"Ah, no good!"
Seeing Ji Cheng's speechless expression, Ji Feng smacked his lips and said, "If it's no good, let's go up!"
Although Feng Luan was his senior martial uncle's disciple, she hadn't officially joined the valley. The Qing generation, despite being the younger ones, would be quite embarrassing if they were all wiped out.
Feng Luan, after all, was of the Ji generation. It wouldn't be shameful for them to go.
Ji Cheng looked at Ji Feng. He wasn't concerned about tomorrow's assessment. While his master was displeased with Feng Luan's involvement in court disputes, it was ultimately to test her skill, not to deliberately make things difficult. What if the Qing generation was wiped out? It was just an internal competition. If medical practitioners only cared about winning, losing, and reputation, then they shouldn't study medicine at all!
He frowned, mindful of Qing Zhu's presence, and didn't speak too harshly, "Ji Feng, you're taking my 'Myriad Herbs Collection' to disciples who are not yet skilled and cannot study it. That's not a good thing for them. I agreed to answer their questions only because I feared they might swallow information whole and plant future troubles. This does not mean I approve of your actions."
"That's just an internal assessment. Even if the Qing generation is less skilled, so what? If you can't break her sharpness, then accept her excellence. How many years have you, I, and the other Ji generation disciples studied medicine? How many years has Feng Luan studied with Senior Martial Uncle? If we step in and win, do you think it would be glorious? And if we lose..."
Ji Cheng didn't finish his sentence. Losing would truly bring shame to their master.
"Lose?"
"Ha, Senior Martial Brother, are you joking?"
Ji Feng's head drooped lower with Ji Cheng's scolding, but upon hearing the last sentence, his head shot up. It was one thing for the Qing generation to be less skilled, but for their Ji generation to lose? It was utterly ridiculous.
Ji Cheng remained silent. Ever since Qing Zhu mentioned the "needle flicking technique," he had no confidence in being able to defeat Feng Luan. That person was likely even more monstrous than any of them had anticipated.
They say geniuses are rare in a hundred years, and monstrous talents even rarer in a thousand. Their Medicine King Valley had produced two, one after another.
Senior Martial Uncle and his disciple.
"Senior Martial Brother, I think..."
Ji Cheng's hand rested on the desk, his fingers tapping lightly. His brows furrowed, and Ji Feng suddenly shut his mouth, swallowing the rest of his words.
"Are you very idle?"
"I..."
"If you're so idle, go harvest the mature herbs in the herb fields."
"No..."
"Still not going?"
Ji Feng's mouth opened and closed, then opened and closed again, but he couldn't utter a complete sentence. Under Ji Cheng's oppressive gaze, he shrunk his neck and ultimately chose to retreat, heading to the herb fields to gather them.
...
The mountain air was fresh and pleasant, even with the heavy mist in the mornings and evenings.
Nan Shiying pushed open her window. The morning light pierced through the fog, as if shrouding the air in a beautiful and noble thin veil, bathing everything in hazy light and shadow. The distant mountains and the nearby scenery complemented each other. Nan Shiying took a deep breath, the cool air filling her lungs and circulating, instantly waking her up.
The door to the next room opened, and Old Poison stepped out. He saw Nan Shiying standing by the window.
Striking a pose so early in the morning!
He tutted and called for someone to go eat breakfast.
Today was the day of the unified assessment for the Qing generation. Early in the morning, disciples appeared on various peaks, eating steamed buns while clutching medical books, unwilling to waste even a second.
Only on the second peak.
It was truly deserted, truly given up on.