Chapter 214: I, Ning, Arrive at the Prince

The surrounding villagers chattered endlessly.

"This Jishi Hall has been open for over ten years, right? I've never heard of anyone being misdiagnosed here."

"Hard to say; people can slip up, horses can stumble, and we can't be sure they won't lose a hand this time."

"This family looks truly pitiful; if the man of the house leaves, leaving the old and the young behind, it's indeed hard."

The young woman sobbed breathlessly, clutching the shopkeeper and shouting, "Give back my husband's life!"

The old woman pointed at the Jishi Hall's main door: "Such a clinic only harms more people! Why keep it? Smash it!"

Some of the villagers he incited began throwing rotten vegetable leaves into the clinic.

The shopkeeper and the shop's assistants kept urging them to stop, but they couldn't hold back the growing crowd of angry people.

Xiao Er held Tuan Tuan even tighter.

Tuan Tuan widened her eyes and shouted, "Hey! Why don't you go to Jingzhao Prefecture!"

Upon hearing Jingzhao Prefecture, the surrounding people fell silent, turning their heads toward Tuan Tuan.

"Right! If a life is truly lost, we should report it to the authorities!"

"What's the point of causing a ruckus here!"

The old woman's face changed, and she pointed at Tuan Tuan, shouting sharply, "What does a little girl know! My son is only gravely ill, not dead yet, why report any official!"

Tuan Tuan tilted her head, looking puzzled, "Exactly, your son is already this sick; why don't you hurry to treat him instead of making a scene here?"

She stretched out her little finger, pointing at the barely breathing man on the ground, "Do you think if you smash this place, he'll get better?"

The onlookers exchanged glances upon hearing that.

"The child is speaking reasonably!"

"If you truly want to save someone, you should go find a doctor; causing a ruckus here will only worsen the illness!"

"There must be something fishy."

The old woman's eyes flickered anxiously as she looked at the old man beside her.

The young woman sobbed, "How could Jishi Hall have harmed my husband, and now they want to turn the tables!"

Tuan Tuan squinted and looked at the family.

The three adults were making a fuss here, while no one attended to the child on the ground; how could they act like parents?

"Second Uncle, let me down." Xiao Er lowered her to the ground.

Tuan Tuan walked to the man's side on the ground, frowned, and circled around him.

"Alright, I'll take a look at him."

The old woman's mouth twitched disdainfully, "You? How old are you? If you could treat illnesses, would the clinics in Jingcheng still need to stay open?"

Xiao Er's face hardened, "How dare you! Our lady is His Majesty's appointed nation‑defending Princess Jiayou!"

The family was instantly startled, their faces turning pale.

Upon hearing, the villagers hurriedly bowed, "So it's an Immortal Envoy!"

Tuan Tuan lifted her head, looking at everyone, "Right! I am!"

"With an Immortal Envoy present, this man's illness is surely curable!"

"Indeed! Immortal Envoy, this family is pitiful; please examine them quickly."

The old woman hurried to her son's side, "So the Immortal Envoy has arrived; the Envoy is right, we acted rashly. We'll take him to another clinic right away."

The old man also quickly added, "Yes! Yes! We'll take him there immediately! We wouldn't dare trouble the Immortal Envoy."

The young woman came forward, "Father, mother, let's quickly take our husband to see a doctor."

Tuan Tuan looked at the still‑ignored child, "No need, I'll take a look; then you won't have to bring him to another clinic, right?"

"I won't take any of your silver!"

The three exchanged glances and helplessly nodded, "Then… thank the Immortal Envoy."

Tuan Tuan circled the man on the ground again, then suddenly stepped back a few paces.

She shouted, "Ah!"

Everyone was startled by her.

Tuan Tuan lifted her little hand, covering her nose, "He's covered in poison! There's no cure! We must quickly move him to an uninhabited spot and bury him! Otherwise, we'll all be poisoned!"

Everyone, terrified, retreated several steps, all mimicking her by covering their mouths and noses.

"Poisoned? Oh my God!"

"The Immortal Envoy said it, it must be true!"

The family of three stared dumbfounded.

Tuan Tuan shouted, "Hurry to Jingzhao Prefecture to report to the authorities! Remove him!"

"Right! Right! Whoever's fast‑legged! Go quickly!"

"Who has lime? Bring it quickly! Cover him!"

"I have some! I'll go get it!"

The man on the ground could no longer hold back, leapt up, "I'm not ill! Don't bury me!"

Tuan Tuan looked at him, smiling, her dimples showing, "You're not pretending anymore?"

The onlookers fell silent instantly, mouths agape.

The family of three, seeing the unfavorable turn, quietly backed away, trying to slip away.

The crowd immediately became angry.

"So they're a bunch of swindlers!"

"Trying to extort Jishi Hall!"

"Stop them! Don't let them escape!"

Tuan Tuan kept looking at the child on the ground: "Second Uncle, that child!"

Xiao Er walked over and lifted him from the ground.

The crowd worked together, and soon captured the four of them.

"Move! Take them to see the officials!"

"Right! Thanks to the Immortal Envoy!"

"Exactly! If it weren't for the Immortal Envoy, we'd have been fooled by these beasts!"

Xiao Er and Tuan Tuan saw off the swindlers as the townsfolk escorted them toward Jingzhao Prefecture.

The shopkeeper of Jishi Hall walked up to the two, bowed deeply: "Thank you both for stepping in righteously and averting today's danger for Jishi Hall!"

Tuan Tuan looked at him: "It's nothing! But why did they do that?"

The shopkeeper glanced around, whispered: "Not to hide from the Immortal Envoy, a few days ago someone tried to pay a fortune for the ancestral formula of the 'Reverse Life Pill' from our shop's proprietor; after being refused, they threatened to shut Jishi Hall down."

Tuan Tuan, curious: "Reverse Life Pill? What is that?"

"It is said this pill can turn white hair black and cause lost teeth to regrow."

The shopkeeper gave a wry smile: "Our proprietor believes this item goes against heaven, violating the natural cycle of birth and decay, so it has never been forged. We also don't know how that person learned the formula was at Jishi Hall, and keeps harassing us."

Xiao Er nodded: "They failed today, but they may not let go; we must stay extra cautious."

The shopkeeper hurriedly saluted: "Yes!"

Xiao Er looked at the child who had been in a deep sleep, handed him to the shopkeeper: "The child is so drowsy; I'm afraid those few people gave him some medicine. Please take care and heal him."

The shopkeeper quickly took him: "Yes. Saving people is precisely Jishi Hall's duty."

Xiao Er thought: "If healed, bring him to Prince Ning's Mansion; the mansion will take care of him."

After speaking, he embraced Tuan Tuan, took leave, and left.

That evening, Xiao Er went to see Xiao Yuanhang.

"Prince, when we rescued Ji Wanrun in Da Xia, we heard her mention that the Black Medicine Sect specializes in mastering the way of life and death."

"And from the Sacred Medicine Valley incident, we can see the Black Medicine Sect acts without scruples."

"I suspect that today's matter is somewhat connected to them."

"Moreover, this Black Medicine Sect is linked to that Nether Abyss Peak; I don't know what schemes they're up to."

Xiao Yuanhang nodded: "Starting tomorrow, send two people to keep an eye on that Jishi Hall."

"If they return empty‑handed, they won't be satisfied. Should any more suspicious persons appear, seize them directly; bring them to Prince Ning's Mansion for judgment."

"Yes!"

The next day, people from Guoshi Residence arrived and asked Tuan Tuan to come over.