Valley.
"You don't believe my identity?"
"The Valley Master of Medicine King Valley passed away more than ten years ago. Besides, she was 35 years old when she died. Even if she were alive now, she wouldn't be your age."
Chu Qingze argued while scrutinizing Rong Zhi, trying to find evidence of her impersonation. Unfortunately, he had only seen the legendary Valley Master a few times, and it was late at night with poor lighting. He couldn't tell.
"If you are Rong Zhi, then tell me, what is the third volume, article 78, of the Medicine King Valley's rules?"
The rules of Medicine King Valley were originally established to regulate the behavior of disciples, and only disciples of Medicine King Valley would know them.
This was a piece of cake for Rong Zhi, as she had written the rules herself.
"Disciples in the sect can spar in medicine, but they cannot deliberately cause injury or illness for the sake of sparring. Those who violate this will have their sense of smell removed and will be forbidden from practicing medicine for life."
She said it fluently, as if it were engraved in her heart.
Chu Qingze was stunned.
"Volume two, article 54."
"No disciple shall charge exorbitant consultation fees in the name of Medicine King Valley. Those who violate this will be fined one hundred taels of silver per month."
"Volume one, article 1."
"Practitioners of medicine shall remember to have benevolent hearts, heal the sick and help the world, not be swayed by fame or profit, not seek false fame, and not aid and abet evil!"
"Volume five, article 10!"
"There is no fifth volume at all."
Rong Zhi interrupted him.
"Medicine King Valley's rules consist of four volumes, each with 640 articles. Every disciple entering the sect must memorize the rules on their first day. Only after reciting them can they study medicine. All disciples, from the Yu generation to the Lin generation, are no exception. When disciples take on their own disciples, they follow the same rule, but..."
Her tone turned cold.
"It seems your master did not follow my regulations. I'd like to see which disciple is so disobedient. Let me guess, Chu Yuheng?"
"You..."
Chu Qingze's brow furrowed. How could she know so much? Could she really be...?
Impossible!
"What, do you believe it now?"
Chu Qingze had a sudden inspiration.
"Legend has it that the exclusive secret technique of the Valley Master of Medicine King Valley is the Wind Control Art. Unless you can use it, I won't believe you."
"You truly won't believe it until you see the coffin..." Rong Zhi sighed and adopted a stance.
"Attack!"
Chu Qingze clenched his short sword and thrust it forward.
Having already witnessed Rong Zhi's extraordinary skills, Chu Qingze was fully focused. He aimed at Rong Zhi's face, and the sword was about to strike her face.
Suddenly, a gust of wind swept past him, and in an instant, the person before him disappeared.
What?
Chu Qingze was stunned but quickly reacted. He turned and blocked with his short sword. The next moment, immense pressure struck him. Rong Zhi had fallen from mid-air, her toes stepping on his sword, her body lowering, almost making him drop the short sword.
"Go!" Chu Qingze blocked the attack with all his might, sending Rong Zhi flying back. When he tried to attack again, he couldn't see her.
Before he could search, a killing aura emanated from behind him. Rong Zhi punched him in the waist, and Chu Qingze, like a leaf blown by the wind, flew out without suspense.
"Ah... help...!"
He cried out in alarm, his body out of control, about to crash into the wall. But then, someone grabbed his collar.
Immediately, an opposing force threw him in the opposite direction.
This time, Chu Qingze was facing a large tree, and the situation was the same. Just as he was about to crash, Rong Zhi grabbed his collar from behind and threw him in another direction...
"Ahhhhh!"
Rong Zhi tossed Chu Qingze back and forth like a cat playing with a mouse. Chu Qingze was not short, weighing at least 150 to 160 pounds, yet he seemed light as a feather in Rong Zhi's hands.
In a daze, Chu Qingze could only see a white figure shuttling back and forth in mid-air. The wind around him also changed, rustling the leaves.
Just as he was feeling dizzy and nauseous from being thrown around, his feet suddenly felt a tightening. In the next moment, the world spun, and he was hung upside down on the wall by his ankles. His body was still swaying back and forth due to inertia, his back occasionally brushing against the cold wall.
The person in his line of sight also swayed with him.
Chu Qingze was about to faint.
"How is it? Do you believe me now?"
Rong Zhi brushed the dust off her hands.
"Wind Control Art... *cough*!"
He could only manage a dry retch after saying a word, but he had seen correctly. That was indeed the Wind Control Art. When Medicine King Valley was famous, it was often harassed by people from the martial arts world. When someone learned that the Valley Master of Medicine King Valley was a woman, they recklessly came to cause trouble. He had seen from afar how the Valley Master fought outsiders. That masterful lightness skill, that elusive figure, was undoubtedly the Wind Control Art.
"I believe it. Now tell me quickly, who is your master, and why are you colluding with the Zhang family to monopolize Yunlin Flower?"
"I... I was investigating a case."
Chu Qingze finally recovered, but still didn't answer Rong Zhi's first question.
"Investigating a case? What case?"
"The Zhang family is involved in human trafficking. I was cooperating with them temporarily to find evidence... *cough cough cough*..."
His breathing was uneven, and he had to pause for breath after every sentence, followed by a violent cough.
The Zhang family was involved in human trafficking?
Rong Zhi pondered for a moment and then put him down.
"Tell me in detail."
"*cough cough cough*..." As soon as Chu Qingze landed, he coughed for a long time before calming down.
"I discovered it by accident. There is a group of human traffickers in Yanzi Mountain. Every time they catch someone, they come to Zhang family's steward, Li Hao, to collect money. This shows that human trafficking is related to the Zhang family. However, I still don't know what they do with the trafficked people. Li Hao only asked me to develop an antidote. To investigate their background, I had no choice but to cooperate with them."
Yanzi Mountain, Yanzi Mountain again.
"How powerful is the Zhang family behind the scenes?"
"I don't know. Their power must be considerable, otherwise, even the government wouldn't be able to investigate. I heard that the Zhang family is colluding with the assassin organizations in the martial arts world." httpδ:/m.kuAisugg.nět
Rong Zhi's heart sank upon hearing this. So the people in Yanzi Mountain were not the masterminds, but just pawns acting on behalf of others. Would Xia Yunting be alright?
She came back to her senses and noticed Chu Qingze staring intently at her, as if trying to see something on her face.
"I think you look familiar."
"That's right." Rong Zhi smiled and wiped away the makeup on her face.
"It's me, Lin Mo."
"You!" Chu Qingze's voice instantly rose. He pointed at Rong Zhi, unsure of what to say for a moment.
"Why did you impersonate the Valley Master of Medicine King Valley?"
"Of course, it was to extract information from you. Hey, don't spread the word. You are now a disciple of Medicine King Valley who was lost outside. Medicine King Valley now belongs to the imperial court. All disciples must stay in Medicine King Valley and wait to treat officials and nobles. You, however, escaped privately, making you a traitor to Medicine King Valley. Be careful not to be captured and dismembered."
"I..." Chu Qingze was both angry and annoyed. How could he have been fooled just now?
Then he thought again and felt something was wrong.
"If you are not from Medicine King Valley, how do you know the rules of Medicine King Valley?"
"Tch, that kind of thing can be easily inquired about with a little money in the martial arts world. Do you think Medicine King Valley today is still as impenetrable as it was back then?"
"You mean..."
"Traitors have long since let everything out."