Chapter 161
Chapter 161
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 161
Chapter Title: Mount Wudang
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A middle-aged Daoist entered the reception hall, firmly closed the door behind him, and began describing his symptoms with a serious expression.
"...The space between my toes itches so badly I can't think straight?"
"That's right. Even after scratching until it bleeds, there's no improvement whatsoever. This itching is driving me mad. As a young hero of the Dang family with such profound martial achievements, you must understand—midst executing techniques, if your internal energy flow twists, you could fall into qi deviation. This is no minor ailment."
The middle-aged Daoist, embarrassed by his condition, explained in a voice as if he wanted to crawl into a mouse hole, his face flushed red.
People assume martial artists are always in perfect health, but that's only half true.
With refined internal energy constantly circulating through the eight extraordinary meridians, washing away impurities, martial artists rarely die from organ failure or heart problems.
However, without fully opening the Conception and Governing Vessels and cleansing all the body's meridians, they have no defense against minor discomforts in the limbs.
Dang Mujin responded in a deliberately professional tone.
"There's no need to be ashamed. It's not as if you've fallen ill due to a lack of virtue or wicked deeds. Besides, you're far from the first or second person to come here with the same issue."
"Is that so? I had no idea."
"That's how it is for everyone. They all suffer the same troubles in silence, groaning but never speaking out."
Martial artists lead similar daily lives, so they share a few common ailments.
The most frequent complaint is itching.
They sweat profusely every day yet can't shed their clothes due to propriety, so eczema forms where skin touches skin. And with tight shoes, they execute footwork that makes their feet sweat profusely, leading to athlete's foot.
Dang Mujin continued his explanation.
"Don't scratch and create wounds, even if it itches. Wash your feet every day without fail. And most importantly, when you sleep, ensure air circulates between your toes. Athlete's foot and eczema thrive in moist, warm conditions, so counter them with the opposite—dry and cool."
"That's all?"
"Itching is a minor but stubborn symptom, so I can't guarantee complete relief with just that."
"Then what should I do?"
"If the itching doesn't fully subside after a fortnight, visit a physician down in the village and have them prescribe Three-Ingredient Huangqin Decoction, Powder to Eliminate Wind, and Yiyi Fuzi Paichang Powder, one after another. Not all at once—finish one course, and if it doesn't work, move to the next."
Hearing Dang Mujin's advice, the Daoist's face filled with worry.
"Three-Ingredient Huangqin Decoction? As a Daoist who shuns material desires, I'm not exactly wealthy..."
"It's not made of gold, so don't worry. Twenty coppers will get you enough for ten days."
"Oh, is that how it is? Thank you."
The Daoist left the reception hall with a bright face, as if the itching had already vanished.
What makes medicine interesting is how rare it is to find physicians skilled at treating minor ailments compared to those who handle boils, stomachaches, or fevers.
Many people are poor, and physicians' doors are hard to cross unless you're quite wealthy. Minor discomforts are usually endured and ignored.
As Dang Mujin tended to the Wudang Sect warriors, many grew excited in tandem.
The Wudang warriors he examined were thrilled, and Hyun Gong, who had brought him, seemed immensely satisfied.
While the weight of Nangong Se's name as the next head or successor was greater, in terms of practicality, it paled against the Three Great Physicians of the World.
But the most delighted was someone else entirely—the physician in the village at the foot of Mount Wudang.
Since Dang Mujin had no herbs on hand, he limited himself to diagnosis, acupuncture, and prescriptions, sending everyone down to the village physician.
The village physician could now brew and sell medicines to his heart's content—a most gratifying turn. For the first time in ages, the aroma of decoctions wafted through the village below Mount Wudang.
It was a symbiotic relationship that satisfied Dang Mujin as well.
He could treat patients without the hassle and time sink of brewing decoctions himself.
'When I return home, I should offload the decoction brewing to someone else.'
And who would handle brewing decoctions? Dang Mujin imagined a child he might one day have.
*
On the third day since Dang Mujin arrived at the Wudang Sect, he was preparing to leave Mount Wudang.
The Wudang warriors whose illnesses hadn't fully resolved were taking their medicines and awaiting improvement, so patient traffic had halved.
Unless it required monitoring progress over a fortnight or a month, it was time to depart.
'Leaving tonight feels a bit rushed... I'll have lunch tomorrow and then go.'
As Dang Mujin lounged idly on his side, a square-faced Daoist built like a stone came to see him.
He hadn't come for treatment, but Dang Mujin remembered the face.
'The Preservation Hall Leader, was it?'
He didn't know what the Preservation Hall did, but one could tell from the aura that he held a heavy position.
Dang Mujin spoke in a calm tone.
"What ails you, Preservation Hall Leader?"
The Preservation Hall Leader shook his head slightly.
"It's not a bodily ailment that brings me here. Something far more important has arisen—follow me at once. Bring Nangong young hero and Hong young hero as well. Do you happen to know where Hyun Gong is?"
"Not really."
"Hmm. Understood."
"May I ask what this is about?"
When Dang Mujin inquired, the Preservation Hall Leader wore a subtle expression.
"It's awkward to explain here. You'll see when you come."
With that, the Preservation Hall Leader stepped out of the reception hall first.
Hong Geolgae shot to his feet.
"I think I know. They're showing off a sword or something."
"Oh, really?"
"We've had no dealings with the Preservation Hall Leader on Mount Wudang. The way he's holding back, it must involve someone higher up."
Hong Geolgae's guess hit the mark. The Preservation Hall Leader led Dang Mujin deep into the Wudang Sect, to a building with a plaque reading Hyuncheon Hall.
Hyuncheon Supreme Deity was one of Taoism's highest gods, an incarnation of the Primeval Lord of Heaven and symbol of the Supreme Ultimate. A building named for him was almost certainly the sect leader's residence.
Dang Mujin, Nangong Myeong, and Hong Geolgae followed the Preservation Hall Leader into Hyuncheon Hall.
At the far end was a sliding door, ajar by a couple of inches, offering a peek inside.
Dang Mujin and Nangong Myeong peered eagerly through the gap. They glimpsed an elderly man with long white beard.
But his posture looked extremely uncomfortable—not quite full lotus.
Few sect leaders of great sects sat that way, but True Person Yeongbo was among the most peculiar even among all the world's martial artists.
It was said True Person Yeongbo had never once descended Mount Wudang since entering it, and had scarcely left the sect's mountain gate more than ten times. A martial artist who had never ventured into the jianghu.
Because of this, even seasoned martial artists had rarely met him.
'Just as the rumors say.'
Standing on tiptoes and craning his neck, Dang Mujin peered closely through the sliding door.
True Person Yeongbo had no legs. More precisely, his trousers hung limp below the knees—congenital disability.
Deprived of legs, he had never learned footwork or lightness skills.
Yet he was hailed as the greatest genius among current righteous faction warriors.
His moniker: Three Steps Supreme.
He couldn't harm foes beyond three paces, but within three steps, none could best him. Even the other Six Venerables raised no objection, so Dang Mujin's group was a bit thrilled.
But at that moment, another voice—not True Person Yeongbo's—pierced their ears.
"...Yi Ryong! That villain butchered my father and hurled his body beneath Thousand-Zhang Cliff!"
"Yes. A tragic affair."
"My father always took pride in being part of the Righteous Heaven Alliance. We must punish these villains in the Alliance's name..."
Inside Hyuncheon Hall were two men: True Person Yeongbo and the Taeui Sword Sect Leader. Dang Mujin's group froze.
'...Why is that guy there?'
Whether Dang Mujin's group halted or not, the Preservation Hall Leader quietly slid the door open.
The Taeui Sword Sect Leader was too busy ranting to notice.
"...Thus, even Seung Ryong Sword young hero Hyun Gong met his end at the villain's hands. Seung Ryong Sword's talent withered unbloomed because we failed to uproot the villains in time. Even now, that fiend parades as one of the Three Great Physicians under the lofty title Yi Ryong, mocking Seung Ryong Sword's departed soul. We must punish him a hundredfold to uphold justice in the martial world and proclaim Wudang's resolve..."
But the story was off. The Taeui Sword Sect Leader spoke as if Hyun Gong were dead. Stranger still, he claimed Dang Mujin as the killer.
Nangong Myeong nudged Dang Mujin's side.
"Did you kill Hyun Gong when?"
"Kill? I saw him this morning."
"After breakfast, then?"
Hong Geolgae chimed in on Nangong Myeong's nonsense.
"Figured it out that fast? Nangong Myeong, your deductive skills aren't half bad."
"Indeed. I knew it. Surrender quietly, sinner."
With his mind already cluttered and the joke ripe for misunderstanding, Dang Mujin irritably cut in.
"Cut the crap. What if someone overhears?"
Only then did the Taeui Sword Sect Leader, catching Dang Mujin's murmur, turn his head.
Their eyes met, and the Taeui Sword Sect Leader's face hardened like stone, his hands trembling.
Raw terror.
He didn't look like the man who had boldly spoken before one of the Six Venerables.
But spotting the Preservation Hall Leader, fear washed from his face, replaced by ecstasy.
"As expected of Wudang! You foresaw the situation and subdued the villains before I even arrived?"
"Not quite. It just happened to coincide."
"Then it's heaven's aid!"
Though True Person Yeongbo refuted the speculation, the Taeui Sword Sect Leader showed no fear. With Dang Mujin's group here, punishment seemed inevitable to him.
He leaped up, pointing accusingly at Dang Mujin.
"Villain! Did you think you'd survive after butchering my father and Seung Ryong Sword?"
"...Didn't we agree not to cross paths again?"
"Agree? You think your petty power lets you bully your way out of heavenly retribution?"
"Heavenly retribution? Whatever—let's skip that. Fine, your predecessor Taeui Sword Sect Leader, but what's this about Hyun Gong?"
"Heaven knows and earth knows that you lot murdered Seung Ryong Sword!"
The Taeui Sword Sect Leader bellowed in rapture, so excited he seemed deranged.
Dang Mujin started to retort, then sighed deeply and shook his head. He realized everyone except the Taeui Sword Sect Leader was awaiting someone.
"...I don't know what gave you the gall to crawl into Wudang, but your villainy ends today!"
As the Taeui Sword Sect Leader shouted that, Dang Mujin sensed footsteps approaching from behind.
The Taeui Sword Sect Leader tried to continue, then gaped speechlessly at Dang Mujin's back.
Hyun Gong was peeking cautiously as he entered Hyuncheon Hall.
"What did you... Ahh."
Their gazes locked. The same thought flashed in both men's eyes: Why are you here?
The Taeui Sword Sect Leader was flustered, but so was Hyun Gong.
Hyun Gong's legs executed the Wudang Sect's pinnacle lightness skill, Jeunjong, in reverse.
His form stretched backward like molten sugar, a retreat far swifter than most martial artists' full sprint.
"Hyun Gong."
But before he could vanish entirely, True Person Yeongbo called him.
Hyun Gong froze like stone, then tremblingly approached True Person Yeongbo.
"Greetings, Sect Leader."
Yet, contrary to his words, True Person Yeongbo was not the center here.
Taeui Sword Sect Leader and Dang Mujin. Taeui Sword Sect Leader and Hyun Gong.
An intensely awkward tension flowed between the three.
True Person Yeongbo rubbed his hands expectantly.
"Now, shall we resume the discussion?"