Chapter Seventy-Six: Such a Death Is Far Too Regrettable (0.2)

The entry of the Eccentric Doctor Pingyuan into the city was nothing short of a spectacle. The Fierce Tiger Gang rode out ten miles beyond the city to welcome him, only to find themselves waiting in vain. As it turned out, Pingyuan had descended from the skies rather than traveling the main road, and after a brief pause at the city gate, he finally completed the festivities of his raucous welcome.

Wu Yue, too, saw the doctor’s face for the first time. Unlike the black-haired, black-eyed people of the Immortal Spirit Realm, this strange physician was golden-haired and blue-eyed, with a feral, beast-like presence. No wonder rumors claimed that Pingyuan was the human incarnation of an ancient fierce beast; hence his unusual appearance, the reason few dared provoke him, and the source of his uncanny medical arts. On hearing such tales, one could almost find them convincing.

To begin with, the Eccentric Doctor refused the lavish, comfortable quarters prepared by the Fierce Tiger Gang and instead took up residence in a humble inn. Before the city’s populace could even sing his praises, he made a startling announcement: anyone in Black Curtain City could seek his medical expertise. The crowd erupted with joy; those tormented by chronic illnesses saw a glimmer of hope.

But just as the excitement peaked, another wave crashed over them. Pingyuan hastily declared his rules for consultation: his principle of “three do-nots” was absolute and unchangeable. Then came the matter of payment—ten thousand catties of gold, not a mere figure of speech, but a solid one hundred thousand taels of gold. Even with Li Suizhu’s generous parting gift, Wu Yue could scarcely muster a few thousand taels if he sold everything he owned.

No gold? No problem. Spiritual stones, magical artifacts, and precious gems would also be accepted, though curios and antiques were not. Lacking those as well? Still not an issue—secret tomes, illusion techniques, or cultivation methods would suffice. If one had none of these, however, then it was a different story: just turn left at the door and thank you for your cooperation.

Most important of all, the timing of the consultation would depend entirely on Pingyuan’s mood. If you had a life-threatening emergency, what was that to him? He wasn’t stopping you from seeking help elsewhere.

In an instant, adulation turned to grumbling—though only behind closed doors. After all, of all people, a doctor is not to be offended, especially one who claims to cure all ills—a boast Pingyuan still stood behind, unchallenged.

Yet Wu Yue had no mind for these matters at present. He was reminiscing with an old friend from a distant past.

Li Qing’s attire was finally proper: a black warrior’s robe, his now-long hair tied back. What hadn’t changed was his straight posture and habitual silence. If not for knowing Li Qing hailed from the land of Valoran, Wu Yue would never have connected this man before him with the blind monk of his memories. Though both were transmigrators, Wu Yue couldn’t shake a sense of anomaly. In this vast universe, though, what was impossible? he mused.

Still, seeing Li Qing again moved him deeply, for it was there that his longest memories lay. From the bewilderment of once again possessing a new body, through inexplicable enmities, to twenty years of cultivation—all leading to Mount Lishan. There, he met his first true friend, Bai Chengxue, mentor and companion alike. Then there was Xue Xiaoyu, inheritor of a golden legacy, who went from adversary to one of Wu Yue’s few friends. He even gained a Temple of the Immortals and a sci-fi-like vat.

Li Qing’s purpose was also related to Pingyuan—he needed a third-grade Nanite Capsule, unique to Pingyuan, to help someone break through the Core Formation stage. Naturally, this was for Xie Huanling.

Upon hearing the name of the pill, Wu Yue was stunned, dumbfounded and incredulous, feeling that the name scarcely matched the atmosphere of their world. As for payment, Li Qing made a strange gesture. Wu Yue guessed—could he be planning to use force? Li Qing paused, then muttered, “Stellar Arcana.”

Li Qing had come alone; in a place as tumultuous as this, that was wise. When asked about his own circumstances, Wu Yue sighed, explaining that he and another friend, Hou Baiyu, had slipped away quietly two days prior. Having just begun to enjoy the feeling of giving orders, Wu Yue felt a pang of loss at their sudden departure.

“You seem injured?” Li Qing, ever the orthodox cultivator, easily saw through the lie of a “minor wound.” “I sense your life force fading rapidly,” he continued.

Wu Yue no longer concealed the truth. “That’s why I’m here.”

Li Qing was silent for a moment before asking, “Is there anything I can do to help?” In truth, the two had little connection. By rights, Li Qing should call Wu Yue “brother-in-law,” but Wu Yue was not truly Xie Huanshu; whatever lingering sense of kinship had now faded completely. Now, he was just Wu Yue, and familial affection was hard to summon.

“Just take care of my sister,” Wu Yue said, stumbling a bit over the word. “Don’t tell her you saw me. Let her go on thinking I’m cultivating at Erlang Mountain. That’s enough.” Some things were best left unknown; some endings, best left unresolved. Let her believe her brother still lived, cultivating there, still owing her an explanation.

Night fell. The weather grew colder by the day. Wu Yue closed the doors and windows, sitting at his desk. On it burned an oil lamp of unknown make, bright enough to light the entire room.

The flame danced on the wick, no different from any ordinary lamp, yet as a breeze slipped through an unlatched window, the light flickered, swaying precariously. Wu Yue stared at it, lost in thought. No matter how he tried to hide it, to treat life and death as nothing, he could feel his strength ebbing day by day, his energy growing weaker, his vital essence locked and chaotic, inner wounds trapping his breath inside.

To die like this didn’t grieve him—but it was a pity.

I have just glimpsed the vastness of the world. Is it not a shame to die so soon?

On Earth, blood feuds yet wait to be avenged. Is it not a shame to die so soon?

Elsewhere, a woman has become an obsession, haunting my heart. Is it not a shame to die so soon?

In Luoyang, a young girl still waits in hope. Is it not a shame to die so soon?

On Lishan, generation after generation of cultivators await my return, not to mention old friends. Is it not a shame to die so soon?

In Linjian, there is one who, for the sake of a single divination, remains steadfast and never begrudging. Is it not a shame to die so soon?

Regret after regret, face after face, promise after promise—how could it not be a shame to die?

Suddenly, Wu Yue sprang up and shut the window tight.

A sudden flash of insight struck him: there was a way to escape death. The first step was to seek out the Eccentric Doctor Pingyuan.

“Though I have no mountains of gold, if talent and wit could be weighed, surely I have enough,” Wu Yue murmured to himself.

PS: Only two chapters today; I’ll make it up tomorrow. Still owe a chapter from earlier rewards...