“Miss, please forgive me,” uttered the handmaiden quickly, immediately falling to her knees when she saw Qing Lingyan’s gaze and was shocked to the point of her face turning a deathly white.
“Do you really wish for Cold Moon Palace to become the target of all the other great sects?” spat Qing Lingyan ruthlessly through gritted teeth.
“Miss, please forgive me. I have misspoken.” The handmaiden started to slap herself on the cheek again and again. Very quickly, her beautiful face became bruised and swelled.
“Ghost Hand,” called out Qing Lingyan softly, ignoring the handmaiden’s apology.
“Young Master, I am here.” A young man with a pale white face which seemed to be drained of blood appeared from behind Qing Lingyan like a phantom.
“Tell Qiu Gaohe, that you will replace them in participating in the Sword Pill Meeting,” said Qing Lingyan.
“Young Master, the palace master’s standing instructions are that I am only allowed to protect you and am not allowed to interfere in any disputes on the mainland.” Ghost Hand’s voice was as obscure as his figure.
“You dare disobey my will?!” shrieked Qing Lingyan. Her voice was shrill due to anger.
“I dare not,” replied Ghost Hand.
“I’m only asking you to participate in the Sword Pill Meeting, it’s not like I am asking you to attack someone!” argued Qing Lingyan.
“Yes, I understand,” said Ghost Hand before he quietly disappeared as if he had never appeared.
“You are only allowed to win, you are not allowed to lose,” said Qing Lingyan. Although Ghost Hand had already disappeared, she knew that he had definitely heard the words she said.
Ghost Hand was a prodigy at Cold Moon Palace, the kind of talent that comes across only once in a hundred years. Not only did he have strong cultivation, he also had formidable medical skills and pill refinement knowledge that was unknown to outsiders of their sect. Ever since the Golden Pill Sect was annihilated, Cold Moon Palace could only use their own ways to research medical skills and their long history of illnesses had caused them to become good physicians over the years. After many years had passed, Cold Moon Palace had ended up nurturing quite a number of skilled experts in the field of medicine. Ghost Hand was precisely amongst those outstanding experts and his pill refinement skills were absolutely not weaker than those of the Qiu family. As for his cultivation, he had far surpassed them. Qing Lingyan was absolutely confident in sending him out instead.
“Get up,” Qing Lingyan finally said to the handmaiden. If she did not say these words, the handmaiden would have continued on slapping herself.
“Thank you for your grace, Miss. Thank you for your grace, Miss,” said the handmaiden as she stood up fearfully with her entire body trembling. The other three handmaidens lowered their heads deeply, their eyes full of terror and unease.
“Wait till I get the secret medical skills inherited by the Su family, I will make that despicable person beg to live without any chance of living and beg to die without any chance of her suffering ending!” Qing Lingyan did not even take a glance at her injured handmaiden and instead spoke such malicious words before stalking off on her own.
…
The Sword Pill Meeting held between the Su and Qiu families where both compete based on the skills each inherited from different streams of the Golden Pill Sect was held every fifty years. The upcoming meeting was fast approaching, and Ling Chuxi was preparing for it fastidiously with the people of Resurrection Hall anticipating the outcome in nervousness. Ling Yichen constantly stood guard by Ling Chuxi’s side, fearful that the people of Life Transformation Hall would ambush her. However, things appeared to be smooth sailing. There were no twists or turns and soon enough, the day of the Sword Pill Meeting arrived. Ling Chuxi understood that the more things were smooth sailing like this, the less smooth the Sword Pill Meeting would turn out to be.
…
Warm sunlight spilled over mountainous slopes, leaving faint traces of white shimmers across the range. All the various odd flowers and strange grasses competed with one another to bloom as magnificently as they could. The entire Rejuvenation Valley was filled with the faint fragrance of flowers and herbs. Faint mist moved across the valley, making it appear like an immortal paradise.
On a piece of flatland within the valley, the Su family disciples and the Qiu family disciples sat opposite each other face-to-face. In the empty space between the two families, there were two simple and elegant ancient wooden tables with pill furnaces and herbs placed in preparation atop them.
The once-every-fifty-years Sword Pill Meeting between the Su and Qiu streams of the Golden Pill Sect was just about to begin. Su Yanhua and the rest of the Sus were full of anticipation and were very nervous at the same time. Their hearts were a little discouraged, feeling that it was a pity that the one who was to participate in the Sword Pill Meeting was not one of them. Otherwise, if they won, they could have gathered the elders of both the Su and Qiu families together, become a generation’s Master of Medicine and would even be able to revive the sect, contributing greatly to both the sect and the family clan.