Jianghu Qimen Lu

Chapter 57 The Medicine King's Poisonous Tricks

Just then, someone shouted, "Come quick! The bees have all flown away!" Bai Shandian rushed to the window and looked out. Sure enough, the weather was fine and sunny, the clear blue sky was completely clear. Everyone opened the doors and came out. They saw that many soldiers in the courtyard had also been stung by the bees and had collapsed on the ground, almost dead. Bai Shandian ordered the troops to assemble, leaving a small team to clean up the battlefield, while the rest, carrying the wounded and sick, were led back to the governor's mansion by a captain. He and Hongchen took Hongyue back to the general's mansion. The general's wife was heartbroken to see her daughter in such a state and immediately sent people to fetch the best doctors in the city. Unfortunately, many doctors were consulted, but they all said they were powerless to help, because this bee venom was extremely potent and would surely kill someone within seven days! To this day, the medical community still had no clue what to do. Finally, one doctor said, "I've heard that there's a legendary doctor in Wansongling, Yangzhou, who specializes in treating difficult and complicated illnesses and is known in the martial arts world as the 'King of Medicine.' Perhaps he can cure your daughter's illness! However, this is just a legend in the martial arts world. No one has ever seen the 'King of Medicine,' so we don't know if it's true or not. If you're willing to go to Yangzhou and try your luck, sir, you might as well give it a shot. Take my words as a suggestion."

"The Medicine King?" Bai Shandian suddenly remembered something. After the doctor left, he said to Hongchen, "As far as I know, the master of Zhang Kuang, the Governor-General of Jiangzhe, was called the Medicine King! He once told me that when he was wandering the martial world, he was escorting a caravan through Yangzhou. He saw a group of bandits harassing a young girl, so he bravely intervened and drove them away. However, one of the bandits used a hidden weapon to injure his arm. Unexpectedly, the weapon was poisoned, and he immediately lost consciousness... When he woke up, he found himself lying in a cave. The light was excellent, and an old man with white hair was smiling at him in front of the bed. He struggled to sit up and saw that the throwing knife in his right arm had been removed and bandaged. He tried to lift his arm and found it easy. He was overjoyed because the poison had been neutralized! He hurriedly wanted to get out of bed to thank the old man, but the old man stopped him and said..." "Don't act rashly," the old man warned, "because the poison has just been neutralized, and a rebound is highly likely. He must wait at least three days before getting out of bed!" He also instructed the old man to learn a breathing exercise to expel the poison from his chest and recover quickly. Zhang Kuang immediately and obediently addressed the old man as "Master," declaring his willingness to become his disciple and stating that a teacher for a day is a father for life. The old man was delighted, seeing his sincerity, and neither agreed nor disagreed, immediately teaching him a set of breathing exercises. Unexpectedly, three days later, the old man vanished without a trace, leaving only a letter on a stone table in the cave, on which was written a seven-character quatrain: "Upholding justice and slaying the wicked, I fell into prison and went to the Yellow Springs. The medicine cured my illness, and I returned home; if we meet again, we will not recognize each other, and there will be no debt between us!" The signature was: "Medicine King." From then on, Zhang Kuang kept the Medicine King's image and smile in his heart, hoping to see his mentor again, but decades passed, and he never saw him again. He had never met him even once. This had always been a great regret in Zhang Kuang's life, and something he had been constantly inquiring about. Therefore, he often mentioned this matter to outsiders, hoping to find out about the Medicine King. So many years had passed, was the Medicine King still alive? Why were there still so many people spreading rumors about his miraculous cures and praising his healing abilities? Could he really be a deity, someone you could only meet once in a lifetime? Hong Chen, looking annoyed, shouted angrily, "What Medicine King? It's just hearsay! That doctor was just making excuses because he was less skilled! Lord Bai, the vast Wansong Ridge is said to be where Emperor Shunzhi of the Qing Dynasty killed more than 800,000 people during the massacre in Yangzhou while suppressing the rebellion of the Southern Ming King. To cover his tracks and prevent the world from discovering the truth, he secretly buried many corpses on a desolate ridge in the northern suburbs of Yangzhou, creating a mass grave. That place is located..." "It's remote, desolate, and overgrown with weeds. How can anyone live there? Besides, no sane person would settle down in that graveyard full of skeletons!" Before Bai Shandian could say anything, the general's wife impatiently shouted, "How can you say that! Our precious daughter is on the verge of death, her fate uncertain. As long as there's a glimmer of hope, we'll try anything, even risk our lives! You don't dare go to Wansongling in Yangzhou, do you? Fine! I'll take people there tomorrow! Let alone a small graveyard, even if it's the eighteenth level of hell, I'll brave it!" Seeing her spirited and heroic demeanor, no less than that of the bearded man, Bai Shandian was deeply moved and excitedly said, "Lord Hong, I'll go to Wansongling with you first thing tomorrow morning! I hope that good fortune will come and we can find the Medicine King to cure Miss Hong!" Hong Chen, seeing that he had said this, naturally had nothing to say.

Early the next morning, Hongchen mustered 580 bannermen and, together with Bai Shandian, galloped to Wansongling in Yangzhou, their iron hooves thundering and dust billowing. Wansongling, situated in the Shugang Slender West Lake area, has always been considered the dragon vein of Yangzhou. Located on the delta plain, Yangzhou has only one high ground, Shugang, which stretches across the northern suburbs of the city. It was the capital of the earliest vassal state in Yangzhou's history and the birthplace of the city. Famous historical sites such as Daming Temple, Pingshan Hall, and Guanyin Mountain converge here, and since the Spring and Autumn Period, they have been known as the Three Peaks of Shugang, consistently Yangzhou's premier scenic spot. Wansongling lies north of the Shugang Slender West Lake.

But all that could be seen were verdant pines, overgrown weeds, scattered graves, and exposed, withered bones—a desolate and bleak scene, a world apart from the beautiful scenery of the Slender West Lake, where "flowers and willows line both banks, and pavilions and terraces stretch all the way to the mountains." The sight was truly an eyesore, a curse of bad luck.

A flash of white lightning illuminates the distant horizon, where the ancient road disappears into the vast wilderness, and thorns stalk elusive rabbits. The north wind howls, yellow leaves flutter, and countless withered bones lie scattered, offering no refuge. Hongchen sighed, "According to the locals, a fortune teller once said that according to the theory of Yin and Yang and the Eight Trigrams, this is a place where Yin energy clashes. Not to mention living here, even if someone dies and is buried here, they will surely be sent to the eighteenth level of hell and never be able to escape for eternity. Lord Bai, think about it, the Medicine King is supposed to be a reclusive master of his time. How could he be so foolish as to choose this place to live? If he really did that, I bet he's a complete madman! Imagine, letting a madman treat the living, isn't that absurd! That's why I advised against coming here yesterday." Bai Shandian said, "Since we're here, let's give it a try!" He then shouted loudly, his voice shaking the heavens, "Senior Medicine King, your junior Bai Shandian and General Hongchen have come all this way to ask you to treat General Hongchen's beloved daughter and some soldiers. We will reward you handsomely!" He shouted three times. Because it is located in the open field, with distant mountains like ribbons, the sound echoes, lingering and lingering for a long time.

"There's no one here! Lord Bai, it's really kind of you to come all this way. It seems we have to go back." Hongchen was even more discouraged after seeing that there was still no movement for a while, and said dejectedly. However, before he finished speaking, with a whoosh, a throwing knife flew from nowhere and clattered into the trunk of an old pine tree next to Bai Shandian. A piece of paper was stuck in the tip of the knife!

Bai Shandian hurriedly took the note and read: "If you sincerely wish to seek medical help, please enter the 9981st grave in the cemetery, knock on the tomb door, and someone will come to your aid!" Looking ahead, the graves were scattered like stars, crisscrossing, arranged with remarkable regularity, resembling a chessboard. Faintly, it even hinted at the formation of the Nine Palaces and Eight Trigrams! Hong Chen said with some concern, "Everything here seems eerie; we'd better not go in!" A captain of the Eight Banners soldiers echoed this, saying, "Lord Bai, the arrangement of these graves seems somewhat similar to the Nine Palaces and Eight Trigrams formation, but it's not quite. I don't know why! Therefore, I advise Lord Bai to think carefully before acting! Do not act rashly!" Bai Shandian, having never read "The Art of War," was reluctant to seek medical help and dared not risk venturing deeper, fearing he might be ambushed! But then he thought again. Although Hong Yueliang was a woman, she had a chivalrous heart and had saved him from danger many times. Now, because she was eager to retrieve the "Complete Book of Jianghu" for him, she was attacked and stung by poisonous bees and was on the verge of death. As a dignified man, if he didn't step up in the face of danger and cowered, would he still be human? How could he face Hong Yueliang? He said excitedly, "In order to heal the sick and save lives, we can't be afraid of danger! Think of Miss Hong and so many soldiers struggling on the edge of life and death. What is our suffering? Follow me!" He took the lead and walked into the graveyard in the bushes.