Chapter 7

The Demon's Hand (7)

'The sun is particularly bright today.'

Chao Ailiang sat cross-legged on a bench in front of Mo Yu, lost in thought. The wind was warm, and the air was fresh.

He hadn't enjoyed such pleasant weather in a long time.

'It must be because I haven't had the leisure to do so.'

Reflecting on himself, Chao Ailiang recalled a deeply satisfying smile.

His complexion had improved significantly compared to before.

The same was true for Fan Guaiwei, who was hanging upside down from a large tree beside him, looking relaxed.

His always bloodshot eyes had also become clear.

Bang!

The peaceful valley was disrupted by a loud noise from somewhere.

Chao Ailiang and Fan Guaiwei headed toward the source of the sound.

"Oh, you fell again?"

Fan Guaiwei clicked his tongue, and Dan Aoxian replied with a laugh.

"It's fine. I just need to apply some medicine."

Quickly getting up, Dan Aoxian began to gather the scattered herbs into a basket. After shouldering the basket, which was as big as herself, she headed back to the hall.

However, her unsteady steps still looked precarious.

After Dan Aoxian disappeared, Fan Guaiwei spoke.

"Is she bleeding?"

"The noise was loud. She must be hurt all over."

Hua!

Red flames shot up from Fan Guaiwei's hands.

"What are you going to do?"

"How dare someone trip our Doctor Dan! I'm going to burn all the weeds over there."

Chao Ailiang clicked his tongue.

"That won't solve anything."

"Then are you going to just watch Doctor Dan fall all the time? If I burn all the grass on this mountain..."

"Tsk, tsk, when will you grow up?"

Chao Ailiang glared at him with narrowed eyes and said,

"Doctor Dan is only getting hurt because she's gathering herbs for us. So the problem is with us, not the grass. You want to take out your frustration on innocent plants?"

"That's..."

Fan Guaiwei scratched his head.

Watching him, Chao Ailiang sighed softly.

"Yes, your words aren't entirely wrong. We should have some sense of propriety."

"Propriety?"

"What does Doctor Dan do all day?"

"He treats us."

"What else?"

"Picks herbs, pulls weeds, cleans, cooks... She does everything."

"Then how can such a young body endure it? Even if she pretends to be fine, her body is already worn out."

After a moment of contemplation, Chao Ailiang made up his mind.

"From now on, Doctor Dan should focus only on treatment."

"How so?"

"We'll take care of everything else besides her medical duties."

"Are you saying the great Xue Shui Zunzhe will pull weeds and do laundry?"

"Why do you always manage to slip away?"

"I've never done those things before."

Chao Ailiang gave him a disdainful look.

"Me neither. But we have to do it."

"Then you can do it all, Brother Chao."

"Sure, I'll do it. If it helps our benefactor, what's the big deal with a bit of menial work?"

Fan Guaiwei grimaced, feeling like he was the only one being unreasonable.

"Should I just go to the village and hire a few workers?"

Chao Ailiang frowned.

"Are you going to announce that we're here? Do you want to put Doctor Dan in danger?"

"That's... difficult."

Chao Ailiang chuckled.

"Life is long, and the great Wang Shan Chaozi is worrying about what others think."

Fan Guaiwei finally got annoyed.

"Then what do you want me to do?"

"What else? We need to divide the work."

Fan Guaiwei sighed at Chao Ailiang's firm attitude.

"But, Brother Chao."

"What?"

"How do you clean? Or cook and wash dishes?"

"That's..."

Chao Ailiang trailed off, as he had no experience with such tasks.

"Let's see... We'll get better at it, right? It can't be harder than martial arts practice, can it?"

"I guess."

The two started washing the bedding with great enthusiasm but soon ran into trouble.

Rip!

They had only tried to shake the dust out of the bedding, but it tore to pieces.

Even without using his inner strength, Chao Ailiang was a master.

His body, honed over many years, was far beyond that of an ordinary person.

"Why is it so weak?"

While Chao Ailiang was flustered, there was a loud crack.

On the other side of the valley, a large tree was uprooted and fell over.

"Huh? That was a tree root?"

Fan Guaiwei looked back and forth between the tree root he was holding and the fallen tree.

Startled by the commotion, Dan Aoxian ran out of the hall with a worried face.

"What are you two doing?"

Fan Guaiwei grinned and continued his work.

"From now on, Doctor Dan will focus on medicine. We'll take care of the rest."

Rip!

"Ah! The fabric is so weak."

Dan Aoxian looked at Chao Ailiang with a bewildered expression.

"Are you really shaking out the bedding?"

"Yes, but I'm still clumsy at it."

Rip!

"Stop! If you tear it more, it won't be fixable!"

Dan Aoxian froze, seeing Fan Guaiwei happily digging up the ground.

"Those are herbs..."

"Huh?"

Fan Guaiwei looked embarrassed at the herbs he was holding.

"These? They look just like other plants."

Dan Aoxian sighed.

"Those are herbs. You have to distinguish them by smell."

"Then what should I do with these?"

Fan Guaiwei started replanting the herbs he had pulled out.

Dan Aoxian shook her head.

"What you're planting are weeds."

Chao Ailiang and Fan Guaiwei stopped and looked at Dan Aoxian. But she laughed it off.

"What's the big deal? I was planning to go to the herb market today anyway. I can buy new bedding and herbs while I'm there."

With more people, they needed more supplies.

"Are you going alone?"

Dan Aoxian nodded at Chao Ailiang's question.

"Yes, the uncles need to stay hidden."

"When will you be back?"

"By evening."

"It's dangerous at night. There are many wild animals."

"It's fine. I'll carry herbs that repel wild animals."

"Still..."

"It's something I do regularly."

At that moment, Fan Guaiwei stepped forward.

"I'll go with you."

"The martial arts alliance is looking for you."

"We can just disguise ourselves."

Fan Guaiwei rubbed his jaw and cheeks with his palms.

Sizzle.

White smoke rose from between his palm and face.

A smoky, burnt odor filled the air.

Fan Guaiwei's porcupine-like beard fell off.

He had used the Three Pure Flames to burn it all off.

"Wow!"

Dan Aoxian gasped at the transformed Fan Guaiwei. Just the loss of his bristly beard made him look different.

Fan Guaiwei grinned.

"How do I look? Unrecognizable, right?"

Dan Aoxian nodded.

"Yes, you look completely... handsome..."

Fan Guaiwei's face contorted at her next words.

"You look like a monk."

On the contrary, Chao Ailiang burst out laughing, finding the situation hilarious.

"Is it okay, though?"

Fan Guaiwei asked.

"What do you mean?"

"Your beard. You'll have to grow it back for the next disguise."

"No problem. It will grow back in a day."

Chao Ailiang chuckled.

"Your beard grows so well, but why doesn't your hair?"

"What?"

Seeing Fan Guaiwei's angry reaction, Chao Ailiang suppressed his laughter.

"At least you're not making things up."

"What do you mean?"

"Remember when you talked about Song Yu in Jiangxi? You said he looked better without a beard."

Chao Ailiang was relieved that no one who knew Fan Guaiwei would recognize him now.

Thus, Fan Guaiwei accompanied Dan Aoxian to the village.

"I hope nothing happens..."

Chao Ailiang muttered as he saw them off.

That afternoon.

They returned much earlier than expected.

It seemed that the feared incident did not occur, but a different problem arose.

The issue was not with Fan Guaiwei but with Dan Aoxian.

* * *

Chao Ailiang greeted the two, who returned earlier than expected.

"Huh? You're back early."

"Yes, Uncle Fan used his lightness skill to carry me!"

Dan Aoxian's cheeks were flushed with excitement.

Fan Guaiwei grinned.

"Let me know anytime. I can even take you to the capital if you want!"

"Hehe. Thank you. I've always wanted to go."

Dan Aoxian, who had only traveled between the Demon Valley and nearby villages, had always dreamed of traveling.

Dan Aoxian jumped off Fan Guaiwei's shoulder.

Chao Ailiang looked at her curiously.

"But you don't seem to have much luggage?"

She had mentioned needing a lot of supplies before leaving, but the luggage she brought back was minimal.

"Oh!"

Realizing something, Dan Aoxian untied her bundle.

"Look at this!"

Chao Ailiang nodded after examining the item she showed him.

"Is this ginseng?"

"Not just any ginseng. It's a thousand-year-old ginseng!"

"Wow! That's rare?"

"I have a good relationship with the herb merchant."

Dan Aoxian smiled brightly.

"It will be a great help for your treatment. I'll go prepare it right away."

She quickly ran to the hall with the ginseng.

After she left, Chao Ailiang looked at Fan Guaiwei.

"So, you didn't buy the supplies you needed?"

Fan Guaiwei nodded.

"How much did that ginseng cost?"

"I spent all the money we had."

"What?"

"And I even went into debt."

"Did you just stand there and watch?"

Fan Guaiwei grumbled at Chao Ailiang's reprimand.

"You didn't see how happy Doctor Dan was."

"Happy?"

"She was overjoyed. She said the treatment would speed up."

Chao Ailiang was speechless.

"Because of us?"

Fan Guaiwei looked in the direction Dan Aoxian had gone.

"Do you know what's really touching?"

"What?"

"She was checking the mountain the whole way back. Looking for fruits or something."

Chao Ailiang asked with a puzzled look.

"We don't have any food to eat right now?"

"Yet you're so calm."

"So what? As long as Doctor Dan is happy."

"What about tomorrow? Will we starve?"

"I can go hunt some wild animals."

"Even if we have food, what about other supplies? We don't even have a blanket to cover ourselves tonight."

"We can rough it. We used to sleep under flea-infested mats."

"That was a long time ago. And I told you not to talk about that."

"Alright, fine. We decided to go back tomorrow to pay for the ginseng we owe."

"Do you have money?"

"We can sell the valuable things we have at home."

Chao Ailiang sighed.

"I've been uneasy since you left."

Fan Guaiwei chuckled.

"That's because you weren't there to see it. Even if you were, you wouldn't have stopped her."

"True, Doctor Dan is skilled in medicine but not in worldly matters."

"She's just a twelve-year-old. What do you expect? Don't worry about money. I'll get it if we need it."

"Where from?"

"There are plenty of rich people around."

Chao Ailiang frowned, sensing Fan Guaiwei's thoughts.

"What if you get caught? Do you want to be labeled as a bad person?"

"We won't get caught."

"What if it's discovered later? If they find out we used the money to buy food and herbs?"

"We'll make sure they never find out."

"Is there such a thing as a permanent secret in the martial arts world?"

"Then what do you suggest?"

"Let's think of a way."