Chapter 204: Qin Mu’s Dark Past
Qin Mu and the Cripple stared at each other with wide eyes. Old Man Ma, though stern-faced, was warm-hearted, and said, “You’re both grown-ups now, don’t throw childish tantrums. We’ve come to see how you’ve been getting along these days, and also to let you take a look at whether our hands and legs can still be used.”
The Cripple chuckled, “Old Man Ma ran all the way from the Great Thunderclap Monastery, so you should know he came specifically to see you. The Great Thunderclap Monastery is tens of thousands of miles from here, and only two or three thousand miles from the Village of the Remnant Elders. As for me, I didn’t come to see you at all—my leg is right in the Imperial Preceptor’s residence, closest to you.”
Qin Mu felt a warmth in his heart. Old Man Ma said, “Don’t let the Cripple’s sarcasm fool you; he’s actually a good man. When you were little, you often wet the bed. Granny had never raised a child before, and she got so annoyed with your bedwetting that she wanted to give you away to a neighboring village to be raised. The first day she sent you off, you were back in her bed the next day. Granny sent you away several times, and each time you inexplicably came back. Of course, it was the Cripple who stole you back.”
The Cripple shook his head, “Not at all. I hate kids the most. If it weren’t for the fact that I only have one leg, I’d be kicking your backside every single day.”
Qin Mu felt a pang in his chest and couldn’t quite believe it. “I wet the bed when I was little, and Granny wanted to give me away? Granny doted on me so much…”
“She sent you away several times, actually.”
Old Man Ma said, “Granny had never given birth or raised a child. You peed like a waterfall, cried at night, cried when you were hungry, cried when you were full, cried when you couldn’t sleep. That cow in the pen was almost driven mad by your crying in the middle of the night. Of course Granny was annoyed. The rest of us old folks were also driven up the wall. Back then, the Village Chief and the Medicine Master both said it would be better to send you away, so we could have some peace and quiet.”
Qin Mu’s chest ached even more. His face darkened as he said, “Village Chief Grandpa and Medicine Master Grandpa also wanted to send me away? How come I don’t remember any of this?”
The Cripple laughed, “You weren’t even a year old then, how could you remember? It wasn’t just the bedwetting—you also pooped in the bed. The Mute originally said he’d give you away to someone else to raise, and throw in a milk cow as a bonus. But then you stopped wetting the bed, so they didn’t give you away…”
“The Mute Grandpa also wanted to give me away?”
Qin Mu was silent for a moment, then said, “At least Blind Grandpa and Deaf Grandpa doted on me.”
Old Man Ma said, “The Blind Man did dote on you. But after he picked you up and lifted you high, and you peed right in his face, he didn’t say a word when Granny sent you away.”
The Cripple said, “When you were little, the Deaf Man was the most annoyed with you. You always climbed onto his desk, got ink everywhere, and even peed in his inkstone…”
He sighed, “You were still cute when you wet the bed. When you got a little older, you weren’t cute anymore. You climbed up onto the village’s stone statues and peed on them.”
Qin Mu was deeply wounded. He said hoarsely, “Grandpa Ma, Grandpa Cripple, I’m the Sect Leader of the Demon Sect now. Can we please stop talking about bedwetting? I’ll go take a look at your leg and arm.”
The Cripple said to Old Man Ma with a smile, “This business about wetting the bed and being given away by Granny—even after I’m dead and stuffed into a coffin, thinking about it will make me jump up laughing.”
Old Man Ma showed a faint smile. “Me too.”
Qin Mu walked into the courtyard with a dark face, brought the alchemy furnace and medicine cauldron inside, and examined their arm and leg. He then took out the Young Guardian Sword, cut a small opening in the Cripple’s leg, and extracted a few drops of blood to examine closely.
After a moment, he also cut Old Man Ma’s arm, extracted a few drops of blood, and studied them for a while. He said, “Old Man Ma’s arm has lost nearly half its vitality, but it’s been well-maintained. It seems someone has been using Buddhist true words to vibrate the blood essence in the arm, keeping the blood fresh. With some nourishing elixirs to restore vitality, it can be reattached. After a few more years of cultivation, it will be as good as new.”
Old Man Ma said, “My arm was placed in the Thousand Buddha Pagoda. Inside that pagoda are the physical bodies of successive Tathagatas. Monks chant true words day and night to preserve the vitality of the bodies.”
Qin Mu was startled and exclaimed, “Does the Great Thunderclap Monastery really have a thousand Buddhas?”
Old Man Ma shook his head. “I never counted. Probably.”
Qin Mu steadied himself and examined the Cripple’s leg. He said, “Grandpa Cripple’s leg… the blood has gone bad. The leg is dead. It can’t be reattached.”
The Cripple’s face turned pale, and the smile vanished from his face. He cried out, “How is that possible? I’m known throughout the world as the Divine Leg! These two legs were cultivated to the divine realm! How could they be dead? Besides, this leg was cut off not long ago—just twenty or thirty years. I refuse to believe it’s inferior to Old Man Ma’s Divine Fist! It must still be alive!”
Qin Mu showed a simple, honest smile. “Grandpa Cripple, accept it. It’s already dead. It can’t be reattached. Also, I just tasted your blood, and it has the flavor of five-spice powder and smoked meat. I suspect the Imperial Preceptor has turned this leg into a cured ham.”
The Cripple was so angry he laughed. “You little brat, trying to fool me again. Would the Imperial Preceptor be so poor that he’d pickle my leg and eat it as cured meat?”
Then he grew nervous again. “That Imperial Preceptor really is dirt poor… he wouldn’t actually make it into cured meat, would he?”
Qin Mu was smug.
Old Man Ma said, “Don’t scare him. Thieves have weak nerves.”
Qin Mu laughed. “Old Man Ma’s arm and Grandpa Cripple’s leg are a bit less lively than Grandpa Tu’s lower body, but fortunately, there’s still some vitality left. I’ll first nourish the vitality of your severed limbs with medicine. After ten days or half a month, they should be revived enough to reattach. Then there won’t be any problem. Grandpa Tu’s lower body was grafted onto the body of the Wu Venerate, so there were no lingering issues. Yours are a bit worse off, lacking the nourishment of living tissue.”
Old Man Ma and the Cripple each breathed a sigh of relief. Old Man Ma said, “As long as they can be reattached, that’s fine.”
The Cripple laughed. “I took one of each type of spiritual medicine from the imperial treasury. Take a look and see which ones you can use. If there’s anything missing, I’ll go… borrow some more.”
“No need. The Imperial Academy’s storehouse should have those herbs.”
Qin Mu went to the courtyard and was about to examine the types of spiritual medicines when suddenly Fox Ling’er’s voice came from outside. “Young master, the Imperial Preceptor has come to visit.”
“The Imperial Preceptor again? Could it be that Grandpa Cripple’s deed has been discovered, and he tracked him here?”
Qin Mu grew alert. He turned around and closed the door to the main hall, straightened his clothes, and opened the door to look. The Imperial Preceptor of the Yan Kingdom stood outside. This middle-aged man, who commanded awe in all directions, seemed a bit uneasy. He stood there for a long while before slowly saying, “Doctor of the Imperial Academy, you are a man of great wealth. Could you lend me some money?”
Qin Mu was puzzled and laughed. “Imperial Preceptor, you’ve come all this way just to borrow money? The esteemed Imperial Preceptor of the Yan Kingdom—how could you be short of money?”
The Imperial Preceptor was silent for a moment, then said, “I went out to campaign, and my home was burglarized. It was cleaned out completely. Now I’m strapped for cash, and I have to go to the Northern Pacification Prince’s residence to offer condolences. I’m really a bit short at the moment…”
Qin Mu’s heart stirred. “Could it be that Grandpa Cripple cleaned out the Imperial Preceptor’s residence and left him not a single coin? Even with one leg missing, Grandpa Cripple is still much quicker with his hands than I am.”
He smiled. “Imperial Preceptor, how much do you need?”
The Imperial Preceptor calculated for a moment. “My monthly salary is eight hundred Da Feng coins. Just lend me one month’s salary to get through this difficulty.”
Qin Mu said to Fox Ling’er, “Ling’er, fetch a thousand Da Feng coins and give them to the Imperial Preceptor.”
Fox Ling’er acknowledged and went into the room.
Qin Mu smiled. “Imperial Preceptor, why are you so impoverished?”
The Imperial Preceptor shook his head. “Too many external possessions can hinder cultivation and wisdom. With fewer desires, money becomes less important.”
Suddenly, his eyes flickered, and he smiled. “There are other people in your room. A very powerful presence, like a Tathagata sitting there, unmoving… No, it should be two people. That person’s body blends with heaven and earth, elusive, as if he might vanish at any moment. A very high-level movement technique—he almost made me overlook him! Doctor, why not invite me in for a seat?”
Qin Mu shook his head. “Imperial Preceptor, I won’t invite you in. My elders have come, and they have injuries that make it inconvenient to see visitors.”
The Imperial Preceptor said, “So they have injuries. No wonder there are so many spiritual medicines in the courtyard. I’m also injured, so it truly is inconvenient to disturb them.”
Fox Ling’er came back carrying a large money bag. Qin Mu took the bag and handed it to the Imperial Preceptor, smiling. “Imperial Preceptor, if you’re hard up, there’s no need to pay me back. A gentleman may hold fast to poverty, but he doesn’t have to be poor. Poverty is not a requirement for being a gentleman.”
The Imperial Preceptor said, “I will repay you. In a few days, when the emperor’s rewards come down, I can return it. I’m just trying to get through these few days for now.”
He thanked Qin Mu and took his leave.
Qin Mu waited until he was far away, then had Fox Ling’er and the Dragon Qilin stand guard outside. He walked into the main hall and said, “Grandpa Cripple, did you empty out the Imperial Preceptor’s residence?”
“Empty it out?”
The Cripple shook his head. “His residence never had much money to begin with. Not even a single piece of valuable furniture. The most valuable thing was probably Deaf Man’s painting—that’s priceless.”
Qin Mu was puzzled. Was the Imperial Preceptor really that poor? He was a powerful minister who held sway over the court. How could he have no assets?
Some officials in the Yan Kingdom bought mines, set up smelters, and foundries, amassing countless fortunes. As the Imperial Preceptor, how could he be so impoverished?
The Cripple produced a scroll from somewhere and unrolled it. “This painting of the Sword God carrying a sword on his back—it should be a portrait of the Village Chief, right? The Village Chief when he was young. That Deaf Man must have seen what the Village Chief looked like when he was young. Tsk, this painting can’t be looked at. One glance and it will blind you…”
He rolled up the Sword God Carrying Sword painting and tossed it to Qin Mu. “I’m giving it to you. Use it to ward off evil. A painting of the Village Chief by Deaf Man—even ghosts and gods would find it hard to get close. Don’t open it. With your cultivation, one look and you’ll go blind, and you’ll die! Deaf Man’s painting skills hadn’t yet reached the divine realm at that time, but the person he painted was too powerful. You can’t look at it yet.”
Qin Mu was skeptical but put the scroll away in his Taotie pouch.
Old Man Ma said, “Deaf Man did indeed see the Village Chief. He respected and admired him. In the village, he got along best with the Mute. The Mute left without a word, and I reckon Deaf Man couldn’t sit still either. He’ll definitely come out to find him.”
Qin Mu was moved. Ever since he left the village, the people of the Village of the Remnant Elders had gradually come out as well. Although these old men and women said they didn’t miss him, they had all left the village for his sake.
He focused on identifying the spiritual medicines the Cripple had “borrowed” from the imperial palace. He thought to himself, “The herbs from the imperial palace are indeed all top-grade. They’re only slightly inferior to those in Medicine Master Grandpa’s medicinal garden. Truly rare spiritual medicines!”
With these medicines, he already had a formula in mind to nourish Old Man Ma’s arm and the Cripple’s divine leg. He would only need to go to the Imperial Academy’s storehouse to purchase some supplementary herbs.