Chapter 211: Yan Yuqing's Test

"Uncle-master?" Hua Xiangchen, the chief disciple of the Grand Supremacy Sect Master, looked bewildered. "Did I hear that correctly? Xia Chaoge called him 'Uncle-master'? He looks about our age!"

What truly bothered him was Xia Chaoge's usual demeanor. When she was with them, she was always aloof, quiet, and spoke little. Yet, upon seeing this young man, she displayed a rare smile and greeted him warmly. This stark contrast in attitude left a bitter taste in his mouth.

Sitting next to Hua Xiangchen was a tall, beautiful girl with a faint scent of medicine. While not as breathtakingly stunning as Xia Chaoge, she was still a rare beauty. She glanced at Jiang Fan and dismissed him, saying, "He's an apprentice-brother our master recognized at the Azure Cloud Sect. I heard he's a spiritless root disciple from the Azure Cloud Sect, named Jiang Fan. I really don't know what Master was thinking, bringing someone like him as an uncle-master to us disciples of the Divine Doctor Peak. It's embarrassing to even mention it. Only Chaoge is kind enough to treat him as an uncle-master. None of the other fellow disciples recognize him."

Jiang Fan's reputation as a spiritless root disciple had already spread throughout the Nine Sects. The disciples in the pavilion immediately understood. The hostility in Hua Xiangchen's eyes vanished. A disciple like Jiang Fan, if he were in the Grand Supremacy Sect, wouldn't even be qualified to speak with him, let alone compete.

Jiang Fan looked at the respectful Xia Chaoge and chuckled, "No need for such formality. Where is your master?" Xia Chaoge replied, "Master is in seclusion, refining spiritual medicine. I will go and bring him out now."

Learning of his seclusion, Jiang Fan raised a hand to stop her. "No hurry. We can wait until he finishes his seclusion." He still had to wait for his mission companions anyway. Glancing at the Grand Supremacy Sect disciples in the distance who were waiting for Xia Chaoge to return, Jiang Fan said, "You should go back to your affairs. I'll come by later." Xia Chaoge shook her head. "No, I don't really enjoy talking, so I wouldn't be much use there. Since it's rare for Uncle-master to visit the Grand Supremacy Sect, I'll accompany you on a tour."

Compared to chattering with a group about martial arts, she preferred peace and quiet, or discussing medicinal arts with someone. The precious beast king's stomach pouch Jiang Fan had given her last time had proved highly effective when she used it to refine spiritual medicine, allowing her to save many lives. She was very happy about this and had been wanting to thank her uncle-master. His arrival was timely.

Jiang Fan considered it and said, "Alright, I have nothing to do at the moment anyway." The disciples in the pavilion, however, were stunned. "Junior Sister Yan, what's wrong with Junior Sister Chaoge?" Hua Xiangchen couldn't understand it. Xia Chaoge, who usually kept to herself and never got close to others, was actually volunteering to stroll with a young man? Yan Yuqing, who sat beside him, also wore a bewildered expression. She had never seen Xia Chaoge treat a man with such courtesy.

After a moment of thought, she stood up and caught up with them. "Chaoge, Senior Brother Hua and several other senior brothers and sisters are waiting for you to return." Xia Chaoge calmly replied, "Senior Sister, it's fine if you accompany them. I'll spend some time with Uncle-master Jiang." With that, she walked down the mountain alongside Jiang Fan. How could Yan Yuqing let her leave? With the Sect Grand Competition approaching, Hua Xiangchen had seized this rare opportunity to invite Xia Chaoge out of seclusion to exchange ideas and foster goodwill. If she left, would this small martial arts exchange meeting even continue? "Chaoge, then please ask this... Uncle-master, to join us." The word "Uncle-master" felt deeply unpleasant as she uttered it.

Xia Chaoge was reluctant. However, Jiang Fan noticed that Xia Chaoge was the center of attention for this group. If she didn't return, the martial arts exchange would likely end prematurely. He didn't want his arrival to ruin their gathering. "Let's go together," Jiang Fan reluctantly said. He disliked such occasions as much as Xia Chaoge, but he had no choice but to participate.

Jiang Fan's presence at the table was met with some resistance from the Grand Supremacy Sect disciples present. If he were a prodigy from the Azure Cloud Sect, like Liu Qingxian, Wang Chengjian, or Tang Tianlong, it would be understandable. But he was merely a spiritless root disciple, completely out of place at their martial arts discussion.

"Uncle-master, please sit here." Xia Chaoge offered her seat to him, then knelt beside him and poured him a cup of hot tea, appearing to serve him diligently. This made the others even more uncomfortable. Hua Xiangchen subtly frowned. What was Xia Chaoge's status? She was a heavenly prodigy ranked among the top three on the Golden Rankings. Was Jiang Fan truly worthy of her service? He had no self-awareness whatsoever!

Hua Xiangchen gently probed, feigning mildness, "Junior Brother Jiang, how did you become Junior Sister Chaoge's uncle-master?" While it seemed like an inquiry about the reason, it was actually questioning his qualification. Jiang Fan naturally detected the skepticism in his words and replied calmly, "I have a slight understanding of medicine, and Divine Doctor Shangguan was kind enough to take me under his wing."

Understand medicine? At such a young age, how skilled could he be? Perhaps Shangguan Sheng was getting old and confused, and simply recognized him as an apprentice-brother on a whim? Not only did the outer peak disciples dislike this "cheap" uncle-master, but the disciples of the Divine Doctor Peak were even less approving.

Yan Yuqing's beautiful eyes rippled subtly as she said, "Uncle-master, what a coincidence. We were just discussing how to treat injuries inflicted by demonic beasts. Your disciple, Yan Yuqing, would like to learn from you."

"Is this a test of my medical expertise as an uncle-master?" Jiang Fan didn't know whether to laugh or cry. He had no intention of showing off the Immortal Physician's unique techniques, but since they asked, he had no choice. "Demonic beasts injure people in many ways: scratches, bites, blunt force trauma, poison, and confusion spells. Different injuries also have different degrees of severity. How can one conclude by generalizing?" The others were surprised to hear him speak so eloquently. He actually sounded quite knowledgeable.

Yan Yuqing, however, remained unimpressed. She thought these were just basic injury assessments that even a three-year-old would know. Feigning serious inquiry, Yan Yuqing said, "We were discussing poison injuries. Specifically, when the poison has entered the limbs and body, permeated the internal organs, and cannot be treated with needles or stones. How do you think such a case should be diagnosed and treated, Uncle-master?" She subtly glanced at one of the disciples among them. His complexion appeared normal, but he was actually deeply afflicted by a rare demonic beast's poison. At that moment, Shangguan Sheng was urgently preparing an antidote for him, which was why he was in seclusion. Yan Yuqing wanted to see what diagnosis this "cheap" uncle-master would offer. Regardless of his diagnosis, she would not be convinced! She intended to find fault, publicly refute him, and make him look foolish. She wanted to see if he still had the nerve to remain at Divine Doctor Peak.

Jiang Fan was speechless. Different types of poison required different treatment methods. How could one generalize? Suddenly, his gaze swept across the group and settled on one of the disciples. A flicker of realization crossed his face. "The one whose poison has permeated the body... that would be this disciple, wouldn't it?" At his words, Yan Yuqing's face stiffened. The other disciples also looked surprised. How did he know?