Chapter 34: Open Strategy Against Open Strategy

"The purple sun shines high, my lady smiles at me; why am I in such high spirits? Can you guess the reason?"

Humming a melody from a different era, Ling Xuan stepped out of the small building and tilted his head. "My lady, this is a rare opportunity. Shall we share a kiss?"

Having barely maintained a professional demeanor for a few hours, he had already slipped back into his usual roguish, playful self. As always, Ye Ziyan responded with a curt "Get lost."

The number of soldiers arriving at the Taiyi Valley was even greater than the day before, totaling over four hundred at a glance. Judging by the look of it, it would be a miracle if Ling Xuan and Sun Tianxin didn't collapse from exhaustion.

As the Needle Pavilion opened, Hou Junji called out, "Soldiers, one by one! Don't delay the treatment. Those focusing on 'Zhou Tian' move to the left; those focusing on 'Qihai' move to the right."

Everything seemed no different from the previous two days. The injured soldiers entered the pavilion, where Ling Xuan and Sun Tianxin applied silver needles to their acupoints, while Ye Ziyan and Hou Junji recorded their symptoms and medical cases.

Yet, everything felt different. The time taken for each session had increased, especially for the soldiers from the Youzhou camp, whose treatment time had doubled. If a soldier from another camp required only the time it takes for one incense stick to burn, those from the Youzhou camp now required two.

This differential treatment immediately sparked dissatisfaction among soldiers from other camps. Ling Xuan, however, remained calm and replied with a playful smile, "So many soldiers from the Youzhou camp have come seeking treatment. Why do you think that is?"

Things must not be said too plainly, lest people stop guessing. Words need to be guided to make people pay attention. Before he brought it up, no one had paid special notice. Once reminded, the soldiers became wary and began casting glances to their left and right.

They were shocked by what they saw: three-quarters of the soldiers at the Taiyi Valley were indeed from the Youzhou camp. In an instant, the expressions of the soldiers from other camps shifted, filling with sympathy for the Youzhou men as they whispered among themselves:

"So, their camp medical officers' skills really do leave something to be desired."

"To be checked so thoroughly... it’s highly likely there are lingering hidden ailments, which is why the needle masters of the Imperial Medical Bureau are treating them differently."

"The Imperial Medical Bureau truly lives up to its name—such noble medical ethics."

...

Hearing the chatter, Hou Junji stepped in to warn them, "Needle therapy requires silence. Do not disturb the needle masters' judgment, or it will take even longer."

The more he prohibited them from talking, the more they speculated. The more they were told not to guess, the more they were led to think in that direction. If they couldn't gossip inside the valley, could anyone stop them outside? Furthermore, although there weren't many soldiers from other camps, they had arrived from all directions—scattered across the twelve western and twelve eastern hunting guard battalions, as well as various military colonies.

What could the three hundred soldiers from the Youzhou camp say? The Youzhou camp was led by Luo Yi, the Prince of Beiping, who was currently the commander of the vanguard for the Demon-Conquering Army and responsible for training the entire force. He had strictly forbidden his men from causing conflict with other camps.

Bound by orders, they could only swallow their anger and remain silent, staring at the gaps in the ground and wishing they could crawl into them.

To make matters worse, once they entered the Needle Pavilion, the assistants Ye Ziyan and Hou Junji offered them kind words of comfort, telling them not to take the situation to heart. Although needle masters Sun Tianxin and the medical supervisor Ling Xuan had not yet mastered the arts of pulse-tracing and diagnosis, they utilized the essence of "inquiry" to the fullest, even asking in detail about what the soldiers typically ate in their camp.

This attitude was a world apart from the camp doctors back in Youzhou—the difference between heaven and earth. Doubts began to stir in their hearts: could their own camp doctors truly be unskilled, leaving them with hidden ailments?

Instead of feeling resentment, they found themselves cooperating tacitly, filled with gratitude toward the two needle masters from the Imperial Medical Bureau, hoping to stay in the pavilion as long as possible.

Compared to the previous two days, when they were so busy they couldn't even touch the ground and had to scramble to maintain order, today the soldiers managed the order themselves without Hou Junji or Ye Ziyan having to intervene. Unlike before, when they were so busy they didn't have time for lunch and were constantly being urged to hurry, today the soldiers proactively checked in on them, worried that overexertion might lead to mistakes in their treatment, and urged them to take a rest.

Although their military merit earnings were not comparable to the previous two days and had even sharply declined, the reputation of the four had soared.

A public strategy must be broken by a public strategy. This was the countermeasure Ling Xuan had devised the night before: "Let them be strong; the breeze blows over the mountain. Let them be arrogant; the bright moon shines on the river. Let them be cruel and evil; I shall remain steadfast with my internal breath."

To save others, one must also save oneself. You cannot be led by the nose, and you cannot let the act of saving others destroy your own foundation. As long as the "Qi-Gazing" and "Breath-Listening" techniques were not used continuously, allowing his internal energy to replenish, there would be no major problems.

Seeing the sky grow dark, some soldiers who hadn't received treatment prepared to leave. Ling Xuan stopped them, saying, "Don't worry, we will continue through the night."

"Really?" The soldiers were overjoyed.

"Of course. A doctor’s heart is benevolent. Even if it means sacrificing our own rest, we must provide you with treatment," Ling Xuan said with a smirk. "However, if any more people come, we won't be able to accommodate them."

The deadline for the twenty-odd soldiers sent by Luo Cheng, the Prince of Beiping's heir, had arrived. In a one-on-one fight, even if Ye Ziyan, Sun Tianxin, and Hou Junji combined their efforts, they wouldn't be a match for Luo Cheng. But that didn't stop Ling Xuan from leveraging the situation. Since you want to use a public strategy to deal with me, don't blame me for not playing by the rules.

He had intentionally delayed the process to conserve energy, specifically to deal with those twenty-odd men. By keeping those two hundred soldiers—most of whom were from the Youzhou camp—he ensured that the Taiyi Valley would not be placed in a passive position or provide any ammunition for his enemies.

Outside the valley, the twenty-odd soldiers arrived in a hurry, led by their squad leader. Upon entering the Taiyi Valley and seeing the crowd, they were stunned. Why were there still so many people?

Without Ling Xuan needing to say a word, the soldiers there proactively warned them, "The two needle masters have been working all day and are no longer accepting new patients. Come back early tomorrow."

"Nonsense, we can't wait until tomorrow," the squad leader said. Although he had arranged for the three hundred soldiers from the Youzhou camp, he hadn't personally led them and didn't recognize many of them.

The soldiers seeking treatment didn't care about that, especially since they weren't all from the Youzhou camp. "Medical Supervisor Ling said that in Taiyi Valley, all patients are treated equally. No matter if you are a general or a private, it's first come, first served."

"If you want treatment, you should act like it. Get in line and see if Supervisor Ling and Master Sun even have the strength left!"

"Exactly, stop the noise and be quiet."

...

"You people..." The squad leader was speechless. He had wanted to come and watch the fun, but before he could even see Ling Xuan, he was bombarded by the soldiers' words.

He couldn't even lose his temper; if his voice got a little too loud, he was immediately rebuked by the patients.

What shocked the squad leader even more was that the soldiers coming out of the Needle Pavilion, instead of leaving, began volunteering to help. "Assistant Ye, take a rest, I’ll record for you."

"Assistant Hou, go grab a bite, I'll assist Master Sun."

The waiting soldiers, far from being annoyed, were afraid they wouldn't get a chance to help. When they saw leaves falling in the Taiyi Valley, they picked up brooms to sweep.

"What is going on here?"

The squad leader suspected his eyes were playing tricks on him. When had he ever seen these soldiers act like this? Ordering his twenty men to wait, the squad leader hurried back.

Back at the Youzhou camp, Luo Cheng was still gloating, waiting for good news. "Is the bumpkin heir about to be exposed?"

"Little Prince, this is bad," the squad leader rushed in and reported everything he had seen at the Taiyi Valley.

Luo Cheng furrowed his brows. "What do you mean? They don't even want their military merits anymore?"

Military merits were essential for exchanging items from the Royal Heavenly Craft Pavilion. Hadn't Ling Xuan been working himself to the bone for the past two days just for those merits? Why would he turn away merits delivered to his doorstep now?

Treating one Zhou Tian-level soldier earned ten merits; Ling Xuan had earned over two thousand in two days. Yet, for those twenty-odd soldiers, just pulling the needles alone was worth two hundred merits each. Was he turning down easy merit, or did he know he was already at his limit?

Luo Cheng sneered, "A bumpkin is a bumpkin; that’s all he’s capable of. How many needles could he have placed in a day?"

"Little Prince, although the merit isn't much, the boy is being called a 'Benevolent Needle Master' by the soldiers, and his reputation is skyrocketing," the squad leader said, describing the soldiers' behavior after their treatment.

"Reputation? A bumpkin needs a reputation?"

Recalling what his father, Luo Yi, often said about a quote favored by the Prince of Changping: "Leave a thread of hope for others, so we may meet again in the future."

Luo Cheng couldn't help but laugh loudly. "The Prince of Changping and his son are cut from the same cloth—both fame-seeking hypocrites."

He tapped his fingers rhythmically, a look of disdain curling his lips. "A bumpkin is a bumpkin. If you want these hollow, superficial things, then I’ll add a little spice to it and show you what it means to lift a rock only to drop it on your own feet."