Chapter 141: Ximen Qing

This was an accident of unprecedented scale.

Her disciple was the Heavenly Demon.

Wasn't that the fiend of the ages, the one who had invaded the Central Plains four times, turning the entire world into a house of mourning?

This was a situation that practically demanded Qing be formally inducted into the Divine Maiden Sect for life.

Should she take her to the Grand Elder Hall on Divine Maiden Peak and make her read Daoist scriptures until she died of old age?

Ximen Surin seriously considered it.

Her foolish disciple had embraced the root of all calamity in the world. A disciple's lack of virtue was the master's lack of virtue. It was all the fault of having a worthless master, so perhaps she should keep Qing by her side forever…

"You senseless girl. All you had to do was take care of your own body and get out. Why on earth did you take in such a monstrosity? Do you think the Demonic Cult bastards will let you go now?"

"But... if I just left it behind and ran away by myself, wouldn't the Demonic Cult fiends just come swarming back again...?"

"What, did you have some audacious thought about sacrificing yourself for the peace of the realm?"

"Did you think I knew it would turn out like this? And it wasn't just about the world... the war would affect everyone in the Divine Maiden Sect too..."

How could Ximen Surin stay angry hearing her disciple say that?

Ximen Surin let out a deep sigh.

Keeping her by my side... that's just my own selfish desire.

This master finds joy in seeing her every day, so I'm just trying to keep her close now that I have a plausible excuse.

"So, it seems you headed to Sichuan after suppressing the Heavenly Demon Soul and leaving. But what's this about treason? And who is that bastard who deserved to be torn limb from limb for carving up my disciple's chest?"

"Ah. The Embroidered Uniform Guard Commander? He was some high-ranking guy, but your disciple already dealt him a fatal blow, you know? But then, it turned out he was some kind of... right, Blood Rigor Demonic Human? Something like that."

Ximen Surin frowned.

Every time Qing opened her mouth, something heavy dropped.

A Commander was the third-in-command in the government's military structure. An Embroidered Uniform Guard Commander likely meant a Commander Wei Zhihui Qianshi.

What was this about a top-level military official, qualified to carry the Imperial standard himself, being a cursed demonic human performing sacrifices for the Blood Cult?

It was a sensitive matter, the mere mention of which could constitute high treason.

"I should start from when I arrived in Sichuan. I went to eat Malatang... Ah, the Greatest Chef Under Heaven! Right, Master, there's a Greatest Chef Under Heaven in Sichuan! Well, he's not really the greatest chef in the world, more like the greatest chef in Sichuan, but Sichuan cuisine is the best in the world, so he's the Greatest Chef Under Heaven, not just the Sichuan one. Anyway, about the ultimate Malatang... Ah, I never got to eat it in the end. Master, do you happen to like Malatang?"

"...? The pungent Sichuan peppercorns aren't to my taste, so I don't particularly enjoy it. But Malatang is irrelevant, so move on."

"Ah. Right. Anyway, those Five Poison Sect guys... Ah. What was up with them again? Was it just bad timing?"

The Five Poison Sect had backed the wrong horse by aligning with the Eastern Depot Elder Eunuch; they were soon due for a harsh reckoning from the Royal Prefecture's strange experts and the Tang Clan's avengers.

Qing, uninterested and not particularly wanting to know, just vaguely explained and moved on.

"...So I went to sleep, and when I woke up, it was all over."

"Right. You maintained your loyalty until the end but didn't get too deeply involved. For once, your conduct was commendable. It would have been better if you hadn't gotten hurt."

"Ah, right. Master, look at this! The cross-shaped scar has a certain wild charm, don't you think? Ack!"

Thwack!!

Having dared to expose her unnecessarily large chest in front of her master, Qing went tumbling to the floor.

"You really know how to earn a beating."

"Ow, that actually hurt..."

"You say it hurts, but your resilience just keeps growing. Good grief. I doubt even profound iron is harder than my disciple's head."

This time, she meant it.

Qing had mentioned learning the Inverse Marrow Washing Sutra.

She just hadn't imagined its mystical properties would forge an iron skull, a head of profound iron.

Ximen Surin had intended to tell Qing to keep the scar on her chest as a lifelong lesson, but she changed her mind.

Lessons only worked on certain types of people.

This foolish girl was actually pleased with the hideous mark carved on her chest, calling it 'wild charm.'

Telling her to keep it as a lesson would only leave a flaw for others to criticize.

"Let's head home for now. The news has caused quite a stir, and the disciples are worried sick."

Hearing the story, there was nothing good to be gained by staying longer at the Tang Clan.

Having been involved in the Imperial family's hidden strife, it would be better to leave the mortal world entirely and hide until the name inadvertently caught up in it all faded from attention.

Qing's eyes darted around as she replied softly.

"Uh, I need to wait for the wannabe sworn sister..."

"Leave that old man here for now, and tell him to set up shop in Jagwi later. Even if he's a servant, we can't allow him into the sect grounds anyway."

Jagwi was the name of a city near the Divine Maiden Sect.

The Divine Maiden Sect was a sacred sanctuary forbidden to men.

At least, it had been since the time of the Celestial Martial Emperor; before that, there had been a few intrusions by insolent members of the Imperial family.

Since the Wushan Divine Maiden enshrined in their Daoist temple was the daughter of Emperor Yan and the lover of the Yellow Emperor, they had reluctantly let it slide back then. But after the government's power waned significantly, they had never permitted it again.

In other words, it had never happened in Ximen Surin's lifetime.

"Uh, the scar treatment... Ah. That doesn't really matter much, though."

"For the scar, you just need to get some medicine. Isn't the Tang Clan's scar removal powder famously effective?"

"Huh? All I needed was to apply medicine?"

"What else? Did you think you needed to keep prodding at the unsettling wound until it got infected?"

"She definitely called it 'Eogan Joma' or something... it wasn't exactly prodding, but she was definitely stroking it..."

Eogan Joma. Also known as Anma, it was a healing art of the Central Plains people.

It was also a primitive medical practice that had spontaneously arisen in various parts of the world, not just among the Central Plains people.

"Anma massage is for muscles, tendons, and bones. What good does rubbing a chunk of flesh do? It's already so cumbersome and large that it ruins the line of your clothes. Don't even think about touching it unnecessarily. It might get bigger."

Qing's eyes narrowed.

That Tang Nanah... she was a truly terrible wench.

Shouldn't her physician's license be revoked?

Of course, there were no official licenses in the Central Plains, nor did the unenlightened Central Plains recognize female physicians, making her merely a wannabe physician, unable to be truly called one.

Knock, knock.

As the saying goes, speak of the devil, and he shall appear—Tang Nanah chose that moment to knock on the door.

"Lunch is ready. Might the Matriarch grace us with her presence?"

Tang Nanah asked hesitantly, looking nervous as she extended the invitation.

Yet, her eyes sparkled, fixed on Ximen Surin, unable to look away.

And why wouldn't they? Matriarch Ximen Surin was the idol of all female martial artists in the martial arts world.

How could any female martial artist meet the Zenith Among Women and not feel nervous and thrilled?

Qing pointed accusingly, glad for the timing.

"Hey. You. Is it okay for a physician to deceive a patient?"

"Huh? Who? Me?"

"Yes, you."

However, for Tang Nanah, this was an unfair accusation.

While she couldn't claim zero ulterior motives, the treatment was a medical procedure to ensure the internal tissues aligned correctly after the chest had been practically split in half.

Moreover, she had poured all her concentration and even circulated her internal energy into the care, sweating profusely and ending up exhausted each time.

Ximen Surin wasn't a physician either; her knowledge of treatment was basically stitching up cuts, setting broken bones, and cleaning and dressing bleeding wounds.

She didn't truly understand medical arts.

"...Sorry. I didn't know."

"Hmph. Sorry for being a quack."

"No, really sorry."

"Oh? If you're sorry... hmm hmm. Then you have to grant my requests later. You have to grant as many requests as you are sorry."

Not just a few requests, but as many as she was sorry?

It was a truly vicious way of speaking.

The ever-shrewd Qing was about to argue that such a thing made no sense, but Tang Nanah had already turned to address Ximen Surin demurely.

"Great Expert Ximen, I have a request. Would you permit me to stay at the Divine Maiden Sect to continue monitoring Qing-ah's wound and check her pulse?"

"If you would do that, I would be grateful."

Ximen Surin glanced around the lavish guest hall.

The Divine Maiden Sect practiced thrift and frugality in daily life; the only area where they didn't skimp was meals.

"Our sect's lifestyle is simple and quite arduous. Will you be alright?"

"Of course! I'd actually prefer it! Thank you!"

Even setting aside her connection as Qing's friend, Ximen Surin would have evaluated Tang Nanah quite favorably, primarily because she was a female physician.

Wasn't it true that the lack of female physicians in the martial arts world made it difficult for women to seek consultation easily, even for potentially embarrassing conditions?

She had heard rumors that Nanah was childish and prone to whining, but now she thought that rumors couldn't be trusted.

After receiving the lunch hospitality, Ximen Surin immediately packed her belongings and left the Tang Clan.

Only then did Ximen Surin turn her gaze to Choi Leeong.

Choi Leeong couldn't meet her eyes, staring intently at the floor.

He couldn't claim superiority in martial skill, age, or even his relationship with Qing. All he could do was quietly shrink back and await her decision.

Ximen Surin glimpsed his anxious heart.

The Purple Lightning Demonic Warlord was a figure of considerable infamy, a patrol envoy of the Demonic Cult.

Still, he seems ashamed of his past.

Yet, the thought of him scattering a lifetime's worth of accumulated cultivation... the emptiness was unimaginable.

Her disciple had spoken up for him, likely adding a biased interpretation, but if he had truly passed on the divine art after dissipating his internal energy...

Ximen Surin finally let out a deep sigh and spoke.

"My disciple is lacking, and whenever she goes out into the martial arts world, I feel uneasy, like watching a child by the water. When those times come, I expect you to look after her."

"...Yes. Thank you, Senior."

"Hmph."

Being called 'Senior' by a great demon lord because of her wayward disciple was utterly ridiculous.

Still, having an Unrestrained Realm expert attend to her disciple was perhaps worth enduring the indignity.

Her disciple's excursions into the martial arts world were just too bizarre.

Perhaps these were trials that followed her rejection of her innate killing karma; she couldn't forcibly lock her up and prevent it.

Pacing in the Royal Prefecture courtyard, Grand Prince Dexian asked Old Hag Yan, who wore a sly smile.

"Hmm, surely seeing them off wouldn't hurt?"

"Your Highness, it's best just to stay out of sight. She might seem composed now, but she's the same Rabid Bitch from the old days. Do you think the Grand Matriarch of the men-forbidden Divine Maiden Sect, who even passed down her surname to her named disciple, would stand idly by and watch that disciple enter another man's house?"

"No, who said anything about entering my house? I merely wanted to see off a friend."

"Aigoo, Your Highness. You need to know when to lie low. If you make your move later and beg forgiveness, surely she wouldn't strike her son-in-law sitting on the Dragon Throne?"

Old Hag Yan said with a beaming smile.

"What? Son-in-law? I never..."

"Weren't you? Didn't you ask this old hag about harmonizing the government and the martial world, or some such thing?"

"That was for the greater good..."

Grand Prince Dexian stammered, his face turning red.

Old Hag Yan, seizing the rare opportunity like a gossip-loving grandmother, relentlessly teased him like a grandchild.

"The greater good, yes, the greater good is wonderful. This old hag likes the greater good, and she likes personal desires too. I've lived my life enjoying everything so far, so if Your Highness is happy, this old hag is happy too. Klkl."

And this, truly, was the biggest problem with those who carried the blood of the Son of Heaven.

They thought that just by flashing the golden dragon pattern on a purple background, anyone in the world would fall head over heels for them.

Shouldn't one first ask if the tavern is even open before deciding what to drink?

Trying to protect your stomach by gulping down bowls of honey water before the drinking table is even set only leads to a bloated belly.