Chapter 95

The Medicine King (藥王)

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The ethnic minorities in Yunnan each speak a variety of languages, but fortunately, the older sister who brought out the dog seemed to know the language of the Central Plains.

Thinking it was fortunate that we could communicate, I looked at the group, and they all appeared tense.

It seemed that my wife still had doubts about the rumor that people were captured to feed dogs, and Daeju and Tang Yingying, who were based in Sichuan, were also on high alert, perhaps due to the incident twenty years ago.

Seeing their expressions, it was clear that if I left the negotiations to them, something might go wrong, so I decided to step forward to confirm which tribe the woman who appeared from the grass was from.

Although her appearance with a dog gave me some hope, it wasn't something I could rely on entirely.

While the jungle we were wandering in was near the last place where a Beast Palace person was found, Yunnan has so many diverse ethnic minorities that she could be from another tribe.

"Deokgu! Be quiet!"

I first quieted the noisy Deokgu, gestured to stop the others, and stepped forward.

Then I greeted the woman who appeared from the grass.

"Hello? I am Liu Qingyun from the Zhuge family in Song."

"Ah? Oh, oh. Yes. I'm Meng Xi from the Beast Clan (野獸族). It's surprising that Central Plains people name their dogs and carry them around. So, why are the people from Song here in the Yunnan jungle?"

Her lack of caution was unusual.

It was completely different from the reaction of the Zhen Chang Sect.

I was a bit taken aback by her greeting.

'Why?'

It wasn't because of anything else, but because she was surnamed Meng, not Zhu.

But then I thought about it, and realized that Meng Huo's wife was Lady Zhu Rong, and if this lady was also from the Zhu family, it made sense.

Though a bit disappointing, I put aside my disappointment and answered her question.

"Yes, we are not strange people... "

I said this to reassure her, but it seemed that something else had slightly eased her guard.

I immediately seized the opportunity to ask my question.

"Ah... Yes, while searching for someone, we ended up here. But I'm not sure if it's impolite to ask, what is the relationship between the Beast Clan and the Beast Palace?"

"Oh, Central Plains people call us the Beast Palace, right?"

She answered nonchalantly.

"Oh!"

"Finally found it!"

"Exactly as Master said, we found it quickly!"

Everyone in the group was delighted to learn that she was a member of the Beast Palace.

Although it had only been two days, the heat and insects of the jungle seemed to have been tough even for martial arts experts.

After the cheers died down, the lady seemed a bit more flustered.

"But who are you looking for? Someone from our tribe?"

She didn't seem to be on guard, but rather curious about why we were looking for them.

Just as the broth of the mala was about to thicken, I stirred it once with a ladle and then made a suggestion to the lady.

"We are having a meal right now. If you haven't eaten yet, would you like to join us? We can talk while we eat."

All conversations should be held over a warm meal to have a positive effect.

The lady blinked her eyes at my suggestion, then after a moment, nodded and replied.

"Surprising. The first Central Plains person to invite me to a meal. Well, why not? I'll accept your hospitality for a meal."

The lady, who didn't use the formal language of the Central Plains, spoke straightforwardly.

She was as fiery as her attire.

I guided her to a seat, and the white dog that followed her also sat beside her.

Since there were only four bowls, I emptied mine and refilled it with warm mala, then offered it to Lady Meng Xi.

"Here, you can eat this by peeling the dragon shrimp."

We started the conversation while eating.

"Is it edible?"

"Yes, it's spicy and delicious. The huachao and machao are also enjoyed by our Yunnan tribes. But this taste makes me think of alcohol."

It was an accurate observation.

Mala is known as the King of Night Snacks (宵夜之王).

In my previous life, it was a dish loved by alcoholics.

I immediately approached the jar, took out a bottle of huajiu (火酒) I had to remove the smell, and poured it into a makeshift cup made from a folded leaf, then offered it to her.

"Would you like a drink? I didn't put anything strange in it. Really. I swear."

I added the last part, fearing she might misunderstand, but when the dog beside her barked softly, she smiled and took the cup.

"Is that so? My Baihua (白花) says there's nothing in it?"

Then she drained the cup in one gulp.

"Ah... Good."

The delicious food and drink.

The atmosphere seemed to be relaxing, so I decided to ask my question.

"But why did you come looking for our tribe? You seemed happy when I said I was from the Beast Clan?"

The lady asked bluntly.

I hesitated, but decided that being honest and seeking help would be better than lying.

"No, we are not looking for someone from the Beast Clan, but for someone from the Central Plains."

"Looking for a Central Plains person in the Yunnan jungle?"

"Yes, I heard that an elder called the Medicine King (藥王) collected herbs around here recently. Have you heard of him?"

At my question, she seemed to be lost in thought, then asked.

"Is someone sick?"

"Yes? Yes."

"Is it someone important to you?"

Looking at my wife, I answered her question.

"Yes, it's the most precious family member in the world, someone I wouldn't trade for anything. So, if you know where he is, could you help me?"

"Ha... Such a thing..."

She let out a long sigh.

Looking at her with a puzzled expression, she answered with a pained look.

"I've been treated to delicious food and drink, and I feel it's not right to hide this from you... You should look for someone else..."

"What?! Why...?"

At Lady Meng Xi's words, I asked in confusion, and she answered with a voice tinged with annoyance.

"The old man called the Medicine King is just a fraud."

"What?!"

Her answer left me and everyone else staring at each other in shock.

***

The Medicine King (藥王) Zhang Ruilun (張瑞崙) had been confined to the village of the Beast Palace for over half a year.

He originally came to Yunnan to find various herbs for his battle with the Poison King, and the herbs required various preparations and processes to be used as medicine, so he needed to prepare them in advance for the battle.

However, he couldn't leave the sick people behind.

As a descendant of Zhang Zhongjing, he couldn't abandon the sick.

The Medicine King had his pride.

'But why is there no improvement...? Hmm'

Despite trying various methods for nearly half a year, there was no improvement in the sick people.

Moreover, new patients occasionally appeared.

The symptoms of the sick people included dizziness, diarrhea, and vomiting.

Severe cases experienced rapid heartbeats, difficulty breathing, or jaundice.

Some patients died after a few days of suffering, but most recovered and got up after a few days, which was even more puzzling.

'What kind of bizarre disease is this...?'

Fortunately, no new patients had appeared in the past few days, and he was having breakfast prepared by the Beast Palace when someone ran up and shouted.

"Old fraud, another patient!"

"Ah!"

The anger surged at being called a fraud.

How did he, the Medicine King, end up with such a stigma?

Feeling furious inside, he asked the man who had come to fetch him.

"Is the patient already brought in? Hmm."

"Yes. Let's go quickly. It's better than doing nothing..."

Biting his lip at the man's sarcastic tone, the Medicine King gathered his saliva and a few medicines and followed the man to the isolated house where patients were gathered.

It was a bit away from the village, at the foot of a peak shrouded in clouds, as it might be an epidemic.

Entering the house, he saw a patient lying on a straw mat, breathing heavily.

A woman, presumably the patient's family, was clinging to the patient, crying.

The Medicine King hurriedly approached the patient and asked the woman.

"How long has the illness been present? Hmm."

But the woman, with a tear-streaked face, didn't answer the Medicine King's question. Instead, she turned to the man who brought the Medicine King and said resentfully.

"Why did you bring this old fraud?!"

"Isn't it better to have this old fraud see the patient than to let them die?"

Hearing the word "fraud" again made his blood boil.

'Has the Medicine King ever been treated like this?!'

In the Central Plains, people would line up just to take one of his medicines, but here, they called him a fraud.

However, he had to endure it.

After all, he hadn't cured a single patient in half a year.

'How did I end up in this situation! But I can't back down just because of my pride...'

The Medicine King lamented his situation and recalled the first time he met a patient with this strange illness.

He had entered the Yunnan jungle to find herbs for his battle with the Poison King, searching for some poisonous herbs and rare herbs that grew in the high mountains of the Yunnan jungle.

"How can an old man from Song wander alone in the Yunnan jungle?"

As expected from someone who travels with animals, they were members of the Beast Palace.

Although they might have been wary of him due to the incident twenty years ago, the people of the Beast Palace were as simple and kind as the villagers in Song's countryside.

It was hard to believe that they had caused significant damage to the Zhen Chang Sect and made the martial world of Sichuan tremble.

They were clearly martial artists, but they seemed like simple villagers.

"Even more so, I came to collect herbs. I apologize for entering your land without permission. Hmm."

"This is ridiculous. The jungle isn't the Beast Palace's land. The Yunnan jungle belongs to all tribes, not just the Beast Palace. We can't leave an old man alone in the jungle, so please come with us."

"But, there's no need to go that far..."

Thus, he ended up following them to the Beast Palace, which was said to hide the secrets of the martial world.

The village felt like a large town where a common ethnic minority in Yunnan lived.

The only difference was that they raised many animals, loved them like family, and all the tribe members practiced martial arts.

Even the animals...

He had originally planned to stay in the village for a few days before leaving to collect herbs, but the people of the Beast Palace, upon learning he was there to collect herbs, offered him an empty house and prepared food for him.

"This is embarrassing..."

"It's just an empty house, and how can an old man wander alone in the jungle? And the food is just a small portion of what we're already making, so it's fine."

Their straightforward way of speaking, unlike the face-saving language of the Central Plains, was a bit difficult at first, but it wasn't bad after a while.

One day, while staying in the house provided by the Beast Palace and collecting herbs, he heard a commotion outside.

Curious, he went out and saw a family running somewhere, tears streaming down their faces.

When he asked a passerby, he learned that a new patient had appeared.

The Medicine King immediately went to find the Beast Palace chief.

"There's a new patient. Can I examine them? Hmm."

"You, the old man?"

"I, though not boasting, am known as the Medicine King in the Central Plains. There's no disease I can't cure. Can I repay your kindness by helping?"

"Oh, really? That's great! We've been worried about the occasional patients. Let's go quickly!"

Thus, he went with the Beast Palace chief to the isolated house where patients were kept.

"Don't worry. This old man is known as the Medicine King. He will cure all the patients, so you can rest assured."

"Really?"

"Please, see our child first. He's the most severe."

The family members moved aside, and three patients lying on the straw mats were revealed to the Medicine King.

"Ah... Ah..."

Lying on the ground, gasping for breath, were three dogs.

"No, this is...?"

It was the first time the Medicine King had encountered this new type of patient.