Exquisite Gut (2)

The old man swiftly walked while carrying Luo Qian. Traveling overland, the old man was much faster than Luo Qian when he flew using his immortal art. Within the time taken for a meal, he had already walked out of the huge foggy area. It turned out that they were in the vast mountains, and below the fog was a deep valley.

They happened to exit the fog at the mouth of the valley, which was connected to another valley by a narrow gorge. The strange rock formations looked malicious; the rocky gorge formed a straight line. It was lined with high, steep cliffs on both sides. The sky above, with its clouds, was but a thin line.

The cold wind whooshed, and it was extremely cold as they passed through the valley. The flowers grew in clusters, and different types of trees joined together to create shade. Rare birds startled, birdsong and the symphony of insects could be heard. It was a celestial scene. immortal aura was abundant here. Luo Qian's sad Fushan cave was nowhere near comparable. However, Luo Qian was still asleep at the moment, so he didn't have the luck to appreciate such beautiful scenery.

The old man crossed the gorge and entered the valley it was connected to. He casually put his palm on a boulder at the mouth of the gorge. The boulder flashed, and its worn stone exterior faded away, turning into an incomparably beautiful jade seal. At the same time, the light in the valley shone brighter as a magical gate opened. An immortal cave mansion appeared out of thin air.

A clean-cut and handsome Immortal exited the peaceful cave mansion and respectfully said, "Old Sir, you know our sect's 'Direction Seal.' You must be one of our Master's old friends. There's no need to announce you; please come in."

The old man smiled. He ascended to the clouds with one step and traversed the sky with the second. In just two steps, he had already entered the cave mansion high above the valley. "You're also of the Mu character generation? What is your name?"

"Mu Yue. Old Sir, since you've been here before, have you met my brother, Mu Yang?"

The old man chuckled. "The disciples accepted by the Old Ghost Doctor are each smarter than the last. I'm getting a little jealous."

Mu Yue glanced at Luo Qian on the old man's back and said, "It seems that this young man is not Old Sir's beloved disciple. I thought that Old Sir is seeking medical treatment for his disciple."

As the two spoke, they had already traveled through a long corridor. Chopped green Moso Bamboo had been used to make pillars and dry thatch pressed into mud as a canopy. The ground was paved with green bricks, and stones were carved into chess pieces. In an octagonal pavilion sat an old man and a young man playing chess against each other. The old man's figure was ethereal, fading in and out of view. He sat firmly on the platform seat, stroking his long beard.

The young Immortal opposite the old man did not have this leisurely and contented look. He stared at the chessboard with his brows furrowed with a white jade chess piece and a ball of colorful light in his hand and palm respectively. The light flowed, flashing past the white chess piece. It turned into a pile of white ash and scattered into the wind.

The old man chuckled, "Yang'er, you lost again. You can clean my herb-washing robe for me as well. Hahaha…"

The old man carrying Luo Qian stood in the corridor, smiled, and asked, "Mu Yue, your old but childish master still likes to bet with his disciples?"

Mu Yue smiled. "Master does not feel comfortable if he does not wager on something or other every day."

The old man in the chess pavilion waved his arm, and a black chess piece flew out. Mu Yue only saw a flash of black light coming towards him. He wanted to dodge but was unable to. He watched as the black light moved toward his body. Knowing his master's temper, he knew it would not cause him any harm, but he probably would not be able to speak for at least half a day.

Suddenly a hand from beside him stretched out and pinched the black light easily with two fingers. The old man carrying Luo Qian smiled and said, "Old Ghost Doctor, you're punishing your disciple in front of me. You take discipline really seriously."

The old man in the chess pavilion had long noticed his presence. He watched him silently for a long time and suddenly sighed. "Brother Tie Zheng, you have already decided?"

The old man—Tie Zheng—carried Luo Qian to the chess pavilion and smiled. He said to Mu Yang, "Today's chess game was interrupted by me. It doesn't count. Therefore, your master will have to clean his dirty, smelly herb-washing robe himself."

Mu Yang was familiar with Tie Zheng, so he said with joy, "Thank you, Uncle Tie! Haha, Master, I'm not trying to worm out of the bet. With King Tiexin of the Immortal Realm as the judge, I didn't lose, and you didn't win."

Ghost Doctor didn't mind. He waved his hand and said, "Both of you leave us. I have something to discuss with Senior Master Tie."

Mu Yang and Mu Yue bowed and left together.

Tie Zheng put Luo Qian down from his shoulder.

Ghost Doctor asked, "Who is he?"

"I picked him up on the way. He's also a Tribulation Immortal like me."

"Oh." Ghost Doctor was surprised. "Tribulation Immortals are rare. There might not even be one in 5,000 years, yet two have appeared in the Immortal Realm 3,000 years apart."

Tie Zheng smiled and said nothing. Ghost Doctor looked at him; the atmosphere in the chess pavilion was subtle. Finally Ghost Doctor spoke first, "You really have decided?"

Tie Zheng nodded. "That's why I came to look for you." He looked at Luo Qian—who was still asleep next to him—and said, "This kid is a Tribulation Immortal like me. I'll treat it as doing a good deed and lend him the Exquisite Gut for 500 years."

The Ghost Doctor nodded. "Well, since you have already made up your mind, I will not try to dissuade you. It's just that…"

Tie Zheng laughed. "I know, you're the best ghost among Immortals. You're the best doctor among ghosts; your ghostly hands and body are worth more than 10,000 taels of gold. Your medical supplies are not cheap." He reached into his pockets casually and took out a guardian beast charm carved from white jade.

The Ghost Doctor glanced at it, nodded, and said, "All right, a Ninth-Order immortal beast, the Clearwater Kirin. My cave mansion's five elements are located in the east, the position of water. This beast would be most suitable as the gate guardian. You're indeed the famous King Tiexin of the Immortal Realm, opening your offer with a Ninth-Order immortal beast."

"Can we start?" Tie Zheng asked.

The Ghost Doctor nodded and pointed to Luo Qian. "Since you want to help him… pick him up and follow me."

The Ghost Doctor was a Soul Immortal. He turned around, glided off, and was immediately more than ten meters away without putting in much effort. Tie Zheng picked Luo Qian up from the ground and followed.

A long corridor in the Liantiang Bamboo House led directly to a medicine hut. A medicinal fragrance could already be smelt coming from it at a distance.

The Ghost Doctor said, "The Clearwater Kirin will come in handy as a guardian while we work." He took the guardian beast charm out and infused it with a small orb of green light.

The white jade suddenly became bright and dazzling. The light and shadows swirled on it, and it coalesced into a huge body. The Clearwater Kirin was light-green, had armor-like skin, and sharp knife-like teeth. Its whole body was suffused with immortal aura. It was indeed worthy of being called a Ninth-Order immortal beast.

The Ghost Doctor gave the Clearwater Kirin some instructions. The Clearwater Kirin, which could already understand human speech, nodded its huge head and obediently crouched outside the medicine room. Its cowbell-sized eyes looked around vigilantly. The Ghost Doctor brought Tie Zheng into the medicine room and opened a small door. The flames of a hexagonal, four-legged pill furnace roared as heat rolled off in waves.

"Let's get started," said the Ghost Doctor as he opened his iron sandalwood medicine box.

The top few layers were filled with bottles and cans. On the bottom, there was a set of equipment similar to scalpels. They were all made of top-quality Jade. They were as thin as a cicada's wings, brilliant and mellow.

The Ghost Doctor took out a piece of white jade from the medicine box and said, "From small to big, White Jade Hall, quickly!"

A white light flashed, and the three of them were instantly transported to White Jade Hall. The surrounding walls were made of immaculate white jade. It was beautiful and perfect.

The Ghost Doctor said, "This is the place where I perform operations. I guarantee that there will be no interference from outsiders here."

The two jade beds in the White Jade Hall were slightly curved up at both ends, forming a gentle arc. Tie Zheng first put Luo Qian on one of the jade beds, and then laid on the other one.

The Ghost Doctor took three sapphire needles out. "Are you ready?"

Tie Zheng nodded, glanced at Luo Qian, and thought to himself, The Exquisite Gut has helped me become who I am today. I hope it can keep him safe and help him survive for 500 years too.

The three sapphire needles pierced the top of his head. Tie Zheng's vision gradually blurred, and his consciousness sank into the darkness…