Chapter 580: Chapter 580

The entire tin house burst into excited cheers. Minister Zhao, thrilled, shook hands with Jing Shu and repeatedly exclaimed, "Excellent, excellent, excellent!"

Group Leader Liu, too, was excited, saying, "Goodness, it’s truly a case of ’peaks and rivers may hide the path, but shady willows and bright flowers reveal a village beyond!’ These days have driven us crazy. Minister Zhao even made a military vow."

Minister Zhao sighed and nodded. "There’s no time to delay. We need to stop by Boss Zhang’s place first, then head straight to the competition venue; otherwise, Boss Zhang is going to lose it."

Jing Shu raised an eyebrow. "Boss Zhang?" Who’s that?

Minister Zhao coughed. "An older brother of mine. It’s just a habit calling him that."

Group Leader Liu laughed heartily, mysteriously pointing upwards. "You could see him as the Chief Referee of this competition. Although his jurisdiction isn’t in this field, his title is higher. His only grandson was infected after consuming a red earthworm early in his life, and that’s why he took on this task. Otherwise, who would handle this mess?"

Jing Shu suddenly understood. Was this the grandson of the person mentioned earlier whose life was being sustained by Bodhi? She also couldn’t help but be curious about what effect her Bodhi would have on a real parasite infection.

"Miss Jing, Miss Jing, your phone! Yes, yes, Miss Jing is fine, nothing happened!"

In the midst of the noise, a somewhat recovered Song Bin called out with a peculiar expression and handed her his phone, adding, "It’s Jun Bao... That person couldn’t find you anywhere, so he called me."

Jing Shu nodded and took the phone. These past few days, as part of her plans, she had cut off all communications routed through the Medicine Association. "Hello? This is Jing Shu. What’s up?"

Over the phone, Jun Bao’s voice came through. "Jin Tianci wanted me to ask if you’ve been mistreated or if something has happened. If so, it’s alright if you don’t participate in the Imperial Capital competition. Don’t worry about resources; I’ll manage to get Wu City’s resources. If anything has happened, have Song Bin approach the Biological Research Center. They’ll figure out a solution."

Jing Shu: "???" What are you talking about?

"What? No... What happened? We are all fine here, don’t worry," Jing Shu said, bewildered. Although they had faced some minor unfairness earlier, it hadn’t been severe enough to warrant skipping the competition. Could there have been a misunderstanding?

From the other end, Jun Bao responded in surprise, "Don’t you know? Two hours ago, the Imperial Capital Pharmaceutical Association announced the disqualification of Wu City Pharmaceutical Association. They even posted it in a major data announcement. After that, Old Zhou and Jin Tianci couldn’t reach any of the contestants. I thought maybe something had happened to you."

Hearing this, Jing Shu was instantly filled with warmth and an indescribable feeling. Being disqualified was unexpected, but Wu City’s response was also beyond her expectations. The burden of Wu City’s resources for next year rested on her shoulders, and she absolutely could not betray their trust.

"Oh, I see. I’ll make my own decision on this matter... That’s it, then."

Over the phone came a quick reply, "If you need any help, just say so," and the call ended.

Just after hanging up, Minister Zhao approached with a smile but encountered Jing Shu’s chilly expression. He asked in puzzlement, "What’s the matter?"

Jing Shu retrieved her homemade spray from Group Leader Liu and said lightly, "Minister Zhao, I’m sorry, but this batch of Bodhi might have to be returned tonight in the same way it came. I regret I can’t provide them to you."

Minister Zhao’s face showed shock. "Xiao Jing, what’s the matter? Everything was fine, right? We agreed that this batch of Bodhi would be used as the competition entry, didn’t we? It’s all recorded and can’t just be changed! Moreover, this concerns the entirety of Huaxia; everyone is awaiting this medicine for salvation! Or did you encounter some difficulty? We can discuss it!"

Jing Shu scoffed. "What’s there to discuss now? It’s absurd how we from Wu City Pharmaceutical Association, despite all hardships, came to the Imperial Capital only to be given such a hard time. Other associations were welcomed upon arrival, but we waited in the snow and mud for a whole day with no one attending to us.

"Later, we found a place ourselves to wait. Then, Team Leader Zhang, who was supposed to pick us up, said the venue was full and told us to wait where we were, promising to pick us up for the competition...

"We didn’t complain, intending to contribute Wu City’s best specialty medicinal herbs to address the crisis. Until a minute ago, I was still planning to all the Bodhi... But to our utter astonishment, while we were waiting to compete, Wu City was disqualified!"

Then someone immediately started looking into it. An exclamation of disbelief rippled through the room, "Are you kidding me?! The only people with a life-saving medicine were disqualified from participation?!"

"It’s true! It’s in the notice! Wu City Pharmaceutical Association is red-flagged! The reason given is that the competition had started, and they hadn’t arrived at the venue!"

Upon hearing this, Minister Zhao immediately became enraged. How could they treat people ? Disqualify them just because they hadn’t arrived yet? Weren’t they right here conducting research?! Which damn fool authorized this disqualification?!

"That’s outrageous!" Group Leader Liu slapped his thigh in fury. "They are our only lifeline!"

Jing Shu shook her head regretfully. "Just now, Wu City called. They said since we’ve been disqualified, then so be it. They’ll find another way to secure resources next year. Taking the Bodhi back might be good too; at least it can protect the entirety of Wu City."

As she said this, Jing Shu signaled for Song Bin to head back with her.

Group Leader Liu’s legs went weak, and he nearly collapsed. Just as they saw a glimmer of hope, it was abruptly shattered.

Minister Zhao slapped the tin wall of the building. "Xiao Jing, wait a moment! I’ll call Boss Zhang right away to sort this out. Don’t worry, I will give you an explanation!"

Without waiting for Jing Shu’s response, he immediately made the call. He started yelling the moment it connected, holding nothing back, regardless of whether he was talking to his old leader or his old brother. "If you want to save your grandson, then fix this, and fix it now! Our savior is here, and you bloody well disqualified them! What kind of screw-up is this?!" he ranted, going on and on.

Minister Zhao then contacted the Pharmaceutical Association. "Has the competition started? What? You dared to disqualify people based merely on pre-competition reports and rehearsals? I’m telling you, you’ve got a huge problem on your hands! What competition? Halt everything and solve this issue first! And you tell that Old Witch, if this isn’t resolved, we’ll all be finished!"

Jing Shu’s lips briefly curved into a smile, then she quickly composed her expression, waiting for Minister Zhao to finish his calls. Only then did she say politely, "Minister Zhao, what’s been done is utterly disheartening. However, I trust you will provide Wu City with an explanation. I’ll go back and wait for your explanation now. Oh, and this is where we are currently staying."

Seeing there was still room for negotiation, Group Leader Liu wiped his sweat and excitedly replied on Minister Zhao’s behalf, "Ah, yes, of course, of course."

Jing Shu left, accompanied by an adoring Song Bin. They returned to their current residence, greeted by the Pharmacists from Wu City Medicine Association, who had been bottling up their frustrations for days. She commanded Danai, "Danai, have everyone pack their things. We’re going to participate in the competition this afternoon."

"Aye, will do, Jing Shu! You have no idea how frustrated we’ve been, just itching to go out there and show our skills! Don’t worry, I’ve already told everyone. The Imperial Capital is a place with deep waters, so we’ve all been keeping a low profile and not causing trouble. When others provoke us, we endure it."