Genius Doctor: Black Belly Miss

Chapter 241 - 260

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Chapter 241:- All For You (3)

"It's no use staring at me, I wouldn't have betrayed the Qing Yun Clan, but you guys are really not a match for Jun Wu Xie." Bai Yun Xian hesitated a moment, before she decided that Qin Yu Yan was doomed anyway, and there was no need to hide anymore. She then revealed the truth: "Actually, the poison that inflicted Mo Xuan Fei was Jun Wu Xie's doing, and she had forced the same poison onto me. I had intentionally led all of you to give Mo Xuan Fei a diagnosis to see whether you or Jiang Chen Qing would be able to counter the poison. If either of you had been able to do it, I would have told you the truth then."

"But both of you had disappointed me then, when both of did not even manage to detect the cause. How could I have told you anything then? Senior, haven't you always prided yourself on your exemplary skills in medicine? How could you be stumped so completely by a poison concocted by a little young lass?" Bai Yun Xian felt relieved as she got everything off her chest and managed to smile.

The law of the jungle also meant every man for himself to Bai Yun Xian.

She was only trying to keep herself alive.

Even the high and mighty Qin Yu Yan had fallen so hard before Jun Wu Xie, and it brought Bai Yun Xian a twisted sense of satisfaction, but on the other hand, her fear of Jun Wu Xie had intensified.

Equipped with medical skills that the Qing Yun Clan could only dream of acquiring, and having mighty experts of unfathomable strength beside her, Bai Yun Xian would not dare to go against Jun Wu Xie ever again even if she had a hundred lives. She only wished to live, and did not dare harbour any hatred.

Qin Yu Yan could not speak as the pain overcame her, and only managed to stare with hate filled eyes at Bai Yun Xian, wishing she could swallow her up whole!

"S..... lut....." Trying with all her might, she managed to spit out a single syllable to curse, but at the cost of vomiting out blood that splattered on the floor.

"Senior, I would advise you to conserve your strength, as Jun Wu Xie will not allow you to die so easily. I saw the poison she poured into your mouth, it was all made by your own hands wasn't it? You should know their effects better than anyone. As long as no one moves you, you will not die from it even after days of its agonizing torment. Jun Wu Xie might be young, but her schemes and brains were the best I have ever seen. Did you not wonder why the Qi Kingdom suddenly had a change of their rulership? It was achieved through the scheme of Jun Wu Xie, who had single handedly plotted it. The former ruler of the Qi Kingdom, is currently still locked in the Imperial Dungeon suffering a fate worse than death. And you had confronted her assuming she was just another ordinary teen. How naive." Bai Yun Xian could not help but mock the helpless Qin Yu Yan thrashing upon the ground.

For all those times she had been toyed and suppressed in the Qing Yun Clan by Qin Yu Yan in the past, Bai Yun Xian finally got the chance to give vent here in Qi.

Although twisted, her feeble mocking as her form of vengeance upon Qin Yu Yan, brought Bai Yun Xian a sense of satisfaction.

Qin Yu Yan wanted nothing more than to kill the traitorous Bai Yun Xian, but after hearing Bai Yun Xian's words, fear crept into her heart.

The poison that she had concocted herself, would indeed not kill her within the next few days, but the unbearable torment that came with it was truly a fate worse than death.

The last thing she would have expected, was that her own poison that she had meticulously crafted to inflict the most torturous agony, would one day be used upon herself.

Bai Yun Xian was right, and she knew it better than anyone else.

Jun Wu Xie had not killed her then, but it was not mercy that stayed her hand, but her vicious intention to inflict the most agonizing pain, and to prolong the torment through days before she can fall into the sweet embrace of death.

By now, death, to Qin Yu Yan, was an indulgence!

"Yun..... Xian..... k..... kill..... me....." Tears fell from her eyes as blood spurted out from her mouth.

Bai Yun Xian looked at her with disdain, and patted Qin Yu Yan on her sleeve: "Senior, you should revel in your own work. Have you not realised? This is Jun Wu Xie's way of payback on Mo Qian Yuan's behalf." She sighed at the foolishness of Qin Yu Yan.....

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Chapter 242:- Revival (1)

The black beast carried Mo Qian Yuan upon its back and followed Jun Wu Xie to Mo Qian Yuan's living chambers in the Imperial Palace. The guards and palace maids saw Jun Wu Xie approach and they all backed off in retreat to allow her passage. They could only crane their neck and observe silently after the queer entourage passed them and entered the chambers.

Mo Qian Yuan's injuries were severe, it wasn't just the poison within, but also the various wounds, big and small, that threatened to end his life. It was a rather sticky situation, even for her prodigious skills.

Jun Wu Xie got Drunk Lotus to transfer Mo Qian Yuan to the bed and immediately removed several bottles of elixirs and medicine from her body. Next, she held her silver needles and applied acupuncture quickly and skillfully on various major acupressure points on Mo Qian Yuan at once.

Dark red blood that was almost black flowed out from Mo Qian Yuan and dripped off the silver needles. Without hesitation, Jun Wu Xie then pushed three elixirs in Mo Qian Yuan's mouth and helped him to ingest them before she started to tend to the numerous external wounds.

Jun Wu Yao stood smilingly, with his arms crossed before his chest, as he observed Jun Wu Xie's quick hands and mind while she laboured endlessly to save a life.

"Meow."

[Mistress, the dumb Emperor is really gravely injured.]

The black beast who had carried Mo Qian Yuan all the way to the living chambers licked at its paws. It had felt that Mo Qian Yuan's breathes were very shallow and weak, and he looked very much on the verge of death.

His bones had been broken in many places, and many of his arteries and veins were blocked. Most of his organs were starting to fail and his untreated wounds were beginning to fester and inflame. All these had brought about a high fever and signs of dehydration were starting to surface. On top of all this, was the lethal poison attacking Mo Qian Yuan from the inside. He would not last much longer if he was not treated immediately.

"Meowww?"

[You're still going to save him? Even if it's you, I think it will still require a great amount of effort. Why don't we just push another Emperor to ascend to the throne?]

Jun Wu Xie frowned and ignored the black beast ramblings.

But the black beasts words had made her eyes turn more chilly.

If not for the Qing Yun Clan's completely merciless and vicious methods, she wouldn't have such a big headache now.

The former Emperor had stifled and schemed against Mo Qian Yuan from a young age, and he was given Jade Nectar tinged with Wheat Night Flower over a long period which had severely weakened Mo Qian Yuan's body foundation. If not for Jun Wu Xie prior selfless generosity with her countless divine elixirs, and even feeding him the Snow Lotus's seeds that built up his strength, Mo Qian Yuan would not have lasted till she got there this time. But, even if a healthy grown man had undergone the same torment under the hands of the Qing Yun Clan, he would not be far from death either.

"This guy here, seems to attract calamities and disaster." Drunk Lotus leaned against the bed and looked at the sorry looking Mo Qian Yuan, thinking that his life had been one sad story. Even a person as savage as Drunk Lotus, could not help but feel a tinge of pity for him.

His biological father had killed Mo Qian Yuan's mother and massacred the maternal side of his family, and the accursed father had then colluded with Mo Qian Yuan's step brother to poison him. He suffered untold hardships before he fortunately met Jun Wu Xie. His bad fortune had barely just turned when he ascended to the throne, and the insidious Qing Yun Clan came..... Could he be cursed?

"Zip it." Jun Wu Xie chided. Mo Qian Yuan's injuries were very severe and she had a lot on her hands. She did not need a flower's or a beast's incessant chattering around.

If time had permitted her to, she would have jabbed them on their mute acupressure point.

The black beast and Drunk Lotus quietened down and watched Jun Wu Xie work. It seemed that Jun Wu Xie was determined to save Mo Qian Yuan.

Jun Wu Xie did not stop tending to Mo Qian Yuan, as though the gods had imbued their strength in her, her pair of snowy white hands moved with speed and skill, and the silver needles flew and weaved in the air.

First, purge the poison within, and use blood replenishing elixirs for his loss of blood, coupled with warm water to hydrate the body, and stabilise his vitalities. Thereafter, repair and mend the veins, arteries and broken bones. Leave the external wounds alone for now and push that task to the last.....

The whole procedure and process of the treatment, formed up in her mind, in seconds.....

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Chapter 243:- Revival (2)

The revival proceeded systematically and thoroughly, just as Jun Wu Xie had done in her previous life in her countless battles with Death himself. At that moment, Jun Wu Xie's mind, could afford nothing else but calm.

Purging the poison gradually through the letting out of blood, Jun Wu Xie watched intently with her cold eyes and timed it meticulously to feed Mo Qian Yuan with a blood replenishing elixir, mixed with a little warm water to aid absorption. With Mo Qian Yuan's severely weakened condition, Jun Wu Xie was careful not to overcompensate with the replenishment of blood, to avoid the slowed down functions of the body in its current weakened state being unable to tolerate any overindulgent replenishment, which will instead result in spreading the poison deeper with the increased blood flow.

The poison tinged blood within Mo Qian Yuan was slowly purged as it dripped from the needles. The bed sheets under him had turned a dark shade of red, and a pungent smell permeated the air.

When the blood that dripped from the silver needles was noticed to have turned a brighter shade of red, Jun Wu Xie began to feed larger quantities of the blood replenishing elixirs, but maintained Mo Qian Yuan's intake of water, and was to be fed to him intermittently.

Mo Qian Yuan had been motionless on the bed, and his bones which were broken in numerous places did not allow him to be moved much. After Jun Wu Xie stabilised the condition and restored the functions of his various organs, she started immediately on the severed tendons of Mo Qian Yuan's limbs. The cuts had reached to the bone and was visible through the ghastly open wound. Jun Wu Xie slipped a silver needle into her hands and threaded a line finer than hair through it. The line was so fine that it appeared translucent, and Jun Wu Xie's hands worked her magic as they weaved through the air, sewing the tendons back together.

That was the first time Drunk Lotus had seen someone who was capable of sewing together severed tendons. His eyes widened, as he watched in amazement, at the unfathomable medical skills his own Mistress possessed.

Jun Wu Xie's hands moved quickly and steadily and the tendons were speedily sewn together. She changed to a different needle next and worked on the flesh wounds.

Seeing Jun Wu Xie work, Mo Qian Yuan, a real live human, seemed to have been turned into a rag doll. Sew and patch, a simple procedure, but it gradually brought life back to Mo Qian Yuan who had been teetering at Death's door.

First the organs, next the arteries and veins, then the broken bones.

After Jun Wu Xie had sewn up all the wounds on Mo Qian Yuan, she heaped a quick healing salve generously over them to soothe and close the wounds. The frightful red bloody wounds visibly reduced in swelling and soreness quickly as Jun Wu Xie proceeded to aggressively secure splints all over Mo Qian Yuan's body, to allow the bones which had all been properly aligned to heal and mend properly.

It had taken her half a day, and Jun Wu Xie had fought tooth and nail against the persistent death that had hovered over Mo Qian Yuan every second. The sun peeked from behind the western peaks before Jun Wu Xie finally stepped away from the bed.

And looking at Mo Qian Yuan, although he was still rather pale, but his breathing had grown stronger. But he was practically bandaged from head to toe and the tightly bound splints were secured all over his body which still made for a pitiful sight.

"Call in the guards at the door." Jun Wu Xie's said with a rather pale face as she threw herself carelessly into a chair at the side. Her bottom had just touched the seat when a teacup overflowing with an aromatic fragrance appeared before her eyes.

She raised her head slightly, and looked into the bemused eyes of Jun Wu Yao. She stiffly accepted the proffered tea from Jun Wu Yao and lowered her head to take a sip, to moisten her dry parched throat.

Jun Wu Xie felt she had not taken that long to revive Mo Qian Yuan. In her previous life, she had ever stood three whole days at the operating table without any shuteye over consecutive surgeries, and she had needed to be carried out of the operating theatre.

When she embarks on treatment, her body forgets lethargy. As long as she stood before the target she decides to save, she transforms into an eerily calm and composed, unfeeling healing machine.

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Chapter 244:- Revival (3)

Drunk Lotus immediately fetched the two palace guards that stood outside the doors into the chambers. The moment they stepped inside, they were shocked as the heavy pungent smell of blood assaulted them. They had seen the black beast carry the terribly injured Emperor into the chambers upon its back. And when they smelled the blood, their minds had blanked out, afraid to carry on along that trail of thought.

"For the next two days, take good care of the Emperor. Let him drink a cup of warm water every hour....." Jun Wu Xie placed a few bottles of elixir bottles on the table and gave very specific instructions on how each and every one was to be administered. Mo Qian Yuan's condition had already stabilised and he was currently still unconscious. Hence, he will need people with him to cater to his needs.

And Jun Wu Xie had decided she would not be the one to do it.

The two palace guards listened haltingly and were hesitant to ask too many questions. They took every word that Jun Wu Xie said and deeply engraved them into their brains, taking utmost care not to forget a single thing.

After she had left her instructions with them, Jun Wu Xie left Mo Qian Yuan's living chambers at once, the overpowering stench of blood, did not sit well with her.

Only after Jun Wu Xie and everyone else had left the Emperor's living chambers, did the two guards make their way to Mo Qian Yuan's bedside. The sight that met their eyes, shocked them so much that they almost stumbled over their own feet when they reeled from the shock.

The Emperor was all wrapped up with bandages and lying on blood soaked sheets. If his chest did not rise and fall as he breathed, the two guards would have assumed the person on the bed to be dead.

In fact, when they had first seen Mo Qian Yuan upon the black beast's back when they had returned, the guards had drawn their own conclusions then. They had thought the Emperor..... The demise of the Emperor was about to happen!

And they were surprised to see that his breathing had gotten so much stronger, and did not look like a person that was about to die. Although he looked rather..... tragic.

The two guards were puzzled. The Young Miss of the Jun Family had only entered with two men whom they were unfamiliar with, and they had not seen Jun Wu Xie summon for any of the Imperial Doctors to come forth to provide any treatments. How did they manage to revive the Emperor, in just half a day?

Could it be..... Among the two strange men, one of them was a miracle physician?

The two guards limited their assumptions only to Jun Wu Yao and Drunk Lotus, and did not even consider in the slightest, that the one who had brought Mo Qian Yuan back to life, was none other than Jun Wu Xie!

Jun Wu Xie had wanted to hurry back to the Lin Palace to have an early rest, but she was just about to walk pass the doors of the Imperial main hall when she saw a group of court officials who had waited outside, look at her with disconcerting eyes.

Those court officials had arrived to attend the morning court, but they were driven out by the Qing Yun Clan delegates who barged into the main hall. They were no match for the Qing Yun Clan, but were worried for the Emperor as well. The only thing they could do was to wait outside the main hall, and pray that their Emperor steps out safely through those doors.

But the wait outside had only made them hear a series of blood curling screams .

When Jun Wu Xie had executed the many lackeys of the former Emperor before the Imperial Palace gates, she had cleansed the Qi Kingdom of about half the number of their court officials in court. Those that remained had consisted mainly of officials that were genuinely loyal to the Qi Kingdom. After Mo Qian Yuan ascended the throne, he abolished the privilege of nobility in holding official posts and widely accepted talents from humble backgrounds. Many capable young officials who were previously ostracised due to their lowly births were promoted as well and Mo Qian Yuan won their undying loyalty and unwavering support. These people were now gathered here outside the main hall.

As they stood outside the main hall, they had heard clearly the cries of their beloved ruler, heard the unbridled arrogance of the Qing Yun Clan, and wish they could take the place of their monarch.

Their hatred for the Qing Yun Clan had them seething, but they had been helpless and their inability had cut at their hearts as the screams continued.

And Jun Wu Xie's arrival had turned things around, saving them from their despair.

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Chapter 245:- Awkward (1)

They had earlier seen the group led by Jun Wu Xie bursting into the Imperial main hall and watched them kill the Qing Yun Clan delegates one after another, and the officials had all stood gaping, in awe of Jun Wu Xie.

When Jun Wu Xie was passing the doors of the main hall enroute to the Lin Palace, an old man with a head of white hair stepped up to her and stared intensely at Jun Wu Xie.

Jun Wu Xie frowned, and stopped in her tracks. She recognized the old man. Including Mo Qian Yuan's generation, he had already served three generations of the Imperial Family of the Qi Kingdom. He had been mediocre, and did not strive nor contest, and had been single mindedly upright. That was the reason he had held a mediocre rank that was neither high nor low, even after having served three generations of the Imperial Family. Mo Qian Yuan had considered the old man's long service and undying loyalty to the Imperial Family and promoted him when he ascended the throne, or he would still have remained a leisurely minor administrative official.

The old man did not possess great capabilities, but his age and his long history in court had won him quite a bit of respect in the Imperial court. He was not known to be tactful with his words and even Mo Qian Yuan had choked on his blunt speech several times in court.

The old man was currently approaching Jun Wu Xie. Currently, she was too tired and was not prepared to hear his nagging.

But before Jun Wu Xie could show her impatience with the situation, the old official had sunk to his knees suddenly before her. His sudden action had taken Jun Wu Xie by surprise.

After the old man knelt before her, the group of officials behind him all knelt in uniform.

When Jun Wu Xie had carried out her massacre before the Imperial Palace gates earlier, although her actions had been rational and she had a good reason to do it, many officials in the Qi Kingdom had felt a little uncomfortable with her. Even after Mo Qian Yuan's ascension to the throne, they still felt that the Young Miss of the Lin Palace had been too vicious and was not someone easy to get along with.

Today's events had changed their minds totally, and they saw the good intentions of Jun Wu Xie.

If Jun Wu Xie had not been vicious and merciless, the Qing Yun Clan would have thrashed the prestige and reputation of the Qi Kingdom.

For these officials who always preached on morals and ethics, they could only stand outside the main hall helpless, while they were forced to watch their beloved ruler thus trampled and tortured. The shame had been almost too much for them to take.

The kingdom might be small, but its spirit must grow.

If the Qing Yun Clan had been allowed to carry on with their atrocities, Mo Qian Yuan would not have survived the attack. If the pillar of the kingdom was to be broken, they would not be able to face their ancestors.

The officials knelt before Jun Wu Xie, disregarding their ranks and positions, and thanked Jun Wu Xie in the only way that they knew.

They realised being vicious had it good points as well, as that might be just what the Qi Kingdom had been lacking, and remained a tiny and inconspicuous kingdom.

Jun Wu Xie hesitated a moment, before she understood their intentions. She frowned as she looked upon the officials and said: "I only did what I had to do, there is no need to thank me." She quickly turned away and left, ignoring the officials behind her.

Jun Wu Yao glanced at the group of officials and quickened his steps to catch up to Jun Wu Xie and his sharp eyes caught something really interesting to him.

The cute little ears on Jun Wu Xie, who had walked off in a hurry, had turned suspiciously red.

Having noticed that on Jun Wu Xie, Jun Wu Yao thought his little darling was just too cute. Her personality just did not know how to respond to a whole bunch of senior officials who were as old as her grandfather, who showed their gratitude in such an overwhelming manner.

She was not very honest with herself and her bright red ears had betrayed her inner feelings. How adorable was she? His lips curled up as he followed her from behind.

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Chapter 246:- Awkward (2)

Jun Wu Xie hurried back to the Lin Palace, where Jun Xian and Jun Qing had been waiting anxiously. They sighed in relief when Jun Wu Xie stepped in and Jun Qing had wanted to go up to her and ask about the situation at the Imperial Palace when Jun Xian held him back by the wrist, and said to Jun Wu Xie instead: "It's getting late, go wash up and get some rest. Everything else can wait till tomorrow."

Jun Wu Xie hesitated before she nodded silently. She hated looking like such a mess and all she wanted now was to go soak herself in a comforting warm bath and rid herself thoroughly of the blood and it's awful stench.

"Father....." Jun Qing looked at Jun Xian in puzzlement.

Jun Xian shook his head slightly and said: "Didn't you see how exhausted she looked?"

Jun Qing thought back and realised that Jun Wu Xie had looked to be fine, but her face had been rather pale.

"Poor child, she must have strained herself. Since she returned safely, things at the Imperial Palace should be fine now. Let her rest up first. We can ask her tomorrow." Jun Xian sighed heavily. A young girl of fourteen, should be the age when she could enjoy her youth without a care in the world, but Jun Wu Xie did not have the chance to do that.

He had been comforted by his granddaughter's maturity and strength, but Jun Xian's heart ached when he saw how Jun Wu Xie laboured.

"I have been too anxious, I get the servants to prepare some warm food and send them to Wu Xie." Jun Qing realised he had been insensitive and left to get the servants.

When Jun Wu Xie got back to her room, the bath was already drawn and ready. She slipped out of her clothes and soaked blissfully into the comforting warm water, and her tensed muscles all over her body finally relaxed.

She had just broken through her ring spirit to the orange level, before she waded through two consecutive battles, and worked tirelessly on a severely injured..... The day's events had really tired her out good.....

The black beast morphed back into it's little black cat form and deftly pulled out a robe from the wardrobe with its tiny mouth and slung it over the screen. Drunk Lotus had wanted to go in but was thwarted by the little cat. He had finished the Jade Moon and the intoxicating effects of the alcohol was fading and he turned back into Little Lotus. At the sight of little black cat's drawn sharp claws, he tottered sobbing over to the lotus pond to soak himself in misery by his own lonesome self.

The little black cat then turned around to talk to Jun Wu Xie, but to its dismay, it's eyes were confronted by the towering form of Jun Wu Yao standing at the doorway to the bath and it froze in midstep.

Jun Wu Yao walked soundlessly over to the wooden tub and looked at Jun Wu Xie who laid within, her eyes closed. The corners of his mouth raised as he stood behind the tub and his long slender fingers closed over the soft shoulders of Jun Wu Xie, and kneaded gently on the knots within the tense muscles on her shoulders.

It could have been because of the trials throughout the day, or the release of tension from Jun Wu Yao's comforting massage, but Jun Wu Xie slipped defenseless into a deep slumber within the warm water that covered her in the tub, her head slumped on one side, resting on the hand of Jun Wu Yao.

The fragrance of the bath water and the misty air formed from the warmth in the room wafted around the nose of Jun Wu Yao as he breathed deeply and his hands kneaded the soft skin of Jun Wu Xie's shoulders, and it spread a warmth that enveloped his heart that made it beat a little faster.

The little black cat stared in trepidation upon the back of Jun Wu Yao, unable to decide whether to move or remain still.

Helplessly, it made up its mind, determined and with unwavering conviction. If Jun Wu Yao was to make any of his obnoxious moves, to defend the innocence of its mistress, it will..... will..... definitely wake its mistress up!!

But to its relief, the little cat's obnoxious scenes that went through its mind did not come into being. Jun Wu Yao had noticed that the temperature of the bath water had dropped and tugged at the robe slung upon the screen. He had lifted Jun Wu Xie with a single hand out of the tub and carefully wrapped the robe around her, before carrying her over and setting her down gently onto her soft bed.

And there had been no further advances made after that.

The little black cat's tensed nerves relaxed and hid under the table in shame when it realised its own imagined thoughts had been only its own.

The little black cat brushed them all away and thought seriously. Had the devil himself changed? A devil that became such a gentleman?

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Chapter 247:- Unspoken Intentions (1)

Early the next morning, Jun Wu Xie woke up to find herself wrapped up snugly in a robe that had kept her warm throughout the night, while searching her mind in futility for any memory of having climbed into bed.

During breakfast, the Jun Family of three generations had sat together at the table, but Jun Wu Yao had as usual made a short appearance and disappeared again.

Over breakfast, Jun Wu Xie had related yesterday's events at the Imperial Palace simply to the Jun father and son, and when she finished, she had not reacted to their astounded faces and had proceeded to lower her head and sip at her cup of tea.

"Did you say that His Majesty is currently still bedridden and immobile in the Imperial Palace? And you had just left Qin Yu Yan in the Imperial main hall?" Jun Qing almost had a seizure at the methods his beloved niece had employed and at the callous way she had treated the Emperor of Qi! He knew deep down that Mo Qian Yuan, who was the ruler of the kingdom, did not put up any pretentious fronts with Jun Wu Xie, but at such a time when his life was at risk, Jun Wu Xie had abandoned the Emperor as he laid barely alive in his chambers without even summoning for a single Imperial Doctor and just carelessly thrown the responsibility of caring for the Emperor to two palace guards. That was done a little too..... haphazardly, isn't it?

And as for the Eldest Miss of the Qing Yun Clan, Jun Wu Xie had brazenly just left her locked in the Imperial main hall. Mo Qian Yuan might not be able to attend court, but that was just too reckless.

Jun Wu Xie did not see that she had done anything inappropriate.

"Mo Qian Yuan will live, and Qin Yu Yan will not die in the next few days." Jun Wu Xie assured her uncle.

"........." Jun Qing threw up his hands in surrender.

"Till when do you intend to keep Qin Yu Yan there? You can't seal the Imperial Court forever right?"

"I will make Bai Yun Xian throw her into the dungeons later today." There was an Emperor in there anyway, an additional Miss would not make much of a difference. As she sipped the last of her tea, Jun Wu Xie finally felt ready to discuss in detail with her grandfather and uncle.

"Qin Yu Yan will die soon, so do not worry for the dead. There is another matter, that I need to talk to both of you about."

Jun Xian and Jun Qing exchanged a tired knowing glance and waited for Jun Wu Xie to go on.

"I intend to go to the Qing Yun Clan." Jun Wu Xie said those shockingly disturbing words calmly.

"WHAT?"

"PREPOSTEROUS!"

Watching the looks of disapproval on the two people closest to her, Jun Wu Xie bit on her lip, thinking how she can explain the rationale behind the trip.

For what the Qing Yun Clan had put the Jun Family through, Jun Wu Xie was not prepared to forgive, and had killed the delegation sent to Qi. But the mastermind was still sitting atop the Qing Yun Clan, oblivious to the fact that his daughter, an Elder, and various disciples had been killed. When the news reaches him, the Qing Yun Clan will declare war on Qi and their tiny kingdom will not be able to stand up to them.

To catch the enemy unprepared, taking advantage of the first strike, or be prepared to receive the full brunt of their retaliation. She did not need Mo Qian Yuan to learn the same lesson again.

Besides that, Jun Wu Xie had another reason to go to the Qing Yun Clan.

It was the Soul Calming Jade!

The Qing Yun Clan having mobilised so much of their resources to get their hands on the Soul Calming Jade must have had a good reason to do so. Little Lotus had recognized the Soul Jade to be the Soul Calming Jade from the spiritual world, but had not been able to provide any further information about it. Jun Wu Xie had the nagging feeling that the Soul Calming Jade could bring her father back to life and that was what gave her the other reason to go to the Qing Yun Clan. To gather more information on the Soul Calming Jade.

She did not intend to reveal the second reason to the Jun Family's father and son. It was just her intuition and she did not want to give them false hope, and subject them to uncalled for despair in the end.

Jun Wu Xie had only told them that they needed to catch their enemies unawares and they had already reacted so strongly. She did not want to imagine their reaction if she had shared her guess on the capabilities of the Soul Calming Jade.

The Jun Family's father and son were aware of what Jun Wu Xie was capable of achieving when she puts her mind to it. But her intention was to the on the Qing Yun Clan! The top and the mightiest clan throughout the lands!

Would she really take down and obliterate Qing Yun Clan from the face of these lands?

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Chapter 248:- Unspoken Intentions (2)

Thinking back on it, Jun Wu Xie's plan was not without its merits. They had killed the delegation from the Qing Yun Clan that had included the daughter of the Qing Yun Clan's Sovereign. If the Qing Yun Clan got wind of it, they would come down hard, raining untold wrath upon the tiny Qi Kingdom.

If they wait till the Qing Yun Clan stirred and commenced their retaliation against Qi, their position would become much more precarious to the dangers that lay ahead.

The Qing Yun Clan's might laid not only in their disciples, but was greatly amplified by the various powers and countries that stood behind them. If the Qing Yun Clan mobilized everything they could, not even tens of Qi Kingdoms could hope to stand against that mightiest of armies.

"Wu Xie, I know you are a very capable girl. But heading off to the Qing Yun Clan is really too big a risk to take." Jun Xian sighed, things keep coming at them one after another, and peace never stayed long enough for them to catch their breaths.

"Rest assured Grandfather, I have thought it through. I will not face them head on, and moreover, my teacher will be with me! He will help me through." Jun Wu Xie had been left with no choice but to bring her made up teacher into the picture which made Jun Xian a little less worried.

"Moreover, there is no way we can avoid them anymore. I'll rather take my chances to strike at them first, without them knowing, than have the Qing Yun Clan find out, and have us persecuted, and we have to run for our lives."

"Wu Xie, this is a grave matter. If anything happens to you, you must not hide it from us." Jun Qing reminded her, his heart full of unease.

Jun Wu Xie nodded in agreement.

The trip to the Qing Yun Clan, would take a few months at least. It would be impossible for her to disappear for months under the watchful eyes of her grandfather and uncle, hence, she had decided to tell them the truth. Making use of her make believe teacher, Jun Wu Xie had convinced them somewhat.

That afternoon, Jun Wu Xie made her way to the Imperial Palace. Qin Yu Yan who had been left in the Imperial main hall had already slipped into semi consciousness and she had looked utterly terrible, the whites of her eyes showing, and convulsions racked her body.

Bai Yun Xian saw Jun Wu Xie approach and stepped to one side of the hall to get out of the way as she watched the guards drag Qin Yu Yan out of the main hall and a whole bunch of palace maids and eunuchs rushing in to clean up the bloody and gory mess splattered all over the place, without missing a spot.

"Come with me." Jun Wu Xie glanced at Bai Yun Xian, and she led the way towards the previous Crown Prince Palace.

The palace had been "loaned" to Mo Xuan Fei for his "temporary stay". With the passing of Mo Xuan Fei, the place had regained its peace and tranquility.

Bai Yun Xian followed behind Jun Wu Xie quietly, not daring to utter a single word, and she just hurried along with her head lowered.

Jun Wu Xie sat down when she reached the palace and looked at the nervous Bai Yun Xian and said: "I want to know everything about the Qing Yun Clan."

Bai Yun Xian raised her head in puzzlement, and she looked at Jun Wu Xie.

Although Jun Wu Xie had not said anything, she could make a rather good guess at Jun Wu Xie's intentions.

The young girl's great mind had been meticulous in her plans and left nothing to chance. When she had decided on killing the entire delegation sent by the Qing Yun Clan, she must have already set her sight on the whole Qing Yun Clan itself.

She knew that the Qing Yun Clan was not known for the benevolence and mercy, and would not spare her or the Qi Kingdom, hence, she had decided to strike at the Qing Yun Clan first?

Having guessed so much of Jun Wu Xie's intentions, Bai Yun Xian was feeling rather uneasy about it. She needs to take her antidote every three days, and if Jun Wu Xie went to the Qing Yun Clan, what was to happen to her?

"What I have here is the antidote, enough to last you through the next six months. I will hand them over to my uncle. And after I leave, he will send someone to deliver the medicine to you every three days. While I'm away, you will have to stay in the Imperial Palace." Jun Wu Xie said, as if reading Bai Yun Xian mind. Jun Wu Xie then produced a porcelain bottle and opened the stopper gently, letting out the familiar fragrance of the antidote contained within.

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Chapter 249:- Unspoken Intentions (3)

With Jun Wu Xie's assurance, Bai Yun Xian sighed in relief. She had already cut her ties completely with the Qing Yun Clan. Anyone with half a brain would be able to think that Bai Yun Xian had been in cahoots with Jun Wu Xie to bring about the deaths of Qin Yu Yan and the other members of her delegation. There was no way for her to return to the Qing Yun Clan anymore.

Over the days, Bai Yun Xian had come to realise from her observation of Jun Wu Xie's manner of handling things. She found that as long as she did not go against Jun Wu Xie's wishes, her life can still be rather peaceful.

Besides the poison within her, Bai Yun Xian did not find her life in the Imperial Palace to be lacking, and could be somewhat fulfilling.

With nowhere else she could go, she had learnt to be content.

"There are twelve peaks within the Qing Yun Clan's control, with the main peak under the command of the Sovereign, the other eleven peaks were overseen by an Elder each. It was said, every peak specialised in a different area of expertise. Among them, the Elder of Cloud Treading Peak was the youngest among all, and he was the son of the previous Sovereign. The current Sovereign was not of the same family tree, but was a direct disciple under the previous Sovereign. Nobody knew how the leadership of the Qing Yun Clan fell into the hands of the disciple, but it was known that the current Sovereign did not get along well with the Elder of Cloud Treading Peak. The residual support for the former Sovereign had remained significant and the Sovereign had his hands tied. But in recent years, the Sovereign had secretly moved to remove many of those supporters and the Elder of the Cloud Treading Peak was in a bleak situation. If my Miss intention is to go to the Qing Yun Clan, the Cloud Treading Peak would be a good place to start from and the Cloud Treading Peak's Elder's name is Mu Chen. The Qing Yun Clan opens their doors to recruit talents every month, and with my Miss' extraordinary talents in medicine, it would be a breeze for you to slip into the Qing Yun Clan as a new recruit."

Since Bai Yun Xian had decided to switch to Jun Wu Xie's side, she had provided Jun Wu Xie with all the information and every single detail she knew about and hid nothing from her. She had in fact secretly hoped that Jun Wu Xie would be able to totally annihilate the whole of the Qing Yun Clan to prevent any acts of revenge against her in the future.

Jun Wu Xie nodded her head slightly, seemingly satisfied with Bai Yun Xian's detailed and informative narration.

Selfish people are the easiest to manipulate. As long as you hold their lives in your hands, they were extremely cooperative when you need them.

Jun Wu Xie had kept Bai Yun Xian alive, was to use this well of information against the Qing Yun Clan.

Seeing that Jun Wu Xie was satisfied, Bai Yun Xian was feeling encouraged, and she further squeezed every single bit of information she had on the Qing Yun Clan, selling them out thoroughly, saying everything she knew and hiding nothing.

The strongest among them would be the Sovereign of the Qing Yun Clan itself, named Qin Yue, and he had broken through his spirit to the indigo level. Besides the disciples of the Qing Yun Clan, there were some permanent residents who stayed on as guest officers. These people command an indigo level spirit as well. They usually stayed hidden unless someone stirred up trouble within the Qing Yun Clan's premises, where they would appear and rid the Qing Yun Clan of the trouble.

The Qing Yun Clan opened their doors for the recruitment every month only for a day, and people with outstanding talents in Medicine apply to join the Qing Yun Clan then. If they pass the tests set, they are admitted to the Outer House to study Medicine. The elite can progress in their second year to be admitted to the Inner House to study the Qing Yun Clan's own unique practice of medicine. If they were lucky, and got selected by any of the Elders or the Sovereign of the twelve peaks themselves, they would be instantly promoted and be directly admitted into the Inner House to practice and develop themselves.

Jun Wu Xie had no intentions of wasting a year of her time at the Qing Yun Clan. At three months the most, she wanted the Qing Yun Clan to disappear from the face of the world!

"Which day monthly?" Jun Wu Xie asked.

Bai Yun Xian answered without hesitation: "The fifteenth of every month would be the day they open their doors to receive talented disciples."

Jun Wu Xie nodded as she contemplated.

Bai Yun Xian thought of something suddenly and her expression grew grave: "There is one thing, and I would ask my Miss to remember it."

Jun Wu Xie frowned.

"Among the twelve peaks, there is one named Hidden Cloud Peak, and its Elder is named Ke Cang Ju. The Hidden Cloud Peak portrays itself to specialise in the research of herbs, but in actual fact, they research more along the lines of poisons. The Hidden Cloud Peak had always set the lowest threshold for the acceptance of their disciples, and they had always accepted the biggest number of them. But..... those disciples had also always ended up dead for no rhyme or reason." Bai Yun Xian said gravely.

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Chapter 250:- The Way of an Emperor (1)

"If my Miss was to go to the Qing Yun Clan, you must make sure, not to go to the Hidden Cloud Peak." Bai Yun Xian cautioned carefully. Disciples of the Hidden Cloud Peak had always disappeared mysteriously or were found dead for no reason. It was a fact not known to people outside of the Qing Yun Clan, but many who did not possess the capabilities to be accepted as a disciple were surreptitiously personally accepted by Ke Cang Ju and brought into the Hidden Cloud Peak. Those people had always thought that it was a god given opportunity, but little did they know that they had just put a foot forward into Death's door.

"Tell me more about Ke Cang Ju." Jun Wu Xie had decided that the Qing Yun Clan was a place that was anything but open and aboveboard. Anyone that could produce a disciple like Bai Yun Xian and fathered a daughter like Qin Yu Yan, could not possibly be anything but abominable as the Qing Yun Clan's Sovereign.

"Ke Cang Ju was not originally of the Qing Yun Clan. He was brought into the Qing Yun Clan after Qin Yue was named the Sovereign, and rose up the ranks within a few years to the position of an Elder." Bai Yun Xian replied honestly. "I do not know of Ke Cang Ju's real identity, but only of his gloomy personality, as he's not often seen within the Qing Yun Clan. His Hidden Cloud Peak was closed off to the other disciples and even if Qin Yue were to go there, he had to inform Ke Cang Ju of his intention beforehand."

Jun Wu Xie paid note to the mysterious circumstances surrounding this person and listened on to Bai Yun Xian's narration of her knowledge of the Qing Yun Clan for a little longer before she dismissed Bai Yun Xian and proceeded to Mo Qian Yuan's chambers.

Having been unconscious for a whole night, Mo Qian Yuan had regained consciousness. But the pain that still lingered all over continued to torment him. He was bandaged from head to toe and even sitting up became a wish that cannot be fulfilled.

When Jun Wu Xie stepped into the chambers, she saw the two palace guards that she had summoned yesterday standing on each side of the bed, with one holding a teapot, and the other holding on to a tray filled with medicine bottles, their faces gaunt, obviously from a lack of sleep.

"Miss Jun." The two guards hurriedly fell to their knees when they saw Jun Wu Xie approach.

"Leave." Jun Wu Xie said coldly.

The two guards scrambled out without hesitation, not forgetting to leave the things in their hands behind.

"You're here....." Mo Qian Yuan could not move, and could only move his eyes to try to see Jun Wu Xie.

"Has your mind been cleared?" Jun Wu Xie did not check on Mo Qian Yuan's wounds but sat down on a chair by the side.

Mo Qian Yuan laughed bitterly, but it tore at the wounds on his face and his expression contorted in agony.

"It couldn't be any clearer now. Don't you think I asked for it myself?" If he had not tried to dissuade Jun Wu Xie, he would not have been put through the agony. Had he not been blind to the true nature of the mightiest clan across the lands, thinking they were reasonable and understanding, he would not have realised that they were in fact just a bunch of merciless and unfeeling beasts.

Without any signs of a reply from Jun Wu Xie, Mo Qian Yuan, despite himself, carried on with his monologue.

"I have been really dumb, or I would not be in this state, and had needed you to save me umpteen times. When I was small, my mother, the Empress, had always told me, it is man's nature to be kind. However fiendish a man was, he possessed a kind side. Treating people with a genuine heart will gain you an equal reciprocation in return. I had believed her to be right all this time, but the recent events had shown me that my mother could have been wrong right from the start. She had treated that man so well, and suppressed the jealousy in her heart, and overseen the six palaces, only wishing for peace and stability within the Imperial harem. No matter whichever concubine that man had favoured at anytime, she had met them only with smiles, never harming a single one of them, to support and assist that man to become a brilliant ruler of the generation. She swallowed the whispered sweet nothings of promises, and would never have thought till the day she was murdered, that her whole life's efforts for him and her whole family would finally be destroyed by the hand of that very man." Mo Qian Yuan's voice sounded choked up, hiding the bitterness that welled up within.

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Chapter 251:- The Way of an Emperor (2)

"When I was small, I had always thought my father and my mother enjoyed matrimonial harmony. Even though that man was surrounded by beauties all the time, he had treated my mother civilly and with respect - that was before I had learnt the lying nature of that man. Things became much clearer after my mother died, my maternal family massacred, and the few that remained of the once prosperous family were banished to the borderlands. It was ironic that only when things had unfolded to that extent, while I was imprisoned in my lavish cage of a palace, and slowly given chronic poison that things were painfully simple that I had trusted the wrong person. I had hated him then, and I had the notion that I had ridden myself of the so called benevolence."

"But it has been proven now, I am still a fool. Jun Wu Xie, I owe you so... so much. Too much that I will not be able to repay you adequately in this life. My life, henceforth, is yours. Whatever you say, whatever you do, I will never again raise any objection against you." Mo Qian Yuan was now clearly aware that, to be compassionate to your enemies, was just be being cruel to yourself.

He's had enough of the cruelty inflicted on himself. No longer is he going to be the easy target he had always made himself to be, and he refused to just wait for rescue from others from the plights he had gotten got himself into.

Only when Mo Qian Yuan had spoken himself hoarse, did Jun Wu Xie finally decide to grace him with a reply.

"I do not want your life. And neither should the Emperor of the entire Qi Kingdom need to listen to me."

Mo Qian Yuan had wanted to retort, but his dry parched throat did not allow him to squeeze a single word out.

"The whole of the Qi Kingdom lies within your hands, what you want to do should not come from anyone's orders, but you need to learn the way to be an Emperor. With the recent brush with the Qing Yun Clan, I believe you already know what you should do, and what you shouldn't do. I will be away next month. It might take me three months at least, or six months at most before I return and I will leave Bai Yun Xian behind. She is not trustworthy, but her skills in medicine are many times better than all your Royal Doctors. I will leave the antidote for her with my uncle, and the recipe with you. To transform Bai Yun Xian into someone useful to you, will be the task I assign to you." Jun Wu Xie said without any expression.

She had no intention to kill Bai Yun Xian any longer. Jun Wu Xie could not be bothered to and she had to make preparations to depart from Qi. The skills of the doctors in Qi were laughable, and though Bai Yun Xian's skills when compared to hers, were insignificant, but if compared to all the doctors in Qi, Bai Yun Xian surpassed them by leaps and bounds.

It can be said, keeping Bai Yun Xian around, would be akin to keeping a double edged sword. Whether Mo Qian Yuan could forge the sword to fit within his hand, would prove whether this Emperor was capable.

The Emperor of the Qi Kingdom was named Mo, and not Jun!

She had finished what she came to say and Jun Wu Xie proceeded to check on Mo Qian Yuan's injuries. Mo Qian Yuan had a lot he wanted to say to Jun Wu Xie, and to ask where she was going. But upon seeing Jun Wu Xie's cold expression, he swallowed all his words and clamped his mouth shut.

Jun Wu Xie wanted him to learn to be independent, and he did not want to betray that trust.

Mo Qian Yuan had been very severely injured this time. It was fortunate he had consumed the seed of the Snow Lotus previously, and that had shielded his body a little. With the addition of Jun Wu Xie's generous heaps of precious rare elixirs, his life was finally saved.

Under Jun Wu Xie's miraculous healing hands, it was expected that Mo Qian Yuan would not suffer any residual side effects when he recovered, but the pain and agony to be suffered on his road to recovery was nevertheless unavoidable.

Over the period that Mo Qian Yuan was bedridden, the court officials were exempted from attending court. Without having to attend court, the various court officials found a new place to haunt.....

...

The Lin Palace.

Ever since Jun Wu Xie led the charge into the Imperial Palace to rescue Mo Qian Yuan, a whole bunch of stubborn and unyielding old court officials suddenly saw Jun Wu Xie in a good light, and the usually shunned Lin Palace to avoid sparking off any rumours of collusion, suddenly became a highlight for them to visit in the course of their daily routines!

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Chapter 252:- Preparation

These few days, Jun Xian had been suffering from headaches for a different reason. The Lin Palace was not accustomed to mixing with officials of the Imperial Court. Military generals had shunned them to avoid gossip and Jun Xian could not stand the endless gabbing of the literary officials.

But over the course of the past few days, all the court officials, be it military or literary, had seemingly all agreed to come visit the Lin Palace daily. As they stepped in with their smiles in full bloom, all their conversations led to queries on Jun Wu Xie.

Jun Xian had initially been clueless on their various unannounced visits. But as all the conversations tended to fall upon the topic of his granddaughter, it finally dawned on Jun Xian.

These court officials all had their eyes set on his Wu Xie, and had all come to propose a betrothal!

Jun Wu Xie's reputation in the Qi Kingdom had previously been so bad that it couldn't have gotten any worse. She was willful and unruly, and the addition of her dalliance with the previous Second Prince, Mo Xuan Fei had many of the court officials deemed a disgrace. Even when the newly crowned Emperor had heaped loads of praise upon Jun Wu Xie, it had not been enough to change the perception that the court officials had for Jun Wu Xie.

But! The tables seemed to have turned!

Jun Wu Xie's heroic and glorious deed of breaking into the Imperial Palace to rescue the Emperor of Qi, had spread like wildfire throughout the entire Imperial City, and the prenotions that all the court officials, be it military or literary, had of Jun Wu Xie had drastically been altered and overturned then!

The young maiden was stunningly beautiful, and possessed both brawn and brains. She would make the perfect daughter-in-law!

Hence, any with a son or grandson in their family, started to fix their eye on the exquisite Jun Wu Xie, who had bloomed delicate as a flower and grown refined as the finest jade. If it wasn't for the prodigious prestige of the Lin Palace, the various officials might have been tempted to carry out an abduction for the marriage.

But the Lin Palace had the Rui Lin Army standing guard and that had quelled any thoughts in that direction, and they were left with the lone option of attempting to move them through emotions and have them listen to reason. They praised their own sons and grandsons to the skies, and expounded on the heroics of Jun Wu Xie, and criticised the other candidates of the competition.

It had sure been lively for the Lin Palace!

Jun Xian had been helpless against them, as he had lived never to rebuff a smiling face. When the court officials had shown up cordially, he could not make himself expel them out, and sat through the pompous spectacle patiently as they presented their plans to steal his precious granddaughter from him.

Jun Wu Xie had not been aware of this, as Jun Xian had held them off at the front yard, and any who decided to attempt to enter the premises were shown their way out firmly by Long Qi, who stood guard before the doors.

There were twenty three more days before the Qing Yun Clan opened their doors to receive the next batch of applicants to enter under their tutelage. During this period, there was not much that Jun Wu Xie had wanted to do except to prepare for her long trip.

Before she was to leave the Qi Kingdom, she wanted to ensure that there was adequate elixirs and medicine for the Lin Palace, and another frustration that bugged her was the development of her spiritual powers.

Her current development of her spiritual powers had been wholly based on the methods shown on the ancient text to cultivate the Snow Lotus, and the cultivation of Snow Lotuses needed Jade Nectar. But it was impossible for Jun Wu Xie to lug jars and jars of Jade Nectar all the way into the Qing Yun Clan.

Without Jade Nectar, she would be unable to cultivate Snow Lotuses, and that had also meant, Jun Wu Xie would not be able to develop her spiritual powers in the months that she would be in the Qing Yun Clan.

That was not what she wanted. This was not a desirable outcome for her!

Without any other choice, Jun Wu Xie could only continue to flip through the delicate pages of ancient texts to find other plants she could cultivate to develop her spiritual powers.

But all she could find recorded within were names of plants that she had never even heard of before. It seemed that finding an alternative to develop her spiritual powers was not going to be that easy.

On the seventh day after Qin Yu Yan was imprisoned within the Royal Dungeons, Mo Qian Yuan sent word on the passing of Qin Yu Yan.

Qin Yu Yan had not expected till the end of her days, that as the Eldest Miss of the mighty Qing Yun Clan, she would die so pitifully within the dungeons of such a tiny and insignificant kingdom.

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Chapter 253:- Journey

Without any alternatives to develop her spiritual powers, Jun Wu Xie had no choice but to divert her attention to other plant life.

Her spiritual powers had been developed through the cultivation of the Snow Lotus, would the cultivation of other plant life bring about the same effects?

To prove the point, Jun Wu Xie had to experiment with planting and cultivating various types of medicinal herbs. After going through ten days of exhaustive experiments, she found that the cultivation of common plants and herbs did not provide her with any spiritual energy, and only the cultivation of rarer plants and herbs was able to give her a little bit of spiritual energy. But the speed of growth and development they provided when compared to the Snow Lotus, was absolutely negligible.

But negligible was better than none.....

There were seventeen more days till the fifteenth next month, when Jun Wu Xie waved goodbye to Jun Xian and Jun Qing and stepped onto the horse drawn carriage heading to the Qing Yun Clan's peaks. To see her off, the largely recovered Mo Qian Yuan came to the city gates and looked on cheerlessly as the Jun Family members sent Jun Wu Xie on her way out of the city.

With this parting, he did not know when he will see her again. Mo Qian Yuan was solemn as he watched the carriage slowly shrink and finally disappeared from his sight.

Within the carriage, sat a delicate and pretty youth, quietly carrying a docile little black cat in her arms.

Before she had left the Lin Palace, Jun Wu Xie had changed her appearance. She had changed herself to become the youth that had gone into Ghost City. She had only brought the little black cat, Little Lotus, and lugged a few jars of Jade Nectar onto the carriage to allow her to continue to develop her spiritual powers throughout the journey. Before she left, she had wanted to bid Jun Wu Yao goodbye, but there had been no sign of him, and she gave up on it.

[Mistress, you're really going to that funny clanny place? To become their disciple?]

The little black cat asked as it snuggled deeper to find a comfortable position. Although it was aware of Jun Wu Xie's purpose for going to the Qing Yun Clan, the thought of its mistress having to pretend to call some quack her teacher made it feel uncomfortable nevertheless.

In this world, a teacher capable to school Jun Wu Xie in medicine had not been born yet!

"Qing Yun Clan." Jun Wu Xie reminded.

From the intelligence from Bai Yun Xian, Jun Wu Xie had decided to set her target for this trip to the Qing Yun Clan was to be admitted to Mu Chen's Cloud Treading Peak. The enemy of her enemy would be a friend, and Jun Wu Xie did not mind having an ally.

The horse drawn carriage rumbled on further gradually, and the carriage was no longer visible from the Imperial City.

Outside the city gates, Jun Wu Yao's eyes stared fixedly at the point where the carriage had disappeared, his jet black eyes thoughtful.

A shadow formed and a man in black knelt by the foot of Jun Wu Yao, his eyes puzzled. His Lord had known that the Miss would depart on her journey today, but he had stayed hidden. Only after the Young Miss had left, he had come to stand outside the city gates for a long time. Having served His Lord till now, he knew His Lord would have wanted to accompany the Young Miss on her journey.

"Ye Sha" Jun Wu Yao called out suddenly.

"Right here." The man in black, Ye Sha, answered promptly.

"Follow her, and protect her well." Jun Wu Yao narrowed his eyes. If he did not still have unfinished business here, he wouldn't have allowed his little darling to leave on her own.

"Your command will be carried out." Ye Sha acknowledged and had expected as such.

"If she is in no danger, do not reveal your presence." Jun Wu Yao added, his voice cold as ice.

The tiny Qing Yun Clan was an insignificant speck before his eyes. If it was only the Qing Yun Clan, he believed his little darling would be able to deal with them herself, what caused him concern was the hidden powers behind the Qing Yun Clan.

One of the palaces among the twelve, no matter which palace it was, was not something the present Jun Wu Xie could handle on her own.

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Chapter 254:- Cloudy Peaks (1)

The fifteenth of every month was the busiest time, the Cloudy Peaks of the Qing Yun Clan were most lively, always bustling with activity. The Cloudy Peaks bordered a few countries but belonged to none and was independent. The Cloudy Peaks were steep and treacherous, and had a total of twelve peaks. However, there was only one lone path from the foot to the summit.

The Cloudy Peaks were revered not for their majestic peaks, but for the Qing Yun Clan occupying the entire twelve peaks!

Famed for their medical skills, the mightiest clan across the lands opened their doors to the mountains, to recruit talents who were medically inclined through a series of tests. For those who passed, they stand a chance to be admitted into the Qing Yun Clan as a disciple.

The Qing Yun Clan sat upon vast tracts of lands, had centuries of history behind them, and had exceptionally skilled Elders overseeing each peak.

There were countless sacred medical writings and records hidden within the Qing Yun Clan, and was a sacred haven for any in their pursuit of medicine. Anyone accepted into the Qing Yun Clan, had their status quickly escalated, and if they were admitted into the Inner House, their status immediately shot into the skies.

Countless people would give anything to secure a position within the Qing Yun Clan, and on the days they opened their doors for recruitment, the wide road leading towards the summit was always jam packed with people from all across the lands.

A nondescript horse carriage stopped at the foot of the mountain and a scholarly looking youth with delicate features dressed in plain and simple clothes stepped out. After a few words with the coachman, the little youth set off towards the Cloudy Peaks.

The main thoroughfare towards the Cloudy Peaks was packed with people heading into the mountains. There were all not too old in age, eighteen years of age at the most, and fourteen years at least.

The Qing Yun Clan had a hard and fast rule in their recruitment. They would only accept youths between the ages of fourteen to eighteen years. Anyone who were older than eighteen years or younger than fourteen years, no matter how prodigious, would be turned away firmly.

The rule did not seem like much to others, but Jun Wu Xie looked at it differently.

From the age of fourteen to eighteen, it was when a person underwent the most critical four years after their ring spirits are awoken. It was also the period that the youth were the muddled in consciousness and thinking on their path to maturity and adulthood. The Qing Yun Clan had wanted to recruit disciples of that age to better manage them by brainwashing and easily instilling in them the principles and philosophies of the Qing Yun Clan.

Within the bustling crowd, many youths confidently assured their family members and strode onwards, putting up a brave front.

Only the youths who were applicants themselves can go up towards to Cloudy Peaks, and their family members could only wait at the foot for news. If anyone were to breach the rule, they would be promptly thrown out by the Qing Yun Clan disciples who stood guard at the mountain's foot.

Many were also spotted pulling at their hair, their heads buried deep into medical books at the mountain's foot in a last minute's futile attempt to cram every single word in the books into their brains.

Jun Wu Xie looked indifferently, observing the various hilarious sights around her. She could not figure out why, a clan with such mediocre skills in medicine, would attract so many people to clamour and fight just to be granted admission into the clan.

Jun Wu Xie's unperturbed calm, had also attracted the stares from many of the other nervous hopefuls. They cast their eyes upon the small youth who stood apart from the others, noticed that she was dressed in plain clothes without any adornments, and scoffed at her young age. They all then broke in sneering laughter.

"A young brat like you wants to get into the Qing Yun Clan?"

"No, he's just here to see the world. Look! Don't you see he came empty handed?"

"That's right, after you get rejected by the Qing Yun Clan, you would have at least opened your eyes to the might of the largest clan..... Sigh, I must say, the Qing Yun Clan's threshold for new recruits are too low, even the stray cats and rabid dogs have come to join in the fun." The several finely dressed youth who boasted from having come from a lineage of medical practitioners put down their books and started mocking and pointing their fingers at Jun Wu Xie, who had stuck out conspicuously.

Little did they know, the youth that they mocked at, would soon have their highly revered mightiest clan throughout the lands, smashed into oblivion.

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Chapter 255:- Cloudy Peaks (2)

Squeezed within the crowd, Jun Wu Xie frowned deeply. Having broken her spiritual powers through to the orange level had heightened her five senses. Every single mocking word fell into her ears but she ignored them all.

These children were beneath her notice.

Due to the overwhelming number of applicants, the Qing Yun Clan could not assess every single one of them individually or it would have taken them weeks. Hence, the Qing Yun Clan had prepared a simple test as the first round of screening.

It was a most basic test, identification of herbs.

At the halfway point up the mountain, two long rows of a hundred tables lined the sides of the path, and heaped upon the tables was a mess of grass, herbs and a variety of plants. Every single applicant, had five minutes to identify and pick out the herb the Qing Yun Clan had set as the question for the test from the mess.

It was not difficult to identify specific herbs, but if they were mixed up in hundreds of other kinds of herbs, it was a different level of difficulty all together.

The herbs heaped on the tables were obviously freshly picked and many still had mud clinging on their roots and none of them were whole, like they had been roughly yanked out and many had broken into pieces. The various candidates who had been brimming with confidence when they received their questions had now paled visible when they saw the weed filled tables.

To identify herbs, they must first and foremost recognise its outward shape and appearance. But the herbs in the heaps had been broken and badly ravaged, how were they expected to identify them?

The first seemingly easy test, had left a great number of applicants stumped.

For a youth in their teens, even if they had come from a line of medical practitioners, and had been exposed to herbs from a young tender age, it was impossible for them to remember and commit to memory all the different and myriad varieties, not to mention, identify and pick them out from these badly ravaged and broken tiny pieces of herbs and other plants.

The smug looks of confidence soon turned to dismay as they stared at the mess of plants before their eyes and they buried their heads deep inside trying to locate the right herb as time was fast running out.

In the meantime, Jun Wu Xie walked unhurriedly to stand before a table. When she had reached the midpoint of the mountain, the Qing Yun Clan disciples had passed her a tag indicating the name of the herb she was supposed to locate.

Identification.

To locate a commonly used herb that appeared closely similar to weeds. A few youths that had come at the same time as Jun Wu Xie received the same task and when they saw the name of the herb they were supposed to locate, their faces had lit up with joy but were now quickly replaced with a look of helplessness.

"How do they expect anyone to find it?" A sobbing youth held his tag so tight he crushed it in his hand.

With many of them scurrying around different tables in all directions, Jun Wu Xie walked past a table and grabbed at a small piece of herb just half a finger's length and proceeded onwards without a moment's hesitation.

A few youths who were behind her noticed that Jun Wu Xie had picked her herb quickly and was proceeding to leave, and they stood stunned watching her walk away.

Jun Wu Xie had just taken a few steps when two other youths stood before her, blocking her way. She raised her head to look at them and recognized them to be the finely dressed youths who had criticised her earlier from head to toe at the foot of the mountain.

"Move." Jun Wu Xie said coldly.

The two youths had no intentions of letting Jun Wu Xie pass, and their eyes were locked onto the herb held within Jun Wu Xie's hand. It was a small piece, but it was enough for them to ascertain that the piece she held was genuine.

How this the little brat manage that? They had received their tags at the same time, and in the blink of an eye, before any of them could make head or tail of the task they were given, the little brat had managed to locate the herb without thinking?

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Chapter 256:- Cloudy Peaks (3)

Was she that lucky? Or good?

The Qing Yun Clan gave them very limited time, and they did not think they could locate the named herb within that allocated period. When they saw that Jun Wu Xie had managed it, they began to have other ideas.

The brat before their eyes wore simple clothes, and did not seem to come from a rich family. This brat's family background must be lowly.

In the eyes of the other youths who yearned to join the Qing Yun Clan, Jun Wu Xie looked to be very weak and made an extremely good target.

The Qing Yun Clan had only tasked them to locate the named herb, but did not say anything against snatching or thieving.

"Brat, hand over the herb you have in your hand to us. Since it's so easy for you, you can just grab another one." One of the youths eyed Jun Wu Xie with an evil smirk, intending to resort to snatching if she refused.

In fact, things like this happened at every monthly recruitment within the mountain. If the youngest happen to locate the herb first, they were often snatched away by the older youths. The Qing Yun Clan disciples turned a blind eye to all these atrocities and did not interfere. Many fourteen and fifteen year old had been victimised before Jun Wu Xie when older and bigger applicants had even ganged up to bully the younger and smaller ones to give up their herbs, and to give up their chance to enter the Qing Yun Clan as they were forced to leave in dejection when they failed the first test.

They were helpless, they were younger, and powerless. They could only suffer in silence when faced with blatant extortion.

The two youths before Jun Wu Xie, were of the same mind.

It was no wonder why they had targeted Jun Wu Xie. She was just fourteen and she had a small stature. She might have changed her looks to resemble a youthful boy, but her bone structure was plain for all to see. Among all the teenagers who came for the recruitment, there wasn't any as petite as she was, and she was dressed commonly which made her look to be from humble birth. That had made her the perfect target in the eyes of the bullies.

Jun Wu Xie frowned as she stared at the two youths as she raised an eyebrow.

They dared to snatch from her!?

Jun Wu Xie was about to open her mouth when a figure suddenly whizzed to stand before her. Before she could react, a slender arm suddenly stretched out towards one of the youths and like a lightning bolt, the youth was thrown over the figure's shoulder and flung far away from where they stood!

"You snivelling lowly worms, are you tired of living?! This is daylight robbery! Don't make me kill you!" A boyish teen dressed in patched up clothes challenged gallantly in front of Jun Wu Xie, his finger pointing at the dishevelled youth he had just thrown, and the other youth who stood flabbergasted by the sudden attack on his partner.

"........" Jun Wu Xie's expression froze.

After he gave them a piece of his mind, the figure turned around and a slightly intelligent face but with distinctive features appeared before Jun Wu Xie.

"Heh heh, what a coincidence! Imagine meeting you here! Don't worry, from now on, I will be your protector! If anyone were to bully you, I will beat the lights out of them!" The spirited youth grinned as he looked at Jun Wu Xie. Hmm...there was a familiar air about him.

Jun Wu Xie's brows furrowed as she studied the figure before her. She searched her mind throughout, but could not link the figure to any in her memory.

"You've got the wrong person." Jun Wu Xie finally said.

The youth paused in thought and his wide grin twisted into a grimace. He scratched at his head in frustration and looked agonizingly at Jun Wu Xie before his face lit up as if enlightened. He squatted on the ground and wiped his hands on the dusty ground. He smeared his dusty hands all over his face and picked up a blade of grass and dangled it from the corner of his mouth before he stood in front of Jun Wu Xie again to ask: "Think again."

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Chapter 257:- Qiao Chu (1)

Peering at the scruffy looking youth before her, Jun Wu Xie's memory was jolted. Wasn't this the unkempt youth she had met in Ghost City that sold her those dilapidated books?

With his face cleaned up, she could not recognize him at all.

"Remember me now?" The youth blinked his eyes in anticipation.

"It's you?" Jun Wu Xie remarked calmly.

The youth wiped off the dust from his face and said: "You remember me at last."

Jun Wu Xie nodded slightly. She had gone to the Ghost City only once, and she had changed her looks then only once like she had now. She had not expected that after so many months, the unkempt youth had recognised her at once.

"I did not think you would come to the Qing Yun Clan, I would not have thought they have anything that you might need." The youth said as he continued to wipe his sleeve across his face. He had spotted Jun Wu Xie from afar earlier, and had hesitated not because he did not dare approach Jun Wu Xie, but was wondering why a kid who could concoct far better elixirs and medicine than the Qing Yun Clan come such a long way to apply to enter the Qing Yun Clan as a disciple.

Jun Wu Xie looked at the youth, with her eyes showing no intention to reply.

As though conscious of the fact that he was prying, the youth scratched vigorously at his hair and hurriedly tried to explain: "I am not trying to pry, but was just happy to see a familiar face here, and got a little too excited."

Jun Wu Xie raised an eyebrow. Were they already familiar with each other?

The unkempt youth seemed oblivious to Jun Wu Xie's cold and distant eyes and in fact became more and more enthusiastic.

The other youth who had been thrown unceremoniously had already gotten to his feet holding his bottom and stared angrily at the unkempt youth who had rudely poked his nose into his business out of the blue.

"Who the hell are you? How dare you touch me!?" The youth squirmed at the pain in his bottom and was held up by the other youth.

The heavens forbid! The penniless unkempt youth who was wearing clothes all covered with patches had dared crawl out of his hole and thrown him heavily to the ground without a word of warning!? It was lucky he was still conscious.

The unkempt youth paid no heed to the youth screaming his head off and said to Jun Wu Xie: "Right, I'm Qiao Chu, and you?"

Jun Wu Xie stared at the overly enthused Qiao Chu and paused before softly replying: "Jun Xie."

Left out to dry on his own, the screaming youth became furious as he saw that Jun Wu Xie and Qiao Chu totally ignored him. He took a step wanting to stomp up to them to give them a piece of his mind when Qiao Chu suddenly turned and waved his fist at him.

"Weaklings like you, I can handle more than ten." Qiao Chu threatened menacingly.

The youth grabbed at the throbbing pain in his bottom from Qiao Chu's earlier attack, and stopped in his tracks, but he continued on his rant.

Jun Wu Xie was irritated by the noise and there were only two minutes before the time was up, and she did not want to waste her time on idiots like those.

Jun Wu Xie took a step forward and shoved the herb in her hand into the face of the ranting youth, and said curtly:

"Scram."

The surprised youth brushed off the mud on his face and was about to continue on his tirade when his eyes fell upon the herb that had fallen to the ground. His eyes widened and he bent eagerly to pick it up in glee. He had thought that there was no chance of getting his hands on the herb from the petite youth now that the obnoxious unkempt youth appeared. Who would have thought the little brat would suddenly surrender the herb to him in fright?

"At least you know your place! Let's go!" It was enough that he got the herb, despite the throbbing pain that persisted in his bottom. He was happily discussing how he should split the herb with the other youth.

Qiao Chu stood in his spot, dumbstruck, as he witnessed what Jun Wu Xie was doing.

"Are..... are you mad?"

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Chapter 258:- Qiao Chu (2)

Jun Wu Xie ignored Qiao Chu's stunned reaction, and turned to pick out an even bigger piece of herb from the tangled mess and walked on to complete the task.

Qiao Chu stood rooted in place till Jun Wu Xie had walked a distance away before he recovered from shock and ran to catch up.

"I can see that the task is nothing to you, but you shouldn't allow them to take advantage of you like that." Qiao Chu had no doubts of Jun Wu Xie's capabilities, but he was feeling sore at the fact that those scoundrels would get away with it.

Meeting Jun Wu Xie here was a huge pleasant surprise for Qiao Chu.

The first time, when he had returned from the Ghost City and brought back the Eastern Pearl, he had told his comrades everything about the events that had happened in the Ghost City, and was soundly teased and scolded for being an idiot. Those rascals had made him go back to the Ghost City to wait and see if the delicate youth with extraordinary elixir making skills would appear again. Qiao Chu had been forced to lie in wait there for a whole month, before giving up after seeing no sign of him.

Who would have known? His months' of hard searching had been futile and a moment's chance meeting had delivered the youth right up to him right here at the Qing Yun Clan!

Qiao Chu was determined. This time, he would stick to Jun Wu Xie like glue shamelessly, and would not let the little genius slip from his fingers again!

As the self proclaimed protector of the petite Jun Wu Xie, when the bullies had taken advantage of Jun Wu Xie, Qiao Chu had felt as though he had been bullied instead. If he did not have urgent matters to attend to in the Qing Yun Clan's peaks, he would have dragged the two bullies into the bushes and given them a good thrashing!

Jun Wu Xie was intent on finishing the task at hand and while Qiao Chu carried on grumbling incessantly, Jun Wu Xie took a deep breath and turned to face Qiao Chu.

Qian Chu paused, and blinked his eyes.

"Things that belong to me, are never easily taken away." Jun Wu Xie turned and handed over the herb to the Qing Yun Clan disciple. After his inspection, Jun Wu Xie was allowed to proceed, and Qiao Chu rushed up to hand over his own herb, still wondering on what Jun Wu Xie had meant by those words.

While Qiao Chu was still feeling confused, he suddenly heard a series of curses from afar. He looked up and saw the two bullies who had snatched the herb from Jun Wu Xie arguing with the disciple of the Qing Yun Clan who had inspected their herbs.

Held in the hand of one of the bullies, was no longer the same herb that Jun Wu Xie threw at them. It was obviously just dried up weeds. What puzzled him was, he noticed a darkening of the skin on the youth's hand, a sure sign of poison!

He thought back on Jun Wu Xie's earlier statement and Qiao Chu turned away from them covering his mouth as he grinned wickedly.

That kid must have planned this from the start, and had not intended to give in to the two bullies. Throwing the herb in their faces and watch them pick it up in glee, not knowing they were messing with a devil, and the results were devastating for them.

At which point in time did Jun Wu Xie smear the poison on the herb? That was something Qiao Chu couldn't figure out and had him stumped.

When did she do it? Seems like only Jun Wu Xie herself would know.

Her spiritual powers might have increased in an extremely short period of time, but a orange leveled spirit was not that significant in the world. She did not come to the Qing Yun Clan to sightsee, but with an ambition to obliterate the mightiest clan throughout the lands. She had to prepare for any situations, and they must be lethal.

Jun Wu Xie was wearing a nondescript bangle, hidden below her sleeves, and nobody would notice it.

Hidden within that seemingly common bangle, were seven different types of poison. It needed only a slight twist, and it could kill a person in a moment.

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Chapter 259:- Twelve Peaks (1)

The Qing Yun Clan conducted three initial tests for their recruitment. Besides the first one, where Jun Wu Xie met the two bullies, she breezed through the next two tests easily.

These three tests alone, whittled the number of applicants going up the mountain from tens of thousands, to mere hundreds.

The crowded and squeezy thoroughfare felt much more spacious now.

What was surprising was that the seemingly slipshod Qiao Chu managed to pass all the tests as well, and was now grinning as he followed behind Jun Wu Xie, as he continued chattering all the way.

Those who passed the tests will stand a chance to study under the Qing Yun Clan's banner. The hundreds of applicants left had reached the summit and they could see the resplendent Qing Yun Clan's main temple before them. The applicants there were feeling awed, yet inspired with the sight.

If they were accepted into the Qing Yun Clan, their lives would drastically change!

The Qing Yun Clan disciple who lead the applicants to the summit raised his hand, to signal the noisy and excited crowd to be silent.

A tall figure was heavily escorted out from the Qing Yun Clan's main temple as he stepped out slowly. It was a stately middle aged man, looking no more than being in his early thirties, but for those who knew, the man was already in his forties, and he was the man at the top of the Qing Yun Clan, Qin Yue.

Following behind Qin Yue, were ten men of varied ages. Some of them had full heads of white hair, and some were just in the prime of their lives. But every single one of them, carried with them an extraordinary air, and were finely dressed, as they trailed behind Qin Yue.

Qiao Chu stood beside Jun Wu Xie, as he stared upon the entrance of the various wielders of power in the Qing Yun Clan, and could not help himself but whisper into Jun Wu Xie's ear: "The man in the front is the Sovereign of the Qing Yun Clan, Qin Yue. And the men behind him are the Elders of the eleven peaks..... Hmm..... It's rather strange though. Eleven elders but only ten of them are here? Where is Jiang Chen Qing of the Ash Cloud Peak?"

Where was Jiang Chen Qing?

Smashed to a pulp by the ring spirit of the lad standing right beside you.

Jun Wu Xie swept her eyes over Qin Yue and the men behind him. Bai Yun Xian had described the appearance of the Sovereign of the Qing Yun Clan and of the various Elders to her and she had paid special attention to Mu Chen of the Cloud Treading Peak and Ke Cang Ju of the Hidden Cloud Peak.

Mu Chen was the youngest among the Elders of the eleven peaks, and was easily recognizable. Jun Wu Xie could spot him almost immediately as he stood at the outermost spot among the Elders. Mu Chen possessed a set of good looking features. He was handsome and did not show an ounce of frivolity. He was dressed in a light blue brocaded robe as he stood quietly at the end of the row. There was no conversation between the Elders, but she could faintly feel that Mu Chen did not get along well with the other Elders.

Just like it was with Mu Chen, Ke Cang Ju was distanced from the other Elders, but what was different was that Ke Cang Ju looked hideous. He was not tall, and what was most distinctive was his curved hunchback. He was dressed in a dark purple long robe and looked extremely sinister, as if he had just crawled out from an old grave. According to Bai Yun Xian, Ke Cang Ju did not enjoy good relations with people in the Qing Yun Clan. Beside his dealings with the Sovereign, Qin Yue, he did not pay heed to any of the other Elders.

He had a gloomy personality and avoided contact with other Elders, and his appearance did not exactly encourage contact.

But, in actual fact, Ke Cang Ju was the Elder he valued most among the eleven Elders, even more than Jiang Chen Qing who was always with Qin Yue, did not enjoy the privileges given to Ke Cang Ju.

Qin Yue allocated the best resources of the Qing Yun Clan to Ke Cang Ju, and had left orders that no one was to trespass into the Hidden Cloud Peak, not even the other Elders.

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Chapter 260:- Twelve Peaks (2)

With the appearance of the Sovereign and the Elders, the youths were bursting with excitement as they stood ramrod straight and tried to stretch to stand as tall as their small still developing bodies would allow them, trying their best to impress the Sovereign and Elders by showing how "gallant" and "imposing" they are.

Unknown to the hundreds of youths who had made it through the three tests, the actual test was just about to begin. How many of them will remain in the Qing Yun Clan was not known yet.

Qin Yue stood before the mass of pumped up youths, his chin lifted, as he surveyed them as he would a batch of materials. He nodded at a disciple standing at the side and the disciple stepped forward to announce the criteria for the final assessment to the crowd.

"To be qualified to join the Qing Yun Clan, you must possess extraordinary abilities. The Qing Yun Clan does not just accept anybody. You might have passed the initial three tests, but that does not mean you are one of us yet. Your performance in the upcoming test will be the deciding factor on whether you are fit to join the Qing Yun Clan....."

To be specific, for this last test, there was no criteria. The Qing Yun Clan just needed the hundreds of youths to showcase their best display of medical skills before the Sovereign and the various Elders.

It could be treatment, ability to concoct elixirs and medicines. As long as it was outstanding, they would win acceptance into the Qing Yun Clan.

Jun Wu Xie lowered her eyes, this seemingly simple test was in fact to make it easier for the Elders to select suitable candidates.

The Elders of the eleven peaks were specialised in different fields of medicine, and their selection were usually based on candidates whose strengths aligned with theirs.

Mu Chen was specialised in the nurturing and development of veins and arteries, while Ke Cang Ju portrayed his expertise as the planting and cultivation of medicinal herbs.

Jun Wu Xie decided on entering Mu Chen's Cloud Treading Peak, and would naturally display her expertise on veins and arteries.

"Hey, have you decided on which peak you want to go to?" Qiao Chu noticed that Jun Wu Xie had been silent and bumped his elbow against Jun Wu Xie's.

Jun Wu Xie glanced at him, frowning slightly.

The youths around them heard Qiao Chu and they were shocked. They proceeded to stare at Jun Wu Xie and Qiao Chu from head to toe and saw that Jun Wu Xie was dressed in common clothes but Qiao Chu who was standing next to her could only be described as wretched. Qiao Chu could have been considered not bad looking but his worn out and patched clothes which had been washed thin made him look like a beggar on the street.

They all thought the two of them were shameless to even think they could choose the peak they liked when they were dressed so shabbily!

Qiao Chu finally noticed the disparaging glares directed at them. He narrowed his eyes and shook his fist at the few skinny youths who stood around them but that only won him more lowly muttered curses thrown in their direction.

"Brute!"

Qiao Chu could not be bothered with them and continued to badger Jun Wu Xie on her choice. Jun Wu Xie was slightly bothered by his persistence and finally muttered, almost in a whisper: "Cloud Treading Peak."

"Cloud Treading Peak? Why do you want to go to the Cloud Treading Peak?" Qiao Chu was stunned. The Cloud Treading Peak was the smallest among the twelve peaks and had the weakest reputation. Even its Elder was only twenty over years old, how capable could he be? "Hey, let's not go to Cloud Treading Peak, how about we go to the Hidden Cloud Peak? At Hidden Cloud Peak, we will only need to grow flowers and plants and be a gardener. Doesn't it sound relaxing? Even as a new disciple, there won't be much for us to do."

And the criteria to enter is extremely low! This last statement, Qiao Chu chose to keep to himself.

"Not me." Jun Wu Xie said coldly.

Hidden Cloud Peak relaxing? Only those who had died under mysterious and unexplained circumstances would find it relaxing.

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