Chapter 51. It was good to laugh.

How terrifying can a man who heals and saves lives become when he harbors resentment? The man who proved this was the Poison Demon. He grew stronger with his knowledge of the human body and medicine, and when that wasn't enough, he began to study poisons. His busy feet, which once ran around the clinic to help the sick, now trampled through rugged terrains in search of poisons.

Still unsatisfied, the Poison Demon, judging it difficult to kill the Great Abbot alone, experimented with poisons on his own body. Repeatedly poisoning and curing himself, the doctor, who had changed as a person, spent years of bitter determination and finally killed the Great Abbot.

Was the heart of the man who achieved his revenge satisfied?

When I met him in my previous life, it was after the Poison Demon had already killed the Great Abbot. However, the Poison Demon did not leave the Great Abbot's disciples alone. He tracked them down and killed them, and even the Twelve Divine Generals, who had once been his disciples, were all found and killed, having abandoned their identities to live ordinary lives.

When I met him, the Poison Demon not only hated martial artists but also humanity itself. This was because he had treated many patients during his time as a doctor. Even as he was going mad, no one dared to help him because they feared the Great Abbot.

Thus, the divine doctor Murong Bai gradually seeped into the martial world.

The source of his hatred, I learned more about it while drinking with the Poison Demon.

In his days as an ordinary doctor, he had treated the Great Abbot, who was severely injured, and saved the lives of the Twelve Divine Generals multiple times when they were on the brink of death. In the end, Murong Bai hunted down these ungrateful patients and killed them all with poison.

The expression on the Poison Demon's face when I met him was truly hollow.

After killing them all, when the burning desire for revenge subsided.

What was left to live for then?

With no one to love by his side and no one left to kill.

The Poison Demon, unable to find an answer, continued to study poisons and practice martial arts, imagining that there would be those who would come to avenge the Great Abbot.

I am grateful to this Poison Demon because he broke his vow never to save anyone again and used the old medical skills he hadn't forgotten to save me from my mental breakdown.

The man, who was slowly going mad, seemed to pity me, who had already been mad for a long time. Perhaps it was a sense of shared suffering between two madmen.

Sitting alone in the waiting area, I couldn't help but recall these old memories.

* * *

After examining the patients, Murong Bai sat back down and explained their conditions.

"There are no serious injuries. Don't worry."

I wasn't worried, but I nodded solemnly. It seemed Murong Bai thought I was the guardian of the two patients.

Murong Bai continued.

"Interestingly, both of their injuries are minor, but they show signs of psychological distress. In particular, Hongxin seems to have had trouble sleeping for several days. He keeps asking what his senior brother is doing and complains about his diarrhea. In a semi-conscious state, people become more honest."

Murong Bai looked at me intently, as if asking me to explain what was going on.

"Is diarrhea a serious illness?"

"Sometimes, yes."

"In what way?"

"You're in the martial world. If you meet a formidable opponent, diarrhea can make you lose. It's a matter of life and death, so it's a serious illness."

"Hmm."

Who would have thought I'd have such a deep conversation about diarrhea with a man who was once the terrifying Poison Demon.

Knowing Murong Bai's personality, I explained to satisfy his curiosity.

"Actually, I gave Hong a laxative, telling her it was a cure for loneliness. I ordered her to kill the tyrannical Green Wine, Yellow Earth, and White Porcelain among the Twelve Divine Generals. If Hongxin had continued to resist me, I would have had to kill her like Black Cat Fangzhu. So, the laxative is saving her life, not killing her."

I countered with a lecture on diarrhea.

Understanding the situation, Murong Bai tried to suppress a laugh, his nostrils flaring for a moment.

"I see. Then, I'll prescribe a medicine to stop the diarrhea."

I snapped my fingers in response.

"You'll gain a reputation for curing loneliness. Amazing."

"I'll pass on that."

"Still, since you've dealt with Green Wine, you should treat her as agreed. Please help, Mr. Murong."

"Understood. It's not a difficult task, so leave it to me."

Why did the atmosphere become so serious over a matter of stopping diarrhea? I met Murong Bai's gaze and nodded slightly.

"Let's wrap up the poop talk here."

"Agreed. By the way, it seems Jinhai also suffered a psychological shock."

I asked Murong Bai.

"Do you know what that guy likes the most?"

"Not to criticize, but money, elixirs, and gluttony, I suppose."

"You're right. He lost a lot of internal energy in our battle and had his money stolen."

"Indeed. People who have always been successful suffer more from failure."

I nodded and pointed to the patient room.

"First, get Hongxin out of the quagmire and come back."

"I'll be right back."

I watched Murong Bai's back and thought to myself.

The saying that people who have always been successful suffer more from failure applies to you too.

But it doesn't apply to me.

I have very few memories of success.

My inn went bankrupt, I was fired from my job as a gravedigger, I lost every duel I bet on, I suffered from mental breakdown while practicing martial arts, and the Haomen I created quickly went bankrupt. Whether learning martial arts or taking elixirs, I've never had a smooth path.

A life marked by failure, that was my previous life.

Because of such a complete failure, I was pursued by the Martial World Alliance and the Devil Sect.

As a result, I ended up swallowing the Heavenly Jade...

I think failure is just a process.

What's important is to endure without self-harm.

Suddenly, Hongxin's voice came from the patient room.

"Thank you!"

Indeed, it's about living gratefully.

The hope that the diarrhea will stop and the expectation of a big bowel movement. It seems "Doctor" now comes out naturally from Hongxin's mouth.

Considering how much respect Murong Bai once received, it's terrible that he was betrayed by his patients.

The title "Divine Doctor" disappeared, and the Poison Demon was born.

Therefore, the Great Abbot must die at my hands before Murong Bai goes mad.

However, as I sat alone, lost in thought, my mind kept drifting to the flow of consciousness leading to poop, so I tried to calm myself down.

Whenever the pretty nurses passed by, they would bow slightly to me.

Their faces were fair, and their attire was pure white, but my mind was full of poop, making me feel apologetic to the nurses.

'What a wretched man.'

Murong Bai came out after giving instructions to the nurses.

"Master, Hongxin needs some sleep. Jinhai's meditation will take a long time, so you might have to wait. It would be better to come back tomorrow."

"Are you busy, Doctor?"

"Not really."

I pointed to the opposite side.

After Murong Bai sat down, I pushed the box containing the gold ingots and said. Murong Bai looked at the box and asked.

"What is this?"

"Treatment fees."

"Can I open it?"

"Of course."

Murong Bai opened the box and saw it was full of gold ingots.

"There are too many. How many are there?"

"Fifty gold ingots."

"Why are you giving so many?"

"Actually, I also need to meditate. While waiting for the disciples' treatment, please give me a quiet bed."

"That's not difficult, but..."

Murong Bai took out three gold ingots and pushed the box back to me.

"Three is more than enough."

A brief argument ensued.

"Take it."

"I refuse."

I recalled that the Poison Demon in my previous life was stubborn.

Murong Bai, with a somewhat relaxed expression, said to me.

"Master, as a doctor, I treat everyone without discrimination. But I am human and have likes and dislikes. Use this money for your cause. I'll take fifty, but I'm returning forty-seven for your cause."

Money should be earned and spent like flower petals.

Murong Bai swept up the flower petals and sprinkled them back on my face.

Moreover, the meaning of his words also suggested using the money to kill the Great Abbot.

"I'll use it if you keep refusing."

"Understood."

"But I have to take this."

The second round began.

I handed Murong Bai a box containing four roots of White Flame Grass, ready to counter any refusal.

"Doctor, you need to be healthy to save many people."

Murong Bai smiled without even opening the White Flame Grass box.

"Master."

"Go on."

"To fully absorb this White Flame Grass, I need to meditate for over ten days. I can't leave my patients who come every day. Isn't this the medicine you need? I'm grateful for your kind words about a humble village doctor. Take it here and start meditating. I'll prepare a decoction to help you quickly regain your balance."

I'm such a guy.

I lost the verbal sparring, that's what it is.

"..."

While I was struggling to think of a clever response, Murong Bai called the nurses and gave them instructions.

"Please take Master to the innermost room. He will meditate after taking the elixir, so be extra careful."

"Understood."

"Also, put a sign saying I'm absent until tomorrow morning and close the clinic early today. I have something to do."

"Understood."

While the nurses and Murong Bai worked in sync, I remained still like a patient.

"Master? Shall we go in now?"

"This is a bit much, giving three gold ingots and all."

Murong Bai laughed.

"Meeting a guest stronger than Black Cat Fangzhu is a good thing for us. I look forward to working with you, Master."

In the end, the man with a head full of poop followed the pure white nurses inside.

* * *

Murong Bai, left alone for a moment, watched the busy nurses with his hands behind his back before entering his office.

Murong Bai untied his sweat-soaked headband, washed his hands and face, and put on a clean headband.

He then took out ingredients from the drawers where various medicinal materials were stored and placed them on the table. During this time, he recalled the tone, eyes, complexion, and breathing of the Haomen Master, and pondered the ingredients that could neutralize the energy of the White Flame Grass.

"Seems to have a lot of pent-up anger."

Murong Bai didn't fully trust the patient's words.

Some ingredients needed to be finely ground into powder, so Murong Bai sat at the desk, picked up the tools, and began to chop the ingredients himself.

It was a time-consuming task.

But the efficacy of the medicine could be enhanced by such small actions and dedication.

Usually, he would have entrusted this task to a nurse, but today he prepared the ingredients himself.

Naturally, he couldn't help but reflect on the patient's condition while making the medicine.

To Murong Bai, the Haomen Master was a person with a very narrow emotional range, making a strong impression. He often made jokes, but that was just the surface.

At his core, he seemed to be a person with a cold, unemotional nature, neither greatly joyful nor greatly angry.

Based on his studies and the various characters he had read about in books, Murong Bai thought of the Haomen Master as follows:

A man who, if things don't go well, would turn the world into his enemy and wage war.

A man who, if things go well, would lead many people and protect them.

The key point was that he was definitely not an ordinary, peaceful person, whether waging war or providing protection.

If categorized by human types, he was a man at war, a commander.

A leader who, regardless of the outcome, would command an army.

So, Murong Bai prepared the ingredients more diligently.

Wishing that the Haomen Master would use the money more meaningfully, overcome his pent-up anger, better resist the potential future mental demons, defeat the Great Abbot, and rise to protect our Murong family...

He gathered good ingredients and ground them into powder with care.

After focusing on preparing the ingredients for a long time, Murong Bai's lips curled up slightly. Eventually, he couldn't help but laugh alone and had to take a break.

"Ah, that damn diarrhea story keeps coming to mind. Troublesome."

The man who was the Poison Demon in his previous life laughed brightly.