371: The Medicine King takes action

On the ice table in the Hanyue Valley Underground Palace, the map of the Northern Territory was marked with seven red circles, each labeled "Famine".

In the water mirror, disaster victims huddled on the snowy ground, gnawing on tree bark and grass roots; many of them had bodies already frozen stiff.

Not far away, the military grain camp had its doors tightly shut, and the guarding soldiers had heavy purses tucked into their waists.

"Young Lord, seventy percent of the military grain in the three northern states has been embezzled. The investigator sent by the First Prince 'accidentally' fell off a cliff the moment he arrived at the border." Zhao Gao's voice carried a hint of coldness. Records in the files showed that the missing grain was closely linked to a grain store in the capital called "Yufeng Firm".

Jun Xiaoyao tapped his fingertip on the name "Yufeng Firm", and the water mirror immediately switched to the grain store's backyard—dozens of granaries were packed full. The accountant was reconciling accounts with a man in brocade, and the jade pendant at the brocade-clad man's waist was engraved with the First Prince's private seal.

"The First Prince wants to follow the Second Prince's example and use the livelihood of the people to force us to act?" Jun Xiaoyao sneered. "Unfortunately, he forgot that Beyond Heaven never meddles in other people's business, unless..."

He looked at a figure in the water mirror who was distributing porridge to the disaster victims. It was Granny Miao from Medicine King Valley. Her young medicine attendant was quietly feeding medicine to the critically ill, and the medicine bowl emitted a strange green light.

[Character Panel: Granny Miao]

[From: Derivative World of "Ode to Gallantry"]

[Realm: Mid-stage Grandmaster]

[Martial Skill: poison scripture (Transcendent), Hundred Herbs Technique (can bring the dead back to life, flesh back to bones)]

[Current Status: Administering medicine]

[Special Ability: Poison Identification (can see through all strange poisons in the world), Alchemy (can use poison to fight poison)]

[Loyalty: 80%]

"Let Granny Miao investigate whether the 'cold' among the disaster victims is truly a cold." As soon as Jun Xiaoyao finished speaking, the scene in the water mirror changed—a disaster victim suddenly bled from seven orifices after drinking the medicine, and his skin rapidly turned black. Granny Miao's expression changed abruptly; she dipped her fingertip in a bit of blood and sniffed it.

"It's 'Bone Rotting Powder', mixed into the moldy grain. The incubation period is three days." Granny Miao barked at the medicine attendant, "Quick, get the 'Bone Clearing Herb'! If we're late, we won't be able to save them!"

Just as the attendant turned around, the grain store's guards rushed over. The scarred man in the lead sneered, "Granny Miao, don't meddle in other people's business. It's good that these lowly people die; it saves wasting food!"

Granny Miao's cane stomped on the ground, and three poison needles shot out from the tip, accurately hitting the guards' knees. "You dare touch my people?"

In front of the water mirror, Jun Xiaoyao said to Zhao Gao, "Behind Yufeng Firm is the Liu family, the maternal clan of the First Prince. The head of the Liu family, Liu Chengfeng, is the Minister of War and holds the authority to dispatch grain in the Northern Territory."

"Do you need The Net to take action?"

"No need." Jun Xiaoyao looked at the medicine furnace in the corner of the underground palace. Cheng Lingsu was refining medicine using slag from the black iron mother lode. The medicinal fragrance wafting from the Cauldron melted the surrounding ice walls a little. "Let Cheng Lingsu take the 'Calamity-Relieving Pill' to the Northern Territory and 'help' Granny Miao while she's at it."

[Character Panel: Cheng Lingsu]

[From: World of "Flying Fox of Snowy Mountain"]

[Realm: Late Grandmaster Realm]

[Martial Skill: Medicine King Divine Canon (proficient in poison and medical arts), Golden Needle Crossing Calamity (can stimulate Acupoints to force out poison)]

[Current Status: Refining medicine]

[Special Ability: Hundred Herbs Wither (can make grass and trees wither within a radius of ten zhang), Rejuvenation Hand (has miraculous effects in healing external injuries)]

[Loyalty: 90%]

In the water mirror, Cheng Lingsu had already arrived with her medicine box. She handed Granny Miao a porcelain bottle: "This is the pill to resolve the Bone Rotting Powder. Granny, see if it works."

Granny Miao poured out one; the pill was snow-white all over and gave off a faint fragrance upon contact with the wind. "Good medicine! It's three times faster than my Bone Clearing Herb!"

While the two were talking, the sound of horse hooves came from afar. Liu Chengfeng arrived with his personal guards. Seeing the scene of administering medicine, his face turned livid. "Audacious commoners, how dare you distribute prohibited medicine! Seize them!"

Just as the personal guards drew their swords, they were blocked by a green shadow—Granny Miao's cane swept across, and the poison needles at the tip shot out like a rainstorm. The personal guards fell one after another, their legs swollen purple-black.

"Minister Liu, the poison among the disaster victims came from the 'old grain' in your grain store, right?" Granny Miao sneered. "I have proof of the poison here. Do you want me to send it to the palace for His Majesty to see?"

Liu Chengfeng's eyes flickered, and he suddenly pulled a signal flare from his bosom, preparing to ignite it. Cheng Lingsu's golden needles were faster than the signal flare; three golden needles were accurately nailed into his Acupoints, and the signal flare dropped onto the snowy ground with a "pop".

"Minister Liu had better be honest." Cheng Lingsu's voice was calm and waveless. "Three of your personal guards are from The Net. If they handed the account books of you and Yufeng Firm to Lord Bao..."

Liu Chengfeng's face turned pale instantly, and he slumped on his horse.

In front of the water mirror, Jun Xiaoyao watched this scene and said to Zhao Gao, "Have The Net send half of the account books to Lord Bao and leave half for the First Prince."

"Does the Young Lord want to..."

"Let them tear each other apart." Jun Xiaoyao looked up at the summoning array. The spiritual energy at the eye of the array had risen to 85% due to the resource fluctuations in the Northern Territory. As the runes flowed, a phantom of a medicinal herb appeared.

[System Prompt: Large-scale epidemic threat detected, triggering "Medical Immortal" summoning.]

[Summonable Character: Medical Immortal]

[From: World of "demi-gods and semi-devils"]

[Realm: Peak Grandmaster]

[Martial Skill: Medical Scripture (can cure difficult and miscellaneous diseases), Leisurely Wandering (lightness skill/footwork)]

[Specialty: Acupuncture (can dredge blocked Meridians), Compounding (skilled in making life-saving pills)]

[Summoning Cost: 80% spiritual energy]

The summoning array lit up with a soft green light, and the runes stretched out like medicinal herbs. A figure in green robes walked out slowly, carrying a huge medicine box. His face was gentle; it was none other than Medical Immortal.

"Medical Immortal greets the Young Lord." He bowed to Jun Xiaoyao, and the silver needles in the medicine box made a light sound, as if responding.

[Character Panel: Medical Immortal]

[Status: Standby]

[Special Ability: Vitality Pulse (can make the dying have a flash of vitality), Diagnosis (sees through the cause of illness at a glance)]

[Loyalty: 83%]

[Current Thought: The poison in the Northern Territory is aimed at Beyond Heaven]

"The Bone Rotting Powder in the Northern Territory has someone testing poison behind it." Jun Xiaoyao pointed to a hidden tent in the water mirror. The Men in Black inside were recording the death time of the disaster victims. "They want to know what dosage can make the miners of the black iron mother lode succumb as well."

Medical Immortal opened his medicine box and took out a set of golden needles: "Rest assured, Young Lord. My 'Thirteen Needles' can protect the heart pulse. Combined with Miss Cheng's antidote, it will definitely make the mastermind behind the scenes have nowhere to hide."

He turned and stepped into the teleportation array. As soon as he appeared in the Northern Territory, he saw Granny Miao confronting a man in black. The poison powder in the man's hand emitted a strange fragrance, and even the snow was melted by it.

"It's a variant of 'Power Dissipating Powder', mixed with 'Soul-Severing Grass' from the Western Regions." Medical Immortal flicked his finger and flew out three golden needles, accurately hitting the man in black's wrist. The poison powder bag fell to the ground with a thud. "Is Your Excellency from the 'Heavenly Poison Cult'?"

The man in black's face changed greatly, and he turned to flee, but was blocked by the Luowang Assassins who rushed over. The moment his mask was ripped off, it revealed a face exactly the same as the captain of the First Prince's mansion guards.

In front of the water mirror, Jun Xiaoyao watched this scene and said to Zhao Gao, "Let the First Prince 'accidentally' see the evidence of the Heavenly Poison Cult colluding with the Liu family."

"Yes." Zhao Gao handed over another secret report. "News from the capital: The Empress Dowager wants to intervene in the Northern Territory grain famine and has sent her own nephew, the 'Marquis of Peace and Joy', to provide disaster relief. This person is greedy for money and lustful, and it is said that he brought ten carts of gold, silver, and jewelry."

Jun Xiaoyao raised his eyes. In the water mirror, the Marquis of Peace and Joy was hugging a concubine, drinking and making merry in the carriage. Outside the carriage window, the wails of disaster victims rose one after another, but he laughed even more proudly.

"Is there any medicine in Granny Miao's poison scripture that makes people 'peaceful and joyous'?" Jun Xiaoyao's voice had no temperature. In the water mirror, Granny Miao happened to take a black porcelain bottle out of the medicine box. The medicine attendant asked curiously what was inside, and she just said lightly, "Good stuff that makes people sleep and never wake up."

Three days later, news came from the water mirror: The Marquis of Peace and Joy "suddenly fell ill" during disaster relief and died suddenly. All the gold, silver, and jewelry he brought were exchanged for grain by Granny Miao and distributed to the disaster victims. Liu Chengfeng was imprisoned by Lord Bao for "colluding with evil cults". To clear his name, the First Prince personally submitted a memorial impeaching the Liu family.

In the snow of the Northern Territory, Cheng Lingsu and Medical Immortal were administering needles to the last batch of disaster victims. The residual poison of the Bone Rotting Powder was completely cleared. The military grain camp in the distance also opened its doors, and soldiers were carrying grain to the disaster area. The leader of the generals had a cloud-pattern token of Beyond Heaven tucked into his waist.

[System Prompt: Northern Territory crisis resolved, resource reward obtained, spiritual energy restored to 70%.]

Jun Xiaoyao looked at the runes slowly flowing in the summoning array and said to Zhao Gao, "The First Prince lost this round, and I'm afraid the Empress Dowager will have to enter the game herself."

In the water mirror, the Empress Dowager was kneeling in the ancestral temple, praying to the late emperor's spirit tablet. What was inserted in the incense burner was not incense, but three blood-stained copper coins. The patterns on the copper coins were exactly the same as the token of the Blood Shadow Cult.

"Interesting." Jun Xiaoyao tapped his fingertips on the ice table, making a light sound. "It seems that the remnants of the Blood Shadow Cult are hidden deeper than we thought."

The underground palace returned to silence, with only the medicinal fragrance wafting from the medicine furnace still permeating, intertwining with the cold air of the ice walls to form a strange mist.

Jun Xiaoyao knew that the grain famine in the Northern Territory was just an outpost; the real game had only just begun. And in the summoning array of Beyond Heaven, new runes were already flickering, waiting for the next Awakening.