Chapter 349 The Competition (Seeking Monthly Tickets)

The mountain tribes of Shuzhou have occupied Shuzhou for thousands of years.

Even during the reign of the Ganyang Dynasty, when the barbarians occupied Shu Prefecture, the mountain people of Wumeng Mountain were still able to survive.

He relied on his uncanny poisoning techniques and witchcraft.

Ordinary martial arts practitioners, let alone getting close, even if they are always on high alert, will unknowingly fall victim to the mountain tribe's poison.

Let alone a frail physician from the Nine Curves lineage?

Pei Guanli looked at Wen Xiuyin and asked with a grin, "This is how I always do things. If you're still angry, you can always call your master."

"Let me see if that damned Nine-Bend Divine Doctor dares to bare his teeth at the mountain tribes in Shuzhou."

"you?!"

Wen Xiuyin's face turned ashen, her chest heaving with anger, but she dared not utter another harsh word.

Before coming to Shu Prefecture, her master, the Divine Physician of Nine Turns, had told her—it's better to offend Marquis Dingyuan than to provoke the mountain tribes.

It wasn't because the Marquis of Dingyuan or the officials of Shu Prefecture were insignificant, but rather because the mountain tribes were powerful.

Furthermore, as news of the Five Poisons Sect's defeat at the hands of the Mountain Clan spread, it reminded martial artists in other prefectures of the Mountain Clan's ferocity once again.

Thinking of these things, Wen Xiuyin's anger subsided somewhat, and she said with a gentler expression:

“Miss Pei, my junior brother was rude to you just now. As his senior sister, I apologize to you on his behalf.”

She bowed with clasped hands in a gesture of respect, as is customary in the martial arts world.

Immediately, everyone watching inside and outside the pharmacy burst into laughter, even the common people who knew nothing about the martial arts world couldn't help but chuckle.

"The Nine Bends lineage has really started to think of themselves as local lords these days, daring to provoke the mountain tribes in Shu Prefecture. They're courting death."

"Hilarious! That doctor was so sharp-tongued just now, but now he has to bow his head obediently."

"When you're under someone's roof, you have to bow your head. That's good, that's good..."

Ma Liangcai, Liu Quan, and others breathed a sigh of relief.

With Pei Guanli stepping forward, even if they are less skilled, the impact will be less than before.

Yuan Liuer looked at Pei Guanli with a hint of envy.

As a newcomer to martial arts, she didn't see when Pei Guanli made a move; she only sensed a faint herbal fragrance based on her medical knowledge.

"I wonder when I'll be as powerful as Grandmaster Pei."

Little did she know that Pei Guanli thought she was even more amazing.

However, at this moment, a smug look appeared on Pei Guanli's round little face.

"It would have been better if you had said so earlier, instead of making me take action."

Wen Xiuyin heard the mocking laughter around her, gritted her teeth, and decided to ignore the voices.

She took a deep breath to calm herself, and while administering acupuncture to her junior brother to detoxify him, she said:

"Previously, I heard that Miss Pei wanted to stand up for Jishi Pharmacy, but I wonder what you intend to do?"

Seeing that she had given in, the two young men and women behind her felt somewhat aggrieved, but dared not say anything more.

Clearly, none of them wanted to end up like their companion lying on the ground.

Pei Guanli clapped her hands: "Easy."

She looked at Wen Xiuyin and said, "Your medical skills have reached a minor level of mastery, yet you come here to bully the resident doctor at the clinic. This is not appropriate."

Pei Guanli's eyes darted to the disciples behind Wen Xiuyin, and she pointed at them, saying:

"Since they are your disciples, they should be able to represent the Nine Curves lineage. Why don't we have them compete against the physicians of the pharmacy?"

Wen Xiuyin understood, turned around to look at her two disciples, then glanced at the doctors in the pharmacy—Ma Liangcai, Elder Li, Yuan Liuer, and others—and nodded, saying:

“A comparison is certainly possible, but my disciples are all under twenty years old. Although they have studied medicine with me for many years, they haven’t had many opportunities to showcase their talents…”

Before she could finish speaking, Pei Guanli raised her hand to interrupt her, saying, "In the end, aren't you just worried that the successor of the Nine Curves lineage will lose to a doctor from an ordinary pharmacy?"

"If that's the case, I think you should go back to where you came from, so as not to disgrace your master."

Upon hearing her words, Wen Xiuyin's face naturally turned ugly.

But the onlookers, not wanting to miss a good show, kept jeering and making a fuss. Even without a real fight, they still wanted to determine who was better.

Wen Xiuyin glanced outside the pharmacy and secretly vowed that she would never treat any of the martial arts practitioners from Shuzhou again.

Even if it's a continuation of a single, winding path, it won't work!

No matter how annoyed Wen Xiuyin was, things had come to this point, and she decided not to do anything unnecessary.

“If that’s the case, I agree with what Miss Pei said.”

She paused, glanced at the doctors in the pharmacy, and finally her gaze settled on Ma Liangcai and Yuan Liuer.

Among the patients in Jishi Pharmacy, only these two had slightly stronger auras, indicating that they had already reached the entry level of medical skills.

Wen Xiuyin waved to one of the two people behind her without expression: "If you can't even compare to an apprentice in the pharmacy, don't blame me for being merciless."

The younger woman dared not be negligent and bowed, saying, "I will obey your orders, Master."

She then stepped forward, clasped her hands in greeting to Pei Guanli, and said, "I am Zhou Wenying from the Nine Bends lineage. Please, Senior Pei, choose an opponent for me."

Circumstances are more powerful than people.

Even Wen Xiuyin, the personal disciple of her master, the Nine-Bend Divine Physician, lowered her head, so she naturally dared not act rashly.

Pei Guanli didn't say anything immediately. After looking left and right, she still couldn't figure it out.

Then, she turned to look at Ma Liangcai and Yuan Liuer, "Which of you is more confident?"

Just as Ma Liangcai was about to step forward, Pei Guanli raised her hand to stop him and decided to speak directly:

"Let Sister Liu compete with her."

Yuan Liuer paused slightly, then hesitated before saying, "Sister Guanli, I... I'm a beginner in medicine, I'm afraid..."

"What are you afraid of? Don't be afraid. Your master said that you have great talent and dealing with a mere grand-disciple of the Nine-Bend Divine Doctor is absolutely no problem."

"You know your master... Anyway, I believe in your master, you definitely can't lose."

Pei Guanli went over and took Yuan Liuer's hand, then slapped Ma Liangcai and said:

"Step back a little. You were so timid before, what are you doing standing up now?"

Ma Liangcai was slapped, and swallowed the words he was about to say, saying with a wry smile, "Uncle-Master is right."

He then looked at Yuan Liuer and instructed her, "Your grandmaster has spoken, so just do your best."

"Winning would be great, but if we accidentally lose..."

Ma Liangcai thought of Chen Yi, straightened his posture, and said, "Your master is here, so it's alright."

If it weren't for the fact that Jishi Pharmacy belonged to the Xiao family, and he was worried that losing a medical competition would affect Chen Yi, he wouldn't have cared at all.

Ma Liangcai was well aware of Chen Yi's prowess; not only was he an excellent physician, but he was also proficient in music, chess, calligraphy, and painting.

What reassured him most was that Chen Yi was none other than Liu Wu, the "Dragon and Tiger" renowned throughout Shu Prefecture.

Even if Wen Xiuyin were merely a disciple of the Nine Curves lineage, Ma Liangcai would not be afraid, even if the Nine Curves Divine Physician from Youzhou came in person.

If you're unsure what to do, you can always go to Chen Yi.

After all, Ma Liangcai is now Chen Yi's first disciple.

Yuan Liuer was unaware of her master's thoughts. Once she was certain that Ma Liangcai was serious, she put down her burden and followed Pei Guanli forward.

In fact, Yuan Liuer is not a coy person.

When her father was still alive, she would stay at home and help her mother take care of her younger siblings whenever he went to work.

Independent since childhood, decisive in doing things.

Otherwise, she wouldn't have silently gone to the East Market to sell herself to bury her father after his death.

Besides, she is now a member of Jishi Pharmacy, and she should do her part to help when she is bullied by outsiders.

Just that.

Despite her thoughts, Yuan Liuer still wasn't very confident in her medical skills and didn't have much faith in winning the competition.

She wasn't even clear about her own situation when she first started learning medicine.

All she knew was that her master, Ma Liangcai, had told her that her grandmaster, Chen Yi, said she had exceptional talent and urged her to work hard.

As for what kind of talent she possessed, she had no idea.

Not long after.

The middle of the medicine hall was left empty, and Wen Xiuyin and her disciples stood on one side.

Pei Guanli sat casually on the other side, with Ma Liangcai, Liu Quan and others standing behind her, exuding an aura of being in charge.

And in the field.

Yuan Liuer was dressed as an apprentice at Jishi Pharmacy, wearing a blue short jacket, her hair tied up at the back of her head with a square scarf around her neck, her small face tense and her expression solemn.

Zhou Wenying, on the other hand, remained calm and composed, displaying the demeanor of a great lady.

Wen Xiuyin glanced around and said, "The medical competition includes medical theory, medical skills, pharmacology, and medicinal herbs. I wonder what Miss Pei would like to compete in?"

Pei Guanli, of course, didn't understand any of this. She glanced at Yuan Liuer, who nodded slightly, and then waved her hand dismissively:

"Guests are welcome, so you can decide what to do."

As soon as he finished speaking, the onlookers shook their heads inwardly, especially those martial arts practitioners who knew the power of the Nine Turns lineage's medical skills.

"The mountain girl is a bit too arrogant."

"The doctors in this pharmacy are all ordinary people who treat common folk; they can't save just anyone."

"Yes, although the Nine-Bend lineage has a bad reputation, they do have extraordinary abilities, especially in treating injuries to the meridians and internal organs."

"Previously, our senior Jin Guang from Shu Prefecture was injured in a vital acupoint behind his ear by the evil forces of the Illusionary Sound Sect, which caused his true energy to circulate poorly. He was finally able to recover after seeking help from the Divine Physician of Nine Turns."

"Every profession is like a mountain to climb, let alone martial arts and medicine?"

"Mountain tribes are skilled in poisoning and witchcraft, but they are ultimately unfamiliar with medicine."

Pei Guanli, of course, heard what those people said, and glared at them with slight displeasure, saying:

"If Sister Liu loses, don't blame me for being impolite."

"Uh, we dare not..."

These martial arts figures all shut their mouths, clearly not wanting to provoke the mountain tribes.

Wen Xiuyin laughed, feeling relieved.

Ultimately, the mountain tribes are still not as civilized as those in the Central Plains. They want to stand out, but they don't even know their own capabilities.

Wen Xiuyin looked at Zhou Wenying and Yuan Liuer and said with a smile, "I won't bully you. Let's just follow the usual four events of the medical competition."

Pei Guanli was naturally unaware of the Four Principles of Medicine, but she was always fearless, so she coughed and said, "Then you give me the questions."

Wen Xiuyin knew she didn't understand, but she didn't intend to make a fuss about it, and simply gestured:

"The first one is simple. My apprentice and the apprentices of Jishi Pharmacy need to be blindfolded and identify the medicinal herbs by touch and smell alone."

"Whoever can smell the medicinal herbs most accurately wins."

Pei Guanli roughly understood and subconsciously looked at Yuan Liuer, only to see that her tense little face had relaxed. She couldn't help but ask:

"Sister Liu'er, is there a problem?"

Yuan Liuer looked at her and shook her head, saying, "Grandmaster, this is simple."

She may not have learned anything else these days, but she has thoroughly mastered the medicinal herbs and pharmacology, so she is quite confident.

Seeing this, Pei Guanli immediately nodded: "Then let's begin."

Wen Xiuyin said no more. While having Zhou Wenying and Yuan Liuer blindfolded, she and Ma Liangcai prepared the medicinal materials needed for the competition.

The two took out ten kinds of medicinal herbs from the medicine cabinet in the pharmacy and placed them in front of Yuan Liuer and Zhou Wenying respectively.

However, Wen Xiuyin also had some thoughts of her own, and said, "The medicinal materials came from the pharmacy, so that junior apprentice got a slight advantage."

Pei Guanli raised an eyebrow and asked, "What do you want?"

"I just want to replace it with a medicinal herb that I carry with me, that would be fair."

"Then I'll do as you say."

Pei Guanli had little confidence in Yuan Liuer, but she had great confidence in Chen Yi.

Moreover, she had witnessed Yuan Liuer's terrifying martial arts talent.

Let Wen Xiuyin change to a different herb.

However, when they saw the medicinal herbs that Wen Xiuyin took out, the expressions of Ma Liangcai, Doctor Li, and the others changed.

What Wen Xiuyin was holding was not an ordinary herb or insect material, but a piece of scale armor—gray and black, hard and smooth in texture.

It turned out to be an extremely rare "dragon scale".

Of course, it is not the scales of a dragon, but a strange beast that lives in harsh, cold lands—the deer-dragon.

It has a snake's head and a deer's body, with only a single scale on its neck.

Ordinary doctors have never even heard of it, let alone seen it.

They didn't know either Ma Liangcai or Doctor Li, so they were both a little nervous.

Pei Guanli noticed something amiss and guessed that there was something wrong with the medicinal herbs Wen Xiuyin had brought out.

But she had already blocked her way out, so she had no choice but to bite the bullet and remain silent.

The crowd of onlookers was generally like this.

After placing the deer dragon's reverse scale on the table, Wen Xiuyin smiled at Pei Guanli and the others before turning and walking back.

"Let's begin."

Then, Yuan Liuer and Zhou Wenying simultaneously picked up the medicinal herbs in front of them and identified them one by one.

As they identified the objects, they spoke their answers.

Yuan Liuer: "Cassia seeds."

Zhou Wenying: "Moneywort".

Yuan Liuer: "Heavenly Silkworm Flower".

Zhou Wenying: "..."

Both of them were beginners in medicine, so their basic skills in identifying medicinal herbs were naturally beyond their grasp.

Yuan Liuer, having spent some time in the pharmacy, was well aware of the medicinal herbs available there.

In just a quarter of an hour, both of them were left with only one.

Zhou Wenying wiped the sweat from her forehead, picked up the last piece of medicinal material, and touched it with her hand first.

Just as she was about to answer, she swallowed the words that were on the tip of her tongue and, to be on the safe side, picked up the medicinal herbs and sniffed them.

After a moment, Zhou Wenying hesitated slightly.

The medicinal material in my hand looked exactly like aloe vera soil in both shape and texture, but the fragrance on it was definitely not aloe vera soil. Instead, it seemed to be another, even rarer medicinal material – emerald green soil.

Wen Xiuyin had originally planned to watch Yuan Liuer make a fool of herself, but when she saw her disciple's hesitant movements, she couldn't help but frown.

Before she could even offer a hint, Zhou Wenying hesitantly gave the answer:

"Azure soil?"

"This medicinal material is made of emerald green soil!"

Wen Xiuyin paused, muttered "idiot" under her breath, and her face remained indifferent.

On the other hand, Ma Liangcai had a smile on his face. He had been careful when preparing the medicinal herbs.

I specially took out an old ritual object from the aloe vera soil.

People who lack confidence in themselves are bound to make wrong judgments.

really……

At this moment, everyone's attention was focused on Yuan Liuer.

She continued to stroke the scale, her expression calm, showing no sign of tension.

After a long while, she gently picked up the scales, sniffed them, and a smile appeared on her face:

"I see."

"This is a 'Deer-Dragon's Reverse Scale'!"

"Impossible! How could you possibly recognize this?!"

(End of this chapter)