From a refugee to a martial artist

Chapter 352 The Method of a Good Minister
A light drizzle began to fall from the sky sometime earlier.

The rain fell in fine threads, clinging to everyone in the canyon.

At this time, many nobles and slaves who had followed them out of the city still did not understand what had happened and continued to make a fuss behind them.

The people of Xiangji Kingdom had not experienced much war and were somewhat ignorant, and were unprepared for major events.

This arduous journey reveals that these nobles know almost nothing except the rules of their rank. They are ignorant of military tactics, priorities, and even the supply of food, ultimately resorting to cannibalism to fill their stomachs.

Even so, the Kingdom of Xiangji did not descend into chaos. The nobles remained high above, needing no concern for slave rebellions, and simply waited to be offered tributes. The lower-class slaves, on the other hand, accepted their fate passively, toiling day and night, hoping only to be reborn as one of the thirteen surnames in their next life.

Between the two, one takes freely and the other takes without restraint; it actually has a certain sense of harmony.

When the nobles saw that it was raining, they all ordered their slaves to bring umbrellas to shield them from the rain. If they were slow to bring the umbrellas, they would be whipped incessantly.

The slaves dared not utter a single word of nonsense and obeyed without question, as if they had always been obliged to obey the thirteen surnames.

The area behind them was a chaotic mess, showing no signs of being ready for battle.

Shui Xiangsheng sat cross-legged on the sedan chair, completely ignoring the people and things behind him, only staring intently at Gan Wulin.

At this moment, the two fourth-grade physicians looked at each other across the dark pool, while Meng Yuan and the others had already retreated quite a distance.

The rain fell like threads from the sky, soaking everyone as if they were bound by the shackles of fate.

Ever since Meng Yuan awoke from the erotic and chaotic dream of Xiangji Kingdom, he had been cautious and careful, constantly examining his mind for any impurities and remaining vigilant against the dangers of poison.

After hearing Meng Yuan's words, the two brothers fell silent.

Actually, the methods for breaking through the upper three ranks in Confucianism, Buddhism, Taoism, and martial arts are not secrets, but they are truly unknown to people in the medical field. Now, the two brothers have been exploring for a long time, but they obviously don't have much confidence in it.

Or rather, both of them are confident, but the other is precisely the obstacle.

"Why doesn't Junior Brother speak?" Shui Xiangsheng asked.

“As a senior brother, you are like a father to me. You may speak first.” Gan Wulin smiled and played with the short ruler in his hand. “There are eminent monks, young heroes, and members of the royal family from outside the palace.”

He pointed the ruler to the opening behind him, "And there are messengers from under the throne of the Holy King of Light."

As soon as he said that, two people emerged from the thick poisonous fog; they were clearly acquaintances.

One of them was Zhu Zhenren, and the other was Liannu. Both of them had met Meng Yuan before.

The True Man of Candle held his whisk in his arms, his eyes closed and silent. Lian Nu, however, smiled broadly, her flirtatious expression barely concealed, and kept glancing at Meng Yuan.

"My dear lover, you've grown even more handsome since I last saw you." Liannu laughed incessantly as soon as she came out, her alluring eyes fixed on Meng Yuan. "I've missed you terribly. I wonder if my dear brother ever thinks of me in the dead of night?"

Liannu's alluring eyes seemed to hold a thousand tender feelings as she stared intently at Meng Yuan. She was truly seductive. Beside Meng Yuan stood the even more beautiful and dashing Mingyue, as well as two charming bald men. She then said, "Good man, you have too many beauties around you. Have you already forgotten about your sister?"

Mingyue frowned, feeling nauseous.

Su Xin leaned closer to Dugu Kang and asked him in a low voice out of curiosity, while Su Wen also turned his ear to eavesdrop.

"I will never forget your beautiful face, sister." Meng Yuan stepped forward and came to the shore of the secluded pool. He said loudly, "I was unable to see you off when we parted at Jingyuan. It is truly a great joy to meet you again today."

The True Man of Candlelight, who had been resting with his eyes closed while holding his whisk, immediately opened his eyes upon seeing the intent to fight in Meng Yuan's words. "You child is foolish and mad."

Master Zhu waved his whisk, smiled disdainfully, and his voice echoed through the deep pool, creating ripples: "Don't think that just because you've defeated the Buddha Kingdom for nine kalpas, you're all that great among the four ranks."

"You're only at the fifth rank, how could you possibly know my supernatural powers?" Meng Yuan had already formed a grudge with Master Zhu in the Quiet Garden, so he spoke to provoke him.

Master Zhu was immediately enraged. He brandished his whisk and said, "Young man, you only know how domineering you are, but you don't know how many masters there are in the world."

Liannu smiled and advised, "I do like to see more domineering young men, but I wonder if they are still as domineering in bed?"

“Sister, you’ll know once you try.” Meng Yuan didn’t wait any longer and immediately stepped forward, his feet landing on the surface of the deep pool.

Seeing Meng Yuan make a move, Mingyue didn't go to help. Instead, she immediately drew her sword and glanced sideways at Dugu Kang.

"I'm not familiar with them." Dugu Kang felt wronged when he saw the murderous aura emanating from them, which clearly indicated they were wary of him. However, he also noticed that Su Xin and Su Wen, the two bald nuns, were also staring at him cautiously. "So, only he is a good person, and I'm the bad one? We're both Buddhist disciples!"

“You are a heretic, we are proper nuns!” Su Xin said solemnly.

Dugu Kang was helpless. He thought to himself, "You were on the same path when you asked me about Meng Feiyuan's past, but now you're on a different path!"
Helpless, Dugu Kang had no intention of helping in the first place. He was quite shrewd, so he put his hands behind his back, adopting the demeanor of a high monk, and simply observed the battle.

Dugu Kang had witnessed Meng Yuan's abilities, but at that time, when the snow was at its peak, Meng Feiyuan was only at the seventh rank. Now, he had reached the fifth rank in martial arts and had already made a name for himself.

Dugu Kang watched intently, and saw Meng Feiyuan step onto the dark pool, then his figure transformed into a streak of fire, swiftly crossing the pool and heading towards the Candle Master.

With a flick of his whisk, Master Zhu was bathed in flames, and all the raindrops were evaporated.

"Ignorant child, how can the faint light of a spark compare to my fire that can burn mountains and boil seas?" Master Zhu pointed a finger, and immediately the dark pool began to boil, smoke rose, and then it turned into raging flames. "Come and burn away all the sins of the world!"

Liannu was still as charming as ever, but her face was solemn. She had faced Meng Yuan in Jingyuan and was even injured, so she dared not be careless in the slightest.

"Thousands of precious images!" A blue light appeared around Liannu, and lotus pods appeared under her feet. Then, thousands of lotus seeds sprouted and transformed into many human figures.

Among the figures were Liannu, Zhu Zhenren, Gan Wulin, Shui Xiangsheng, and even Su Xin and Su Wen, both bald, their figures indistinct and difficult to discern.

Several strange phenomena occurred, and the nobles and slaves of the Xiangji Kingdom immediately stopped arguing. They all looked towards the end of the canyon, and some even knelt down and began to pray.

"What kind of fire is it?" Dugu Kang saw the rainwater above the pool turn into golden-blue fire, with thousands of figures in it, while Meng Yuan, who had transformed into a line of fire, drifted within it, as if he could disappear without a trace at any moment.

"Immortal and indestructible." Although Mingyue had slept with Meng Yuan eight hundred times, she didn't actually know much. Dugu Kang was bewildered and confused, seeing that the line of fire was extremely thin, like a small boat in a raging storm, seemingly about to be capsized at any moment.

But at that moment, the fire suddenly grew stronger, and then it attracted the Buddha's light.

In an instant, the golden-blue flames on the deep pool vanished without a trace, and the thousands of figures disappeared as well.

Dugu Kang opened his eyes wide and looked ahead. He saw a flicker of fire on the opposite side of the dark pool, and then the fire returned to his side.

Meng Yuan sheathed his sword, the flames on his body vanished without a trace, and he appeared calm and composed, as if he had not just fought for his life.

On the opposite side of the dark pool, the whisk of the Candle Immortal turned to dust, and the lotus seedpod of the Lotus Slave fell to the ground. The two lay prostrate on the ground, long since lifeless, with only a few embers covering their bodies.

The Candle Master and the Lotus Slave were right behind Gan Wulin, clearly trying to escape into the cave blocked by the poisonous fog, but they failed to escape.

Soon, the flames on the two men died down, and they were reduced to ashes.

The two experts, who were just moments ago full of pride, were turned into dust soaked by the rain in the blink of an eye.

Meng Yuan acted so swiftly and decisively, using his great supernatural powers to kill the two enemy henchmen, that for a moment no one in the room uttered a sound.

"This..." Dugu Kang didn't have much contact with Zhu Zhenren and Lian Nu, but he knew that these two were both under the command of the Holy King of Light. Even though they were both at the fifth rank, when they faced Meng Yuan, who was also at the fifth rank, even though they had used their ultimate techniques, their supernatural powers were crippled in one exchange.

"Amitabha, Benefactor Ying has struck gold." Dugu Kang clasped his hands together, filled with emotion. He glanced at Mingyue again and saw that her beautiful eyes were no longer watching him, but were only on Meng Yuan. He sighed in a low voice, "She is just too obsessed with women."

Thinking of this, Dugu Kang lowered his brows, clasped his hands together, and began to recite Buddhist scriptures.

The high priest Shui Xiangsheng raised his eyebrows and looked at Meng Yuan, a wisp of fire seemingly rising in his eyes.

Gan Wulin stood on the opposite side of the pool, his bald head covered in raindrops. He remained silent, only gently stroking the short ruler.

Su Xin and Su Wen, who already regarded Meng Yuan as their pillar of support, felt even more secure now, and both of them moved closer to Meng Yuan.

Mingyue stood beside Meng Yuan, her beautiful eyes never leaving him, her admiration evident on her face.

Gan Wulin was a fourth-grade physician. He understood that although Meng Feiyuan was highly skilled, he had a way to save Zhu Zhenren and Liannu even if they were seriously injured. However, he had no idea how to help them just now.

"No wonder everyone says that martial artists have countless possibilities. Young friend, your skills are truly admirable." Gan Wulin sighed and said, "Thinking about the heights of martial artists, we physicians probably could never match them in our entire lives. If you are already so extraordinary, I wonder what kind of amazing talent Li Weizhen must have been to forcefully kill the Arhat Wusheng?"

Gan Wulin gazed at the rain falling again from the sky, filled with endless emotions.

“Junior brother, this Fellow Daoist Meng Feiyuan is already quite high, and Li Weizhen is even higher, like a star in the sky. Even if we break through to the third rank, we can only look at him from afar and never reach him.”

Shui Xiangsheng didn't let his two apprentices hold an umbrella, letting the rain soak them. His beard and white hair were completely wet, making him look like a candle flickering in the wind, his life force seemingly about to be extinguished at any moment.

Shui Xiangsheng forced himself to stand up, took the dragon-headed cane handed to him by his disciple, looked at Gan Wulin across the pool, and said loudly, "But junior brother, our own affairs have attracted many outsiders to watch the spectacle."

“A third-rank martial artist has already emerged, so it’s quite normal for outsiders to hope for a third-rank physician to emerge as well. We can risk our lives to let others take a look.”

Gan Wulin looked at Shui Xiangsheng on the opposite bank of the pool and said, "Back then, the Medicine King Bodhisattva issued a decree that forbade us from passing on our medical traditions."

He sighed at this point and asked loudly, "The Medicine King Bodhisattva is a second-rank Bodhisattva, how high is that? No matter how hard we try, we can never even hope to reach his level. But, is what the Medicine King Bodhisattva says necessarily true?"

Gan Wulin held a short ruler in his left hand and gently patted his right palm, saying, "No matter what happens today, this path must be passed down. As for whether it can be passed down for thousands of years like Confucianism, Buddhism, and Taoism, or whether it will be lost like other miscellaneous schools, that depends on fate."

Shui Xiangsheng nodded slightly, "That's right. Junior Brother has broken free from the confines of Xiangji Kingdom and is now looking towards a much larger horizon."

Gan Wulin did not respond, but looked at Meng Yuan and said, "Young friend, you are from the Ying family, so you must be clear about gratitude and grudges. Today, you killed the servant of the Holy King of Light. Are you trying to help my senior brother?"

Meng Yuan replied with a smile, "I'll help whoever wins."

"Whoever wins, Dugu Sheng will kill. Young friend, it seems you're about to face off against Fellow Daoist Dugu Sheng." Gan Wulin was also aware of Dugu Sheng's scheme.

"Dugu Sheng is nothing but a spineless dog, only knowing how to lie in the stinking ditch and gnaw on rotten flesh. Does he even deserve to be compared to me?" Meng Yuan replied loudly, his hand on his knife.

Dugu Sheng was a fourth-rank martial artist with unique skills. When he used them, the world would darken. He once had the idea of ​​killing Qing Guangzi, but even if he failed, he was still a true fourth-rank martial artist.

Upon hearing Meng Yuan's words, everyone turned to look at him.

In the old days, people might not have believed Meng Yuan's words, but he just captured a Buddha and a Taoist priest with a single stroke, and did so very casually. Considering that martial artists are best at killing enemies of higher ranks, it's understandable that people look down on Dugu Sheng.

Upon hearing Meng Yuan's words, Gan Wulin said, "Dugu Sheng traveled far beyond the borders to seek a third-rank person. His demeanor and style are not only far inferior to Li Weizhen's, but even to my young friend."

"I dare not accept such praise." Meng Yuan smiled and asked, "May I ask about your method of advancement, senior?"

Gan Wulin didn't try to hide anything, and simply asked, "Young friend, have you ever heard the saying that a good doctor can be a good prime minister?"

Upon hearing this, Meng Yuan and Mingyue exchanged a glance. The two had previously discussed the path for physicians to advance to higher ranks, and had considered that it was the transformation from "minor physician" to "major physician".

"My fellow disciple and I do not know how the physicians advance four times to the third position. There is no record of it in the ancient books of Xiangji Kingdom. The Medicine King Bodhisattva made a deduction, but did not leave a single word."

At this moment, High Priest Shui Xiangsheng spoke up, saying, "My fellow disciple and I were already pondering this question before we reached the fourth rank. Later, we traveled far and wide, witnessing the hardships of the world, the joys and sorrows of life, and the paths of advancement in Confucianism, Buddhism, and Taoism, and that's when we had our own ideas."

Gan Wulin picked up the conversation and said, "Aren't Confucianism, Buddhism, and Taoism also medicine? It's just that medical skills can only save one person, ten people, a hundred people, or a thousand people, but it's difficult to heal the hearts of millions. Therefore, a good doctor is also a good prime minister. We should heal the 'heart'."

"And this 'heart' must conform to one's own 'heart,' which is why you fellow disciples can only choose the Xiangji Kingdom?" Dugu Kang suddenly spoke up.

High Priest Shui Xiangsheng nodded slightly and said, "The Kingdom of Xiangji needs to be healed and its current situation must be changed. Otherwise, in a few decades or centuries, when our medical profession is no longer around, the Kingdom of Xiangji will likely disappear even without any external enemies."

"What you're arguing about is that there's only one Xiangji Kingdom, but two people want to break through to the next realm." Dugu Kang understood and exclaimed in sudden realization, "You two are like the sudden enlightenment and gradual cultivation schools of Buddhism. You both want to become Buddhas, but you're taking different paths!"

(End of this chapter)