253 Two Field Doctors Part One

Downstream, he could see hills that the river winded its way through. ChenChangsheng could even make out the plain in the distance. It was the same scenethat he had seen when they had arrived, but Chen Changsheng knew that somethinghad definitely gone wrong in this world. As Chen Changsheng was observing the garden in silence, Zhuang Huanyu preparedto leave. "It's best not to go out on your own." Chen Changsheng turned around and sincerely told him, "The gray strings losingtheir power means that something has probably gone wrong. It's best to firstinvestigate what's going on, or else I'm worried that there will be problems." Zhuang Huanyu did not stop. Arching his brow, he said, "The Garden of Zhou isonly open for one hundred days. In here, every moment is precious. Don't tellme that you want me to waste my time for such a small matter?" Chen Changsheng replied, "You observing the battle was also a waste of time,so what's the harm in wasting a bit more?" "Fine". Zhuang Huanyu looked at Chen Changsheng and said, "If there really isa problem, then obviously, someone needs to go to the garden gate and see. Fromhere to the garden gate is dozens of li, who is going?" Precisely as Zhuang Huanyu had said, to those cultivators that entered theGarden of Zhou, every moment of time in the Garden was incomparably precious.For the people at the riverbank to make a trip from there to the garden gateand back, even if they expended true essence, it would still take at least anhour. Who would be willing to waste their time on this sort of matter? Qi Jian seemed somewhat willing and was preparing to say something when LiangXiaoxiao shook his head. Thinking of the heavy responsibility that their masterhad conferred to him, Liang Xiaoxiao thought that it was best to maintainsilence. The riverbank was very quiet, with not a single person responding. ZhuangHuanyu looked at Chen Changsheng and said derisively, "You see, not a singleperson is willing. Since you were the one to suggest it, why don't you go?" Chen Changsheng did not directly answer, but he instead looked at the heavilyinjured Clear Void Monastery master. Qi Jian understood his meaning and said, "I’ll keep an eye on him.” Then, he turned to Liang Xiaoxiao and whispered a few words, his attitude veryresolute. "Great. I think you all can search in the surrounding woods, but it's best tonot walk too far." Chen Changsheng knew very well that of the disciples of the sects that enteredthe Garden of Zhou, the vast majority of disciples, just like the senior fromthe Holy Maiden Peak, had the responsibility of accompanying their juniors. Saying these words, he began to walk downstream. Zhexiu followed behind,saying nothing. Once he rounded the bend of the river and he made sure that no one could seehim anymore, Chen Changsheng turned to Zhexiu and said, "I'm taking a trip intothe woods. Wait for me here." Zhexiu did not know what he planned to do, nor did he desire to reveal ChenChangsheng's secrets, so he indifferently nodded his head. He entered the tranquil forest, climbed a bit of a ways up a mountain, thenstopped. He took in the view of that distant plain, which seemed to burn underthe sun as well as that mountain which seemed to extend into the depths of theplain. His right grasped the hilt of the dagger at his waist and he softlysaid, "Can you help me out by going to the gate of the garden and seeing what'sgoing on?" At some point, the Black Dragon had appeared on his shoulder. As it looked atthat distant mountain, a strange light appeared in its eyes. It seemed somewhatperplexed, like it felt that there was something in that mountain calling to it. "I have a premonition that the gate is closed and this garden is no longerconnected to the outside world. So, whether you go or I go, they're both thesame. Only you have to be careful that no one sees you." Chen Changsheng turned his head to the Black Dragon on his shoulder andsincerely requested. The Black Dragon withdrew its gaze from the mountain and gave Chen Changshengtwo squeaks. Somewhat vexed, Chen Changsheng answered, "I have some things that youdisdain, but this dagger was given to me by my senior, so I can't give it you." The Black Dragon gave him a cold look. The meaning was clear: you're notwilling to pay up, yet you dare ask for my help? Chen Changsheng though it over, then said, "How about this? I promise you asingle request… You know, right now I'm the Principal of the Orthodox Academy.In the future, I might be able to get my hands on all sorts of rare treasures." The Black Dragon's pupils constricted. Apparently, it was quite satisfied withthis answer. With a sudden gust of wind, the Black Dragon became a fleeting image as itpierced through the air, accompanied by an earsplitting sound that tore throughthe air. Not long after, Chen Changsheng emerged from the woods and walked over toZhexiu. With a solemn expression, he said, "The gate is closed." Zhexiu arched his brow, but he said nothing, not even asking how ChenChangsheng had been able to know that the gate to the garden was closed in sucha short time. Returning that stretch of riverbank, the rest of the people were quitesuspicious of the information that Chen Changsheng had so quickly learned. Ahint of scorn could be detected in Zhuang Huanyu's indifferent appearance,while Liang Xiaoxiao directly asked, "You say it's closed, so it's closed?" Somewhat confused, Chen Changsheng replied, "If you believe it, then believeit." Not waiting for any more questions from Zhuang Huanyu and Liang Xiaoxiao, ChenChangsheng squatted down and resumed treating the master from the Clear VoidMonastery. Qi Jian said, "I believe it." Liang Xiaoxiao creased his brow, like he was befuddled as to the reason whyhis junior disciple was so confident in this rival of their Mount Li Sword Sect. "Second Brother said, if something happens in the Garden of Zhou, the personyou could be most confident in was Chen Changsheng." Qi Jian explained. Chen Changsheng was currently taking that master's pulse, so his finger wassomewhat rigid. When Chen Changsheng was leaving the Mausoleum of Books, Gou Hanshi had askedhim to look after the Mount Li disciples. Back then, Chen Changsheng thoughtthat Gou Hanshi had been asking out of courtesy, but he did not imagined thatGou Hanshi really meant it. For some reason, he suddenly felt that hisshoulders had gotten somewhat heavier, and yet his mind became more relaxed. Itwas a very comfortable feeling. After confirming that the master's wound was not about to quickly get worse,he stood up and had Zhexiu begin to prepare his medical instruments. He said toLiang Xiaoxiao and the rest, "I confirmed that the rules of the Garden of Zhouare still intact, only that there is some outside force that is causing thisdisturbance. In these one hundred days, the gate to the Garden of Zhou shouldopen once more, it's just that I don't when exactly it will open." Liang Xiaoxiao creased his brow. "What sort of outside force could disturb aminiature world?" Qi Jian pondered this question, then answered, "Either that person issufficiently powerful, or they have an extremely good understanding of theGarden of Zhou." Chen Changsheng nodded his head. "I believe it to be the latter." Ye Xiaolian opened her eyes wide and asked inquisitively, "Who could it be?" They all looked each other in the eye, but none of them said anything. The people that wanted to mess with these several hundred human cultivators inthe Garden of Zhou was obviously the enemy of humanity. The enemy of humanity was the demons. "We must be careful." Qi Jian looked downstream at the open country and anxiously said, "We have tothink of a way to quickly inform everyone else." They were not sure, or perhaps they simply could not imagine, that demons hadentered the Garden of Zhou. But it was true that a change had occurred in theGarden of Zhou and the gray strings had lost their effectiveness. In order toprevent the human cultivators from attacking too fiercely and inflictingirreversible damage on fellow humans when stealing treasures, it was necessaryto transmit the news that the Garden of Zhou had closed as quickly as possible. It was just that the Garden of Zhou was truly too vast. While several hundredhuman cultivators did not seem like a small number, when spread out over such alarge area, they seemed extremely sparse. In addition, since the vast majorityof the cultivators had entered the Garden of Zhou to search for treasure,presumably many people would go into hiding. In this sort of situation, evenoccasionally bumping into someone would be a rare event. The reason why this group by the river had all met was because that they wereall thinking about the same thing: the Sword Pool. Whether it was the OrthodoxAcademy, the Mount Li Sword Sect or the Heavenly Dao Academy, they all probablyhad left records regarding the evidence of the Sword Pool. Thus why they hadall journeyed upstream and come to this place. This was something that they allmutually understood. As for this master and disciple from Clear Void Monastery, from the momentthey entered the Garden of Zhou, they had been following the senior and juniorfrom Holy Maiden Peak. At a certain level, it could even be called shrewd andcalculating. In the vastness of the Garden of Zhou, there were three mountain ranges thatdivided it into three great regions. The famous plain,whose depths no one daredto venture into,was situated in the middle. On the edge of the mountain range,which was also the edge of the Garden of Zhou, were several gardens. Thosegardens were rumored to be where Zhou Dufu used to live in the past, thusmaking them the place most likely to hold hidden treasure. Thus, whencultivators entered the Garden of Zhou, the majority of them would first searchthat region. Liang Xiaoxiao said to Qi Jian, "Those places are too far and going there istoo time-consuming." Before he had finished his sentence, Qi Jian understood his meaning.Truthfully, everyone there had probably realized his meaning. Apparently, the Mount Li Sword Sect had extremely strong information on thewhereabouts of the Sword Pool, or perhaps over the past few decades, the eldersof Mount Li had obtained some fruits from their analysis. So of course, LiangXiaoxiao and Qi Jian were in a hurry to leave. In the Mausoleum of Books, Chen Changsheng would frequently treat Zhexiu, soZhexiu was well-acquainted with the contents of that box. It didn't take longfor Zhexiu to prepare all the items that Chen Changsheng needed. Chen Changsheng paid no attention to what the two disciples from the Mount LiSword Sect were thinking about. Taking the tools, he squatted on the floor andbegan to treat the master from the Clear Void Monastery. The application of the copper needles had already stopped the bleeding. Whathe was doing now was sewing up the wound. Ye Xiaolian glanced over, and she could not help but turn pale at the sight. Even that young daoist from the Clear Void Monastery, who was holding hismaster's hand, could not help but tremble. As cultivators, whether it was exchanging pointers indoors or engaging inbattles in the world outside, they had all seen blood before. But what theyrarely saw was a metal needle weaving through the flesh of a human. Once he had finished sewing up the wound, he packed it tightly with a cleancloth. Chen Changsheng had not yet finished his treatment, as he now began touse the copper needles to touch the meridians around the chest that had beendamaged by Liang Xiaoxiao. At this scene, everyone present had somewhat strange expressions, especiallySenior Tong from Holy Maiden Peak. Holy Maiden Peak's South Stream Temple as well as the capital's ThirteenDivisions of Radiant Green were the two sects most skilled in medicaltreatment. A thousand years ago, amidst the fierce war between the humans anddemons, one would always see the women garbed in white. In that war, theyplayed an extremely vital role. The senior had not imagined that today in the Garden of Zhou, she would beable to witness such an exquisite display of medical expertise. In addition, itwas very clear that Chen Changsheng had not been trained in the Sacred Lighttechnique of the Orthodoxy. The riverbank was quiet, with only the sound of the water flowing by and theoccasional muffled hum from the master from the Clear Void Monastery. Everyone looked at Chen Changsheng, not daring to disturb him. Zhuang Huanyu did not enjoy this sort of atmosphere. Slightly arching hisbrows, he nodded at Liang Xiaoxiao then he began walking upstream. Chen Changsheng spied this out of the corner of his eye, but he did notattempt to dissuade him as he had done before. After not much time had passed, he confirmed that the master from Clear VoidMonastery was no longer in any danger. He stood and looked up at Qi Jian andsaid, "I also have to go. I have to find other people. Just like you, I worrythat the others don't know that the Garden of Zhou has closed. If a disputewere to occur, if they begin to fight, then it is certain that no one will backdown. The ferocity of their battle will bring about problems, and people mighteven die." Thinking that these words were directed at him, Liang Xiaoxiao's face subtlychanged. He didn't understand that this was just Chen Changsheng delivering hisassessment of the situation. Qi Jian replied somewhat awkwardly, "We also have to leave for a reason." "I understand." He turned to the pair from Holy Maiden Peak and asked, "CouldI trouble you two to temporarily watch over them for a while? I should be ableto get back before midnight." Senior Tong was somewhat at a loss. She did not imagined that he would putforth such a request. After thinking it over, she agreed. Taking care of their ambushers, if she had not been a disciple of Holy MaidenPeak, she really would not have accepted this task. Chen Changsheng gave them a grateful smile, then he and Zhexiu once againproceeded downstream. The sun shined brightly, dispelling some of the eeriness of the woods. In the southeastern part of the Garden of Zhou, there was a garden that wasconstructed against the side of a mountain. According to the legends, thisplace was where Zhou Dufu, in his middle years, enjoyed listening to the songof birds, thus he built this garden. It was given the name 'MountainsideWhispering Wood'. The Mountainside Whispering Wood was not the garden that was at the entranceto the Garden of Zhou, but it was the closest. Because every cultivator had to pass through that garden at the entrance whenthey entered the Garden of Zhou, the place had long been picked clean. Sincethere was nothing to find in that garden for later cultivators, the vastmajority of this year's cultivators would first visit the MountainsideWhispering Wood garden. The birds happily sang out amidst the mountains, while the water noiselesslyflowed through the garden. As for the viewing galleries, the overhanging eaves,the whitewashed walls and windows; in accordance with the iron law set down bythe human cultivating world, besides magical artifacts and legacies, nothingelse in the Garden of Zhou was to be touched. So even after the passage ofseveral hundred years, this place still retained the atmosphere of seven partsserenity and nine parts nobility of the past. Only now in a room in the depths of the garden, there was only fear andunease. The serenity and nobility had long been replaced by the scent of bloodwhich rushed off into the unknown. Around a dozen cultivators surrounded the scene and their faces were extremelyunsightly. A cultivator was collapsed on the floor. His abdomen had been run through by asword, leaving a gaping wound around five fingers wide. His left hand wasplaced on the wound, attempting to hold it closed. Yet it could nothing to stopthe blood from flowing. His intestines seemed to be on the verge of coming out.As he gasped his dying breaths, the gray string that he had grasped in hisright hand had burned away long ago, leaving only ash. The other cultivator’s face was deathly pale as he continuously said, "Ididn't do it on purpose, at most, I thought that my ‘Perching Tong’ move wouldjust injure him! How was I to know that his true Qi would freeze and he wouldbe unable to lift his sword? I really didn't do it on purpose, and anyway… thisgray string doesn't work!" The severely injured cultivator's stomach had been run through and his bloodflowed like water. It was easy to see that he was about to die. The faces ofthe surrounding cultivators grew increasingly unsightly. The thing that madethem the most concerned was, why had the gray string lost its effectiveness.Was the only thing that all of these people could do was watch this person die? At this moment, several maidens dressed in ceremonial white arrived at theMountainside Whispering Wood, and the garden was filled with the sounds ofrespect and pleasant surprise.