Chapter Nine: A Foreign Doctor
“Father, let’s go to the Cloudsoaring sect. All those other doctors failed, I refuse to believe this new one can help!”
Nie Qian was in a state of utter desperation. Deep down, she believed only the lofty and powerful Qi warriors of the Cloudsoaring sect could cure Nie Tian’s strange disease.
Nie Donghai was also full of hesitation.
It had been three days. Not only had all the reputable doctors in Black Cloud City come, but also the famous doctors from other nearby cities. They had all utilized the best methods possible to try to get that substantial reward. In the end, Nie Tian’s condition didn’t improve in the slightest.
Nie Donghai had always respected the supremely capable Qi warriors of the Cloudsoaring sect, therefore he also believed that only the Cloudsoaring sect could help Nie Tian.
As Nie Donghai stood there, brows furrowed and lost in thought, Han Yue timidly continued, “Clanmaster… That doctor seems to be a newcomer. He said that if he failed, he would let you dispose of him at will, clanmaster.”
“Dispose at will?” Nie Donghai’s expression flickered. “Knowing every doctor before him failed, he dared to talk so big? Perhaps, this man truly has a special method?
“Pass word down. Tell him to come as soon as possible!”
“Yes.” Han Yue rushed out.
Before long, a short and dark-skinned old man slowly walked in with a small medicine chest on his shoulder.
The old man had a narrow scar stretching from his lower jaw to the middle of his chest, which made him seem horrifying.
His eyeballs were covered with white spots and his pupils were extremely small. Together with the horrible scar, they made the old man seem even more spooky and fearsome.
Alarmed, Nie Donghai secretly probed the man with his spiritual power. However he found no fluctuations of spiritual energy inside of him. It seemed he wasn’t a Qi warrior.
“I’m Hua Mu and nothing but an old man,” the doctor said, “I spend most of my time searching for medicinal herbs in the depths of mountains. Today, as I was passing through Black Cloud City, I heard that your noble child was having a terrible fever. I’ve been a doctor for many years and I’ve quite a bit of experience dealing with rare diseases. I believe I can bring down the child’s fever. Please allow me a try, clanmaster.”
As he talked, Hua Mu looked from Nie Donghai and Nie Qian over to Nie Tian, who was lying in the bed off to the side.
When he looked at Nie Tian, a strange light of excitement shone in his bizarre eyes, which were almost completely white, the pupils being only tiny dots
“Do you indeed have the confidence to cure him?” Nie Donghai said with a dour expression. “All of the well-known doctors from the surrounding area have already tried, but every one of them has failed. My grandson is still suffering from the fever. If we cannot cure him soon, I fear that he won’t be able to make it. I was about to leave for the Cloudsoaring sect and I do not wish to waste our valuable time if you are incompetent.”
Hua Mu looked back at Nie Donghai. He inhaled briefly, closed his eyes, and then opened them again suddenly. “If I can’t cure him,” he said decisively, “then I’ll part with my head!”
“Very well!” Nie Donghai replied, looking shocked.
“Enough chit-chat!” Hua Mu said. “Fetch me a big wooden barrel and fill it with hot water!”
“As you wish!” Nie Donghai nodded forcefully and instructed servants to do as Hua Mu says.
Servants of the Nie clan, who had been waiting anxiously outside the door, immediately started to bustle about.
Shortly after, under the maidservant Han Yue’s direction, several servants carried a big wooden barrel full of hot water to the center of the room.
“Clanmaster Nie, I need everyone to leave the room, including you. There can’t be anyone else in this room except for the child and me.” Hua Mu tilted his chin up, looking more than a bit arrogant. “My unique secret method can’t be seen by anyone. It is my means of survival, so please forgive me, clanmaster Nie.”
“Father, how can we allow this?” Nie Qian protested in dissatisfaction. “I need to watch Little Tian at all times!”
Hua Mu rolled his eyes and said coldly, “I gave you my word: if I fail to cure him, I’ll leave you my head! This is the Nie clan. I’m a foreigner and not a Qi warrior. If I had evil intentions, how could I manage to walk out of the Nie clan alive?”
“Listen to him,” Nie Donghai said after pondering for a moment. Then he bowed deeply to Hua Mu. Eyes filled with supplication, he said, “I, Nie Donghai, offer thanks to Dr. Hua Mu. As long as Little Tian is healed, I will definitely offer a handsome reward!”
Hua Mu’s expression didn’t change, but he gave a slight nod.
“Follow me out!” Nie Donghai shouted.
Under his command, everyone, including Nie Qian, had to exit the room temporarily.
CREAK!
Nie Donghai slowly closed the door and sat down in front of it. He constantly tried to adjust his mental state by inhaling and exhaling as he waited there anxiously.
**
Nie Kan cautiously entered one of the secret rooms in the Nie clan to report in to Nie Beichuan, who was in the middle of cultivation. “Father, another doctor has come to save Nie Tian.”
Nie Beichuan had his back against an ice-cold black jade pillar, and was surrounded by frosty air. Face dark and cold, he said, “It surprises me that someone seeks a reward that small.”
After a moment, he pressed his lips into a line and said disdainfully, “Nie Donghai is going downhill. How can it be easy to have our clan members help him find the right doctor? Over the years, he has been spending his savings to track down Nie Tian’s birth father. How much can he have in reserve?”
“That’s true.” Nie Kan let out a chuckle. “He doesn’t know that you have one of the Cloudsoaring sect’s Soul Replenishing Pills, father. A Soul Replenishing Pill is a precious item. Nie Tian’s minor illness would be easily wiped out if he took it.
“Nie Hong is my real grandson. If Nie Hong caught this strange disease, I would have already given him the pill.” Nie Beichuan had nothing but indifference on his face. “Back when Nie Donghai and I fought for the position of clanmaster, he was in his prime. In order to win the position, he didn’t give me, his younger brother, the slightest bit of face. However, times change. His time has passed and it is now my turn to take advantage of the momentum and rise up.”
Nie Kan frowned. “I’ve always felt there’s something special with that little punk Nie Tian,” he said. “I can’t seem to stop worrying about him. He managed to beat Hong’er, despite having a significantly lower cultivation base. He is indeed different. It’s good news that he caught that strange disease. Otherwise… he could be a hidden trouble for us in the future.”
Nie Beichuan’s eyes burned with excitement. “If Nie Tian dies of this disease, I guess my eldest brother’s only remaining mental support would collapse. Before long, he would be gone as well. Then I’ll have no more obstacles within the clan.”
“It won’t be long. In my opinion, you won’t have to wait much longer, father.” Nie Kan also became high-spirited and vigorous.
“I think so too,” Nie Beichuan agreed, his head held up high.
On the other side of the clan….
After Nie Donghai and others left the room, the mysterious doctor Hua Mu immediately pulled numerous containers out of his small medicine chest, one after another.
Those bottles and jars were filled with liquids of various colors. All kinds of strange odors escaped through the corks of the bottles and jars.
Some of them gave out fragrant scents, some of the jars gave out sour scents, while others gave out pungent scents.
If Nie Donghai hadn’t left, the names labeled on those medicine bottles would have driven him crazy.
Every single one of them was among the rarest treasures, whose value was far beyond the reward he had offered.
Hua Mu swiftly popped open a bottle and poured the blue medicinal brew into the big wooden barrel filled with hot water.
“Nie Donghai, your so-called handsome reward is not even as valuable as three drops of my refined Netherworld Water.” Hua Mu emptied the entire bottle of Netherworld Water into the wooden barrel.
After the last drop of Netherworld Water fell into the barrel, layers of dazzling blue light lingered in the air before slowly sinking down into the hot water.
Without pausing for a moment, Hua Mu emptied more medicine bottles into the wooden barrel, one after another.
All the brews inside those bottles were of the same level as the Netherworld Water. Some were even more precious items rarely found in this world.
However, Hua Mu didn’t hesitate in the slightest, and generously poured all of them into the barrel.
He briefly let out a sigh of relief, before walking to Nie Tian’s side and examining him closely, with strange green light coming out of his eyes.
Hua Mu’s face grew more serious as he carefully reached out with his palm and placed it under Nie Tian’s back. Then he gently lifted the unconscious and feverish Nie Tian, fearing that he would feel any discomfort.
He was so nervous it seemed as if he were holding a rare treasure instead of a boy.
He moved to the barrel and gently lowered Nie Tian into it little by little.
BLUB BLUB BLUB.
As soon as Nie Tian entered the barrel, the hot medicinal water mixed by Hua Mu began to boil, as though it had suddenly reached a boiling point.