Chapter 1320: Master, My Patient Is Still in Their Hands

The Ghost Doctor had shown no mercy. Yucang's head was left dazed from the blows, his ears ringing.

Xiaoyue Pavilion's people were anxious and furious, yet none dared move recklessly. Their Pavilion Master's life was in the other side's hands.

Dugu Jing pressed his sword hard against Wuxin's neck until the blade cut the skin and drew blood. He shouted hoarsely, "Old bastard, touch him again and I'll kill your disciple!"

Only then did the Ghost Doctor turn his head. "Boy, if you're willing to trade your master's life for my disciple's, I have no objection. Touch one more hair on his head and I'll chop off one of your master's fingers."

He turned back and raised his hand.

Smack!

Another slap landed. "Still talking about 'teaching him a little lesson'? Who exactly are you teaching?"

Smack!

A backhand followed. "And you still want an accounting? What kind of accounting do you want? Are you satisfied with this accounting?"

Only after several more slaps did the Ghost Doctor finally stop.

The sight left countless onlookers secretly clicking their tongues. Everyone said the Ghost Doctor was not someone to provoke. Seeing him today, they finally knew the rumors were true. He really was untouchable.

The three Sect Leaders looked at one another.

It was not that they feared the Ghost Doctor. What made them wary was that he dared humiliate Yucang so openly. They could not understand where he found such confidence. Xiaoyue Pavilion was hardly easy to provoke.

Dugu Jing and the others watched their master suffer such public humiliation, blood streaming from his mouth and nose. Their eyes nearly split with rage. They wanted nothing more than to repay every blow on Wuxin.

But the Ghost Doctor might disregard his disciple's life. They could not disregard their master's life before the eyes of so many people.

And that was plainly why the Ghost Doctor had not tried to rescue his people first. He had seized Yucang instead.

Yucang shook his head hard and finally cleared it.

Sometimes, perhaps, remaining dazed was better.

Once his senses returned and he saw the strange looks all around him, shame and rage overwhelmed him. He wanted nothing more than to find a crack in the ground and crawl inside.

Never in his life had he suffered such monstrous humiliation.

He knew that whether or not he survived was now almost secondary. His lifetime reputation had already been ruined in one stroke. From this day forward, he would become a laughingstock beneath Heaven.

Along with the hatred came regret, so deep he could have turned his intestines green with it.

Why had he ever done this in the first place?

Everyone knew the Ghost Doctor was difficult to provoke. Why had he gone out of his way to provoke him?

Now he could neither swallow the matter nor spit it back out, and he had reduced himself to this. What had he been thinking?

"Forget me. Kill them!" Yucang suddenly roared, ordering Xiaoyue Pavilion's people to attack. Filled with humiliation and rage, he no longer wanted to live.

Dugu Jing and the others heard him.

But with everyone watching, how were they supposed to ignore their master's life and attack?

"Stop!" Dugu Jing and the others suddenly shouted toward the opposite side as though they had seen a ghost.

The Ghost Doctor had pinched a green pill between two fingers. He pried open Yucang's jaw, shoved the pill into his mouth, closed the jaw again, then flicked a finger against his throat.

Yucang swallowed by reflex.

As the one who had actually tasted it, he could clearly feel the thing he had swallowed give off an intense fishy stench. It had melted the instant it entered his mouth.

The Ghost Doctor looked back at Dugu Jing and the others. "Don't worry. It won't kill him. Well? We've made enough noise by now. I'm not an unreasonable man. You seized my disciple and acted rudely first. I seized your master and returned the lesson afterward. That makes us even. How about we release our people on both sides?"

Dugu Jing and Guo Xingshan were alarmed and furious, and neither dared make the decision.

Yucang, his mouth still full of a fishy stench he could not get rid of, bellowed, "Attack! Don't worry about me!"

"Too noisy," the Ghost Doctor said coldly.

Thunk!

Wuxiang struck the back of Yucang's neck with the edge of his palm.

Yucang's eyes rolled upward and his body immediately went limp, but Wuxiang kept hold of him and did not let him fall.

"Exchanging prisoners is fine." The Ghost Doctor pointed around him. "If you want to compare numbers instead, that's fine too. Choose whichever you like. My patience is limited. If you can't make a decision, I'll take Yucang away and use him as a living medicinal cauldron. Do as you please."

"No answer? Then we're leaving."

He tossed out the words and turned, intending to board the carriage again.

"Wait!" Dugu Jing shouted. "We'll exchange them!"

Faced with the situation before them, the two martial brothers ultimately made their decision.

They could not let Yucang die. If he did, the position of Pavilion Master of Xiaoyue Pavilion would inevitably pass to another respected senior within the organization, and it would not be either of them. A new Pavilion Master would never allow Yucang's faction to continue controlling Xiaoyue Pavilion's power. The two of them would most likely be pushed aside.

This concerned not only their master's safety, but their own futures and fates. The choice was not difficult.

The Ghost Doctor immediately turned back. His words were just as direct. "Then you release my people first."

Dugu Jing said angrily, "What do you mean, we release them first? We release both sides at the same time."

The Ghost Doctor said, "A pack of shameless things like you have no right to bargain with this old man. Either kill my disciple or release him first. I accept no threats whatsoever. Are you releasing him or not?"

Everyone had now seen it clearly.

From beginning to end, this man had never intended to negotiate.

If they wanted to kill, then kill. Tooth for tooth. There was no room for bargaining.

Furious at the impasse, Dugu Jing suddenly cupped his hands toward the treetop nearby. "Three Sect Leaders, have you watched enough? Matters have reached this point. For the sake of our alliance, I ask the three of you to step forward and uphold justice! If you're determined only to watch the spectacle, then no one should expect to have an easy time. At worst, Qin will fight this to mutual destruction!"

The three Sect Leaders exchanged looks.

Now that the words had been pushed this far, they could no longer remain silent.

Their figures flashed. Leading disciples of their respective sects, the three floated down and landed between the two opposing groups.

"Brother Hei." The three Sect Leaders each cupped their hands toward the Ghost Doctor in greeting.

The Ghost Doctor said, "From the beginning, I made my position clear to the three great sects: well water does not mix with river water. I came only over a private matter. Do the three Sect Leaders intend to intervene now?"

Yuwen Yan raised a hand. "Precisely because it was a private matter, we did not interfere before. But Brother Hei can see the present situation for himself. We have little choice now. I imagine Brother Hei also has no desire to involve himself in the wars between the states. Why don't both sides let the matter end here? Please release Mr. Yucang."

The Ghost Doctor said, "Since the three Sect Leaders have stepped forward, that's easy enough. This old man has no desire to become entangled in the struggles between the states, so naturally I will show the three Sect Leaders due consideration. But the same condition stands: this old man accepts no threats. I already said that once they release my people, I will release theirs. I am a physician. In diagnosis and treatment, I call things as they are. I never speak falsely."

By openly saying he would show the three Sect Leaders consideration, he had given the three men face before the entire crowd.

Yuwen Yan nodded. "I've long heard Brother Hei despises those who break their word. Since you've said this, I will take it as your guarantee." He looked back at the other two.

Bei Xuan stroked his beard and turned toward Xiaoyue Pavilion's side. "Release them first. Our three sects will stand guarantee."

San Qianli added, "If anyone breaks his word, our three sects will make certain he cannot leave the State of Qi!"

It was both a guarantee and a warning. Spoken before such a large crowd, it also displayed the bearing of the three great sects.

Dugu Jing said grimly, "We don't know what he just forced my master to swallow. What if something happens afterward because of that pill, while they have already escaped? Where would we go to demand justice?"

Bei Xuan looked back toward the Ghost Doctor. "Brother Hei, that is indeed a problem. What did you feed Brother Yucang?"

The Ghost Doctor gave a dry chuckle. "I heard Xiaoyue Pavilion likes feeding people the Spirit-Torment Pill. I was worried they might force one down my disciple's throat, so before coming here I prepared to repay like with like and specially compounded a poisonous pill of my own. I haven't even had time to give it a name. I'd like to see whether Xiaoyue Pavilion has the ability to neutralize it."

Bei Xuan's voice sank. "If that's the case, how can the two sides exchange prisoners? Brother Hei should first remove the poison from Brother Yucang."

The Ghost Doctor shook his head. "There is no antidote that can eradicate this poison completely, at least not one I can make at present. But its effects can be controlled, much like the Spirit-Torment Pill. It flares once every six months. If Xiaoyue Pavilion can neutralize it, then neutralize it yourselves. If you cannot, this old man will not stand by either. I will regularly send medicine to suppress it."

Seeing Dugu Jing about to flare up, he raised a hand again. "No hurry. Doesn't Xiaoyue Pavilion have the Spirit-Torment Pill? You can feed one to my disciple too. That would be fair and reasonable for both sides."

"You..." Dugu Jing was furious. "Who doesn't know what your medical skill—"

The Ghost Doctor cut him off with a sudden roar. "Since you know what I'm capable of, yet still dared rely on your power to bully me, who was the one who came looking for trouble first? And now you think you're in the right? I've already said it. If you want to release them, release them. If you refuse, then go ahead and kill them. The choice is entirely yours. I have no objection. What more do you want?"

Seeing the deadlock hardening, San Qianli pressed his hands downward toward both sides, signaling for everyone to calm down.

He then turned and walked over to Dugu Jing, speaking quietly with him for a while. No one knew what exactly he said.

In the end, Dugu Jing's face remained dark, but he gave a wave of his hand.

Wuxin and Guo Man were immediately escorted forward.

Dugu Jing produced a Spirit-Torment Pill and, before the entire crowd, forcibly stuffed it into Wuxin's mouth. He used spiritual power to refine the pill inside Wuxin's abdomen, then shoved him away.

"Release them!"

Just like that, Wuxin and Guo Man were freed.

Under everyone's gaze, the two walked over to the Ghost Doctor.

Wuxin bent into a deep bow. Guo Man followed and saluted as well.

San Qianli said, "Brother Hei, Xiaoyue Pavilion has released your people. It's time for you to honor your promise."

The Ghost Doctor was about to signal for Yucang's release when Wuxin suddenly cupped his hands. "Master, my patient is still in their hands."

He meant Ximen Qingkong.

He brought it up because he still remembered Shao Liuer once saying Ximen Qingkong was her friend.

And Xuan Wei's death had also left a measure of regret in his heart.

The words immediately sent Dugu Jing into alarm and fury. "Three Sect Leaders, what is the meaning of this?"

The Ghost Doctor did not overthink his disciple's motives. He also remembered Yan Baoru mentioning the matter and said, "There is no other meaning. This is the rule of our lineage. Once someone enters our care as a patient, either we cure them and throw them out, or we fail to cure them and they die in our hands. There is no rule allowing someone to break into our home and carry a patient away."

The others had also guessed which patient Wuxin meant.

The three Sect Leaders frowned slightly. They all knew Xiaoyue Pavilion would never willingly release Ximen Qingkong.

Yuwen Yan said in a deep voice, "Brother Hei, this sounds rather like going back on your word."

The Ghost Doctor did not yield in the slightest. "Anyone who has heard of us should know this is a rule of our lineage. We do not concern ourselves with the rights and wrongs of the outside world. Once someone enters our door as a patient, then they are a patient and nothing else. Their other grudges and disputes have nothing to do with us. If we lack the strength to uphold our rules, then so be it. But when we do have the strength, how could we allow others to trample those rules at will? I wonder which of the three Sect Leaders' own sect rules may be trampled whenever outsiders please?"

"When Xuan Wei, the Empress Regnant of Wei, was at the most critical stage of treatment, Xiaoyue Pavilion forced its way into our home uninvited and interrupted the treatment, causing her miserable death. For the sake of the three Sect Leaders' face, I will treat that as my own disciple lacking sufficient medical skill and will not pursue the matter. Let the dead be. Hand over the living one. Once I have cured him and thrown him out the door, whether you beat him or kill him is your affair. We will not interfere!"

[End of Chapter 1320]