No sooner had Prince Rui finished boasting about his role in orchestrating the operation and sending his brothers than Prince Jing Xiao Jingfeng, roared like thunder from the other end of the prison corridor:
"Damn it, Xiao Laosan, you shameless bastard!"
Prince Jing rushed over like a gust of wind, pointed at Prince Rui's nose, and began to curse:
"You shameless bastard!"
My brother and I risked our lives to save people, and you come here and claim all the credit for yourself?
They even 'sent' us?
Bah!
Prince Jing's fiery temper was something he couldn't tolerate at all.
Prince Qi, Xiao Jingyan, followed closely behind, his expression also not very pleasant.
Looking at his two older brothers arguing heatedly, he felt utterly exhausted.
As for Xiao Yun and Xiao Sheng standing to the side, they wished they could find a crack in the ground to crawl into.
Watching their father and uncle argue like shrewish women from the marketplace, they felt their faces burning with embarrassment.
Old Ancestor, shouldn't we tone down our Xiao Family's tradition of "unity and friendship" a little?
Just as Prince Jing and Prince Rui were arguing fiercely, one calling the other shameless and the other claiming that he had "overseen the overall situation and commanded with composure."
"That's enough."
A sharp, angry shout, like a thunderclap, instantly drowned out their argument.
Xiao Fenghua's pretty face was frosty, her beautiful eyes wide open, and she said angrily, "What time is it? You still have the mind to argue about this nonsense?"
She was truly angered by these two elders.
Saving lives is like putting out a fire, but instead, they started arguing about who deserved the credit.
Startled by her shout, Prince Jing and Prince Rui realized the situation was inappropriate and reluctantly shut their mouths, but they still glared at each other, continuing their battle of words with their eyes.
Xiao Fenghua, too lazy to pay them any more attention, hurriedly said to the guards behind her, "Quickly, carefully carry Shopkeeper Li and Mister Mo in."
Several guards quickly and carefully carried Li Dagang and Mo Zhai into the prison cell using a makeshift door panel.
Both of them had faces as pale as paper, breaths as faint as a thread, bloodstains on their chests, and their breathing was so weak that it was almost imperceptible.
The moment Zhang Yu saw the miserable state of Li Dagang and Mo Zhai, the indifference and amusement on his face vanished instantly, replaced by a chilling coldness.
He suddenly stood up, and the aura of his newly broken through to the Innate Peak Realm erupted from his body, instantly causing the temperature in the entire cell to drop by several degrees.
Who did it?
These three short words, however, were like a chilling wind blowing from the deepest hell, carrying a fierce Killing Intent.
He didn't look at anyone, his gaze fixed on his two subordinates, but the invisible pressure he exuded made the Prince and County Princess present feel a chill run down their spines.
Prince Jing quickly interjected, "It's those bastards from the Marquis Yong'an's Estate, they..."
"It's Zhang Heng!"
Xiao Fenghua interrupted her father's somewhat rambling opening, quickly but clearly recounting the events, and concluded. "... The entire Marquis Estate family, including Zhang Heng, Qin Xuehua, Zhang Wanning, and Jiang Luohan, have all been detained and are awaiting their fate."
Upon hearing the names of the Marquis Yong'an's Estate and Zhang Heng, the cold light in Zhang Yu's eyes intensified.
He had previously learned from Prince Rui's vague words that the Marquis Estate might cause trouble, but he never expected Zhang Heng to be so ruthless as to directly kill his subordinates.
This is not the time to pursue the matter.
Zhang Yu forcibly suppressed his boiling Killing Intent, took a deep breath, and crouched down beside Li Dagang and Mo Zhai.
He stretched out his hands, placing his index and middle fingers on the wrists of the two men respectively.
The instant his fingers touched the object, an incomparably profound aura naturally emanated from his body.
It wasn't the True Qi of Martial Artist, nor the fragrance of medicine from a healer, but a deeper rhythm, closer to the Origin of life.
His eyes were slightly closed, and his brows were slightly furrowed, as if he were listening to the faint pulse of life within the two people, or as if he were silently fighting against the lurking power of death.
Hu Qingxuan, who had been observing coldly from the sidelines, silently observed for a while and then gently shook her head.
Zhang Yu was too young; in his opinion, he didn't seem like the Medical Dao master his grandfather had described.
Especially when she saw that Zhang Yu simply took her pulse and did not exude the characteristic, vibrant "Azure Wood True Qi" fluctuations of the Medical Immortal Valley, her suspicions deepened.
"Grandpa," Hu Qingxuan couldn't help but tug at Du Jun's sleeve, lowering her voice with obvious dissatisfaction and doubt, "The expert you mentioned who can save these two people, could it be him?"
She pointed at Zhang Yu, her face full of disdain.
Du Jun glared at his granddaughter, signaling her to be quiet.
Hu Qingxuan, however, stubbornly continued in a low voice:
"He's so young, and there's no trace of the aura of a highly skilled healer about him."
Grandpa, have you been deceived by him in some way?
Or... is it because of his special background that he deliberately exaggerated?
Zhang Yu seemed oblivious to Hu Qingxuan's doubts, his mind completely absorbed in the extraordinary perception brought about by the "God-tier Medical Skill".
In his "vision," Li Dagang and Mo Zhai's bodies were no longer flesh and blood, but a complex three-dimensional picture composed of vitality, death energy, meridians, acupoints, damaged tissues, and foreign energies.
Those horrifying injuries—shattered heart vessels, displaced internal organs, severed meridians, and the insidious, life-eroding Gang Qi that gnawed at his life like a maggot clinging to his bones—were all clearly presented before his "eyes."
Tricky, extremely tricky.
When Hu Qingxuan saw that Zhang Yu had only briefly taken her pulse before frowning and remaining silent, the faint hope in her heart vanished, replaced by a sense of utter contempt.
She was already proud and arrogant, and seeing Zhang Yu, who was being praised by her grandfather, seemingly helpless, she couldn't help but speak sarcastically, her tone carrying the inherent pride of a descendant of the Medical Immortal Valley:
"Hmph, no need to look anymore, it's a waste of energy."
As I said before, with her heart meridians shattered, internal organs displaced, and her Origin further eroded by malevolent Gang Qi, Immortal couldn't save her.
Prepare for the funeral; don't cause them any more trouble, and save everyone's time.
Her words were extremely impolite, especially since Zhang Yu was clearly angry and worried, making them even more jarring.
At this moment, Zhang Yu was preoccupied with the lives of his two subordinates, his heart filled with a mixture of Killing Intent and anxiety. Hearing Hu Qingxuan's cold and indifferent words, his anger flared up, and his words were like knives chilled to the bone:
"If you're incapable of saving people, shut your mouth and stop wasting your breath."
These words were utterly merciless, a direct slap in the face to Hu Qingxuan.
She had been pampered and adored in the Medical Immortal Valley since childhood. After completing her apprenticeship and arriving in the Wei Kingdom, she was treated as an honored guest by the Imperial Family. How could she have ever been publicly reprimanded like this, especially when she was called "incompetent"?
Hu Qingxuan's pretty face flushed red with anger, her teeth clenched, and she pointed at Zhang Yu:
"You... you dare say I'm incompetent?"
I, Hu Qingxuan, learned about medicine at the age of three, could distinguish pulses at the age of seven, and was taught the "Qing Mu Hui Chun Jue" at the age of twelve. I am a disciple of the Valley Master of the Immortal Medical Immortal Valley.
If I say they're beyond saving, then they're beyond saving.
"Under the whole heaven, no one can save me except my Master."
She grew angrier as she spoke, her chest heaving, and blurted out without thinking, "If you can really pull those two back from the brink of death, I... I'll cut off my head and give it to you to kick around like a football."
These words shocked everyone present.
Prince Jing, Prince Qi, and the others exchanged bewildered glances, never expecting that this Divine Doctor Hu would have such a fiery temper.
Du Jun's expression changed drastically, and he quickly shouted, "Xuan'er, don't talk nonsense!"
However, Hu Qingxuan was in a fit of anger and wouldn't listen to anything. Her beautiful eyes were fixed on Zhang Yu, full of provocation.
Upon hearing this, Zhang Yu laughed in anger, "Ha, what use is your head to me? I'd find it too hard to kick around like a ball."
"You...!"
Hu Qingxuan almost choked on her words. No one had ever dared to speak to her like that before!
"Good! Good! Good!"
She said "good" three times in a row, clearly quite angry:
"Since you're so arrogant, let's make a bet."
If you can save them, I, Hu Qingxuan, will grant you any request.
But if you can't save him...
She paused, then said, word by word, "Kneel down and kowtow three times to apologize for your arrogance and rudeness today!"
"Xuan'er, no!"
Du Jun stamped his feet in anxiety. He knew all too well that Zhang Yu was unpredictable and that his granddaughter was proud and arrogant, and he was afraid she was going to suffer a setback this time.
But Hu Qingxuan was in a fit of anger and wouldn't listen to any advice. She just raised her chin and looked at Zhang Yu defiantly.
Zhang Yu looked at the proud, peacock-like girl before him, then glanced at Li Dagang and Mo Zhai, whose breaths were growing weaker on the ground, and a cold glint flashed in his eyes.
He had neither the time nor the interest to argue with this brat, but this bet... was perfect!
"I've made a bet."
Zhang Yu's voice was calm, yet carried an undeniable determination, "It's a deal. I just hope that Miss Hu... won't regret it later, and certainly won't cry."
"Regret? What a joke!"
Hu Qingxuan had absolute confidence in her Medical Skill and her sect's judgment. "My word is my bond. As for you, you'd better prepare to kowtow and apologize."