Unorthodox Wuxia: While Others Practice Martial Arts, I Cultivate Immortality - Chapter 28

Chapter 28: Suppressing the Bandits

Standing at the doorway, watching Mo Guanshan and Lu Ying leave, Yuan Zhao couldn’t help feeling puzzled.

That Marshal Mo seemed like a decent enough man, so why had he been letting his troops run wild and harass the common folk all these years?

It was easy enough to understand why the Great Xiao soldiers acted that way.

They came from a nomadic background, their homeland poor in resources. Back before Great Xiao was even founded, their warriors often crossed the borders in winter to loot and plunder for food. After the founding of Great Xiao, some of them still couldn’t change their ways.

But Great Liang was different.

Even if places like Tianmen Town were now lawless border zones, they had once been Great Liang territory, and the people here were Great Liang subjects. That Great Liang soldiers would act the same way—this was truly incomprehensible.

Unable to make sense of it, Yuan Zhao simply pushed the thought aside and went back into the house.

Xiao Kong Kong returned deep into the night, dragging along a frail old man with a medicine box on his back.

The little old man had actually been carried by Xiao Kong Kong, who swooped straight into the courtyard with him.

As soon as his feet hit the ground, the old man gasped for air, feeling like every bone in his body had come loose.

“You little brat, are you trying to kill me? I’m an old man already, how could I stand this kind of torment?”

Xiao Kong Kong muttered, “It was so late, I just wanted to hurry… Besides, aren’t you fine?”

“Fine? You call this fine? Look at me—does this look fine?” The old man wiped the sweat off his forehead and rubbed it on Xiao Kong Kong’s clothes.

Xiao Kong Kong shrank guiltily.

Inside, Yuan Zhao had been cultivating. Hearing the commotion, she quickly came out with a lantern.

“You’re back? If it’s this late, why not just stay the night in Blackstone City?”

Seeing Yuan Zhao, the old man straightened his robe, smoothed his hair, and bowed.

“You must be Miss Yuan? This old man was sent by the Marshal to treat your family member’s illness.”

Yuan Zhao immediately said, “Many thanks for your trouble, sir. Please, come inside.”

“Oh~ good, good~” The old doctor’s legs trembled as he walked in.

Before he could cross the threshold, his knees buckled and he almost fell, but Yuan Zhao caught him just in time.

“Careful, sir.”

Then she shot Xiao Kong Kong a sharp glare: ‘What’s going on?’

Xiao Kong Kong turned his head away, guilty.

In a low voice Yuan Zhao said, “Poor performance—your allowance is cut in half.”

=͟͟͞͞(꒪⌓꒪*) Xiao Kong Kong instantly wilted and trudged back to his room, which he shared with Lang Mingyue.

“What may I call you, sir?” Yuan Zhao asked as she led the old man inside.

The doctor replied, “My surname is Hu. Just call me Doctor Hu.”

“So it’s Doctor Hu.”

She gave him a room and said, “It’s very late. Please rest first, we can speak of treatment tomorrow.”

“Alright, thank you, young lady.”

***

At dawn, when the rooster crowed, Ah Qing was already up.

After washing up, she saw Doctor Hu rubbing his back as he walked out. Her eyes lit up and she hurried over.

“Sir, you must be Doctor Hu, who came last night?”

“Yes, that’s me.” He nodded. “And you are Miss Yuan’s younger sister?”

“Mm-hm! Yes. My name is Zhao Yuanqing, but you can just call me Ah Qing.” She introduced herself warmly. “Oh—let me fetch you water for washing.”

Without waiting for him to answer, she ran off to the kitchen.

Watching her boundless energy, Doctor Hu stroked his beard with a smile. “This girl has good manners. Much better than that brat from yesterday—ten times, no, a hundred times better!”

Once he had washed up, he asked, “Miss Ah Qing, where is the patient? Can you take me to see him?”

“Of course.”

She led him to the room shared by Lang Mingyue and Xiao Kong Kong.

Knock knock knock!

“Uncle Ming, are you awake?” she called.

Inside, Xiao Kong Kong was sprawled in messy sleep, drooling, mumbling, “Don’t… don’t cut my allowance…”

Lang Mingyue, already awake, was dressing. Hearing Ah Qing’s voice, he replied, “I’m up. Please wait a moment.”

Once dressed, he opened the door.

“Uncle Ming, this is Doctor Hu, here to treat you,” Ah Qing introduced.

Lang Mingyue quickly bowed. “Much thanks, Doctor Hu.”

Doctor Hu waved his hand and immediately grasped Lang Mingyue’s wrist to check his pulse, then tilted his chin to study his complexion.

After a long moment, he shook his head. “Your condition is not good. If you don’t take proper care, you won’t last more than a couple of years.”

Doctor Hu’s judgment was far sharper than Mo Guanshan’s.

Lang Mingyue not only suffered spiritual damage from the backlash of the Tian Kui Technique, but his body had been worn down over the years of torment under Man Li. Signs of premature aging were evident.

Alarmed, Ah Qing said, “Then Doctor Hu, please treat him right away!”

“Don’t worry—that’s exactly why I came.”

He entered, pulled out pen and paper, and after a flourish of writing handed a prescription to Ah Qing.

“Start with ten doses for him.”

Ah Qing looked troubled. “But Tianmen Town doesn’t even have a pharmacy…”

“Then you’ll have to go to Blackstone City,” Hu replied.

Meanwhile, the still-sleeping Xiao Kong Kong had no idea he was about to be sent off as errand boy again.

Doctor Hu then had Lang Mingyue sit, and brought out a packet of silver needles. Medicine alone wouldn’t work, the injuries to his spirit required acupuncture. Soon Lang Mingyue’s head bristled like a hedgehog.

Ah Qing gaped in amazement. ‘How magical!’ She had never seen acupuncture before, the old town doctor certainly hadn’t known it. She wondered if it hurt.

Seeing her wide-eyed curiosity, Doctor Hu chuckled. “Does Miss Ah Qing have an interest in medicine?”

She nodded. “A little.”

He smiled but said nothing more.

***

Days passed quickly.

Doctor Hu stayed at Yuan Zhao’s home, focused on treating Lang Mingyue. Under his care, Lang Mingyue’s complexion improved, his pallor faded, and he no longer walked so unsteadily.

Meanwhile, Ah Qing constantly hovered around Doctor Hu, who didn’t mind at all. He even gifted her two medical books: one on herbs, the other on human meridians.

From then on, she was often seen studying them alongside the human-skin Medical Canon. Compared to orthodox medicine, that strange text leaned toward unconventional and sinister practices, hence why Man Li was known as a poison doctor.

Yuan Zhao noticed all this.

One evening, after nightfall, she left Ah Qing and Xiao Kong Kong at home with instructions, then took the Heaven Prison Blade, Lang Mingyue, and the old wolf with her.

They slipped into the desert under cover of darkness, where Marshal Mo was already waiting with five hundred elite soldiers.

After days of secret planning and troop movements, the time had come to wipe out the Sha Long Gang.

“Marshal Mo, sorry to keep you waiting.” Yuan Zhao cupped her hands in greeting.

Mo Guanshan nodded and signaled for two horses. “Mount up.”

Yuan Zhao and Lang Mingyue complied, mounting their steeds.

Lang Mingyue spurred ahead. “Everyone, follow me!”

Thus five thousand soldiers thundered through the desert night under his lead.

After some time, they reached a rocky plain.

Lang Mingyue pulled up his reins. “Everyone dismount!”

At his command, they all swung down from their horses.

It turned out the Sha Long Gang’s lair was hidden underground. If they rode closer, the vibrations would alert the enemy.

Once everyone was down, Mo Guanshan said, “As planned, we’ll split into three groups.”

The gang had three entrances: one main gate for daily use, and two secret escape routes. Just like the saying—a cunning rabbit has three burrows.

The three exits had already been mapped out by Lang Mingyue, complete with the surrounding terrain. In the past few days, Mo Guanshan had also dispatched scouts more than once to survey the area.

At his command, the five hundred elite soldiers split into three groups. Marshal Mo personally led a hundred men to storm the main gate, while Yuan Zhao and Lang Mingyue each took two hundred to guard the two escape tunnels.

The reason for this distribution was simple: Mo Guanshan knew the ways of desert bandits all too well.

They would never fight an army head-on.

If attacked, their first instinct would be to flee through the escape routes, not to resist in open battle.

With the tasks divided, the three forces moved out immediately. They had to strike before dawn to catch the enemy completely unprepared.

When Yuan Zhao’s group crept in darkness to the western escape exit, they saw two bandits guarding it.

The night was deep, and the pair were already nodding off against the stone wall, their heads bobbing like pecking chickens.

Yuan Zhao gestured. Two archers stepped forward. Both were master marksmen, with eyesight sharp enough that night posed no obstacle.

Two whistles cut through the dark. The guards collapsed before they could even scream, arrows piercing their throats.

Yuan Zhao’s men quickly concealed themselves again. Moments later, the distant clamor of killing cries echoed—Marshal Mo’s assault had begun.

***

Marshal Mo’s weapon was a massive crescent-bladed saber, incredibly heavy, cutting men down as easily as slicing melons.

He charged into the bandits’ den like a tiger into a flock of sheep. Wherever he passed, the Sha Long lackeys were annihilated.

Meanwhile, deep within the lair, the Sha Long Gang’s leaders—Yang Fei, the chief, and Hong Tao, the second-in-command—were sprawled in drunken slumber.

They lay on thick pelts, each clutching scantily clad women, with wine jars scattered across the floor. Bright lamps still burned, proof of a recent night of revelry.

Yang Fei, the gang’s chief, was a first-rank martial artist, his external training so refined that when circulating his energy, faint patterns like lizard scales would surface on his skin. Because of this, he was known as the “Burrowing Sand Lizard,” ranked 87th on the wanted list.

Hong Tao, the second chief, was a second-rank martial artist skilled in concealment and escape, moving through the desert with the fluidity of a sailor at sea. He was called “Wave-Turning Sand,” ranked 147th.

The atrocities these two committed surpassed even those of the poison doctor Man Li, they were vicious beyond measure.

For unknown reasons, though, they had rarely acted in recent years, unlike Man Li, who had been far more active.

Suddenly, a panicked bandit rushed in shouting, “Boss! Second Boss! Bad news!”

Yang Fei, not deeply asleep, cracked open his eyes in irritation, shoved aside the woman in his arms, and snarled: “What is it? How dare you shout while I’m sleeping, believe it or not, I’ll twist your head off!”

“They… they’ve broken in!” The underling fell to his knees, trembling.

Even as he spoke, Yang Fei could faintly hear the battle cries in the distance. Realization struck him cold.

“Who is it? Who broke in?”

“It’s the Great Liang army!” the man stammered. “Leading them is a burly man, about forty, wielding a huge crescent blade. Our brothers can’t last a single round against him!”

The description made Yang Fei’s face blanch. “D**n it—it’s Mo Guanshan! How did he find this place? Was it Third Sister’s people who betrayed us?”

They had already received word of Man Li’s death, but had been occupied with other matters and had planned to avenge her later. Now their stronghold itself was under attack.

But according to the report, Man Li and all her people had perished on the spot, leaving no survivors.

How could this be?

Grinding his teeth, Yang Fei strode over to Hong Tao, who was still snoring, and kicked him hard.

“Sleeping? Still sleeping? Someone’s come to take your life!”

Hong Tao jerked awake in a fury. “Why the hell are you kicking me? Can’t a man even sleep?”

“Get up and grab your things—we’ve got to run! Mo Guanshan is here!”

At the name, Hong Tao shot upright, fully awake.

“What? Mo Guanshan? How did he find us?”

“You ask me? Who the hell should I ask?!” Yang Fei barked.

They scrambled to pack. Seeing Hong Tao still stuffing gold and silver into a bundle, Yang Fei kicked him again.

“At a time like this, you still care about treasure? Life comes first! As long as the green hills remain, there’ll always be firewood to burn!”

Hong Tao hesitated. “Then… what about the ledgers? Should we bring them?”

Yang Fei thought for a moment.

“Forget it—no time. I hid them well, no one will find them. We can retrieve them later.”

“Alright. Let’s hope no one discovers them. Otherwise, we won’t live long!”

With that, they grabbed what they could and hurried with their trusted men toward the escape tunnels.

Halfway there, Yang Fei stopped and said, “To be safe, let’s split up. If we stay together, we risk being wiped out entirely.”

“Fine, I’ll follow big brother’s lead!” Hong Tao agreed.

And so the two chiefs, each with their followers, rushed toward the eastern and western exits separately.