Xu Mu listened for a long time, his expression already quite strange. Upon hearing Gongsun Jingming’s offer to take him as a disciple, he almost burst out laughing.
"No need, thank you for your kindness, senior." Xu Mu suppressed his laughter and said, cupping his hands.
Gongsun Jingming’s smile froze as he couldn't comprehend why a person skilled in alchemy would refuse an invitation from Medicine King Valley.
"Why? Is it because of your master?" Master Gongsun became a bit anxious. He truly desired Xu Mu as his disciple. That way, he would share credit for any new medicinal recipes created, and if it were directly named after him, he would have no regrets and his name would be etched in history!
"In truth, whether in the cultivation world or the alchemy world, many people have more than one teacher in their lifetime. If you join Medicine King Valley, your master will be happy for you." Gongsun Jingming paused, then continued to patiently persuade, "If he is truly unwilling and hinders your future, I will personally go to the Nangong family and convince him. What do you think?"
After these words, everyone in the hall turned their gaze to Xu Mu. Jiang Li’s expression was particularly moved, for only he knew how ill-tempered Master Gongsun was. Now, he was repeatedly trying to retain Mu Xu and take him as a disciple, which showed that this young divine doctor Mu Xu’s talent was beyond everyone's imagination!
"Really, no need." To everyone’s surprise, even after Gongsun Jingming’s lengthy persuasion, Xu Mu's answer remained negative.
"Furthermore, Master Gongsun, I have already emphasized numerous times regarding the medicinal recipes you mentioned. I have resolved the issue of medicinal conflicts, and it is perfectly done. It is entirely beneficial and without harm to Madam Zhu Yuerong's body."
"As for the medicine pot that Jiang Sheng is holding, the recipe within is also my newly developed one, and the medicinal conflict has naturally been resolved. After Madam Zhu Yuerong takes it, she will recover completely within three to five months, or even one to two months at the shortest."
As Xu Mu spoke, he disregarded Gongsun Jingming's thoughts and directly took the medicine pot from Jiang Sheng, then ascended the steps.
His time was precious, and he didn't want to waste it here. After administering the medicine to Zhu Yuerong, he still had to return to prepare for the preliminary selection of the Ten Thousand Races Assembly tomorrow!
"Wait!" Master Gongsun froze for a moment, then instantly leaped onto the steps, blocking the door to Zhu Yuerong's room, his face dark.
"You brat, don't think you're arrogant just because you have some talent. You will only harm her this way, and it will be very detrimental to your future development. I don't want you to go astray!"
"I'm tired of explaining." Xu Mu looked at the elder, then turned his head helplessly towards Jiang Li, "Mr. Jiang, it's not that I don't want to treat your wife, but someone is persistently blocking me, and I can do nothing about it."
"If you truly wish for Madam Zhu Yuerong to recover, please find a way to get this Master Gongsun to leave. He is truly annoying."
Jiang Li's face immediately showed a wry smile. How could he, a family head at the initial stage of the fourth stage, have the means to make a Master Gongsun at the fifth stage leave?
"Master Gongsun, if you truly cannot cure my wife, then please make way." Jiang Li forced himself forward, knelt on one knee, and said with a desolate voice, "If Young Divine Doctor Mu Xu's method truly fails, causing my wife's condition to worsen or even die, I will not blame him. After all, the ingredient Ice Crystal Immortal Dew from the recipe you provided is impossible to find. Rather than letting Yuerong wait for death, it's better to try."
After Jiang Li finished speaking, Gongsun Jingming's expression turned extremely ugly. However, he still did not move aside. At this moment, Jiang Sheng also stepped forward.
"Master, we respect your esteemed reputation, but that doesn't mean you can act recklessly in our Jiang family," Jiang Sheng said, widening his eyes. "If you insist on blocking the way and preventing Brother Mu Xu from treating my mother, I, Jiang Sheng, swear that even if I have to bang my head until it breaks, I will expose your misdeeds to the public!"
"You're insolent!" Gongsun Jingming could no longer contain himself. He instantly made a move, intending to strike Jiang Sheng's chest with a palm.
*Boom!*
Jiang Li was prepared. He opened his domain and fully took the palm strike for Jiang Sheng. The two were flung back by the immense force, crashing into a pavilion dozens of meters away.
Xu Mu, witnessing this, raised his eyebrows.
"Disrespectful to elders, arrogant, ignorantly self-important. If this is what the seniors of Medicine King Valley are like, then you have truly disappointed me."
Gongsun Jingming turned his head to look at Xu Mu, his cheeks feeling rather hot, for he now realized that he might have indeed made a mistake by acting.
But once the palm strike had been unleashed, there was no opportunity to retract it. For the sake of his pride, he would not admit his error.
"No matter what you say, I will not let you pass through this door today, because this is no longer a simple family matter for you. This concerns the honor of my Gongsun Jingming for half my life!"
"You, a junior, dare to treat a disease that I cannot cure, and claim to have developed new recipes, two of them at that! This is undoubtedly slapping me, Gongsun Jingming, and the entire Medicine King Valley in the face!"
"If you cannot prove you are right today, don't blame me for taking you to the Nangong family to demand an explanation!"
Gongsun Jingming spoke, his eyes fixed fiercely on Xu Mu, as if trying to pierce through him.
"You want proof, I've already given it to you," Xu Mu said helplessly, pointing to the medicinal gruel on the ground, and sighing. "Don't scare me. I've told you, my relationship with the Nangong family is very close. If you take me to the Nangong family, you will be the one suffering."
"And if you truly wish to know if my recipe is genuine, why not try it yourself?" Xu Mu said, again pointing to the medicinal gruel remaining on the ground, his voice calm. "You can forget about what I have on hand; it is life-saving medicine for Madam Zhu Yuerong, and it's difficult to refine just one batch. You can try the one on the ground."
Gongsun Jingming's expression became extremely unpleasant upon hearing this. He stared at Xu Mu incredulously, questioning, "You want me, Gongsun Jingming, to eat the leftover gruel on the ground?!"
"So what? You threw it away yourself, and I haven't even demanded compensation from you yet," Xu Mu replied calmly.
"Very well, today, I, Gongsun Jingming, will sacrifice myself for medicine." Gongsun Jingming was silent for a moment, then glared at Xu Mu through gritted teeth, walked down the steps, and casually picked up a fingernail-sized portion of medicinal gruel mixed with dirt.
Staring at this dirty substance, Gongsun Jingming's fingertips trembled violently. But when he looked back and saw Xu Mu's calm and confident expression, he made his final decision.
"Brat, if I taste even a trace of problem in your medicine, then even the King of Heaven can't save you today!"
Gongsun Jingming shouted loudly, then put the medicinal gruel on his fingertip directly into his mouth.
At that instant, his face contorted, and countless wrinkles squeezed out from the corners of his eyes, as he felt utterly humiliated.
But immediately after, as his tongue touched the dirty medicinal gruel, he was instantly conquered by the smooth, mellow, and richly sweet gruel. His pupils dilated!
*Pfft!*
Gongsun Jingming spat out the pebble from his mouth, then carefully tasted the small amount of medicinal gruel, trying to shift his attention from the exquisite taste to analyzing the medicinal properties within, attempting to find the error in Xu Mu's medicinal theory.
However, he found no mistakes whatsoever.
Gongsun Jingming swallowed with disbelief. He couldn't believe it was true, so he grabbed another handful of medicinal gruel from the ground and put it in his mouth, disregarding the dirt and analyzing it carefully again.
But the result this time was the same.
"This... how is this possible!" Gongsun Jingming's expression was dazed. That kid had actually resolved the medicinal conflict between ice and fire, and had done so perfectly, not only curing diseases but also being so fragrant and sweet!
"Nothing is impossible." Seeing his reaction, Xu Mu also breathed a sigh of relief. Fortunately, this Master Gongsun was just stubborn in temperament; his nature was not bad. After realizing his mistake, he didn't become enraged out of shame.
"Let's go, we'll go in together," Xu Mu said, glancing at Jiang Li and the others, then, holding the medicine pot, he turned and walked into Zhu Yuerong's room.
Jiang Li and the others suppressed their shock and quietly walked past Gongsun Jingming. But just as they were about to step through the doorway, Gongsun Jingming rushed into the room. He came up beside Xu Mu.
"What are you doing?"
Xu Mu frowned, looking at the elder and asking. At the same time, he felt a bit nervous. Was this guy really going to become enraged out of shame and silence him?
"Cough, cough, for Madam Zhu's safety, I have decided... to personally watch you administer the medicine!"