Even Second Hall Master Yue Qun was stunned by this.
"
During the high council meeting, nearly everyone had wanted to hand Qiao Baishi over to the Dragon family. That had truly wounded Qiao Baishi deeply and driven him to despair.
But Song Tianxing never imagined that Qiao Baishi would go and pledge himself to Jiang Chen — to the son of a marquis!
Elder Lan poured oil on the fire, sneering: "As I expected, Qiao Baishi had thoughts of betraying us from the very start. Him going to Jiang Chen doesn't surprise me one bit. The only question is — how many of the Medicine Hall's secrets did he take with him when he left?"
Song Tianxing flew into a rage upon hearing this. "Elder Lan, shut your mouth! Have you forgotten what it means to be an elder? Is it necessary to attack someone who has already left? Instead of wasting your breath mocking a man who's gone, you'd be better off thinking about how to salvage our cooperation with the Jiang family!"
"I..." Elder Lan had been rebuked and didn't dare talk back even half a word. The Grand Hall Master's authority was absolute. Don't let his usual mild manner fool you — once he lost his temper, the imposing force was terrifying.
"I don't want to hear any more nonsense. I'll say it again: whoever can continue the cooperation with the Jiang family will be the next Grand Hall Master. Everything else is meaningless noise, and I won't listen to a word of it."
Song Tianxing swept his gaze across the room. "Which of you is willing to make a trip to the Jianghan territory?"
Wang Li, who had eagerly jumped forward earlier, shrank back the moment Song Tianxing's eyes landed on him. He would have liked to go, but the thought of Qiao Baishi being there stopped him. He knew it would be a wasted trip. The cooperation couldn't possibly be salvaged, and he'd probably end up humiliated, with Qiao Baishi mocking him on top of everything.
When Song Tianxing's gaze swept over Elder Lan as well, she flushed crimson and lowered her head, unable to meet his eyes. She had even less say in the matter.
If she went to the Jianghan territory, whether she could come back alive was an open question.
"Second, how about you make the trip?" Song Tianxing turned to Yue Qun.
Yue Qun's old face reddened, and he scratched his head. "Big Brother, I'm a poor hand at socializing. Besides, I'm too old — I have nothing in common with the younger generation. Going to find Jiang Chen would be awkward no matter how you look at it. Would he even agree to see an old man like me?"
The other high-ranking members, once Song Tianxing's gaze passed over them, all lowered their eyes submissively. Not a single one volunteered.
Song Tianxing shook his head gently. Had things really come to this point — did he, the Grand Hall Master, have to go personally?
His eyes landed on
"Grand Hall Master, I've already prepared my resignation. You'll have to find someone more capable for this. Besides, I believe that given the Medicine Hall's current situation, even if you went yourself, the result would be the same — you'd come back empty-handed, that's certain."
Ying Wuyou found this deeply satisfying. Seeing these high-ranking members looking so dejected filled him with a sense of justice. Weren't they so good at kicking a man when he was down? Weren't they the ones who had pushed Qiao Baishi out?
Without Qiao Baishi, they couldn't manage a single thing!
And now look at them — every last one wearing a bitter expression?
It wasn't schadenfreude. He felt vindicated on Qiao Baishi's behalf, felt that justice was being served. These people had shown Qiao Baishi no mercy when they struck him down.
And now? Without crawling back to Qiao Baishi, they were utterly helpless.
Yue Qun still couldn't quite accept it. "Wuyou, are you saying that Young Master Jiang really won't cooperate with us anymore just because of Qiao Baishi? Qiao Baishi is fine and all, but does he really have that much personal charisma? Can he actually influence Young Master Jiang's decisions?"
Ying Wuyou chuckled. "I don't know whether Qiao Baishi has that kind of charisma, but every time something goes wrong with the Jiang family, the first person they turn to is Qiao Baishi. When Marquis Jianghan,
Yue Qun let out a bitter laugh. "This is truly absurd. Could it be that we really need to bring Qiao Baishi back?"
Even as he said it, Yue Qun felt his own face flush. When he had reprimanded Qiao Baishi before, he certainly hadn't held back either.
To suggest bringing Qiao Baishi back — only someone with his thick skin would dare say it out loud.
The others didn't even have the courage to mention it. Elder Lan, in particular, heard this and watched her heavily made-up face shift between green and white.
"Bring Qiao Baishi back? Can our Medicine Hall really not survive without him?" Elder Lan couldn't help herself.
"Oh, so you can do it? Then you go," Yue Qun snapped.
Song Tianxing sighed. "Wuyou, what you said about resigning earlier — that was just anger talking. How about this: you make the trip to the Jiang family. If you can convince them, I'll promote you directly to Third Hall Master."
No one else could manage it. Ying Wuyou and Qiao Baishi were close friends — only he stood a chance.
Wang Li's eyes shot out a venomous glint upon hearing this.
"Grand Hall Master, that's not fair, is it? He's a low-ranked elder — to leap all the way up to Third Hall Master? That's... that's unfair! I refuse to accept it!"
Wang Li's resentment boiled over, and he protested openly.
Song Tianxing spoke coldly: "If you can do it, I'll appoint you as the next Grand Hall Master on the spot. Can you manage that?"