Chapter 114: Die Right Away
Translator: Ninetales Editor: Fish Creek
Qin Mu checked her pulse and said, "Four months ago when sister was cultivating, did a side stitch hit you? It was a problem from then."
Fu Qingyun nodded her head repeatedly, "A side stitch did hit me once. I thought it was a small problem, therefore, I didn't put it to heart."
Unknowingly the night had fallen and the decorative lanterns were raised in the capital city, brightening it like daytime. The so-called flower street and willow alley were where famous scholars of capital city would frequent. There were also high officials and noble persons that would usually visit at night. Flower Alley wasn't only a place to sell bodies. The later at night it got, the more they weren't selling their bodies but their arts. The beauties of Flower Alley knew the four arts and could sing, dance and recite poems. This could extremely touch the hearts of nobles.
However, tonight, the cathouses in Flower Alley were empty and maidens were all queuing up in the alley. There were none providing services in the cathouse and when the clients, all the most distinguished people in the capital city, asked for their familiar maidens, they were told, "Here in Rain Listening Pavilion comes a divine physician in gynecology and the sisters are all queuing up to see him. They've no time to earn a living. May young masters come back tomorrow."
"A divine physician in gynecology came to Flower Alley?"
Outside the alley, an elder in civilian clothes came out from a sedan and said in astonishment, "Go and ask around about the divine physician's medical expertise."
After some time, a servant came back to report, "Old master, the ladies in Flower Alley all said he was very good and his medical expertise is a miracle."
The elder in civilian clothes muttered to himself irresolutely and an advisor beside him said in a low voice, "Old master must be thinking about that person in the palace…"
"There are ears everywhere. Do not speak too much."
The elder in civilian clothes gave a sigh and continued, "That person in the palace has been plagued by an illness for a long time. Even the Imperial Physician could do nothing about it and couldn't even make a diagnosis. We could only hope to find a divine physician that could extend her life but I'm afraid time is running out. Words are not proof. Summon Imperial Physician Xiao over and let him test this divine physician of Flower Alley."
"Understood!"
Not long later, Imperial Physician Xiao arrived and bowed, "Old Lord, what for have you summoned me here?"
"There's no need for formalities outside Flower Alley."
The elder in civilian clothes explained, "There in Flower Alley comes a divine physician. Could I request Lord Xiao to check on his abilities to see if he has the capability to cure that person in the palace?"
Imperial Physician Xiao had a full head of white hair but his eyebrows were green and his eyes were bloodshot. He sneered, "How would Flower Alley have any divine physician? There is merely just a cheat that is angling for fame and cheating women and children. why do we have to see him?"
The elder in civilian clothes frowned and Imperial Physician's heart leaped. He immediately said, "Old Lord, I have no need to see him, I just need to see the prescriptions he has written out." Once he finished saying, he snatched the prescription from a lady from Flower Alley who had just seen the physician. Taking a look, he sneered, "Take a look, Old Lord. The herbs in his prescription are all the cheapest herbs. How could someone with this kind of skill see that person in the palace?"
The elder in civilian replied calmly and slowly, "Herbs, expensive or cheap, are all equal. They are all items to save lives. The women of Flower Alley are not nobles and don't have much money. To be able to use cheap herbs to cure illness is then a real ability. You and I shall go in to take a look. You test him."
Imperial Physician grudgingly accepted and followed him into Flower Alley. Flower Alley was very deep and inside were all women of the cathouses queuing up to see the physician. The two of them finally squeezed into the Rain Listening Pavilion with great difficulty and when they entered the pavilion, they only saw a handsome youth in brocade clothes seeing the patients.
Imperial Physician Xiao sneered, "Look at him, merely fourteen to fifteen years old and he's already roamed around to cheat money. Now can Old Lord give up already? Look at his pulse condition, even though it's deep, it becomes unstable from time to time. This means that he has qi deviation. For someone that can't even cure himself, he still dares to come out and cheat people! Old Lord, we can go back now."
The elder in civilian clothes replied impassively, "I told you to go, so go."
Imperial Physician Xiao could only go forward. He pushed aside the girls and just sat down in front of Qin Mu. He stretched out his palm and said with a booming voice, "Check what illness do I have?"
Qin Mu was startled and raised his head to take a look at this elder. He didn't check his pulse and just said with a solemn expression, "Old mister, you're seriously ill!"
Imperial Physician Xiao sneered and stood up, "You cheat! How dare you…"
"You're an apothecary, aren't you?"
Qin Mu continued, "There are thousands of medicine odors on your body and you have surrounded yourself with medicines for years, breathing in their medicinal properties. Furthermore, you prescribed for yourself and frequently bathed in medicinal baths. You also took many spirit pills and miracle medicines made by yourself. However, you aren't proficient in your medicinal expertise and couldn't take care of the poison in the medicine. Now there are hundreds of poisons accumulated in your body. Your eyebrows are green and eyes are red. This means that the poison has soaked into your skin and reached deep into your eyes. At this stage, you can't be saved. There's nothing I can do about your illness, only the king of hell can save you now."
Imperial Physician Xiao flew into a rage. He was so angry that he gave a smile and asked, "Little apothecary, so how long more can I live?"
Qin Mu hesitated and replied, "If you didn't rage, you could still live a while longer. If you raged and the fury attacked your heart, the poison would attack your heart. With the fusion of the medicinal properties, you still have ten…"
Imperial Physician Xiao became even more furious and said coldly, "You said I still have ten days left to live? What happens if I don't die in ten days?"
Qin Mu frowned and continued, "Nine, eight, seven…"
Imperial Physician couldn't control his rage and his aura burst forth, shattering the desk in front of Qin Mu. He then sneered, "Are you saying I would die now? If I don't die, I will make you die!"
"Three, two, one."
Just as Qin Mu said the word "one", Imperial Physician Xiao felt a stabbing pain in his heart as if his heart was being torn apart. His cultivation instantly lost control and the skin on his whole body burst apart. Blood spurted out like a waterfall and he became a bloody man. His body then festered and turned into a pile of pus.
"I can't save you."
Qin Mu shook his head, "You shouldn't have raged. This is what happens when you anyhow take medicines made by yourself but you aren't proficient in your medical expertise. Sister Yun'er, do I have to report this corpse to the officials?"
A commotion brewed inside Flower Alley and the elder in civilian clothes was also shocked. He nodded his head silently and turned his way to leave Flower Alley.
This commotion was soon over and Qin Mu did not continue to see other patients. He instead returned to his room to rest.
The next day, he cured his own illness caused by qi deviation and eliminated all further illness. Only then did he started to see patients again and soon a long queue was once again formed in Flower Alley. Fu Qingyun was secretly worried, instead of a cathouse, her place had now become a clinic.
When afternoon came, Fu Qingyun immediately said, "Young master, tomorrow is the day for Imperial examinations. You can't see patients anymore. You should leave some energy to handle tomorrow's exams!"
Qin Mu nodded his head and replied, "You're right. I'll cure these people after the imperial examinations then."
Fu Qingyun didn't know whether to laugh or cry and told him in a low voice, "Young master, your job is not an apothecary!"
Qin Mu replied, "I'm not simply curing their illness. Even though I have learned a lot in regards to the art of healing, my experience is still not extensive. Curing these people helps me to gain my experience as well. Staying in Great Ruins for over ten years, Grandpa Apothecary had taught me countless of medical knowledge but I had no chance to put it into practice. And now, in just over a day, I have managed to test thousands of medical logic."
Fu Qingyun's head started to ache. How could the young cult master of Heavenly Devil Cult be like a wandering doctor, seeing all the cathouses" girls as patients?
Finally, it was the day of Imperial College's examinations. Qin Mu left Flower Alley early in the morning and asked for directions to Imperial College along his way.
"Imperial College is on top of the mountain in the city's central!
Qin Mu came to the gate of Imperial College and raised his head to take a look, exclaiming to himself in admiration. Imperial College was the supreme institution of the empire and it was imposing. This institution was actually built on a jade mountain and this mountain was situated at the heart of the Nine Dragons Mountain Ranges, the position of the pearl held in the dragons" mouth.
Nine dragons holding the dragon pearl together, one could imagine how wonderful it looked.
The qi's of the nine dragons were gathered here and it was naturally the spirit of the place. The dragons" qi had caused the entire mountain body to become jade.
There were many palaces on the mountain that were either green tiled or red tiled. The place near the palace also had several huge ships berthed in the sky and had yet to furl their sails.
At this moment, there were thousands of scholars from all around the world gathered in front of the mountain, waiting to enter Imperial College. Under the majestic mountain, there were over ten official registrars registering the origins and schools of the scholars attending the imperial examinations.
Qin Mu queued up and when it was his turn to register, the sun was already high up in the sky.
Qin Mu took out his travel permit and said, "Student is from Lizhou Prefecture…"
"No no, he's not from Lizhou Prefecture!"
Suddenly a fat and short youth squeezed past Qin Mu and smiled, "He's the same as me. We're from River Tomb. Lord Registrar, write down River Tomb!"
The registrar raised his head and sneered, "I write according to the place written on the travel permit. You can't anyhow change the census register."
The youth was Wei Yong and when he saw Qin Mu's registered name and census, he became vexed, "That's terrible. We are from the same ship. If you are also from River Tomb, it would be even easier for you to enter Imperial College."
Qin Mu was bewildered, "Why so?"
Wei Yong glanced around and whispered, "Didn't you hear the news? The scholars from River Tomb had mostly died on the way here. Other than our ship that was attacked by Dragon Rider Sect, other people who had traveled by land and sky were all attacked. The ones that lived to get to the capital city were merely a few. It is said that the rebelled sects had ruthlessly planned to make Imperial Preceptor lose face. After all, Imperial Preceptor was from River Tomb…"
"What school are you from? How's your cultivation?"
Qin Mu replied, "I'm homeschooled thus from no school. I have just reached Five Elements Realm two days ago."
The registrar shook his head, "Just reach Five Elements Realm and you still dare to come and take the exams…"
After Qin Mu and Wei Yong were done registering, they went through the mountain gate. There were many scholars squeezed here as they waited. When all the scholars were registered in the books, they heard a Daoist announced in a loud voice, "All divine arts practitioner move up the mountain, and the rest shall stay."
Not long later, only martial arts practitioners of the Spirit Embryo Realm and Five Elements Realms were left under the mountain. There were about two thousand people.
That middle-aged Daoist brought people into the mountains, and they didn't go far, a steep cliff that was over a hundred yards tall welcomed them.
There were no steps up the steep cliff and there was no ropeway up. They would either have to fly or run up. If one could be able to leap over a hundred yards, they could also jump up.
"If you can't go up, go home." The middle-aged Daoist stood beside the steep cliff and told the scholars from all over the world coldly.
"Isn't this simple?"
A scholar moved back a few steps and exerted power in his legs to sprint toward the cliff, trying to run up to the peak. However, just as his feet landed on the wall of the cliff, he slipped and smacked onto the jade wall with a splat, his blood spurting out from his head.
That entire wall was flawless fine jade. His blood landed on the wall of the cliff and actually slid down, not leaving any stain.
The scholars under the cliff all trembled in their hearts, "So slippery!"