Night fell.

The situation in the palace had become clear, and soldiers had even appeared in White Jade City to maintain order. Even so, the various sects, like the Cyan Yuan Sect and the Celestial One Water Palace, had not dispersed. Instead, they all remained in the Cyan Yuan Pavilion.

Just because the situation had become obvious didn’t mean the threat was gone. The major sects had all suffered heavy losses, so they were naturally on high alert. They arranged for their disciples to patrol at night, wary of other factions making a move.

This wasn’t their own sect’s territory; it was hard to say whether it was truly safe.

Yang Chan was in the infirmary, but he wasn’t asleep. He was waiting, feeling just as uneasy as everyone else.

Xu Gaocen had come by in the afternoon but had since returned to rest. Apparently, pulling an all-nighter had taken a serious toll on the older man.

The two of them continued their usual arrangement: Yang Chan took the night shift in the infirmary, while Xu Gaocen took the day shift.

’It seems old people really can’t keep up with the young.’ Even if Yang Chan wasn’t trying to outdo him, Xu Gaocen just couldn’t handle the long nights.

’Youth truly is the greatest asset.’

As a young man himself, Yang Chan found himself missing the days when he had a Pharmacist’s Assistant. Back then, he almost never had to pull all-nighters; that kind of work could be left to his assistant.

At this thought, Yang Chan couldn’t help but recall a scene he had once witnessed at sunset. That was his lost...

He waited deep into the night, but nothing happened. The patrolling disciples had already changed shifts several times. Seeing this, Yang Chan lay down on an empty sickbed and drifted into a light sleep.

In a place like this, he didn’t dare fall into a deep sleep. He had once encountered someone who pretended to be injured, only to try and assassinate him while he slept. It was a valuable lesson. That particular assassin had been poorly prepared, but not everyone was like him. Therefore, whenever Yang Chan slept in a crowded place, he was always extra vigilant.

’Getting killed in my sleep would be the most frustrating way to go.’

The night passed without incident, and Yang Chan let out a sigh of relief. He liked it this way—peaceful and stable. ’This is nice.’

As the sun rose in the east, Yang Chan practiced his Purple Qi Body Cultivation Skill as usual. He couldn’t afford to miss his sunrise cultivation, not even after a night of restless sleep.

’One must not be lazy in matters of cultivation.’

The cultivation of life-preserving arts was all about gradual, daily accumulation. Only through effort would there be rewards.

After slowly exhaling a breath of turbid air, Yang Chan got up to check on the injured disciples. Their conditions were all improving, which was excellent. Once Xu Gaocen arrived, he could return to his room and use his Potential Points.

Last night in the infirmary, he had played it safe and refrained from allocating his Potential Points. He would wait until he was back in his own room, alone, before allocating them.

Yang Chan didn’t have to wait long before Xu Gaocen arrived. A peaceful night’s sleep had clearly restored much of his spirit; his overall Essence, Qi, and Spirit seemed much better.

A good night’s sleep can be incredibly restorative for someone who has been staying up late. Plus, since Xu Gaocen also practiced life-preserving techniques, his recovery was even more effective.

"Pharmacist Yang, thank you for your hard work. You should head back and rest. I’ll watch over things here."

Xu Gaocen’s Essence, Qi, and Spirit were much improved, and his mood had brightened considerably. Of course, this was mostly because order had been restored in White Jade City, guaranteeing their safety and putting him more at ease. 𝚏𝕣𝐞𝗲𝐰𝕖𝐛𝐧𝕠𝕧𝚎𝚕.𝐜𝚘𝗺

He had checked on the injured disciples in the infirmary. Their conditions were quite good, and they were expected to regain their mobility by the time they left White Jade City.

"Alright, then I’ll leave it to you, Pharmacist Xu."

Hearing this, Yang Chan was more than happy to leave.

He had the inn attendant prepare his usual order of everything.

Before long, Yang Chan was back in his room, soaking in a Dragon Bone Medicine Bath and enjoying a fine meal. Afterward, he proceeded to add three Potential Points to his Wind-Stepping Technique.

He had considered resuming his normal point allocation, but after some thought, he decided against it. White Jade City only seemed safe on the surface; in reality, undercurrents were still stirring. Besides, the journey away from the city might not be peaceful either. In the end, Yang Chan still chose to put his points into the Wind-Stepping Technique.

’I’ll think about returning to my normal allocation after I get back to the Cyan Yuan Sect.’

Right now, nothing was more important than survival.

...

「Three days passed in a flash.」

White Jade City opened its gates, resuming normal entry and exit. This was the moment the major sects, merchants from all over, and many others had long been waiting for.

During those three days, although many incidents occurred within White Jade City, the Cyan Yuan Pavilion was not attacked again by any unknown forces. Instead, conflicts arose between the various sects, causing them to leave the Cyan Yuan Pavilion one after another and return to their own sect residences in the city.

Unity and cooperation only existed in times of life-and-death crisis. Once the threat disappeared, internal conflicts naturally surfaced, and the groups split apart.

This was especially true since they were not a single entity to begin with, and some of the sects were even rivals. Naturally, the situation was far from ideal.

Fortunately, no other major incidents occurred.

Many Noble Families in White Jade City had their assets seized and their clans exterminated. The official reason was that they had been implicated in the Crown Prince’s rebellion. Some of these groups were also accused of being the forces that had previously caused trouble in White Jade City, attacking the major sects and harassing the common people.

The major sects made no significant comments on this. Since the Imperial Family was involved, they would need to return to their own sects to discuss the matter with their Sect Leaders, Supreme Elders, and Hall Masters.

Those who remained in White Jade City certainly wouldn’t take it upon themselves to stir up trouble with the Imperial Family. Moreover, they were still in the capital and had no desire to cause problems; after all, they weren’t completely safe yet.

If the Court suddenly decided to act, the ones who would suffer would be those still in White Jade City.

Anyone who had survived this long knew how to adapt to the circumstances. Even if they wanted revenge, they would have to wait until they were back in their own sects before making trouble.

Furthermore, the Pharmacist Alliance was also implicated in this affair. The heavy losses suffered by the major sects were, of course, related to the Pharmacist Alliance.

First, it was the Pharmacist Alliance that had invited the major sects to White Jade City for the Pharmacist Exchange Conference. Then, when chaos erupted and the sects pleaded with the Alliance for help, they were refused.

Otherwise, the major sects would not have suffered such devastating losses.

The blame for this incident didn’t just fall on the Imperial Family; it also fell on the Pharmacist Alliance.

If only one sect had suffered heavy losses, it might have had to swallow its anger. But since numerous sects had suffered greatly, they would naturally present a united front. This was especially true for the sects whose members had been completely wiped out after entering White Jade City; they would certainly not let the matter rest.

They hadn’t made a move yet because they were waiting.

Yang Chan and Xu Gaocen sat in a horse-drawn carriage, traveling the same road back as they had taken to get there. Behind them, White Jade City remained as prosperous as ever. The flow of people had not decreased due to the recent chaos; one might even say it had increased.

Chaos could never deter the crowds wanting to enter White Jade City. These people all arrived full of hope. As for what would become of them, that depended entirely on the individual.

Yang Chan hadn’t visited many places in White Jade City. For safety’s sake, he had rarely chosen to go out, avoiding contact with too many people. Aside from the few places Yan Jinfeng and others had taken him to, he had basically gone nowhere else.

Yang Chan hadn’t even visited the more famous and nearby locations within White Jade City.