Chapter - 150 Meeting the Zhongshan Wolf While Blocking the Way (8)

Ever since 'Kunlun San Sheng' [Three Sages of Kunlun] He Zudao, the successive Sect Leaders had spent considerable effort and meticulous care to conserve and tidy up this valley in the next seventy, eighty years. They dispatched the disciples as far as Jiang Nan [general term referring to the area south of Yangtze River] on the east, and Tianzhu [Indian subcontinent] on the west, to collect rare flowers and extraordinary trees to be cultivated this valley.

Zhan Chun took the three of them to 'Tie Qin Ju' [Iron Zither Residence], where Tie Qin Xiansheng, He Taichong took his residence. As they entered the door, she saw hat a crowd of her martial brothers and sisters were gathered inside with worried looks on their faces. They only nodded their acknowledgement to her without saying anything. Zhan Cun shivered inwardly, she wondered what had happened. Pulling a younger martial sister aside, she asked, "Is Shifu home?"

The female disciple had not yet replied when they heard He Taichong roar in violent rage coming from the inner chamber, "What a useless bunch! A useless bunch! [orig. fan tong – 'rice bucket'] Everything I ask you to do, nothing is done properly. What use do I have of these worthless [orig. nong bao – wrap cloth of a boil or a wound] disciples?" followed by an earth-shattering noise of a table being slapped.

Zhan Chun turned toward Su Xizhi and said, "Shifu is having a fit of temper, we'd better not bump against the nail, let's come back tomorrow."

"Is that Chun'er?" suddenly He Taichong called out, "What are you doing whispering sneakily? Have you severed the head of that little thief surnamed Su?"

Zhan Chun's face changed; she scrambled toward the inner chamber, kneeled down and kowtowed. "Disciple pays her respects to Shifu," she said.

He Taichong said, "I sent you to do something for me. How was it? How is that little thief surnamed Su?"

"That man surnamed Su is outside," Zhan Chun replied, "He comes to kowtow and apologize to Shifu. He said he did not realize his offense; or else he would not have watched Shifu practice the sword technique. But our School's sword technique is most refined and subtle that as soon as he looked, he knew it was a brilliant sword move, unparalleled in the world. However, he did not have any luck that it was all an unfathomable mystery to him; in the end, he did not have the slightest comprehension."

She had followed her master for quite some time; she knew he was extremely proud of his own martial art skill. Therefore, she said that Su Xizhi highly commended their school's martial art. If her master was happy, then he might forgive Su Xizhi.

Normally, this conceited He Taichong would take things lightly, but today his mood was greatly agitated. "Humph," he snorted, "You dealt with this matter well! Confine that surnamed Su in the stone building behind the mountain. I'll punish him later."

Zhan Chun realized he was still in a fit of temper, so she did not dare to press further. "Yes!" she said; then she asked, "Are Shimu [master wives] all well? Let me pay my respects inside."

Altogether, He Taichong had five wives and concubines. The one he loved most was the youngest, the fifth concubine. Zhan Chun was thinking that in order to seek forgiveness for Su Xizhi, she would need this 'Wu Shimu' [Fifth Master Wife] to speak on their behalf.

He Taichong's face suddenly turned sorrowful, he heaved a deep sigh and said, "It's alright for you to see 'Wu Gu' [fifth (paternal) aunt], she has been very sick. It's good that you returned this quick so that you can still see her face."

Zhan Chun was startled. "Wu Gu is not feeling well?" she asked, "I wonder what kind of sickness?"

He Taichong sighed again. "If we know the sickness, then we can help her. We have had seven, eight supposedly famous doctors to examine her, but they can't even tell what sickness she is suffering. Her whole body swells; a woman as beautiful as flower and jade, swollen … Ay, I don't want to talk about it …" He repeatedly shook his head, and then he continued, "I have this many disciples, but all are just a useless bunch. I told them to Changbai Shan [Mount Changbai, Jilin province] to look for thousand-year ginseng. They have been gone for two months, yet nobody returned. I told them to look for Xue Lian [snow lotus (Saussurea involucrata)], or other miracle drug, yet everybody returned empty handed."

Zhan Chun mused, "Changbai Shan is ten thousand 'li' away from this place, how can they promptly return? Even after reaching Changbai Shan, they might not necessarily find the thousand-old ginseng. As for Xue Lian or other miracle drug, which can bring the dead back to life, it's not likely that we can find it even if we look for it our entire lives, much less in a short time? How can there be such convenience?" She knew her master loved this young concubine as much as he loved his own life. Now that she had fallen seriously ill, no wonder he vented his anger to others.

He Taichong continued, "I transmitted my internal energy through her 'chi' passage, but it did not make the least bit of difference. Humph, humph, if Wu Gu's life cannot be saved, I am going to kill all useless physicians in the world."

"Let disciple come and visit her," Zhan Chun said.

"Fine, let me come with you," He Taichong said.

The master and disciple went together to the Fifth Aunt's chamber. As soon as Zhan Chun walked through the door, her nostrils were assaulted by strong odor of medicine. Upon opening the mosquito net, she saw the Fifth Aunt's face was swollen like Zhu Bajie [the pig-face character in the Journey to the West]; her eyes were buried deep underneath the swollen flesh that she almost could not open her eyes. Her breathing was so heavy that it sounded like the bellows a blacksmith. The Fifth Aunt was originally a beautiful woman; He Taichong would not be this infatuated with her otherwise. However, because of the illness she had turned into an ugly woman. Zhan Chun could not help but heave a deep sigh.

"Call those useless doctors to examine her again," He Taichong said. The old female servant who was attending to her needs complied and went out the room. Soon afterwards, they heard the clinking noise of iron chains as seven doctors walked in. The legs of these seven men were chained together. Their appearance looked haggard and their faces were pitiful.

These seven men were famous physicians from Sichuan, Yunnan, and Gansu regions. They were half-invited, half-kidnapped by He Taichong's disciples. But these seven famous doctors did not share the same opinion; some said she was bloated, some said she was possessed by evil spirit. They all wrote prescriptions, but after taking the prescribed medicine, the Fifth Aunt condition was no different that her condition on the first day.

In his rage, He Taichong had these seven famous physicians locked up, saying that if the Fifth Aunt was not cured, these seven useless doctors (by this time, the 'famous doctors' had turned into 'useless doctors') would accompany her to the grave. The seven doctors had used up their entire skill, but the Fifth Aunt's swelling was growing bigger and bigger. They knew their lives were at stake, but each time they did the examination together, these seven doctors were always arguing loudly with each other. Each one criticizing the other six, saying that the Fifth Aunt's worsened condition was because of the others' mistake, it had nothing to do with him.

This time was no different; as soon as they entered the room and examined her pulse, they started bickering with each other. He Taichong was anxious and enraged; he roared his curses that the seven famous or useless doctors' voices were drowned.