Chapter 92: Sacred Land
Although Ding Peng, the Tongzhi of the Imperial Guards, was only a third-rank official, Gu Qiming, the director of the Medical Affairs Department, who was a true third-rank official, still gave him enough face and personally escorted him out of the Medical Affairs Department building.
After watching Ding Peng leave, Gu Qiming walked back with a serious expression. He reached the front of the Medical Affairs Department building but didn’t go in directly. Instead, he continued forward to the street corner and silently looked at the plaza behind Ninth Street.
Even from a distance, he could still see the stone cauldron in the plaza and the old courtyard behind it at a glance.
“Master.”
“Master.”
Seeing his two disciples approaching from Second Street, Gu Qiming withdrew his thoughts and looked at them, “Why have you come at this time?”
Yuan Tianchou and Mu Qingying first paid their respects to Gu Qiming, and then Yuan Tianchou spoke, “Disciple and Junior Sister encountered several points we didn’t understand while reading the Medicine Ancestor’s Notes, so we’ve come to ask Master for guidance.”
Gu Qiming gave a ‘hmm’ and turned towards the Medical Affairs Department building, gesturing for his two disciples to follow.
Yuan Tianchou quickly followed, “Master, I heard the Imperial Guards came to the Medical Affairs Department again. Is it about the pill theft incident from a while ago?”
Gu Qiming nodded, “I have already sent them away.”
Yuan Tianchou: “Were all the stolen pills recovered?”
Gu Qiming shook his head.
Yuan Tianchou looked surprised, “They left without recovering all the pills?”
Mu Qingying, who had been silent, looked at the quiet Gu Qiming and said, “Master, you don’t want the Imperial Guards to continue their investigation, do you?”
Gu Qiming led his two disciples back to his office and said sternly, “Over a hundred people were arrested from the Apprentice Hall. I’ve looked into it, and they are all people without much background.”
“The Imperial Guards know very well that they have no connection to Leng Xiangru, yet they still took them away. What do you think is the reason?”
Yuan Tianchou and Mu Qingying exchanged glances, neither of them speaking.
Yuan Tianchou’s father is the Director of the Imperial Astronomical Bureau. Although his official position is not high, the Yuan family is a well-established family in the Capital City. Before the Great Jin was founded and its capital established in the Capital City, the Yuan family had already been established in the Capital City for countless generations.
Therefore, the Yuan family’s information is relatively well-informed.
Yuan Tianchou could see the suppressed anger in Gu Qiming’s eyes. He knew the real reason behind the recent trouble at the Apprentice Hall.
His father knows the art of observing qi. Two years ago, from the Star Gazing Tower, he saw the sky above the Medical Affairs Department enveloped in auspicious clouds.
His father reported this matter to the Imperial Court.
Initially, the Imperial Court didn’t pay much attention, and the nobles casually placed some people in, mostly in the Apprentice Hall and Disciple Hall.
However, after September last year, the nobles suddenly began to pay attention to the Medical Affairs Department, all setting their sights on the apothecaries on Ninth Street.
In recent months, various factions have been deploying people and sending them to Ninth Street.
Due to the intense competition, those with weaker influence turned their attention to the Disciple Hall and Apprentice Hall.
The stolen pills were found in the Apprentice Hall, but since the thief Leng Xiangru was identified, only the person in charge of the Apprentice Hall needed to be punished. However, someone pressured the Imperial Guards, leading to the arrest of over a hundred apprentices.
With over a hundred apprentices arrested, various factions could begin to place their people.
Gu Qiming was very angry about various factions placing their people in the Medical Affairs Department. As the director, they acted without even informing him, completely disregarding him.
“If the Imperial Guards continue their investigation, not only will the Apprentice Hall be in turmoil, but the Labor Department will also be turned upside down.”
Mu Qingying was a mountain dweller from the outskirts of the Capital City. Because she possessed a Wood Spiritual Root, she felt a natural affinity for plants and trees from a young age. By following a half-baked itinerant physician and self-studying, she managed to acquire medical skills.
Gu Qiming discovered her while gathering herbs in the mountains and then took her as his disciple, bringing her back to the Medical Affairs Department. She is now a qualified Pharmacist capable of refining Grandmaster Pills.
Limited by her perspective, Mu Qingying was often confused by the intricacies of the Imperial Court. “Master, is someone trying to place people in the Labor Department? The Labor Department handles heavy and tiring work.”
Gu Qiming’s eyes glinted coldly, “Someone with malicious intent is secretly spreading rumors that the Medical Affairs Department is a Sacred Land.” He then looked at his two disciples.
“Cultivators cannot do without pills. How can the Medical Affairs Department not be a Sacred Land? Naturally, it is a Sacred Land for Alchemy.”
“Every family wants to make arrangements and cultivate their own Alchemists. While working as a Laborer in the Labor Department is a bit humble, for them, being the first to enter and seize the opportunity is the most important thing.”
Mu Qingying: “If that’s the case, why did the Imperial Guards leave? Why didn’t they search the Labor Department?”
Yuan Tianchou guessed some of the answer to this question and looked at Gu Qiming, “Master, is it because of that female Laborer who dared to confront the Imperial Guards?”
Gu Qiming didn’t want his two disciples to only know how to refine pills, so he didn’t hide anything from them, “Although that female Laborer is a Cultivator, she is clearly no match for the Imperial Guards.”
“What truly makes the Imperial Guards wary is the person behind that female Laborer.”
Mu Qingying listened, confused, “If that female Laborer has a background that makes the Imperial Guards wary, why did she still become a Laborer?”
Gu Qiming: “Her background is too poor, she doesn’t even know what resources she possesses. Hua Changxin, the direct disciple of the Taisu Palace Sect Leader, is that female Laborer’s sister, yet she and her family are unaware of this.”
Speaking of this, it’s actually not entirely the Hua family’s fault.
If it weren’t for the Great Battle at Five Finger Mountain, some things wouldn’t have been revealed so quickly.
To conceal the emergence of ruins, Demonic Beasts, Spiritual Plants, and Spiritual Fruits in various regions, the Royal Family and some nobles spared no effort in doing many things.
The Hua family was not valued by the clan, and the Dingyuan Earl’s Mansion paid them no attention. Furthermore, the Dingyuan Earl’s Mansion did not enter the core circle of nobles. The Earl’s Mansion likely didn’t know about the Spiritual Energy Revival for long and didn’t have time to make any arrangements.
Mu Qingying looked astonished, “Hua Changxin, the Green Lotus Fairy of Taisu Palace?”
Yuan Tianchou looked enlightened, “The Green Lotus Fairy is not only inseparable from the Sixth Prince but also has a close relationship with the Heir of Prince Dong’an. The other direct disciples of Taisu Palace also have significant backgrounds.”
“With such backing, it’s no wonder the Imperial Guards dared not act against that female Laborer.”
Saying this, Yuan Tianchou looked at Gu Qiming, “Master, I heard that the female Laborer is bold and not afraid of trouble. Then let her stay in the Labor Department. With her there, perhaps some people will be more cautious.”
Gu Qiming looked at Yuan Tianchou with satisfaction. This was indeed what he had in mind. Someone targeting the Labor Department was not his biggest concern; his greatest worry was someone targeting the Old Courtyard.
“By the way, I asked you earlier to visit the elder in the Old Plaza Courtyard. Did you go?”
Yuan Tianchou and Mu Qingying nodded, “We did.”
Mu Qingying: “Master, that old courtyard is very strange. The courtyard gate can only be pushed open a crack, making it difficult to enter and exit. The elder living in the courtyard is also strange; no matter what Senior Brother and I say, he doesn’t respond.”
Gu Qiming: “Did the elder ask you to take the wooden token from the wall tablet?”
Yuan Tianchou: “Yes, Disciple had to put in a lot of effort to take it down. Junior Sister, however, took it down with ease.”
Upon hearing this, Gu Qiming’s expression trembled, “You both obtained wooden tokens? Quickly, show me your wooden tokens.”
Yuan Tianchou and Mu Qingying did not hesitate. They took off the wooden tokens from their waists and handed them to Gu Qiming.
Gu Qiming took them and looked at them, then stood up and walked to the bookshelf, taking down a wooden box.
The wooden box was opened, and inside was also a wooden token, identical to the ones Yuan Tianchou and Mu Qingying had obtained.
“When I first entered the Medical Affairs Department, I also visited the Old Courtyard and obtained a similar wooden token.”
Yuan Tianchou and Mu Qingying were both greatly surprised, “Master, what is this wooden token used for?”
Gu Qiming shook his head, “I don’t know either.” He then returned the wooden tokens to them, “Take the wooden tokens and study them carefully. I always feel like this is some kind of key.”
“If the Medical Affairs Department is truly a Sacred Land, then this wooden token is definitely extraordinary. You two must keep it safe.”
Yuan Tianchou and Mu Qingying nodded in agreement. Then, Yuan Tianchou seemed to recall something and said to Gu Qiming, “Master, Gu Jinfan often goes to the Old Courtyard. She should have also obtained a wooden token.”
Speaking of Gu Jinfan, Gu Qiming’s eyes flickered.
Although they both shared the surname Gu, they were not from the same lineage.
He found this Young Woman to be somewhat mysterious, and in many matters, he couldn’t understand her.
Her information seemed to be exceptionally well-informed. He hadn’t even heard about the Kunlun Mountain incident, but she knew about it and even led the Cultivators of the Gu clan to Kunlun Mountain in advance.
He wondered where she got her information from?
With this trip to Kunlun Mountain, the Duke of Xin State’s Mansion was estimated to return with full hands.
