TNIBFT -Chapter 312 Truly My Mother

The weather in Sifang City was bitterly cold. In ordinary households, wells were usually shallow, and in winter the water surface would freeze, making them unusable. Only the old communal wells in the city could still provide water during the cold season.

Everyone’s faces were filled with panic.

Most of the residents in the eastern part of the city relied on water from these old wells.

Seizing the chaos, the woman who had been injured in the crowd suddenly fought back. She killed a few city guards with a swift counterattack and tried to escape.

“Ah—!”

“Murder!”

The sudden turn of events caused the onlookers to clutch their heads in alarm.

Ye Tian’s expression turned serious. He spread his arms to shield the three children and Qin Fengyi behind him.

“I know that woman who was killed. Just a few days ago, she was asking me for directions in the city. She’s not from Sifang City at all…” a Medicine King Valley disciple shouted loudly.

“She even had a sword in her hand that day. You could tell she’s someone from the martial world…”

Ye Tian’s gaze fell on the woman, her eyes still open in death.

Her features were delicate and unremarkable, her figure tight and graceful—clearly someone who trained regularly. Beneath the plain cotton collar she wore was a bright red garment. Shennü Palace!

It had to be Shennü Palace!

Meanwhile, several city guards rushed forward, already carrying their boxed meals.

Ye Tian sighed. The fighting ability of the city guards was too weak—they were essentially cannon fodder!

A few Medicine King Valley disciples charged forward with weapons. “Don’t let them escape!”

“It must be their trick…”

Because the women had injured legs and the disciples outnumbered them two to one, panic set in. Before long, several Shennü Palace women were captured by the Medicine King Valley disciples.

“Let me go—!”

“Let go! Even if you guessed it, killing us will mean all of you die!”

“Shennü Palace will never forgive you!”

The women shouted defiantly as they struggled.

“Shennü Palace?”

The citizens exchanged worried glances. They became even more concerned about whether they themselves had been poisoned. Where was the antidote?

Could these women be telling the truth?

Everyone looked to Ye Tian for help. Even the Medicine King Valley disciples were confused, waiting for Ye Tian to give orders.

“If they were the ones who poisoned everyone, the poison must be on them. The antidote might even be with them. What are we waiting for? Search them!”

Qin Fengyi’s cold, sharp voice rang out from behind Ye Tian.

“My mother is right!” Xiao Jiang nodded eagerly in agreement, his big eyes shining. “Truly my mother—she’s amazing!”

Xiao Jiang clapped his small hands happily, then looked at the Medicine King Valley disciples and pouted. “Search them!”

“So naive!”

The speed of his change in expression was as fast as flipping a page.

The Medicine King Valley disciples bent down and prepared to search the women.

Suddenly, the captured women bit their tongues and died, blood gushing as they collapsed to the ground.

The citizens were horrified. What kind of evil organization could make people take their own lives so recklessly?

If they were this ruthless to their own members, how much more dangerous would they be to strangers?

“Even if they die, we have to search!”

Ye Tian said firmly. Hesitant, the disciples steeled themselves and continued the search.

After a while…

A Medicine King Valley disciple exclaimed, “What’s this?”

“I’ve got some too!”

“Bring it here.” Ye Tian noticed the small porcelain bottles in their hands. He guessed these were either poison or antidote—they had to be extremely important.

Ye Tian had no knowledge of pharmacology.

But the Medicine King Valley had plenty of people who did. He handed the two small bottles to someone familiar to Xiao Jiang for analysis and returned to the hall with Qin Fengyi and the three children. After all, the weather outside was too cold, and he worried the children wouldn’t be able to endure staying out long.

Seeing Ye Tian leave, the townsfolk and those seeking medicine didn’t dare to leave either.

What if someone was poisoned, and it took effect on the way home—or they died at home without a doctor? That would be a life lost.

Better to stay at the hall; at least then, if anything happened, they wouldn’t be left to die.

After a while, a disciple from Medicine King Valley hurried back to the hall. Seeing Xiao Jiang and Ye Tian, he said urgently, “Junior Uncle, you guessed right—the well water in the east of the city has indeed been poisoned.”

The messenger was sweating heavily, face full of urgency.

He brought out silver test needles wrapped in white cloth. Ye Tian glanced at them: several needles, their lower halves blackened as if burned.

“Really poisoned?”

“We use the well water too, so today’s tea must have triggered the poisoning?”

“What malicious intent…”

Some had already guessed.

Everyone’s faces were filled with worry: “Sifang City really is a place of trouble—someone would even dare poison the well water.”

“Are they trying to kill everyone in the city?”

Ye Tian frowned. The Goddess Palace’s reach was too long. Not only had they committed murder and arson under his nose, but they also enslaved and slaughtered the people, stirred conflicts between armies, and now they had infiltrated the city, trying to harm him and his children.

Ye Tian clenched his fists.

The Goddess Palace must die!

After a while, the person studying the powders came down from the second floor.

“This poison is simple—it’s exactly the type configured by Medicine King Valley to eliminate snakes, insects, rats, and ants.”

Hearing this, Ye Tian relaxed slightly.

The others from Medicine King Valley also exhaled in relief. The man continued, “Although the antidote is simple, it’s now winter. This poison is usually used in summer. We don’t have nearly enough antidote materials.”

“There isn’t any of this medicine in the storeroom…”

“Not much niuhuang or forsythia either…”

A heavy silence fell over the room.

Outside, poisoned patients kept arriving, supported by others. Even the skilled doctors of Medicine King Valley looked distressed; no matter how skilled, without the proper materials, they couldn’t cure the poison.

Ye Tian turned to the soldiers behind him. “Send people to the city lord’s warehouse to ask…”

“And also check all major pharmacies in the city. Tell them the city lord is willing to pay high prices!”

“Yes!”

The soldiers saluted and left.

What should have been a smooth opening ceremony was ruined by the Goddess Palace. The hall was now packed, filled with the moans and cries of men, women, and children.

More and more townsfolk were brought in for treatment.

The soldier who brought the news returned. The city lord’s warehouse didn’t have much of the cheap antidote, and the major pharmacies had only limited stocks of these summer poisons—after all, they were cheaper to buy in summer.

Receiving this news, Ye Tian furrowed his brow slightly and looked at the three children. “Let’s go home first.”

Xiao Jiang’s little face was full of worry.

This was a matter affecting the reputation of Medicine King Valley. If it wasn’t handled properly, the valley’s name would suffer.

But for now, there was nothing to do but wait for the master’s instructions.

Qin Fengyi glanced at her son, hesitated, then said nothing.

When the family of five reached the hall’s entrance, they were immediately surrounded by panicked townsfolk. “City Lord Ye, please, save us!”

“Your three children are all incarnations of immortals! You must have a way—please save us!”

“We heard the second young master is the reincarnation of Hua Tuo. You can’t just ignore us…”

The crowd outside knelt in desperation.

People nearby were vomiting blood or fainting at intervals, and no one knew if the next victim might be themselves. Seeing Ye Tian try to leave, the crowd panicked.

Ye Tian said, “Everyone understands now, right? Without the medicine, even immortals cannot cure the illness!”