Chapter 524: Meat on the chopping block (1/2)

Chapter 524: Meat on the chopping block

When a person told one lie, he’d need more lies to support it. Rather than calling this a rule, it was better to label it an inescapable curse! Xie Hongming could only make up more and more lies in the face of Head Elder Xie and the clan head’s questions.

“How did the Duke of Qin and Qin Wangfei treat this matter?” Head Elder Xie asked next.

“The Duke of Qin didn’t say a word. Qin Wangfei refused to believe it until both me and Second Old Master Wang convinced her otherwise. But she didn’t say much, either,” Xie Hongming replied.

Head Elder Xie had his doubts, but hearing this made him believe in the story more than before. With Long Feiye and Han Yunxi’s subtle ways of thinking, they’d never express their views openly on such subjects.

“Ming’er, you heard a Mu Clan member from the Medical Materials Association speak about this, but is the rumor reliable?” the Xie Clan head was quite cautious.

“I heard it from Mu Chaoran’s two footmen! Father, it’s better to trust in these things rather than leaving them to chance! As this son sees it, it has to be true! Just think, how could the poison pond in Medicine Forest just disappear like that? Wasn’t the Mu Clan head in the forest on the night it happened? Moreover, Northern Li’s Duke of Kang is the head of the Hundred Poisons Sect as well, don’t you think it’s too much of a coincidence?”

One may well say that Xie Hongming was doing his best to convince his elders, but his blurting remarks all had strong persuasive powers. Both Head Elder Xie and the Xie Clan head exchanged looks at his words, feeling extremely tense. In the end, they really did believe that the Mu Clan long had liaisons with Jun Yixie. After Xie Hongming left, the Xie Clan head was the first to speak.

“Father, you haven’t rejected Ouyang Ningnuo’s offer yet, right?”

“Of course not! Do you think I’ve grown muddle-headed in my old age?” Head Elder Xie retorted irritably.

The Xie Clan head could only keep his silence resentfully.

Head Elder Xie remained quiet before he finally slapped the table. “What a Jun Yixie! He joined hands with Mu Yingdong to trick this old man! Heheh, he won’t have a single change to get Mu Linger back!”

“Father, as I see it, Ouyang Ningnuo only wants to marry Mu Linger for her pharmacy skills. We should teach Mu Linger a lesson first—that way we’ll suppress the momentum of the Mu Clan before the Grand Medicine Testing Convention while testing the sincerity of Ouyang Ningnuo’s words,” the Xie Clan head replied.

“Heheh, this old man sent men from the Lin Clan to watch over her prison cell,” Head Elder Xie smiled coldly. The Xie Clan head immediately understood his meaning. Recently, a young master born from a Mu Clan concubine crippled one of the only sons in the Lin Clan who had learned a specialized craft passed down from his master. The Mu Clan had simply settled the tragedy with some silver. How would the Lin Clan ever spare Mu Linger in return, now that they had the chance to take revenge?

Before Mu Linger was examined, no one had the right to punish or torture her, so Head Elder Xie could only lock her up. If he sent anyone from the Xie Clan to deal with Mu Linger, it’d only leave them vulnerable to the Mu Clan when the latter inspected her during the trial. That would limit their options to act in the future. But if it was Lin Clan getting involved, then none of their actions could implicate the Xie. After the father and son pair finished talking, one of the retainers arrived to announce, “Your Excellency Head Elder, Northern Li’s Duke of Kang is outside the city and asks for an audience.”

Head Elder Xie was about to reject the offer when the Xie Clan head spoke. “Father, Mu Linger’s trial hasn’t begun yet. Let’s not startle the snake in the grass and see what kind of schemes they’ll be playing at. If we can find ironclad proof that Mu Yingdong was collaborating with Jun Yixie, then the Mu Clan…heheh, they’ll have problems explaining themselves to Medical City!”

Head Elder Xie approved of this immensely and ordered, “Tell the Duke of Kang that we can discuss everything after the Grand Medicine Testing Convention.” After some thought, he added, “Help me make an appointment with Ouyang Ningnuo. Before the convention begins, this old man wants to have a good talk with him.”

The Xie Clan head was thrilled and quickly went to make arrangements. The foregone conclusion of Mu Linger’s fate had been affected first by Ouyang Ningnuo’s words, then Han Yunxi and Long Feiye’s meddling, and finally by Xie Hongming embellishing his tall tales. Now a new ending was settling into place. Mu Yingdong and Jun Yixie were both the ones who set a trap, but they were quickly turning into meat on the chopping board themselves!

Even now, the two of them were secretly celebrating their progress. After getting Head Elder Xie’s reply, Jun Yixie held no suspicions. He too, wished for the matter to delay a few more days so he could stay longer in Medicine City. After all, his master had kept him in Northern Li’s horse farms for the past few months. He almost felt like he was growing mold by doing nothing but staying put. He had wanted to take another trip to Medicine Forest to check on the emptied poison pond, but his shoulder started acting up again. In the end, he had no choice but to return to the Mu Clan.

The reactions from his poisoned shoulder were getting more frequent and intense. Now the pain was so bad that he could only use anesthetic to dull the agony.

“Han Yunxi, this lord will definitely teach your Pill Fiend Pharmacy a lesson once I’ve taken over Medicine City!” Jun Yixie silently vowed in his heart.

Currently, Han Yunxi and Long Feiye were both sharing a horse on their way to Medicine City. In the midst of their galloping, Han Yunxi sneezed. Long Feiye immediately took off his cloak and wrapped her up in it before taking her into his arms again.

“I’m not cold. I’m guessing someone’s cursing me out there,” Han Yunxi said teasingly.

Long Feiye kept silent until he finally asked in a soft voice, “Han Yunxi, you’ve offended quite a list of people since you’ve entered the Duke of Qin’s estate, right?”