Chapter 87: What a F***ing Coincidence!
The moment this "divine doctor" appeared, he immediately attracted the eyes of all passersby. The banner, clearly made from a piece of rag picked up somewhere, swayed back and forth, blinding countless dog eyes. The sixteen crooked characters written on it exuded a deep sense of madness. And amazingly, they even rhymed!
"Where did this guy come from? Looks decent enough, but he's out here scamming people this early in the morning."
"Ah, these days, there are more and more swindlers running around. And he claims to have self-severed his dick, tsk tsk... He probably doesn't even have one, right?"
"And a peerless divine doctor? Pfft! If anyone actually believes that, they'd have to be an idiot!"
The middle-aged "divine doctor" didn't even have a shop, let alone a chair or stool. He held up his banner and walked from the front street to the back street, then from the back street to the front street—three full rounds—without a single patient coming up to consult him. Most people who passed by looked at him like he was a madman. Occasionally, a few young women would walk past, snort lightly, and hurry away with red faces.
"What does 'self-sever his dick' even mean?"
This was already the eighth time Mo Li had asked him.
"It really doesn't mean anything! I just used it for the rhyme!" Yun Che said with a straight face, patiently explaining.
"This princess doesn't believe you!"
"Then what else could it mean? Just read it: 'Peerless divine doctor, cures all ills; if he can't cure, he'll self-sever his dick!' It flows so smoothly! If I changed it to 'self-sever his wrist,' 'self-cut his throat,' 'self-break his meridians,' or 'commit suicide to apologize,' it would sound awkward as hell, and the artistic conception would be a million miles off! As for the 'dick,' it's really not anything specific—just pure rhyme, rhyme!" Yun Che explained tirelessly while secretly wiping the cold sweat from his forehead.
Mo Li had always been as forceful as a little demon in front of him, which sometimes made Yun Che subconsciously forget her age. This little Mo Li, who usually acted like she knew everything, couldn't comprehend the concept of "self-severing his dick" at all. Ever since he wrote those four characters on that ragged banner, she had been pestering him like a curious child, asking over and over again...
After he answered her for the eighth time, she seemed to finally believe him and stopped asking.
"Ah, these days, it's really tough being an unlicensed doctor. Not a single person has come to ask for treatment. I can't exactly rent a medical shop, can I? That would cost time and a lot of money, and I might even get caught." After walking back and forth five times, Yun Che's heart began to groan in distress.
Just then, from the east end of the street, two people came walking over, looking around nervously. They walked hastily with bitter expressions, like they had just run into some major bad luck.
"We've practically invited every doctor in the city with a name. We've even brought in the chief physicians and alchemists from all the major sects, and none of them could do anything. Now we have to keep looking... but where?!" one of them grumbled with a pained face.
"Ugh, we're in pairs, and we can't go back unless we find a doctor. Looks like we won't be going home today," the other said gloomily.
"A few of our brothers have already agreed to search outside the city. Maybe we should go out there too? It's farther, but at least it's better than going back empty-handed and getting punished."
As they were talking, they suddenly looked up and saw that ragged banner swaying less than ten steps ahead of them.
"Damn! A peerless divine doctor?" Both their eyes lit up.
"Forget it, it's obviously a scam. An unlicensed doctor dares to call himself a peerless divine doctor."
"Who cares! They told us to find a doctor, and this is one! Never mind if he's real or fake! If he's a swindler, someone else will deal with him. We just need to deliver him and be done with it. Besides, maybe he does know a thing or two about medicine."
"Good point! Let's go!"
Having made up their minds, they quickened their pace and rushed in front of the "divine doctor." "Esteemed doctor, the young sect master of our sect was severely injured yesterday and urgently needs a physician. Since you claim to be a peerless divine doctor who can cure anything, the young sect master's injury should be no trouble for you. Please come back to our sect with us immediately."
One man stood in front of the "divine doctor" and the other behind him, their posture half invitation, half coercion. The "divine doctor" glanced at them and muttered inwardly: Young sect master? Severe injury... That can't be a coincidence, can it?
The "divine doctor" stroked his long beard and said calmly, "Healing the sick and saving the dying is the duty of a physician. I will go back with you. May I ask... which sect do you belong to?"
"Ha! The name of our sect is enough to scare you to death!" The two men puffed out their chests with pride. "We are the number one sect in New Moon City—the Xiao Sect! If you can cure our young sect master's injuries, the sect will not treat you poorly. Not only will you be richly rewarded, but you'll also make a name for yourself in New Moon City. But if you can't cure him... hmph..."
The Xiao Sect...
Holy shit!
Yun Che's carefully disguised brow twitched, and he let out a long, silent groan: This is... too damn coincidental! I was planning to show off my medical skills, spend three days making a name for myself in New Moon City, then have it reach the ears of the Xiao Sect, and have them send someone to invite me... everything going smoothly! But I haven't even treated a single patient, and the Xiao Sect comes to me on their own!
He immediately put on an air of superiority, looking like a lofty expert, and laughed lightly. "A physician treats without asking about family background or wealth. In all my years of practice, there has never been an illness or injury I couldn't cure. Lead the way. Take me to your sect."
Hearing him speak so confidently, it almost seemed like he actually had some skill. But these two didn't care about that—as long as they could bring him into the sect. One led the way in front, while the other followed behind, as if afraid this "divine doctor" might escape and they wouldn't be able to report back.
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Entering the Xiao Sect's branch sect for the first time, Yun Che's first impression was: big! Very big!
The entire sect stretched for several miles at the foot of Yue Nan Mountain, and this was only the outer perimeter. The core of the sect was up on the mountain itself, with the entire mountain belonging to the sect. As Yun Che walked along the mountain path, he couldn't help but sigh... The Xiao Sect in Liu Yun City, where he was born, was considered the largest sect in the city, but compared to this branch sect of the Xiao Sect, it was so small it was barely visible. If you really compared them, this branch sect was probably less than one percent of the main Xiao Sect.
If a mere branch sect was this grand, one could only imagine how massive the main Xiao Sect must be.
Along the way, Yun Che tried hard to memorize the route they took, but with all the twists and turns, going left then up, then right then up, even with his strong memory, his mind ended up a tangled mess. He finally had to admit helplessly that unless he lived here for a month or two, it would be basically impossible not to get lost inside.
If that was the case, escaping after he succeeded would be a huge problem... Ah well, I'll cross that bridge when I come to it.
After walking for a long time and passing through at least a dozen profound force scans, he was brought to a part of the branch sect near the mountain—the most valuable part of the entire branch. But for the sake of Xiao Luocheng, the branch had taken it out. However, whether inside the Xiao Sect or in New Moon City, no one had any idea how to use this Purple Vein Heavenly Crystal. Because even a fingernail-sized piece of this stuff was priceless. Few people had ever even seen it, let alone used it. Some medical texts recorded it, and some physicians had memorized the knowledge, but not a single one dared to use it... because if they made even the slightest mistake and wasted the Purple Vein Heavenly Crystal without healing Xiao Luocheng, the consequences would be unthinkable... A quick death would be the best outcome.
Normally, no matter how talented a person was or how much hope was placed in them, once they were crippled, they became useless. No one would waste any more resources on them, because it would be pure waste. But Xiao Luocheng was different—he was also the prospective grandson-in-law of an elder from the main Xiao Sect. The entire New Moon City branch was counting on that connection to turn things around. Xiao Wuji had agreed to betroth his granddaughter to Xiao Luocheng largely because Xiao Luocheng's talent was quite impressive, even above average in the main sect. But now that he had become like this, the most likely outcome was that Xiao Wuji would break off the engagement.
Earlier, Xiao Tiannan had loudly proclaimed at the entrance of the New Moon Mystic Palace that Xiao Luocheng was still the prospective grandson-in-law of the main sect's elder, bluffing the entire Mystic Palace. But in his heart, he was more anxious than anyone. If the people Xiao Wuji sent saw Xiao Luocheng's injuries and immediately turned around and left, he would be left crying in despair. Not wasting effort on a cripple was an entirely normal outcome.
So, Xiao Tiannan was determined to restore Xiao Luocheng's injuries as much as possible before the main sect's people arrived, even if it meant taking out the precious Purple Vein Heavenly Crystal. Restoring his profound force was impossible, but if he could use the Purple Vein Heavenly Crystal to restore his meridians and profound veins—in other words, restore his original talent—then even without profound force, he wouldn't be considered a cripple. At worst, he would have to start over. That would greatly reduce the chance of Xiao Wuji breaking off the engagement.
This entire night, Xiao Tiannan had sent people to search for every physician in New Moon City, including those from various sects, all to no avail. Not a single one dared to touch the Purple Vein Heavenly Crystal, and no one had any other method of healing. And every day that Xiao Luocheng's injuries were delayed, the hope of healing grew slimmer. Xiao Tiannan was so worried that his hair had turned white in spots, and he hated Yun Che to the bone.
"Sect Master Xiao, this old man truly cannot help. I am ashamed."
"The young sect master's injuries are too severe. This old man is incompetent. I can only prescribe some medicine to temporarily stabilize his condition. As for a full recovery... sigh."
"Perhaps the only thing that could heal the young sect master's injuries is the Purple Vein Heavenly Crystal. But this old man has seen such a divine object only once in his life, and I cannot control it."
...
"Quacks! Useless quacks, all of you! Worthless!" Xiao Tiannan roared without any dignity, shaking all over.