Luo Muchen's body trembled slightly, his cheeks flushing red. He quickly moved away from Gu Qianying.
"Miss Gu, men and women should not touch each other. Please conduct yourself with propriety!"
The two stood facing each other, separated by a table.
As the wind blew, Gu Qianying used her internal energy to flick a signed confession onto Luo Muchen's hand.
"Take a good look at the Prince of Rong you serve, Nangong Cong. What kind of person is he?"
In Luo Muchen's hand was a signed confession.
This was left by the eunuch Gao Yi before he was flayed.
The confession was still stained with a little blood. The writing, like ants crawling, was dense. Although messy, it was still legible.
Upon seeing the writing on the confession, Luo Muchen's eyes widened in shock: "Is what's confessed here true?"
"What do you think?"
"Miss Gu, do you know the penalty for falsely accusing a prince?"
Gu Qianying sat opposite Luo Muchen, her slender fingers playing with a teacup. She took a sip of tea, put down the cup, and looked up at Luo Muchen, her gaze suddenly turning cold: "Young Master Luo, do you think if this sect leader wanted to flatten the entire capital, or storm the palace to kill that dog prince Nangong Cong, I would need to go to such lengths?"
Luo Muchen looked at Gu Qianying without speaking.
Gu Qianying stood up, placed her hands on the table, leaned forward, and slowly approached Luo Muchen: "Young Master Luo, I, Gu Qianying, disdain to frame others. If others harm me, I will simply kill them!"
"In that case, why are you meeting me here today, Miss Gu?"
Sensing Gu Qianying's serious expression, Luo Muchen believed her words.
Having believed her, he could also guess that Gu Qianying's meeting with him today was not just for a competition.
"Take me into the palace, using the guise of winning the medical competition."
Gu Qianying stated her purpose directly.
"But... we haven't competed yet..."
Luo Muchen was accustomed to adhering to rules and did not wish to break them at any time.
"That's easy. We can just compete."
Gu Qianying was decisive. As soon as Luo Muchen agreed, she immediately put on her human-skin mask again and, under the watchful eyes of the many disciples of the Poisonous Doctor's Sacred Hall and the onlookers, she and Luo Muchen engaged in a fierce competition under the name "Duan Xifeng."
During the competition, they bypassed the simplest stages, opting to develop unique prescriptions as their primary challenge.
"Young Master Duan, this medicine is called 'One Medicine Solves All Poisons.' Take fifteen grams each of Jin Suo Shi and Du Xing Qian Li, and it can resolve all poisons."
Luo Muchen took out the pills he had prepared and approached Gu Qianying.
At this moment, Gu Qianying was wearing men's robes and her features were disguised.
No one could have imagined that the eldest daughter of the Gu family, Gu Qianying, would appear here.
Luo Muchen's words startled everyone present, especially those studying medicine who looked at the pills placed on the table with even greater admiration.
"The Divine Doctor's work is truly extraordinary!"
"Yes, yes. A medicine that resolves all poisons, such a precious pill. Whoever possesses it has saved a life!"
Exclamations and praises continued to rise from the crowd.
Gu Qianying looked at Luo Muchen, who seemed to be bathed in a thousand rays of light.
Staring at his face, she was momentarily stunned.
In her vague memories, the contours of that man's features were very similar to the person before her.
Luo Muchen, what was his relationship to her?
"Young Master Duan? What's wrong?"
Seeing Gu Qianying lost in thought, Luo Muchen called out to her twice.
Gu Qianying snapped back to attention: "Nothing, continue..."
"Continue?"
Luo Muchen looked at Gu Qianying.
Continue what?
From their previous conversation, they had reached an agreement.
And in their conversation, he had gained a different understanding of Gu Qianying, who was known as the "female demon" in the outside world.
She was not as terrifying as the common people described. She had a sound moral compass, acted decisively, was intelligent, and never killed innocents.
Such a person was the extreme opposite of the "female demon who killed without blinking."
Looking at Gu Qianying's plain, disguised face, Luo Muchen was also lost in thought.
For some reason... he suddenly felt a sense of familiarity between himself and the person before him.
"Continue speaking, Young Master Luo. Has anyone told you that your voice is very pleasant?"
She suddenly stood up, walked towards Luo Muchen, and leaned in to whisper in his ear.
Like a fine hair brushing against her face, a ticklish warmth stirred in his heart, creating ripples.
Luo Muchen's cheeks flushed red once more.
"Rhinoceros horn, musk, pearls, cinnabar, realgar, and coptis chinensis, fifteen grams each. Additionally, eleven herbs including gardenia, turmeric, and borneol, three grams each. This pill is called 'Hui Shen Wan.' It can prolong life and bring the dying back to life."
Her slender fingers placed the pills in her hand onto a jade plate on the table.
Then, she turned to the crowd: "A substance that resolves all poisons, prolongs life, and brings the dead back to life. Which of these two would you choose?"
Upon hearing this.
A commotion erupted in the crowd. Some shouted for the life-prolonging pills, while others shouted for the all-poison-resolving pills. Half the crowd wanted one, and half wanted the other.
At this moment, the final judge, a white-haired elder nearing fifty who had retired, stepped forward.
This person was named Xue Jing, a renowned physician of the current era, known to the world as the "Medical Sage."
Although Elder Xue had "returned to his fields and shed his armor," remaining detached from worldly affairs, Luo Muchen had repeatedly invited him to participate in the Poisonous Doctor's Sacred Hall competition.
Looking at the pills prepared on the two jade plates.
Elder Xue stroked his beard and turned to Gu Qianying, asking a question: "People often encounter killings, curses, and poisons. When encountering poison, there is no medicine, no substance, and no food. In such a situation, how would this young gentleman treat the patient?"
As Elder Xue faced Gu Qianying, she quickly stood up, her expression serious. She held great reverence for elderly individuals with profound medical skills like Elder Xue.
"There are many detoxification acupoints on the human body. Acupuncture at the acupoints, or manual massage, or incisions with a sharp knife. The Yongquan acupoint can be used for acupuncture or massage. The knife entering the blood can detoxify the kidneys. The Taichong acupoint can detoxify the liver. The Shangqiu acupoint can detoxify the spleen. The Shaofu acupoint can detoxify the heart."
"In addition, Hegu, Jiquan, Yinlingquan, Zusanli, Chengshan, Fenglong, Quchi, Yingxiang, and others are all detoxification acupoints of the human body."
"For mild cases, bloodletting with acupuncture can detoxify them. For severe cases, acupoint detoxification is only temporary. External forces and external medicines are still needed to detoxify them."
"Hmm, good, very good."
Elder Xue stroked his beard with satisfaction.
"Xu Zhicai said, what are the ten types of medicine?"
"Dispelling, unblocking, tonifying, purging, light, heavy, astringent, slippery, dry, and moist, are the ten types."
"Hmm, not bad. Then, this old man will ask you again... what do the five flavors' restrictions and preferences refer to?"
"The restrictions of the five flavors are: wood generates sour, fire generates bitter, earth generates sweet, metal generates pungent, and water generates salty. Pungent disperses, sour constricts, sweet moderates, bitter solidifies, and salty softens. Five grains nourish, five fruits assist, five meats benefit, and five vegetables supplement. When the qi and flavors are combined and consumed, they replenish essence and boost qi."
"Furthermore... the preferences of the five flavors, the five flavors enter the stomach and each return to their preferred organ. Sour first enters the liver, bitter first enters the heart, sweet first enters the spleen, pungent first enters the lungs, and salty first enters the kidneys. Over time, they increase qi. The constant transformation of things, the increase of qi over time, leads to premature death!"
Gu Qianying's words were concise. No matter what Elder Xue asked, she answered fluently.
From the moment she began competing with Luo Muchen, Elder Xue's attitude towards her began to change.
From previously remaining silent and ignoring her, he gradually became satisfied with her, with a hint of excitement that he himself did not notice.
"What this young gentleman says is very correct."
With that, Elder Xue turned to face Luo Muchen: "Muchen, your medical skills were taught by me, and as your master, I know your skills best." As he spoke, Elder Xue pointed to Gu Qianying standing beside them: "This young gentleman's medical skills surpass yours, and in today's competition of preparing pills, she has surpassed you."
"People who fall ill seek treatment, spend money, or search for divine medicine. They can satisfy one or both of these conditions, but only those with the means can do so. However, setting aside all factors, for the powerless and impoverished common people, how many have the ability to enter this Poisonous Doctor's Sacred Hall to seek successful treatment for their sick family members?"
He did not dwell on medical skills, but rather informed Luo Muchen of the current situation.
As if a single sentence had awakened him from a dream, Luo Muchen instantly understood the true meaning of Elder Xue's words.
"Master, your disciple understands."
Luo Muchen bowed to Elder Xue, his words respectful.
Then, he looked at Gu Qianying and performed a gentleman's bow: "Young Master Duan, I have lost this competition."
The scene erupted in gasps, everyone astonished.
For the renowned "Divine Doctor" Luo Muchen to utter the words "I concede."
The crowd could not help but feel a different kind of admiration for Gu Qianying.
Especially those present who studied medicine, they admired this elegant "Young Master Duan" even more.
Applause continued to rise.
Gu Qianying, under the name "Duan Xifeng," became the one who defeated the Divine Doctor Luo Muchen, and this news quickly spread through the streets and alleys.
The common people soon gave her the moniker "Little Medical Sage."
The palace also soon received news of the "Little Medical Sage" defeating the Divine Doctor.
It was a foregone conclusion that "Duan Xifeng" could enter the palace with Luo Muchen and become an imperial physician.
The medical competition at the Poisonous Doctor's Sacred Hall thus concluded.
Those participants who performed outstandingly in the medical competition were also arranged into good physician positions through Luo Muchen's recommendation.
After the competition, the crowd gradually dispersed.
Elder Xue, due to poor health, had left early.
When there were fewer people, Gu Qianying walked towards Luo Muchen, and they stood face to face, with not many people around.
"We said before, if I won, you would pledge yourself to me. How about it, do you want to marry me?"
A gentle breeze brushed across her face. Gu Qianying, wearing men's robes and white clothing, had her hair blown by the wind.
She stood with her back to the light, the faint sunlight covering her, as if gilded, shining brightly.
Luo Muchen stood frozen on the spot. At this moment, the subtle noises of the surroundings seemed to fade away entirely.
In his clear and gentle eyes, there was only the person opposite him, her figure alone.
"You... what did you say?"
Due to the immense shock, even the usually steady Luo Muchen did not realize that his voice was trembling.
Although wearing a human-skin mask and men's robes, disguised as someone else.
Gu Qianying knew very well that Luo Muchen knew that the person standing before him was her.
"Do you want to marry me?"
Her voice suddenly grew louder.
A smile that was not quite a smile played on her lips.
Gu Qianying met Luo Muchen's gaze. At this moment, her eyes also held no one else but Luo Muchen alone...
Suddenly, an arrow flew from behind with the wind...