Chapter 28: News of the Fire on the Snow Mountain

Inside the room, seven or eight lamps burned brightly, illuminating the space like daylight. In the center sat a large bed, upon which lay a naked, elderly man.

Qu Feiyan had barely stepped into the room before she was frightened into turning around and running back out.

The old man’s chest had been sliced open, revealing raw flesh and viscera, with blood flowing freely. His eyes were tightly shut; anyone seeing this would surely assume he had been dead for some time, and the five men present were no exception.

"H-how... how could you cut open his chest?"
"Ah! Sixth Brother! Sixth Brother has been killed!"
"I will have your life to pay for my brother's!"
"I'm going to carve your chest open too!"
"Oh, Sixth Brother, what a miserable death you've suffered..."

As these five created a ruckus around the bed, a short, stout old man by the bedside barked, "Are you done with your farting? If you're finished, then shut your mouths!"

The five replied in unison, "We are finished. Do you have any farts of your own to release?"

Ping Yizhi replied coldly, "This fellow took a sword thrust from Ning Zhongze. You applied golden sore ointment, but you were too slow; the wound had already scarred over, and you five idiots even misaligned his meridians. If I had saved him directly, he would have been a cripple."

Taogen Xian shouted, "Even a cripple is better than a corpse!"

Ping Yizhi retorted angrily, "If I cure a cripple, where does that leave my reputation? You bunch of idiots, you're going to be the death of me! I’m not treating him anymore!"

Taogen Xian added, "You said you were 'going to be the death of you,' so why aren't you dead yet?"

Before he could finish, his collar was yanked upward, and he felt as if someone had grabbed him by the nape of the neck. Just as Taogen Xian was about to strike out and seal the pressure points of the person behind him, a immense force threw him out the door.

The other four immortals cried out, "Eldest Brother!"

Before they could even finish their exclamation, Ren Yi reached out and grabbed them as well.

The four tried to fight back, but Ren Yi’s movements were like an all-encompassing web, shifting with exquisite complexity. When they tried to grab him, he would catch their wrists instead; when they tried to strike, he would shift his stance, and they would grasp nothing but air.

In an instant, without even touching the hem of Ren Yi’s clothes, all four were tossed out one by one.

Ping Yizhi glanced at Ren Yi but said nothing. He took a large needle from a small rack, heated it over a candle flame, and began to stitch the wound with deft, nimble movements that belied his thick, short fingers. Once finished, he applied powder and medicine to the wound, then pried open the teeth of Taoshixian to pour in water and a medicinal pill.

Only after he had finished did Ren Yi speak: "Now, tell me, why did you summon me?"

Ping Yizhi grunted twice and sat to one side as a woman entered to clear away the medical tools.

Ren Yi said, "If you don't speak, I will burn your medicinal fields and your apothecary to the ground!"

Ping Yizhi glared, then chuckled. "Go ahead, burn them. If you dare, you can forget about ever obtaining the Fire of the Snowy Mountain."

Upon hearing this, even Ren Yi couldn't help but exclaim in surprise, "You know about it?"

Ping Yizhi fell silent again.

Ren Yi smiled and pulled an object from his robes, tossing it over.

Ping Yizhi asked in astonishment, "What is this?"

Ren Yi smiled faintly. "You are clearly bothered that my medical skills have surpassed yours. That book contains the medical formulas and pharmacology I know, along with solutions to difficult cases and my own annotations."

Though Ping Yizhi maintained a calm expression, he tucked the thick volume into his robes.

"Can you speak now?"

Ping Yizhi said, "It’s been two years. I never thought you’d become more famous than Cult Leader Dongfang."

Ren Yi replied coolly, "I have no interest in listening to idle chatter."

Ping Yizhi glared at him again. He had never truly been reconciled to the boy; two years ago, when they had competed in medical arts, it had ended in a draw, but the boy had tricked him into admitting that a draw was a loss, forcing him to teach all his knowledge to the youngster.

That would have been fine, but Ping Yizhi had been practicing medicine for nearly fifty years since the age of ten, yet this boy had mastered everything he knew in less than half a year. In subsequent competitions, whether it was observation, diagnosis, or treatment, he was always one step behind.

Ping Yizhi had always been proud of his medical arts, but he could only bow before a monster like Ren Yi. Now, he was merely clinging to a shred of pride.

"Even if you know the location, I fear you cannot go there."

Ren Yi said slowly, "That is not for you to worry about. That will be my business."

Ping Yizhi sighed softly. "Very well. If you do not obtain the Fire of the Snowy Mountain, you will not live past thirty. If you can refine the Heavenly Fragrance Life-Extending Pill, and it grants you another ten years, perhaps you might find a way to stop this premature aging."

Ren Yi replied calmly, "Is there anything else, or are you finished talking?"

Ping Yizhi snorted. "A month ago, a Cult Elder was here for treatment. I asked casually and learned that ten years ago, Chief Steward Yang obtained a red snow lotus. I dare not verify the truth of this, so you will have to rely on your own abilities."

Ren Yi frowned. "Black Wood Cliff?"

Ping Yizhi said, "Don't say I didn't warn you. No matter how high your martial arts are, do not try to force your way in."

Ren Yi nodded slightly. With thousands of cult disciples, a frontal assault was impossible. He was confident he could kill Dongfang Bubai, but he lacked the power to slaughter thousands of disciples.

At that moment, Ping Yizhi stood up, walked to the bed, and slapped his palm onto Taoshixian’s "Baihui" pressure point.

The five men, having grown impatient, walked back in just in time to see this, and all six let out a cry of shock—the sixth being Taoshixian, who had suddenly sprung up from the bed.

He began to curse wildly, "You bastard, you son of a turtle, how dare you hit my head!"

Ping Yizhi shouted back, "If I hadn't hit you, would you have recovered so quickly?"

Taoshixian retorted, "Whether I recover fast or slow, what does that have to do with you?"

Ren Yi could no longer stand the noise; before Ping Yizhi could reply, he kicked the man out of the room. Qu Feiyan ran back in, laughing at the sight.

Ping Yizhi took a ceramic bottle from his sleeve and handed it to Ren Yi. "Inside are ten 'Calming Spirit and Qi Regulating Pills.' While they are not as miraculous as your 'unfinished' Heavenly Fragrance Life-Extending Pill, which can bring the dead back to life and extend life by a decade, taking one every ten days will prolong your life by a hundred days."

He emphasized the word "unfinished" heavily. Ren Yi took the bottle and smiled, "You old dwarf, you held something back too."

Just as Ping Yizhi was about to retort, a note flew toward him.

On it were written: Bee Royal Jelly, Gastrodia, Musk, Ambergris, Cinnamon, Deer Antler, Acanthopanax... over a dozen precious ingredients, followed by detailed ratios, the order of preparation, and the precise timing for refinement.

Ping Yizhi cursed, "You shameless boy, you were hiding things too!"

Ren Yi ignored him, stood up, and said casually, "Well then, let us part ways. Who knows if we shall ever meet again."

Ping Yizhi remained silent, and it was only after Ren Yi had left that he let out a long, quiet sigh.