Madmen don't keep diaries

Chapter 369 368 Reinforcements from the Barefoot Temple
Feng Xiuhu was right after all.

This incense does indeed contain some kind of medicinal ingredient that causes people's noses to itch, in order to make people sneeze uncontrollably. As soon as you sneeze, the incense will be inhaled into your nose.

To be honest, this method is actually quite insidious.

The so-called "Soul-Softening Incense" is a poison that weakens the spirit, with extremely rapid effects. Those poisoned by this substance will find it difficult to mobilize their magical power and their cultivation techniques will malfunction, making it impossible to cast spells normally. It is usually used when it is necessary to capture an enemy alive.

Why am I bringing this up here? Because Fang Youliu, the only one on the field who knows the details of this thing, is covering his mouth and nose, and no one is explaining it to you.

"Ah! Ahh!"

Tears welled up in Feng Xiuhu's eyes as he wiped them away, cursing, "This thing can be used as a tear gas canister..."

The words fell.

An old man with gray hair walked into the courtyard.

He was carrying a bronze incense burner, from which wisps of smoke were rising and drifting towards them through the openwork patterns on the lid.

The old man stood in the middle of the courtyard, keeping a certain distance from the three people in the quiet room.

He smiled and nodded at the three men: "Why don't you three just surrender?"

Shunzi and Fang Youliu held their breath and dared not speak, while Feng Xiuhu kept sneezing and had no time to respond, so when the old man asked the question, no one paid any attention to him.

Fang Youliu took the first action.

He covered his mouth with one hand and drew a talisman with the other, but this time he still suffered from the slow pre-arrangement.

As Fang Youliu made his move, the old man from the Barefoot Temple also made his move—he waved his sleeve at Fang Youliu.

Fang Youliu was halfway through drawing the talisman when his hand suddenly convulsed. The intense pain caused him to involuntarily let out a scream and kneel down, clutching his wrist.

Upon closer inspection, blisters and festering sores were rapidly forming on his right palm, with pus and blood bursting through the skin and oozing out.

It’s over.

Fang Youliu felt despair—Feng Xiuhu had already inhaled the Soft Soul Incense, and he had also inhaled it when he screamed just now. The flow of magic power in his body had become obviously blocked. Now he was only relying on Shunzi, and he was afraid that he would really be doomed today.

Before the thought could even cross his mind, Fang Youliu suddenly heard Feng Xiuhu shout in his ear.

He shouted: "Mist—Achoo! Mist!"

slam-la-

Chains suddenly appeared in mid-air. The white-haired old man had not expected this at all. Before he could react, he was already being hoisted into the air by the chains.

"Banned!"

As Feng Xiuhu wiped away his tears, he stood up, pointed at the old man, and cursed, "Ye San, beat him up!"

Shunzi's figure rushed out from the other side of Fang Youliu.

Fang Youliu stood there dumbfounded, watching as Shunzi punched the old man in mid-air like a sandbag, making him sway back and forth with loud thuds.

Only cultivators who practice both magic and incantations are physically robust. How could an ordinary old man withstand Shunzi's torment? One punch would shatter his bones. This old man from the Barefoot Temple endured three punches before coughing up blood and begging for mercy, mainly highlighting his vigorous old age.

Shunzi kicked over the incense burner, grabbed the old man's sparse white hair, and dragged him in front of Feng Xiuhu: "Brother, this old man has no money on him."

He had just casually searched the old man's pockets and the cloth bag slung around his waist.

The old man stared at Feng Xiuhu in disbelief: "You're here for money?"

Zhuo Sushou shouted from behind, "They are accomplices of the fugitive!"

Shunzi kicked out two of his back teeth: "Did I tell you to speak?"

Feng Xiuhu picked up a shard of porcelain and held it to the old man's neck: "Don't ask questions you shouldn't ask. First, break the curse on my brother."

The old man glanced at Zhuo Sushou's miserable appearance and immediately became obedient.

Feng Xiuhu released the magical seal on Fang Youliu's body, muttered "The medicine will cure the disease," and then pointed at Fang Youliu. Fang Youliu's hand injury immediately improved.

Seeing that the old man was no longer moving, Feng Xiuhu slapped him on the back of the head: "And your tear gas!"

The old man looked over, looking aggrieved: "What tear gas?" Fang Youliu said urgently: "The antidote for the Soft Soul Incense!"

The old man understood now. He silently reached into his cloth bag, pulled out a porcelain bottle, and handed it over: "Smell it."

Fang Youliu took it and hesitated for a moment.

Feng Xiuhu declared, "If you dare to play any tricks, I'll skin you alive."

The old man sighed, "I shouldn't have come today..."

Fang Youliu smelled the antidote and felt the effects of the Soft Soul Incense slowly fading. He nodded to Feng Xiuhu.

Feng Xiuhu finally breathed a sigh of relief.

He asked the old man, "What's your name?"

The old man answered honestly: "Xiao Liangbin."

Feng Xiuhu glanced sideways and asked again, "From the Barefoot Temple?"

Old Man Xiao nodded: "I am honored to be the chief officiant."

Having received a satisfactory answer, Feng Xiuhu pulled Old Man Xiao up from the ground: "Then don't just sit idly by."

Feng Xiuhu pointed to Zheng Ajuan beside him: "Go, heal her."

Old Man Xiao then noticed that there was someone lying on the ground. He glanced at Zheng Ajuan's face and frowned. He quickly went over to take her pulse.

Old Man Xiao muttered to himself, “The six pulses are floating and arched, but when pressed hard, they feel like snow covered in boiling water. They appear as fire on the outside and ice caves inside. The left cun pulse is slippery and rapid, like a bird pecking at food, while the right guan pulse is soft and weak, like willow catkins sinking in water.”

He touched his forehead and checked his breath: "His forehead was covered in sweat, it burned to the touch, and his breath felt like burning firewood."

Finally, he lifted his eyelids: "His pupils were unfocused and his lips were as red as charcoal."

Feng Xiuhu didn't quite understand, but it seemed very serious: "What do you mean, is there any hope?"

Old Man Xiao stroked his beard, closed his eyes, and slowly said, "This is due to the great sorrow damaging the meridians and the collapse of the heart qi, which caused the gate of the soul to be lost, hence the high fever and delirium."

Feng Xiuhu kicked him, making him stumble: "Speak like a human being."

Old Man Xiao said, "I was so sad that I became weak and developed a fever."

Feng Xiuhu almost laughed out of anger: "Do you think I need to tell me? I'm asking if you can cure it!"

“It can be cured!”

Old Man Xiao quickly answered, reaching into his cloth bag and fumbling for a moment before pulling out another porcelain bottle.

He pulled out the stopper, poured out two pills, and fed them into Zheng Ajuan's mouth.

Then he smiled ingratiatingly at Feng Xiuhu: "She's your wife, right? Don't worry, she'll cure you completely."

Feng Xiuhu was so angry that his nose twisted: "She's your wife!"

Old Man Xiao was stunned: "My wife has been dead for so many years..."

Seeing that the topic was about to veer off to completely different places, Fang Youliu quickly interjected: "Let's get down to business first—who sent you?"

Speaking of this, Old Man Xiao couldn't help but sigh again: "I shouldn't have come today... Who else could it be? Ma Sanjiang!"

Feng Xiuhu was also taken aback: "This name sounds familiar."

Shunzi whispered a reminder from the side: "Brother, Ma Sihai."

Feng Xiuhu slapped his thigh: "What's the relationship between these two?"

"Of course they are brothers."

Old Man Xiao cast a surprised look at him: "Who doesn't know Jiangluoxi? If it weren't for his brother being the county magistrate, would that bastard Ma Sihai have become the patrol captain?"

(End of this chapter)