Chapter 709: Chapter 366: The Four Ultimate Ghost Veins, Yan Luo Secret Arts, Ghost Doctor Li Xian! Is the Jade Girl in the Cocoon?
Li Xian muttered, "Mysterious and peculiar." Then he settled into the floating wooden house. On the west side, there was a narrow room with an old wooden bed, a yellowing wooden table, and a copper candle holder. By now, the sky was gradually lightening, the warm sun rising in the east, the lake surface gentle and tranquil.
Li Xian found no good way out of the lake, so he decided to go with the flow, practicing the Ghost Doctor’s path without hindrance. He thought to himself, "This seemingly convenient teacher indeed has remarkable skills. Since he doesn’t wish me harm, and the lake itself is dangerous, learning medicine under him for now seems quite good."
The day passed leisurely. The next morning, Li Xian familiarized himself with the surroundings of the wooden house, offering incense, cleaning shrines, sweeping the floor, and dusting. After busying himself with various chores, he went outside to warm up with boxing, practicing basic martial arts like ’Four Directions Fist’ and ’Clear Wind Leg’.
Li Xian asked, "Master, can you teach me your cosmic nature nurturing staff while we’re at it?"
Su Fugui, leisurely sipping tea on the second-floor terrace, normally had many trivial matters to handle. At this moment, he left them all to his convenient pupil and enjoyed a relaxed pleasure, saying, "I only teach medical techniques, nothing else can be expected. Train well, and once you’re proficient, go find a wife."
Li Xian curiously said, "Could it be that our Ghost Doctor lineage could guarantee a marriage?" Su Fugui mocked, "Others are not guaranteed, but you’re still undecided."
The noon hour passed. Li Xian began studying the ’Medical Ethics Scripture’, whose cover was dark yellow, written on beast skin, and the text inside was crooked, the characters strange and scrawled, like countless little ghosts lurking on the paper.
Li Xian stared at the scripture, suddenly feeling restless, and the soles of his feet slightly itched, alternating between cold and heat, sometimes with goosebumps, and at other times sweating profusely, deeply irritable. Su Fugui laughed, "Read the scripture aloud. If you can recite it fluently from memory, then consider having grasped some of it. You better strive quickly."
Li Xian sat down quietly, took a deep breath, and started reading the first verse aloud, "Our Ghost Doctor’s lineage has been long-lived, enduring through the epochs... Ding, Xiao, Yang, Yu, Wu, each generation changing, yet preserving the unique medical wonders..."
As soon as he uttered the first character, the irritation increased sharply, with the soles and palms burning and itching. Upon saying the second character, the itch deepened into his bones and gradually spread along his limbs, both body and mind were tormented, forcing the scripture’s characters to squirm, forming different ones diametrically opposed to their original meanings, seeming like a book enticing one to malevolence.
Li Xian read up to the seventh character, feeling dizzy and disoriented, unable to continue, so he immediately stopped. The discomfort gradually subsided. Su Fugui said, "Not bad, not bad, for your first time reading the scripture, you managed to reach the seventh character. Boy, do you dare read further?"
Feeling the uniqueness of the "Ghost Doctor" lineage, Li Xian’s spirits rose, replying, "Why not!" He reopened the ’Medical Ethics Scripture’, studying meticulously from the first character.
This time, he forcefully suppressed the irritation and endured the discomfort, finishing the first verse before moving to the second. By the third verse, his lumbar ached, itching and discomfort were unbearable, his eyelids heavy, and numerous irritations arrived unceasingly. Li Xian’s resolve was remarkably strong, yet he continued to shout while reading.
Su Fugui exclaimed, "Stop! Stop!" Li Xian closed the scripture, asking, "What happened?" Su Fugui replied, "You read the content wrong. This scripture can’t be endured through discomfort to finish reading in one breath. Your resolve may be firm, but understanding and integrating are what allow you to continue reading. When you truly comprehend the meaning within the scripture, you won’t feel discomfort during reading."
Li Xian, disturbed by irritation, regained composure, reading slowly and attempting to understand the meaning within the scripture, digesting and assimilating it. Upon rereading the first two verses, the discomfort indeed eased.
He grasped the essentials, diligently studied and memorized, and as the day passed, he managed to read through two pages of the scripture. Though the ’Medical Ethics Scripture’ didn’t record medical techniques, it was a means to clarify one’s mind, strengthen resolve, and refine one’s intentions.
As Li Xian perused the scripture, ’Only I have a Heart Skill’ was tempered unexpectedly, proving his cleverness swiftly figured out the cause: "Only I have a Heart Skill is a peerless skill of today. I acquired it by chance, with no instruction from past masters and no guidance from predecessors. I can only ponder alone; I accidentally deduced that ’hammering the heart and refining intentions’ enhances martial arts mastery well. However, other techniques to temper character and refine intentions can be effective, even faster and better. I should not stick to ’hammering the heart and refining intentions’. Although persevering with a grinding stone or water dripping on stone is commendable for determination, blindly adhering to old methods without exploring or advancing wastes the original power of extraordinary skills!"
He treated the ’Medical Ethics Scripture’ as a tempering tool, daily cleansing, cooking, offering incense, organizing... periodically taking it out for in-depth reading. ’Only I have a Heart Skill’ improved significantly in ’Intuition’ and ’Memory’, growing more vigorous and joyous with each reading.
Observing Li Xian’s rapid progress, Su Fugui felt gratified, murmuring, "Looking back, I spent a full year reading the ’Medical Ethics Scripture,’ understanding its principles early on. Yet, with every reading, my spirit would be exhausted; I’d rather treat a dozen patients or engage in life-and-death struggles several times than read through it. This kid surpasses me in many ways."
"Furthermore, the difficulty of the scripture varies per individual, and if not compatible, even resolute effort yields little result. I’ve encountered several individuals with peculiar appearances, trying to command them to read the ’Medical Ethics Scripture,’ all struggling to comprehend halfway through for half a month, the first verse proving overwhelmingly challenging and hints about understanding the rest elusive. It seems this kid indeed fits our lineage."
He stroked his beard and laughed, continuing:
"The ’Medical Ethics Scripture’ comprises seventeen pages, sixty-four supreme medical sayings. Each character harbors vast meaning. You need only a righteous mind and determined intention not to read randomly. When you ponder meticulously, its depth gradually unfolds before your eyes. In your initial reading, you might see only the surface of medical ethics. After several thorough readings, you may glimpse the Ghost Doctor’s history; hundreds or thousands of times later, you’ll observe the deeds of predecessors and touch on the essence of medical practice. Beyond countless readings... the profundity is unimaginable."
[Skill Level +1]
[Skill Level +1]
[Only I have a Heart Skill]
Comments