Chapter 60: A Gentleman is Open and Poised

As soon as Jiang Mingzhe spoke, everyone turned their eyes toward him in unison.

There were thirteen people in that group wearing green cloaks, and they also turned their heads. They were all young women, and as they looked at Jiang and Duan, their faces all showed expressions of curiosity.

Although these women were not peerless beauties, there are no ugly girls at the age of eighteen or nineteen. Moreover, they were all practitioners of martial arts, full of vitality and with well-proportioned figures. As they stared with wide eyes, Duan Yu's heart immediately accelerated, and he hurriedly put on a friendly smile.

Under normal circumstances, given his appearance, such a smile would likely have caused the hearts of quite a few young women to flutter with deer-like panic.

But at this moment, his face was covered in swollen red patches and numerous blisters of various sizes. To make matters worse, his smile was far too brilliant, and as his facial muscles pulled, *pop*, one of the blisters burst, oozing a stream of yellowish fluid. That sight was truly too ghastly to behold.

The women all curled their lips in unison, leaning backward in a tactical retreat, each thinking: This ugly ghost has such a wretched and leering smile!

A few of those with weak stomachs even retched slightly, hurriedly covering their mouths and scrambling to look at Jiang Mingzhe, hoping to use his handsome face to properly wash and refresh their eyes.

Jiang Mingzhe's natural attractiveness was already extremely high, and now, contrasted against the "wretched ugly ghost," he appeared even more jade-tree-like in the wind, resembling an immortal banished from the heavens. The maidens all swallowed quietly, exchanging winks and grimaces with one another, while a few thin-skinned ones instantly flushed red with shyness.

Among them, probably acting as the leader, was a woman in her early twenties, tall in stature, with delicate features and a hint of murderous intent hidden between her brows. Her gaze swept over the two men before landing on Si Kongxuan. "You know them?"

Si Kongxuan hurriedly nodded. "Reporting to Envoy Fu, this person is Long Aotian, a patron of the Dali Duan family, and his nickname is the Invincible Divine Sword. As for the person on his back, this old servant does not recognize him. I wonder if Sect Master Zuo and Sect Master Xin know him."

Beside Si Kongxuan stood two other people: a man in his fifties with a long beard, who was none other than Zuo Zimu, the master of the East Sect of the Wuliang Sword Sect; and a Daoist nun in her forties, who was Xin Shuangqing, the master of the West Sect.

Upon hearing this, the two gave Duan Yu a deep look, shook their heads, and said, "We do not know him."

Duan Yu anxiously blurted out, "Hey, Sect Master Zuo, how can you not know me? Didn't your disciple slap me across the face at your command? Ah, what a pity he was poisoned to death by the Shennong Sect. By the way, aren't you enemies? Having died so many people, how is it that you have turned into friends instead?"

Zuo Zimu hurriedly said, "Talk nonsense no more. We were friends all along; previously it was just a misunderstanding. Now the Wuliang Sword has submitted to the command of the Tianshan Vulture Palace, changed its name to the Wuliang Cave, and we are all family with the Shennong Sect."

With that, he turned around, bowed deeply, and said, "Reporting to Envoy Fu, I remember who this brat is now. During the duel between the East and West Sects the other day, he followed the Pu'er martial arts master Ma Wude. This fellow knows no martial arts, but loves to stir up trouble and make a fuss. It was I who ordered my disciple to strike him a couple of times as a minor warning and discipline. It's just that I didn't recognize him now because of whatever he did to make himself look completely unrecognizable."

***

That Envoy Fu nodded and said to Si Kongxuan, "Since they are acquaintances of yours and have come seeking treatment, there is no harm in you examining him."

Si Kongxuan cupped his fists and said, "Understood. Envoy Fu possesses great benevolence and righteousness."

He walked over, observed Duan Yu closely, leaned in to sniff him, picked up his wrist to take his pulse, and nodded. "This friend of Hero Long first suffered from centipede venom miasma, which is why Hero Long gave him some of our sect's 'Half-Sky Water' spiritual pills. However, the dosage was too large, leading to diarrhea, though the centipede venom was neutralized. Later, however, he contracted lacquer poisoning, causing red swelling and blisters all over his body, accompanied by unbearable itching."

Jiang Mingzhe and Duan Yu spoke in unison, "Lacquer poisoning?"

Si Kongxuan nodded and asked Duan Yu, "Young friend, on all parts of your body, where does it itch the most?"

"This..." Duan Yu's expression was coy and he was unwilling to speak. But after all, coming from an extraordinary background, he knew that concealing an illness out of fear of treatment was a great taboo. After hesitating for a long time, he signaled Si Kongxuan to come closer, leaned against his ear, and whispered a single sentence.

Si Kongxuan nodded repeatedly. "Oh, so it's your asshole that itches the most."

The male disciples of the Wuliang Cave and Shennong Sect burst into roaring laughter. The female disciples all blushed, trying their hardest to hold back and keep from laughing out loud. Those envoys of the Vulture Palace turned their heads away to pretend they hadn't heard anything, though their cloaks were trembling violently, clearly enduring the laughter with great difficulty.

Duan Yu was dumbfounded, his face burning like fire, wishing he could just drop dead on the spot. He desperately buried his head into Jiang Mingzhe's shoulders and back.

Jiang Mingzhe glanced indifferently at Si Kongxuan and comforted Duan Yu, saying, "Brother, there is no need to be shy. Everyone has an asshole, and if you have an asshole, you will get sick. A true man is open and aboveboard—your asshole is just itching, what is there that cannot be seen in public? Those who are laughing at you, could it be that none of them have an asshole?"

These words were spoken in a clear and resonant voice, causing those who had been laughing to instantly feel awkward, as if they were the ignorant and vulgar clowns making a fuss over nothing.

The women, however, couldn't help but let their eyes light up, thinking to themselves that this was what was meant by a gentleman being open and untroubled. Look at him; even when discussing an asshole, he was so focused and dashing.

Consoled by Jiang Mingzhe's words, Duan Yu's shame diminished slightly, though he still refused to lift his head, curling up like a quail.

Swept by Jiang Mingzhe's gaze, Si Kongxuan couldn't help panicking inwardly. He forced a laugh and said, "Precisely, precisely. In the eyes of a physician, there is no distinction of gender, and there is nothing to shy away from. Ahem, this young master had diarrhea after taking the 'Half-Sky Water'—did you use leaves to wipe yourself?"

Duan Yu buried his face in Jiang Mingzhe's back and muttered in a muffled voice, "In the remote and desolate mountains, if you don't use leaves, do you expect me to use clumps of dirt?"

***

"That must be it." Si Kongxuan clapped his hands and said, "There are quite a few big-leaf lacquer trees growing in the mountains here. The young master must have mistakenly used the leaves of the big-leaf lacquer tree, which resulted in the lacquer poisoning. As for your... ahem, honorable posterior, it is still quite severe, but it doesn't matter. It's curable, quite curable."

He turned back and gave orders to his subordinates, "Go and gather some fresh lacquer-repelling grass, pound it into a medicinal juice, mix it with one share of mirabilite, and use it to scrub this young master's body. Also, get some licorice and mung bean pills, dissolve them in gypsum water for the young master to take internally. Oh, and add three Poria and Atractylodes pills to stop the diarrhea."

The members of the Shennong Sect were accustomed to handling medicines. Following Si Kongxuan's instructions, in less than the time it takes to burn half a stick of incense, everything was fully prepared. Jiang Mingzhe put Duan Yu down and let him drink the oral medication first. Two Shennong Sect disciples then stepped forward, supported him behind a large tree, stripped off his clothes, and scrubbed him with the medicinal juice.

Before long, Duan Yu's cheerful cheers could be heard from afar, "Big Brother! The doctors of the Shennong Sect are truly amazing! Your little brother doesn't itch anymore!"

Jiang Mingzhe smiled, cupped his fists toward Si Kongxuan, and said, "Sect Master Si, thank you for your trouble."

Si Kongxuan chuckled and was just about to speak when he saw Jiang Mingzhe's smile fade. Glancing at the women of the Vulture Palace, Jiang Mingzhe said coldly, "The thanks have been given, and now it's time to settle accounts. This Shennong Sect of yours is presumably also under the command of that Vulture Palace, right? My brother sought medical treatment devoutly and confided his affliction in secret, yet Sect Master Si insisted on shouting at the top of your lungs, bringing public humiliation upon my brother. Was this done to make a spectacle of my brother's embarrassment just to win a smile from those women and curry favor with your masters?"

Looking at Jiang Mingzhe's expressionless face, Si Kongxuan's eyelids twitched involuntarily. He hurriedly waved his hands. "It's a misunderstanding! Hero Long, you've misunderstood! This old man had no such intention whatsoever."

Jiang Mingzhe said, "A physician should possess a benevolent heart. Call it a misunderstanding or not, we are not fools to be toyed with at will. Who you wish to curry favor with is your own business, but if you take us for your amusement, Long here will make sure you can never amuse yourself again. This time, in consideration of you curing my brother's poison, I will not haggle with you overmuch. If there is a next time..."

Si Kongxuan originally wanted to argue, but locking eyes with Jiang Mingzhe, the words on the tip of his tongue dared not be spoken. He gave a bitter smile and said, "This subordinate has remembered it well. There will definitely not be a next time."

Jiang Mingzhe nodded, then suddenly felt someone staring at him intently. Turning his head, he saw it was none other than that Envoy Fu. He gave her a carefree smile and said indifferently, "Elder Sister, might you have some instruction to offer?"

Envoy Fu smiled faintly and was just about to speak when a cry of startled exclamation rang out. One of the two disciples who had been wiping medicine for Duan Yu came running out from behind the tree with large strides. Pointing behind the tree, he shouted at the top of his lungs, "Sect Master! The red swelling on this fellow's face has receded, and I've recognized him! He is the very person I chased who fell from here into the Sword Lake Gorge! He actually didn't fall to his death!"

Envoy Fu's previously somewhat friendly gaze suddenly condensed, and she shouted sternly, "Long Aotian, did the two of you emerge from this gorge?"