My Lady Always Lacks Ambition-Chapter 1093 - 1063: The Seeking Elixir Turmoil

The old Daoist can’t make it?

Qin Liuxi’s heart tightened, and she quickly stepped forward to see the old Daoist with his eyes closed, face as thin as gold paper, and a layer of deathly pallor on his face, looking as if he was taking in more breaths than he was letting out. His body was pierced with many silver needles, and there was a clear black palm print on his chest that was slightly sunken.

"Poisoned?" Qin Liuxi swiftly took out the Golden Needles from her Qiankun Bag, seized two long needles, and stabbed them into the vital life-and-death points. With her other hand, she removed the silver needles, feeling the old Daoist’s body as cold as the winter snow outside. With a stern face, she said, "Is this the Ice Palm? Did you administer a Detoxification Pill?"

The Ice Palm is, to begin with, a very sinister and malicious Cultivation Technique. Once hit, not only is the physique damaged, but the cold energy enters the body, forming a cold poison that can ravage the body until it spreads throughout the body, freezing the meridians and causing death.

To make it even more venomous, one could smear another layer of poison on the palm, making it doubly toxic, leaving the victim with no chance of survival.

That’s how it was for the old Daoist now. This palm was struck on his chest, and she gently touched it, finding the chest cavity sunken with broken bones.

Qing Yuan said, "It’s already been administered, but..."

His expression was a bit sorrowful. The old Daoist was already quite elderly; having been poisoned like this, even after administering a Detoxification Pill, it wasn’t enough to completely remove the cold poison, which needed to be extracted. He was unable to do so.

Besides the poison, his chest cavity bones were broken, and even if he was saved, it’s feared that he wouldn’t live long in his current state.

Qin Liuxi felt the old Daoist’s pulse and said, "Go to the secret room and fetch a Revitalizing Pill."

Qing Yuan stiffened, feeling even more sorrowful.

"What is it?" Qin Liuxi glanced at him.

Qing Yuan sighed, "The old Daoist got involved in this because of the Revitalizing Pill. I’ll explain it to you later."

He hurriedly left.

Qin Liuxi said nothing further and continued extracting the needles. The cold poison had to be removed, so she needed to use the Mountain Fire Burning technique of the Nine Yang Divine Needle to extract this cold poison.

However, this acupuncture technique was different from the usual Mountain Fire Burning. Normally, for doctors to execute the Mountain Fire Burning technique, they need to practice repeatedly, mastering the Fire Needle before being considered proficient. To remove the cold poison of the Ice Palm required even more complex acupuncture techniques. The technique was complicated, and without sufficient skill, the needles couldn’t be used.

But Qin Liuxi inserted the needles quickly, and as she manipulated the Golden Needles with light lifting and shallow insertion, True Qi flowed through the needles into the old Daoist’s body, which was both mentally and physically exhausting.

By the time she placed the last needle, a thin layer of sweat had formed on her forehead, and her face was slightly pale. 𝑓𝘳𝑒𝑒𝓌𝘦𝘣𝘯ℴ𝑣𝘦𝑙.𝘤𝑜𝑚

The Golden Needles inserted in the old Daoist’s body had tips that were trembling slightly, with a layer of chilling air emitting from the tips.

Qing Yuan had returned, holding a delicate Jade Porcelain Bottle, and handed it to Qin Liuxi.

Qin Liuxi poured out a Revitalizing Pill, gently lifted the old Daoist’s head, administered the pill, and then set him down again.

The Revitalizing Pill was incredibly precious, capable of bringing the dead back to life. Years ago, she made three pills: giving one to her master, another to her brother Qin Mingyan, and Gongbo Cheng also demanded one, leaving none. However, she scraped the Elixir Powder from the Pill Furnace, molded it into pellets for future use, and left two more processed ones in the Daoist Temple for emergencies.

While leaving the needles in, Qin Liuxi coldly asked, "Tell me, how did the old Daoist get hit by the Ice Palm? You mentioned he was injured because of the Revitalizing Pill. Is it related to the heavily armored guards outside?"

Qing Yuan gravely said, "They are from the Shengjing Duke Zhongguo Mansion."

"When did a Duke Zhongguo appear? Didn’t Da Feng only have Three Dukes?"

"Three years ago, after the Empress Dowager’s father passed away at an advanced age, the Duke Cheng’en Mansion was demoted to Duke Zhongguo. The current head is Imperial Uncle Zhou, and the mother of the current Crown Prince, Noble Princess Consort Xian, is Imperial Uncle Zhou’s daughter," Qing Yuan explained.

If it weren’t for the Eldest Prince’s powerful maternal family and the Empress Dowager being alive and holding the title of eldest son, he wouldn’t have likely secured the Crown Prince position.

Qin Liuxi snorted, "No wonder they dared to be so arrogant, using heavily armored guards. It turns out they have the support of the Empress Dowager and the Crown Prince behind them. Continue."

"You’ve been absent these years and may not be fully aware of the political situation. Since the Empress Dowager’s father passed away, she’s been somewhat melancholic and not in good condition, continuously being nourished with precious medicines. The Duke Zhongguo Mansion somehow heard that our temple had a Revitalizing Pill and came to seek it to offer to the Empress Dowager," said Qing Yuan.

Upon hearing this, Qin Liuxi immediately understood the plan of the Duke Zhongguo Mansion. They feared that without the Empress Dowager, their status as the maternal family would diminish repeatedly, especially since the Crown Prince has yet to ascend the throne. If the Empress Dowager were gone, who would support the Zhou Family to remain wealthy for decades?

As for the Crown Prince, though he could, he hadn’t ascended yet, and even if he did, with the Empress being the legitimate Empress Dowager, Noble Princess Consort Xian could only be titled Empress Dowager lower than her. How could she match the current Empress Dowager Zhou?

Not to mention that unforeseen events could happen before ascending the throne, so it was better for the Empress Dowager to live long and healthy.

Qing Yuan said, "On New Year’s Day, Duke Mansion’s Heir Zhou came to seek a pill. Years ago, you only made three, leaving the one to protect the temple was remade, so how could it be casually given away? We refused, stating that you weren’t present, and to make an elixir, materials would be needed for you to refine upon your return. However..."

"They acted unreasonably, insisting the elder request your return. Your whereabouts have always been unpredictable, so the master stepped forward to explain that seeking elixirs and talismans requires good karma. Unexpectedly, someone beside Heir Zhou said there was another way to invite you over, then struck the master with a palm." Sanyuan choked up, "Not only did they injure the master, but they also surrounded Qingping Temple with people, barring devotees and demanding that we bring you back."

Qing Yuan added, "The incident happened suddenly, and the Ice Palm’s effects were swift, with varying degrees of severity. I could only first treat the old Daoist’s injuries, trying to stabilize them before sending Paper Cranes to notify you, but you returned on your own."

Qin Liuxi felt chills rushing outward, saying, "What an audacious Duke Zhongguo Mansion, bullying the Daoist Temple for an elixir, so brazen and unruly they aren’t even afraid of getting a posion pill?"

Feng Xiu, leaning against the doorway, heard the whole conversation and said, "Isn’t it strange? Didn’t the Crown Prince hire a Supreme National Master to make elixirs for the Saint? Why not seek the National Master instead? It stands to reason that they would trust him more. Why make such a long journey to Qingping Temple? It doesn’t add up."

Qin Liuxi said, "Who knows what the so-called National Master is capable of? They must have realized it themselves, possibly feeding the Empress Dowager elixirs from him with little effect, and learned from someone that Qingping Temple had a Revitalizing Pill, hence coming to forcibly seize it!"

This Imperial Uncle Zhou’s family has indeed become bold, daring to injure people and seize elixirs on her territory. If she hadn’t returned unexpectedly, would they have planned to kill the Daoist Temple people to force her out?

This begs the question, how did they even find out that Qingping Temple had a Revitalizing Pill?