As the people from Medicine King Valley set foot in the capital, Nan Shiying received the news shortly after.
"They've arrived?"
Nan Shiying peeled the shell off a nut and tossed it into her mouth, remembering what Ji Hong had told her: the people from Medicine King Valley were summoned by Nan Chaoyin.
She recalled having her shadow guards investigate Nan Chaoyin's past, but there was no mention of him having interacted with any elders of Medicine King Valley. Either the matter was too long ago to investigate, or Nan Chaoyin's dealings with that elder were extremely secretive, making them impossible to uncover.
Either way, that old bastard Nan Chaoyin was definitely up to something!
"Who arrived? People from Medicine King Valley?"
Nan Shiying knew that people from Medicine King Valley were coming to the capital, but Old Du had never heard of it. Now, hearing the news suddenly, his voice rose considerably, as if he had scalded his mouth with tea.
However, his initial surprise quickly subsided. Old Du picked up his teacup again, a hint of worry in his brows.
It wasn't concern for Nan Shiying, but for Gouzi.
Nan Shiying discerned Old Du's concerns from his expression. While peeling another nut, she said nonchalantly, "The capital is, after all, the capital of Lin Yuan."
She knew what Old Du was worried about. If the people from Medicine King Valley could abduct Gouzi even with the heavy protection of the royal guards, then these shadow guards should all hang themselves to avoid further disgrace.
Old Du caught the underlying meaning in Nan Shiying's words and said nothing more.
In the capital of Lin Yuan, if even Ji Jinmo couldn't protect Gouzi, then who in this vast world could?
So be it!
Old Du decided not to dwell on it.
Nan Shiying suddenly remembered something. When Ji Hong mentioned this, he seemed to have brought up a name: Hui Ji. Yes, Hui Ji!
"Old man, how much do you know about Hui Ji?"
"Hui Ji?"
Old Du was slightly taken aback. "Hui Ji is my junior brother!"
"I recall telling you before that after Master died, my senior brother became the new Valley Master of Medicine King Valley, and another junior brother and I became elders. What, you suspect him?"
"That's impossible!"
Old Du stated this with utter conviction. He believed he knew his junior brother well. Calling him a medical fanatic wouldn't be an exaggeration; he spent his days buried in piles of herbs, researching various medicinal formulas for treating illnesses and saving lives.
If there was anyone least likely to collude with the Longevity Sect and Miao Jiang, it would be him.
"How so?" Nan Shiying wanted to hear more.
"My junior brother..."
Speaking of his junior brother, Old Du felt he could be summarized by one word: a shell.
When he joined Medicine King Valley, Hui Ji was just a little dumpling.
He heard that Master found him, an abandoned infant, while gathering herbs in Shaoshan. By the age of five, Master discovered his great talent and took him as a disciple.
Old Du often felt grateful that Master only took his junior brother after he had joined the sect, otherwise, he would have had to call a little dumpling his senior brother.
The little dumpling was very cute as a child, but as he grew older, his personality became increasingly reclusive. His favorite thing to do every day was to squat among the herbs, identifying the medicinal properties of each herb and researching various formulas based on them.
For such a person to collude with the Longevity Sect, Old Du felt it would be a miracle if he could even leave his courtyard.
Nan Shiying stroked her chin, finding it strange. How could such a person be acquainted with that old bastard Nan Chaoyin?
She explained to Old Du why Medicine King Valley had come to the capital. Old Du blinked, realizing Nan Shiying wasn't suspecting his junior brother of colluding with the Longevity Sect, but was curious how her father knew him.
This was indeed peculiar!
Old Du stroked his chin.
Hui Ji was acquainted with Nan Chaoyin?
He would never have expected this!
Ji Jinmo pushed open the door and walked into the room, his gaze falling upon the master and disciple, their expressions identical. What were they pondering?
"What are you thinking about?" Ji Jinmo asked.
Only when Ji Jinmo's voice reached them did Nan Shiying and Old Du snap out of their deep thought and look at him together.
"Thinking about how that old bastard Nan Chaoyin knows Uncle-Master Hui Ji."
"Uncle-Master?"
So, Hui Ji was also Old Du's junior brother?
An elder of the direct lineage of Medicine King Valley.
Nan Shiying nodded. "Uncle-Master!"
Ji Jinmo sat down beside them. Seeing their pensive looks, he surmised that Hui Ji was likely not suspicious. Without asking for details, Ji Jinmo changed the topic. "Do you remember the child that Qin Qianyu gave to Yin Sila?"
Nan Shiying nodded. "Of course, I remember!"
How could she forget?
"What, is there progress?" Nan Shiying asked.
Ji Jinmo nodded. "The woman who took Qin Xiaorong's child is Mei Sha from the Ghost Sha Sect."
"Huh?"
Nan Shiying was utterly bewildered.
Where did the Ghost Sha Sect come from?
"Ghost Sha Sect?" Old Du had heard of the Ghost Sha Sect. Hearing Ji Jinmo mention Yin Sila, he frowned and asked, "Is the Ghost Sha Sect also secretly supported by Miao Jiang?"
Ji Jinmo shook his head. "Not Miao Jiang, but the Longevity Sect."
"We've been making a mistake all along," Ji Jinmo said, having just discovered the crux of the issue. "Why have we always considered the Longevity Sect and Miao Jiang as separate forces?"
"Hmm?"
Nan Shiying was startled. Did Ji Jinmo mean that the Miao Jiang remnants had joined the Longevity Sect?
"Yes, exactly!" The more she recalled the events of the past period, the more Nan Shiying was convinced of this idea. With the capabilities of the Miao Jiang remnants alone, how could they have taken over the entire Yuzhou Commandery without a sound?
It must have been the Longevity Dao Sect.
It wasn't that Miao Jiang and the Longevity Dao Sect were cooperating, but that the Miao Jiang remnants had joined the Longevity Dao Sect? So, Yin Sila was at most an elder or an envoy of the Longevity Dao Sect?
Nan Shiying rubbed her temples and glanced at Old Du. "Old man, do you think Medicine King Valley might also..."
That was the Longevity Dao Sect, which had survived for hundreds of years in the long river of history. If that was the case, perhaps many forces or sects that existed in the world today might have the shadow of the Longevity Dao Sect behind them.
Old Du opened his mouth, his mind struggling to keep up with Nan Shiying's train of thought.
However, Ji Jinmo shook his head. "No!"
Nan Shiying looked at him. He spoke with such certainty, though she wasn't sure of his reasoning.
Ji Jinmo said, "The first Valley Master of Medicine King Valley often accompanied our ancestor."
"So?"
Old Du finally understood a little, giving Nan Shiying a sidelong glance. "The first Valley Master of Medicine King Valley was named Zi Ling."
Nan Shiying still didn't understand.
"Are you from Lin Yuan? You don't even know this history?" Old Du was also surprised.
Nan Shiying desperately wanted to say no, but after a moment's thought, she swallowed the words. Logically, the original Nan Shiying should have known, but who could blame the previous Nan Shiying, who was a pitiable soul struggling on the brink of life and death? Let alone the history of Lin Yuan, she was barely literate!
So Nan Shiying silently bore Old Du's disdain.