Chapter 123: Priority

Chapter 123: Priority

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Morning, afternoon, and evening.

The duels between disciples continue at all hours of the day. Through the use of repeated guaranteed challenges, it becomes possible to lure people into no-win situations. Some use the opportunity to settle old grudges. Others try to strike at what they see as troublesome figures in the opposing faction. Many are the disciples who find themselves ambushed by those who they believed to be their friends.

These sorts of tactics are not anything new. Fierce and often brutal competition has always been an aspect of the Eternal Flame Clan. It is only by stepping over others that one can reach the summit. For many cultivators, that is the truest truth of all.

And yet, the escalation is worrying.

In number, frequency, and violence, the fights between Lord Feng Shangs supporters and Lord Feng Guis supporters keep escalating. The Sparring Hall is no longer large enough to contain them, not that most disciples are in any hurry to use it. These days one can see fights breaking out all over the compound. Were it not for the rules stating the Sparring Hall is the only building in which fights are allowed, quite a few buildings would have been damaged by the deadly techniques unleashed one after another.

For many, this would be an unforgettable spectacle. Some of the most talented cultivators in the Empire are putting every bit of their Heaven-defying talent on display.

For the Medical Pavilion, it just means more work.

Disciples are carried in at all hours of the day. It is a never-ending procession of bleeding wounds, damaged organs, and broken bones. The violence has escalated to the point where simple remedies are no longer enough. Yesterday, a disciple came in without arms.

Today, Liu Jin is reattaching someones leg.

His red eyes shine with concentration. The limb had not been severed cleanly. Rather, it seems someone hit him with some type of fire technique. Focused, but not focused enough. It had burned through the disciple, leaving charred flesh behind.

Liu Jin has two disciples assisting him. They have already cleaned the wounds and removed all the charred areas. Unfortunately, that left the disciple with about five inches of leg missing. Successful reattachment was going to require some creativity. Were it not for the acupuncture needles Liu Jin had used to disrupt the disciples sense of pain, he would probably be screaming right now.

Liu Jin weaves his Qi into thin strands and uses them to connect the disciple to his severed limb. Nerves, muscles, meridians. Everything needs to be connected in just the right way. As he does this, Liu Jins Qi synchronizes with that of the wounded disciple, spurring his Qi into flowing through the strands Liu Jin has created. The quicker the disciple starts flowing Qi back into his severed limb, the quicker the regeneration process will be.

Red Cream, Liu Jin says, holding out his hand.

More? One of the disciples helping him asks, his hands clutching the jar of cream against his chest.

On some level, Liu Jin can understand his hesitation. Blessed Red Ash Cream, or Red Cream for short, is a hard-to-make item. Since they are not using many of the medicines in storage to keep up Elder Xues ruse, they cannot afford to be wasteful with what they do have.

On a much deeper, truer level, Liu Jin is trying to reattach someones leg. It is a lucky thing that this patients friends had the sense to bring his severed leg with them, mangled though it may have been. Liu Jin could explain how the cream will help temporarily make up for the missing tissue and speed up the regeneration. The cream should also ease the passage of Qi into the severed limb and help preserve the strands of Qi Liu Jin had created.

However, doing that meant wasting valuable seconds.

Liu Jin glares at the disciple, his red eyes full of menacing intent. His aura flares out. It is almost enough to make the disciple drop the jar. With wide eyes, he quickly hands it to Liu Jin, who immediately gets back to work. He slathers the red, viscous cream on the affected area.

Black Caging Powder.

This time, there are no objections. A jar of Black Caging Powder is immediately placed on his hand. Liu Jins Qi latches on to its contents as he quickly spreads it around the wounded area. True to its nature, it begins hardening as soon as its applied, leaving a large segment of the disciples leg encased in a stone-like substance. As that happens, Liu Jin places more acupuncture needles on the disciples leg and thigh to properly stimulate the flow of Qi in those areas. He checks and double-checks, making sure there have been no mistakes in the procedure.

Only then does Liu Jin allow himself to lean back and let out a big breath. A tired smile graces his face. How loathsome it is that it took something like this to remind him of something so utterly simple.

Being a doctor feels good.

He should be stable now, he says. Take him to the second floor. A normal diet should be enough. When he wakes up, let him know the caging powder will be removed in three days and no earlier.

The disciples salute.

At once, Senior Brother Qing!

Liu Jin smiles and chuckles. Those two had been in their twenties. What is the world coming to when people so clearly older are calling him Senior Brother?

What is next? He asks once he leaves the procedure room. A disciple is waiting for him there, an aide. He is a disciple from the Medical Pavilion that had been found to be generally trustworthy over the past two weeks and so had been placed in a higher position.

S-So quickly? Does Senior Brother Qing not want to rest?

Whats next? Liu Jin repeats.

~~~

It seems you had quite the outburst today.

Should he even be surprised Elder Xue knows? Either she has people other than him briefing her on what happens in the Medical Pavilion, or some unhappy disciple tried to report him. Probably both.

That indeed happened, Elder Xue.

Usually, one would offer an explanation by this point. You did order for members of Lord Feng Shangs faction to be given equal treatment.

Liu Jin does not hesitate for a second in giving his answer.

I did it for the sake of Elder Xues reputation.

The corners of Elder Xues mouth turn up. Oh?

Elder Xues command of the Medical Pavilion is not set in stone, Liu Jin says, his hands folded behind him. As I understand it, the Crimson Cloud Tournament has already finished. Lord Feng Shang is liable to come back any day. When that happens, he will surely try to force the election of a new Elder. If he can cite improper conduct by the Medical Pavilion, that will only strengthen his case. It may be that Elder Xun will side with Lord Feng Shangs faction this time.

Nicely said. Elder Xue even claps for him, her dark eyes shining with amusement. I wonder. How long did it take you to come up with that excuse?

A few minutes, but I needed much more time to figure out the best way to phrase it.

Lu Mei had helped him do it, though she had not been the slightest bit amused.

The word fool may have been repeatedly repeated.

Sensible. Elder Xue nods, bringing a dainty finger to her chin. Although it is just an excuse, you are not wrong. There are only so many ways in which I can abuse the authority of the Medical Pavilion.

There is an unspoken for now there that Liu Jin doesnt particularly care for.

Your altruism was not misplaced in this particular case, yet I must express some concern.

Liu Jin blinks. Concern?

I am satisfied by your actions. Elder Xue moves her finger to point at him. You will not be. When the disciples you heal use their gifts to hurt and kill others, this moment will be naught but ashes in your mouth.

Liu Jin frowns.

That may be so. No, there is no may about it. However, it would be foolish of me to take responsibility for their actions.

A good answer, yet I wonder whether you will truly be able to put it into practice.

If I am allowed to be bold, I did not expect Elder Xue to worry so much about this disciples wellbeing.

If you were a normal disciple, I would not, Elder Xue admits. However, full of contradictions and hypocrisies as you may be, you are talented. Someone like you has quite a few uses. It would sadden me to see you waste your potential because your spirit proved too weak for your conscience.

Liu Jin opens his mouth but finds himself silenced as a heavy, oppressive weight suddenly drops on his shoulders. The sudden pressure leaves him stumbling. No, it is not just him. The room. The building.

The entire compound shakes exactly once.

Oh dear, Elder Xue says, one hand rising to her lips. There is a sharp smile there. To greet us like that He is quite angry.

He? Liu Jin blinks a little before it dawns on him. Does Elder Xue mean

Lord Feng Shang, she says with glee. It seems he has returned in defeat.

And with him, all the Core Disciples he took to the tournament.

~~~