Chapter 142: 麻翻 Imperial Academy

“Someone has been poisoned in the Imperial Physician Hall!”

Several students passing by outside the hall immediately noticed something amiss inside. One of them quickly ran out, shouting, “I’ll go fetch the Imperial College officials! You two, hurry inside and save them!” The other two students rushed into the hall. As soon as they inhaled a scent, they collapsed.

Not long after, Zen Master Faqing from Qingyang Hall arrived with several monks, storming into the hall and shouting, “Quickly, save—”

Thump, thump.

The monks collapsed one after another. Zen Master Faqing, with his superior cultivation, turned to walk out of the hall. Just as he reached the entrance, he too could no longer bear it and fell outside the hall door.

“Zen Master Faqing has also been poisoned!”

The students outside rushed forward to help Zen Master Faqing, but as soon as they caught a whiff of the aroma, they also collapsed one after another. Seeing this, students from the surroundings started calling for help and ran towards the scene, only to fall to the ground without warning before they even reached it.

Students from Scholars’ Residence, Divine Abilities Residence, and Crown Prince’s Garden also received the news and rushed over in a panic. Imperial College officials from other halls were dispatched as well, intending to rescue people. At the mountain gate, some students who heard about the incident, with no time to confront the Buddhist disciples, hurried up the mountain to rescue their peers.

Chancellor Ba Shan also received the news and quickly rushed to the Imperial Physician Hall. He saw hundreds of students and Imperial College officials already lying on the ground in front of the hall. The scent of ‘Lost Fragrance’ had spread from inside the Imperial Physician Hall, extending outside.

Daoist Lingyun and other Imperial College officials stood not far away, their expressions drastically changed. Suddenly, Daoist Shuofeng from Array Origin Hall stepped forward, his sleeves billowing, and said in a deep voice, “This poison is extremely potent. It would be best to disperse the toxic gas before trying to save anyone!”

Whoosh—

He unleashed two powerful gusts of wind from his sleeves, blowing them towards the Imperial Physician Hall. Chancellor Ba Shan’s face changed dramatically, and he sharply cried, “Don’t blow it!”

Daoist Shuofeng of Array Origin Hall had not yet fully recovered his senses when the dense aroma from the hall was blown out, spreading everywhere. Chancellor Ba Shan shouted, “Hold your breath!” But it was too late. The scent of Lost Fragrance had dispersed, and students collapsed one after another, their bodies stiff. The Imperial College officials, with their deeper cultivation, only felt their limbs numb, their legs weak, and their vital energy sluggish, rendering them unable to move.

Chancellor Ba Shan, quick to react and with extremely high cultivation, only inhaled a trace of the scent. He immediately used his profound true qi to expel the aroma from his body. Looking around, he saw numerous students falling in swathes. “Damn it, is this the end of our academy?” A wave of despair washed over him. This scent would likely soon permeate the entire Imperial Academy. Perhaps only a mere twenty or so people, those with cultivation above the Celestial Realm, would be able to expel the strange aroma from their bodies and remain unaffected. The Imperial Academy, the foremost sacred ground in the world today, was now on the verge of being incapacitated by this strange aroma. It was practically annihilation.

“What kind of poison were those old rascals in the Imperial Physician Hall concocting?” He did not know that Lost Fragrance was not a poison, but merely an anesthetic. Its effects would wear off in an hour or two, causing no harm to anyone.

Just then, a gourd suddenly rose into the sky in front of the Imperial Academy Hall. Its mouth pointed downwards, emitting a terrifying suction force that drew the gradually spreading aroma, along with the air, into the gourd from the mountaintop. A fierce wind swept across the mountain. Before long, the strange aroma vanished. Chancellor Ba Shan let out a sigh of relief. “Fortunately, the Grand Chancellor is here; it didn’t engulf the entire mountain. But these people, I’m afraid…” His eyes, like a tiger’s, welled up with tears as he looked at the countless “corpses” in front of the Imperial Physician Hall. Suddenly, a voice chuckled in his ear, “Ba Shan, they’re not dead. Why are you crying?”

Chancellor Ba Shan was slightly startled. He quickly went forward and checked the breathing of one of the “corpses”, finding it to be strong and steady. The young Grand Master approached him, looked around, and frowned, saying, “It seems to be the work of the Poison King. Yes, I know who did this. That little rascal is getting out of hand!” Chancellor Ba Shan hesitated, “Grand Chancellor, I heard it was a mishap when a few Imperial Physicians were refining medicine…” The young Grand Master sneered, “Those Imperial Physicians in the Imperial Physician Hall can’t concoct such a potent anesthetic. It must be that little scamp refining medicine in the hall, and he messed up, knocking himself out along with all the students in the entire academy…” He had just said this when his eyes suddenly fixed on something in the distance.

Chancellor Ba Shan, puzzled, followed his gaze, and his eyes also widened. A young student came from behind the Imperial Academy Hall, rounding it, carrying an incredibly robust large green ox in his hands. The ox was also knocked out, its four hooves tied together, lying on its back, as the student carried it along. And on the ox’s hooves sat a small, pure white fox with no trace of other colors.

The young student paused slightly at the sight of the “corpses” scattered across the ground. Then, seeing Chancellor Ba Shan and the young Grand Master, his face changed drastically. He immediately dropped the green ox, grabbed the fox, and ran. “My little ox!” Chancellor Ba Shan sprinted over, caught the unconscious green ox, and with a pained expression, angrily exclaimed, “You brat! You knocked out my mount! I swear I won’t let this go!”

Qin Mu had not run far when his collar tightened. He was lifted by the young Grand Master, and then the scenery around him changed rapidly. The next moment, he found himself in front of the Imperial Physician Hall, standing amidst the “corpses” on the ground. Qin Mu stood obediently, looking down at the white fox beside him. The white fox also stood obediently, looking down at its furry front paws.

The young Grand Master was so furious he could only laugh. He pointed at the “corpses” covering the ground, speechless for a long time. “Go stand in the corner!” the young Grand Master finally managed to roar after a long pause. Qin Mu and Fox Ling’er walked to the corner of the Imperial Physician Hall and stood there, heads bowed.

The young Grand Master, with a dark expression, paced back and forth in front of the boy and the fox, his hands behind his back. Suddenly, he snapped, “Who administered the poison?” Qin Mu quickly replied, “I knocked out the ox, but as for these students and chancellors, I don’t know anything about that.” The young Grand Master’s face was grim. “How do you counteract it?” Qin Mu honestly replied, “No need for an antidote. Just wait a little while, and they’ll recover on their own.”

The young Grand Master snorted coldly, wagging a finger as he listed his transgressions: “You’ve only been in the Imperial Academy for a few days, and you’ve already caused utter chaos! You’ve almost beaten every student in Scholar’s Residence, and the buildings there are practically dismantled because of you! Planting heads on walls and burying people in the ground—do you think I don’t know about that? You knocked out Imperial College Official Lingyun right in front of the Emperor, and now you’ve released this poison to incapacitate Chancellor Ba Shan’s mount! Not to mention the Imperial Physician Hall, almost everyone in this Imperial Academy has been knocked out by you! What’s your next plan? Knock out everyone in the capital?”

Qin Mu thought for a moment, scratching his head. “How big of an alchemy furnace would it take to refine this much Lost Fragrance… My point is, the Lost Fragrance that caused trouble for all these students and chancellors definitely wasn’t refined by me!” The young Grand Master was exasperated. “Then tell me, why did you knock out Chancellor Ba Shan’s mount?” Chancellor Ba Shan walked over, curiously asking, “Yes, why did you knock out my ox?” Qin Mu blinked. “I was just playing with it. I planned to… steal some vegetables from the garden. I’ve been eating too much greasy food these past few days, so I wanted a change of taste.” Chancellor Ba Shan looked suspicious. “You knocked out my ox, but why didn’t you go steal vegetables? Instead, you carried it and ran? Were you after the vegetables in my garden, or was my ox your target?”

“Uh…” Qin Mu looked down at the little fox standing in the corner with him. The little fox also couldn’t find a reason.

Ba Shan was exasperated. “You can’t explain yourself? How should you be punished? Grand Chancellor, he just came up the mountain and dared to harm my ox, then released poison, almost incapacitating all the students in the Imperial Academy. This child cannot be kept…” The young Grand Master coughed, whispering, “Ba Shan, he is the Poison King’s disciple…” Chancellor Ba Shan was startled. “The Poison King? Which Poison King?” The young Grand Master whispered, “Who else could it be? Of course, the Jade-Faced Poison King. The divine physician from Flower Lane who cured the Empress Dowager’s illness, that’s him. He’s excellent at healing people and his poisoning skills are no worse than Fu Yuanqing of the Imperial Preceptor’s Residence.” Chancellor Ba Shan felt a chill down his spine and quickly distanced himself from Qin Mu. Chuckling nervously, he said, “Since my ox is fine, I won’t pursue this matter. Grand Chancellor, you can handle it.”

The young Grand Master had a headache. Qin Mu was good in every aspect, except for his knack for causing trouble. The village chief and others had nurtured Qin Mu exceptionally well, and the Grand Master was very pleased. However, causing chaos in the Imperial Academy was one thing; if he were to cause trouble in the Heavenly Devil Cult, that would be truly terrifying. Suddenly, the young Grand Master smiled, appearing benevolent. “I will be resigning in two months, so there can be no more major incidents. Can you behave yourself for these two months?” Qin Mu nodded, arguing, “The Lost Fragrance that knocked out the Imperial Academy, I truly didn’t refine it!” The young Grand Master smiled. “Who disseminated the formula for Lost Fragrance?” Qin Mu lowered his head.

The young Grand Master called Chancellor Ba Shan over. “Ba Shan, come here.” Chancellor Ba Shan stepped forward, and the young Grand Master smiled. “For these two months, keep a close eye on him. Once I retire in two months, you’ll be free.” “Does the Grand Chancellor mean…” Chancellor Ba Shan leaned closer, making a downward cutting motion with his hand, an inquiring look on his face. The young Grand Master gave a half-smile. “You’re thinking too much. He’s a divine physician; he even cured the Empress Dowager’s illness, and a single anesthetic dose from him can knock out everyone on the entire mountain. If you kill him, I’ll kill you.” Chancellor Ba Shan suddenly understood. “I suppose watching him isn’t impossible, but my nature is wild, and I’m not used to staying on the mountain…” The young Grand Master chuckled. “Wherever you go, take him with you.” Chancellor Ba Shan assented.

The young Grand Master let out a sigh. “Don’t just stand there. Carry these incapacitated students and chancellors out so they can get some fresh air.” Qin Mu and Chancellor Ba Shan immediately entered the Imperial Physician Hall and carried the people out.

More than half of the Imperial Academy’s students were incapacitated, and many Imperial College officials were also knocked out. After the effects of the Lost Fragrance wore off, everyone gradually woke up, though their heads still felt dizzy and it took some time for them to fully recover. The elderly Imperial Physicians from the Imperial Physician Hall apologized profusely to everyone, feeling very ashamed, yet their admiration for Qin Mu grew even stronger. Only then did they understand why Qin Mu had told them to keep their distance when collecting the medicine: the Lost Fragrance was too potent, and Qin Mu was concerned about leakage, which was why he had them move further away. It was precisely for this reason that they hadn’t seen Qin Mu’s method of collecting the medicine, which ultimately led to this major incident. Fortunately, it was only an anesthetic. If it had been a lethal poison that killed on mere inhalation, more than half of Yan Kang’s future elite might have perished.

Just then, someone suddenly exclaimed, “Buddhist Disciple Fuxin and Grand Master Jingming have left!”