Chapter 79

Yeyu's conjecture was confirmed by the words of the eccentric monk Jidian, which made his mood heavy. As the saying goes, even a superficial wound can cause heart-wrenching pain, let alone the excruciating agony of breaking and rejoining bones.

In the Romance of the Three Kingdoms, it is said that Guan Yu had his bone scraped to treat an injury. Although Yeyu believed such people existed in the world, it was absolutely impossible for him. People always feel fear when facing pain, and only in moments of desperate life and death would they endure inhuman suffering without hesitation.

Although Yeyu's legs were already crippled, they had not reached the point where he needed to walk normally, so he hesitated at this moment.

Upon hearing this method, She Tongcheng suddenly flew into a rage, grabbing Jidian's collar and shouting, "You monk, spouting nonsense! There's no reason to break bones that have already healed! You're clearly making things difficult for my brother, get out of here!"

This time, She Tongcheng easily lifted Jidian, ready to throw him out of the room. However, Jidian continued to smile, showing no resistance.

"Venerable monk, please stay! Tongcheng, step back!" Just as Jidian was about to be thrown out, Yeyu, with a serious expression, finally spoke.

"Brother, do you really believe this mad monk's lies?"

"Step back, and don't come in without my order!" Yeyu frowned and shouted.

"But, he..."

Yeyu waved his hand to interrupt, then said sarcastically, "If the Venerable monk wants to make things difficult for me, do you think you can stop him?"

"..."

From the scene in the forest where She Tongcheng pushed Jidian, both of them knew that Jidian was no ordinary person. Therefore, when Yeyu spoke clearly, She Tongcheng had nothing to say. He glared at Jidian and then reluctantly stepped back.

When only Yeyu and Jidian were left in the room, Jidian gently waved his tattered fan and smiled, "Little layman, have you thought it through?"

"Thought it through!" Yeyu laughed bitterly, "Since my legs are already crippled, what's the harm in breaking them again?"

"Can you endure the excruciating pain? I won't use any anesthetic to ease your suffering!"

Jidian's words made Yeyu pause, and then he seemed to understand something. He nodded, "No problem! I'm prepared!"

"Good, no time to waste! I'll treat your leg tonight!" Seeing Yeyu's quick agreement, Jidian's eyes showed satisfaction.

"Then I'll follow the Venerable monk's instructions!"

Jidian waved his fan and said disdainfully, "Don't call me Venerable monk, I can't bear such a title. The world is burdened by fame, I don't want to burden myself..."

As he spoke, he took a black, cylindrical object from his monk's bag and threw it to Yeyu, "Bite this to keep your mind clear!"

"Is this the Venerable monk's mud pill?"

Yeyu looked at the black, shiny object, which reminded him of the mud pills in modern films and TV shows. He thought, "It's not easy for your mud pill to form into a lump." The thought of biting it made Yeyu feel nauseous.

"Mud pill? What's that?" Jidian was puzzled by this new term but didn't pursue it further, urging, "Less talk, someone wants to bite this, and I'm not happy about it!"

"Oh! It's just a piece of wood. As long as it's not from your body, it's fine." Yeyu felt relieved and, without further thought, bit down on the black piece of wood.

Jidian slowly squatted down, placing Yeyu's legs on his knees, and said with a grin, "Let's start!"

As soon as he spoke, Jidian quickly pressed several acupoints on Yeyu's body and legs, then used his right hand like a knife to chop Yeyu's legs. Two crisp sounds were heard, followed by a muffled, heart-wrenching scream that echoed in the room.

Yeyu's face was pale and contorted, his teeth biting the black wood so hard that blood trickled from the corners of his mouth. Sweat poured from his forehead, and his body trembled like a sieve.

"Brother!" She Tongcheng, standing outside the door, heard the scream and called out anxiously. But Yeyu had previously ordered him not to enter without permission.

By this time, Yeyu, convulsing in pain, could no longer speak. Jidian, impatient, shouted, "What are you shouting for? If the bones shift again, I won't be responsible!"

Jidian's shout silenced She Tongcheng, who stood outside the room, too anxious to breathe.

Jidian, without checking Yeyu's condition, first applied a thick layer of ointment to the broken areas, then took out a pair of iron boots from his monk's bag. These iron boots looked like ordinary cloth boots, except for a fixed setting on the shaft.

"These are iron boots specially made for you. Your leg bones are broken in the lower leg, and using iron boots to fix them is the best method! It's much better than the wooden splints used by doctors!"

When the iron boots were put on Yeyu's legs, the pain that had slightly subsided returned. Yeyu, already exhausted and contorted, let out another muffled scream. His fists were tightly clenched, as if trying to embed his fingers into his flesh.

After a long time, Yeyu finally recovered from the excruciating pain, his legs still trembling slightly. He slowly opened his tightly clenched hands, and blood was already flowing from his palms. His face, red and contorted from pain, finally relaxed.

Clang!

The black stick fell from Yeyu's mouth, and he panted weakly, "Venerable monk, is it done?"

"Yep! How do you feel?" Jidian opened his wine gourd and took a sip of wine with relish.

Yeyu, barely able to speak, said after a long pause, "If I had known it would be so painful, I would have asked the Venerable monk to knock me out..."

"Ha ha! You think that's a good idea! The reason you didn't faint despite the pain is not only because of your strong will but also because of the fragrant wutong wood!"

"Fragrant wutong wood?" Yeyu suddenly remembered that Jidian had mentioned this wood could keep the mind clear.

Seeing Yeyu's resentful look, Jidian smiled, "Little layman, to reconnect your leg bones, it had to be done this way! When your mind is clear, the pain will be unbearable, and your tendons and blood vessels will expand! This is good for unblocking the obstructions in your leg tendons! After all, your legs have been crippled for nearly three years, and extraordinary measures are needed for extraordinary situations!"

After hearing Jidian's explanation, Yeyu finally understood. He realized he had not misjudged the monk. He had only suspected that Jidian had a reason for not using anesthesia, but he hadn't expected such thoughtful consideration.

Yeyu looked down at the black iron boots and said gratefully, "It seems the Venerable monk had the intention to treat my legs all along!"

"I traveled here and saw your pure and kind heart. I also saw the good deeds of the people at Langya Temple. Little layman, with your concern for the common people, how could I let you live in regret? Besides, the old monk Yuantong from Longshan Temple repeatedly urged me to treat your leg, and I couldn't refuse his kindness..."

"Oh? The Venerable monk and Abbot Yuantong are old friends?" Yeyu hadn't expected this connection.

Jidian, with one leg on a stool, said disdainfully, "That old guy owes me a drink! Little layman, I've treated your leg, so you should return what you owe me..."

"Return what? I'm not sure what you mean, Venerable monk."

"Didn't the old Yuantong give you a black silk robe?" Jidian pursed his lips and glanced at Yeyu irritably.

Yeyu was initially puzzled but then remembered the bundle given to him by Master Yuantong, which contained two Buddhist scriptures and a black robe. He had examined it repeatedly but hadn't noticed anything special about the robe.

Thanks to Jidian's reminder, Yeyu finally understood and said apologetically, "I didn't know the black robe belonged to the Venerable monk! But since you have transcended the realm of material attachment, why should you care about a robe?"

"Ha ha ha! As long as one is human, they can't truly transcend material attachment. If they had no attachments, they would be like walking corpses! This object, though ordinary, is very important to me! How could I discard a gift from an old friend? If I hadn't lost a bet to the old Yuantong, I wouldn't have..."

Jidian waved his hand and stopped speaking.

Yeyu, despite his pain, managed a smile. Now he understood Master Yuantong's intention in giving him the gift. He felt even more respect and gratitude for Master Yuantong.

Jidian picked up the black stick from the floor and threw it to Yeyu, "This is a treasure, the essence of a wutong tree over a hundred years old. As the saying goes, the phoenix perches on the wutong, and the branch it perches on is this piece! Moreover, I soaked this wood in various medicinal herbs. In the future, you can grind it into powder and boil it to drink, using it as an internal medicine!"

Jidian then calculated with his fingers and muttered, "In about a year, you will be able to move freely, but remember not to injure your legs again within this year!"

"Thank you for the reminder, Venerable monk!"

"Alright, now that this is done, I should leave! As for the black silk robe, send it to Lingyin Temple in Hangzhou!"

"Venerable monk, rest assured, I'll send it to Lingyin Temple tomorrow! But why don't you stay a few more days to let me repay your kindness?"

Jidian waved his fan and chuckled, "No, no, all things depend on fate! You and I have a deep connection, and we will meet again in the future. At that time, you can invite me to drink and eat meat! From now on, you will no longer be a broken-winged phoenix. Your time has come, little layman, take care of yourself!"

"Venerable monk, have you already seen my destiny and future?"

Yeyu, originally an atheist, was gradually beginning to believe in these mysterious things. The two lines of poetry Jidian recited in the forest had truly shocked him.

Moreover, his own journey across a thousand years was something that couldn't be scientifically explained.

Jidian, who had already reached the door, stopped, turned around, and looked deeply at Yeyu, then said meaningfully, "Would you like me to give you a poem?"

"Please!"

"Born in the fusion of two elements, the seven states vie for supremacy. Turning away from prosperity, returning to the beginning, half a question, a handful of earth presses down!"

As he finished reciting the poem, Jidian gently waved his fan and left the room as if he had never been there.

But the four lines of the poem echoed in Yeyu's ears for a long time...

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