Chapter 47: Seeking Medical Help (With Gratitude ❁´ω`❁)

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Unfortunately, not everything in the world could bend to his will. Just as Chen Yu was nestled on the mountain waiting for the spring millet to ripen and be harvested, a group of people appeared at the foot of the mountain, all dressed as farmers. The man leading them had a ruddy complexion and rubbed his hands anxiously, pacing back and forth, repeatedly glancing at the others, clearly hesitant.

“Let’s go! Waiting around won’t help! Sister Liu in the village keeps crying out in pain — her belly’s even bigger than when my husband was expecting our third child!”

The man hesitated a bit, opening his mouth as if to say something.

“Does the Yunhe Temple on the mountain really cure Sister Liu?” he asked.

A companion slapped him on the shoulder and muttered, “If not that, do you want to go to the county town and beg those old masters to treat her? Sister Liu’s family can’t afford to support those bloodsucking parasites!”

“But I heard there’s a Taoist priest on the mountain… these ritual folks, can they really heal the sick?”

“Hey, don’t be so naive. Taoists know a lot more. Besides, if that doesn’t work, the priest can always draw a talisman to drive away disease — that’ll save her just fine!”

“Really?”

“Of course! My old man once sought out a Taoist for treatment; otherwise, why do you think we have that statue of the Supreme Spirit Lord in our house?”

In the end, the man was persuaded, mainly because his family wasn’t wealthy enough to satisfy those greedy old masters in town, who came like locusts devouring everything.

In Shiya County, there was no formal medical hall. To get treatment, one either had to petition the county magistrate or pay a price by seeking charity from wealthy city families who maintained a group of medical practitioners.

Besides that, there were village shamans, witch doctors, and monks or cultivators residing in temples and Taoist temples. But compared to those physicians, the man had never heard of Taoists curing illnesses.

Rural rumors were often false; many peddlers claimed to be enlightened masters but sold nothing but useless ointments, tarnishing the reputation of Taoism in this regard.

“Let’s go!”

With a resolute bite of his teeth, the man recalled his sister tossing and turning on the bed, moaning in agony, and unwilling to wait another moment, he hurriedly strode up the mountain.

The others exchanged glances and sighed. Sister Zhao was kind-hearted in the village, always helping neighbors tend fields, pull weeds, and weave baskets. She had done plenty of good deeds, and now that she was in trouble, they thought they should lend a hand if they could.

“Don’t worry. People from the old Yun Gu village say this Taoist is kind-hearted. At least he won’t just smear mud on people and fool them.”

One shook his head. The village had seen wild Taoists before, who brought ointments soaked in cow urine, applied roadside dirt, and claimed they were miraculous cures. This one should be different. After all, his reputation was good; around Qingtai Mountain, it was said he was highly skilled in martial arts and exceptionally kind — a true enlightened master.

“Yunhe Temple… that’s the name, right? I’ve heard the elders mention it many times. It’s the abode of genuine Taoist immortals, not those wandering charlatans!”

With that, the four glanced around. The man had already run quite far ahead, so they stopped talking and hurried after him.

At the mountain summit stood Yunhe Temple.

Chen Yu adjusted his breathing. Compared to the chaotic attempts earlier, this time it went much smoother, and he had some understanding. Though many mysteries remained, there was at least hope.

Just moments ago, by focusing on his breath alone, he successfully manipulated the Qi within his body. Slowly, it calmed again after just one attempt, but this was undoubtedly a promising start.

His internal organs continued to strengthen steadily, the refining process neither too fast nor too slow. His internal cultivation had taken a further step forward. Judging by this, it wouldn’t be long before he mastered his internal training.

When that time came, with internal and external forces interacting, he would have to consider how to elevate his strength further and pass the crucial Dragon-Tiger threshold.

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However, these were minor details. Regarding martial arts, Chen Yu, who lived quietly on the mountain, never obsessed excessively, always adopting a natural attitude.

Instead, changes in his liver organ concerned him more.

Delicate spots spread across his liver, their patterns connecting and shimmering faintly as spiritual liquid was absorbed.

Light and shadow flickered as if divine power were being summoned. This image had appeared when the metamorphosis completed several days ago, though then the spots were few and faint. Now, fine threads wrapped the liver densely, like a vast, intricate net.

A net!

Chen Yu focused; such an image often appeared when dealing with spiritual mechanisms. Yet he never expected to find such a net inside his own body.

“Does spiritual liquid have this function?”

Soon, he discerned differences between the two.

Spiritual mechanism nets resembled tangled cocoons seen in earthworm kings or layered soil strata.

But this one, viewed through spiritual sight, truly resembled a nebula. At its shining center lay the fully transformed liver organ.

Indeed, it was breathing—his liver inhaling nourishment from the outside world—through those endless layers of netting.

The net’s farthest ends extended into blood vessels and muscles.

Seeing this, Chen Yu felt no shock, only calm, for while these nets delivered nutrients to the liver, they simultaneously distributed the absorbed spiritual liquid throughout the body.

Therefore, this likely wasn’t the effect of spiritual liquid alone.

“Qi, perhaps…”

Feeling it, his body seemed to advance more rapidly, even invigorating the primordial blood within.

It appeared Qi seeds were indispensable; he needed to cultivate more.

Chen Yu intended to implant Qi throughout his body, though it would have been better if he could simply form Qi apertures inside to hang them directly.

But there were always more solutions than difficulties. Drawing Qi was troublesome; to save effort and avoid repeatedly summoning it from the dantian to various body parts, he made use of acupoints that already channeled Qi.

Relying on the thick fetal membranes inside, Chen Yu successfully turned these into Qi relay points, saving time and energy and greatly reducing spiritual power consumption.

After resting briefly and about to continue, suddenly a whisper came from outside the mountain gate.

His hearing was keener now, far surpassing before.

Though dozens of steps away, he could still hear footsteps and voices outside.

About three to five people were together, seeming hesitant.

Just as he prepared to listen more closely, two loud voices suddenly called out:

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“Is the Taoist here?!”

“Immortal of Yunhe Temple! Please, save my sister!”

“Master, please save Sister Liu!”

Outside the courtyard, a group clamored and wailed, their voices echoing across the mountain.

They shouted with heads bowed, doors open but dared not enter rashly, fearing they might offend the master. They could only plead through calls to express their intent.

In their urgency, they failed to modulate their volume, making quite a racket.

“…”

After a short while, a figure emerged from the temple.

The group hurried forward to inquire. The leader was tall and sturdy but acted meekly.

“I am Chen Yu of Yunhe Temple, a humble cultivator residing on the mountain. Sirs, what brings you here?”

He had already heard their cries but, due to the chaos, asked them to explain clearly.

Hearing this, the group exchanged glances, and finally, the man spoke, recounting the whole story. At the end, he couldn’t help but ask if the Taoist could heal, occasionally peeking into the courtyard, hoping a white-bearded immortal would appear.

Chen Yu had read many medical texts in his study and learned from an old Taoist in a past life. Though not an expert, he was capable of addressing the current problem.

The villagers’ appearance, complexion, and dress confirmed they were farmers, and their words seemed sincere. Chen Yu’s expression remained calm; after some thought, he agreed.

“Don’t worry. I am alone in this temple, but your relative’s illness should be no trouble. I will accompany you all down the mountain to have a look.”

The man’s face fell. The Taoist was too young to inspire confidence. At that moment, he regretted listening to the villagers. Had he known, he might have tried his luck directly in the city, hoping to find a less greedy benefactor.

Chen Yu, of course, was unaware of their thoughts and would not care even if he knew.

A trip down the mountain to buy some supplies would be just fine.

In fact, he had information. From their description, the illness was truly not difficult to cure.

“Let us go. Please lead the way.”

After a brief preparation, Chen Yu changed into his Taoist robe, finally looking the part of an enlightened master.

The six descended the mountain, heading toward a certain village.