Chapter Sixteen: The Divine Wood Sect’s Masterful Healing Hands

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Meng Xiaoli’s injury at her waist pained her deeply, yet fortunately, because she carried a bundle on her back, the woman’s dagger thrust from the side missed vital organs. Meng Xiaoli managed to endure until she reached the nearest town. She pressed an acupoint at her waist to staunch the bleeding and, despite the intense pain, walked to the closest town, her whole body drenched in cold sweat. Eventually, she collapsed in the middle of the street from exhaustion.

Her eyes flickered uncertainly as she surveyed the passing crowd; everyone kept their distance. She lay on her side in the street for a quarter of an hour, unattended. At last, from afar, a group of men and women in azure robes approached. The blue hems fluttered in the breeze, blending into a misty white apparition, like figures stepping out of a painting. The leader was a middle-aged man with a round face and a tuft of black beard under his chin. Those following him were presumably his disciples, all carrying cloth bags of various sizes.

This group approached as if descended from the heavens, with a compassionate and sorrowful demeanor. They bent down and helped Meng Xiaoli to her feet. Her consciousness blurred, drifting between dream and reality, as one of the men hoisted her onto his back and briskly carried her to the nearest Healing Hall.

Meng Xiaoli’s mind swayed with the man’s steps, and soon she was laid down comfortably on a soft bed inside the hall. A female disciple came forward to loosen her clothes. Another female disciple took a porcelain bottle from a bag, mixed its powder with warm water, and helped Meng Xiaoli drink it.

A wave of drowsiness overtook her, and she plunged into a dream. Vaguely, she saw Long Ye leading Jin Xiaodao through a white mist. Upon seeing Meng Xiaoli, Long Ye’s expression abruptly changed; he shielded Jin Xiaodao with his arm and seemed to scold Meng Xiaoli, though the words were inaudible. Meng Xiaoli felt her hand being shaken and looked down to find it was her daughter, Little Long Ze. She bent down to kiss Long Ze, but the child cried, pointing at Jin Xiaodao: “Mother, she killed me. She pushed me off the cliff.” Blood began to seep from Long Ze’s head. Meng Xiaoli frantically wiped it, but the blood would not come off. She screamed in anguish, then suddenly woke from the nightmare.

Seeing the room empty, Meng Xiaoli gasped for breath and tried to rise. The pain at her waist reminded her of the injury. Looking down, she found her wound already bandaged and recalled being rescued by the group in blue robes.

Struggling to stand, she saw her bundle and sword still on the table. She stepped to the door and pushed it open, noticing people in blue robes coming and going in the courtyard. The sharp scent of medicinal herbs made her dizzy. A smiling woman in green approached, her face framed by peach blossom hues and eyes sparkling like water. She reached out to steady Meng Xiaoli and said warmly, “You’re awake. Don’t worry—my master is the best at treating blade wounds. You’ll recover soon.”

Confused, Meng Xiaoli asked, “Your master?”

The woman replied, “Yes,” then realizing Meng Xiaoli might not know them, she explained, “Oh, you probably don’t recognize us. We’re from the Divine Wood Sect. My master is Zhuge Gaoshan, the head of Divine Wood Sect—he’s the one who treated your wounds.” She slapped her forehead and laughed, “Oh right, when he treated you, you were asleep, so you probably didn’t see him.”

Grateful, Meng Xiaoli asked, “Could you please take me to meet my savior?” The woman nodded, “Of course, follow me.” She supported Meng Xiaoli as they entered the main hall, where Meng Xiaoli overheard some disciples calling the woman “Senior Sister Du Ruo.”

In a consultation room, Meng Xiaoli saw the round-faced, bearded man from before, speaking with another physician. Zhuge Gaoshan had a broad forehead, a firm and full face, fierce eyebrows, and dragon-like eyes brimming with spirit. His nose was straight and prominent, lips full and curved like a bow, ears moist and drooping to his shoulders. His face was always illuminated by a gentle smile, eyes warm as the spring breeze.

Du Ruo helped Meng Xiaoli to the door and said, “Master, this young lady wishes to see you.” Only then did Meng Xiaoli realize she was before Zhuge Gaoshan, head of the Divine Wood Sect.

Zhuge Gaoshan dismissed the other physician and invited Meng Xiaoli in. She sat on a chair and wanted to express her thanks, but Zhuge Gaoshan waved her off, “No need for formalities.” Finally at ease, Meng Xiaoli settled in as Du Ruo left to attend to other matters.

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Meng Xiaoli expected Zhuge Gaoshan to question her, but instead, his eyes were sharp and curious as he looked at her. She took the initiative: “Aren’t you going to ask why I was injured?”

Zhuge Gaoshan shook his hand: “Traveling the martial world, fights and bloodshed are inevitable. Our Divine Wood Sect roams far and wide, aiding the needy—we’ve seen too much.”

Meng Xiaoli pressed on, “Aren’t you afraid of mistakenly helping evildoers?”

Zhuge Gaoshan stroked his beard and laughed: “We help whoever needs it. The Divine Wood Sect never asks about past deeds. To me, there are only the healthy and the sick. Right or wrong isn’t my concern.” Remembering her own misguided kindness leading to her harm, Meng Xiaoli kept silent.

Her gaze wandered, and she asked, “Is the Divine Wood Sect based here?”

Zhuge Gaoshan patiently went to the door, watching the coming and going outside. “The Divine Wood Sect is everywhere. We’re a unique group of healers with disciples scattered across the Central Plains, in imperial hospitals and common pharmacies alike. Anyone in blue robes is likely one of us—though not all.”

Turning with a smile, he joked, “But don’t go asking at every door.” Meng Xiaoli laughed along.

Then he grew serious: “The bandits stole my silver. They couldn’t defeat me in a fight, so they resorted to underhanded tricks. Truly despicable.” Zhuge Gaoshan read the meaning behind Meng Xiaoli’s words and said, “Don’t worry about paying for treatment. You never asked to be healed, I did it voluntarily. You don’t owe me, and that’s true chivalry.” Meng Xiaoli felt his kindness deeply and thanked him sincerely.

The next day, Zhuge Gaoshan left with several disciples. Meng Xiaoli stayed at the Healing Hall for over half a month until her injury fully healed, marveling at the master’s superb medical skills and the Divine Wood Sect’s spirit of benevolence.

Preparing to leave, the accountant hurriedly called her back, saying Zhuge Gaoshan had instructed to give her some travel funds. Despite her refusals, the accountant insisted, explaining he couldn’t leave without handing it over. Begrudgingly, Meng Xiaoli accepted.

She bought a horse in the southern market, spending much of her funds, and rode southward, planning to reach Hangzhou Prefecture with a stopover in Qingzhou.

Upon entering Qingzhou, she was met with a scene of famine and despair. As soon as she dismounted, a crowd approached, begging for alms. But Meng Xiaoli had little silver and hurried away.

Eventually, she found an inn and sat at a round table in the main hall, ordering a few small dishes to stave off hunger. As she ate, she noted the empty, desolate hall. Only one table was occupied by two sisters dressed in Miao ethnic costumes, one in red, the other in blue, each carrying small cloth bags and two tiny bamboo cages containing unknown contents.

The sisters resembled each other closely, equal in height, likely twins. The woman in red kept feeding the blue-clad one, speaking rapidly in Miao language, unintelligible to Meng Xiaoli, but her smile was radiant. The blue-clad sister remained cold and aloof, head down, ignoring her sister’s chatter. When the waiter came, it was the red one who warmly nodded and responded; the blue one ignored him.

After eating, Meng Xiaoli requested a room and asked the waiter to prepare bathing water. She encountered the sisters again; passing the blue-clad sister, she felt a chilling aura, while the red-clad one smiled warmly and greeted her, “Hello!” Surprised at first, Meng Xiaoli returned the greeting with a nod. As she passed, she felt a burning warmth from the red sister, a stark contrast to the coldness of the blue one. Their opposing auras matched their extremes of temperament, which struck her as strange.

After washing away the dust, Meng Xiaoli prepared to rest when suddenly, loud quarrels erupted next door in what sounded like Miao language—likely the sisters. Soon came the clash of blades. Surprised, Meng Xiaoli wondered if the sisters were fighting.

Just then, a small green snake slithered across the floor. Startled, Meng Xiaoli jumped onto the bed, ready to scream but muffled herself to avoid disturbing others. The snake fixed its gaze on her and began crawling toward the bed, its tongue flicking angrily, ready to strike. Quick as lightning, Meng Xiaoli drew her sword and sliced the snake in two, killing it instantly.

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Meng Xiaoli intended to ask the waiter to remove the snake. Opening her door, she saw the waiter knocking on the next room’s door as the two sisters emerged.

The red-clad woman angrily asked the waiter, “What do you want?”

The waiter quickly smiled and explained, “I heard you two quarrelling outside. I wondered if there was anything wrong with the inn?”

Coldly, the blue-clad sister said, “She lost my little green snake and won’t admit it.”

The red-clad sister immediately exploded with rage, “Lingluo, that’s too much! You blame me for everything you lose. Am I your sister or your servant?”

Lingluo crossed her arms, avoiding the red sister’s gaze, and replied coldly, “You just can’t stand how close I am to Xiao Qing. You let it go on purpose. Your intent is sinister.”

Jinxiu grabbed Lingluo’s shoulders, shouting, “Am I that kind of person? Would I be angry over a little snake? You just dislike me.”

The two sisters clashed again, knives drawn, while the waiter hurriedly backed away to Meng Xiaoli’s side, sighing, “They’re fighting again. I don’t know if they’re really sisters or sworn enemies. They’ve been here two days, fighting morning, afternoon, and night, treating battles like meals, as if they’d kill each other with a single strike.”

The sisters scolded each other as they fought, Lingluo saying, “You can’t stand me. You scold me no matter what I do. Your mouth is just for yelling at me, right?”

Jinxiu retorted, “I scold you because you’re a blockhead. I have to explain everything countless times. You’re like a wooden doll, moving one step for every whip.”

Meng Xiaoli thought, “So the red-clad sister is Jinxiu, and the blue-clad one is Lingluo. They seemed so harmonious while eating, how did they end up fighting so fiercely?”

Just then, the waiter, eyes wide, pointed to Meng Xiaoli’s room and exclaimed, “Hey, stop fighting! Is this the green snake you’re looking for?”