vstars Chapter 158 The contest determines the winner
Chapter 158 The contest determines the winner
Everyone looked in the direction from which the sound came and saw Jiang Qingyue, who hadn't said much, holding up a token.
Upon seeing that familiar token, everyone's pupils contracted, and both elders couldn't help but stand up. "This token..."
“That’s right, this is the token that signifies the identity of the Sect Master of the Ghost Sect,” Luo Yuan replied.
"Impossible! How could a little girl like you have this? It must be fake!" The Grand Elder found it hard to accept.
The Grand Elder stood up, took the token from Jiang Qingyue's hand, examined it carefully, and then decided, "This is a token representing the sect leader's identity, that's right."
"No, impossible, you must have stolen it! That's right, you must have stolen it!" As long as he insisted, they couldn't do anything to him, and he could still sit firmly in his position. Then, after he dealt with the offerings, the entire Ghost Sect would be his.
But now he sees someone else holding a token, trying to take his place. How could he allow that!
The two attendants also stared sharply at Jiang Qingyue.
However, Jiang Qingyue remained calm and composed, saying, "This was given to me by my master. Back then..."
Jiang Qingyue slowly recounted how she accidentally saved the former sect leader, how she learned medicine from him, and how she eventually sent the former sect leader away.
After hearing this, the First Elder frowned and looked grim: That old fool! He'd rather give the thing to an outsider than to me!
As for the other members of the sect, some made trouble, some had doubts, and some just watched the show. In short, there weren't many who were truly of one mind with Jiang Qingyue.
Even if Jiang Qingyue is telling the truth, so what? What right does a mere young girl have?
Therefore, the elder's faction held it in utter contempt.
Even the two elders did not acknowledge Jiang Qingyue's identity.
"Luoyuan, what does your Medical Sect think?" In the end, the Grand Elder decided to ask the Medical Sect for their opinion first.
“Our Medical Sect naturally recognizes Miss Jiang as its sect leader. She is the direct disciple of the previous sect leader, and the fact that the token was given to her means that she is also the sect leader’s designated successor. Therefore, we have no objections.”
Luo Yuan directly expressed his support for Jiang Qingyue.
With Qin Xuanyu also with her, the two elders were weighing the pros and cons in their minds.
Even if she truly lacks ability, having the support of forces like the Gu family army and the Prince of Qin behind her means she has already defeated everyone.
However, she is also considered a member of the imperial court, and the imperial court and the martial arts world...
Therefore, the two worshippers had some considerations in mind.
Seeing that the two elders were hesitating, the Grand Elder's confidant knew things were getting complicated and immediately stepped forward to stop them again, "Even if it's true, so what? Your Medical Sect admits it, but our Poison Sect hasn't! This is all her side of the story. If I had the token, I could say the same thing for this position. So, please think it over, elders!"
"So you mean you still doubt my identity?" Jiang Qingyue looked at him. Since they wanted to do this, then she would play along.
“That’s right.” The elder’s confidant looked arrogant and looked down on Jiang Qingyue.
"Then tell me, what would it take for you to admit it?"
"Since you say you are the disciple of the former sect leader, then the former sect leader must have taught you a lot of skills. Why don't we have a match?" This confidant was waiting for this opportunity.
Although he was called a confidant, he also longed to rise to prominence, but he was always suppressed by the jealous and envious elder. However, he was aware of his situation, so he diligently helped the elder devise strategies, waiting for his chance to soar to great heights.
Now, this is his chance, and he must seize it.
"Alright, then tell me, how do we compete?" Jiang Qingyue looked at him leisurely, wanting to see what tricks he could come up with.
"Our Gui Sect is renowned for its unparalleled expertise in both medicine and poison. Naturally, the competition will be between our poison skills and medical skills." This confidant, Dugu Hao, looked at Jiang Qingyue with confidence, as if victory was already in his grasp.
However, while feeling pleased with himself, he didn't forget to ask for instructions, "What do you two think, Your Excellencies?"
The two elders decided to observe the situation and see just how capable Jiang Qingyue truly was, so they nodded slightly and said, "Granted!"
With the permission of the two retainers, Dugu Hao became even more confident. "What, you don't dare?"
Jiang Qingyue chuckled, "What's there to be afraid of? Alright, then let's talk about the rules of the competition."
"How about this, you send one person, I send one person, and we each poison the other's people, then use the antidote on our own. If one side can't cure the poison, they lose. If both sides can cure the poison, or neither can, it's a draw. How about that?"
"No way!" Jiang Qingyue refused without even thinking.
"Heh, who was it that so confidently agreed just now? It's too late for them to back out now!" Dugu Hao thought Jiang Qingyue was scared.
"Of course I have no regrets, but our competition should not involve innocent lives." Jiang Qingyue's expression darkened considerably.
If a competition is used to disregard human life, then she would rather not compete.
"Hahaha, to put it bluntly, you're just scared. You're afraid you can't cure my poison and will harm your people, right?" Dugu Hao thought he had seen through Jiang Qingyue.
"Sect Master, let me go!" Luo Yuan volunteered, "I can do it!"
"No! I won't use your life as a bargaining chip," Jiang Qingyue refused firmly.
"Sect Master!" Luo Yuan tried to persuade Jiang Qingyue again, but was rejected once more.
"Alright, your concerns are not unfounded. It's just a competition, there's no need for that. I have a suggestion: let's divide it into two rounds. In the first round, we'll test each other's poisons. The two sides will use poisons on each other, and the other side will try every means to counteract them. The one who fails to counteract them will lose. The poison used must not be lethal to blood; there must be an antidote."
As for the medicine, we'll do as Dugu Hao said, but with one more rule: the poison must have an antidote, and it can't be too strong or fatal. It must guarantee the patient's safety until the antidote is obtained. Whoever finds the antidote in the shortest time wins; the loser must immediately provide the antidote.
The Grand Elder knew that even on his side, it wouldn't be easy to get someone to help, since it involved risking one's life. Yet Luo Yuan chose to unconditionally trust Jiang Qingyue, which made him think that Jiang Qingyue probably really had the ability.
If she truly has the ability, then entrusting the Ghost Sect to her might not be a bad choice.
But if Jiang Qingyue didn't have this ability, then neither of them would acknowledge her identity!
Although this request did not achieve Dugu Hao's goal of teaching Jiang Qingyue a lesson, he dared not object and gladly accepted it.
Jiang Qingyue nodded after hearing this, "Okay, I agree!"