143. The Mastermind Behind the Scenes

The old man did not put Haoyue in his eyes at all. Looking at Le Qianxue, he said, "Lose my head? I am merely here to challenge this little yellow-haired girl. Does that require losing my head? A simple challenge with me will reveal whether she is the real deal or a fake."

Furthermore, he believed that the famed Ghost Doctor was not nearly as formidable as rumored, but merely hyped up by others.

The onlookers watched and listened as Le Qianxue spoke.

Previously, when Yuan Tianci had come to the capital, Le Qianxue had followed closely behind him, calling him master. Now, for her to be identified as the Ghost Doctor was a tremendous change.

Therefore, seeing this old man challenge the clinic, the crowd was eager to see whether the rumors were true.

At that moment, Le Qianxue walked over and asked, "You wish to challenge me?"

Seeing that she showed no trace of fear, the old man felt a twinge of doubt, but he quickly dismissed it, figuring Le Qianxue could not possibly have much real skill.

Having practiced medicine for many years, could he possibly lose to a mere young girl? His task today was to ruin Le Qianxue's reputation.

"Little girl, are you perhaps afraid?" the old man taunted.

Le Qianxue let out a cold laugh. "Afraid? Why would I be? What shall we compete on?"

The old man declared, "Naturally, it will be to see whose medical skills are superior. We can diagnose a patient."

Le Qianxue glanced at him and nodded, "That works. Pick one at random."

Haoyue interjected, "That is completely unfair. If one person's condition is more severe than the other's, the one treating them will be at a disadvantage."

The old man nodded, "Very well. Little girl, I won't take advantage of you."

Le Qianxue then suggested, "In that case, why don't we examine the exact same patient and each write down our respective treatment methods?"

"That's a fine idea," the old man said with a smile, looking forward to seeing Le Qianxue's downfall.

A patient voluntarily stepped forward, allowing both Le Qianxue and the old man to feel their pulse. Afterward, the two of them picked up their brushes and wrote down their treatment plans.

The commoners watched intently. They had seen martial arts schools challenged, but never a medical clinic.

Moreover, this was Zhan Lianjing's territory, and everyone knew that Le Qianxue was the future Princess Zhan. Who would have expected someone to dare challenge her clinic?

After a moment, the two put down their brushes. Le Qianxue said, "Shall we have the doctors from my clinic review the treatment plans, or would you prefer to invite an outside physician?"

Naturally, the old man replied, "Rest assured, I brought a good friend along. He is Senior Imperial Physician Zhang from the Imperial Hospital, a chief official there. His judgment will certainly be fair."

Le Qianxue thought for a moment and deemed it acceptable.

Physician Zhang was deeply interested in today's challenge. After all, the news of Le Qianxue saving the Fourth Prince had already spread throughout the Imperial Hospital.

At the time, they had assumed Le Qianxue was Yuan Tianci's apprentice, which they didn't doubt much since anyone from the Valley of the Medicine King naturally possessed some skill.

Never did they imagine that Le Qianxue was actually the renowned Ghost Doctor.

This was a massive revelation, as the Imperial Hospital had previously purchased pills from the Ghost Doctor. Everyone in the hospital praised them and longed to make the acquaintance of such an extraordinary hermit.

Physician Zhang first examined the patient's condition and then reviewed the treatment plans written by the two opponents.

After carefully pondering them, both had selected their respective herbs and prescriptions, but Le Qianxue had simply presented a single medicinal pill.

The old man could not help a sneer of contempt. He had used precious, rare herbs guaranteed to show results in three days, whereas this little girl had pulled out a single pill—what kind of joke was that? Wasn't she afraid of being laughed at?

At this point, Physician Zhang spoke up, "This time, Miss Le's medical skills are clearly superior."

The old man was still basking in self-satisfaction, fully expecting Physician Zhang to declare him the winner. Never had he imagined the verdict would favor Le Qianxue. Snapping back to his senses, he angrily demanded, "How is this possible? I prescribed so many medicinal herbs, and she merely took out a single pill!"

Haoyue was also growing furious. This man had zero manners or class, and his mere presence was utterly repulsive.

If he dared to utter another disrespectful word, she would kill him on the spot.

Physician Zhang said, "You might as well examine that pill yourself. I guarantee it will convince you wholeheartedly."

The old man snorted. Since Physician Zhang had put it that way, it would look bad if he refused to inspect it.

He certainly wouldn't accept losing to Le Qianxue without a fight.

He crushed a tiny fragment of the pill, popped it into his mouth, and tasted it.

His expression had initially been one of utter disdain, but it instantly shifted, turning into a look of profound shock as he stared at Le Qianxue.

Le Qianxue maintained her calm and indifferent demeanor. She had never feared a challenge, nor would she grow arrogant from victory; she always treated every patient with utmost seriousness.

The old man murmured in disbelief, "I never imagined someone in this world could refine such a pill. I admit defeat. Not only does this act with astonishing speed, but it does so without harming the human body. Medicine is three-tenths poison, yet this pill can harmonize the body without leaving the patient weakened after recovery. Although my prescription was already the finest available, the patient would still need a lengthy period of recuperation afterward. There is simply no comparison."

By now, the old man was thoroughly convinced. If she wasn't the Ghost Doctor, then who could possibly be?

Physician Zhang nodded in agreement, "Indeed, Miss Le is indeed a cut above."

The surrounding crowd burst into cheers. Although it was only a small contest, Le Qianxue's victory had been so brilliant and decisive that it truly lifted everyone's spirits.

Not only did the old man concede defeat, but he continued to praise Le Qianxue's pill endlessly.

Suddenly, a figure stepped out from the crowd and said in bitter frustration, "Chen Rui, you are utterly useless! How can you actually be praising her?"

Le Qianxue looked closely and saw that it was none other than Yang Ning'er.

Now styling herself as the future Crown Princess, Yang Ning'er arrived with an extravagant entourage of four maidservants and six guards. Adorned in gold and jade from head to toe, she seemed desperate to ensure everyone knew her exalted status.

Observing the old man Chen Rui, Le Qianxue quickly connected the dots. She had heard that Chen Rui was quite famous in the Jiangnan region, and it seemed Yang Ning'er had employed him to stage this challenge.

With a faint smile, she remarked, "So it turns out the future Crown Princess is the mastermind behind this challenge."

Haoyue fixed her gaze on Yang Ning'er, thinking the woman lacked all sense of propriety to pull such a stunt. If Zhan Lianjing were to fly into a rage, he would surely have Yang Ning'er killed.

Yang Ning'er glared at Le Qianxue. "A challenge, so what? Is a medical clinic allowed to open here, yet forbid anyone from challenging it? Who knows if your doctor actually has any real skill? I'm sure no one expected the eldest daughter of the General's Mansion to be the famed Ghost Doctor. Heh, what an absolute absurdity! Refusing to live the proper life of a noble lady, she insists on playing the doctor instead. She knows nothing of the zither, chess, calligraphy, or painting—only a few cheap medical tricks. Moreover, she lacks self-respect and ruins her own reputation. Le Qianxue, oh Le Qianxue, you truly are a legendary figure in our capital."

Haoyue's face turned ashen with rage. Yang Ning'er was growing increasingly arrogant now that she fancied herself the future Crown Princess.

To humiliate Le Qianxue so blatantly in front of the common folk—how could Haoyue not be furious?

However, Le Qianxue remained completely unbothered. She refused to lower herself to Yang Ning'er's level.

With a light smile, she retorted, "If you wanted to issue a challenge, you should have used your own genuine abilities. Furthermore, what I choose to do is none of your concern. You use zither, chess, calligraphy, and painting to please whoever you wish to please; is my healing the sick any less noble? My reputation is certainly not for you to point fingers at. I heard that just two days ago, you went all the way to the Crown Prince's temporary palace just to throw yourself into his arms. What right do you have to critique me now?"

"You—!" Yang Ning'er was instantly rendered speechless. The matter was known to quite a few people, though no one dared speak of it openly out of reverence for the Crown Prince.

Recovering slightly, Yang Ning'er snapped, "How can you compare yourself to me? I am already betrothed to His Highness the Crown Prince!"

"And I have vowed to marry only Prince Zhan in this lifetime," Le Qianxue replied smoothly. "Future Crown Princess, you've said so much; aren't your throat dry? You should be on your way, lest you stand here and block patients from seeking treatment."

Furious, Yang Ning'er found herself unable to do anything to Le Qianxue with Haoyue standing guard.

With a cold snort, she ordered, "Drag Chen Rui away! Chop off his hands and feet the moment we get back. Such a useless piece of trash is only good for feeding dogs!"

Chen Rui turned pale with fright. He immediately began to beg, "Future Crown Princess, spare my life! Spare my life!"

Never had he expected Yang Ning'er to be so venomous. Frowning slightly, Le Qianxue intervened, "Yang Ning'er, he lost to me in a fair contest. His fate is not yours to decide."

"What of it? He is merely a dog of mine," Yang Ning'er sneered. "Do I not even have the right to dispose of my own dog?"

Chen Rui felt deeply humiliated, keeping his head bowed in terrified silence. Who told him to be blinded by greed? He had brought this upon himself.

Le Qianxue stated coldly, "A dog? In your eyes, is human life truly so worthless? Since that is the case, I will buy this dog of yours."

Yang Ning'er let out a cold laugh. "Buy him? Do you think you can buy whatever you want just because you wish to?"

Even if she discarded her dog, she would never hand him over to Le Qianxue.

Le Qianxue arched an eyebrow. In a flash of motion, Haoyue stepped forward, drawing her sword with lightning speed. Before the guards could even react, the blade was already resting against Yang Ning'er's neck.

Yang Ning'er shrieked in terror, "What are you doing? How dare you harm me? I am the future Crown Princess!"

Even on the brink of death, she remained thoroughly arrogant.

Le Qianxue said leisurely, "I want to buy this man. Will you sell him or not?"

Naturally, Yang Ning'er was unwilling. "In your dreams—!" But as Haoyue's sword pressed a fraction closer, Yang Ning'er instantly lost her nerve and dared not utter another word.

Le Qianxue's overbearing dominance startled the bystanders, though quite a few of them secretly admired her backbone.

Le Qianxue slowly seated herself as a servant in the clinic stepped forward to pour her a cup of tea.

With a placid expression, she glanced at Yang Ning'er. Realizing the gravity of her situation, Yang Ning'er stammered, "Fine, fine, fine! I'll sell you this dog. Name your price!"

"Come, give the future Crown Princess one tael of silver," Le Qianxue instructed casually.

"What? One tael?!" Yang Ning'er shrieked. "Do you know how much Chen Rui charged? He demanded ten thousand taels!"

Le Qianxue didn't care in the slightest. "In my eyes, he is worth precisely one tael of silver."