The moment that group made an appearance, there was a reaction from all sides. The new group of young cultivators shivered inadvertently as their gazes fell on the group that was already there which was made up of the Chen family and members of the Red Flaming Lotus Alchemy Pavillion, while those from these two groups froze in disbelief when they saw those children make an appearance.
Countless complex emotions flashed in the eyes of both sides, though one emotion was clearly reflected from both sides, and that was fear. Albeit the cause was different for both sides.
The reaction from both sides was undoubted proof that both sides knew each other.
"Thank you, Senior Xu Yuan for bringing them.." Yang Qing said as he addressed one of the newcomers.
The newcomer had a white and yellow robe that had the words 'Medical Valley' on it. He looked to be in his early thirties, light yellow that was edging closer to green, and had a genial-looking face.
The group of youths next to him who bore the identity of pill slaves and human cauldrons were under his care. He could be considered Tan Jue's senior, though he wasn't much older than her and just like her, was also one of the rising healers in the medical valley.
He had the spring rejuvenation golden sunflower physique whose innate features and abilities coupled with his efforts, made him an absolutely gifted healer which was why the group youths were put under his care.
To most, the fates of those children were effectively set in stone, especially when it came to those who had been converted to human cauldrons. If they were anywhere else, the chances of them living past the age of a hundred years would be slim to none, with the damage done to their bodies classified as irreversible.
However, they were here. There were organizations out there, like the Medical Saint Garden, and a few others that knew how to reverse the damages borne out of transforming someone into a human cauldron or a pill slave, and the Order was one such organization.
The person Yang Qing called Xu Yuan was one of those at the Order trained in that treatment owing to his physique which was excellent at replenishing lifeforce by tapping on what was available like potions, pills, spiritual qi in the air, or grass, and even the energy of the sun and the moon. His physique's ability to draw upon these energies and maximize its efficiency to the last drop for those who needed it was the reason he was suited to their care.
"It's no problem, brother Yang Qing. Though, we can't stay for too long. Thanks to the assistance of Daoist Mei Xiling, I have already completed the setup. We can begin their treatment regimen any moment now and the sooner we begin, the better.." Xu Yuan kindly said.
"I know. I won't delay you both longer than I have to. Also, I'd like to thank you daoist Mei Xiling for sparing your time to assist us in this.." Yang Qing said as he addressed the beautiful young lady with black hair tied in a simple bun, wearing simple white robes, and had a graceful tranquil beauty about her.
The lady cupped her fists politely as she softly said,
"It's what I should do as a disciple of the Medical Saint Garden. I am merely adhering to the precepts our founder set, which I also happen to believe in.."
Her announcement drew looks of shock from the Chen family group, with some even muttering,
"we are doomed.."
Their clan patriarch, Chen Zian, didn't look too good either. The Medical Saint Garden may not be a holy land but it commanded the same respect as them when one considered its reputation.
Chen Zian never expected this case would draw the attention of such a monolithic figure like them. Falling under the gaze of the Order was already bad enough, and now adding the Medical Saint Garden? He couldn't help but fear for his clan's future. No matter what sentence Yang Qing gave out in the end, there were bound to be even more repercussions with the involvement of the Medical Saint Garden.
He could already guess a few of them off the top of his head. Once word got out, almost every single merchant organization they had a deal with when it came to the sales of their herbs would cancel all deals with them and that was only the start.
"We are truly and utterly doomed.." he grimly thought as he felt his strength leave his body and barely managed to keep himself standing through sheer willpower alone.
"I would still like to thank you nonetheless for your help.." Yang Qing said with Mei Xiling nodding her head.
"As you have heard, her name is Mei Xiling and she is a disciple of the Medical Saint Garden. The reason she's here is for transparency. A third party is needed so you don't think the accusations against you were unfair or biased on our part.
She is extremely knowledgeable in all things pill slaves and human cauldrons, and her insights will prove invaluable to the case.
Other than her..." Yang Qing paused as his gaze fell on the children who still looked like frightened lambs thrown in a wolf's den.
"I know this is asking a lot, but I need four from your group to speak on behalf of the rest if you can. I don't need much, just your name, how you ended up as either a pill slave or a human cauldron, and what you did in those farms. It doesn't have to be detailed, just a few words will do.
Would any of you care to step forward? I need two who were taken as pill slaves and two from the human cauldron side.." Yang Qing gently said infusing his tone with a charm that would help calm those children who looked inches away from fainting, especially when Yang Qing asked for volunteers.
Yang Qing couldn't help but sigh seeing how frightened and on edge they were. If he could, he would rather not use them, but for the absolute transparency of the case and ensuring everything was brought in the open it had to be done.
If he didn't, they would be slandered for being careless in the way they handled their cases, after all the conclusions of these cases were not only shared with the higher-ups of the Order but also the Society Review Council.
The Society Review Council was made up of members outside of the Order. It consisted of 40 members. 1 member came from a rank one organization, 4 members from a rank two organization, 7 members from a rank three organization, 12 members from a rank four organization, 12 members from a rank five organization, and the remaining 4 members came from the rogue community. Together they made up the Society Review Council.
In every case, the recorded proceedings would be shared with them. Though they had no authority to overturn a ruling they made, they were there to serve as witnesses for the others that the Order was 'behaving' and was not abusing its powers.
The members would be swapped out every ten years, with the succeeding members coming from different organizations than their predecessors. The Order did not choose those members, and they were instead voted in by their peers, those coming from rank one organizations would be decided by rank one organizations, and those coming from rank two organizations would be chosen from rank two organizations and so forth.
The Order had no hand in the matter. The only restriction it had in place was the organizations chosen could not be those that had at one point been on the wrong side of the Order. Any organization that had one of its members sentenced by the Order was ineligible for consideration in the council.
Visit and read more novel to help us update chapter quickly. Thank you so much!
Use arrow keys (or A / D) to PREV/NEXT chapter