When Poetry Sings And The Saber Roars - Chapter 2

The saber’s edge remained cold against Xie Yuanjue’s neck.

Anyone with even the slightest pride would have been unwilling to answer another person’s questions so readily under such circumstances.

Xie Yuanjue was an exception.

Without the slightest hesitation, she gave her name. Yet the speed of her answer certainly did not arise from fear.

On the contrary, her face remained utterly undisturbed. There was no fear, anger, or anxiety in her expression.

Naturally, there was no smile either.

She was so calm that she hardly seemed like a living person.

No matter how Ling Suihan looked at her, she still thought Xie Yuanjue resembled a beautiful statue carved from translucent glass.

She truly was not the person Ling Suihan remembered. Not only was her name different, but her entire demeanor was completely unlike hers.

“Xie Yuanjue…” Ling Suihan quietly savored the name. A moment later, she ultimately could not resist asking a second question. “I have heard that there is a physician in the jianghu whose medical skills are unparalleled beneath the heavens. She is a Buddhist nun with the Dharma name Jiuru and resides in Changsheng Valley of Hongzhou. Since you are also a physician, have you ever heard of her?”

“I have heard a little about her.” Something shifted faintly in Xie Yuanjue’s eyes, but she shook her head without hesitation. “However, I have never met her. Why are you asking about her?”

“Didn’t you just say that no one else in the world could cure this poison?” A faint trace of disappointment appeared between Ling Suihan’s brows. Her chest felt increasingly constricted, and only after drawing a long breath could she continue. “They say Master Jiuru is the greatest miracle doctor beneath the heavens. Are you saying that even she cannot cure it?”

“Do not twist my words,” Xie Yuanjue replied indifferently. “I merely told you that if you are not afraid of dying, you are free to seek help from someone else. Hongzhou is at least half a month’s journey from here. If you remain alive until then, you may naturally seek Master Jiuru’s help.”

In truth, Ling Suihan still did not believe the poison could take her life.

However, there were indeed many varieties of slow-acting poison in the jianghu. Their damage to the body gradually worsened over time until the victim was beyond saving. Ling Suihan had no desire whatsoever to take that risk.

Fortunately, she and Xie Yuanjue had no grievances between them, and Ling Suihan had never intended to make an enemy of her.

She turned her head slightly and cast a frost-cold gaze toward the middle-aged man nearby. “Do you know him?”

“He is my patient.”

“Do you know your patient’s background?”

Xie Yuanjue fell silent. She merely looked calmly into Ling Suihan’s eyes and waited for her to continue.

Ling Suihan was about to explain, but words alone would prove nothing. It would be better to show her the wanted notice directly.

Unfortunately, Ling Suihan had only one hand. If she wanted to retrieve anything else now, she would have to release her saber.

While she hesitated, she caught sight of a dark figure springing into motion from the corner of her eye. Like a diving falcon, Peng Lie lunged toward Doctor Yu and the young medicine apprentice huddled in the corner.

Neither of the two knew the slightest bit of martial arts, and one of them was only a child barely over ten. They had no time to evade and were so terrified that they froze in place, utterly at a loss.

Ling Suihan twisted the wrist gripping her saber.

White light flashed once more. Flying snow swept through the air as her blade slashed toward Peng Lie’s right hand.

Peng Lie was prepared this time and immediately twisted aside. However, he was injured, and Ling Suihan’s saber technique was truly exceptional.

With a metallic clang, the attack failed to sever his right hand but instantly sliced through the long saber he was holding.

Peng Lie was even more horrified.

At this point, he thought, it did not matter how far he could flee. He had to escape first and worry about the rest later.

Yet he had taken only a single step when he stopped moving.

He did not move because he could not.

Ling Suihan looked at the silver needle embedded in a vital acupoint on his chest. Following the thread attached to its end, she shifted her gaze back to Xie Yuanjue before returning her saber to its scabbard.

At that moment, she no longer possessed the strength to hold the blade against Xie Yuanjue’s neck again.

She lowered her head and eyes, unable to stop herself from drawing several ragged breaths.

Her back remained as straight as a sword from beginning to end.

Xie Yuanjue stepped forward and stopped in front of her. After studying her complexion for a moment, she extended a hand.

Ling Suihan swiftly dodged aside. “What are you doing?”

“Do you no longer want the poison cured?”

Despite her youth, Ling Suihan had experienced a great deal. Her wariness ran deep, and she was naturally reluctant to place her body in the hands of a stranger. She hesitated for quite some time—until she raised her head and once again found herself caught in the depths of Xie Yuanjue’s gaze.

Although their temperaments were entirely different, their eyes and brows…

At the thought of the person in her memories, Ling Suihan’s heart softened.

At last, she chose to trust Xie Yuanjue and allowed her to reach out again, this time to take her pulse.

A moment later, a puzzled expression appeared on Xie Yuanjue’s face, which had been as tranquil as a still lake.

Ling Suihan raised an eyebrow. “Do not tell me that you have forgotten how to cure your own poison.”

Xie Yuanjue appeared about to speak, as though she had a question she wished to ask, but ultimately remained silent.

She turned her palm over and flicked her pale fingers. In the blink of an eye, seven silver needles shot out like meteors and struck seven vital acupoints on Ling Suihan’s body.

Only a short while later, Ling Suihan miraculously felt the discomfort within her gradually disappear. She silently circulated her inner force and encountered no obstruction whatsoever.

Xie Yuanjue retrieved her needles. At the same time, Ling Suihan slipped her left hand into the front of her robe, took out a sheet of paper, and held it before her.

When Xie Yuanjue unfolded it, she found a portrait accompanied by several lines of writing.

Only then did she learn that the patient was named Peng Lie, a notorious outlaw who robbed and murdered others and had committed every conceivable evil. Not long ago, he had broken into a high-ranking official’s residence and attacked its occupants, provoking the fury of the imperial court.

A wanted notice carrying a substantial reward had subsequently been issued for his capture.

Ling Suihan had happened to see the notice while traveling to Chang’an and decided to involve herself in the matter.

As for Peng Lie’s sudden attack just now, he had acted because he sensed that Ling Suihan and Xie Yuanjue’s conversation had reached a crucial point. He feared that once Xie Yuanjue learned his identity, she would no longer help him.

His internal injuries were severe, and he was certainly no match for this mysterious saber fighter who had appeared from nowhere. Even if he used qinggong, he would not be able to flee very far.

After rapidly considering his options, he decided to take advantage of the stalemate between the two women and seize Doctor Yu and the young apprentice as hostages.

He never imagined that his attack would instead lead to Ling Suihan and Xie Yuanjue working together for the first time.

Despair enveloped him. He knew that he was now nothing more than a fish on the chopping block and that no one could possibly save him.

Ling Suihan believed the same.

Now that Xie Yuanjue knew the truth, the misunderstanding between them could be considered resolved.

“Thank you for helping me restrain him.” Ling Suihan was even willing to offer her some goodwill now. She smiled faintly and said, “I will take him away. There is also a woman lying in the room next door. Peng Lie injured her, and she should still be unconscious. Please treat her.”

With that, she turned to leave.

“Please wait,” Xie Yuanjue said.

Ling Suihan looked back. “Is there something else?”

“You cannot take him away yet.”

“Why?”

“Because I have not finished treating his injuries.”

At those words, not only Ling Suihan but even Peng Lie stared at her in shock and disbelief.

The smile that had only just appeared on Ling Suihan’s face vanished. Frowning, she looked back and forth between Xie Yuanjue and Peng Lie for a long while before asking coldly, “You mean you still intend to protect him?”

“Until his internal injuries have healed, you may understand it that way.”

“You already know what kind of man he is.”

“He came to me seeking treatment, and I agreed to treat him. I do not care what other identities he may possess. At present, he is my patient.”

“Oh, what benevolence and boundless compassion from a physician.” Ling Suihan’s voice carried obvious, undisguised mockery. “Once you save his life, he can go on to kill even more innocent people. It makes no difference to you, since you will not be there to see it.”

Xie Yuanjue still did not become angry. Perfectly calm, she answered in an indifferent tone, “Why do you keep changing my words? I only said I would treat his injuries. I never said I would save his life.”

Her meaning was clear. Once Peng Lie’s internal injuries had healed, she would no longer prevent Ling Suihan from arresting him.

Ling Suihan understood. After hesitating briefly, she reminded herself that she had met this physician entirely by chance. Xie Yuanjue was merely a passerby in her life, while Ling Suihan still had more important matters to handle. There was no reason to start a conflict with her, become entangled in an argument, and waste valuable time.

“How long will you need to heal him?”

Xie Yuanjue considered the question. “His other injuries pose no difficulty, but the force of the Nine-Turn Palm is no small matter. I will need at least half a day to restore him to normal.”

“What?!” Peng Lie’s acupoints had been sealed, leaving him unable to move. He had been wondering what he should do next, but upon hearing Xie Yuanjue’s words, he immediately shrieked, “Y-you are saying that the palm strike I suffered came from the Nine-Turn Palm?”

It was a famous martial art throughout the jianghu. Although Peng Lie had never encountered it before, he had heard how terrifying it was.

Anyone struck by the technique would have saber qi left within their body, damaging their internal organs and causing greater agony with every passing day. After nine days, the victim would, at best, become paralyzed and, at worst, lose their life.

Ordinary medicines could not cure it.

The only solution was to seek the help of an expert with profound inner force, then find a secluded place where, within those nine days, the expert would use their inner force to clear the victim’s meridians for one hour each morning, noon, and evening.

Peng Lie inwardly groaned.

Had he known that he had been struck by such a deadly palm technique, he would never have wasted time coming here to seek treatment.

But then he reconsidered. Even if he had not come to this clinic, there was no possibility that he could have found an expert willing to expend their own inner force to heal him in such a short time.

His circumstances could hardly become any worse. He might as well make one last desperate attempt.

He looked doubtfully at the young physician. “Can you truly cure this injury?”

“My name is Xie Yuanjue—Yuan as in fated affinity, and Jue as in enlightenment,” the physician said, abruptly changing the subject.

“What?” Peng Lie was utterly baffled.

Xie Yuanjue continued, “If I cure you, remember that name.”

Hearing this, Ling Suihan was just as confused as Peng Lie.

Could it be that even after learning Peng Lie was no good man, Xie Yuanjue still intended to treat him because she valued his martial arts and hoped to receive something in return for saving him?

But Peng Lie had killed someone he should never have killed, and the imperial court had offered a generous reward for him. Besides the government soldiers, many wandering martial artists were also pursuing him.

He could not even protect himself now. What could he possibly offer Xie Yuanjue in return?

Ling Suihan’s gaze remained fixed on Xie Yuanjue, only to see her turn toward the clinic’s owner. Her voice and manner became considerably more courteous.

“Doctor Yu, it is nearly noon. I will have to trouble you…”

Doctor Yu froze before returning to his senses. After a moment’s hesitation, he answered, “All right, all right. I will go now.”

With that, he walked out of the room.

Xie Yuanjue also began heading outside.

Ling Suihan looked at her suspiciously. “Where are you going?”

“Did you not say there was another patient in the next room?”

The young medicine apprentice was still worried about the injured girl and finally spoke up. “Y-yes… I examined that patient earlier. Her injuries are serious. If she is not treated soon, I am afraid she may lose her life.”

Seven vital acupoints on Peng Lie’s body had been sealed with silver needles, so Xie Yuanjue felt comfortable leaving him where he was.

Guided by the young apprentice, she entered the adjoining side room. A girl lay on a couch beside the window, her eyes still tightly closed. Fortunately, she was still breathing, and her pulse continued to beat.

Xie Yuanjue took her pulse and carefully examined every one of her injuries.

Ling Suihan grew anxious as she waited and asked impatiently, “Can you treat her?”

“Of course.” Xie Yuanjue nodded, then named a price.

Ling Suihan was visibly bewildered for a moment.

Xie Yuanjue explained, “When one seeks medical treatment and medicine, one should pay the physician’s fee. That is only right and proper.”

That was true, but Ling Suihan had seen that Xie Yuanjue possessed extraordinary skills and was no ordinary physician. Combined with her aloof and detached demeanor, Ling Suihan genuinely had not expected her to bring up something as mundane as money of her own accord.

Still, paying for treatment was perfectly reasonable. Ling Suihan said nothing more and was about to retrieve the physician’s fee from the pouch at her waist when her hand abruptly stopped.

She might not care about such worldly possessions, but asking her to pay for the treatment of a Dingshan Sect disciple was absolutely impossible—even if the price were only a single copper coin.

Instead, she removed the purse tied at Tang Yiluo’s waist. Sure enough, it contained plenty of copper coins and pieces of silver.

Ling Suihan tossed the entire purse to Xie Yuanjue. “Take however much you want.”

“Is she not your friend?” Xie Yuanjue asked curiously.

“I do not know her. I picked her up on the road.”

Xie Yuanjue was not greedy. She took only the portion she was owed, then returned the purse to Tang Yiluo.

At that moment, footsteps sounded outside. Doctor Yu appeared in the doorway carrying two food boxes.

“Doctor Xie, I have brought the food. Everything is still hot.”

“Thank you,” Xie Yuanjue said.

By the time Doctor Yu had arranged all the food from the boxes on the table, Xie Yuanjue was already seated beside it.

Ling Suihan stared at her in astonishment. “You intend to eat now?”

“It is already noon.”

It was time for lunch, after all.

“But you just said that her injuries were severe and that she might lose her life if she was not treated soon.”

“She will not die just yet. Do not worry. I will treat her after I finish my meal.”

Ling Suihan had not known her for long. Although she had already witnessed Xie Yuanjue’s mastery of poison, she could not yet place complete trust in her medical skills.

She asked doubtfully, “Injuries and illnesses can change in an instant. What if her condition suddenly worsens and she dies before you can treat her?”

“Then she will have been unfortunate.” Xie Yuanjue remained perfectly composed. “I will refund the physician’s fee.”

Those words instantly ignited Ling Suihan’s anger.

Ling Suihan had never liked the disciples of the Dingshan Sect, but she kept gratitude and resentment clearly separated. Before losing consciousness, Tang Yiluo had told her where Peng Lie had gone, which meant that Ling Suihan owed her a favor—something that made her deeply uncomfortable.

Now that she had delivered Tang Yiluo to a medical clinic, she considered the favor repaid. Whether the physicians here could save Tang Yiluo’s life was of no concern to her whatsoever.

She was simply displeased with Xie Yuanjue’s attitude.

“Just now, I thought you genuinely possessed a physician’s benevolent heart and were merely too rigid in your principles. I never imagined that your compassion was reserved exclusively for villains.”

Her voice was as sharp as her saber.

Doctor Yu feared that their hostile exchange would lead to another fight, leaving him as an innocent bystander caught in the disaster. He wanted to offer to postpone his meal and treat the injured girl first.

However, when he turned and saw the many external wounds covering the girl’s body, he hesitated. Men and women were expected to maintain a proper distance from one another.

In the end, he remained silent.

Xie Yuanjue, however, did not care in the slightest.

Unhurriedly, she took a small green porcelain vial from inside her robes and poured a snow-white pill into her palm. She raised it to her lips and swallowed it.

Only after another moment passed did she speak calmly.

“Medicine is merely one of the many trades in this world. It is no different from any other profession—simply a livelihood through which people rely upon their skills to earn a living. Why does the world always place such expectations upon physicians and insist that they must possess benevolent hearts?”