Chapter 4: Leaving the Mountain

Although Jun Huang was mystified, she still docilely fetched a few pails of hot water.

“Alright, off with your clothes and get in.” Ole Cragfiend tested the water temperature and spoke with malicious enjoyment, “All the herbs today are to strengthen bones and tendons. Hop in for four hours; this will only bring benefits and no drawbacks.”

“Take off my clothes?” Jun Huang looked hesitantly at the old man.

“What, you want to sit in a medicinal bath with your clothes on?!” The old man’s crankiness immediately started to boil over.

Jun Huang saw that the old man hadn’t even given a thought for her privacy, so she hesitantly spoke up, “A distinction should be made between males and females, if you don’t mind…”

“How dare you throw me out!!” Ole Cragfiend was hopping with fury even before Jun Huang could finish speaking. “Fine, I’ll leave, I’ll leave!” he yelled irately and threw in another large handful of herbs. He jabbed at the wooden tub with his finger as he spat. “You stay in there four hours! Don’t you dare get out before four hours, or I won’t cure you of that poison!” He threw the door open and stalked out, his muttering still audible, “How dare she want me to leave, how dare she throw me out of my own house…”

Jun Huang sighed resignedly as she watched the departing figure. The old man wasn’t a bad person, but that mercurial temper of his… She shook her head and softly closed the door before she turned to the tub with a frown. The water within was already turning black. She didn’t doubt his words; this concoction definitely would strengthen her bones and tendons, but when she thought back to the look of malicious glee on his face, she felt that she was overlooking something. But, she didn’t have any other choice, did she?

She took off her clothes and sank into the tub. The water temperature was just hot enough to be comfortable as the water swirled around her like a warm hug. She could feel her tendons slowly relax under the effects of the medicinal bath. She was warm all over, and the fatigue from the day’s studying ebbed out in one long sigh of comfort.

But in the next second, the warm comfort was replaced by piercing discomfort that radiated from her meridians. It felt like thousands of ants were gnawing at her bones. That heart-wrenching pain drilled into her entire body. Jun Huang gritted her teeth, but cold sweat still slowly poured down her face.

She walked off into the distance, her lonely shadow lengthened by the setting sun with each step she took.