When Poetry Sings And The Saber Roars - Chapter 3

Half an hour passed. Only after Xie Yuanjue had finished her meal did she begin treating Tang Yiluo’s injuries.

Ling Suihan did not want to look at her face again, lest she become even angrier. She stood beneath the corridor outside, leaning against a pillar with her eyes closed as she rested. At the same time, she kept watch over Peng Lie, ensuring that he had absolutely no chance of escaping.

Doctor Yu’s thoughts had been muddled throughout the earlier commotion. Only now did he carefully review everything that had happened from beginning to end. He finally realized that the foremost reason this young woman with her extraordinary saber technique had come to his clinic was to capture the vicious outlaw who had committed countless crimes.

Not only was she no villain, but she was also a chivalrous wanderer who upheld justice.

Moreover, the outlaw had suddenly lunged at him earlier. Without her saber strike, Doctor Yu feared his head might already have been separated from his body.

Summoning his courage, Doctor Yu walked over to Ling Suihan and thanked her for saving his life.

Ling Suihan kept her eyes closed and answered casually, “If I had not come to capture him, he would never have tried to take you hostage. I naturally had a responsibility to protect you. There is no need to thank me.”

Doctor Yu remained deeply grateful and asked for her surname.

She answered with a single word. “Ling.”

“Ling?” To her surprise, Doctor Yu froze.

“Why? Is something wrong?”

“N-no, nothing.” Doctor Yu stared at her missing right arm for a moment, then shook his head and abruptly changed the subject. “You need not worry, Lady Ling. Doctor Xie’s medical skills are exceptional. She will certainly heal your friend very soon.”

Ling Suihan had already explained that Tang Yiluo was not her friend. However, Doctor Yu had been buying food from the neighboring restaurant at the time and knew nothing about it.

Ling Suihan could not be bothered to explain. Yet when she heard him mention Xie Yuanjue, she finally opened her eyes and asked thoughtfully, “Is her surname truly Xie…?”

Doctor Yu was thoroughly puzzled. Xie Yuanjue had clearly introduced herself earlier. Could Lady Ling still not remember her surname?

Still, since his benefactor had asked, he naturally answered honestly. “That is correct. Her surname is Xie, and her given name is Yuanjue—Yuan as in fated affinity, and Jue as in enlightenment.”

Ling Suihan glanced sideways at him. “Is her name really that important?”

Important enough to explain every character over and over again?

“Please do not misunderstand, Lady Ling. Doctor Xie instructed me to introduce her that way,” Doctor Yu explained. “She specifically asked me to state both her surname and given name clearly whenever anyone inquired about her.”

Ling Suihan found this strange. “How did you meet her?”

“My medical skills are fairly respectable, and I possess some reputation in the surrounding region. Two days ago, Doctor Xie arrived in this county and spent half a day making inquiries. After learning that I was the most famous physician in the area, she came to challenge me to a contest of medical skill.”

“You lost to her?”

“At first, I saw that she was merely a young woman and paid her little attention. I did not wish to waste my time competing with her. Later…”

Later, Xie Yuanjue had offered gold and silver as the wager, finally enticing him to accept her challenge. Even though he had lost the contest, she had still given him the money in full. Naturally, he was more than willing to do as she asked.

Doctor Yu paused, too embarrassed to reveal that part of the story. He merely continued, “Later, I discovered that her medical skills truly were remarkable—far superior to mine. Therefore, I promised her that whenever I had the opportunity, I would tell others about her name and medical expertise.”

“In that case, you know nothing about her background?”

“I asked about her teacher. She said her master was merely a village physician and that even if she told me the name, I probably would never have heard of them.”

Ling Suihan fell silent for a moment. Lowering her eyes, she asked no further questions.

There was no point in continuing. Whatever Xie Yuanjue’s identity or origins might be, she could not possibly have any connection to She Jia.

She Jia was gentle, sincere, pure, and kind, with the softest and most compassionate of hearts. How could she possibly resemble someone as indifferent—even cold-blooded—as Xie Yuanjue?

It was laughable that the instant Ling Suihan saw her, she had involuntarily remembered She Jia.

The comparison itself was an insult to She Jia.

At that thought, Ling Suihan could not stop herself from disliking Xie Yuanjue even more. In truth, had their eyes and brows not genuinely resembled each other, what kind of person Xie Yuanjue was would have had nothing to do with her. Even if Xie Yuanjue had been an utterly depraved demon, Ling Suihan would not have become so angry.

But why…

Ling Suihan raised her head and looked toward the distant white clouds, forcing herself to cast those thoughts aside.

Only a moment later, the door behind her creaked open. Xie Yuanjue slowly emerged and said softly, “Her life is no longer in danger, but she will not awaken for a while. After sleeping for approximately another half a day, she should be fine.”

Next, Xie Yuanjue had to treat Peng Lie.

Judging solely by the few shallow wounds on his body, his injuries appeared less severe than Tang Yiluo’s. In reality, the force of the Nine-Turn Palm had already caused minor damage to the meridians within his body, making his treatment far more complicated.

Xie Yuanjue first brewed a bowl of medicinal decoction and had him drink it. She then performed acupuncture on him for an hour before instructing him to drink a second bowl of medicine. Afterward, she taught him a particular breathing method and ordered him to meditate, circulate his inner force, and regulate his breathing for a while.

She remained busy until the sun set at dusk. By then, the silver needles inserted into acupoints throughout Peng Lie’s body had turned pitch-black.

He gradually felt the true qi within him growing increasingly abundant and circulating freely, without the slightest stagnation or obstruction. Wild joy surged through him. He immediately thrust out a palm and discovered that his martial arts had indeed returned to their former strength.

“It seems you have finally healed his injuries.”

Ling Suihan sensed the movement inside the room and walked straight in.

Peng Lie had regained his strength and was still immersed in his delight. How could he possibly remain afraid of her?

He threw back his head and laughed. “Your martial arts may be decent, but killing me is still nothing more than wishful thinking. You must have seen plenty of corpses on your way here, haven’t you? If you do not wish to meet the same fate, leave now. We can still become friends, and I will consider everything that happened earlier forgotten.”

Ling Suihan ignored him entirely. She merely stared at Xie Yuanjue and said, “If you still intend to interfere, do not blame my saber for treating you as an enemy.”

Outside the window, twilight stretched endlessly across the sky. Xie Yuanjue’s complexion had grown even paler than before, making the thin sheen of perspiration on her forehead barely visible against her skin.

No one present noticed it.

Her voice still carried that pleasant coolness. “He is no longer my patient. You may deal with him however you wish.”

From their conversation, it seemed neither woman regarded him as worth their attention.

Peng Lie flew into a rage and was about to attack when he suddenly remembered that the young woman had already broken his weapon. She clearly possessed genuine skill, and defeating her barehanded would likely prove difficult.

He therefore tried to provoke her.

“Forget it. How could I have nearly forgotten? Earlier, you tried to ambush me while I was seriously injured. Now that you see I no longer have a saber, you think you might defeat me through sheer luck. Fine. Since you are so despicable and shameless, I will not ask for a fair fight. Come—we will fight exactly as we are.”

Ling Suihan understood his intention, but she was young, proud, and hot-blooded. Unfortunately, this sort of provocation worked perfectly on her.

Her expression darkened, frost gathering between her brows. “Of course I cannot compare to how open and honorable you are. Most of the people you kill are ordinary civilians incapable of defending themselves.”

As she spoke, she untied her bundle.

She had prepared thoroughly for her long journey, so her luggage contained a spare ring-pommel saber.

“I will lend you a weapon. We will fight somewhere else.”

“Where?”

Ling Suihan pointed toward the courtyard outside.

It was a large, open space with an unobstructed view. The two walked outside, and Ling Suihan casually shut the door behind her.

Doctor Yu and the young medicine apprentice were both sealed inside the room.

Xie Yuanjue considered the situation briefly before closing all the surrounding windows as well, completely enclosing the room.

She left only one small window open and sat beside it, protected from any stray saber qi.

The setting sun spilled across the ground like blood, staining Ling Suihan’s white robes crimson.

Peng Lie was no honorable gentleman. The moment he had a weapon in his hand, he naturally saw no need to yield the first move. He immediately unleashed a technique called “Fierce Tiger Ascends the Mountain,” raising his saber and bringing it down toward the crown of Ling Suihan’s head.

Saber qi instantly enveloped her entire body. The attack crashed down like thunder and flashed like lightning, its momentum terrifying.

Peng Lie was tall and powerfully built. In a contest of brute strength, Ling Suihan could never match him. As for inner force, he reasoned that she was still very young and could not possibly have cultivated power deeper than his own.

Under ordinary circumstances, the correct response to such a ferocious attack would have been to twist and evade, avoid its full force, then circle behind the opponent and strike while he was unprepared.

Yet Ling Suihan did not move a single step.

She raised her saber horizontally to block.

Clang!

Sparks scattered in every direction.

Peng Lie suddenly felt frigid air pressing in from all around him. For one brief instant, the force contained within his saber seemed to freeze, leaving him unable to bring the blade down any farther.

Peng Lie had practiced the saber for more than thirty years and possessed some knowledge of nearly every saber technique beneath the heavens. Yet he had no idea what Ling Suihan’s move was called, and shock surged through him.

Fortunately, his extensive combat experience allowed him to react immediately. Following the momentum, he withdrew his attack, then swept his saber diagonally toward Ling Suihan’s waist and abdomen.

They were too close for Ling Suihan to raise her saber and block as she had before.

Yet she still neither dodged nor retreated.

Her left arm extended, and the flash of her saber resembled a streak of lightning. This time, it was her turn to bring her weapon straight down toward Peng Lie’s head.

It was a suicidal way to fight.

But her saber was simply too fast. Either she would send Peng Lie to meet Yama first, or the two of them would perish together.

Peng Lie refused to accept either outcome.

He lacked the courage to risk his life so recklessly and had no choice but to step back and evade.

Ling Suihan seemed to have anticipated his reaction. Her saber’s shadow flashed before his eyes like a ghost and instantly attacked the position to which he was retreating. Its bone-chilling cold followed him like his own shadow.

A searing pain suddenly erupted in Peng Lie’s right shoulder.

Her saber had already struck him.

Only three moves.

That was all it had taken for him to be defeated.

Ling Suihan was hunting him not only to punish evil and uphold justice, but also because she was secretly preparing a particular plan. She therefore needed to deliver Peng Lie alive to the authorities.

Otherwise, taking his life with that last strike would have been effortless.

Peng Lie remained trapped in his shock. What confused him even more was that the saber qi surrounding her attacks had clearly been as bitterly cold as ice. He had initially assumed her martial arts followed a soft and yin-oriented path.

Why, then, did it feel as though his wound were being scorched by raging flames the instant her blade cut into his flesh?

The pain resembled a punishment from hell. Peng Lie had to grit his teeth with all his might to keep himself from screaming.

Naturally, he failed to notice the faint trace of suppressed pain between Ling Suihan’s brows.

Xie Yuanjue was inside the room, observing the battle through the window, and had an even poorer view of Ling Suihan’s expression. She was merely curious about her martial arts.

After pondering briefly, she raised her voice slightly. “The Avici Saber Art?”

Peng Lie’s eyes widened. His wound continued to burn fiercely, while his heart seemed to plummet into an icy abyss.

The Avici Saber?

The legendary Asura Ghost Saber that had supposedly been lost for years?

Like the Nine-Turn Palm, the Avici Saber Art was an extremely famous and profound martial art within the jianghu. In fact, the latter was considerably more formidable than the former.

The more powerful a martial art was, the fewer people could successfully master it. Naturally, even fewer would ever be fortunate enough to witness it.

For Xie Yuanjue to possess such keen eyesight and extensive knowledge at her young age impressed even Ling Suihan.

Although Ling Suihan disliked her, she was not stingy with praise for her abilities. “Good eye!”

She then raised her eyebrows, unable to conceal her pride. “Can you treat a wound inflicted by this saber as well?”

Xie Yuanjue seriously considered the question for a moment. “I can try.”

Ling Suihan was still deeply dissatisfied over having somehow fallen victim to Xie Yuanjue’s poison earlier. She could not resist wanting to determine which of them was superior.

Without thinking, she immediately said, “Very well! I can continue waiting. Go ahead.”

Like a breeze rippling across water, a rare trace of eagerness appeared in Xie Yuanjue’s gaze. It was faint and vanished in an instant.

She then leaned against the small window, appearing somewhat weary. “But I do not wish to try now. Perhaps there will be an opportunity in the future… Have you not wanted to take him away for some time? I will not see you out.”

Ling Suihan had always been fiercely competitive. Once the idea had taken hold, she had no intention of letting the matter go and was about to speak.

Then she abruptly remembered her true reason for capturing Peng Lie.

It was more important than anything else in this world.

She returned her saber to its scabbard and sealed Peng Lie’s acupoints. Gripping the saber by its blade, she struck him in the back with the hilt, sending him flying through the air until his entire body crashed across her horse’s back.

Ling Suihan took hold of the reins. After casting one final glance at Xie Yuanjue’s face, she left the clinic.

Less than the time it took to drink a cup of tea later, another female figure appeared beneath the corridor.

Tang Yiluo, who had been unconscious for so long, had awakened at that very moment. Finding herself in an unfamiliar place, she became anxious and rose to investigate.

As the clinic’s owner, Doctor Yu immediately explained everything that had happened. Enlightenment dawned upon Tang Yiluo after she heard the entire story. She cupped her fists in a salute.

“I am Tang Yiluo, a disciple of the Dingshan Sect. Thank you all for saving my life.”

“Dingshan?” Xie Yuanjue had her back to Tang Yiluo as she packed her medicine chest. The instant she heard those words, she turned around. “You are a disciple of the Dingshan Sect?”

Tang Yiluo nodded, clearly extremely proud of her sect.

There was only one Dingshan Sect in the present martial world.

Something stirred within Xie Yuanjue. After observing Tang Yiluo for a moment, she asked gently, “I do not see any of your fellow disciples. Did you come down the mountain to travel alone? How did you suffer such severe injuries?”

It was a perfectly normal question, and Tang Yiluo noticed nothing unusual.

Doctor Yu, however, was extremely puzzled.

Xie Yuanjue had already stayed at his clinic for two days. Although she was always courteous and observed proper etiquette, she gave others an air of distance that kept them a thousand miles away.

This was truly the first time he had heard her speak in such a gentle voice. It was like spring ice melting beneath the sunlight.

“I…I was not alone…” Tang Yiluo raised a hand and wiped away the tears gathering at the corners of her eyes. “I came down the mountain to gain experience with my senior sister and senior brother. Along the way, we met several friends from the jianghu. When they told us about the outlaw Peng Lie’s cruelty, we decided to join forces against him and rid the people of this menace.”

“We never imagined…never imagined that villain’s martial arts would be so formidable. Even with so many of us, we were no match for him. My senior sister and senior brother tried to protect me…”

Tang Yiluo’s master had died young. Because of this, the martial elders and senior disciples of the Dingshan Sect had always cherished her deeply. Whatever the circumstances, they would do everything they could to protect her.

At that thought, Tang Yiluo’s heart ached unbearably. Tears streamed down her face, and her sobs prevented her from finishing.

The sight would have moved even a complete stranger who had never met her before.

Yet Xie Yuanjue, who had spoken to her so gently only moments earlier, collected herself upon seeing the agony and grief on her face. Her expression returned to its usual tranquility.

She offered no words of comfort.

She merely waited in silence until Tang Yiluo had cried herself dry before asking, “What happened afterward?”

Afterward, Peng Lie had also been seriously injured and had no time to inspect the corpses to see whether anyone had escaped death.

Tang Yiluo had narrowly survived the disaster. She had silently reasoned that Doctor Yu of Yongchun Hall in Changzhi County was said to be the finest physician in the area. If Peng Lie wished to heal his internal injuries as quickly as possible, he would most likely go there.

Therefore, when she encountered Ling Suihan, she told her about her deduction.

After hearing the entire account, Xie Yuanjue asked suspiciously, “Are you saying she originally intended to abandon you?”

Tang Yiluo’s silence served as confirmation.

This left Xie Yuanjue puzzled.

Pursuing a criminal and eliminating evil was certainly a chivalrous act. But if Ling Suihan truly possessed a chivalrous heart, why had she hesitated upon seeing a dying person directly before her when she clearly possessed the ability to help?

Could Ling Suihan’s true reason for pursuing Peng Lie have been nothing more than the imperial court’s reward? Had she resented Tang Yiluo for delaying her pursuit?

“Doctor Xie, Doctor Yu,” Tang Yiluo suddenly spoke again, interrupting Xie Yuanjue’s thoughts. “I have no way to repay the great kindness you have shown me. However, the bodies of my senior sister, senior brother, and our other friends are still lying exposed in the wilderness. I must first bring them back so they can be laid to rest, then report this matter to the sect leader.”

“I will go with you,” Xie Yuanjue said.

Tang Yiluo stared at her. “What?”

“According to your account, there are six dead. If I accompany you, I will be able to help.”

Night had already fallen. Changzhi County imposed a nighttime curfew, although it was not enforced as strictly as the one in Chang’an.

Xie Yuanjue picked up her medicine chest and prepared to leave. Doctor Yu bade her farewell, then suddenly remembered something and called out to stop her.

Xie Yuanjue halted and looked back.

“The young lady from earlier bears the surname Ling,” Doctor Yu said.

Xie Yuanjue’s eyelashes trembled faintly.

Doctor Yu continued with a smile, “But she probably is not the person you are searching for, is she? I do not know what calamity Lady Ling suffered in the past. It is such a pity that her right arm has already been crippled despite her young age. But the young woman you are searching for should not have…”

“Yes,” Xie Yuanjue said with a slight nod. “She cannot be.”

Although Xie Yuanjue had no longer been in Chang’an when the tragedy befell the Ling family, she had later written to her father and elder brother to ask about it.

They had both told her that after Ling Cheng was rescued by Su Ying, no one had known the whereabouts of either woman ever again.

If imperial soldiers had caused Fu Li to lose her right arm, why would they not have claimed credit and asked for a reward? Why would they instead have never mentioned it at all?

More importantly, Fu Li was generous and deeply chivalrous, born with an instinctively warm and compassionate heart. She had always loved helping those in danger and aiding people in hardship.

If she encountered someone who needed her help, she would never hesitate in the slightest.