CHAPTER 577: CHAPTER 34: IMPERIAL HOSPITAL

During the time Yue Jinghua and Jin Nuo were drinking, Hongling had already inquired about the route to the Imperial Hospital and the rumors surrounding it in the Imperial City.

As the two were en route to the Imperial Hospital, Hongling brought up the matter of the Imperial Hospital to Yue Jinghua.

Upon inquiry, it turned out that the Imperial Hospital holds a very special status in the Dragon War Empire, with some pill masters there receiving even higher treatment than nobles.

The entire population of the Dragon War Empire is martially inclined, and this is even more evident in Wohua Imperial City, where in every tavern and marketplace one can see Dark Practitioners armed with weapons or accompanied by Dark Beasts as mounts.

However, within the Imperial City, there are two places where carrying weapons and Dark Beasts is strictly prohibited: one is the Imperial Palace, and the other is the Imperial Hospital of the Imperial City.

The Imperial Palace is the seat of the highest authority of the Empire, where a martial law is a matter of course.

But for the Imperial Hospital to be mentioned in the same breath as the Imperial Palace, it certainly has its own remarkable aspects.

The carriage hastened along, leaving the bustling Wohua Imperial City behind and rattling onto a path covered with wildflowers in full bloom.

Ahead, the air was filled with bird songs and floral scents, already mixed with the fragrance of summer.

Suddenly, a vast bamboo forest surged into view not far off.

Now that it was high summer, the sunlight began to become dazzling.

The dark green bamboo leaves rustled in the wind, and further along the path, at the end of the bamboo forest, one could see glimpses of a thatched cottage made of withered straw.

The carriage stopped in front of the cottage, Yue Jinghua and Hongling dismounted and approached.

Inside the cottage were three or four young, good-looking male and female Alchemy Children. Yue Jinghua noticed that two of them had flasks from Danlu hanging at their waists.

It seems the Imperial Hospital of Imperial City has some connections with Danlu, and this cottage is the famous "Guest House" of the Imperial Hospital.

Hongling stepped forward to state their business and upon hearing that they were looking for Cheng Ying, one of the Alchemy Children presented them with two Elixir Pills.

"Dear guests, today is a non-receiving day. Foreigners must disarm and consume this Sealing Dark Pill before entering," although the Imperial Hospital is a very important facility in the Imperial City, most of the people here are pill masters and Pill Medicine Children with unsophisticated Dark Power, their levels mostly being Dark Human and Dark Jade, some even without any Dark Power.

Since pill masters are the wealthiest group on the continent, the founder of the Imperial Hospital stipulated that visitors must lay down their weapons and ingest a Sealing Dark Pill upon entering.

Sealing Dark Pill is a specially formulated elixir which is harmless to the human body, but upon consumption, it temporarily blocks the Dark Energy in the body, making it difficult to circulate throughout.

Visitors can take an antidote when leaving the Imperial Hospital, which will restore their Dark Power.

Yue Jinghua and Hongling, concerned about their elder brother’s poisoning, did not argue and each took one.

As Yue Jinghua swallowed the pill, he instantly mobilized a surge of Dark Energy within his body, enveloping the pill to prevent its effects from spreading.

He then laid down his Lianyun Great Sword and Jade Arm Bow, and was led into the Imperial Hospital by one of the Alchemy Children.

While following the Alchemy Child, Yue Jinghua split off a sliver of Divine Sense, surreptitiously surveying the general layout of the Imperial Hospital.

This glance, however, took Yue Jinghua by surprise.

The Canglong Continent where Yue Jinghua resided, and the Western Origin World where Yue Xiaoqi resided, could be considered two completely unrelated worlds.

However, everything shares a common origin, and after spending several years on the Canglong Continent, Yue Jinghua discovered that there were some elements of modern civilization there.

For instance, the staple food like rice and meat consumed on the Canglong Continent and in the Western Origin World were mostly the same.

Some festivals and customs on the Canglong Continent also had similarities with those from ancient times in the Western Origin World.

The role of the Imperial Hospital in the Imperial City seemed very similar to that of a modern comprehensive hospital, where special Pill Masters catered to Nobles and the Imperial Family of the Imperial City, and there were also ordinary Pill Masters.

Hongling inquired and found out that although it was branded as the Imperial Hospital, on the 10th and 20th of each month, the hospital opened to civilians, but remained closed to the public for the rest of the time.

The Imperial Hospital in the Imperial City was not merely a pill concocting place for the Imperial Pill Masters; it served as a hub of medical and alchemy techniques for the entire continent, aside from the Danlu.

Yue Jinghua noticed the careful selection of the Imperial Hospital’s location; this place was rich in fire element near the outskirts of Wo Hua Imperial City.

Here, the Spiritual Energy was also abundant; spiritual flowers and wood planted all around flourished lushly. Even though they took the Sealing Dark Pills, walking through here made one feel an unprecedented ease.

No wonder the Pill Medicine Boys and passersby here looked sharp and particularly vibrant with spiritual aura.

"Young brother, I want to ask, is Lady Cheng also a Pill Master at the Imperial Hospital? What level of Pill Master is she?" Yue Jinghua retracted her Divine Sense and started inquiring about Cheng Ying’s Alchemy Technique from the guiding Alchemy Child. She had always suspected Cheng Ying’s involvement with Danlu but did not know her exact status there.

"You must be from out of town, right? Lady Cheng does not belong to the Imperial Hospital. She has trained under Danlu from a young age, her father Alchemist Cheng Longfeng is the one from the Imperial Hospital. After her studies, due to her extraordinary skills, even while she was still a child, she concocted a batch of Holy-grade Elixir. The Emperor specifically granted a piece of land from the Imperial Hospital to her for alchemy and cultivation. Usually, if she encounters complicated diseases or when Elder Alchemist Cheng is too busy, she would come over to provide volunteer consultation. Lady Cheng is kind-hearted and often secretly helps the locals to receive treatment; she also grows herbs for free, distributing them to the poor who cannot afford Elixir. Her reputation in the Imperial City is no less inferior to her father’s," the Alchemy Child spoke of Cheng Ying with a face full of respect and admiration.

From the words of the Alchemy Child, Cheng Ying seemed to be a quiet person who enjoyed helping others, which was in stark contrast to what Jin Nuo had earlier described to Yue Jing. She seemed like a completely different person.

Completely unaligned with that threatening, sly and foxy demeanor.

Yue Jinghua was puzzled and grew even more curious about Cheng Ying’s true nature.

While speaking, the Alchemy Child had already led Yue Jinghua to Cheng Ying’s residence.

It was a few simple bamboo houses; the outside was a series of meticulously tilled medicinal fields.

"Just ahead is Lady Cheng’s residence," the Alchemy Child escorted Yue Jinghua there, and was just about to make a report when he saw a Dark Array being deployed outside the bamboo house.

Outside the bamboo house, there were a group of people standing, including members from the Duke Mansion who had previously escorted Yue Minzhi, along with the deeply troubled Long Rui and the stern-faced Long Jiuzun.

"Huahua, you’re here," Lie Rou’s brows were tightly knitted, and she only breathed a sigh of relief upon seeing her beloved daughter.

It turned out that after parting with Yue Jinghua, Lie Rou had escorted Yue Minzhi all the way to the Imperial Hospital.

To their surprise, as soon as they arrived outside the bamboo house, they were driven out by Cheng Ying, who had also set up a Dark Array, warning everyone not to approach.

Upon hearing this, Yue Jinghua stepped forward and immediately felt an overwhelming oppressive force emanating from the Dark Array ahead, halting her steps forward.