"Taiji Demon?" Lian Youming blinked in surprise, then curled his lip. "Who came up with such a lousy name?"
Seeing that although suspicion and dread flickered in the three men's eyes, they had still not released Big Head Liu, he rolled his shoulders and loosened his joints. His hands loosely curled at his sides, he walked slowly toward them.
"I'll say it once more: let him go, and we go our separate ways. If you insist on being obstinate, don't blame my fists for showing no mercy. I don't make a habit of leaving loose ends behind."
In an instant, killing intent surged through the narrow alley.
The young man among the three looked torn with hesitation, shifting his feet lightly as though preparing to make a move.
"Chuojiao?"
Lian Youming grinned, but his narrowed eyes suddenly snapped wide. From the dim shadows across his face, two piercing glints seemed to blaze forth—a blend of feral malice and killing intent, laced with a brutal ferocity.
The moment their gazes met, the young man turned deathly pale. It felt as though some ravenous beast had locked eyes on him, shattering his nerve; his raised right foot stepped back down as if compelled by a ghost, cold sweat beading down his temples.
The old man released Big Head Liu, cupped his hands, and said in a hoarse voice, "Pardon our offense."
Lian Youming's eyes crinkled in a smile. "You're too polite."
Without another word, the three spun around and sprinted toward the alley's other exit, terrified that Lian Youming might change his mind if they lagged behind.
Having narrowly escaped with his life, Big Head Liu's legs turned to jelly, and he slid down against the earthen wall.
Lian Youming stepped closer and teased, "What's this? Our Master Liu's legs have turned to mush already? Just a moment ago, I saw you smashing bricks and breaking stones—looking mighty impressive. You even set up some Youming Sect... You old codger, you're pushing fifty, so why are you still acting like a child?"
Big Head Liu rubbed his swollen half-face, groaning in agony. A piercing ache radiated through his ribs, but catching sight of the youth before him, he still grinned through the pain. "What are you doing here?"
Lian Youming smiled. "Came to take care of some business. If I hadn't, I wouldn't have known you had this kind of skill. So, what's your plan? Heading back to your place, coming with me, or going back to teaching qigong? Let me tell you, Cangzhou has no shortage of people like those three just now. Snuffing you out would be child's play to them."
A shiver ran down Big Head Liu's spine, and he scrambled to his feet. "Back then, after you ran for half the night, who do you think put ointment on you and looked after you? And when you brewed that medicine—"
"Hey, how come you don't stutter anymore?" Lian Youming rolled his eyes, cutting him off. "If I didn't think you were a decent guy, why do you think I stepped in to save you? Still want to hang around here? Fine, I'm leaving."
Big Head Liu sighed. "Don't go! I've been thinking about you the whole time... And as for my stutter, ever since I started practicing qigong, as long as I'm not nervous, it's completely gone."
Seeing Lian Youming walking out, Big Head Liu hurried to catch up and explained, "I always told everyone I was only the vice sect master of the Youming Sect! The sect master position was saved for you all along. Whenever there's any good to be had, I keep you in mind!"
Lian Youming's face darkened, stuck between laughter and tears. "Well, aren't I grateful. You want to drag me down with you too? You can't be doing this crap. The things you teach—is there a single word of truth in any of it? Once you're exposed, the rest of your life is really going to have a bright future."
Big Head Liu looked baffled. "What bright future?"
Lian Youming snapped, "A steady iron-rice-bowl gig in prison."
Big Head Liu seemed a bit indignant. "Isn't that breathing technique of mine real?"
Lian Youming chuckled. "Oh sure, and once everyone finds out, they'll just wait for you to close your eyes in sleep."
Seeing him fall silent and sulk, Lian Youming didn't press further. He said flatly, "Come back with me and stay for a couple of days. In a few days, I'll let you watch a grand show. I guarantee it'll make you mend your ways—and probably soil a few pairs of pants while you're at it."
Seeing he had no choice, Big Head Liu could only clutch his swollen cheek and shout toward the park outside, grunting with pain.
Before long, five burly middle-aged men who had been teaching exercises to the crowd in the park came jogging over, along with four elderly men in their seventies and eighties and an old woman leaning on a cane, all of them respectfully addressing Big Head Liu as Master.
Once the old folks were coaxed away, Lian Youming shook his head. "Those people are old enough to be your grandfathers. How do you have the nerve to con them?"
Big Head Liu puffed up self-righteously. "Knowledge makes the master! Besides, I passed on genuine stuff to them. Those old men could barely wobble along before, and now they walk like the wind. And those five younger ones—they were all big names in the Tianjin qigong scene, yet they were so awed by my bearing that they bowed and took me as their master."
Talking as they walked, the two met back up with Xie Ruomei.
Having not seen each other in nearly half a year, Big Head Liu seemed overwhelmed with emotion, marveling at how swiftly the world turned.
Who would have thought that a petty village doctor from the foot of a mountain could turn around and become a renowned qigong master across the north?
"I recall you're from Xijing, right? I was thinking my next stop would be Xijing to look you up."
Lian Youming carried a large bundle of goods, saying nothing, too lazy to bother answering.
Big Head Liu chattered away nonstop, just as talkative as ever. "Oh, right! I've got a grand alias now—Liu Wudi, Liu the Invincible! How about that? Sounds formidable, doesn't it? I remember back then you talked in your sleep, saying you'd be invincible under heaven one day. I thought that sounded pretty good, so I adopted the name."
Lian Youming's eye twitched. "Why didn't you just call yourself Liu Under-Heaven?"
Unexpectedly, Big Head Liu chuckled slyly. "I'm making money now! When I get married and have a son, that's what I'll name him—Liu Tianxia!"
Lian Youming fell entirely silent. How had he never noticed before what a talent this fellow was?
Surrounded by Big Head Liu's endless chatter, the three returned to the small courtyard at Xie Ruomei's home.
On the way back, Lian Youming had bought some meat. The pork had sold out, so he picked up two jin of mutton, along with scallions and the like, planning to make a batch of dumplings.
While mincing the dumpling filling, Lian Youming finally asked, "Out with it. Where did you get that martial art of yours?"
Village Doctor Liu—now officially renamed Liu Wudi—pondered for a moment, then spoke with a grave expression: "I can't really explain it clearly myself. Back before you left, I went into the mountains to gather herbs. On the way, I ran into an old wolf. It chased me all over, darting this way and that. Anyway, I was scrambling frantically through the mountains, and just when it was about to catch up with me, my foot slipped, and I fell into a snow pit."
Seeing Xie Ruomei hand him a cup of water, Big Head Liu hurriedly thanked her. After taking a sip, he continued, "Hey, guess what I found in that snow pit?"
Lian Youming was mincing the meat, waiting for what came next. Hearing this, he said softly, "Was there some treasure hidden down there?"
Big Head Liu swallowed a mouthful of tea dregs and widened his eyes, whispering conspiratorially, "Not a treasure. Down there was actually a natural cavern! And what's more, scattered human skeletons were lying all over inside! Oh, Lord of Heaven, it scared the life out of me!"
Lian Youming frowned. "That's it?"
Big Head Liu still seemed shaken. "How could that be it? There was more! The clothes on those skeletons looked like what people wore back in the Republican era. Some had gaping holes in their empty chests, others had shattered skulls—tell me, isn't that creepy? And what's more, deep in the cavern, I saw a few corpses sitting cross-legged!"
Lian Youming paused his cleaver and asked in a low voice, "Didn't you say they were all bones?"
Big Head Liu shook his head. "Not those sitting cross-legged. They were like mummies, covered in dust from head to toe. They even seemed to have queues, and their clothes were strange, looking like Manchu robes."
Lian Youming turned his head, pressing, "You didn't get a clear look?"
Big Head Liu gulped. "In a place like that, spooky as the Hall of the King of Hell, how would I dare look too closely? I nearly pissed myself! I scrambled to get out in a panic. That qigong manual of mine was something I picked up off the ground right then."
Hearing this, Lian Youming knit his brows tightly, his mind racing. Could the underground cavern Village Doctor Liu stumbled into be connected to the mysterious corpses he had encountered before?
Having finished mixing the dumpling filling, Lian Youming asked again, "Do you still remember where that place was?"
Big Head Liu shook his head like a rattle drum. "I was in such a panic, I don't even know how I managed to get out. Once I made it back to the village, I wanted to head into town to tell you about it, but you had already left. Left with no choice, I just fumbled around on my own using my knowledge of medicinal theory, and damned if I didn't actually cultivate something out of it... After that, I went into the mountains a few more times, but for the life of me I couldn't find that snow pit again. Tell me, did I run into a ghost or something?"
Lian Youming shot him a sidelong glance. "Really nothing else? Just fumbling around on your own wouldn't bring you to the level you're at now."
Big Head Liu gave an awkward laugh, sighed, and took off his cap. After a long pause, he said with a meaningful look, "I knew I couldn't hide it from you. I was trapped in that stone cavern for more than half a month, almost starving to death. But guess what? Inside, I actually dug up a fleeceflower root as thick as a giant white radish! I gnawed on it raw for half a month. It built up so much internal heat that all my gray hairs vanished!"
Lian Youming was secretly amazed. Who would have thought the man could have stumbled upon such a miraculous stroke of fortune in the throes of mortal peril?
It seemed that fleeceflower root was indeed an extraordinary treasure.
"What else are you hiding from me?"
Big Head Liu straightened up solemnly, practically swearing to high heaven. "I swear, that's really all of it! I wanted to go back in, but after wandering around for days, I couldn't find the entrance at all."
Lian Youming dropped the dumplings into the boiling pot and said with a beaming smile, "Where's the fleeceflower root? Don't make me search you. Hand it over."
Big Head Liu let out a long sigh to the heavens. Reluctantly, he reached into an inner pocket sewn inside his coat, drew out a cloth pouch, and tipped out a dozen or two prepared slices of fleeceflower root. Their cross-sections were truly no smaller than a white radish.
The moment they were revealed, the scent of medicine filled the entire room.
"This is all that's left. When I escaped, only a small chunk of the root remained. Once I got back to the village, I processed and prepared it, eating a slice whenever I felt like it."
Lian Youming inhaled the rich medicinal fragrance, his expression shifting continuously. This item was likely even more precious than the cluster of Solomon's seal he had found on Mount Zhongnan. Looking at the newly sprouted stubble of hair on the man's balding forehead, he said in disbelief, "Could this be a thousand-year fleeceflower root?"
Big Head Liu shook his head. "I don't know either. It was pitch-black when I dug it up, and I was nearly mad with hunger. I just held it and gnawed away. It tasted bitter and astringent, but after eating it, my whole body felt warm and glowing. And what's more..."
With that, he leaned in toward Lian Youming's ear and whispered coyly, "You have no idea. After eating this stuff, I couldn't sleep all night long, and I kept having... you know, that kind of dream."
Lian Youming followed the man's gaze downward, his cheek twitching immediately. "Get lost!"
Ten-odd minutes later, each holding a large bowl of boiled dumplings, the three sat in the sunshine and ate.
Lian Youming glanced at Xie Ruomei beside him, then looked over at Liu Wudi.
"Since you're so eager to practice martial arts, in a few days I'll introduce you to a master. But only on the condition that you shut down that Youming Sect of yours first."
Chapter 85