Death Sutra

Chapter 701: Antidote

Translator: Henyee Translations Editor: Henyee Translations

Upon hearing that there was a visitor outside, Doctor Sun immediately put on his hairpiece, attached his false nose, and stooped over, instantly turning into another man. In the face of Shangguan Fei’s puzzled eyes, he said, “What? Can’t a divine doctor be timid?” You haven’t seen those women’s means… ”

The visitor entered openly, waved affectionately to Long Fanyun, and glared at the Shangguan twins with a cold face. After a quick glance at the disguised Doctor Sun, she said with a smile, “Oh, what a surprise. So you were hiding here.”

Doctor Sun sighed and took off his disguise. “I know that you are a disciple of the Waning Moon Hall. Go back and tell your people that I’m a doctor who heals and saves people, not a murderer who refines medicine and poisons the innocent. So just forget about me.”

Han Fen shook her head. “I can’t make that decision; only the Master Commander has the final say on your life and death.”

Gu Shenwei took one step forward and asked, “You followed me here?”

“You didn’t hide it, either. Here, I’ve come to keep my promise.”

Han Fen waved her hand and threw out a hidden weapon. Gu Shenwei unsheathed his saber and knocked it down with the back of the saber. It turned out to be a small wooden box commonly used by the Waning Moon Hall.

Gu Shenwei had spared Han Fen once. As an exchange, she had agreed to send him the antidote to the Indra Fragrance.

But this wasn’t her only purpose here.

The moment Gu Shenwei knocked down the wooden box, Han Fen made another move. This time, she fired over a dozen steel needles at Doctor Sun while leaping away. A puff of blue smoke appeared under her feet as if she were trying to take the opportunity to escape. But that was a feint and she had actually thrown herself at Shangguan Ru and punched out three times in a row and spat out a small hidden weapon before actually running away, smiling. “So the little girl has really cracked the Indra Fragrance, and the Dragon King also doesn’t want me to kill anyone. Aiya, what can I do then?” Before the sound of her voice faded away, she had already disappeared.

Gu Shenwei blocked all of the needles with his saber and grabbed Shangguan Ru’s wrist to check her condition. When he found no signs of poisoning, he leaned over and picked up the small wooden box and handed it to Doctor Sun.

Doctor Sun looked at the box and smelled it for a long while before opening the lid. There were three earthy yellow pills in the box.

“Little lunatic,” Shangguan Fei murmured. “Is this really the antidote to the Indra Fragrance?”

Doctor Sun’s face beamed as he replied, “It seems so. Let Red Bat try one and we’ll find out.”

Red Bat shook her head, “I’d rather have no internal energy than eat anything from the Waning Moon Hall.”

After listening to Doctor Sun’s experience of the past few years, Red Bat’s wariness towards the Waning Moon Hall had risen sharply.

Doctor Sun took a pill and examine it carefully, “Then what are we going to do? Although I’m a divine doctor, I can’t tell if it’s real or fake with a simple glance. Someone has to try it. Don’t worry; even if it’s poisonous, I can still save you.”

“What if Lotus created a new poison?” Shangguan Fei didn’t believe him.

Long Fanyun walked over, picked one up and put in his mouth. Before Shangguan Fei could even scream, he had chewed and swallowed it. “It’s a little bitter and has a sour taste.”

Red Bat watched Long Fanyun in amazement and also took one out and swallowed it. “Since you are not afraid, then neither will I be.”

Doctor Sun looked at the two expectantly. “How is it? Do you feel any different?”

Long Fanyun looked up and thought for a moment. He was just about to say something when his face suddenly contorted and he bent down, clutching his stomach. He appeared to be in extreme pain and didn’t seem able to speak.

Shangguan Fei hurried forward to help him. “Lotus really isn’t well-intentioned. Doctor Sun, you said that you could save people. Quickly, do it now. Long Fanyun can’t hold on any longer…”

Long Fanyun pushed Shangguan Fei away and bent even lower. Instead of becoming angry, Shangguan Fei still wanted to support him.

On the opposite side, Red Bat also didn’t look well, her face was turning redder and redder. She seemed to be forcing herself to not bend over. Shangguan Ru was taken aback. “Doctor Sun, they…”

Doctor Sun suddenly put away the last pill with a solemn look. Then he took out a few pieces of rough straw paper which he usually used to write prescriptions and gave them to Long Fanyun and Red Bat. “You go inside the tent, and you find your own place. Either way, we can’t stay here any longer, so we’ll just abandon this tent.”

Long Fanyun ran away as soon as he was given the straw paper. Red Bat, whose face was extremely red, also grabbed the paper and ran into the tent.

Shangguan Fei followed Long Fanyun with some concern but was stopped by Doctor Sun. “Shangguan Fei, what are you doing?”

“I’ll go help him. Didn’t you see that it was hard for Long Fanyun to even walk?”

“Go ahead if you don’t mind the stink. I’ve never heard of someone needing help to take a sh*t.”

“Ah? Long Fanyun hasn’t been poisoned?”

“Does loose bowels count as being poisoned?”

“Are you sure?”

The sounds of diarrhea came from inside the tent and a place close by at the same time. Doctor Sun snorted scornfully, indicating that there was no need to say anything anymore.

Shangguan Fei put his hand on his heart and heaved a long breath. “I was really scared. I thought that Long Fanyun… and Red Bat wouldn’t make it.”

Gu Shenwei laid his right hand on the saber hilt and warily looked at the approaching old men.

There were seven people in total; four men and three women, all with crutches, were walking toward them with small steps from all directions, vaguely forming a sieve.

An old man with white hair and loose skin raised his crutch and jabbed the ground with a heavy blow. All the other people halted. “So, you are the Dragon King?”

“Yes.”

The old man then turned to Doctor Sun, “And you have an antidote?”

“What do you want?”

“Sell it to me. You can name your price.”

“First, the antidote belongs to the Dragon King. Second, I’ll keep this one to make more batches of the antidote. So it’s not for sale.”

The old man turned to Dragon King again, “The Dragon King can make an offer.”

“I can give you one pill for free when Doctor Sun makes more antidotes.”

“No, I want it now. I can’t wait.”

The old man’s voice was flat but what he said was quite overbearing. Shangguan Fei showed his discontent first. “Old dog, where did you come from? How dare you talk to the Dragon King like that?”

The old man turned to ask the old woman nearby, “Where do I come from?”

The old woman was short and fat like a portable wine-jar. In a husky voice she said, “If the Dragon King is willing to make friends and give us the antidote, then we’ll naturally reveal our origins. Right now, it’s not certain whether you all are friends or enemies, so it’s better to not reveal this information.”

The old man nodded and agreed, “Hmm, it’s better to not reveal it.”

Shangguan Fei took a hint from the Dragon King and stepped forward, saying, “It’s always others doing favors for the Dragon King, trying to make friends. We are not used to doing others a favor without any reason. The antidote is right here. Are you going to snatch it?”

“That’s also a possibility.”

That said, the white-haired old man rushed up to Shangguan Fei with his crutch. The rapid speed obviously showed that this was a kung fu master. He didn’t move like an aged man at all.

Surprised, Shangguan Fei raised his fists to face the old man. After taking the first palm attack, he jumped more than three feet high; the second blow made his body shake nonstop; he couldn’t help but retreat several steps back to the Dragon King after taking the third blow.

“This old fellow is too formidable for me. I think that I may have been injured internally,” said Shangguan Fei, shocked and frightened. Although his voice was trembling, it didn’t sound like he had internal injuries.

Doctor Sun, who was more surprised, blurted out, “The Soft Palm Technique of the Kongdong Sect! Which elder is your excellency?”

Doctor Sun had once traveled around the world and visited the Central Plains before, so he knew the martial arts skills of several famous sects.

The old man clicked his tongue and said, “So, the people of the Western Regions recognize the palm technique of my Kongdong Sect? Not quite a frog at the bottom of a well are you.”

Shangguan Fei knew that he was no match for him in a fist fight so he challenged his opponent with his mouth. “Hey, we are not frogs at the bottom of a well. Rather you are a bragging toad. What’s there to boast about regarding the little Kongdong Sect? Shen Yongjiui is a disciple of your esteemed sect, right? He betrayed the Central Plains and worked like a hunting dog for the lords of the Norland, ultimately dying under the Dragon King’s saber. And that Fan Yongda, if the Dragon King hadn’t saved his life, he would have been beheaded by his master.”

The white-haired man shook his head and said, “Yongjiu and Yongda just pretended to work for the Norland and they were always faithful to the Central Plains. The Dragon King killed one and saved one; if he hands over the antidote, we won’t owe each other anything anymore.”

Seeing that the old man was becoming more and more unreasonable, Shangguan Ru couldn’t help but say, “Is there anyone in your esteemed sect who’s also been drugged by the Indra Fragrance? Don’t worry. This knockout drug is not deadly. The sufferer will only lose their internal energy. Just wait a few days, and then Doctor Sun will give you the antidote for sure after he makes more.”

“Who knows if this divine doctor is really capable? We can’t afford to wait,” said the short fat old woman coldly.

Gu Shenwei who had been observing the situation for a while suddenly opened his mouth and said, “You are Old Immortal Dog Butcher.”

“Heh, Old Immortal Dog Butcher is long dead. I’m called Dog Butcher now.” The white-haired old man paused for a while before saying, “It seems that there are a lot of capable people in the Western Regions. How do you know of me? Not many people in the Central Plains know my name by now.”

“That Soft Palm Technique seems to have been created to restrain the Five Hole Punch. You are probably the only one in your sect who has always kept Old Man Mu in your mind, aren’t you?”

Dog Butcher turned to the stout old woman. “This kid has sharp eyes. What should I do now?”

“What else is there to do? Beat him, take the antidote, and go fight Old Man Mu.” The old woman’s voice was stern and impatient.

“Yes,” answered Dog Butcher respectfully. Then he said to the Dragon King, “Let’s have a fight. I’ve heard that you have amazing saber techniques and a strange internal energy. I’d like to see if it’s true.”

“Where’s your saber?” Gu Shenwei remembered that the weapon used by Dog Butcher and his Martial Nephew was a large boning saber.

“I no longer use it. After careful reflection, I realized that I can never beat Old Man Mu with a saber so I focused on practicing several fist and palm techniques. Old Man Mu claims that his fist technique is the best in the world, and I’m going to defeat him in that respect.”

The old woman nearby shouted, “Do it now, don’t waste any more time.”

Dog Butcher was a famous elder of the Kongdong Sect but he didn’t mind the old woman’s rebuke. He uttered an obedient ‘yes’ and stuck his crutch on the ground, immediately leaping out to attack the Dragon King.

Gu Shenwei loosened his hilt, ready to receive the other side’s palm attack with his own palm.

Dog Butcher’s first move was just to feel out his opponent. As soon as his palms touched the Dragon King’s, he retreated back to his crutch. “Hmm, not bad. Good palm technique and a very weird internal energy. Why didn’t you draw your saber?”

“It’s only fair to use a palm technique against another palm technique.”

“That’s true. But why have I heard that the Dragon King is a killer and has never followed the rules? What kind of tricks are you playing?”

“I’m playing fair and square to convince you.”

Dog Butcher seemed indecisive and asked the old woman again, “Can I fight? If I lose, I have to admit to his superiority.”

“It’s not up to him whether you are convinced or not. You were defeated by Old Man Mu before. Didn’t you wallow in humiliation and practice hard for over a dozen years to come here to avenge yourself?”

“The Dragon King is young and I’m afraid that I can’t afford to wait that long …”

“Go fight!” The old woman lashed out a sharp cry. Dog Butcher abruptly straightened up and jumped towards the Dragon King.

Long Fanyun was not back yet, so only Shangguan Fei could speak to Doctor Sun. “It’s really a disaster if you marry a powerful woman. You won’t be able to get rid of her for an entire lifetime.”

Doctor Sun nodded approvingly.

Before Dog Butcher and the Dragon King could clash again, several figures leaped near the stout old woman and dropped a prisoner on the ground.

Dog Butcher immediately halted. “You got her?”

The captive bounced up, and with her hands tied, she smiled at the Dragon King and said, “Dragon King, please save me again. I’ll give you something even more interesting if you do.”