Chapter 26

A miraculous survival

He tried to get up, feeling immense pain, but had to lie down again, groaning from the even greater pain that followed. At this moment, he faintly heard someone speaking. He turned his head toward the sound, but only a vague presence could be felt. The blurry shapes in front of his eyes gradually became clearer as time passed.

"It seems he's regaining consciousness. Miracle, quickly inform the master."

"Yes."

"Try drinking this."

Someone gave him a bitter herbal medicine. Looking into the person's gentle eyes, he gulped down the medicine and then fell asleep again. For a while, all he did was take medicine and sleep. After about a month, he gradually regained his strength. When he was well enough to meet people, a man came to see him. The man had a scholarly and very dignified appearance, with a neatly groomed beard and wore quite elegant clothes. He smiled kindly and said,

"Are you feeling better now?"

"……"

When he gave no answer, the man glanced at the physician beside him and continued,

"Did I really catch you while fishing? I thought it was a big carp, but it turned out to be a mermaid. What's your name? I mean, your name."

"Name?"

When he asked in a dazed manner, the other man sighed and looked at the physician.

"Ah, it seems he can't remember. I didn't really expect it to be true…"

"Don't be so disappointed. You've taken care of a wild man to this extent; he should be grateful."

"Still, that's not the issue. Is the sword we pulled from his body definitely his?"

"Yes, the sword is strangely curved like a knife and is very short, but it's a remarkable fine sword. Would you like to see it?"

"Sure."

The physician handed the sword, which was set aside, to the man. The man pulled the sword out of its scabbard a little.

"Indeed, it's a remarkable fine sword. But how did he stab himself in the dantian with his own sword?"

"I'm not sure. Besides, a dagger was also embedded in his heart, but he survived because the dagger didn't come out, reducing the bleeding. I used acupuncture to make his heart beat very slowly, removed the dagger, and treated him with potent medicine… He had almost no chance of survival, yet he lived. His vitality is extraordinary."

"Is the dagger also his?"

"It's not certain. The dagger's sheath was not found on him. Instead, we found a jade plaque and this piece of cloth on him."

The physician handed the man a piece of cloth with strange characters written on it.

"What kind of characters are these?"

"I don't know. I lack the knowledge…"

"Since it might provide a clue, I'll keep it. If this man, who owns such a fine sword, is known in the martial world, have you heard of him? I heard you used to be active in the martial world."

"I'm not that great a master. But he looks very young, yet his teeth are yellow… A young person's teeth wouldn't be that damaged. He might be a master of the art of rejuvenation, which I've only heard about."

"Surely he can't be that great a master."

"No, the characters '墨魂 (Muhun)' engraved on the fine sword, the severe internal injuries that twisted his entire organs, and the fact that he survived despite most of his meridians being destroyed, even with my excellent acupuncture, suggest he has an extraordinary vitality and healing ability. This is beyond human limits. Moreover, most of his injuries were caused by martial arts."

"Most?"

"Yes, except for the injuries from hitting rocks while floating down the river, all of them were caused by martial arts."

"Which school's martial arts do you think they are?"

"I can't be certain. If I had to guess, the ferocity of the palm strikes suggests it might be from an evil school, but some righteous schools also have such vicious martial arts, so it's hard to guess. Since most of the injuries were caused by palm strikes rather than weapons, it's even harder to determine."

"That's unfortunate. He seems to have a decent face, but half of it is completely ruined…"

"It's fortunate that the injuries from hitting rocks weren't worse. He also has several broken bones, and his bones have only just been set."

"If he is a martial artist, can he recover his martial arts skills?"

"That's impossible. However, if he regains his memory, he might be able to tell us the contents of the secret manual he learned."

"Ah, right, I didn't think of that. I have some business to attend to, so I'll leave. Take good care of him."

"Yes."

People called him a cripple. He had completely lost his memory, could hardly speak, had a lame leg, and his left hand was oddly deformed. The cripple took care of the horses at the residence of General Yuxiang, who was known for his uprightness. If it weren't for the influence of his father, General Yuyingzhen, General Yuxiang might have been executed due to his incorruptible nature. Perhaps it was fortunate that he had only served in the military and had not held positions that required occasional bribes, such as county magistrate.

General Yuxiang had four children, two boys and two girls. The girls often glanced at the cripple with contempt. The eldest daughter was well-behaved and gentle, causing no problems, but the second daughter was bold and enjoyed horseback riding. When she was in a bad mood, she would pick on the cripple for having a dirty horse, tormenting him to vent her frustration. The eldest son was training in martial arts at a school and rarely met the cripple, while the youngest son was a well-mannered boy who enjoyed horseback riding. He often brought the cripple leftover snacks wrapped in a handkerchief because the cripple took good care of his favorite horse.

It had been six months since the cripple came to live in the household. His strength gradually improved, and he could now lift and move things that would normally require the combined effort of two strong men. Because of this, the servants would call him for difficult tasks and buy him a little alcohol, especially sorghum wine, which he loved. If they promised him sorghum wine, he would enthusiastically carry heavy loads alone. This caught the attention of General Yuxiang, who was surprised and called the servant in charge of the stables.

"The young man in the stables is really strong. Was he always like that?"

"No, sir. At first, he couldn't even catch a chicken, but strangely, he became stronger day by day. Now, he carries all the heavy things in the house."

"Is that so? That's strange. Does he do his work well?"

"Well, he only works when he feels like it. He takes good care of the horses, but he doesn't do anything else. If he doesn't want to do something, he won't do it no matter what."

"From what you say, it seems he has clear likes and dislikes."

"Yes, one day he was staring at chrysanthemums, lost in thought, so I kicked him out of frustration. He loves chrysanthemums. When I asked him, he said it made him feel warm and cozy."

"He really loves flowers, doesn't he?"

"No, sir. I've been with him since autumn, and I've learned that he hates plum blossoms. He hates both the flowers and the trees."

"Is there anything else he likes or dislikes?"

"Mostly, he's indifferent. He doesn't particularly like or dislike anything, but he's very stubborn. Once he decides he doesn't like something, he won't do it no matter what."

"Send someone to the physician to tell him I want to see him. When the physician arrives, send the young man to me."

"Yes, sir."

"Dismissed."

"Yes, sir."

When the physician arrived, General Yuxiang greeted him and said,

"I have a strange matter to discuss with you."

"What's strange about it?"

"Is there any possibility that the young man can recover his martial arts skills?"

"There's no chance at all."

"But his strength is increasing… I thought it might be a sign that his internal energy is returning, so I called you. When he arrives, please check his pulse."

"Yes."

"Here he comes. Come here."

When the cripple approached, General Yuxiang asked him to extend his hand and had the physician check his pulse. The physician examined his pulse for a while and then said,

"This is strange. His internal energy is returning."

"Then when do you think he will recover?"

"His body now has a considerable amount of internal energy. However, many of his meridians are still damaged, which is why he still has difficulty moving. Strangely, many of his meridians have reopened, which is unusual."

"Is it impossible for meridians that have been blocked or destroyed for a long time to reopen with internal energy?"

"It's impossible. Otherwise, why would martial artists fear the condition of 'fire entering the mind'? But this man's meridians have reopened on their own, which is unbelievable. He might have reopened them himself."

As he said this, the physician quickly threw a punch at the cripple's face. The punch was infused with considerable internal energy and had enough force to knock down a cow. The cripple narrowly avoided the punch and instantly threw a punch at the physician's face. The physician, not expecting a counterattack, gasped in shock and deflected the cripple's punch with his left hand. He then began to use martial techniques to engage the cripple. However, when he actually used techniques to throw punches, the cripple could not respond and tried to retreat, but his lame leg did not cooperate, and he ended up taking five punches. The cripple, lying on the ground, rubbed the places where he was hit, looking very painful. The physician asked,

"How did you avoid the first punch?"

"You… you… are bad… Why did you hit me? I haven't done anything wrong."

The cripple, looking indignant, panted, and the physician, taking a deep breath, said to General Yuxiang,

"Remarkable. Even with all his memories lost, his body still moves reflexively based on his accumulated training. Moreover, his punches were infused with considerable internal energy. His every movement is infused with internal energy. I can see everything clearly now."

"Every movement? Do you mean every movement is a martial technique?"

"Unbelievable, but true. There's a difference in the amount, but his every movement is infused with internal energy. I've never heard of such a thing."

"Even if that's the case, if his every unconscious movement is infused with internal energy, it means that when his mind is active, his energy flows, and when his energy flows, his body moves. Is this the realm of 'Xianjing' in the martial world?"

"That's one way to see it. However, the only person who has reached the realm of Xianjing is the righteous master Guhui. If this man had reached the realm of Xianjing, his reputation would have spread throughout the martial world. So, he can't be a master of Xianjing. But he must have been close to that level."

"……"

As General Yuxiang fell into thought, the physician suddenly said,

"I have a good idea."

"What is it?"

"Teach him martial arts. If he has ever learned any martial arts before, his reactions will be different. This might help us identify his school."

"That's a good suggestion. But is there anyone who knows a wide variety of martial arts?"

"Ask the great master."

"My father is very busy and can't help me. He hasn't even recovered the lost power of the Chanhuan Black Wind Sect. Ah! I can ask him to send some secret manuals and a few masters from different schools to teach him. But can you teach him before they arrive?"

"Yes, I can try."

From the next day, the cripple began to practice martial arts. However, the physician was frustrated because the cripple showed no interest in martial arts. He tried teaching various sword techniques, palm techniques, finger techniques, claw techniques, fist techniques, and leg techniques, but teaching someone who showed no interest was difficult. So, this time, he used a different approach and taught the youngest son martial arts in front of the cripple.

The youngest son, who usually treated the cripple well and had gained his trust, was used to pique the cripple's curiosity. When the physician taught the youngest son martial arts, the cripple would sometimes watch from nearby and look at the chrysanthemums. Even though it was not yet the season for chrysanthemums, and only green leaves were growing, the cripple loved chrysanthemums and often spent time taking care of them.

One day, the physician was enthusiastically teaching the youngest son martial arts. The