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.
Volume 3
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 Qing 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.
Volume 3
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 independant, 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!
Volume 3
Chapter 252: “Preparations”
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 wilful 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 p
owers.
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.
Volume 3
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.
Genius Doctor: Black Belly Miss Volume 3 Page 13
