Chapter 5 The Horse Beast

Mingyuan City, the third largest city within Feng State.

The city was situated on a plain, covering a full hundred li in area. A great river meandered south of the city, making both land and water transportation extremely convenient, which also contributed to the city's prosperity.

At this moment, a long queue of people entering the city formed at the city gate, their voices a noisy clamor.

Liu Le'er pulled the tall young man along as they mingled in the crowd, her heart filled with some unease, her gaze occasionally darting toward the top of the city wall, several zhang high.

There hung an octagonal bronze mirror, facing directly toward the city gate.

The sun was now high in the sky, and the Eight Trigrams pattern engraved on the bronze mirror shimmered with light under the sunlight, radiating an auspicious aura.

Entering the city only required paying some silver coins to the guards; the inspection did not seem strict, and soon it was Liu Le'er and the young man's turn.

As the two arrived beneath the city gate, directly facing the Eight Trigrams bronze mirror above, an inexplicable force enveloped them.

Liu Le'er's body stiffened slightly, and she lowered her head.

The tall young man stared straight at the Eight Trigrams bronze mirror, his gaze vacant, but no one noticed that a faint blue glint flashed deep in his pupils, yet the mirror showed no abnormality at all.

"Where are you from? What business do you have in the city?" a middle-aged city gate guard asked lazily, glancing at them.

"Elder brothers, we siblings are from Liujia Town, three hundred li northwest of the city. I'm Liu Le'er, and this is my elder brother Liu Shi. We've come to the city to seek refuge with relatives and also to get treatment for my brother," Liu Le'er said quickly, her small face full of smiles.

In recent years, although she and the tall young man had depended on each other, they still had to interact with outsiders. For convenience, she had given this "Stone Brother" the name Liu Shi.

As she spoke, Liu Le'er quickly took out some copper coins and handed them to the guard, slightly more than the required entry fee.

Seeing this, the middle-aged guard showed a hint of satisfaction, discreetly slipped the extra copper coins into his own pouch, took another look at the somewhat vacant-eyed tall young man Liu Shi, and without further questions, waved his hand and said:

"Seeing that you siblings are unlikely to be villains, go on in."

Liu Le'er acknowledged, pulled Liu Shi quickly into the city, and after walking a good distance away from the city gate, she slowed down in a secluded corner and breathed a sigh of relief.

"Luckily, I still have the Qi Attraction Talisman Father gave me back then; it can conceal our own demonic aura and wasn't detected by the Demon-Reflecting Mirror."

Liu Le'er glanced around to make sure no one was watching, muttered a few words under her breath, then took out a green jade talisman from her bosom.

The jade talisman was two inches long and two fingers wide, covered with green patterns forming a complex array, with soft green light flowing over it like water.

Looking at the object in her hand, a trace of sadness flickered in her eyes, then she carefully hid the jade talisman again.

After turning two alleyways, the two arrived at the main street of Mingyuan City.

The street was wide, enough for three carriages to travel side by side. On both sides of the street were tall and spacious shops and buildings, row upon row, stretching to the horizon.

However, these buildings used little brick and tile; most were constructed of wood. Although the buildings were not very tall, with very few exceeding ten zhang in height, they excelled in fine detail and were quite novel.

Liu Le'er, having come to a large city like Mingyuan for the first time, was somewhat frightened by the bustling crowd around her, pressing her body close to Liu Shi.

But although the crowd was like a flowing river, everyone went about their own business, and no one interfered with them, which gradually relaxed her mood. She began to be attracted by various novel things in the city, pulling Liu Shi along as she strolled the streets with keen interest.

"Stone Brother, look over there! I've heard of that thing; it looks really delicious," Liu Le'er said, staring intently at a vendor selling candied hawthorns not far away.

The lively scene around was reflected in Liu Shi's dark eyes, but his expression was blank, as if completely indifferent to it all.

Liu Le'er was about to pull Liu Shi over when she suddenly saw the young man like this; her heart sank with disappointment, and she immediately remembered the purpose of their trip into the city. She quickly grasped the young man's hand and said earnestly:

"Stone Brother, don't worry. This city is so big; surely there will be a doctor who can cure you."

Hearing this, Liu Shi's eyes flickered slightly.

Liu Le'er pulled Liu Shi to a street-side food stall, where they casually ate something, then asked around and soon learned the locations of two nearby medical clinics.

West City, Li's Medical Clinic.

Li's Medical Clinic had been practicing medicine here for a hundred years, a well-established name.

A middle-aged man in a blue cloth gown sat on a wooden chair, three fingers pressed on Liu Shi's wrist, concentrating on examining his pulse. Liu Le'er stood nervously to the side.

This middle-aged man, named Li Changqing, was the current heir of Li's Medical Clinic, a renowned physician in the area with over twenty years of practice.

After taking his pulse for a while, Li Changqing withdrew his hand.

"Your elder brother's six pulses are even and strong, his qi and blood abundant; his body is clearly in excellent condition. How could he have contracted a disorder of the soul? When did this condition appear? Was there any external cause?" Li Changqing frowned, looking at Liu Le'er.

"I haven't seen my elder brother for many years, so I know nothing about the cause of his illness," Liu Le'er shook her head.

"Then it's difficult. Without knowing the cause, there's no way to treat it. I'm afraid my medical skills are shallow; I'm willing but unable," Li Changqing stroked his long beard and said apologetically.

"Is there really no clue at all?" Liu Le'er said anxiously.

"I am truly powerless," Li Changqing shook his head.

Disappointed, Liu Le'er bowed to Li Changqing and led Liu Shi out of the clinic.

"There are many more medical clinics in Mingyuan City. We'll visit them one by one; surely we can cure you."

The girl was dejected for a while, but soon cheered up and said to Liu Shi encouragingly.

Liu Shi grinned, as if he understood Liu Le'er's words.

The two walked in one direction, crossed two blocks, and arrived at the door of another medical clinic.

This clinic had gray outer walls, black tile roofing, and a wide entrance, exuding luxury and grandeur. It was much more imposing than Li's Medical Clinic, and there were quite a few people seeking treatment.

"This clinic is so big; the doctors inside should be more skilled," Liu Le'er said, full of anticipation as she pulled Liu Shi inside.

Half an hour later, the two came out, the girl still wearing a look of disappointment.

"No hurry, there are other clinics," Liu Le'er quickly rallied her spirits.

For most of the rest of the day, the two went through the streets and alleys, visiting almost all the medical clinics in Mingyuan City, but none of the doctors could do anything about Liu Shi's condition.

...

North City, Wild Chrysanthemum Studio.

Two figures slowly walked out from inside, precisely Liu Le'er and Liu Shi.

Liu Le'er looked dejected, fiddling with the hem of her clothes with her head down.

Although Wild Chrysanthemum Studio was not the largest medical clinic in Mingyuan City, it was said that the doctors there had considerable insight into some difficult and complicated cases, but unfortunately, they too could not identify the cause of Liu Shi's illness.

"Young miss, please wait a moment," a voice came from behind, and an old man in a blue robe with graying hair hurriedly caught up.

"Doctor Liu," Liu Le'er said, slightly surprised, stopping in her tracks.

This old man in the blue robe was precisely the one who had just taken Liu Shi's pulse, the attending physician at Wild Chrysanthemum Studio.

"Sir, have you thought of something regarding my elder brother's condition?" Liu Le'er's heart suddenly sparked with a glimmer of hope, and she quickly asked.

"Indeed. After I examined your elder brother just now, I went to the back hall to consult some medical texts and happened upon a case that is quite similar to your brother's situation," the old man in the blue robe nodded.

"Please, doctor, tell me," Liu Le'er was overjoyed.

"According to the records in the book, your brother's symptoms are very different from ordinary soul-loss disorder. They resemble a curse or a prohibition placed on him, damaging his spirit. Such injuries cannot be treated by ordinary doctors; only by seeking the help of immortal masters skilled in this art can there be a chance of a cure. As for his inability to speak, that is a minor matter. Your brother's mouth and tongue are unimpaired; once his spirit returns to normal, he will naturally speak," the old man in the blue robe continued.

After hearing this, Liu Le'er fell silent. It was a long while before she forced a cute smile:

"Thank you, Doctor Liu, for your guidance."

"You're welcome, young miss. Healing the sick and saving lives is our duty as physicians," the old man in the blue robe shook his head, then turned and went back into the house.

Liu Le'er led the young man out of Wild Chrysanthemum Studio, feeling dejected.

"Alas, Stone Brother's condition is indeed caused by damage to his spirit," the girl murmured to herself.

She was a fox demon, though young, she had some understanding of cultivation and alchemy. Over the years, from Liu Shi's abnormal state, she had vaguely guessed that his spirit might have been injured.

To treat it, she would have to seek help from cultivators skilled in the way of the spirit.

But such cultivators were all extremely powerful. With only a Qi Attraction Talisman, she was not confident she could deceive them.

Their trip to Mingyuan City to seek medical help had been a last-ditch hope, hoping that she had guessed wrong, but now it seemed things had turned out contrary to their wishes.

Liu Le'er couldn't help but hesitate.

Just as she was frowning in worry, a sudden commotion broke out on the street ahead, and pedestrians scattered in chaos.

"The horse beast is spooked!"

"Get out of the way!"

Cries of alarm came from ahead, and the crowd was in a turmoil, desperately fleeing to both sides.

Not far away, a silver carriage, pulled by a green strange horse covered in scales, was galloping wildly, charging straight toward where Liu Le'er and Liu Shi stood.

The green strange horse neighed loudly, as if mad, the carriage swaying left and right behind it. The driver, his face as pale as paper, pulled desperately at the reins, but to no avail.

Liu Le'er, startled, tried to pull the young man to dodge, but it was too late.

Amid a gust of foul wind, the strange horse, pulling the carriage, flew to within a zhang of the two. The girl could even clearly see the green strange horse's full mouth of fangs and the white foam flying from it.