"Take him away," the matriarch of the Wang family said, almost gleefully. She made no effort to stop the angry-looking guards who'd barged into the residence from dragging her youngest son out.
"Mother," Simon cried out, trying to pull himself away from their hold.
His mother's face darkened. "Who's your mother? To poison the village head in the midst of treating him, you must be tired of living." She harrumphed.
"But I didn't do anything. I was at home all day. Clara was the one who–"
Seeing that her useless son was about to blurt out the truth, his mother went over and smacked his head furiously. "Shut up! Are you trying to paint me as a liar? How dare you?!"
Simon whimpered, and his gaze turned to his father and older sister, who were standing by the side. Clara—his sister—had an excited gleam in her eyes, and his father looked unconcerned. He looked at his mother once more. "Are you going to allow them to take an innocent boy away?" There was a hint of anger in his voice. His mother leaned in close to his ear, and lowered her voice.
"So what? Clara was wearing a mask when she treated the village head. Besides, your hands look like hers. Do you want your sister to be beheaded? You are a useless son, your death won't mean much. Your sister, on the other hand, has a bright future ahead of her." She was smiling when she pulled away. No one heard their conversation.
Simon swallowed his anger, took a deep breath, smoothened his green robe, and turned to the impatient guards. "Take me to the village head."
One of the angry guards bellowed, "Are you nuts?! You almost killed the village head. Who gave you the confidence to talk arrogantly?" He brandished his sword.
Simon wasn't fazed. He repeated his words. "I did it for a reason. Take me to him. Rest assured, I won't try anything foolish." He insisted.
The guards finally relented. The village head's residence was well guarded and no one would dare raise trouble. "Alright. Let's go. But the moment you try anything, you'll be a goner." A guard dressed in black armor threatened. They led him out of the residence. His parents and sister hesitated. Recalling how confident Simon had been, and the wicked glint in his eyes, Clara panicked.
"Mother, what do you think he's trying to do? Do you think he'll rat me out?" Clara asked her worriedly.
Her mother waved her hand. "He wouldn't dare. No one will believe him. It's his words against ours. Besides, when has he ever been smart?" Sandra Wang had been worried a minute ago, but recalling that her son was a useless child, calmed her nerves. She'd never been proud of that son of hers.
"Let's follow them. I'll like to see how he makes a fool of himself later on." Clara chuckled.
Her father patted her head affectionately. "After he is beheaded, you can take that opportunity to treat the village head according to what you learnt from that expert last night." Her father advised. Clara nodded in agreement.
"My thoughts exactly." She was obviously excited. Last night, she'd been strolling in the streets, when she'd met an expert treating an almost dead hyena. She'd watched in fascination as the figure treated it, and even raised its strength. Unable to hold herself back, she'd begged them to teach her a bit about their treatment method. She was surprised by how knowledgeable the person was, and was certain that no one in the village could rival her at the moment.
Her mother laughed heartily. "I can picture what will happen. Filled with gratitude, the village head will choose you as a concubine for his first son. Or better still, he might nominate you to become one of the disciples of the Sanctum of Physicians." Her mother predicted. Their breathing hastened.
Sanctum of Physicians!
That was the dream place of everyone in their village and other neighboring communities. It was rumored that even the weakest of their disciples was twenty times stronger than their village head. Clara could imagine herself becoming a disciple. Her face lit up with a delightful smile.
"Right, I heard that one of their elders will be arriving today to select some participants. Once one clears the examination, they'll automatically become a disciple, and will be taken away to their academy to study." Her father recalled something, and said.
Sandra spoke up, her voice laced with excitement. "Let's head over to the village head's residence. I'm sure our Clara will be nominated. By then, we will become the most influential people in the village, comparable to even the village head." She clapped her hands excitedly. She pulled her daughter and husband, leading the way forward.
They moved in the direction that Simon had taken minutes ago. Soon, they arrived at a large residence.
The village head's residence!
There was a big square ring in the middle. It was normally used for duels and friendly spars, but at that moment, a straw mat with a futon bed was placed in it. On the bed, an old man with closed eyes was lying down. He was shaking weakly like he was about to breathe his last. Some guards were holding a green-robed handsome boy just a few meters away. Beneath the ring, many villagers had gathered. Some were roaring on top of their voices.
"Kill him!"
"Stone him to death!"
Seeing this sight, the little party of three that'd just arrived smiled brightly. The green-robed boy standing in the ring was Simon. At this moment, his eyes were shut. Then he opened them. "Alright. I'll treat the village head now." He declared.
Hearing his arrogant words, the crowd began yelling once more. Calmly, he turned to the guards holding him. "Hurry, there's no time to waste." He said. His eyes moved over the crowd, and settled on his parents and sister. He smiled unkindly, and turned his gaze away.
"He's just stalling for time." Sandra assured. Her husband agreed.
'Self righteously,' Clara stepped forward to speak. "Please, calm down, everyone. That boy over there is my brother," she began. Her voice was soft and sweet to the ears, and soon, she had everyone's attention. Even Simon paused to hear what she'd say.
Filled with confidence, Clara went on. She'd seen an opportunity to dig her brother's grave. Naturally, she won't let go of the opportunity. Making her voice as meek as possible, she continued. "Our parents have always doted on us, even though my brother's talent and aptitude for learning is subpar. Although that was the case, they didn't hesitate to grant us resources for our cultivation and education." She paused, and sniffed a little.
"Days ago, when we heard that the village head was seriously ill and needed a well trained physician, I offered to go. I am a level one physician, and have experience in such cases. But my stubborn brother insisted on doing it instead. He claimed he had learned enough to treat the village head. Unwilling to turn him down, I agreed. Even though my brother has never taken the physician examination before, I trusted that he wouldn't go so far as to almost kill the village head during his treatment. I ask for everyone's forgiveness." Clara bowed deeply, hiding the smirk that'd formed on her face.
Simon rolled his eyes. By saying such words, his sister had dug his pit. By claiming he hadn't taken the physician examination before, she was drawing the crowd's attention to the fact that he was an amateur. As expected, the crowd went into a frenzy.
"He has never taken the physician examination, yet he claims he can treat the village head?! Arrogant, arrogant!" An elderly man said, his eyes brimming with anger as he swung his spear in the air.
"Based on his sister's words, he was the one who insisted on treating the village head. Do you think he poisoned him intentionally?" A woman asked in a hushed voice. Her partner nodded. "That could be true."
Seeing how everyone was angrier than ever, and were regarding her as an angel instead, Clara smiled. She was pleased. Even her mother whispered, "good job."
No one bore goodwill towards the boy who was standing in the ring.
Simon paid them no heed, and instead turned to the guards. "Prepare three stalks of rousing flowers, acupuncture needles, and a bowl of calming balm." He instructed.
He didn't intentionally lower his voice, and on hearing his words, everyone's eyes widened.
"Is he mad? Everyone knows acupuncture needles are only used by level three physicians. And what the hell does he want to use calming balm for? Isn't that used to treat flu?" A bearded man asked in confusion. The crowd had gone silent.
The guard who'd gone to bring those things soon returned. Nodding in satisfaction, Simon grabbed the items. He knelt down, but just as he was about to begin, a loud voice bellowed, "Stop!"
It was a loud voice that prompted everyone to obey, and they froze in place, their bodies trembling. Slowly, the crowd parted to reveal the one who'd spoken.