Chapter 6

The Demon's Selection (6)

Zhang Wu couldn't understand the current situation.

He was clearly lying on Yi Ji's sickbed, but when he came to his senses, he found himself in the mountains.

Moreover, right before his eyes were two glowing orbs of fire.

"Ah!"

Realizing belatedly that they were human eyes, Zhang Wu recoiled in fright.

The owner of the glowing eyes.

A bald, bearded giant asked in a low voice,

"Where does it hurt?"

"Excuse me?"

"Where did it hurt that you went to the doctor?"

"My wrist was hurting..."

"Anywhere else?"

"Um, no. Everything else is fine except for my wrist."

"Why?"

"Excuse me?"

"Why isn't anything else hurting?"

"Well, um..."

Zhang Wu's heart sank as the already intimidating man frowned.

At that moment, the bald giant turned his head.

"Where does it hurt?"

Only then did Zhang Wu realize that there were other people there. They were the people who had been lying on the sickbed with him.

The old man, asked by Fan Jiwei, hastily replied,

"Just a minor ailment."

"Is that so?"

"Excuse me?"

"Just looking at you, your condition seems serious. Your skin has no elasticity, you have too many age spots, and you're drenched in cold sweat."

"That's just because I'm feeling a bit weak..."

"Tsk!"

Fan Jiwei clicked his tongue in displeasure and turned his head. The other two people, who met his gaze, quickly answered.

"Just constipation!"

"Just a simple back strain!"

They all wanted to leave this place, but the atmosphere was ominous.

"This is a problem..."

Fan Jiwei trailed off and then slapped his knee.

"Alright, let's do this."

Fan Jiwei pointed at each person.

"From now on, you're all in pain all over. Your insides are twisted, and your bones feel like they're breaking."

The people, bewildered by Fan Jiwei's absurd statement, showed their confusion.

"That's not our symptoms, though?"

Fan Jiwei laughed.

It was a laugh that was better off not heard.

One quick-witted man clutched his stomach.

"R, really, it hurts that much."

"Exactly."

Satisfied, Fan Jiwei watched as the others began to writhe and tremble.

"Don't worry too much. You'll meet someone who can fix you up. You'll thank me."

Just as he said that,

"Uncle?"

Fan Jiwei turned his head at the voice from behind.

About ten feet away, by a rock.

Duan Aoxian was standing there, seemingly for some time.

"Eh? D, Doctor Duan!"

Fan Jiwei jumped up in surprise.

Then he hurriedly pointed at the people.

"I found these people dying on the way down the mountain. I couldn't just leave them..."

"Thank you for coming."

"Huh?"

"I was waiting for you."

Duan Aoxian approached Fan Jiwei with a smile.

"Let me check the patients first. Please wait a moment."

While Duan Aoxian examined the patients, Fan Jiwei stood in place with a dazed expression.

'Waiting for me? Me?'

For some reason, his heart ached.

'Now that I think about it...'

Apart from his deceased master, no one had ever welcomed him like this. It was a feeling he hadn't experienced in a long time.

After about an hour,

Duan Aoxian diligently treated the patients.

"I'm done."

The villagers' faces were filled with surprise.

Just a few needles, moxibustion, and touching the painful areas, and their symptoms had improved as if by magic.

"You can go back now."

The villagers looked at each other with perplexed faces.

They didn't know the way back.

'Oh no!'

Realizing the situation belatedly, Fan Jiwei quickly stepped forward.

"I'll take you."

Fan Jiwei picked up all the villagers at once. Then he glared and said,

"What are you doing? Say thank you."

The villagers hurriedly opened their mouths.

"T, thank you, sir!"

Fan Jiwei frowned.

"Not to me."

"Huh?"

"Did I treat you?"

"Ah!"

Realizing Fan Jiwei's intention, the villagers bowed to Duan Aoxian.

Only then did Fan Jiwei turn around.

Just as he was about to launch himself into the air,

"Will you come back?"

Fan Jiwei grinned.

"Sure, I will."

Fan Jiwei's figure cut through the air.

"Ah!"

With the villagers' screams, Fan Jiwei's figure quickly disappeared.

* * *

Two hours later.

Fan Jiwei returned to the Demon Valley.

However, he was greeted by Chao Ailiang's scolding. Chao Ailiang had heard about the situation and scolded him.

"Why don't you just announce that we're here?"

"Come on, they're not martial artists. How would they recognize me?"

"How many experts like you are there in the world! Once they see you, they'll dream about you!"

Fan Jiwei flared up.

"What's wrong with my face! I was once known as Song Yu in Jiangxi. They recognized my appearance!"

"Rubbish! Jiangxi people have their eyes on their butts, don't they? How could you be Song Yu? Maybe if you were a spear."

As their voices rose, Duan Aoxian intervened.

"Don't fight. They probably don't even know where they are."

A high-level expert like Fan Jiwei had moved for an hour using lightness skills. For ordinary people who didn't know martial arts, it would be difficult to gauge the distance and direction.

Duan Aoxian's support made Fan Jiwei shrug.

"Right. When I put them down, they were half-dazed. They probably won't remember properly."

"That's what you call a loose mouth..."

Chao Ailiang sighed.

"Fine. If you're going to suffer, you might as well die. Let's just drop it."

As Chao Ailiang stepped back, Fan Jiwei smiled.

Watching him, Duan Aoxian said to Fan Jiwei,

"Uncle, let's make one promise."

"Promise?"

Fan Jiwei, looking puzzled, nodded.

"From now on, don't leave here without permission."

"I don't make promises..."

"I'm worried about you."

"Worried... about me?"

Fan Jiwei stared intently at Duan Aoxian.

There was no trace of ulterior motives on Duan Aoxian's face, only pure concern.

Fan Jiwei's eyes wavered.

He remembered a time when he had seen a similar look in someone's eyes.

'Master...'

So far, the only person who had ever shown him such a look was his master.

Fan Jiwei suddenly felt a lump in his throat.

It was a feeling he hadn't experienced since his master passed away.

The madness he had gained after learning martial arts.

Since then, he had only encountered fear, disillusionment, or aversion.

"Let's make a promise."

Chao Ailiang was surprised by Fan Jiwei's words.

It wasn't something the Fan Jiwei he knew would say. Fan Jiwei nodded again.

"I won't leave here without your permission from now on."

Only then did Duan Aoxian smile brightly.

"Hehe. Thank you."

Fan Jiwei couldn't help but smile at Duan Aoxian's innocent smile.

Seeing Duan Aoxian, Chao Ailiang, who had a displeased look, caught his eye. Expecting another scolding, Chao Ailiang said something unexpected.

"Good job."

"Huh?"

"It must have been hard to break that stubbornness."

Chao Ailiang turned and walked into the Mo Pavilion.

"That's my house, though?"

In response to Fan Jiwei's words, Chao Ailiang shouted from inside the Mo Pavilion.

"Who told you to destroy the house?"

* * *

Night falls early in the mountains. The Demon Valley, surrounded by high cliffs like a screen, is even more so.

As the sun set, the Demon Valley quickly fell into darkness.

Between the hall and the Mo Pavilion.

A small bonfire in the center was the only light in the darkness.

Three people were sitting around the bonfire, and the meat was cooking. Duan Aoxian took the meat off the stick and offered it to Fan Jiwei and Chao Ailiang.

"Try it. It seems to be done."

Fan Jiwei took the meat with a smile.

"How long has it been since we had meat! You always feed us vegetables."

Duan Aoxian smiled.

"It's a special day."

"Special day?"

"Uncle Fan is back."

Fan Jiwei, who was about to take a bite, paused.

After a moment of thought, Fan Jiwei offered the meat to Duan Aoxian.

"Hey? You don't eat first."

"I'm fine. Rather, Doctor Duan..."

"Yes?"

"Why are you so good to us?"

Chao Ailiang also looked at Duan Aoxian, seemingly curious.

"You two are patients. I'm a doctor."

Duan Aoxian smiled brightly at them.

"Taking care of patients is my duty."

Fan Jiwei and Chao Ailiang looked at each other.

—Is he just a fool? Being nice to this extent is a problem, right?

Fan Jiwei's mental voice made Chao Ailiang frown.

He wanted to retort but couldn't use his inner energy to send a mental message.

"Are you the only one in the world like that?"

This was the best he could do. At that moment, Duan Aoxian, lost in thought, spoke.

"There's another reason."

—See?

Fan Jiwei, sending a mental message to Chao Ailiang, smiled smugly.

"You two are my first patients."

The two were bewildered by Duan Aoxian's words.

"What?"

Fan Jiwei's face twisted.

Chao Ailiang was equally surprised.

Your medical skills are clearly extraordinary. But first patients?

"Did you use us as practice subjects...?"

Duan Aoxian's eyes widened.

"Of course not."

To clear up their misunderstanding, Duan Aoxian continued.

"I first treated a patient when I was four. But that person was my parents' patient, not mine."

Duan Aoxian smiled, recalling the past.

"At that time, I just followed what my parents taught me, placing needles and prescribing medicine. This is the first time I've decided the treatment method and carried it out on my own."

Duan Aoxian smiled sweetly.

"I've really missed people. I've been alone for a long time since my parents passed away."

Duan Aoxian's face clouded over for a moment.

"But then you two came. How could I not be good to you?"

"Indeed..."

Fan Jiwei scratched his nose.

"I don't know what to say. You're telling a story that should be told with tears, with a smile."

"Why with tears? Talking with you is so enjoyable."

In front of that innocent smile, Fan Jiwei felt his heart soften without realizing it.

Then, at some point, he was startled.

'Dangerous.'

The sense of danger he had naturally developed over years in the martial world.

His instinct was warning him. Fan Jiwei, who had a deep-seated wariness of others, was feeling it.

Since coming here, his wariness had been breaking down.

This wasn't just his problem.

Even Chao Ailiang, the living terror of the martial world, was showing such a gentle smile!

If a martial artist who knew him were here, they would have rubbed their eyes and looked again.

At that moment,

"Ugh."

Chao Ailiang frowned.

Then he quietly put down the meat he was tearing.

"I'm picky about my taste. Just eat it. Meat is all the same, anyway."

Fan Jiwei, scolding him, took a big bite of the meat. Soon, his brow also furrowed.

"What is this?"

The outside was burnt, and the inside was undercooked, with blood oozing out. The seasoning was also a mess. Some parts were too salty, and others were too bland. Yet, Duan Aoxian was happily tearing the meat.

'He's been alone in the mountains...'

Suddenly, Duan Aoxian felt pitiful.

Chao Ailiang, seemingly thinking the same thing, met his gaze and smiled bitterly.

—Heaven has granted this child the best medical skills in the world but taken away his sense of taste.

Chao Ailiang nodded.

"Heaven is always fair."

Surprised by Chao Ailiang's agreement, Fan Jiwei was puzzled when Chao Ailiang smiled and said,

"Like giving you the martial arts of the third of the Ten Great Evils and taking away your hair."

"..."

Fan Jiwei threw the meat at Chao Ailiang.

"Why are you bringing up the hair! And it's the second, not the third!"

Ducking the flying meat skewer, Chao Ailiang threw his own meat at Fan Jiwei.

"True, it wasn't just the hair that was taken away."

Following Chao Ailiang's gaze, Fan Jiwei's eyes stopped at his crotch.

Clank.

Just as Fan Jiwei was about to pick up the Dajiaogong, Duan Aoxian intervened.

"Really, you're not children. Why are you fighting like this? If you don't want to eat, give it to me. I'll eat it."

Chao Ailiang and Fan Jiwei looked at each other.

There was a slight conflict, but it was brief. The two began to chew and swallow their meat.

They couldn't bear to pass this tasteless food to Duan Aoxian.

On a moonlit night.

The night in the Demon Valley deepened like this.