Chapter 134: The Profiteering Divine Doctor

Listening to He Yu speak so certainly made it sound truly sinister, but regardless, hearsay is never as real as seeing it for yourself. This only made me more determined to make the trip to Luoyang.

We sat for a while longer before heading off to sleep. Those two days on the train were quite boring. At first, He Yu and I were in the mood to fool around, but eventually, we ate so much instant ramen we felt like vomiting. We didn’t talk much toward the end, only wanting to reach our destination and crawl into bed.

It was a few days later when we stepped onto the soil of Kaifeng again. Since my place was only so big no matter how I rearranged it, He Yu and I had to clear out the storage room in the rental for Lu A’yao to stay in temporarily. Once He Yu left, his room would be given to Lu A’yao.

We only stayed in Kaifeng for a single day before planning to set off for Luoyang. On one hand, you get lazy once you settle down, and on the other, injuries and illnesses cannot be delayed. Although Lu A’yao’s wound looked fine on the surface, the matter of the poisoning couldn’t be judged by appearances alone.

The three of us spent nearly a hundred yuan to take a coach from the bus station straight to Luoyang. Along the way, we saw nothing but endless plains or trucks hauling pigs and sheep on the highway. There wasn’t much worth describing. We departed at eight and arrived at Luoyang Station near noon.

Not having a phone was truly inconvenient, so after getting off the bus, He Yu took Lu A’yao to get some pulled noodles while I went to find a place to get a random SIM card and buy a new phone. While waiting for the food, I inserted the card into the new phone and saved all the numbers I could remember, starting with He Yu and the others.

Slurping his noodles, He Yu asked Lu A’yao, “How is the contact situation? Can we find him?”

Lu A’yao glanced at a text message on his phone and nodded. He then turned the screen toward He Yu. I leaned in to take a look as well. An address was written there: No. 312 Zhongzhou Middle Road, Xigong District, by the south gate wall base. Present on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday; absent on Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturday; closed on Sunday.

I was stunned when I saw the address. I had classmates from my school who lived in Luoyang, and I had consulted them briefly before coming. “No. 312 Zhongzhou Middle Road, Xigong District” actually referred to Luoyang’s Wang Cheng Park, but what did “wall base” mean? Did he want us to meet him at the foot of the wall?

What kind of setup was a meeting in a park? For an expert like him, shouldn’t he find a teahouse or something, drinking tea and enjoying the air conditioning while talking slowly?

Although He Yu and I didn’t quite understand, we still hailed a taxi to Wang Cheng Park. The driver took us for tourists and chatted enthusiastically with He Yu the whole way. By the time we got out, He Yu’s throat was parched, and he immediately started asking me for water.

I told him not to worry, as he wouldn’t die of thirst in a few minutes. There would be time to buy water once we found the person.

The location mentioned in the address was very vague. I circled around the south gate, looking left and right. There weren’t many people at the park at this hour. There were only two or three old men resting in the shade of the trees and a middle-aged woman with a child. Aside from them, there was a cart piled with toys and an unlicensed ring-toss stall.

I looked around. The owner of the toy cart was a middle-aged man currently smoking and fanning himself with a cattail leaf fan in the shade. The ring-toss stall had snagged a better spot, with the owner shielded beneath a massive sun umbrella.

“That’s strange. I don’t think those old men look like they know how to treat illnesses. Do you think the White Immortal might be that middle-aged woman?” He Yu whispered in my ear.

I wasn’t sure either. I figured the White Immortal should at least be someone of advanced age, but none of the people here looked like a doctor who could prescribe medicine. I turned to look at Lu A’yao, only to find him looking calm as he walked with steady steps toward the unlicensed ring-toss stall in the corner.

He Yu glanced at me and asked, “What’s he doing? Young at heart? Does he want to play something new?”

We looked at each other in confusion and silently followed to see what Lu A’yao was up to. Just as we reached the sun umbrella, the owner, who was lying across two stools, turned over as if he couldn’t be bothered with us, pulling his straw hat tighter over his face.

“Small rings are three yuan, large rings are five. Buy ten get one free. You get whatever you catch. Grazing doesn’t count.”

The owner wore a white tank top and didn’t even bother to look at us. He lay on the stools with his legs crossed, eyes closed as he recited the rules.

I went up and tugged on Lu A’yao’s sleeve, suggesting, “How about we find the person first?”

Lu A’yao ignored me, but then he did something that left He Yu and me completely stunned. Without a word, he stepped forward and kicked the stool right out from under the stall owner. The kick came without warning, and the owner instantly landed hard on his backside.

“What’s going on? What’s going on? Who is it! Who! You’re trying to trash my stall, are you?!” The owner scrambled around barefoot looking for his shoes before flipping himself up from the ground with an agile spring.

It was then that I noticed he was wearing a pair of ridiculously exaggerated children’s glasses. The frames were a size too small, leaving only one side hooked over his ear, and on that earlobe hung a single, icy green jade earring.

I rushed forward to grab Lu A’yao, fearing he might hit the owner in a fit of impulse. I thought to myself that I had never seen him so indignant before. Why was he so aggressive today? Even if the man was operating without a license, it was still a small business. We weren’t the authorities, and no matter the reason, he shouldn’t be hitting people.

The owner looked at us and then at Lu A’yao. He brushed his messy hair away from his face, took off his glasses, and squinted. His originally fierce expression instantly transformed into a smile.

“Oh! I was wondering who had the guts to do that. It’s my young friend Lu. What wind blew you here?”

Lu A’yao said to him, “I’ve been poisoned. I’m here for treatment.”

As soon as he said this, He Yu and I looked at each other in disbelief. No matter how hard we racked our brains, we couldn’t understand how this unlicensed street stall owner could possibly be the legendary White Immortal who could bring the dead back to life.

I immediately sized the man up once more. The White Immortal wore a tank top that had clearly been worn many times, as the fabric had thinned from washing. He wore large shorts and a pair of faded blue slippers. He didn’t look very old, and right now he stood with his hands on his hips, occasionally reaching out to scratch his unshaven mustache.

I stood to the side and scratched my head, feeling more than a little skeptical. No, that wasn’t right. From head to toe, left to right, every inch of this man screamed “unreliable.” It seemed the rumors in the martial world couldn’t be trusted. How on earth did he look like a doctor capable of treating anyone?!

I shot He Yu a meaningful look.

He Yu pulled me aside and whispered, “Don’t be so quick to doubt. This field is never short on eccentrics. Often, the crazier they are, the more skilled they are. Old Lu seems to have a special history with him. Let’s just wait and see.”

White Immortal scratched his neck and said, “Well, that’s bad timing. I’m running my stall today, and you don’t have an appointment. If I pack up early, I’ll lose out on a whole afternoon’s worth of business.”

He paused for a moment before continuing, “But since we grew up together, I’ll give you a discount. If you can cover my earnings for the afternoon, I might be persuaded to head back and check your pulse.”

Lu A’yao stood where he was and let out a sigh.

White Immortal chuckled and turned around to grab a large bundle of plastic rings. He winked at Lu A’yao and then waved at me, standing behind him. “Hey, kid, are you with him? Who’s paying, you or him?”

After hearing that, I shot He Yu a resentful look.

This guy is supposed to be a legendary doctor? If he’s a miracle worker, I’ll eat every single one of these rings. He’s nothing but a damn swindler!