Most of the Medicine Hall's senior figures were exhilarated by the Royal House's newfound regard, and overjoyed that the Hall had swept away the Pill King Garden as a rival.
At a high council meeting, Fourth Hall Master Wang Li spoke with excitement: "Grand Hall Master, the Royal House has just endured a great crisis — now more than ever, they need to rely on our Medicine Hall. Perhaps this time, our status within the Hall will rise dramatically again. We should seize this opportunity to expand our scale and establish branch halls in every territory in the kingdom. Wherever there are vassal lords, there should be a branch of our Medicine Hall. That way, the Hall's influence will permeate the entire kingdom, deeply rooted and far-reaching, and both our income and standing will leap forward."
Fourth Hall Master Wang Li was one or two years younger than Qiao Baishi, and was considered among the Medicine Hall's future pillars. He had originally been of comparable standing to Qiao Baishi — both had been evaluated as candidates for the next Grand Hall Master.
However, Qiao Baishi's stunning performance had left Wang Li perpetually overshadowed, with no room to shine.
Now that Qiao Baishi was gone, the position of future Grand Hall Master was essentially Wang Li's for the taking.
As a result, Wang Li had grown somewhat inflated of late, carrying himself with the air of someone who was already at the helm.
And throughout the Medicine Hall, many senior figures were all too happy to play along, flattering Wang Li openly and covertly, gravitating toward him as though rallying around a new leader.
Several elders nodded in agreement at Wang Li's words.
"Hall Master Wang is right. This is the moment for our Medicine Hall to expand and extend our influence into every territory. Establishing sub-halls in each domain is absolutely necessary."
"Truly, Hall Master Wang possesses exceptional vision — ambitious, far-sighted." This was the female Elder Lan, who had long had a poor relationship with Qiao Baishi. During the previous campaign against Qiao Baishi, she had been one of the most vocal.
"Unlike some people, who thought themselves so accomplished that they no longer bothered with the other senior figures. Such a person leaving the Medicine Hall is honestly our good fortune."
Elder Lan was brimming with resentment. Though Qiao Baishi was gone, her tongue still showed no mercy, deriding him at every turn.
Though Qiao Baishi had left, his two staunch supporters still remained in the Medicine Hall. Elder Lan's enmity extended to them as well.
Her words, of course, were pointed barbs aimed sideways.
Even Second Hall Master Yue Qun stroked his long beard and chuckled: "Grand Hall Master, our Medicine Hall has enjoyed tremendous luck this time. It really is the moment to seize the opportunity and expand."
Song Tianxing sat with a dark expression, letting these people trade remarks one after another.
His mood was poor, and his heart had gone cold.
He was not surprised that people turned their backs the moment someone left — the old saying about tea growing cold when a guest departs. He was not surprised that Qiao Baishi was being mocked and ridiculed by these people.
What stunned him was that not a single one of them possessed any political awareness whatsoever, all clamoring about expansion.
Hadn't the Medicine Hall existed for centuries? Hadn't there always been opportunities to expand before? Why hadn't they?
Because it was taboo!
How long ago had the downfall of Marquis Long Teng occurred? Had these people already forgotten?
Would the Royal House of the future allow any one force to expand without limit? Would they let a single organization penetrate every domain of the kingdom?
That was the delusion of fools — practically a death sentence.
Even for the Medicine Hall, which did not command military power, it wouldn't work. An organization with too great an influence would, over time, inevitably pose a challenge to royal authority.
Marquis Long Teng was the most vivid example of that. With that precedent, would the Dongfang clan continue to allow any single force to expand infinitely? That would be the real miracle.
What was lamentable was that not a single one of these people could see through such a simple truth. Their minds were flooded with ambition, thinking only of expansion.
Seeing that Song Tianxing remained silent, Second Hall Master Yue Qun said with a smile: "Grand Hall Master, everyone's enthusiasm is running high. Won't you say a few words?"
Song Tianxing, his chest tight with frustration, swept a cold gaze across the room: "I understand your enthusiasm. Today I will only say two things."
"First — I want to ask you: Marquis Long Teng was the greatest vassal lord under heaven. Why was he destroyed?"
"Second — with Qiao Baishi gone, which of you can fill his position? Who among you has the ability to handle the aftermath? I'll say this plainly: whoever can step into Qiao Baishi's shoes, whoever can manage the aftermath of his departure — I will designate that person as the next Grand Hall Master."
Song Tianxing finished and spread his hands: "Now, discuss among yourselves."
Seeing Song Tianxing's reaction — he seemed somewhat displeased — the fervent atmosphere in the room cooled slightly.
Yue Qun managed a strained smile: "As for the downfall of Marquis Long Teng, well, it was simply a turn of fate. Who could have imagined that an army of a million would be subdued by the power of Jiang Chen alone?"
"Indeed. Perhaps Marquis Long Teng simply wasn't destined to carry the fortune of a sovereign."
"This whole affair does have something eerie about it. At the time, I genuinely believed the Long clan's unification of the kingdom was an unstoppable trend. Who would have thought the final outcome would be like this?"
"Haha — but for our Medicine Hall, this is wonderful news indeed."