Chapter 1501: Why Not?

“Steal the Wuliang Fruit?” The Ghost Doctor froze, then smiled, nearly bursting into loud laughter. Shaking his head, he sighed. “You people truly will stop at nothing to get what you want. You’ll even resort to made-up nonsense that wouldn’t fool a ghost. Do you really think my disciples and I are fools who know nothing of the world outside?”

Niu Youdao smiled. “Why do you say that?”

Anger quickly returned to the Ghost Doctor’s face. “As far as I know, the Wuliang Fruit tree had already flowered before it was destroyed. The Wuliang Fruit takes thirty years to flower, thirty more to set fruit, and another thirty for the fruit to ripen. In other words, the Wuliang Fruit must have been stolen at least thirty years ago. How old was my disciple Wuxin thirty years ago? He was a mortal brat no bigger than a fart, and you expect me to believe he took part in stealing the Wuliang Fruit? Do you take the Three Sacred Venerables for fools, or do you think I’m that easy to frighten?”

Niu Youdao studied him and gave a slight nod. “Good. If you can think that quickly on your feet, that’s enough. Otherwise, I really would worry you couldn’t handle the job. Hei Li, who told you the Wuliang Fruit tree must take thirty years to flower?”

The Ghost Doctor answered forcefully, “Everyone under Heaven knows that!”

“Don’t get so worked up. Let me tell you something not everyone under Heaven knows. Yes, under normal circumstances, the Wuliang Fruit grows exactly as you described. But do you know why its flowering period lasts thirty years? Why it takes another thirty years to set fruit, then another thirty for the fruit to ripen?”

The Ghost Doctor paused. That truly stumped him. After thinking it over for a moment, he said uncertainly, “The Wuliang Fruit is no ordinary thing. It is nurtured into being by the spiritual qi gathered between Heaven and Earth. It must absorb enough of that spiritual qi before it can mature. Presumably, that is why it grows so slowly.”

The old man’s answer genuinely impressed Niu Youdao. Something he himself had once failed to understand had been guessed almost perfectly by the Ghost Doctor in an instant. Niu Youdao clapped in admiration. “Sir, you truly deserve your reputation as a famed physician of your generation. In treating illness, you understand the workings of the human body. The workings of man resemble the cycles of Heaven and Earth; grasp one principle and a hundred become clear. Since you understand the art of healing, it’s hardly surprising that you can reason this out.”

He clasped his hands behind his back. “Exactly! That is the reason. You must also know how many years it had been since the Wuliang Fruit was last harvested. And you must know how much spiritual qi of Heaven and Earth that Wuliang Fruit tree had absorbed into its trunk and held in reserve, waiting to burst forth. Not merely thirty years. A full two hundred!”

The Ghost Doctor seemed to understand something now. Suspicion flickered across his face, but he still gave a disdainful snort. “What does that have to do with my disciple?”

Niu Youdao chuckled. “Have you heard about Niu Youdao inspecting Wuliang Garden?”

The Ghost Doctor found the question baffling. “What does that have to do with my disciple?”

Niu Youdao asked again, “Have you heard that Niu Youdao was attacked after inspecting Wuliang Garden?”

Still baffled, the Ghost Doctor flung his sleeve. “What does that have to do with my disciple?”

Niu Youdao smiled broadly. “Do you know that it was Niu Youdao who stole the Wuliang Fruit? Afterward, to get away, he used a golden cicada shedding its shell and substituted another man in his place, setting up a stand-in to die for him so he could fake his own death and escape.”

What utter bullshit. The Ghost Doctor lost his temper. “What does that have to do with my disciple?”

Niu Youdao chuckled. “Do you truly not know, or are you pretending to be muddleheaded? That false Niu Youdao, the substitute who died in his place, was made by your disciple Wuxin. Wuxin used his own exquisite medical skill to change the man’s face and appearance. And you say this has nothing to do with you? Even if I believe you, will anyone else? Do you think the Three Sacred Venerables will believe you?”

The Ghost Doctor’s heart jolted. For a moment he was completely stunned. At last he pinched his beard between his fingers and muttered a feeble protest. “Nonsense!”

“Stop pretending with me. Since you’re unwilling to help, you and your disciples can take your time explaining to the Three Sacred Venerables where the Wuliang Fruit went.” With that, Niu Youdao came around the far side of the long table and strode away.

The Ghost Doctor’s heart trembled. He nearly snapped his own beard between his fingers. “Wait!”

Niu Youdao stopped and turned. “What further instruction might you have for me, sir?”

The Ghost Doctor seemed to be speaking through clenched teeth, his eyes all but spitting fire. He enunciated each word. “What do you want me to do?”

Niu Youdao smiled. “Treat an illness and save a life.”

The Ghost Doctor looked suspicious. “That’s all? Whom am I saving?”

“Of course, there are a few other things you’ll have to do along the way. They may look dangerous, but in truth, refusing is more dangerous. Doing them will actually make you safer. Afterward, no one will dare touch you. I can guarantee that even if the Three Sacred Venerables learn what happened, they will pretend they know nothing. Not only will they leave you alone, they’ll even find ways to cover for you and your disciples. You will need some courage, that much is true. But I can also promise you this will be the last time I trouble you. Once this matter is over, you will be completely free. Put another way, what comes after this is beyond anything you can involve yourselves in.”

The Ghost Doctor was wary. “What exactly is it?” He did not even know what the matter was. How could he trust anything the other man said? Who would believe a bare verbal guarantee?

“Nothing much. I only need you to make a trip into the Sacred Realm to save someone…”

Niu Youdao then explained in detail exactly what he wanted the Ghost Doctor to do, carefully instructing him on every point.

The more the Ghost Doctor heard, the more uncertain he became. At times he was shocked, at times startled into alarm, and now and then he interrupted to ask a question or two.

Once he had explained everything, Niu Youdao spread his hands. “You see, once you do this, my side certainly won’t dare touch you, because we can’t afford to arouse the Three Sacred Venerables’ suspicions. Afterward, we certainly won’t dare coerce you into doing anything else either. As for the Three Sacred Venerables, they won’t dare touch you either, lest they alert the snake by striking the grass. If the Three Sacred Venerables win, you’ll have rendered them a service and need fear nothing. If we win, you’ll likewise have rendered us a service and need fear nothing. In short, all you need to do is wait quietly for the victor to emerge between us and the Three Sacred Venerables. Once this is done, you can rest easy. All it takes is a little nerve to carry it out once. There’s no danger at all. This is an excellent thing for you. Why wouldn’t you do it?”

The Ghost Doctor had to admit defeat. He knew he had met a master at this game, someone far more formidable than those who had come before to threaten him. The man was plainly using him, yet somehow made it sound as though he were helping him. Worse, the reasoning made perfect sense. The Ghost Doctor actually found himself tempted, unable to summon much desire to refuse. What kind of absurd situation was this?

He weighed it in silence for a while, then suddenly frowned. “I’ve heard the Three Sacred Venerables’ people here say that the Sacred Realm’s entrances and exits are now subject to extremely strict inspection. Outsiders cannot enter or leave easily. I can’t get into the Sacred Realm, and even if I did, I’m afraid I wouldn’t be able to move around freely.”

Niu Youdao waved a hand. “You’re worrying too much. Everything will be arranged for you on my side. Someone will take you in, and once you’re inside, someone else will meet you. Don’t underestimate our reach. There will be people cooperating with you.”

The Ghost Doctor’s face remained taut. He fell silent for a long while, then finally clenched his teeth. “Fine! I hope you keep your word. I’ll do one last thing for you. But if you try to force me again, I’ll fight you to mutual ruin, fish dead and net torn!”

Niu Youdao laughed. “There’s no need for anything so drastic. Rest assured, we keep our word. This will be the last time. There are some matters I still hope you’ll handle cautiously, though. Things your disciples don’t need to know are best left unsaid. They may still be a little green and may not withstand a fright very well. The less they know, the safer they’ll be. Surely you understand that.”

The Ghost Doctor was agitated and distracted. He flung his sleeve. “Go. They’ll be back soon.”

“Farewell!” Niu Youdao cupped his hands, opened the door, and strode out.

Inside the medicine hut, the Ghost Doctor tipped his head back and let out a long sigh. Swept into such terrifying waves, he truly had no control over his own course. How could he not lament it?

More frightening still, there were quite a few people of the Three Sacred Venerables inside his Medicine Valley, yet the other party had dared enter the valley directly and appear inside his medicine hut without a sound. Even the Ghost Doctor himself could not believe there was no inside help within Medicine Valley.

After leaving the medicine hut, Niu Youdao casually picked up an empty basket from the roadside and slung it over his back. He now looked every bit like one of Medicine Valley’s laborers.

As he walked along the mountain path on this side, two people appeared on the path opposite. They were Wuxin and Wuxiang, walking together toward the medicine hut.

Niu Youdao paid them no attention, and neither of them spared him a second glance.

Passing the medicinal fields, Niu Youdao saw Medicine Valley people tending the herbs and continued on with complete composure.

Those busy in the valley hardly noticed him either. A place that had been peaceful for too long had almost no sense of danger or precaution left.

Niu Youdao walked calmly all the way to the seashore. When no one nearby was watching, he quietly slipped into the sea and disappeared beneath the water…

Wuxin and Wuxiang arrived at the medicine hut. Their master was sitting on a low stool with his head bowed, lost in thought. His spirits seemed unusually low.

“Master!” The two martial brothers saluted him.

The Ghost Doctor looked up at them, then rose and went outside. After looking around in every direction, he returned to the hut and fixed his gaze on the curious Wuxin. “Answer me this. Did you ever use the medical arts I taught you to alter someone’s face and appearance and turn him into a Niu Youdao?”

There were some things he hardly needed to ask. Since his visitor had been willing to reveal such secrets to him, the Ghost Doctor reckoned the matter was almost certainly true.

“Niu Youdao?” Wuxin was startled. “Master, why did you suddenly think of him?”

The Ghost Doctor said, “Answer me. Did you, or didn’t you?”

Wuxin fell silent for a moment, then finally nodded. “I did. Back when I was in the Qi capital, I altered one man’s face and appearance to make him look like Niu Youdao.”

“You…” The Ghost Doctor pointed at him, so furious he felt he might spit blood. He nearly slapped the disciple across the face. Bitterly disappointed in him, he said, “How many times have I told you not to involve yourself in the grudges between the great powers? Those are forces people like us cannot casually provoke. I told you not to get involved, so why would you refuse to listen? What kind of man is Niu Youdao? He’s an Elder of Zijin Cave, someone of considerable standing in the cultivation world, and he commands the strongest secular military power in the State of Yan. Why would you meddle in something involving him?”

Wuxiang looked from one to the other. Niu Youdao was no stranger to him. He had seen the man many times in years past and had even met him at Maolu Villa. He knew Niu Youdao also wielded considerable influence in Jinzhou. This was a man whose single word could decide the fates of countless people. The power in his hands was indeed immense.

Wuxin explained, “Master, I truly was muddleheaded at the time. When disaster befell me years ago, Niu Youdao had been making trouble behind the scenes. I couldn’t swallow that grievance, but I had no ability to avenge it myself. Then I happened to meet someone who wanted revenge on Niu Youdao, and I couldn’t resist the thought of borrowing another man’s knife to kill him.”

“Revenge?” The Ghost Doctor laughed despite himself, driven to laughter by sheer anger. “Look at you. Muddleheaded, knowing nothing but a little medicine, and you still thought you could take revenge on a cunning schemer who commanded enormous power? You wouldn’t even have had a chance to get near him. What were you going to take revenge with? Are you tired of living? Do you believe one word from him could have had people in the State of Qi kill you? I guarantee you would have died without a sound.”

[End of Chapter 1501]