Grand Meeting Hall, First Peak, Gracious Sword Sect.
In the most prestigious place in the sect, the atmosphere had never been this solemn before.
There were few people in the hall, two laid and three standing, however, the mood was very depressing and down.
At the centre of the hall was a large bed, and on it were two disciples in Core disciple robes, lying unconscious with bloodied bodies and deep cuts, beside them were two elders, who were desperately trying to put the bandages over the cuts as fast as they could, and put herb paste on the wounds.
An elder on each side, mending one disciple each; they did the best they could in their attempt to bring these two disciples back from the death's door.
"Don't forget to put a Heavenly Pilex Forte Essence' in their mouth. We need to secure their meridians before it's too late." An aged voice was heard from their left.
"Yes, master." Both of the elders replied in unison, their tone was filled with respect.
Soon a white sparkling pill was put in each of the two disciple's mouths.�
After almost covering their whole body with white bandages, the two elders stepped back.
One of them then turned towards his left and said, "Master, the external bleeding has now stopped, however, the internal bleeding is still causing problems. I am afraid their meridians might become useless even if they recover back to health after their wounds are closed."
"Hmm, don't worry about that. Let me see if I can work on this," The same aged voice replied and seemed to get closer by the end of the sentence.
He moved a few steps closer to the two youngsters lying on the bed, took out a small vial from his spatial ring.
The vial shined in the dim room, lighting it up.
One could finally see the person in this dim hall.
As light dawned on the person, it reflected on his river-silver hair. His eyes were like that of a jaded crow's feet, his face was time-ravaged, his galaxy blue eyes hinted at his deep wisdom. However, his aged but deep voice could give warmth and calm the listeners' thoughts.
The elders behind him were shocked to see the vial.
"Is this Lighting Jade's essence?" One of them couldn't help but ask.
The old man slowly opened the vial while replying, "Indeed it is. This is the best thing I have to cure their internal injuries."
And as he finished saying, he moved the vial closer to one of the disciples and holding it just above his lips, he then poured a drop on the disciple's mouth,
Slowly, the shining liquid slipped into his mouth.
The old man then did the same with the other disciples and poured another drop in his mouth.
He then turned towards the two elders and said, "Go and arrange special quarters for these two. We can't let them lie here forever."
The elders nodded, "As you command, Grand Elder Li," and left the hall in a hurry.
The old man was the Peak Master of the Second Peak, Li Shoushan.
One of the most renowned alchemists, not only in the Xu Kingdom but in the whole Lower Heavens, Li Shoushan was known for his deep alchemy knowledge and wisdom.
This was why, even though he was a Peak Master, everyone referred to him as Grand Elder.
[Author note: Li Shoushan means 'Longevity; Mountain']
He then let out a sigh while staring at the two disciples lying on the bed.
"Grand Elder Li, can they be saved?" Another voice rang, as a man came closer to him, and observed the two disciples lying on the bed.
"Sect Leader, the wounds are too deep. Especially Jiang Yun's. And this is not the worst thing. It's the poison that worries me."
"Poison?" Sect Leader asked with a surprised tone.
"Yes, the weapons of those assassins were coated with an unknown poison and it is so potent that it has already reached Jiang Yun's heart. The chances of death are low."
"Hmm? Chances of death are low? Your elixir is quite amazing, but then what's worrying you?" Sect Leader Su was confused at such a reply.
"The chances of death are low not because of the elixir I gave him," Grand Elder Li shook his head, and then with a slight pause he continued, "It's because the poison was never aiming to kill these disciples."
"Then?"
"This poison is attacking the heart meridians. And once it damages them, all cultivation will be lost because the Qi path will be blocked. These two disciples will be crippled."
"What!?" Sect Leader was shocked to hear these words.
It wasn't that he hadn't thought of this possibility, but rather, he was unwilling to even think about it.
But now, reality had hit him hard.
His sect's most prized disciple may become a cripple by sunrise.
Sect Leader Su moved his neck and looked upwards, put his hands on his waist, then let out a long breath.
"Is there any way of saving him?" He asked while still staring at the ceiling.
Grand Elder Li didn't give an immediate reply but continued to observe the two disciples on the bed before saying, "It's not in our control. Fate will decide what happens with these two."
Sect Leader Su let out another sigh and said, "What about Han Zemin? Is his condition also as severe as Jiang Yun's?"
Grand Elder Li looked at the disciple lying beside Jiang Yun and said, "He looks much better. From his wounds and cuts, I can easily conclude that he was not the main target. The assassins were after Jiang Yun. Han Zemin would be most probable to survive this ordeal among the two of them."
Sect Leader Su pursed his lips and with a frown, he turned to his right, staring at another person who had been standing near the gate all along.
"Elder Lai Chang, what actually happened at the scene? How could it be easy for so many assassins to infiltrate our sect, and attack a core disciple right at the base of the most important peak of our sect?"