Chapter 63: This pugilistic world is set to descend into chaos ahead of time

"Chieftain, please don't! You will compromise this humble one."

An Daoquan was startled when Ren Yuan bowed deeply to him.

Although he had been practicing medicine in Jiankang Prefecture, over the past half-year, he had heard traveling merchants speak of Mount Liang's reputation. Mount Liang did not plunder wealth or take lives; it only charged a one-percent toll on the value of goods. If travelers needed to cross the lake or river, Mount Liang provided ferries, and for a slightly higher fee, they would even escort travelers for a stretch. Furthermore, they maintained absolute peace with the surrounding villages.

Looking at it from any angle, this did not resemble a bandit stronghold at all, but rather a security escort agency that operated locally.

Therefore, An Daoquan had come up the mountain this time partly at the invitation of his good friend Qiao Daoqing, and partly out of his own curiosity.

"A healer is akin to a second parent to those they save; why ever not? The Divine Physician has been stationed in Jiankang Prefecture for many years, curing countless common folk, and your reputation among the people is peerless. This bow of mine is offered on behalf of all the people whose lives you have saved."

An Daoquan certainly could not outtalk Ren Yuan, but he stepped sideways, daring only to receive half the bow, because once Ren Yuan bowed, the others in the stronghold followed suit.

"Divine Physician, it was truly a lack of consideration on my part to summon you up the mountain so abruptly, but my senior martial brother, Wang Jin, was harmed by Marshal Gao, and his injuries have yet to fully heal. I invited you here simply to examine him, and I hope there will be no lingering sequelae."

Ren Yuan's attitude was exceptionally courteous, for in this era, possessing a divine physician like An Daoquan was equivalent to gaining an extra life.

"Easily said, that is no problem at all."

An Daoquan was already aware of the situation and was quite willing to treat Wang Jin.

"If the Divine Physician does not disdain us, I have one more small request. After treating my senior brother, would you be willing to spend the New Year here at Mount Liang? There are many ordinary folk on our mountain who suffer from ailments but have never received proper treatment. I would like to ask the Divine Physician to examine these people as well. Rest assured, all medicinal herbs and treatment costs will be borne entirely by our stronghold."

Ren Yuan put forward his second request.

An Daoquan was no ordinary man; he was a divine physician, and one had to treat him with utmost respect, never forcing him to do anything against his will. Therefore, even though Ren Yuan desperately wanted to keep An Daoquan in the stronghold, he could not simply demand it outright; instead, he had to employ alternative methods.

For instance, asking him to treat the common people while the stronghold picked up the tab.

Ren Yuan did not know if this trick would work on other doctors, but with An Daoquan, it was unfailingly effective.

That was simply the kind of person An Daoquan was. In Jiankang Prefecture, he frequently treated the impoverished for free, which was why he had never managed to accumulate any wealth. Otherwise, given his miraculous medical skills, he could have easily amassed a fortune.

In the original narrative, An Daoquan's lover was a courtesan from a pleasure house. As the foremost divine physician in Jiankang, countless people offered him heavy sums for treatment, yet he could not even afford the money to redeem her from the brothel. It was little wonder that the courtesan in the original tale took another lover.

"Does the Chieftain truly wish to support my medical practice wholeheartedly?"

An Daoquan asked, somewhat surprised. One had to realize that there were several thousand people on Mount Liang. Leaving aside the time it would take, the mere cost of the medicines would be astronomical.

"Naturally. To not hide it from the Divine Physician, we do have medicinal herbs here on Mount Liang. Later, I will have brother Song Wan take you to inspect them. As for money, whatever the Divine Physician lacks, just speak to brother Du Qian. Brother Du Qian is now a very wealthy man!"

Ren Yuan smiled and gestured toward Du Qian, then said to An Daoquan:

"Divine Physician, rest for a moment. Shortly, please examine my senior brother first, and then I must trouble the chieftains here to let you check them one by one, to see if any of them harbor hidden ailments."

"That goes without saying. The chieftains can simply line up in a moment."

An Daoquan raised no objections. He rather liked the idea; if he had patients to examine every day, he would be truly overjoyed.

"Older brother, what are you saying? We are all upright, towering heroes, how could anything be wrong with us?"

"Exactly, exactly! Older brother, I have no illness, I am not getting checked. No examination for me."

Yet most of the chieftains in the stronghold seemed unenthusiastic about the prospect of a medical examination, even passing the buck to one another.

"All of you, stand at attention and get in line! It's just a doctor's visit, and moreover, you are being examined by a divine physician in person—this is a blessing cultivated over several lifetimes! To shirk this is disgraceful. Are you still heroes or not? Du Qian, Song Wan, the two of you set an example!"

Ren Yuan scolded them with a smile while gesturing for Du Qian and Song Wan to take the front of the line.

"Older brother, why must the two of us go first?" Song Wan asked, somewhat puzzled.

"Unlike the rest of you who are constantly running about, the two of you are mostly stationed in the stronghold. I genuinely worry that the two of you might develop diseases of the prosperous and idle. Alright, hurry up!"

"Hahaha!"

Hearing Ren Yuan's teasing, the crowd burst into laughter, and even Du Qian and Song Wan chuckled themselves.

This atmosphere made Qiao Daoqing, who had joined just today, and An Daoquan, who was about to examine them, feel that this place was truly special. Everyone was blended together as one, cheerful and harmonious—something utterly absent in other bandit strongholds.

It seemed they had truly come to the right place this time!

Qiao Daoqing and An Daoquan exchanged glances, both gently nodding.

An Daoquan examined Du Qian first. After taking his pulse, he said:

"Chieftain Du, you appear to have a dry throat, flushed cheekbones, and a red tongue with little coating. Have you recently suffered from insomnia, restless dreams, and a burning sensation in your palms, soles, and chest?"

"Yes, yes, yes! Divine Physician, what kind of illness is this? Is it serious?"

"Oh, it is not serious. You suffer from a deficiency of kidney Yin. I shall write a prescription for you to nourish your system, and you will be fine."

Following Du Qian was Song Wan. An Daoquan likewise took his pulse and said:

"Chieftain Song, you appear fatigued and listless, lacking spirit. Have you recently experienced soreness and weakness in your waist and knees, cold pain in your lower back, and perhaps a sensitivity to cold in your limbs?"

"Correct, correct! Divine Physician, you are truly brilliant. Then what illness do I have? Is it serious?"

"Oh, not serious. You suffer from a deficiency of kidney Yang. I will similarly write a prescription, and you will recover by resting when you return."

After hearing the diagnostic results of the first two men, the chieftains burst into loud laughter. Shi Qian even stepped forward to banter:

"Divine Physician, why are both of them suffering from kidney deficiency? Could it be that the Divine Physician is only diagnosing kidney deficiencies today? Since I neither suffer from insomnia nor feel cold, am I exceptionally healthy?"

Hearing this, An Daoquan knew Shi Qian was just joking. He did not grow angry; instead, he looked at Shi Qian with a smiling gaze:

"This chieftain, you are mistaken. As the saying goes, extremes meet. Your trouble is even greater—you suffer from a deficiency of both Yin and Yang!"

"Hahahahaha! Brother Shi Qian, are you holding up?"

An Daoquan's words sent the room into paroxysms of laughter. Even someone thick-skinned like Shi Qian could not withstand this onslaught.

Ren Yuan watched with immense delight. Excellent, excellent! It appeared that An Daoquan would integrate into the group with ease!

Thus, An Daoquan proceeded to examine the physical condition of all the chieftains and provided them with recuperative prescriptions. In particular, he re-dressed Wang Jin's wounds to ensure no lingering sequelae would remain, and cautioned Wang Jin that his meridians were severely damaged and he would need at least half a year of quiet recuperation before he could practice martial arts again.

Naturally, the news of the divine physician's free clinic was also broadcast by Ren Yuan to everyone in the stronghold. Therefore, during the remaining days of the New Year, apart from exchanging New Year greetings, the entire population of Mount Liang sought out the divine physician for medical care. When the local herb doctors in the surrounding area heard that An Daoquan had arrived, they eagerly brought their tools up the mountain to assist him.

In their own words, if they could learn even a single trick or move from Divine Physician An, they would never have to worry about anything again.

This joyous atmosphere lasted for eight or nine days, until an express carrier pigeon arrived once more from the Shi Village:

On the fifth day of the first lunar month, Marshal Gao once again dispatched a dozen Black-Clad Guards into Huayin County. Under the pretext of harboring criminals, they colluded with the local county magistrate and led troops to surround the Shi Village! Shi Jin came out of the estate to do battle, but was overpowered. To protect the old and young of the entire village, he had no choice but to sever ties with the Shi Village and cut a bloody path through to the Hexi Pacification Commissioner's Office.

However, this time the Black-Clad Guards did not pursue him; they merely confiscated the wealth of the Shi Village, placed Shi Jin on the list of wanted felons, issued an imperial arrest warrant, and initiated a province-wide manhunt before returning to Tokyo to report their mission.

"What a fine Gao Qiu! He truly means to drive a man to utter desperation!"

Upon reading the letter, Ren Yuan flew into a towering rage. Gao Qiu was simply going too far!

Just because he had slaughtered a hundred of his Black-Clad Guards last time, the man was actually retaliating against the Shi Village!

Fortunately, this time they had not indulged in indiscriminate slaughter and had merely forced Shi Jin away. It seemed that the Black-Clad Guards who came this time still understood the rules of the pugilistic world.

Crimes do not extend to one's parents, and disasters do not reach one's wife and children.

Gao Qiu, once you entered officialdom, you completely forgot the rules of the jianghu you once knew!

That being the case, don't blame us from now on for disregarding the rules ourselves!

"Send extra men to Huayin County, and have Instructor Wang write a personal letter. Bring back anyone from the Shi Village who wishes to come up the mountain, and ensure the safety of Shi Jin's family at all costs."

This pugilistic world was about to descend into chaos ahead of time!