Chapter Sixty-Nine: The Grand Gathering of Medical Arts, The True Immortal’s Edict!

Outside the city of Jinhua Prefecture, by the banks of Lake Jici, crowds thronged together as renowned physicians and healers from across the land gathered. They engaged in animated discussions on medicine and philosophy or exchanged stories of the past.

Upon a raised platform, two principal seats stood apart, one to the left and one to the right, both conspicuously vacant.

At this moment, the three great sects of the medical path arrived, each led by a master of their order.

"Granny Hua, Old Ghost Xing? Word is you suffered a crushing defeat recently on Mount Chisong—is it true?" Some among the other medical sects, seeing the arrival of the three great sects, immediately began to taunt them. Rivalry among peers was fierce, and the reputation of these three sects was far from sterling. Thus, their mockery was unrestrained.

The faces of those from the three sects darkened at these words. The old woman from the Hundred Flowers Sect looked as though she might explode with rage. Yet, seeing herself outnumbered, her demeanor faltered, and she subdued her anger, unwilling to provoke a conflict.

She snorted coldly and said, "The Daoist Palace of Chisong has fallen into corruption. Later, I will see to it that they are expelled from the ranks of the Four Great Medical Sects in front of all the healers of the realm and will request the Prefect to uphold justice!"

In the past, she would never have dared to slander the Daoist Palace of Chisong so openly. But now, with news of the passing of the Daoist Songhe spreading across the land, their last reservations had vanished, replaced by an unspoken sense of delight.

Those around, seeing her bullying the weak and fearing the strong, scoffed in contempt and turned away, resuming their own conversations.

"Does anyone know the agenda for today's Grand Medical Gathering?" one asked.

"I have no idea," another replied. "This is the first time the Prefect of Jinzhou is presiding! He is a marquis of Great Yu—a true figure of authority. If one could win his favor, the road to glory would be open!"

"Have you noticed that there are two principal seats on the platform? Who could the other be for? Who is worthy to sit as an equal to a marquis?"

Speculation buzzed throughout the crowd.

Suddenly, a dignified elder in a dragon-embroidered robe ascended the platform, instantly silencing the restless assembly. Even the many masters present dared not utter a sound before the man who ruled a province.

The elder's gaze swept the gathering, lingering pointedly on the members of the three great sects. If he recalled correctly, were these not the very people who had just slandered Master Yuchen's sect?

The three sects, misinterpreting his look, were beside themselves with joy. Was this the famed Marquis Xiaoyao favoring them? It seemed only natural—after all, their sects had claimed victory at several previous gatherings. Gaining the Prefect's approval was to be expected. Their pride swelled.

But the elder, withdrawing his gaze, ignored them and took the right-hand seat, waiting in silence.

A ripple of surprise ran through the crowd. In the Kingdom of Yu, the left seat is the seat of honor; yet the marquis had chosen the right. Was an even more distinguished guest expected? None dared ask aloud; all waited quietly.

A quarter of an hour passed; still, no one appeared. Even the marquis's eyes betrayed a trace of doubt. The Daoist Master Yuchen was not one to break his word. What could be delaying him?

After a moment’s thought, the marquis called out, "Does anyone know the whereabouts of the Daoist Masters of Chisong Palace?"

All eyes turned toward the three great sects. Alarmed, the old woman rushed to speak, fearing the marquis's displeasure might fall on them: "Your Excellency, Chisong Palace, emboldened by their past grandmaster, have always been arrogant and lawless. Now they dare defy this assembly. I beg you, uphold justice and expel them from the ranks of the Four Great Medical Sects!"

"Insolence!"

She had expected her words to absolve her and was feeling quite pleased with herself when a thunderous rebuke rang out from the platform. The marquis’s face darkened, and the sword-bearing man behind him fixed the three sects with an icy, penetrating glare.

The old woman was stunned, at a complete loss as to what had happened.

At that very moment, a figure appeared in the sky, riding the wind. The crowd gazed upward, marveling as a robed Daoist seemed to walk upon the clouds. For a moment, many thought their eyes deceived them.

"It's Qingyang Zi, a disciple of Chisong Palace!" someone exclaimed.

The three sects, too, recognized him and were struck speechless with shock. What kind of lightness skill was this? Was it perhaps the legendary Soaring Step of Daoist Songhe?

While the assembly was still astounded, Qingyang Zi alighted in midair, solemn and dignified, saluted the elder on the platform, and declared, "By decree of Granduncle Master Yuchen: A plague demon is at work. A great pestilence is imminent. I beseech Your Excellency to arrange for disaster relief and evacuate the populace!"

The marquis's heart leapt. He knew Lin You would not speak lightly; the situation must be urgent.

"Nonsense! The world is at peace—what plague could there be? You must be spreading false rumors to disrupt the gathering!" the old woman interjected. Seeing Qingyang Zi arrive on the wind had startled her, but she recalled the legendary Soaring Step—a wind-walking technique. She was convinced he was playing tricks to sabotage the gathering and avoid a final contest with them.

The three sects quickly voiced their agreement.

Qingyang Zi, incensed, was about to retort when the marquis raised his hand, halting the argument. He turned to the sword-bearing man and said, "Yuan Yi, apply martial law."

Zhang Yuan Yi nodded, faced the still-protesting members of the three sects, and said coldly, "Obstructing the prefecture’s disaster relief is punishable by martial law. Execute them!"

At his command, dozens of armored guards emerged, surrounding the three sects.

Before they could grasp the situation, they were seized. Even the three martial masters had no chance to resist—before they could cry out their innocence, their heads were already displayed as a warning.

The elder nodded, as if he had merely attended to a trivial matter. He had heard rumors of the epidemic in Jiangzhou, and seeing such urgency from someone like Daoist Yuchen, he knew the matter was grave. These interlopers had provided the perfect opportunity to assert his authority and smoothly arrange the relief effort.

As expected, after this display of power, no one dared take the matter lightly. At the marquis’s command, preparations were made to evacuate the area.

But just then, they discovered that the city gates in the distance had suddenly closed, trapping everyone outside.