The World's Number One Medical Hall

Chapter Thirty-Seven: Before Departure

Outside, chaos reigned, but Mo Bai immediately sat cross-legged, closed his eyes, then paused, opened his eyes and looked down at the pill box. Without hesitation, he opened the pill box, placed it between his legs, let the fragrance of the medicine fill his nostrils, and closed his eyes again to regulate his breathing.

That mouthful of blood just now was not fake; it was a burst of blood released from the turmoil of his emotions, intended to completely intimidate Zhang Bangli.

This wasn't just a mouthful of blood; it was his last remaining chance at life.

There was no other way; he didn't have much time left. It was already past midnight, and he would have to set off as soon as it was light. He still needed to learn a lot from Tie Xiong and couldn't afford to have Zhang Bangli bother him any longer.

Holding lotus flowers in both hands, he instantly became solemn and dignified, his appearance pure and holy, reciting the Tao Te Ching, as moonlight descended and enveloped his entire body...

Before long, the commotion outside subsided.

A moment later, a knock sounded at the door, and Tie Xiong's voice came through: "Sixth Master!"

Mo Bai didn't open his eyes, but softly uttered, "Come in!"

The door opened, and Tie Xiong glanced at the bed with concern, only to be momentarily stunned by Mo Bai's appearance.

But then they heard the seated figure's lips move slightly again: "Close the door!"

Tie Xiong realized what was happening and quickly closed the door. He tiptoed to Mo Bai's side and his eyes immediately fell on the bright white Guiyuan Pill in the open pill box.

Smelling the fragrance of the pill, Tie Xiong couldn't help but take a deep breath to calm himself down. He then raised his gaze and couldn't help but scrutinize Mo Bai.

Seeing his calm and serene expression under the moonlight, he seemed like a transcendent being, not of this world, with not a trace of the fierce and ruthless aura he had just displayed.

A faint sound seemed to come from beside my ear.

"The Way is like a still, unchanging void, yet its use may never be exhausted!"

"The abyss is like the origin of all things."

"Blunt its sharpness, untangle its knots, soften its light, and mingle with its dust..."

Tie Xiong felt strange. He had been following Mo Bai for quite some time. He couldn't be sure about other things, but he absolutely couldn't believe that Mo Bai was a cultivator.

But at this moment, he subconsciously remained silent, quietly waiting for Mo Bai to open his eyes.

As time goes by.

Tie Xiong's expression grew increasingly alarmed, as he watched as the unusual bright red on Mo Bai's face, caused by his earlier cough, slowly faded, returning to its pale state.

The rapid rise and fall of his chest gradually subsided, and he seemed to truly come to a standstill.

"This..." Tie Xiong's eyes widened. How could he not recognize that this was not just for show, but a genuine attempt to regulate his breathing. Moreover, he had calmed his mind and breath so quickly, and his internal energy was even. His technique was definitely not ordinary.

"You recognize this Rejuvenation Pill?" While Tie Xiong was still reeling from the shock, he suddenly heard a calm voice whispering in his ear.

Tie Xiong was startled, then realized what was happening. His gaze sharpened as he saw Mo Bai slowly open his eyes, his arms rounding out from both sides, naturally and harmoniously returning to his chest and abdomen. His hands formed a lotus platform, and he exhaled a breath of turbid air. The lotus flowers dispersed, and his arms went limp, resting in front of his knees.

Looking up again, Tie Xiong stared blankly at those eyes that had become clear again, black and white.

To be honest, he was a fairly composed person, but the Ming King in front of him was too strange, shattering his long-held impression of him in one fell swoop.

Mo Bai was not in a hurry, giving him time to process it. He slowly reached out and picked up the pill box, placing it in front of him again.

"Yes, Your Highness, this Guiyuan Pill is indeed a supreme elixir of Taoism, extremely rare. It is said that a single pill can equal several years of Taoist cultivation, causing a dramatic increase in one's cultivation level. Moreover, because its effects are mild, even ordinary people can take it to prolong their lives, making it all the more precious. It has always been used by Taoists to cultivate disciples with exceptional talent, and also bestowed by the imperial court upon those who have made great contributions. I heard that during the reign of the late emperor, barbarian tribes invaded the northern grasslands, and our Duke Wei raised troops to resist them. After seven months, he achieved unparalleled merit. The late emperor, mindful of his achievements, rewarded him handsomely, and among the gifts he bestowed were three Guiyuan Pills, which are the envy of the world!" Tie Xiong seemed to have finally regained his composure and spoke to Mo Bai in a deep voice.

"Can ordinary people also take it?" As soon as the words were spoken, Mo Bai's eyes twitched, and a hint of tension appeared on his calm face.

"It is indeed effective!" Tie Xiong said without the slightest hesitation, as if he had seen it with his own eyes.

Mo Bai didn't notice anything unusual. Instead, he looked at the Rejuvenation Pill again, picked it up, and held it to his mouth and nose, muttering, "Rejuvenation Pill, complete. Its color is bright white with a hint of grass green. Its taste is fragrant but also has a bitter mulberry astringency. If I'm not mistaken, this pill tastes rather salty..."

Tie Xiong didn't know what he was muttering, but he saw a hint of joy appear on his face. However, he quickly calmed down, took the pill in his hand, hesitated for a moment, and then put it back into the medicine box and set it aside.

Mo Bai calmly looked up and saw that Tie Xiong's gaze was still on the medicine box. His eyes flickered slightly, and a smile appeared: "You were once skilled in martial arts?"

"Hmm?" Tie Xiong looked up at the smile on Mo Bai's face, somewhat uncertainly: "You've practiced a few martial arts moves since you were little!"

Mo Bai smiled without saying a word, but his gaze carefully examined the man's face, then looked at his temples, noticing a slight bulge, and then at his legs and feet...

This was the first time he had observed him so closely. He was naturally intelligent, and over such a long period of time, Tie Xiong had shown too many unusual behaviors. How could he not realize that Tie Xiong was not just an ordinary martial artist who practiced only external techniques?

As the saying goes, an expert can see the details. Under his gaze, Tie Xiong knew that he might have really misjudged the Ming King before.

His eyes flickered a few times before he calmed down and said, "My family values ​​martial arts, and I did indeed cultivate internal strength for over a decade, but..."

At this point, a complex look still appeared in Tie Xiong's eyes as he said softly, "But now it's all abandoned!"

Mo Bai focused his mind, held his breath, and listened to his breathing. After a while, he nodded slightly, his expression returning to calm, and said softly, "Indeed, this Guiyuan Pill is useful to you. Under normal circumstances, it would be fine to give it to you, but my injuries are severe, and I am about to face a life-or-death crisis, so I can only use it for emergency relief."

Mo Bai's words were too sudden, and Tie Xiong's face darkened. Without hesitation, he said, "Sixth Master, rest assured, I, Tie, would never have such a thought!"

Mo Bai waved his hand, his eyes unwavering, and said directly, "There's no need for that. I don't doubt you, and what you said isn't false. However, while this Returning Origin Pill is useful to you, it's not something you urgently need. Your foundation is already damaged, so it can't be fully effective. At most, it can only rebuild your foundation, which won't benefit your cultivation. Giving it to you would actually be a waste."

Tie Xiong seemed to have truly calmed his mind, nodding and saying, "Yes, Sixth Master, rest assured, I know I am just an ordinary person now, and dare not hope for this elixir!"

"Well, you don't need to be pessimistic. If I can survive until tomorrow, I can help you find another remedy! Even if the Rejuvenation Pill is available again..." Mo Bai nodded, without explaining further, and said in a deep voice.

Tie Xiong said no more about the Guiyuan Pill, not even glancing at it again. This was the virtue and loyalty of a man of the martial world.

He bowed and said, "Sixth Master, I have taken care of your orders. I have found six or seven skilled men, the carriage is ready, and all the usable funds in the manor have been arranged and are ready to be converted into cash at any time!"

"Six or seven people?" Mo Bai's eyes paused. The number was too small, but he had no other choice. He then asked, "Are they reliable? How skilled are they?"

Tie Xiong hesitated slightly, glancing at Mo Bai's clear, unambiguous eyes. For some reason, this former king of the Ming Dynasty, who had once been involved in cockfighting and dog fighting, now gave him a sense of reliability. But in the end, he decided not to say too much; he couldn't afford to gamble with the lives of his fellow disciples. He simply nodded and said, "They were all my close friends in the past, and their skills are all superior to mine!"

Mo Bai didn't ask any more questions. Something was better than nothing. Tie Xiong was a steady person, and what he said should be reliable.

"Bring me the map!" Mo Bai got out of bed and squatted down beside the bed.

Tie Xiong had already prepared the map, but when he saw Mo Bai squat down, he didn't know what etiquette to follow.

"It's alright, spread out the map!" Mo Bai gestured for him to squat down as well.

"Yes, Sixth Master!" Tie Xiong ultimately did not object.

The map was unfolded, and Mo Bai paused for a moment upon first glance. Then, a glint flashed in his eyes, and he reached out to take the pen from Tie Xiong, drew a chicken on the map, and asked, "Where is this?"

Even the usually composed Tie Xiong couldn't help but purse his lips upon seeing this, and said in a deep voice, "This is the border of my Great Xia Kingdom!"

Ignoring Tie Xiong's strange behavior, Mo Bai thought to himself, "Just as I thought. Although I've been reborn, I'm still involved in many things. I believe every Chinese person in my previous life would be familiar with this chicken."

His gaze went straight to the Oriental Pearl Tower in his memories of his past life, without any hesitation. Sure enough, the name "Pearl" was exactly right.

Looking at the capital city again, Mo Bai slowly exhaled. With familiar places around, he finally felt a little more at ease.

He drew a line on the map connecting Pingjing and Mingzhu, stared at the map, and asked in a deep voice, "How far can a carriage travel in a day?"

"At a fast pace, a horse can travel at most a thousand li in a day. However, Sixth Master, with your large number of carriages and people, you can only travel at most two hundred li in a day!" Tie Xiong said in a deep voice.

"Hmm!" Mo Bai nodded, his expression thoughtful. After a long while, he looked up at Tie Xiong, his eyes slightly unsettled. He calmed himself and said in a deep voice, "Within these two hundred miles, I might encounter some unexpected event, such as an assassination attempt or something else. In short, I will be kidnapped, and the authorities will definitely not be able to come to my rescue in time. Where do you think is the most suitable place to strike?"

Tie Xiong was immediately startled and looked up at Mo Bai: "Sixth Master, this..."

How could he possibly figure this out? Wouldn't it make him seem like he truly had such intentions? Especially given his special status, being asked this question by the Ming King made him feel somewhat uneasy.

"It's alright, you don't need to think too much. Since I asked you, it means I will definitely believe you," Mo Bai said calmly.

To be honest, Tie Xiong couldn't quite understand it. Looking at Mo Bai, he didn't seem to be in any life-or-death crisis at all, yet he did so many things. It couldn't have been just a haphazard act.

Slowly calming his mind, Tie Xiong realized that he was not a person skilled in strategy or understanding people's hearts. He was a martial artist, and his thoughts were actually quite straightforward.

Since he felt he had already repaid the favor, he didn't think too much about it. Staring at the map for a long time, he said in a deep voice, "Two hundred li away, we should be almost at the border of Jin Hai. Three years ago, the small country of Donghai, Qi Guo, violated the law and clashed with our dynasty in Jin Hai. After several naval battles, they stopped fighting. But in reality, our dynasty was indeed weak. Jin Hai eventually opened up the passage of Qi Guo's ships and even forced them to sign a lease agreement to protect Qi Guo's people in Jin Hai. Although Jin Hai is still under the rule of our dynasty, in reality, our dynasty has relaxed its control over Jin Hai..."

Mo Bai listened quietly to Tie Xiong's story, but his usually indifferent expression in the face of life and death changed.

Without a doubt, any Chinese person who has experienced that period of history will find it impossible to remain calm when they hear that history is right before their eyes.

"Qi Kingdom..." Mo Bai's eyes flickered a few times, feeling the pain in his chest, and he fell silent, not saying another word.

"If we're talking about taking action, then the area within thirty miles of Jinhai is undoubtedly the best place. The National Dynasty is powerless in Jinhai, but heroes from all walks of life can't bear the humiliation and want to wash away the national shame. They often assassinate the villains who landed in the Banner Kingdom. As a result, the Banner Kingdom has purged the entire Jinhai area and coerced the National Dynasty to pursue them everywhere, forcing them to withdraw from Jinhai. However, their desire to avenge their humiliation has not been extinguished, and they still occupy about thirty miles outside Jinhai, waiting for an opportunity to enter Jinhai again to assassinate the traitors of the Banner Kingdom. Two years ago, when I entered Pingjing, I passed through there. Now it is a place where fierce people gather, with heroes and bandits all together. It is very chaotic. The National Dynasty has tried to suppress them several times, but all have failed. They were terrified by these warriors. I heard that the National Dynasty dares not send a large army to suppress the bandits, fearing that the people of the Banner Kingdom will misunderstand that they want to enter Jinhai..." Tie Xiong slowly recounted.

Mo Bai remained silent. Today, his suspicions had been confirmed: the dynasty was truly on the verge of collapse.

There is no peace that comes from forbearance. Just like that day, he knelt and kowtowed to Emperor Dingwu, asking the emperor to punish the person who hurt him.

No one would know that at that time, what he was thinking was "peace that couldn't be achieved through forbearance".

Zhang Bangli was the treacherous minister in his eyes. He truly despised him. Seeing his actions, he knew that Zhang Bangli thought he was being patient and would take back the old regime later. Sooner or later, he would completely destroy this precarious royal family!

Perhaps they might burst into bloodlust and fight to the death to survive, but in the end they would still fall, but at least there would be a glimmer of hope that they would not become sinners in history.

Zhang Bangli's schemes and Emperor Dingwu's forbearance meant there was absolutely no hope of a comeback. History has already proven how that last dynasty collapsed in cowardice...

Mo Bai slowly exhaled, casting aside his thoughts, nodded, and after a long pause, raised his gaze: "There's no mistake. Send someone to this place ahead, just in time to wait for something to happen to me..."