Chapter 133 White Immortal

Generally speaking, whenever Lu A’yao came in, He Yu and I would have to head out. Regardless of whether he was sleeping or simply didn’t care about what we were discussing, his presence was a major hindrance to our ability to talk freely.

So, when He Yu had been out of the room for ten minutes without returning, I began to climb down from my bunk. Once my feet hit the floor, I saw Lu A’yao lying on the bottom bunk with his eyes closed, so I tiptoed out as quietly as possible.

As soon as I stepped outside and turned my head, I saw He Yu. The guy was lurking against the wall like a ghost, startling me so badly I nearly jumped out of my skin. He quickly held me down and pulled me into the aisle of another carriage, where we picked an empty set of seats to sit down.

The moment I sat, I said, “He has to go to a hospital. The conditions here are too limited. We only bought some disinfectant to wipe it down, but that wound is far too deep. Our amateur skills won’t be enough to treat it. What if complications arise later?”

“Little Yao, don’t I know you by now? You’re acting all tough with me here, so why didn’t you just say that to his face just now?” He Yu pointed at me, clearly exasperated.

Hearing him say that, I immediately lost my nerve. I wouldn’t dare say that to him. I couldn’t even handle that murderous look in his eyes, not to mention the ruthlessness he showed when he shot Lai Qi last time. Now, whenever I spoke to Lu A’yao, I tried to be as gentle as possible, fearing that if he got upset, he might pull a gun from somewhere and blow my head off.

I could handle anyone else, but I absolutely couldn’t handle a madman.

“Why did he suddenly decide to go back to Kaifeng with you?”

When He Yu asked me this, I recounted our previous conversation in full. After listening, he glanced around suspiciously, as if someone were lurking nearby. He let out a sharp click of his tongue. “Hearing you say that makes my skin crawl.”

“Hey,” he called out to me again, “have you thought about where to put him? Your rental place can fit one more if you tidy it up. I’ll stay in Kaifeng for a bit, but I have to head back to my hometown in a couple of days.”

He Yu grabbed a handful of melon seeds from his pocket, giving half to me while he cracked the rest in his hand.

“What? You’re going back?!” I asked in shock.

“Yeah, my family is pressuring me to return. There are a lot of ancient calligraphy pieces and paintings waiting for me to manage the warehouse. I’m not like you, just going to classes and dealing with people every day. I’m in charge of the He Family’s storage now. If anything in there gets moldy or damaged, I’m finished. You’d better figure out how to settle him quickly. It’s quite pitiful to think about you leaving him home alone while you go to class every day.”

I imagined the scene for a moment and felt a pang of sadness. However, I couldn’t exactly take him to class with me. Besides, I had realized that he only seemed to belong in places related to Feng Shui. Once you placed him among the skyscrapers of modern society, he seemed out of place in every possible way.

“I’ll go ask him again,” I said, standing up.

He Yu was still cracking melon seeds. “Fine. I’ll wait until you’ve finished asking before I head back. Honestly, one thing after another…”

I walked back to find Lu A’yao still lying on the bed, showing no sign of having moved. Just then, the sound of a child’s miserable wailing drifted over from the neighboring sleeper car. The sound echoed through the entire hallway. Lu A’yao opened his eyes, and I slowly approached to tap on his bunk, gesturing for him to come out with me.

As night fell, the instances of children crying and fussing increased. Lu A’yao followed me through three carriages, but we couldn’t find a single quiet spot. In the end, we had no choice but to sit in the dining car next to an old man eating instant noodles.

“How is your injury?” I asked.

Lu A’yao seemed a bit confused that I had asked him to walk so far just for such a small matter.

Nonetheless, he replied, “It is no great concern. I can no longer feel it.”

I spoke again. “He Yu and I have been thinking, and we still feel you should go to a hospital. We aren’t professionals, after all. You weren’t willing to go when we were in Yunnan, but once we reach Kaifeng, I still want to accompany you to a hospital for a checkup.”

“I am not going to a hospital,” Lu A’yao said, looking at me.

As expected, his words nearly drove me to distraction. Even He Yu couldn’t stand his indifferent attitude. What was his problem? Just because he wouldn’t live past forty, he was giving up on living entirely? Giving up on treatment? This outlook on life was completely wrong. As a proper successor of socialism, I felt it was my duty to set him straight.

I started to get unreasonable. “What you say doesn’t matter. You don’t have a cent to your name right now. Once we get to Kaifeng, you’ll be entirely dependent on me. You’ll be eating my food and using my things, so you have to listen to me. If you don’t believe me, ask He Yu. He stays at my place and has to follow my rules too. Don’t you people value rules the most? Well, this is a rule.”

Lu A’yao seemed genuinely bluffed by my argument. For once, he lowered his eyes and thought for a while. After a long pause, he said hesitantly, “I still cannot go to a hospital. However, I have another way to seek treatment. I have an acquaintance in Luoyang. I can have him look at my injury.”

I thought to myself, huh? What’s this? This guy surnamed Lu has acquaintances in Henan other than me? I’d never heard him mention this before. It seemed this kid was hiding quite a few things.

“This acquaintance of yours, does he work in a hospital?” I asked.

Lu A’yao shook his head. “He used to, but there was a medical accident. Now he has his own business. He occasionally provides emergency aid in the gray areas. His skills are excellent, but he has not worked in a hospital for a long time.”

I thought to myself, isn’t that just an underground clinic? But if there had been a medical accident and people in the gray industries still dared to go to him for emergency aid, and even Lu A’yao trusted him this much, it seemed he really was a master hidden in plain sight. I would have to pay him a proper visit when the time came.

Lu A’yao didn’t say much more to me before deciding to go back to sleep. I wanted to ask more questions, but he insisted on returning. I had no reason to stop him from sleeping, so I went to find He Yu to chat and see if he had any impression of such a person.

To my surprise, as soon as I finished explaining, he slapped his thigh.

“Ha! Why didn’t I think of that? I know the person Old Lu is talking about. He’s a rising star, quite famous in the business these last five or six years! Years ago, any tomb raider who triggered a trap or breathed in toxic gas in a grave would go to him, no matter how serious it was.”

“That man is quite something. His illegal clinic was busted so many times he couldn’t keep it running, so he just went mobile, moving from place to place. I heard his surname is Bai and he is of the Miao people. No one knows his real name, but everyone who has been to his clinic calls him the White Immortal. If Old Lu is close with him, you have nothing to worry about. Just remember to bring me along when the time comes. I want to see what this legendary immortal actually looks like.”

I chuckled. “Is he really that miraculous?”

He Yu looked at me with an expression that said I was woefully uninformed.

“I told you to read more and learn a thing or two, but you’re clueless, aren’t you? Back in the nineties, when the White Immortal was down on his luck, he was begging his way through a village. The locals saw him acting all eccentric and wanted to humiliate him, so they brought him a lamb that had been dead for three days and told him to cure it. Who would have guessed? The White Immortal just stroked its wool, rubbed its belly, and brought that lamb right back to life!”

“That scene, man, the whole village was stunned. Just like that, this madman was transformed into an immortal. You tell me, isn’t that uncanny?”