Chapter 415: The Dream Is Gone

*Creak!*

Fan Li pushed open the door and walked inside.

He first went to the Sword Maid’s bedside.

Then reached out and checked beneath her nose for breathing.

The Sword Maid’s eyes were open.

She stared at him.

“I’m... still awake.”

Fan Li shook his head.

“What if you died with your eyes open?”

“...”

The Sword Maid.

Only then did Fan Li relax.

He dropped the person slung over his shoulder onto the floor and opened the burlap sack.

Chen Daole was still dazed and unconscious.

Fan Li picked up the washbasin nearby and splashed an entire basin of cold water over his face.

*Splash!*

Chen Daole opened his eyes.

The first thing he saw was Fan Li standing in front of him.

Fan Li punched him directly in the stomach.

Then followed with a kick.

After a sustained round of punches and kicks—

Chen Daole curled up on the floor like an injured quail.

“I...

“Where is this...

“You...

“Who are you?”

Chen Daole asked with difficulty.

“Don’t think about running or resisting.

“Behave yourself.

“Otherwise, I’ll beat you.”

Chen Daole said:

“I didn’t resist...”

“Afraid you might later.

“So I beat you first.”

“...”

Chen Daole.

Fan Li then sat down on a chair nearby.

He picked up a flatbread left over from dinner and started chewing.

Chen Daole remained on the floor, slowly catching his breath and recovering.

A long while passed.

Fan Li stuffed the final piece of bread into his mouth.

He even sucked the grease from his palm.

Only then did he look toward Chen Daole again.

“I grabbed you to treat an illness.”

Chen Daole had already noticed the young girl lying on the bed.

Hearing this explanation he understood that the man in front of him was not from Great Yan’s Secret Intelligence Department or the local Lieutenant Commander’s yamen.

“But...

“I’m not a physician.

“I’m a scholar.”

Fan Li shook his head.

“Either treat her.

“Or die.”

Inside Fan Li’s philosophy of life anything could be simplified.

Made direct.

There was no need to think through so many twists and turns.

If every multiple-choice question in life only had Option A or Option B how refreshing would that be?

Chen Daole pursed his lips.

He did not dare argue further.

Although they had spent very little time together he had already understood one thing.

This iron-tower-like giant was not a man who enjoyed reasoning with others.

Chen Daole struggled to his feet.

One hand covered his stomach.

The other supported him against the bedside.

He approached the Sword Maid.

The girl lying there truly was at death’s door.

She carried the obvious appearance of an oil lamp whose fuel had almost completely burned away.

Chen Daole looked back at Fan Li in confusion.

For a moment some struggle appeared in his eyes.

But he was, after all, a descendant of the Chen Clan.

He genuinely could not bring himself to seize a young girl as a hostage merely to preserve his own life.

Though he did find it strange that the huge man was willing to sit there and casually let him approach her.

“She’s almost dead.

“Taking her hostage is useless.

“I’d just send you on the road with her.

“That way she’d suffer less too.”

Chen Daole sighed.

That explanation was strangely convincing.

He reached out.

Placed his fingertips against the girl’s pale wrist.

And began checking her pulse.

He truly was not a physician.

But in this age almost any educated scholar had read medical texts and possessed at least some familiarity with medicine.

Usually it amounted to little more than casual study for conversation.

At tea gatherings or poetry meetings, if everyone began discussing health preservation, at least you would not be left sitting there silently.

Besides, most medical classics possessed their own systems of reasoning.

Those ideas could sometimes even be borrowed when writing essays.

“Her pulse is as thin as a thread.

“Does she have some hidden chronic illness?”

Fan Li answered:

“No.”

The Sword Maid’s health had always been excellent.

Ordinarily, she rarely even caught a cold.

“May I loosen her clothing and examine her?” Chen Daole asked.

“No...

“Don’t...”

The Sword Maid refused weakly.

Fan Li, however, said:

“He’s from Jin.

“And he’s a pretty boy.

“One look and you know he likes men.

“Just pretend he’s one of your sisters.”

“...”

Chen Daole.

Fan Li walked over.

“Front or back?”

Chen Daole hurriedly answered:

“The back.

“The back is enough.”

Fan Li nodded.

He rolled the Sword Maid over, loosened her clothes, and exposed her back.

Chen Daole steadied his mind.

He placed his index finger into his mouth and bit it open.

Blood seeped out.

Then he pressed the bleeding finger against the Sword Maid’s back.

Immediately afterward—

Chen Daole began forcefully circulating his qi and blood.

This was genuine circulation.

The cut on his finger began spraying blood outward.

After a fair amount had flowed—

Chen Daole drew in a deep breath.

He put the index finger back into his mouth.

At the same time, his other palm pressed against the Sword Maid’s back and began rubbing.

After two circular motions he removed his hand.

His body staggered slightly.

His face had also grown pale.

The blood across the Sword Maid’s back began forming patterns.

Beads of blood continued trickling through them.

Chen Daole carefully observed the blood patterns.

Then exclaimed in surprise:

“Hm?

“How could this be?”

*Smack!*

Fan Li slapped the back of Chen Daole’s head.

Then cursed:

“Who are you leaving suspense for?”

Chen Daole was speechless.

But he still explained:

“This method was taught to me by an elder from a medical lineage.

“It is more accurate than pulse-taking.

“It can measure the detailed condition of a patient’s physical body, qi, and blood.”

*Smack!*

Fan Li slapped him again.

“Get to the point.”

Chen Daole drew in a deep breath.

He ignored the pain in his skull and quickly said:

“The body is governed by blood, while qi and blood depend upon one another.

“Her qi cannot rise fully, while her blood cannot descend properly.

“Therefore both qi and blood are deficient.”

Then, before Fan Li could slap him again—

Chen Daole hurriedly added:

“These are symptoms of irregular menstruation!”

Fan Li frowned.

The matter seemed to have taken an extremely strange turn.

The Sword Maid was lying facedown.

But after hearing those words a flush actually appeared across her previously pale face.

Fan Li lowered his head and looked at Chen Daole.

“This counts as an illness?”

Then he asked:

“It can get this serious?”

Then added:

“She’s about to die.”

You had better not be fucking with me.

Menstrual irregularity could kill someone?

Chen Daole answered firmly:

“According to the patterns of qi and blood, that is indeed the situation.

“May I ask—has the young lady ever had her monthly bleeding before?”

The Sword Maid was too embarrassed to answer.

Fan Li answered for her:

“No.”

“Then this should be her first time.”

Fan Li’s eyes widened.

It was as though an entirely new world had opened before him.

Everyone said childbirth meant a woman walking through the gates of Hell.

Did this count too?

Chen Daole continued:

“But logically—it should not be this severe.”

Fan Li nodded.

He also felt it should not be this severe.

Chen Daole suddenly seemed to think of something.

“Unless—there is something unusual about the young lady’s constitution.”

“She’s very swordy.”

“Hm?”

Chen Daole was afraid he had misheard.

“She is a Natural Sword Embryo.”

“A Natural Sword Embryo?”

“You know about it too?” Fan Li asked curiously.

“I once read about such people in books.

“They are Heaven-blessed geniuses of the sword path.

“If this young lady truly possesses a Natural Sword Embryo—

“I can guarantee that even the Sword Saint of my Great Jin would be unable to resist taking her as a disciple if he saw her.”

“I think so too.”

“If that is the case—then the problem should indeed originate inside her body.

“But... but...

“I truly do not know how to treat this.

“And I do not dare act recklessly.”

“Treat her anyway.

“The physicians I invited earlier only said a chill had entered her body.”

Fan Li felt the swordsman he had kidnapped was very reliable.

“If this young lady truly possesses such a precious constitution—then if my treatment causes some problem, I would be ruining a treasure bestowed by Heaven.”

“If you don’t treat her—she won’t last many more days.”

“But I...”

“If you don’t treat her—you die.”

“All right!

“I’ll treat her!”

Speaking with Fan Li was always so concise and efficient.

Fan Li stretched out one hand.

Imitating the manner his Master often used he patted Chen Daole on the shoulder.

“Don’t worry.

“If you fail to cure her, you’ll die with her.

“So don’t feel pressured.”

“...”

Chen Daole.

“Do you need anything prepared?” Fan Li asked.

“I...

“I only have one idea.

“I do not know whether it will work.”

“Say it.”

“This young lady’s constitution is unusual.

“There should be a strand of innate sword qi hidden inside her body.

“Her first menstruation caused her qi and blood to clash and fall into disorder.

“What she needs to do now is...”

“Is what?”

“Practice the sword!”

“Practice the sword?”

“Yes.

“Practice the sword.

“Use sword cultivation to regulate and gather the sword qi inside her body.

“Then calm her qi and blood.”

The Chen Clan had once been a renowned great family of Jin.

It had never produced someone at the level of the Four Great Swordsmen.

But as a family that had produced great Confucian scholars for several generations its collection of books had once been extraordinarily rich.

Before his family was broken—

Chen Daole had read widely within the household.

So his knowledge and understanding genuinely exceeded what ordinary people could compare with.

“Unfortunately, if the young lady had met a famous teacher earlier and begun practicing the sword earlier—this problem probably would never have happened.

“But trying to find a famous teacher now—there is not enough time.”

“Aren’t you able to practice the sword?” Fan Li asked.

“I practice martial arts.”

“You?

“Martial arts?

“You’re built like a rack of ribs.”

“I am lean and strong.”

“Then why are you carrying a sword?”

“If I said a friend gave it to me over dinner tonight—would you believe me, great hero?”

“You take me for an idiot?”

“Alas.”

Chen Daole.

Chen Daole shook his head helplessly.

Then he gave a bitter smile.

“Perhaps this is what the books mean when they speak of Heaven envying genius.

“Someone with talent as extraordinary as this young lady should have dazzled the world.

“She should have left her own brilliance behind in the jianghu.

“But if she never encounters the proper opportunity—then the fate waiting for her can only be an early death.

“This is Heaven’s number.

“This is destiny.”

The scholar’s old habits were emerging again.

He did not care what situation he himself was currently in.

Once emotion rose he had to sigh over it.

Fan Li, meanwhile, leaned close to the Sword Maid’s ear.

“You practiced with the Sword Saint for so long.

“You never actually practiced the sword?”

“I... did...”

“Then why are you like this?”

“Master said I was... too young...

“If I opened a Grade too early... it would damage... my foundation.”

“You’re about to lose your entire life.

“Why not try?”

“Master will... blame me...”

“If you die—your master will really blame you.”

A short while later—

Fan Li added:

“You still need to kill Master.

“If you die now—how are you going to stab straight through Master’s dog head with one sword?”

The moment those words entered her ears the Sword Maid’s already unfocused gaze suddenly sharpened.

For the first time she genuinely began trying to control the qi and blood inside her body.

Following the sword-path method her master had taught her she started circulating it.

Before she had never dared.

She had already understood and internalized many sword principles.

But she only dared think about them.

She had never dared actually operate the method inside her body.

This was her first real attempt.

Wave after wave of heat began rising from the Sword Maid’s body.

Immediately afterward large beads of sweat poured from her skin and evaporated.

White mist rose around her.

Fan Li opened his mouth.

“She’s sweating it out?”

The next instant the Sword Maid suddenly opened one hand.

*Hummm!*

The sword Zhang Yiqing had given Chen Daole, which was lying on the floor flew from its sheath.

It shot directly into the Sword Maid’s hand.

A violet glow rose from her body.

**Ninth Grade Swordsman!**

“...”

Chen Daole.

Then, the Sword Maid’s head tilted.

Her body slumped sideways.

The sword dropped from her hand and clattered onto the floor.

Drenched in sweat she looked at Fan Li.

“Big guy.

“I’m hungry.

“I want candied hawthorns.”

“All right.

“I’ll go grab someone who makes candied hawthorns for you.”

Fan Li picked up the burlap sack he had used to bind Chen Daole.

Immediately afterward the Sword Maid began crying.

“Waaah...

“Waaah...”

Although she was crying her voice was obviously far stronger than when she had been lying there half-dead.

“What are you crying for?” Fan Li asked.

“Waaah...

“I always imagined that after I grew up—

“I’d hold a sword and slowly walk toward Zheng Fan.

“One step into Ninth Grade.

“Another into Eighth.

“Seven steps into Third Grade.

“Then, while Zheng Fan stared at me in shock—

“I’d take one final half-step and imitate Master by forcibly opening Second Grade.

“Then stab Zheng Fan to death.

“Now... my dream is gone!”

————

[End of Chapter 415]