Return of the Immortal Emperor Daddy-Chapter 282 - 284 Descendants of Zhu You (2/7)

"It's that one—the oldest," Wu Tian said, pointing. Qin Yuhan and Murong Yezi followed his gesture and saw a woman who appeared to be in her thirties.

Her complexion was pale and she wore a white lab coat, looking utterly ordinary. But Qin Yuhan and Murong Yezi were baffled. How could Wu Tian possibly say she was the oldest? Among the remaining participants, Huangfu Huisheng was as old as the hills and definitely older than her.

"She must have used some method to maintain her youth." Seeing the envious looks on Murong Yezi's and Qin Yuhan's faces, Wu Tian chuckled. "You only need to cultivate my Martial Path to preserve your youth forever. There's no need to envy her. You see, her skin has completely stiffened. It doesn't age, but it's so rigid that even smiling is a struggle. Moreover, she's harboring a lot of bugs on her body. Don't believe me? Watch."

Wu Tian snapped his fingers.

Just then, from the woman's cuffs, trouser legs, and sleeves, a dense swarm of bugs began to crawl out. Even a few pitch-black insects emerged from her ears. It was a disgusting sight.

This sudden spectacle instantly captured everyone's attention.

Several women gagged and retched. Meanwhile, some of the men had to swallow hard, fighting back the urge to do the same. The journalists also fought down the churning in their stomachs as they snapped photos and recorded video.

***

"What is that? It's so disgusting," the little one muttered, quickly turning her head away. She couldn't bear to look at the woman any longer; the sight of those bugs was making her nauseous. Her intuition also told her that this woman was her true opponent at this Divine Doctor Conference.

Seemingly aware of the little one's glance, the woman lifted her head slightly, her gaze settling on the small figure before her. Her eyes were cold and vacant, not like those of a living person. A forced smile stretched her lips as she murmured, "A fine specimen. She could be taken back and made a disciple."

"Who is this woman?" Huangfu Huisheng was also shocked by the sight of insects crawling all over her. He saw that she was an Easterner and her tools were also Eastern, with no connection to the West. This suggested she might be a practitioner of Chinese medicine. But could such a person exist within the field of Chinese medicine?

As Huangfu Huisheng pondered this, something suddenly clicked. He exclaimed, "Miao Jiang? Witchcraft? Are you a Gu practitioner from Miao Jiang?"

At Huangfu Huisheng's words, the entire venue erupted. Many had heard of the so-called Gu technique and witchcraft from novels or TV dramas. In those stories, people even used their own bodies to cultivate Gu. But no one had ever expected to witness it in reality. She must have been drawn here by the champion's prizes for the Divine Doctor Conference.

*Green Satchel Book*.

*The Thirteen Branches of Zhuyou*.

*Fetal Membrane Medicine Record*.

These were all lost medical texts. And now, even Gu Masters, thought to have been extinct for ages, had appeared.

"Everyone! All remaining practitioners of Chinese and Western medicine! We must not let her win the championship!" Huangfu Huisheng immediately looked at the remaining contestants and shouted sternly, "Such a harmful practice as witchcraft must not be allowed to continue existing in this world!"

Some of the Chinese medicine practitioners immediately echoed the President of the Chinese Medicine Association's words.

"Don't worry, President, we won't let her succeed!"

"That's right, she will fail!"

"The world only has room for Chinese and Western medicine! There is no place for witch doctors!"

The foreigners, meanwhile, didn't understand what was happening. They just found it amusing to watch the people of Dragon Country at each other's throats.

The little one, however, was a bit puzzled. There were bad people among Chinese medicine practitioners, too, like Huangfu Jiusi. What was a witch doctor? She didn't know. But the little one figured that as long as something could save people, it had a right to exist.

The woman ground her teeth. She was used to such discrimination.

***

Wu Tian quietly watched the scene unfold.

Qin Yuhan asked in confusion, "Are witch doctors really a bad thing?"

"A bad thing?" Hearing this, Wu Tian scoffed. "Who does Huangfu Huisheng think he represents? Does he really believe he can speak for all of Chinese medicine? What a joke. He opposes the revival of witch doctors for his own selfish interests."

***

High up in the tower, Wu Fa and Wu Tian, father and son, happened to share the same perspective.

What is Chinese medicine? What is a witch doctor? If one can save people, that's a good doctor!

He hailed from Ghost Valley, but historically, Dong Zhongshu's policy to "Dismiss the Hundred Schools of Thought and revere only Confucianism" had made the path difficult even for the likes of Zhufu Yan, a famed strategist from the Zongheng Family of Ghost Valley. Wu Fa harbored no sectarian biases.

"Alright, we will now proceed to the second round of the assessment. I will have the servants bring you the herbs and prescriptions."

From the broadcast, Wu Fa's voice remained authoritative, causing Murong Yezi's expression to grow distant.

Servants emerged from the tower in Yang City, placing herbs and a prescription on each participant's platform. The young female servant who delivered them to the little one was utterly charmed by her cuteness. She clenched her fist and cheered, "You can do it! I believe in you!"

The little one glanced at the young female servant and suddenly sighed in disappointment.

The servant asked, bewildered, "What's wrong?"

The little one looked downhearted. "You're very pretty, but you're too young. If you were a bit older, um, I'd ask my dad to bring you home to be my fifth mom."

"No, thank you!" The young female servant was thunderstruck and fled in haste. Who would have thought a cute little girl could pack such a punch!

***

The voice from the broadcast continued.

"This time, I am giving you two sets of herbs. Each set is enough for one attempt, which means you have two chances." Wu Fa's voice hesitated for a moment before he continued, "This prescription comes from the *Outer Canon of Emperor Huang*. This medicine can cure my wife. I hope that someone among you can succeed."

These words caused a massive uproar.

"The *Outer Canon of Emperor Huang*! My god, it's actually from the *Outer Canon of Emperor Huang*!" Those in the know were shocked speechless.

"Isn't the *Outer Canon of Emperor Huang* available for purchase?" asked those who didn't know, confusing it with the *Inner Canon of Huangdi*.

The informed explained to the uninformed, their voices a mixture of complexity and astonishment. The eighteen volumes of the *Inner Canon of Huangdi* have survived from the remote ancient era to the present day, but the thirty-seven volumes of the *Outer Canon of Emperor Huang* are thought to be lost forever. Still, the folklore surrounding it is rich and fascinating.

In the plaza, doctors of both Chinese and Western medicine were raring to go. Then, they turned their fervent gazes upon the prescription.

The little one also gazed at the prescription in her tiny hands. After looking it over, she finally sighed in relief, thankful that she recognized all the characters. With her memory, a single glance was all it took to memorize it.

"Yin Yang Heart Restoring Pill. Ingredients: Dragon Hollyhock, Ginseng (remove the reed root), Poria, Scrophularia, Salvia, Platycodon Root, Schisandra, Maidong (remove the core), Asparagus Root, Biota Seed, Sour Jujube Kernel (roasted)..." There were over thirty herbs in total.

The little one's intuition was sharp. At that moment, it was telling her the prescription was wrong. Why do I feel like there's something wrong with this prescription?