Chapter 342: Chapter 342: Tripwire

After taking on a disciple, the Undying Poison Doctor was about to leave.

Before leaving, he prepared to give Xia Wenjin a small booklet.

The booklet was yellowed with age, and at a glance, it was clear it was very old.

Xia Wenjin’s fingers trembled slightly as she flipped through the booklet, her expression was strange, and she looked at the Undying Poison Doctor with a tone of helplessness: “Master, you taught me these skills in my dreams!”

The Undying Poison Doctor was extremely astonished. Seeing the words “Myriad Poison Manual” on the cover of the booklet, his eyes nearly popped out: “You learned it?”

In her previous life, Xia Wenjin only learned thirty percent of the medical skills but mastered ninety-nine percent of the poison techniques, partly from this “Myriad Poison Manual” and partly from the poison techniques of the current life of the Undying Poison Doctor.

The identity of the owner of “Myriad Poison Manual” was extraordinary; it was personally written by Wu Li, the Poison Venerable, six hundred years ago. The Undying Poison Doctor didn’t care about anything else, but he treated this booklet like a treasure. Now he wanted to give this small booklet to Xia Wenjin, showing that although he seemed eccentric and spoke harshly, he genuinely valued Xia Wenjin.

The Undying Poison Doctor took back the booklet, and rare embarrassment appeared on his face, saying, “It seems I taught you quite a lot in my dreams, yet why are your medical skills so poor?”

Xia Wenjin: “…”

The old man was exposing her weaknesses again.

She said helplessly: “I will study hard in the future!”

The Undying Poison Doctor gave her a once-over, not knowing whether he was relieved or disdainful, and said dismissively: “Alright, alright, don’t just say nice things. I’m leaving now. If we are destined, we may meet again. If my time is up…”

“Master, what are you saying? You are in your prime now, at least with a hundred good years ahead. I don’t like hearing about such deadlines!” Xia Wenjin interrupted him. The old man had lived through a lot; in her previous life when she died, the old man was still living well.

The conversation somehow dispelled the reluctance of the master-apprentice farewell.

Before leaving, the Undying Poison Doctor glanced at Xia Wenjin and then at Huangfu Jingchen, saying: “Girl, do you know your master’s name?”

Xia Wenjin was speechless; Shang Jingwang had said it in front of so many people yesterday. Even if he hadn’t, she would’ve known.

She nodded.

The Undying Poison Doctor nodded, his expression serious: “My name is Lin Que, you girl look too attractive to bees and butterflies, you must always remember your master’s name! Also, this boy clearly harbors ill intentions towards you, so keep your eyes open!” Saying that, he threw a cold glance at Huangfu Jingchen.

Back then, Huangfu Jingchen had threatened him with a little sable, and he remembered it well.

Huangfu Jingchen: “…”

He knew the business about the sable left the Undying Poison Doctor displeased with him, and he was quite helpless about it. Given the circumstances then, with the doctor’s unruly nature, had he not done so, one wouldn’t know if he would still be alive to stand there now.

Xia Wenjin: “…”

She was helpless: “Master, what are you saying? We are just friends!”

The Undying Poison Doctor said: “In any case, remember this, girl, don’t fall in love easily, falling in love leads to trouble, listen to your master and you won’t go wrong!”

“Alright, alright, I know!”

Finally, after managing to send off the chattering Undying Poison Doctor, Xia Wenjin watched the old man’s dashing departing figure, tears slightly welling in her eyes.

Should she not have showcased too much?

In her previous life, she spent a year with the Undying Poison Doctor, but this time it had only been a few days?

However, the Undying Poison Doctor was used to roaming around, never staying long in one place unless there was something interesting like waiting for a sable’s birth. This time he stayed several days in Wangshan Town mostly because her medical skills showed the same roots and origin as his.

In her past life, she left Huangfu Yuxuan to be with the Undying Poison Doctor for a year, intending to learn more skills to help him.

But now, it seemed she couldn’t follow her master like before; she had too many things to do.

Five years, not too short, but definitely not long either.

And now, everything was just starting; if she wanted to face Huangfu Yuxuan head-on in three years with the necessary strength, there was still much she needed to accomplish!

While in Wangshan Town, Xia Wenjin was bidding a reluctant farewell to the departed Undying Poison Doctor, in the Court of the Capital City, it was the time of the morning assembly.

The Jinluan Hall was noble and solemn, civil and military officials divided into two sides. After discussing several state affairs, the current Emperor, Huangfu Xulin, had already surpassed the age of seventy. Even though the Imperial Physician carefully maintained his health, he ultimately couldn’t resist the ravages of time, plus the incident of the former Crown Prince being deposed had turned his temples grayer.

Time waits for no one, and there were traces of fatigue on his face. He was about to dismiss the court, but before doing so, he remembered something. He swept his gaze across the hall and asked, “King Kang, has Jinxuan reached the epidemic area in Jiazhou Northern County yet?”

King Kang, Huangfu Mian, quickly stepped out and replied: “In response to Your Majesty, by calculation, he should arrive in three days.”

The Marquis Anning gave a subtle signal to an Imperial Censor from his faction, having already sent someone to pass a message to the censor the previous night. The censor immediately stepped forward boldly: “Your Majesty, I have a memorial to present!”

The Imperial Envoy’s Guard would take three days to arrive, leaving time in between. Marquis Anning’s eyes glinted with calculation; regardless of the outcome, he intended to trip Shang Jingwang up in the court beforehand.

“Present it!”

The Emperor glanced at the Imperial Censor named He Tizhu.

He was inquiring about the plague, and the censor’s interjection at this time was not entirely appropriate, but it wasn’t overly improper either, considering the main affairs had been dealt with.

He Tizhu stated: “I wish to impeach the Prefect of Huainan Prefecture, Shang Jingwang of Northern County!”

This statement startled many present.

The Emperor frowned slightly. Just more than half a month ago, he had dispatched an imperial envoy specifically carrying a commendation letter for Shang Jingwang to Huainan Prefecture, and now He Tizhu wanted to impeach him?

Another Imperial Censor, Jiang Yuhuo, immediately stepped forward, saying: “Imperial Censor He spends his days enjoying life in the high halls, living in comfort and honor. Are you referring to impeaching Shang Jingwang, a court official, for daring to ignore his status as a court official and venturing into the dangerous area of an epidemic with his body of a scholar, thus wasting the court’s regard for him?”

The words dripped with sarcasm, pointing out that He Tizhu, living comfortably in the Capital City, had no grounds to impeach Shang Jingwang, who risked his life for the people of Nanxia.

This Jiang Yuhuo was the same censor who had promptly reported Shang Jingwang’s entry into the epidemic area to the Emperor, known for his cold and upright integrity, standing straight with a firm backbone, willing to speak in favor of those the Emperor didn’t like if he believed they were right; similarly, he would dare to criticize those with high stature if he found them disagreeable.

He had even impeached the former Crown Prince.

However, despite his seemingly stern and stubborn demeanor, he was not merely rigid and inflexible. Coincidentally, he had a nephew in the Shadow Pavilion’s East City branch in the Capital City, serving as a steward.

The Shadow Pavilion was renowned for its swift, accurate, and diverse information; any piece of news could be purchased for the right price.

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep