Lanke Chess Edge
Chapter 69: Strange Eye Diseases

“Master Qingsong should just focus on recuperating. In the future, you should change your bad habit of speaking carelessly!”

Ji Yuan was silent for a while, and then he replied with something that didn’t answer the question.

Taoist Qingsong also quickly nodded his head and understood. He guessed that his previous question could be summed up under the category of “speaking carelessly.”

“I have made a note of it. I’ll pay attention next time. I’ll say only what should be said, and only the good things…”

The Taoist boy Qi Wen opened his mouth, but in the end no words came out.

Ji Yuan sighed softly. Taoist Qingsong’s words sounded somewhat familiar.

“The tea is here!”

The pharmacist came back in a hurry. This time, it was the young Taoist Qi Wen who took the bowl of water and carefully helped his master drink.

Hearing that the patient had woken up, the old doctor from the outer hall also came in.

He stood by the bed, carefully looked at Taoist Qingsong’s face, and took his pulse again, before he was sure that this man’s life was truly saved.

“Your illness is really strange. It looked like a heart attack caused by rage, but it’s quite different. Your life has been saved, but your body will probably be weak for another year or so. You’ll need to take medicine during this period of time!”

“It’s great that I could be saved, you’ve saved my life… Thank you, doctor, thank you, doctor!”¹

Taoist Qingsong, who was already feeling a lot better, repeatedly thanked the doctor. The doctor smiled and walked out of the inner hall in a very happy mood.

Ji Yuan instructed the two Taoists to take a good rest, and followed the old doctor to the outer hall.

When he arrived outside, he first praised and thanked the doctor again, then took the initiative to pay the medical fee with some small pieces of silver and asked the old doctor to prescribe medicine.

While the old doctor’s two apprentices were weighing the silver and dispensing medicine according to the prescription, Ji Yuan chatted a bit with this extraordinarily skilled doctor. In addition to discussing Taoist Qingsong’s condition, Ji Yuan also brought up his own concerns.

…

“What? You want to heal your eyes? Is there something wrong with your eyes?”

This doctor named Qin Zizhou was 93 years old and was said to be a famous doctor in the region. He was a little surprised when he heard Ji Yuan say that his eyesight was not good. His actions in the previous treatment had been perfect, Ji Yuan had not made any mistakes. Now he was telling him that his eyesight was bad?

“Exactly, my vision is extremely blurry. It’s inconvenient for my daily routine!”

Originally, Ji Yuan had basically pinned his hopes on cultivating immortality to cure his eyesight problems. However, this old doctor could almost be regarded as a miracle doctor among the common people, which made him want to consult with the man.

“I didn’t notice anything like that just now. Come, let me take a closer look at your eyes.”

So, Ji Yuan hurriedly approached the counter, got close to the old man, endured the pain, and opened his eyes as wide as possible so that the latter could see his bright gray eyes.

The old man stretched out a fingers and waved it in front of Ji Yuan’s vision, watching the changes in his eyes. However, it seemed as if he were only seeing the still surface of an ancient well.

“Hiss… Young man, I have practiced medicine for more than 70 years now, and I have never seen anything like your case. Can you really see a blurry shadow?”

Ji Yuan frowned and closed his eyes slightly, then returned them to a half-open state. He did not answer the old doctor’s question, but the latter said it bluntly.

“It’s not that your eyesight is bad at all, it’s that you are completely blind!”

Even though he had already speculated this, it was only at this moment that Ji Yuan truly confirmed the fact that he was entirely blind.

‘In that case, my blurry vision doesn’t come from my eyes, or maybe my eyes look blind to ordinary people, but in reality are not.’

While Ji Yuan was deep in thought, the old man became interested.

“Come, young man, since you said that you can see some blurred images, can I try to use a few needles to test it? Don’t worry, the eyes are a vital part of the human body, I will be very careful with my acupuncture!”

Ji Yuan didn’t hesitate at all, there was nothing to worry about.

“Okay! Please try the acupuncture!”

The old man stroked his beard and nodded, took out the set of silver needles that had just been put away from the countertop, and then pointed to the chair next to the counter.

“Please sit still, rest your head on the back of the chair, and lie on your back. Don’t move.”

When Ji Yuan did as he was told, the old man stood in front of him holding a silver needle.

Looking at the shining silver needle hovering in front of him, Ji Yuan, who originally didn’t think it was that big of a deal, suddenly felt a little pressured.

“I’ll try to prick you once. Turn your head to the side and expose the area under your ear.”

When Ji Yuan was in the right position, the old man held the silver needle and concentrated on piercing the Mingmu acupoint.² As soon as the tip of the needle touched Ji Yuan’s skin, the old man felt a strange resistance.

The whole silver needle actually began to vibrate at a high frequency, making it impossible for the old man to control it, despite his rock-steady³ hand holding the needle.

“Buzz… Hiss…”

The silver needle disappeared in a flash. It brushed against the skin of the old man’s finger and the end of the needle shot upwards, penetrating a finger-length deep into the wooden roof beam.

“Hiss…”

Old Doctor Qin’s right thumb and index finger were trembling slightly, and blood had already begun to seep out.

“Doctor Qin, are you alright?”

Ji Yuan, who had already sensed that something was wrong, got up immediately.

“Nothing serious, nothing serious… I didn’t expect that I couldn’t even get a single needle in. Could this be the protective Qi of a high-level martial artist?”

As the old man spoke, he looked at his fingers, then raised his head.

I’m afraid not!

In fact, Ji Yuan hadn’t put up any resistance at all. Even the spiritual energy in his body was restrained and stable. But the moment the silver needle was about to pierce the acupoint, suddenly a vision of mountains and rivers appeared in his mind, and a black spot flashed in the illusion in his heart.

By the time Ji Yuan reacted, the needle had already flown out and injured someone.

“Doctor Qin, let’s not try it again.”

“Oh, yes. What a pity!”

Seeing the regretful look on the old man’s face, Ji Yuan was quite impressed. Perhaps only by maintaining this kind of excited attitude towards treating difficult and complex diseases for over 70 years could this doctor have achieved his current medical skills.

After chatting with the old man for bit longer, Ji Yuan said no more. He returned to the inner hall carrying the medicine that had already been packaged by the apprentice at the pharmacy.

……

It was not suitable to move the patient that night, so Doctor Qin asked Taoist Qingsong and his disciple to stay overnight in the pharmacy, while Ji Yuan found an inn and spent a long time washing up.

When he returned to the pharmacy the next day, the dirty and disheveled man had a completely new look. He had become a man with an upright, gentle and elegant man with a dignified bearing. All the assistants in the pharmacy were shocked. Only Doctor Qin remained calm.

During another casual chat, Ji Yuan learned that Dr. Tong from Ning’an County was actually an apprentice of the old Doctor Qin, and was greatly praised by the old doctor for his talent.

After Ji Yuan said that he was more or less from Ning’an County, the old man was quite surprised, and repeatedly asked whether “Little Tong” often mentioned him.

Given the situation in Ji Province, and the fact that the two regions were separated by nearly 200 miles wilderness, it was not easy for this old man in his 90s to see his favorite student.

This question made Ji Yuan feel very embarrassed. After all, he and Doctor Tong Xian had only met a few times, but as far as Ji Yuan knew, it seemed that Doctor Tong hardly ever mentioned his teacher.

Ji Yuan could only give a slightly exaggerated answer: “Of course, yes, of course…”

In his heart, what he thought was: ‘Doctor Tong… You saved the little fox back then, this can be considered my repayment! ’

. . .

It was already the fifth day of May, and Ji Yuan really couldn’t stay here and wait for Taoist Qingsong to recover. He estimated that the man would be unable to get out of bed for some time, and, even if he could, it would be best for him to rest under the supervision of Doctor Qin for half a year.

Therefore, all Ji Yuan could do was try his best to help the master and disciple to settle down, and carefully transfer Taoist Qingsong to an inn. He pinched off a few small pieces from his gold ingot, kneaded them into a dozen small golden beans, and gave them to Qi Wen, so that the master and disciple would not have to worry about room, board, or medical expenses.

Before leaving, Ji Yuan solemnly instructed Qi Wen to keep an eye on Taoist Qingsong. It would be best if he never told fortunes again for the rest of his life. If he really couldn’t help it, he could go the gate of a temple to read fortunes, and it would be best if he only interpreted the signs for marriage.

Although Qi Wen firmly and solemnly agreed, and Taoist Qingsong himself was full of assurances, Ji Yuan had no idea whether this would be effective.

Ji Yuan also considered whether he would be able to help Taoist Qingsong to extend his life in the future, so he specifically asked about the location of Cloud Mountain Temple. But before that, he had to make sure that this guy didn’t kill himself.

For the rest of the time until they parted, both parties tacitly agreed not to mention any questions about identity. As for the skill of fortune-telling, Ji Yuan had considered learning it. However, on one hand, his heart was not fully in it, and on the other, this optional skill seemed a little too dangerous. It was better to set it aside. Who knew, perhaps fortune telling would be part of the method of cultivating immortality.

1. T/n: both sentences were repeated in the raws ↩︎
2. 明目 (míng mù): “bright eye” or “clear vision” acupoint ↩︎
3. Lit: “steady as mount Tai” ↩︎