Qin Shi: I went astray in the Heavenly Sect

Chapter 234 A Place of Peace of Mind, Duanmu Appears

The night was slightly cool, and before we knew it, the small boat, facing the rising sun, pierced through the mist and arrived at a mountain village.

Looking at the villa not far away, Tianming couldn't help but open his mouth wide.

"We've arrived at the medical village. Everyone can disembark now."

Yue'er stood at the bow of the boat, waving to the people around her.

Xiang Liang and the other regular customers were quite used to the medical clinic in front of them, but Tianming, who seemed to be visiting for the first time, was still quite impressed by the clinic hidden in the water.

In the morning sun, the first thing that catches the eye is a large blue stone, a narrow gate, and then a few rooms inside. The houses and courtyards are very simple, unlike the magnificent clinics in big cities, but they give people a sense of peace.

The hustle and bustle of the outside world seemed to be completely isolated here, leaving only tranquility and peace.

"Young man, this is Mirror Lake Medical Clinic. Does it feel a little different?"

Xiang Yu patted Tianming on the shoulder, a strange look appearing in his eyes. Even this man, born for war, had a warmth in his heart that had never completely faded.

Tianming reached out and pinched his chin. At first, he didn't feel anything, but after Xiang Yu said that, he really felt something was different.

"Now that you mention it, it does seem a little different; it feels very quiet here."

At this point, Tianming scratched his hair again. What he actually wanted to say wasn't this, but he couldn't think of the right words to express it for the moment.

"No, that's not quite right. It's just a feeling, something that makes you feel very comfortable. I don't know how to describe it."

After saying that, he looked at Xiang Yu again. Xiang Yu reached out and patted Tianming's shoulder twice. Looking at the large blue stone standing in front of the door, he said softly, "It is peace of mind. People who have experienced the ravages of war yearn for a paradise without war, a place where they can temporarily rest and find peace."

Upon hearing this, Tianming turned around and nodded vigorously.

"This is it, this is it."

Upon hearing the boy's words, the people around him smiled involuntarily. In fact, most people who come here are also touched by the peaceful and serene atmosphere of the place.

The small medical clinic seemed to be able to keep all the suffering in the world out; such places were rare in the martial arts world.

Even the Mo Family's Mechanized City, which is known in the martial arts world as a demonic realm, is heavily fortified and cannot provide such a sense of security.

The lake, stretching for dozens of miles, seemed to be the most impenetrable barrier, blocking out all those with malicious intent.

"Why is this happening?"

Tianming turned around and looked at the misty lake again, not quite understanding. Could a lake really stop those pursuers?

Seeing Tianming's bewildered expression, the rest of the Xiang clan laughed.

When they first arrived at Jinghu Medical Clinic, they felt the same way. In fact, what blocked those swords and blades was not Jinghu Lake, but the large blue stone in front of the clinic.

"Kid, come on! Let your older brother clear things up for you!"

Xiang Yu reached out and put his arm around Tianming's neck, then walked towards the gate of the medical clinic.

Seeing the two little ones like this, Xiang Liang and the others couldn't help but shake their heads, both amused and exasperated.

Xiang Liang then waved his hand, signaling the rest of the group to follow. Of course, the still unconscious Sword Saint was also carried over by them.

Before long, the group arrived at the entrance of the medical manor under Yue'er's guidance. At this moment, Xiang Yu paused and looked up at the large blue stone at the entrance.

The bluestone was several people tall, with an uneven surface and an unsightly appearance.

Surprisingly, four characters were carved into the large bluestone as if by a knife.

"Jinghu Medical Clinic!"

Tianming couldn't actually understand these four characters, but based on his guess, he knew that they must be these four characters.

Upon hearing Tianming's words, Xiang Yu was slightly taken aback. He seemed not to have expected that this guy could understand the characters of their Chu Kingdom, because these four characters were the ancient characters of Chu Kingdom.

"You know the characters of our Chu state?"

Tianming crossed his arms, intending to put on an act, but then he realized that he had only guessed the four characters and didn't recognize any of the other Chu characters. If Xiang Yu asked him a question, he would be exposed. So, he shook his head in the end.

"It's just a guess. Everyone says this place is called Jinghu Medical Manor, and it has four characters. So what else could it be besides the four characters 'Jinghu Medical Manor'?"

Upon hearing this answer, Xiang Yu couldn't help but glance at Tianming again.

"You guessed right. Do you know who wrote these four characters?"

Tianming pursed his lips.

"Didn't I say before that this was done by that Taoist named Qingxu? If that's the case, then he must have carved these four characters as well!"

Xiang Yu chuckled and casually scratched his hair, having forgotten about this whole affair.

"When you see these four words, do you feel anything is different?"

Tianming tilted his little head up, stood aside, and carefully examined the four characters for a while. Then he looked at Xiang Yu with a strange look in his eyes, as if to say that there was something different about them.

At this moment, Yue'er was also standing to the side. Seeing the two talking, she thought for a moment and then added, "I've heard some senior martial arts masters who come here for medical treatment say that there is a trace of sword intent remaining in these four words. The higher one's swordsmanship, the more likely one is to discover the mystery within them."

"Those with ulterior motives will suffer mental damage when facing this sword intent, and those with weak wills will likely be affected, their cultivation level will stagnate."

Hearing the little girl's words, Tianming was startled. Although he didn't quite understand what Yue'er meant by mind and state of mind, he knew the meaning of the word "realm" very well. Just like Gai Nie, who was now a Grandmaster.

The fact that these four words can influence a person's level of understanding is no small matter.

So when Mingtian looked at the four characters on the large blue stone again, he looked like he had seen a ghost.

“Miss Yue’er is right. These four words are enough to keep out those wicked people in the martial arts world.”

Different realms of understanding lead to different perceptions. Just like Xiang Liang, the four words in his eyes appeared more like four beams of sword light.

Each strike stung his eyes, and the sharp sword intent contained within them was even more terrifying.

"Though the world changes and the seas turn to mulberry fields, only the sword intent remains. This is the way of the Dao, and also the art of swordsmanship. There are probably only a handful of people in the world who can achieve this!"

Fan Zeng raised an eyebrow slightly, a glint of light flashing in his eyes. Everyone has their own way of observing people and swords.

The same sword technique can be interpreted in different ways. Some people see the exquisite skill of the sword move, some see the unparalleled sword intent, and some see the person wielding the sword and their will.

In his eyes, he saw a young man wielding a sword, a young man who challenged the ways of the world. He asked the vast earth, "Who will determine the fate of this land?"

"General Xiang, please forgive me for not being able to greet you from afar."

Just then, a voice came from inside the door; it was a slightly cold voice.

Upon hearing the sound, the crowd outside the door turned around and looked inside, where they saw a young woman slowly walking out.

The other person wore a navy blue strapless long dress, with a short-sleeved coat that was half gray-blue and half milky white, a headscarf that was purple and white, bangs that fluttered in the wind, a thin ponytail, and long, thin, dark eyebrows.

Upon seeing the other person's attire, Yan Lingji, who was standing to the side, had a flash of reminiscence in her eyes. When she and Qingxu came here back then, this girl seemed to be dressed like this. Now, so many years have passed, and the other person's attire has not changed.

"Miss Rong, you are too kind. It is I who have a favor to ask of you, and I would be grateful if you could lend me a hand."

In recent years, Duanmu Rong has saved many soldiers of the Chu Kingdom. The favors from back then have long been repaid, and now she is willing to lend a helping hand. In a way, they are the ones who benefit.

"Miss Rong, how have you been?"

Yan Lingji greeted the girl in front of her with a smile. Duanmu Rong turned around and looked over. In fact, she had already seen the girl when she came out.

Wearing a striking red dress, she would attract attention anywhere, and given her exceptional beauty, it would be difficult for her to go unnoticed.

"Miss Yan Lingji, how have you been?"

The two sentences, "How have you been?", are the same words but have two different meanings. Upon hearing Duanmu Rong's words, Yan Lingji's eyes showed a hint of a smile.

Her "I'm well" was asking if Duanmu Rong had encountered any problems recently, while Duanmu Rong's "I'm well" meant that she was doing well.

"You are hurt?"

As expected of a master of medicine, Duanmu Rong noticed something amiss the moment they met.

"My injuries are secondary; this person's injuries are the real problem."

As if remembering something, Yan Lingji pointed to the sword saint on the stretcher. Perhaps because he had unleashed the Hundred Steps Flying Sword after being injured last time, Gai Nie's internal energy was in chaos, and he could no longer hold on and fainted.

"Such a domineering sword energy."

Looking at the wound on Gai Nie's chest, Duanmu Rong's eyes darkened. It was hard to imagine that someone with such an injury could still manage to come here.

"this person"

Just as she was thinking about how to introduce Gai Nie, Duanmu Rong had already moved over. She stretched out her fair fingers, with a wisp of almost invisible blue energy swirling around the tips, and gently placed them on Gai Nie's wrist.

Before long, her brows furrowed.

"His internal organs were damaged, and his meridians were invaded in many places by the sharp sword energy. His true energy was almost exhausted. If it weren't for a peculiar internal force protecting his heart meridian, I'm afraid..."

She stopped there, but everyone understood what she meant.

"His name is Gai Nie."

Yan Lingji looked at the man on the stretcher and sighed softly. With Qingxu's intervention, the medical manor no longer had so many rules about not saving this person or that person.

Only a very small number of wicked people are blacklisted by the medical clinic. Most people from the martial arts world come here for medical treatment, and Duanmu Rong will not refuse to save those who deserve it.

So she spoke up and revealed Gai Nie's true identity.

Upon hearing this, Duanmu Rong's eyes showed a hint of surprise. Gai Nie, if she was not mistaken, was the Sword Saint who had become famous in the martial arts world in recent years, and the strongest swordsman under King Ying Zheng of Qin.

Looking at this world from a higher perspective, the answers we get are no longer the same as before.

This girl no longer harbors the same hatred towards Ying Zheng as she did in another timeline. She has learned to accept reality, and as a healer, she has learned to face life and death with equanimity.

If Qin hadn't stepped forward, the warring states would have led to widespread suffering and even more deaths. The only question would have been whether these people died at the hands of Qin or at the hands of their own people.

For ordinary people, this difference doesn't seem to make much of a difference.

"The strongest swordsman by the King of Qin's side? The man who was on the wanted list of the six kingdoms?"

This is how people in the martial arts world perceive this man from Guigu. Xiang Yu once said that many people in the martial arts world want Gai Nie's head, and this is indeed true.

At this point, Duanmu Rong turned to look at Xiang Liang, wondering why he would be willing to save her.

As members of the Xiang clan of the Chu state, their enemy was the Qin state, and Gai Nie was the one who aided and abetted the Qin.

“He left the Qin state and even saved us on the way. For both moral and legal reasons, our Xiang clan cannot stand idly by.”

Xiang Liang seemed to have guessed Duanmu Rong's doubts, shook his head, and explained.

Upon hearing this, Duanmu Rong withdrew her gaze. Gai Nie had several different wounds on his body, clearly the work of different people.

Just then, Yan Lingji spoke again, saying, "He had previously encountered Yan Ri and Jing Ni from Luo Wang, and later he encountered Xuan Jian. I was no match for him in a one-on-one fight. It was only thanks to his Hundred Steps Flying Sword that he managed to scare them away."

Duanmu Rong had heard of the Luo Wang (Net of Heaven), but she wasn't sure just how strong the people Yan Lingji mentioned were.

“His condition is somewhat dangerous. If it weren’t for the continuous flow of true energy within him, he would probably be a cripple by now.”

After saying this, Duanmu Rong withdrew her hand from Gai Nie's wrist, but her expression remained completely unchanged as she spoke.

Upon seeing this, Xiang Liang and the others, who had dealt with this fairy doctor before, breathed a sigh of relief.

Duanmu Rong's medical skills are superb. What is an incurable disease for ordinary doctors is not so terrible in her hands.

If Duanmu Rong's expression changes drastically at this moment, that's when they should be worried.

Then Duanmu Rong turned to Yan Lingji and said, "Your aura is unstable and your fire element is restless. You forcibly drew upon power beyond your control, which damaged your origin. Compared to him, your condition is not much better!"

Upon hearing this, Yan Lingji was startled. This wasn't the first time she had experienced something like this. Back in Xinzheng, when she was helping Tianze and the others escape, she had used a secret technique to hold off Xueyi Hou Bai Yifei.

"It's not that serious, is it?"

Duanmu Rong looked up, her gaze calm, and stared at Yan Lingji without saying a word.

His calm gaze, devoid of any other meaning, made Yan Lingji feel somewhat evasive.

"If you've been by his side, you should have heard the saying, 'Forceful moves will inevitably harm oneself, and sometimes they damage the very foundation.'"

(End of this chapter)