"Huuu!"

Yang Chan faced the rising sun and inhaled a breath of rich Purple Qi.

The ward was in a sunny spot with good ventilation. Yang Chan had slept in the ward last night and still woke up early this morning to practice his Purple Qi Body Cultivation Skill.

Practicing a Health Cultivation Technique couldn’t completely replace sleep, but it greatly improved his condition. Even though he hadn’t slept much last night, he still felt relatively energetic.

Xu Gaocen, on the other hand, was getting on in years. Moreover, his cultivation had not reached the level of an Inner Master, so his physical functions were declining. He could no longer stay up late for long, which was why he had asked Yang Chan to switch shifts.

Yang Chan could only agree. He was much younger than Xu Gaocen. Besides, watching the ward at night didn’t mean he couldn’t sleep at all; it was just that his sleep wouldn’t be very restful. However, he could catch up on sleep during the day, which wasn’t a bad trade-off for him.

He could take all his necessary medicines before sleeping during the day. This would also prevent any unexpected incidents at night from interrupting his medication schedule.

After all, based on the events of the past few days, trouble was constant after nightfall.

Until the situation in the Imperial Palace was completely stabilized and normal order was restored in White Jade City, there would surely be no shortage of such trouble. Yang Chan was very clear on this point.

Before long, Xu Gaocen arrived while Yang Chan was still in the middle of practicing his Purple Qi Body Cultivation Skill. Seeing Yang Chan cultivating a Health Cultivation Technique didn’t strike him as odd; after all, he had seen Yang Chan practicing the Purple Qi Body Cultivation Skill many times on their way to White Jade City.

Although it was unusual for someone Yang Chan’s age, it was very much in line with the habits of a Pharmacist. They all tended to favor health cultivation and longevity. He himself also practiced a Health Cultivation Technique in his spare time.

At his age, if he couldn’t break through to become an Inner Master, he would have twenty to thirty years left at most. Practicing a Health Cultivation Technique could extend that time a little.

For some, long life was a torment, but for others, it was something they yearned for. Pharmacists, for example, were people who loved longevity.

And then there was Yang Chan. He simply hoped to live forever and be immortal.

"Finished your Health Cultivation Skill practice? Come with me to check on things. If everything’s fine, you can go back and rest. I’ll watch over this place."

Xu Gaocen said this after seeing Yang Chan slowly conclude his practice, exhale a breath of turbid air, and open his eyes.

He had taken a night to adjust and his energy had recovered somewhat.

But first, he needed to check on the condition of the injured disciples to see if anyone was in critical condition. If there was a major problem, he would definitely need Yang Chan’s help. After all, without a Pharmacist’s Assistant, handling it alone would be quite troublesome.

"Alright, Pharmacist Xu, let’s go."

Yang Chan quickly stood up after hearing him.

He had already checked on the disciples’ conditions before practicing his Purple Qi Body Cultivation Skill, and there were no major issues. Once things here were settled, he could go back to his room to take medicine, soak in a bath, add his points, and rest.

Xu Gaocen led Yang Chan on a round of checks. After finding no major problems, he told Yang Chan to leave and took over watching the ward.

Yang Chan went straight back. After asking an attendant to prepare hot water and food for him, he returned directly to his room.

The attendant was very efficient. Knowing that Yang Chan was a Pharmacist, he was eager to curry favor. After all, if he were ever injured, a little kindness from Yang Chan could mean getting treated, and perhaps even saving his life.

It wasn’t that unimportant people had no schemes; in fact, one could say their schemes ran even deeper. It was just that they didn’t usually show them.

In his room, Yang Chan soaked in the Dragon Bone Medicine Bath while eating his medicine and food. Normally, he preferred to keep the two separate, as good food should be savored. At a time like this, however, he naturally wasn’t concerned with delicacies, but rather with his Potential Points.

Elegance was important, but life was more so.

Between the two, Yang Chan found it easy to choose—in fact, there was no choice to be made. Ever since he started practicing the Tai Chi Health Cultivation Skill, he had always cherished his life.

’Things at the Cyan Yuan Pavilion are going to get more and more lively. I hope the situation in the palace clears up soon and White Jade City returns to normal.’

Yang Chan hoped for this, but even as an Inner Master, he felt a sense of powerlessness.

He wasn’t someone who could change the situation with a single word. He was just one of many, a low-key survivor who wanted control over his own life.

’Next time, unless my cultivation reaches the level of a Bone Marrow Cleansing Grandmaster, I will not set foot in White Jade City again.’

Yang Chan thought silently to himself as he recalled this trip to White Jade City. The city had a lot of fruit, with an all-encompassing variety, but that was no reason for him to take such risks.

This time, if he had been a Bone Marrow Cleansing Grandmaster, he wouldn’t have had to be so fearful. After all, if something felt wrong, he could have just left directly. As an Inner Master, he was still lacking.

’It’s been four days since the chaos in the Imperial Palace began. Logically, the situation there should have stabilized by now.’

’After all, who ever heard of a coup lasting for days? Regardless of success or failure, it should be a swift and decisive battle. Could it be that both sides have been severely wounded, leaving an opening for a third party to clean up?’

Yang Chan really wanted to find out what was happening in the Imperial Palace through the Cyan Yuan Sect’s hidden channels, but unfortunately, their methods of contact had changed since the chaos began.

He didn’t want to risk investigating either, so he could only wait and see how things developed.

In truth, Yang Chan didn’t want to bother with what was happening in the Imperial Palace at all. But since it concerned his own safety, he had no choice but to pay attention. It was just his luck that the situation in the palace affected him.

If he were powerful enough, he could just prop up a puppet—preferably a woman—and leave both warring factions stunned. He could even give the Great Zhou Imperial Dynasty an Empress.

Of course, it would be even better if this Empress were his own person. He could be an Emperor Knight.

The thought flashed through Yang Chan’s mind and then vanished just as quickly. ’That Dragon Bone Medicine Bath really is no proper medicine bath,’ he thought. ’Otherwise, how could such an upstanding person like me have such an improper thought?’

After calming his mind, Yang Chan once again applied his Potential Points to the Wind-Stepping Technique. This was his last resort. If his true cultivation was exposed, there would be no need to hide the Wind-Stepping Technique anymore; he could just use it to escape.

When the situation in White Jade City was stable, exposing his cultivation would mean he’d have to be wary of being targeted by other factions. After all, when a genius from another power appeared, if you couldn’t befriend them, you had to eliminate them.

Not to mention the current situation. In that case, he would probably have to guard not only against the factions within White Jade City but also against these so-called allies from the Cyan Yuan Sect.

’An ally who is a threat is, by definition, not a good ally.’

Soaking in the hot bath, Yang Chan’s mind had already calmed. The question of his own safety could eliminate all distracting thoughts, turning him into a sage, devoid of worldly desires.

’If a third party really is cleaning up, then I hope they end this situation in White Jade City quickly. Otherwise, when the time comes, I’ll be the one to make them anxious.’

Yang Chan took a deep breath. Seeing that the Medicinal Power in the Dragon Bone Medicine Bath had been completely absorbed, he stepped out. After drying himself off, he circulated his Flood Dragon Demon Force to quickly dry his hair. At the same time, he changed into a set of light clothes, as he still needed to apply poultices to his body.

Also, he hadn’t rested enough. He needed to lie down to absorb the medicinal power within him, because he had to take over for Xu Gaocen soon.