Frühlingsreise

Kapitel 52

"Congratulations, young lady! This sword's brilliance is restrained, and its sharpness is not revealed. It is yet another treasured sword!"

Baili Wushuang showed no joy. She stretched out her left hand, and someone handed her a scabbard. She sheathed the longsword and sighed, "Even with the risk of the furnace exploding and the use of sulfurous carbon, it still couldn't suppress its malevolent aura. A sword that can only protect its master cannot be considered a precious sword."

Chapter Ninety-Four

"Isn't the Chongluo Sword also made from the same piece of Wulu River iron? Young Miss can hand over the Chongluo Sword with peace of mind, and so can Chong Li!"

“The murderous aura of the battlefield far outweighs that of a sword. I can certainly trust General Geshu to use the Chongluo Sword. But this one…” Baili Wushuang looked at the sword in his hand and didn’t finish his sentence. He paused and said, “Everyone has worked hard these past few days. Go back now. The Jia-character sword furnace will be sealed from today until Tian Jin and the others bring back the Ice Road Frost Iron. Then we will reopen the furnace to forge swords.”

Everyone sealed the furnace, cleaned the charcoal, and changed the water in the pool, while chatting about the impact of the Chongli Sword on the Jianghu Divine Weapon Ranking. With this sword appearing, many famous swords would probably drop a place in the rankings, right? Although, many of the swords on the Divine Weapon Ranking were also made by the young lady.

Emerging from the sweltering heat of Beiling Tower and walking in the chilly early spring wind felt like entering two different worlds. But for Baili Wushuang, there was little difference. Having spent so much time with her sword, her body seemed to have become an impervious weapon, impervious to both heat and cold; she hadn't felt cold or hot in a long time.

The night was still and quiet, and the entire city of Suoding slept peacefully in the embrace of the night. The stars were bright and cold. She had been living and eating at Beiling Tower almost all the time, especially in the three months before the furnace was opened. By that calculation, she hadn't seen the sky outside for three months, and she hadn't seen her master for three months either.

She walked through the covered walkway to Songfeng Garden. The gate was open, and she saw the head master sitting in the courtyard. A lamp, a person, wearing a robe, sat under a tree, studying chess scores on a stone table. Her profile looked exceptionally delicate in the lamplight. Hearing the gate creak open, the head master, Shangbu Zhishu, looked up and smiled slightly at her.

"You can sit in the courtyard and enjoy the cool breeze. Are you feeling better?" Baili Wushuang went straight into the house and said calmly, "Or perhaps you never plan to set foot in Beiling Tower again in your life, so it doesn't matter how long or how badly you're sick?"

"With such a fiery temper, it seems this sword isn't going well." The master followed her into the room and slowly drew the sword from her hand. The blade was as black as ink, with an unusual luster. The master's eyes narrowed slightly. "Compared to the Chongluo Sword, this one is even more exquisite. Wushuang, you've improved again. It's a pity, the murderous aura is still too strong."

"It is said that during the Battle of Wulu River, the river was completely stained red with blood, and even the sand at the bottom of the river had a malevolent aura," Baili Wushuang said. "I will go to Xuyu Temple tomorrow. The abbot there cultivates great wisdom and concentration, and his Buddhist teachings are profound. I hope he can be of help. While I am away, please keep an eye on things for me, Beilinglou. If anything happens to the elders or Wuyou, please let me know."

The head monk sighed, "I'm a patient..."

"Knowing that you are a patient, go to the bed."

Her apprentice, whom she had taught for eight years, interrupted her, giving her a rude order.

From Suoding City to Xuyu Temple, it's only a little over a hundred li. We set off in the morning and arrived in the evening. A monk came to greet us. Baili Wushuang got off the carriage carrying the Chongli Sword. He looked up and saw that the mountain gate was built flat, and the stone steps, about three feet wide, meandered all the way to the middle of the mountain, where peach blossoms were faintly visible like mist.

Someone came down the mountain.

Leading the way was a young man dressed in white and blue robes. A young novice monk followed behind him, carrying a blanket in his left hand and a bowl in his right.

Chapter Ninety-Five

The stone steps were only about a foot wide, and she was never used to giving way to others. But the boy didn't seem to have the same habit either; the two passed each other, and she smelled a faint medicinal scent.

It turned out that the young novice was holding a bowl of medicine.

The medicine was prepared for the monk who was in charge of receiving guests. The young man first had him wrapped in a blanket, and then he forced the medicine down his throat. Both of them had their backs to the mountain gate, so Baili Wushuang couldn't see what was happening. But when the monk stood up again, his face was rosy, a stark contrast to his previous sallow complexion. He loudly chanted a Buddhist prayer and put his palms together, saying, "Thank you, Benefactor Yang."

"No need to thank me," the boy said. "If you meet that doctor again, tell him: There are no incurable diseases, only quacks."

His expression was hidden, but his voice was full of arrogance.

Such medical skills, such arrogance—Bai Li Wushuang suddenly thought of someone.

"Are you Yang Luoxue from Medicine King Valley?" she asked.

As the young man turned back up the steps, his long hair rippled like water, gleaming in the setting sun like a sword just drawn from its sheath. His features were delicate, his skin pure and fair like a young girl's. He narrowed his eyes slightly, scrutinizing her, then suddenly smiled softly, "Suoding City, Baili Wushuang?"

It was a strange feeling; they had never met before, yet as renowned figures in the martial arts world, they had both heard of each other. A vague impression lingered in their minds, but upon seeing the person before them, it became crystal clear.

"I heard that the Divine Physician Yang never leaves the valley to see patients. I never expected to meet him here. It's a pleasure to meet you."

“I came to admire the flowers with a friend,” Yang Luoxue said, glancing back at the monk in charge of the guest ceremony. “It was just a side trip.” As he spoke, he stepped onto two stone steps and stood beside her. “The peach blossoms at Xuyu Temple are very famous; even someone like Miss Yang comes here because of them.”

“I brought a friend to see the abbot.”

The two talked as they headed towards the temple. The stone steps wound their way up, the setting sun blazing like fire, and in the distance, peach blossoms appeared like clouds and mist. Upon entering the temple, Baili Wushuang went to the abbot's meditation room, asking Luoxue to return to her room. His white robes and blue garments shone brightly in the twilight. Watching his retreating figure, Baili Wushuang instructed Jin Ge Wuren beside him to follow: "See if he has any attendants with him. If not, you two take care of his needs while he's at the temple."

Jin Ge Wu Ren didn't know why the young lady, who was currently indifferent to dust, was showing such goodwill to others. However, the young lady never repeated her orders. The two watched as the young lady stepped into the meditation room and then followed Yang Luo Xue's footsteps to the backyard.

The next day, Xuyu Temple began a three-day, three-night purification ritual, presided over by the abbot himself. Baili Wushuang placed the sword case before the Buddha, bowed to the abbot, and left the Buddha hall, heading towards the back room.

The door was open, and Jin Ge Wu Ren was tidying up the house. When he saw her come in, he said, "Divine Physician Yang went to the mountain with his friends."

In early spring, the mountain air was exceptionally warm, and a mountain breeze carried peach petals into the Zen temple, leaving a trail of fallen red blossoms along the path. Baili Wushuang followed the path up the mountain, and the higher she went, the more profusely the peach blossoms bloomed. When the wind blew, they fell incessantly, dense clusters of petals fluttering down, obscuring even one's view.

"If you keep going, you'll reach the hot spring pool." A voice came from deep within the peach blossoms, its echo lingering in the woods, as delicate as the fragrance of the peach blossoms. "Miss, you'd better stop here. There are people inside."

Chapter Ninety-Six

Passing several peach trees, she found the person she was looking for sitting under one of them, drinking tea. The teapot and teacups rested on a nearby stone, and he leaned against a branch, his hair flowing like water over his body. His white robe and blue shirt stood out vividly against the backdrop of the abundant peach blossoms. He smiled, "If you want to soak in the hot springs, why don't you sit down and have some tea first, and then go in after that person comes out?"

Are there hot springs here?

“It’s because there’s a hot spring here that the mountain climate is so nice…” Yang Luoxue poured her a cup of tea, “and that’s why the peach blossoms can bloom so early.”

Baili Wushuang took the tea but didn't drink it. Looking at him, she got straight to the point: "I would like to ask Physician Yang to go to Suoding City."

The divine physician twirled the teacup with his slender fingertips. The white porcelain cup was decorated with extremely faint flowers, the type of which was indistinguishable. He smiled slightly, "I never leave the valley to practice medicine, as Miss knows, right?"

“I know the rules of the Divine Physician Yang. But since the Divine Physician ‘incidentally’ saved that monk, I think it would be good to ‘incidentally’ go to Suoding City as well, wouldn’t it? Suoding City is only a day’s journey from here.”

Yang Luoxue glanced at her and said, "I have three types of illnesses I won't treat: those that are not highly suspicious, those that are not difficult to treat, and those that are not complicated. If that monk didn't have a so-called terminal illness, I wouldn't bother to help him."

His voice was calm and seemingly amiable, but his words carried an unspoken arrogance.

Baili Wushuang was the number one person in Suoding City. He had never been treated so coldly before. He took a slight breath and said, "As long as the divine doctor agrees to make a house call, I can do whatever you need."

“Whatever it is…” Yang Luoxue rubbed her forehead, pondering for a moment, “But I can’t think of anything I want… Besides, this place is so beautiful, why should I leave?” He leaned against a tree, his eyelashes curving upwards like a dark line when he looked at her, “Just because Miss arranged for two maids to make my bed?”

“Well then,” Baili Wushuang suppressed her displeasure, unsure if she could endure the man’s barbed tone any longer, “I’ll take my leave.” She turned and walked away.

He chuckled behind her, his voice so soft it was almost a whisper, yet just loud enough for her to hear, "Nothing special."