Volume Two: Blood-Splashed Bodhi Chapter Eleven: A Poem, a Sword Strike!

That night, the old matriarch tearfully led the man to the Guest-Arrival Tavern.

It was said that the Daoists who claimed to be great immortals had now been placed there by the county magistrate, with the government footing the bill for their upkeep. Anyone who was said to be possessed could simply go there directly.

Word had it that these Daoists truly possessed immortal arts, and could even grant the county magistrate longevity.

With the magistrate making such a show of support, the townsfolk became all the more convinced that these Daoists truly had skill.

Along the way, the old matriarch never stopped cursing her daughter-in-law. Her words grew ever more venomous, and whenever she worked herself into a fury, she even laid hands on the woman.

The woman kept apologizing the entire way. She did not dare resist, and simply endured the old matriarch’s blows and abuse.

The two of them helped the man to the Guest-Arrival Tavern, where the Daoists inside were drinking, discussing the Way, and full of high spirits.

At their head sat an elderly Daoist with a transcendent bearing, whom they all addressed as the Supreme Master.

At that moment, the Supreme Master was giving instructions to the Daoists under him, and one could faintly hear phrases about cultivation and becoming immortal.

When he saw people arrive seeking help, the Supreme Master received them warmly. After taking all the deeds to the houses and fields that the old matriarch had brought, he did not even bother to look at the man’s condition. He merely counted on his fingers, then ordered one of the Daoists to give the old matriarch a sheet of paper covered in talismans. He told her to burn it to ashes when she got home, mix the ashes in water, and have the man drink it, and then he would be fine.

The old matriarch praised the Supreme Master endlessly for his divine skill.

During this, the daughter-in-law tried to stop her, but the old matriarch shouted at her, slapped her across the face, and drove her out of the tavern.

The old matriarch clutched the talisman in her hand with delight, handling it with great care, for in her eyes this was the very life of her son, Wu Laoshi.

Having handed over the property deeds to the Supreme Master, the old matriarch and her daughter-in-law had no choice but to stay for a few days at Old Wang’s house next door. Old Wang was a single, honest man, and without much thought he agreed.

That night, the old matriarch personally burned the talisman to ashes, dissolved them in water, and carefully fed the mixture to Wu Laoshi. Only then did she sleep in peace.

The next day.

Wu Laoshi’s eyes were wide open, his body cold as ice, his limbs stiff. He was clearly dead beyond all doubt, and he had died with his eyes still open.

...

"My son... why did you have to die... my poor son..." The old matriarch instantly burst into tears.

Her sobbing drew the neighbors from all around, and they all came to ask what had happened.

Wu Laoshi’s wife had no choice but to tell them everything that had happened the day before.

At once, the crowd broke into discussion.

"Impossible... the Supreme Master truly has skill. I heard the county magistrate’s son was saved by them too..."

"Exactly. My own son was given one of their talismans, and he came back to life. Now he’s even studying the Dao with those immortals. They say he may become immortal himself..."

"But how could this happen? Could there be some other reason?"

...

Everyone present clearly did not believe it. They all spoke at once, offering their own views.

"I know who killed my son!" the old matriarch suddenly stopped crying and glared at the daughter-in-law with gritted teeth. "It was definitely you, you wretched woman, conspiring with that heretical doctor to murder my son! And that wandering monk too!"

"No... Mother... I’m wronged... How could I possibly harm my husband... I only wanted to save him..." the woman hurriedly shook her head and wept.

"What heretical doctor? You mean that man-eating serpent of a doctor in town?" someone said. "Why would anyone go to her... I think it must be her who killed Wu Laoshi..."

"Exactly... it must be... who would dare ask her to treat an illness?"

"Old Laoshi’s mother... how pitiful..."

...

After hearing the neighbors’ analysis, the old matriarch immediately felt it made perfect sense. Her face darkened as she stood up. "No! I’m going to report this to the authorities! Arrest them, and arrest this wretched woman too! I’ll beat her to death first!"

In fury, she pointed at her daughter-in-law and slapped her again, swelling her face at once. She had wanted to keep hitting her, but Old Wang came out and stopped her.

"Don’t stop me! You’re no good either!" the old matriarch shouted, eyes bulging. "Do you think I don’t know about the two of you? Adulterer and adulteress!"

"I... Mother... you mustn’t talk nonsense in front of Brother Wang..." the daughter-in-law hurriedly tried to defend herself after hearing that.

"I can’t be bothered to say more about you two, but don’t get too pleased too soon. Don’t think that because my son has been killed, you shameless slut can do as you please. I’m telling you, you are a member of the Wu family in life, and a ghost of the Wu family in death!" the old matriarch scolded them both.

Then she turned around and, with the support of the neighbors, headed toward the yamen.

"Punish the murderous criminals! Heretical doctor Serpent Big Biao! Murder demands a life! Collusion with a wandering monk! Harming honest folk!"

A great crowd surged forward, shouting slogans as they marched toward the yamen.

At that time, Xiao Yan was still sleeping late. The night before, She Qianqian had pulled him along and made him explain many modern medical facts.

But for many things, such as bacteria and the like, Xiao Yan had no way to explain them clearly, so he could only use examples.

He explained a great deal, and She Qianqian listened with great seriousness. She even asked questions from time to time, and Xiao Yan answered them patiently.

For instance, wound care and basic first aid methods... these practical bits of knowledge left She Qianqian listening in stunned fascination.

By the time he finished in the dead of night, the way She Qianqian looked at Xiao Yan had clearly changed. When she looked at him, her eyes seemed to sparkle.

After he finished, She Qianqian even insisted that Xiao Yan recite a short passage from The Return of the Condor Heroes. It was only when Xiao Yan grew so sleepy that he sat in a chair and dozed off that She Qianqian finally went back to her room to sleep.

However, Li Bai had seen all of this.

Since learning that She Qianqian had been the one to save him, Li Bai had been deeply ashamed. He always felt that he owed mother and daughter too much, and he did not dare face She Qianqian.

She Qianqian also never spoke to Li Bai, so the relationship between the two of them was now somewhat awkward.

Li Bai stood outside the door, quietly listening to their conversation, especially the part where Xiao Yan began to talk about The Return of the Condor Heroes.

Although Li Bai had lost an arm and could no longer become a great hero, the jianghu in his heart had never disappeared.

Especially when he heard of the heroes in The Return of the Condor Heroes, and that romantic life of roaming the world, he could only truly understand it as someone who had personally experienced that world.

Coincidentally, that night Xiao Yan had just reached the part where Yang Guo had one of his arms severed by Guo Fu. Li Bai looked down at his own missing right arm, his eyes growing faintly red.

In an instant, his feelings surged in turmoil. Certain things slowly took shape in his mind, such as some of the verses Xiao Yan had casually thrown at him, along with certain martial techniques and movement methods...

His thoughts became chaotic beyond measure...

Yet Li Bai knew that this was the omen of succumbing to inner demons...

What no one knew, however, was that there was in fact no clear boundary between falling into inner demons and breaking through oneself. Perhaps once you crossed that threshold, what had seemed like inner demons became self-transcendence.

That same night, Li Bai’s hair turned white overnight, and the swordsmanship of his left hand danced ceaselessly through the air.

"Drink today’s wine and be drunk today..."

"At ten paces, one man falls; a thousand miles, and no trace remains..."

"O phoenix, O phoenix, return to your homeland, roaming the four seas in search of your mate..."

As the sword forms were cast forth together with the poems on his lips, they fused with perfect naturalness.

One poem, one sword technique.

One poem, one cup of wine, one long song, one sword to the ends of the earth.

Postscript: If I said this chapter took five hours to write, I wonder whether anyone would believe me. I deleted five beginnings, and it came to a full six thousand words...