Devil Venerable Also Wants to Know

Chapter 61 – Turning the tables

Zhongli Qian had used Baili Qingmiao as an excuse to send Shu Yanyan to search for a healer, but with who the Right Protector was, she figured it out immediately.

Baili Qingmiao had been suicidal at Xuanyuan Sect for over a year, with no one speaking of finding a healer. Instead, they had called Altar Master Shi over for a night and made her even more ill, leaving her unconscious for a year.

Now Yin Hanjiang had been back for less than ten days, and Zhongli Qian was begging her to find a healer. It was obvious who for.

Shu Yanyan didn’t question him, since she also thought Yin Hanjiang’s current state wasn’t right. Even when Wenren È was still around, she had seen signs of Yin Hanjiang deviating.

She hadn’t expected, however, to send people out to search and immediately run into the number one healer of the cultivation world, Yao Jiaping. This made her a bit wary.

In her six hundred years of cultivation, Shu Yanyan had successively served three Xuanyuan Sect Masters, and her experiences were innumerable. As a woman who often plotted against others, she believed anything that was too easy to come by must be a trap. If something appeared on your doorstep, it was either bait or poison.

Thus she immediately reported to Yin Hanjiang that Altar Master Zhongli had found a doctor for Baili Qingmiao. Foremost so Yin Hanjiang could also keep an eye out, and the problem became Zhongli Qian and Yin Hanjiang’s business. Even if Yao Jiaping was questionable, it wouldn’t be her fault. Secondly, if Yao Jiaping really was here to treat people, then he could come into contact with Yin Hanjiang and secretly observe his condition.

After making her report, Shu Yanyan personally served Yao Jiaping a cup of top quality spiritual tea and ordered her subordinates to bring him unlimited spiritual fruits. Gracefully sitting next to him, she said, “Word is you never make house calls. I’m deeply grateful that you were willing to come to Xuanyuan Sect today.”

“It was a coincidence,” Yao Jiaping said. “I was out searching for spiritual herbs when I met your people. Since I was in a good mood, I decided I’d come look. However, as a doctor, I have a few stipulations. If I was only sought after others have already failed to treat the condition, I won’t treat them. If the condition isn’t interesting enough, I won’t treat them. If you can’t pay, I won’t treat them.”

His looks were above average, about matched to Zhongli Kuang’s, but his words were even wilder.

It made sense, since Yao Jiaping was a wandering immortal whose power ranked quite high in the cultivation world. He was also a skilled doctor who always had people begging for his services, so he could naturally get away with being arrogant. Zhongli Kuang hadn’t had the strength to back his words, but the power of the Zhongli clan itself was formidable, so his arrogance had also been justified.

“The first two requirements are definitely fulfilled,” Shu Yanyan said. “What price are you asking for?”

Yao Jiaping looked at Shu Yanyan’s fingers. “I must first check the patient before I can say,” he said haughtily.

“I’ve already sent people to bring her over.” Shu Yanyan acted like she hadn’t noticed Yao Jiaping’s glance. She clapped her hands lightly, having two of her subordinates carry Baili Qingmiao in.

At the same time, Yin Hanjiang had also arrived at the guest quarters. He stood outside the door without entering, seeing Zhongli Qian rush over.

Zhongli Qian had had contact with Yao Jiaping in the past. In their thirty years of travel, Su Huai had gotten injured on one occasion, and Baili Qingmiao, while seeking care for him, coincidentally ran into Yao Jiaping. The eccentric doctor wanted her to pay using her Nascent Soul or body, so Baili Qingmiao chose to give up her Nascent Soul to save Su Huai. Fortunately, Qiu Congxue arrived in time and managed to “convince” Yao Jiaping. From then on, there had been enmity between the groups.

After hearing who Shu Yanyan had invited to the sect, Zhongli Qian had first thought to settle him in and check whether he actually had the ability to help Yin Hanjiang. If he didn’t, all they would need to do was shoo him away. If he did, on the other hand… they could always negotiate.

Coincidentally, Wenren È had thought the same. Wenren È didn’t care about Yao Jiaping’s behavior. After all, he wouldn’t dare act high and mighty in Xuanyuan Sect. Thus, Wenren È had hidden himself, following Zhongli Qian to the guest quarters, but hadn’t expected to run into Yin Hanjiang.

Zhongli Qian froze for a moment. He extended his spiritual cognition to Shu Yanyan, purposefully letting her detect his probing. He was expressing his doubts as to why the Sect Leader needed to be informed about Baili Qingmiao’s treatment.

Shu Yanyan acted like she had noticed nothing. After all, feigning ignorance wouldn’t get her in trouble with Yin Hanjiang.

“It’s you?” Yao Jiaping’s eyebrows rose upon seeing Zhongli Qian. Then he looked at the unconscious Baili Qingmiao and exclaimed, “You want me to treat her?”

A pleasantly surprised expression crossed his face upon seeing Baili Qingmiao, though it was quickly hidden. He ignored Zhongli Qian, immediately going over to inspect Baili Qingmiao’s condition, acting serious and dutiful as if he had forgotten any bad blood between them.

Yao Jiaping took Baili Qingmiao’s pulse with uncommon courtesy, and, furrowing his brows, said, “Her bonded weapon’s been destroyed, her dantian’s sustained damage, there’s lingering demonic energy within her body, her mind is disordered, and on top of that she has tuberculosis and a high fever. A cultivator coming down with a mortal illness certainly is odd! Plus, she seems to have a gu parasite and a curse cast on her, though I can’t determine which right now.”

Zhongli Qian showed no expression. He had also contributed to Baili Qingmiao’s ailments.

“These are the conditions I can find right now. Whether or not she has any other ailments will require a deeper examination,” Yao Jiaping said, withdrawing his hand. “I’ll need a quiet room where I’m not disturbed.”

Zhongli Qian and Shu Yanyan were both dumbfounded. Yao Jiaping’s attitude was completely different from what they had expected.

Yao Jiaping was a petty person who wouldn’t tolerate the slightest insult. He had a grudge toward Baili Qingmiao, so even if he was willing to help her, he would at least make an extravagant demand. How could he start treating Baili Qingmiao so quickly and attentively?

“Sir Yao has not yet mentioned his fee,” Shu Yanyan said.

“That’s not urgent,” Yao Jiaping said. “Human lives are what’s important. As for my fee, I haven’t even started diagnosing yet.”

“Sir Yao certainly is a benevolent doctor, capable of looking past previous conflicts. I apologize for the disagreements we’ve had in the past,” said Zhongli Qian.

“No need for that. It was just a little squabble, and who can remember something that long ago?” Yao Jiaping waved his hands. “I’ll need peace and quiet for my treatment, so hurry up and prepare a quiet room.”

“I’ll have someone do so right now,” Shu Yanyan said.

“No need.” Yin Hanjiang, who had been hiding his presence and standing outside the door all this time, pushed it open and walked in. Glancing at Yao Jiaping, a slight smile appeared on his face. “Here I was worrying I wouldn’t have a chance to lure out Hè Wenzhao, when you turned up of your own free will.”

Zhongli Qian’s eyes widened as he heard Yin Hanjiang’s words. He quickly said, “Sect Leader Yin, he—”

“I know what you want to say,” Yin Hanjiang interrupted. “You think that despite his conduct, his medical skills are at least among the best, which is why he’s been able to run wild across the cultivation world for all these years without anyone killing him. You know he must have some ulterior motive for ‘coincidentally’ running into Xuanyuan Sect’s followers, but you think that, as long as he has the skill, you can always negotiate, is that right?”

Without waiting for an answer from Zhongli Qian, he looked at Shu Yanyan. “And you, Right Protector. Are you scared of me?”

Shu Yanyan went pale, her previously languid and unconcerned expression instantly becoming serious. She had been wearing a thin light purple outfit which traced her perfect curves, but the moment Yin Hanjiang’s gaze fell on her, a white cloak appeared over her body, covering her from neck to toe so that not an inch of skin showed.

“Is it not natural for a subordinate to respect the Sect Leader?” Shu Yanyan said with a reserved smile.

She didn’t dare use her seduction against Yin Hanjiang. Every time she looked into those emotionless eyes, she felt her teeth ache. When Wenren È was here, Yin Hanjiang had been quiet and reserved, so Shu Yanyan could cut loose a little, but now Yin Hanjiang was like an unchained beast. She didn’t know what he was capable of.

“You’re not respectful, you’re afraid,” Yin Hanjiang said with a cold smile. “When you saw my expression before, you thought I was on the verge of deviation. Now, are you using Baili Qingmiao as an excuse to find someone to treat me? Altar Master Zhongli thinks the same, doesn’t he?”

The two were shaken at having their plans seen through by Yin Hanjiang, and didn’t dare say anything.

This was the first time Wenren È had seen Yin Hanjiang handling sect business. At this point, Yin Hanjiang was no longer following Wenren È in his actions, and his unfettered, willful manner was dazzling to behold.

“Since you think this Lord has inner demons, then I’ll admit it.” Yin Hanjiang swept his gaze across their faces. “But it won’t affect this Lord’s ability to command the Xuanyuan Sect, or eliminate the righteous experts. There’s no need for you two to concern yourself with this matter further. This Lord doesn’t need treatment.”

Wenren È was stunned. What did Yin Hanjiang mean? If he was ill, then he needed treatment. Did he want to let the inner demons go on, until someday he died from qi deviation?

“As for you…” After crushing the two brainiacs’ plan, Yin Hanjiang looked at Yao Jiaping, a joyful yet vicious smile across his face. “Did you really think this Lord was unaware that you’re Hè Wenzhao’s close confidant?”

Seeing Yin Hanjiang approach, Yao Jiaping, shaken by his imposing manner, backed away a few steps until he hit the opposite wall. He grabbed a medicine pouch on his waist and a streak of silver light flew out, protecting him.

“The Immortal Shielding Jade?” Yin Hanjiang said. “You’ve picked up some nice toys after being a doctor for all these years. Too bad it won’t do you any good.”

With a wave of his hand, the Army Crushing Spike unsheathed itself, cutting across the space between them. A single swing shattered the Shielding Jade. The spike’s vicious point stopped in front of Yao Jiaping’s face.

“Impossible!” Yao Jiaping cried. “This Immortal Jade is capable of blocking the full power of an immortal from the upper realms!”

“It’s not quite as good as the Shangqing Sect’s protective array,” Yin Hanjiang said. He blasted a current of qi into Yao Jiaping’s body. Yao Jiaping felt like there were knives in his meridians. When he tried to use the least bit of qi, it was as if his meridians were being shredded.

“You knew that this Lord must’ve been injured after facing heavenly lightning and the Shangqing Sect Moon Pool Bell, so you loitered around Xuanyuan Sect, hoping to be called in to treat me, right? Hè Wenzhao asked you to save Baili Qingmiao, didn’t he? While treating me, you’d ask for her as payment, so you can take her back to Hè Wenzhao. You could even leave something in my body while treating me, so as to deal with me later, isn’t that right?”

He was right about everything. “H—how did you know?” Yao Jiaping cried.

How did he know? This whole sequence had shown up in God of Annihilation: Volume 2 too many times. After ascending to the immortal realm, Yao Jiaping had pretended he didn’t know Hè Wenzhao, and whenever Hè Wenzhao had a problem with someone, he would pretend to be a doctor and offer his services to them, coordinating with Hè Wenzhao to defeat them.

It was the exact same here. Yao Jiaping appreciated Hè Wenzhao’s “devotion” toward Baili Qingmiao, so when he heard that Hè Wenzhao’s little shimei had been kidnapped by demonic cultivators and might be in trouble, he was reminded of the death of his own lover. Unable to stand such a pair of soulmates being torn apart, he agreed to rescue her. In his arrogance, he thought that even if Xuanyuan Sect’s people saw through his plan, they wouldn’t do anything to a legendary doctor like him.

He hadn’t imagined that the new Sect Leader would show no restraint and not bother with any courtesy. Gritting his teeth against the pain, Yao Jiaping yelled, “Yin Hanjiang! Don’t think I can’t tell how you’re beset by inner demons! Even if you have power enough to rival an immortal, in less than ten years, your meridians will rupture and you’ll die! The more you use power beyond the cultivation world, the quicker your death will come. I’m willing to declare that I’m the only person in this world who can treat you! The day’ll come when you’re begging on your knees for my help!”

“I won’t need you.”

The triangular spike impaled Yao Jiaping’s throat, pinning him against the wall as his blood poured down.

A wandering immortal wouldn’t die so easily. Yao Jiaping struggled a few times, but found that the Army Crushing Spike had also impaled his soul, and the more he struggled, the more it shredded his soul.

Seeing Yao Jiaping finally quiet down, Yin Hanjiang tore a piece off Baili Qingmiao’s clothes to wipe his hands, then tossed it at Yao Jiaping’s face.

“Altar Master Shi,” he said. “I seem to remember you have a technique to wear someone’s skin and take their appearance.”

Shi Congxin, who had been hiding in the doorway and trembling all this time, tiptoed in quickly. “Yes,” he said. “Since the skin holds the target’s aura, it’s very difficult to distinguish.”

“I want his skin.” Yin Hanjiang ran a tongue over his lips. “Unsightly though it may be, his build is similar to mine. Now that Baili Qingmiao has been staying at Xuanyuan Sect for over a year, someone ought to escort her back to Shangqing Sect, isn’t that so?”

“I—I can go back on my own.” Baili Qingmiao, who had woken up at some point, was hugging her knees on the floor, watching Yin Hanjiang fearfully.

“That would be so rude.” Yin Hanjiang shot her a cold look, and Baili Qingmiao shut her mouth immediately.

“Sect Leader Yin, Yao Jiaping’s intentions may be questionable, but his words were true. You need his treatment.” Zhongli Qian, having received a frantic transmission from Wenren È, forced himself to speak up. “Even if Sect Leader Yin doesn’t value his own life, if Sect Master Wenren were to somehow return, he would not be happy to see you suffering.”

Zhongli Qian’s words managed to get through to Yin Hanjiang, whose malice faded a bit. He asked, “Altar Master Shi, will skinning him kill him?”

“No way, how could a wandering immortal die from being skinned?” Altar Master Shi said. “This subordinate will take every care possible to keep him alive.”

“Yin… if you dare to do anything… just… wait to die. I’ll… never… treat you…” Yao Jiaping spoke with difficulty, his throat having been pierced.

Yin Hanjiang paid him no mind. There were too many ways to convince Yao Jiaping.

“This Lord wants an intact skin within three days. Also, Altar Master Zhongli, I’ve already given you a list of the Message Carriers and the names of the cultivators who’ve pushed their evil deeds onto the Xuanyuan Sect. Within a month, I want to see those people, alive. Since they’ve borrowed Xuanyuan Sect’s name, they ought to pay interest.”

After giving his orders, he paid the matters no more mind and walked out of the guest room. His Venerable had said before that everyone had their own specialties. As a Sect Leader, he just needed to delegate the difficult tasks to his subordinates, and await results.

Wenren È didn’t pay any attention to the beleaguered Zhongli Qian. Following closely behind as Yin Hanjiang returned to his room, he appeared and asked, “Why won’t you let Yao Jiaping treat you? You can receive treatment, then have him skinned, can you not?”

Yin Hanjiang actually answered him this time. He reached out with a hand, stopping just before it touched Wenren È’s face. In a low voice, he said, “If I’m cured, I won’t be able to see the Venerable.”