CH 71

Chen Qianfan was roughly sixty years old. It was unknown whether he had drunk some immortal wine or had figured out some magical technique at the Mishan Sect, but his hair was all white, yet his appearance didn’t show signs of aging. He was also very strong and didn’t have the typical leanness associated with old age.

Monk Juehui had a stern face, while Abbot Juefei had a smiling face, forming a contrasting pair. The former “Monk Jueguo” had an expressionless face, complementing the previous two, forming a perfect set.

However, Chen Qianfan’s facial features were more remarkable than those of Juefei and Juehui. He was also dressed in the elegant attire of the Mishan Sect, with a blue and white outfit that sets him apart from worldly affairs. However, when combined with Chen Qianfan’s overly robust physique, it failed to evoke any sense of immortalness.

Chen Qianfan placed the basket filled with monster corpses on the doorstep and brushed off the snow from the soles of his shoes.

“Xiao Chun, is someone here?” His tone was indifferent, devoid of emotion.

Xiao Chun, who was known as Granny Wei, immediately stood up with joy. “Yes, we haven’t had visitors for five or six years… Oh, Master, you are skilled in divination, so you must have known already.”

“Yes, Juefei called here. Remove your masks; let me see your faces.”

Inside the room, only Shi Jingzhi and Shi Zhongyu showed their faces, while the remaining three also removed their masks. Chen Qianfan’s gaze swept across everyone’s faces, but he didn’t linger on the appearance of Shi Jingzhi and Yin Ci.

“…Hmm, it will do.”

After scanning each person’s face, Chen Qianfan spoke vaguely while taking off the heavy record book hanging from his chest. Finally, he reached for a small cloth bag at his waist and threw it beside the corpse basket, causing a few pale red petals to fall out.

In this manner, he unloaded the burden from his body, then walked to the table without any pretense and slapped the record book onto it.

Shi Jingzhi took the opportunity to glance at it. The record book had a demon skin cover and yellowed pages with frayed edges, indicating its age.

“Speak, what is it?”

After settling down, Chen Qianfan drank nearly half a bowl of soup in one breath and asked straightforwardly.

All the polite words that Shi Jingzhi had prepared vanished.

Chen Qianfan clearly had no intention of adopting a “hospitable” attitude and got straight to the point, which felt a bit distant. They had been guided here by Juefei, but this person hadn’t asked about Juefei’s recent situation.

Although they didn’t have to lie to his face, which made Shi Jingzhi breathed a sigh of relief, but Chen Qianfan’s attitude was cold and unapproachable.

Seeing no one speaking, Chen Qianfan rolled his eyes like a dead fish. “Are you all mute? Did you come all this way just to have a meal at my house?”

…It was the familiar enigmatic eccentricity of the Jianchen Temple. Shi Jingzhi relaxed slightly.

He also got straight to the point. “A ban was placed on this junior’s memories during the first three years by someone. Recently, the ban has been triggered, and I hope Senior can help resolve it. The reward can be negotiated, and I will do my best.”

“Oh, I thought it was a big deal.” Chen Qianfan waved his hand dismissively. “It’s just a trivial problem. After the meal, I’ll take a look. And you, yes, you, the little girl—aren’t you traveling with them?”

Shi Zhongyu, who didn’t expect to be called out so quickly, stood up cautiously and bowed.

“I am Shi Zhongyu from the Taiheng Sect. I have come here to pay my respects…”

“Don’t bother me with useless nonsense. I’m not interested in your name.” Chen Qianfan, with his poker face, sounded impatient. “What’s the matter? Just tell me.”

“Our sect leader is critically ill, and there is no cure.” Shi Zhongyu didn’t dare to say more than necessary.

“Do you have the pulse jade with you?”

“Yes, I do.”

“Well, then your matter is even more trivial. Wait in line behind that boy, and we’ll discuss it after the meal.” Chen Qianfan gulped down the soup and let out a satisfied belch. “I’m done eating; you can do as you please. Xiao Chun, I’ve brought back the demon flowers for you to deal with.”

Granny Wei happily replied, “Ah, would you like more soup?”

Chen Qianfan said, “Sure, bring another bowl.”

Yin Ci took a sip of the unsalted soup and furrowed his brows slightly.

This Chen Qianfan was quite interesting.

Shi Jingzhi’s ban was complex, and even if Yin Ci still had his inner force, he didn’t dare to rashly break it. No matter how he looked at it, this wasn’t a “trivial problem”. Chen Qianfan didn’t seem like a braggart either, so there might be another ingenious solution.

Upon hearing that there was a solution, Shi Jingzhi and Shi Zhongyu ate quickly, wishing they could stuff the bowls into their mouths.

After the meal, Shi Zhongyu barely had time to wipe her mouth before she handed over the pulse jade with both hands.

The pulse jade was warm and soft, capable of recording a patient’s pulse for about seven days. It was considered an auxiliary tool for remote diagnosis and treatment, but it was expensive enough to leave people speechless. Only the Taiheng Sect could afford such extravagance.

Chen Qianfan pressed the pulse jade for a while.

“Are you trying to deceive me? This pulse pattern indicates a common deficiency with fever. Does the patient have any other symptoms?”

She thought that the Mishan Sect would discover something unusual, but with one sentence, Shi Zhongyu’s hopeful anticipation was dampened.

“It’s just a persistent high fever, nothing else. After several days of high fever, the Sect Master showed signs of Broken Horse—”

Chen Qianfan raised an eyebrow. “Signs of Broken Horse?”

Shi Zhongyu suddenly felt like she misspoke. “’Broken Horse’ is an internal term in our sect. It means that the elderly person is critically ill and difficult to save. I…”

Chen Qianfan let out a grunt, interrupting Shi Zhongyu directly, his tone showing a bit more interest. “People in the Central Plains have also noticed, not bad. ‘Broken Horse’, ‘Broken Horse’. It’s quite an apt description. I used to call it ‘Heaven’s Displeasure’, meaning something similar. In the end, whether it’s Broken Horse or Heaven’s Displeasure, the result is the same—there is no hope left.”

Chen Qianfan stroked his medium-length beard and made a clicking sound with his mouth.

“And you, with your fox-like eyes and the flag of a wandering healer, you must have treated some illnesses and should have noticed something, right?”

When he said this, Chen Qianfan didn’t even glance at him. It took a moment for Shi Jingzhi to realize that Chen Qianfan was beckoning to him. “I have only seen a few cases, but I did sense something.”

“Severe injuries and serious illnesses seem to have a certain threshold. Before reaching it, treatment is more effective. Once crossed, it’s like trying to stop water with bare hands—medicine becomes useless… But isn’t this a normal situation?”

Yin Ci also had a similar question.

It was natural that mild conditions were easier to treat while severe illnesses were more difficult. It was just the elegance of the Taiheng Sect to have coined specific terms for them.

Chen Qianfan seemed to sense their doubts. “I used to think this was normal too. However, this place is at the intersection of three kingdoms, and occasionally, some foreigners come seeking help—those people from Luojiu and Great Yun are similar. They also have this invisible and intangible ‘threshold’. But interestingly, the Qituo people don’t have it.”

Su Si couldn’t help but interject. “Perhaps it’s because foreigners have different constitutions.”

Chen Qianfan gave Su Si a disdainful look. “Do you think I wouldn’t have thought of such a basic reason? If we must compare, the constitutions of the Qituo people and the Great Yun people are more similar. The Luojiu people, regardless of gender, are all nine feet* tall, and their lifestyles are nothing like the Great Yun people, yet they share this similarity?”

*[Chi] (尺) A Chinese foot, so 9 Chinese feet is which is about 9.81 normal feet.

Su Si felt the piercing gaze as if Chen Qianfan had seen through him to the core, and he couldn’t help but keep quiet.

Chen Qianfan withdrew his gaze. “I call it ‘Heaven’s Displeasure’ because its characteristics are quite interesting. Anyone who triggers ‘Heaven’s Displeasure’ is destined to become a burden.”

“Compare them with the Qituo people who don’t have ‘Heaven’s Displeasure’. If both have a double leg fracture, the Great Yun people will recover in just half a month, while the Qituo people will take two to three months. But if both legs are bitten off by tigers and wolves, even if treated in time, the Great Yun person will die, while the Qiduo people have a chance to survive.”

“The older and weaker a person is, the more likely they are to trigger ‘Heaven’s Displeasure’. It’s not surprising that you think it’s the elderly who experience Broken Horse. Little girl, your Sect Master… Let me think, he’s around seventy, his meridians are already damaged, and he has been burned into a useless person, right?”

Shi Zhongyu obediently replied, “Yes.”

Immediately, she hesitated for a moment, but then said, “My family has been in the spice business with the people of Western Ridge for a long time, and the people of Western Ridge have never experienced a situation like the Great Yun people. There was a person from the Western Ridge who had a bone injury in our shop, and it took a hundred days to heal… At that time, I thought it was a coincidence, but it still felt strange.”

So that’s why she was particularly concerned about the “sign of Broken Horse”?

Yin Ci lowered his gaze.

The “signs of Broken Horse” discovered by the Taiheng Sect were the same as Chen Qianfan’s “Heaven’s Displeasure”.

The “Immortal Potential” of the Yuanxian Village people and the “Cuckoo Calamity” passed down among the people were the “Monster Material” that Yin Ci named himself.

They seemed to vaguely grasp the edges of some abnormal thing, but because the information was sporadic, they couldn’t reach a unified understanding.

“This ‘Heaven’s Displeasure’ is strange,” Yan Qing suddenly muttered.

Usually, it was only Su Si who couldn’t control his mouth, so it was rare for Yan Qing to get involved in these peculiar matters. Yin Ci turned his gaze and didn’t miss this anomaly. “What’s strange about it?”

Throughout the journey, Yan Qing had developed a sense of awe towards Yin Ci that he couldn’t put into words. Seeing Yin Ci looking over, he quickly sat up straight on the bench.

“It’s nothing major. I just saw Lord Bai and had some random thoughts. In the past, when I helped people raise livestock, their habits were the same.”

The more Yan Qing spoke, the less confident he became.

“For minor injuries and illnesses in livestock, you should treat them quickly. But if the treatment is troublesome or the injury is severe, you should quickly slaughter them for food; otherwise, it would just waste feed.”

This association could be described as either simple or cruel, and Su Si, who was next to Yan Qing, was also stunned for a moment. “San Zi, you… really dare to think.”

Yan Qing quickly explained, “The real ‘Heaven’s Displeasure’ definitely isn’t like that. We all experience life, aging, sickness, and death. I haven’t heard of anyone being killed and eaten. I just said it casually.”

Chen Qianfan’s eyes lit up, and he picked up the old record book, flipping through it quickly. After writing for a whole incense stick’s worth of time, he realized that he had neglected the main matter.

“If ‘Heaven’s Displeasure’ has been triggered, then it’s fine. You’ll accompany me outside for a couple of days to gather some materials, and I’ll make a disaster warding talisman for you.”

Chen Qianfan calmly put down the notebook, yawned, and appeared as if nothing had happened.

“A disaster warding talisman?”

“You’ll redirect your Sect Master’s illness onto yourself and ward off the disaster for him. You’re still young and won’t easily trigger ‘Heaven’s Displeasure’. If your Sect Master’s illness suddenly becomes mild, you can deceive the heavens and temporarily relieve the state of ‘Heaven’s Displeasure’. Take this opportunity to quickly investigate your Sect Master’s problem. Won’t that solve it?”

Shi Zhongyu stood still in her original spot. “Senior, aren’t you going to prescribe medicine?”

Chen Qianfan had no expression on his face. “Prescribe medicine? Given the patient’s condition, it doesn’t seem like some unheard-of, strange illness. His symptoms are too few. It’s more like someone has deliberately weakened his body and deliberately triggered ‘Heaven’s Displeasure’ to make his death appear more natural.”

“I can at most make him regain consciousness and provide some clues. But let me tell you this, if you ward off the disaster for him for too long, you will also become a useless person. You…”

“That’s fine.” Shi Zhongyu interrupted Chen Qianfan for the first time. “To be able to ward off a disaster for the Sect Master with my own life is enough.”

Chen Qianfan looked at her seriously for the first time. “Alright, next.”

Shi Jingzhi silently stepped forward.

Yin Ci also focused his attention and temporarily set aside his thoughts on “Heaven’s Displeasure” and “Demon Material”, preparing to observe how Chen Qianfan would resolve the situation.

Unfortunately, the more he watched, the more he felt that this person was a bit unreliable.

Chen Qianfan didn’t prepare a ritual room or burn incense. Instead, he casually dragged over a log and had Shi Jingzhi sit in a spacious area. He didn’t bring out any extraordinary magic weapons either; he just rummaged through the cluttered pile of miscellaneous items in the corner and found a small, dark bronze cymbal.

With a serious face and rolled-up sleeves, he fiercely struck the cymbal beside Shi Jingzhi’s head, buzzing and clanging, resembling a shamanistic ritual dance performed in the countryside.

As Shi Jingzhi sat there, he exuded an air of funeral solemnity. He looked bewildered but didn’t dare to ask anything, so he sat there stiffly like a meditating monk.

Unexpectedly, after buzzing and clanging for half an incense stick’s worth of time, a complete formation appeared behind Shi Jingzhi’s head. It emitted a brilliant golden light and had extremely intricate patterns. Against the backdrop of Shi Jingzhi’s head, it looked like an evil god’s divine radiance.

Chen Qianfan: “Oh, this… can be treated too. But it’s up to you, kid.”

“Up to me?”

“If you only want to get rid of the suffering caused by the ban, it can be done with a cup of tea. I will remove the portion of your memory that triggered the ban, and the ban will completely fade away. Problem solved—I’m quite skilled at removing memories.”

Chen Qianfan clapped his hands.

“But if you want to break the ban, that’s a different matter.”

Shi Jingzhi licked his dry lips. “Please explain.”

“The level of the cultivator who placed the ban is higher than that of the elders in my sect. I’m not specifically trained in breaking formations, so how could I easily break such a complex thing?”

“If you insist on breaking it, the chance of life or death is fifty-fifty.”

“Choose, kid.”

The author has something to say:

Yan Qing: A person with intermittent episodes of Yan Budu’s bloodline (…

Master Chen’s violent breakthrough method √

Yin Ci: Alright, let’s see the talented person’s precise surgical skills to remove the lesions.

Chen Qianfan: (Takes out a shovel) Come, let me dig into your skull.

Yin Ci & Shi Jingzhi: ……