Chapter 1316: Ghost Doctor Hei Li Arrives!

Yucang was not afraid of the Ghost Doctor.

But faced with the Ghost Doctor's reputation and forceful posture, he still felt pressure. The Ghost Doctor plainly did not regard Xiaoyue Pavilion as anything worth fearing, and that left Yucang with the sense of a storm about to break.

He himself had not taken the Ghost Doctor seriously at first. Who could have expected one person after another to suddenly appear claiming they owed the Ghost Doctor favors?

And these were only people from his own side who had come to warn him in advance. Why had not a single one of them ever said anything before? How many more had not come to warn him at all?

He was beginning to regret acting on impulse. He had the distinct feeling that he had mounted a tiger and could no longer dismount.

At this point, he almost wished the Ghost Doctor would send him a message with a clear position: release my people and the matter ends here.

If the Ghost Doctor said that, Yucang would have a graceful way down.

Damnably, the Ghost Doctor did nothing of the sort.

So what was Yucang supposed to do now, release them or not? If he released them and the Ghost Doctor still came to make trouble, then why release them in the first place?

As long as he kept the people in his hands, they were at least bargaining chips if something happened.

He had already sent a reply to Jinzhou in Yan, saying he meant no harm and that Wuxin and the others had merely been detained so a few questions could be asked.

For now, the important thing was to steady Yan's side.

Relatively speaking, Yucang feared Yan more. The Ghost Doctor was unfathomable enough to inspire caution, but Yan's armies were a real, tangible threat.

...

For a time, apart from the war, the eyes of the cultivation world all turned toward the Qi capital.

The Qi capital itself could feel a storm gathering. All manner of people began converging on the city, and the increase was particularly obvious at places normally frequented by cultivators.

"What are all of you gathering here for?"

At an inn halfway up a mountain where cultivators often came and went, a patrol of Xuanbing Sect disciples marched straight toward a group gathered outside and barked the question.

One man replied, "We're not doing anything. What, in the Qi capital people aren't even allowed to meet and chat?"

A Xuanbing Sect disciple said grimly, "You'd better not cause trouble!" Then he led the others inside to conduct an inspection.

The strange atmosphere in the Qi capital had put the three great sects somewhat on edge. They sent more disciples to inspect gathering places for cultivators throughout the city.

It was part inspection, part deterrent warning. They wanted to prevent anyone from assembling large numbers of cultivators in the capital and causing chaos.

The three great sects were not afraid of the Ghost Doctor running wild. By rights, the Ghost Doctor would not involve himself in disputes between the states anyway.

What they feared was an outside enemy using the opportunity to fan the flames and create disorder.

The eyes of the three great sects and the eyes of the Office of Investigation watched every corner of the capital.

Fufang Garden had grown uneasy as well after noticing the steady flow of cultivators converging on the city.

Yucang remained calm on the surface, but in reality he had urgently summoned a considerable number of Xiaoyue Pavilion personnel, secretly positioning them around Fufang Garden.

Yucang felt an urge to leave the Qi capital. Elders beneath him had advised him to do exactly that, saying there was no reason to provoke this kind of trouble.

But Yucang truly had mounted a tiger and could no longer dismount.

How was he supposed to leave?

Run away because the Ghost Doctor had frightened him?

If Xiaoyue Pavilion, which controlled the entire State of Qin, could be frightened into fleeing by one Ghost Doctor, would that not become a joke? How would Xiaoyue Pavilion command the major sects within Qin afterward?

What was coming came in the end.

Early in the morning, not long after the city gates opened, a carriage slowly emerged from the distant mist, as though it had suddenly appeared out of some dim, ghostly haze.

The people entering and leaving the city found it strange and instinctively moved aside, largely because the bell hanging from the carriage sounded peculiar.

A small bell hung from one corner of the carriage canopy. As the carriage moved, it gave off a strange rhythm.

"Ding-didi... ding-didi..."

One clear chime, followed by two hoarse, choking notes. Again and again.

For some inexplicable reason, the sound brought a funeral procession to mind.

The carriage traveled slowly, neither hurried nor delayed.

A driver sat on the shaft, his face impossible to see beneath a broad conical hat hung with black cloth.

He sat remarkably steady. It was as though the carriage's jolting did not affect him at all—or as though his presence itself suppressed the worst of the jolts, leaving the entire carriage uncannily stable as it moved.

The wheels rumbled.

Two mounted riders followed behind, one on either side, their hands steady on the reins.

One was an ordinary-looking woman. Her eyes were often narrowed, and cold, sharp light seemed to flicker through the slits as she guarded against everything around them.

The other was an old man with large, round eyes bright with spirit. He too kept scanning their surroundings, though there seemed to be a trace of a wry smile on his face.

When the carriage reached the city gate, the soldiers on guard found it suspicious and stopped it for inspection. They wanted to see who was inside.

The driver, who sat cross-legged on the shaft, suddenly swept out his whip and blocked the soldier who was about to lift the carriage curtain.

The soldier immediately grew angry. Pointing at the driver, he shouted, "Who are you, skulking around like this? Take off that hat and submit to inspection!"

The driver said nothing, as though he had not heard.

The soldier became even angrier. He waved a hand, and a group of soldiers at the gate immediately surrounded the carriage and its escorts.

The furious soldier raised his spear, intending to knock away the driver's hat.

The driver pressed down with his whip.

The spear instantly stopped. No matter how the soldier strained, he could not move it another inch.

The soldier's expression changed. He realized he had encountered someone troublesome.

The two riders behind the carriage exchanged a look but otherwise showed little reaction.

Then an old, deep voice came from inside the carriage. "We're not here to cause trouble. If they want to look, let them look."

The driver's whip withdrew at once.

Freed from the pressure, the soldier glanced back at his comrades. In the end, he gathered his courage and slowly extended the tip of his spear toward the black cloth hanging beneath the driver's hat.

The spearhead nudged the cloth upward.

He was no longer as brazen as before. His movements had become noticeably cautious.

But the instant the black cloth lifted, the eyes beneath the hat merely glanced at him.

"Mother!"

The soldier cried out and stumbled backward, crashing into his comrades and sending the whole group into confusion.

His companions hurriedly asked, "What happened? What happened?"

The soldier's Adam's apple bobbed. He looked left, then right, then back at the driver sitting as steady as a mountain, seemingly unsure whether he should say anything.

Atop the city wall, Tianhuo Sect Elder Xu Bang walked out of a tower and asked, "What is all that noise below?"

The atmosphere in the Qi capital was strange at present. Elders from the three great sects were taking turns personally overseeing the various city gates.

A Tianhuo Sect disciple who had been craning his neck to look down turned and hurriedly cupped his hands. "We don't know. It seems some rather strange people have arrived."

Xu Bang walked to the battlement and leaned out to look.

His gaze fell on the faces of the two riders behind the carriage.

He froze.

Then he flashed into the air and floated lightly down, landing beside the surrounded carriage.

The moment he descended, a group of Tianhuo Sect disciples followed him down.

"All of you, stand back." Xu Bang waved the garrison soldiers away.

The encircling soldiers immediately withdrew.

Only then did Xu Bang stare at the two people on horseback. "Zhu Jian, You Peipei. It's the two of you!"

The other Tianhuo Sect disciples did not recognize the pair by sight, but they had certainly heard the names.

Zhu Jian, ranked third on the Golden Core Ranking.

You Peipei, ranked fourth.

They were all somewhat startled.

First there had been the number-two expert on the Golden Core Ranking serving as a slave in the Qi capital. Then the number-one expert had been captured.

Now the number-three and number-four experts had arrived as well.

In the blink of an eye, all four of the top-ranked Golden Core experts had gathered in the Qi capital.

"Elder Xu." The old man on horseback was Zhu Jian. He cupped his hands in greeting.

The woman was You Peipei. She merely gave a small nod.

Xu Bang instinctively looked toward the carriage.

It was impossible not to notice it. Judging from Zhu Jian and You Peipei's manner, they seemed to be acting as guards for whoever sat inside.

The major sects might not think much of experts on the Golden Core Ranking, but the foremost people on that ranking did not necessarily submit to major sects either.

Those who could place near the top usually possessed pride of their own.

Whoever sat inside this carriage had somehow induced both the third- and fourth-ranked experts to act as attendants.

Xu Bang could not help wondering who the person might be.

Given the recent rumors and the cultivators gradually gathering in the Qi capital, a suspicion began forming in his mind.

Still looking at the carriage, he asked, "The two of you can't exactly be called friends. Back then, you fought nearly to the death over third place. How did you end up coming together now?"

You Peipei remained silent.

Zhu Jian smiled. "Mr. Hei Li is inside the carriage. The two of us are temporarily serving as his protectors."

The Ghost Doctor?

The surrounding Tianhuo Sect disciples were startled.

The Ghost Doctor's name was Hei Li. Could the person inside this carriage truly be the legendary Ghost Doctor, elusive as a dragon glimpsed only in passing?

For a moment, all of them wanted to see what he looked like.

So it really was the Ghost Doctor.

Xu Bang's heart tightened.

He had already suspected it, but had not expected to be right.

Yucang truly had forced the Ghost Doctor out of seclusion.

And what a display he had made upon emerging: the third- and fourth-ranked experts on the Golden Core Ranking served as his traveling guards, while cultivators from all directions gathered inside the city.

From the look of things, he had no intention of letting Yucang's offense pass peacefully.

Before the man himself had even arrived, his momentum had already swept toward the Qi capital.

Combined with the rumors that the Ghost Doctor never let a grievance go unanswered, the implication was hard to miss.

It was only one carriage and two mounted escorts.

Yet Xu Bang realized that Yucang had probably brought genuine trouble down on himself this time.

Without confidence behind him, would Hei Li dare come straight to the door like this?

Strength was often the clearest fact deserving respect.

Xu Bang was already courteous toward the two top-ranked Golden Core experts. Now he cupped his hands toward the carriage.

"So Mr. Hei Li himself has graced us with his presence. I am Xu Bang, Elder of Tianhuo Sect. I've long heard your great name. It has thundered in my ears for years. Since fate has granted us a meeting today, might you spare a moment and let me pay my respects in person?"

The old, deep voice came from inside. "I'm nothing more than a wandering physician. I would not dare presume upon the exalted company of Tianhuo Sect."

Xu Bang said, "Your medical skill is profound and admired by the world. I happen to have a few difficult questions concerning medicine and had hoped to seek your guidance. Tea has been prepared atop the city wall. Might I invite you up for a conversation?"

The voice inside replied, "Why must Elder Xu insist?"

Xu Bang waved a hand. "Mr. Hei Li misunderstands. I've simply heard your great name for so long that I sincerely wish to meet you."

The old voice answered, "My young disciple met with disaster in the Qi capital. I came here burdened with worry and have no leisure for refined pleasures. May I ask Elder Xu: am I permitted to enter the city?"

Xu Bang was a dignified Elder of Tianhuo Sect. He had extended such courtesy, lowering himself to invite the man personally, only to be refused.

It cost him some face.

But he could hardly flare up over it.

Instead, he changed direction. "We heard Mr. Hei Li was coming. The Sect Leaders of Qi's three great sects are all waiting in the palace. I hope you won't keep the three Sect Leaders waiting too long."

The old voice inside said, "Well water does not mix with river water; each of us walks his own road. If you keep forcing the matter, there will be little meaning in it. I've come this time only over a small private affair. There is no need to disturb the three Sect Leaders. Please convey my apologies to them on my behalf."

Xu Bang's cheeks tightened. "I know something of why Mr. Hei Li has come. Still, the three great sects must remind you of one thing. This is the Qi capital. It would be best if you did not act recklessly, or none of us will have much face left."

The old voice answered, "This old man is merely a wandering physician. I have neither the intention nor the strength to become involved in the struggles beneath Heaven. I came only to resolve a private matter. So long as the three great sects do not interfere, I know my place and would never presume to offend their authority."

[End of Chapter 1316]