"Fengyi, you know that's not the full story… I—I can explain myself if you want. Just give me a chance…"
Qiao Fengyi stared at him, her eyes flashing with thoughts before she eventually shook her head, her expression filled with pain.
"I know that you have your reasons… and maybe you and Mother talked about it before it happened and came to some sort of agreement…"
"But that doesn't really change the fact that my mother died because of the Disciplinary Hall, and you chose not to do anything about it. Even when my father was attacked by Luo Shang that day, you chose not to do anything and left him bedridden and crippled."
"You say it's all for the sake of the Medicine Hall, to protect us… but I doubt that's the whole truth. I think you're just scared… scared that if you retaliate, your people will die. And I get that! Of course I do!"
"But… have you ever asked whether or not we ourselves wanted to fight? Did you ever think to ask for our opinion? Ask whether or not we wanted to keep living this life of cowardice?"
Qiao Qinghe's eyes widened, his entire body trembling in shock. He couldn't believe the words he was hearing.
All his life, as the Head Grand Elder of the Medicine Hall, he had believed that it was his responsibility to take care of the people within it, even forgoing his relationships with his loved ones to ensure that he fulfilled his duty well.
How could it be? Could it be that I was wrong all this time?
Qiao Han, the other Grand Elder of the Medicine Hall aside from himself, suddenly nodded before speaking in a gruff tone.
"That's right, Qinghe. Even if we of the Medicine Hall are known for our peace-loving nature, there should still be limits to our tolerance. Did you think that we would not be angered when the mistress chose to take her own life that day for our sake?"
"When Master Qiao Liang was ambushed by those scoundrels from the Crimson Sand Sect, and we still chose not to do anything in the name of peace and preserving ourselves?!"
"Did you not think about how humiliated we felt when you chose not to do anything in response?!"
Qiao Qinghe trembled even more, his expression shifting as his aura began to grow unstable. Yet he ignored it and instead looked around the room, staring at the various Nascent Profound Realm elders before speaking in a trembling voice.
"How about you people? Do you also feel the same way? Do you also feel that we have been too lenient and allowed ourselves to be humiliated?"
The elders who were watching the scene unfold nodded decisively, agreeing with Qiao Han's words. A few among them could not even hold themselves back and spoke out.
"That's right, Qinghe! Even if we are known for our life-saving hands, there must be a limit to our tolerance!"
"Exactly! If we keep this up, more and more of our people will end up with miserable fates because of our code of ethics! If even the mistress and her husband could end up like that, what about the rest of us?"
"Vengeance! We need vengeance! We need to show these people that we are not just pushovers!"
"That's right! How long will we allow our people to be treated in this manner?! An eye for an eye, a life for a life! Our enemies must pay for their crimes against us!"
"Vengeance! Vengeance! Vengeance!"
Suddenly, the entire room erupted in vengeful cheers as an aura of powerful murderous intent filled the hall.
Huang Shi, who had not thought much of the situation until now, suddenly had his eyes shine with a sharp light as numerous thoughts ran through his mind.
Interesting! I didn't think these pacifists had it in them to seek revenge for their people. It seems it will be much easier to convince them to join our cause against the Disciplinary Hall than I first thought.
Despite this, Huang Shi didn't say a word and simply chose to observe the situation. As an outsider, he needed to make sure that he didn't interfere in the politics of another hall, lest he muddy the waters even more.
At least for now, I need to just sit back and observe. Who knows whether or not these people can be trusted… After all, what we're about to do against the sect is essentially rebellion!
The louder the cheers grew, the more Qiao Qinghe's body trembled. His expression went through numerous changes—pain, sadness, despair—until finally settling on anger and regret.
Despite these emotions, he still forced himself to remain rational. Raising his hand, he shouted,
"Silence! All of you! Have you forgotten our oath of peace as doctors?! We can act to defend ourselves, but we can never willingly engage in conflict with other factions! We must always choose peace in the face of violence!"
"Otherwise, what would be the point of naming ourselves the Medicine Hall?"
A strange silence suddenly filled the hall as the voices fell mute. The people watching the scene wore conflicted expressions.
On one hand, they truly wanted revenge for all the transgressions committed against them, but on the other, they also believed that as doctors they had taken an oath of pacifism that was essentially part of their ethical code.
In the middle of the deafening silence, a voice suddenly spoke up. It was weary and weak, yet despite that, one could still feel the strength behind it—like an old lion that had lost some of its fangs, yet was still capable of unleashing deadly power.
"Father-in-law… I know you mean well, but don't you think we've had enough? Don't you think that we also deserve peace and quiet?"
Instantly, everyone in the room looked toward the source of the voice. Their expressions shifted from conflict to surprise as they spoke almost in unison.
"Grand Elder Qiao Liang?"
"Is that you, Grand Elder Qiao Liang? Why are you up? You should be resting!"