Chapter 78: The Bloodfiend Physician

These dozens of people had plowed over every inch of the sandy terrain within the area, yet found nothing.

“Leader, there’s nothing,” a burly man ran up to a strange young man whose hair was half white and half black.

“Is there any way to track them?” the young man frowned.

“The rain was too heavy. Any traces and scents have been washed away. I’m afraid it’ll be very difficult,” the burly man shook his head.

“Then call off the search,” the young man said.

“But leader, what should we tell Qu Yuan Shan?” the burly man hesitated.

The young man sneered, “What’s there to say? Does our Seventh Unit need to answer to him? This search was just to do Master Mo a favor. I sympathize with Qu Yuan Shan’s brother being gravely injured, but we Seventh Unit aren’t under his command. We have more important matters to attend to.”

The burly man said no more and shouted for the team to retreat.

...

Dozens of kilometers from Ruyi Town, at the foot of a stony mountain, stood a temple.

Inside one of the rooms, Qu Xiang Tian was howling in grief, smashing everything he could get his hands on.

“Senior brother.” Kong Shuang pushed the door open, gazing at Qu Xiang Tian with concern.

“Get out. Get out!” Qu Xiang Tian roared, pointing at her furiously.

Kong Shuang wanted to approach, but Qu Xiang Tian hurled a vase at her, forcing her to retreat.

“Junior sister, let him vent for a while,” Lu Jun came over to comfort her.

Kong Shuang wiped away her tears, her voice trembling with hatred, “If we catch that fiend, I’ll skin him alive and tear his tendons out.”

Lu Jun sighed. “Even if we catch that fiend, senior brother... he’ll never recover.”

When they brought Qu Xiang Tian back, the thing below was already carbonized beyond salvation.

As a man, Lu Jun could empathize deeply. If it had happened to him, he’d have probably killed himself outright.

Yet deep inside, a shadow of a devilish joy flickered, though he would never admit it.

Because of Kong Shuang—everyone knew she was hopelessly in love with Qu Xiang Tian, but he only saw her as a sister. Lu Jun, on the other hand, had always harbored feelings for her but could only bury them in his heart.

Now Qu Xiang Tian was crippled, and would never be able to accept Kong Shuang. Didn’t this mean he might have a chance?

While Lu Jun wrestled with these complicated emotions, a powerful aura swept toward them, arriving in an instant.

Suddenly, another figure appeared in the courtyard—a tall man with hawk-like eyes and a steely expression that radiated authority and strength.

He strode straight into Qu Xiang Tian’s room. Through the door, they heard Qu Xiang Tian’s anguished shout: “Brother, leave me alone! Just let me die!”

A sharp slap rang out, so loud that Kong Shuang and Lu Jun outside hardly dared to breathe.

“You disgrace! You’re my brother, Qu Yuan Shan’s blood flows in your veins. No son of the Qu family, even with bones shattered and body broken, ever bows his head. Even if our souls are scattered, we do not shed tears!” Qu Yuan Shan’s voice thundered.

“But brother, I’m... I’m ruined...” Qu Xiang Tian choked out.

“Are you dead? If not, then think only of revenge. A broken body is nothing; a broken soul is true defeat. Do you hear me?” Qu Yuan Shan barked.

Qu Xiang Tian stared blankly for a moment, then raised his head with gritted teeth and shouted, “Brother, I want revenge!”

“Good. That’s the brother I know. That fiend can’t escape. I’ll help you,” Qu Yuan Shan clapped his brother’s shoulder, his gaze glittering with murderous intent.

...

I had become infamous. In the circles of Xiliang, the name of the Bloodfiend Demon Doctor was legendary.

“That guy’s a real demon, they say. Slaughters people like chickens. If he hasn’t killed a thousand by now, it’s at least eight hundred.”

“I even heard he’s a giant, ten feet tall, eats human hearts, drinks blood, ravishes women, and doesn’t even spare old crones of eighty.”

“Most importantly, he cultivates the Maoshan Thunder Arts. The number one prodigy of the First Temple, Qu Xiang Tian, wasn’t he crippled by the demon’s thunder magic?”

“That’s right, that’s right. I’ve heard that too. And now Qu Xiang Tian’s elder brother, Qu Yuan Shan, is hunting him down.”

Yet here I was, the infamous Bloodfiend Demon Doctor, trudging wearily across endless desert, my lips cracked and dry. Glancing at the compass in my hand, I muttered, “No mistake, there should be water nearby.”

In the desert, water is life itself. Without water, survival is almost impossible.

I’d been forced to flee here, with not a drop of water on me.

It was raining that day, and I’d managed to drink my fill, then found a water pouch and filled it to the brim.

But now, after seven days in the desert, that pouch was long empty, and I was surviving on sheer willpower.

Climbing over a dune, my eyes lit up. I broke into a run.

There it was—a real oasis, with trees, grass, flowers, and a clear lake.

I plunged headlong into the water, diving under and drinking deep, uncaring that I was swallowing my own bathwater.

Swimming like a fish beneath the surface, I did a few laps before surfacing, floating on my back, spitting a mouthful of water into the air like a fountain.

Bliss!

I lay there, drifting on the water, gazing up at the blue sky, breathing the fresh, moist air, feeling happier than I had in ages.

Happiness is being alive!

Happiness is having water to drink and food to eat!

As these thoughts drifted through my mind, the gloom that had pressed on me since the Bai Dong Miao Village incident began to dissipate.

I closed my eyes, humming a little tune, and, lulled by sleepiness, drifted off without realizing it.

I had no idea how long I slept before the rapid clatter of hoofbeats woke me.

Dusk had fallen, and I’d floated near the lakeshore among the reeds.

“Jasmine, let’s bathe. I’m covered in sand, it’s unbearable,” a woman’s voice rang out.

“Alright,” another woman replied.

The two quickly disrobed and leapt into the lake with a splash.

I caught a fleeting glimpse of two snow-white figures before they vanished beneath the water.

I smiled wryly. Would it be too late to announce myself now?

Perhaps I should just wait until they finished bathing.

Instinctively, I concealed myself more deeply, drawing in my aura, though my eyes still drifted their way from time to time.

They were two young women, with striking features, dark green eyes, fair skin, and commanding figures—clearly of Western lineage.

Laughing and splashing, they played in the water, a sight most pleasing to my eye.

Suddenly, a fish leapt near me, sending up a great splash.

At once, two pairs of beautiful eyes turned toward the reeds where I hid, and a piercing scream rang out.

The long-haired girl reacted instantly. With a sharp cry and a slap at the water, a jet shot straight for my eyes.

The water arrow was swift and fierce—if it hit my eyeball, it would have burst it.

I dodged aside and called out loudly, “Wait! Ladies, it’s all a misunderstanding—I was here first!”

“Then why aren’t you getting out?” the short-haired girl snapped.

I climbed ashore, glancing back to see the two women huddled in the water, arms crossed over their chests, heads barely above the surface, glaring furiously at me.

Wiping the water from my face, I suddenly grinned. “Say, what if I took all your clothes? What would you do then?”

“Don’t you dare!” the two retorted angrily and anxiously, clearly afraid I might actually do it.

“Wouldn’t dream of it. Go ahead, I promise not to peek,” I said with a laugh, moving away from the lake to sit beneath a large tree.

I patted myself down, pulled out half a pack of cigarettes from my special monster-hide bag, and lit one.

After seven days without water, I hadn’t dared smoke a single one. Now, finally rehydrated, I could enjoy a well-deserved smoke.

Before I finished, the two women had dressed and strode over, brimming with hostility.

With a steely ring, the long-haired woman drew a curved blade that flashed coldly in the dusk.

I squinted at her. This woman was bursting with vitality, a faint aura swirling about her—clearly a martial artist.

“Who are you?” she demanded coldly.

“I’m a traveler who got lost. It took everything I had to find this oasis. Heroine, I have no money, but if you want to take advantage of me, I suppose I could endure it...” I feigned fear.

“You’re courting death!” she snapped, her blade pressing icy-cold against my neck.

Just then, the short-haired woman tugged at her companion and whispered, “Hongye, don’t be like this.”

“Jasmine, you’re too naive. You don’t know how dangerous the world is. This man is obviously no good. We’ll tie him up and bring him back to the tribe for judgment. According to the law, our tribe has enforcement rights within our territory,” Hongye snorted.

Jasmine hesitated, then said to me, “Sir, why don’t you come back with us to the tribe? It’s already dark, and packs of sand wolves roam at night. It’s very dangerous here.”

“Alright. By the way, which tribe are you from? With beauties like you two, I bet your tribe is full of lovely women,” I said, getting up with a smile.

“Filthy man, shut your mouth,” Hongye said coldly.

But Jasmine smiled gently, dimples appearing on her cheeks. “We’re a branch of the Yue Clan.”

Yue Clan!

I was stunned. What a coincidence to stumble upon women from the Yue Clan. No wonder this Hongye was so forceful. Still, not all Yue women were like that—Jasmine, for example, was much gentler.

They put me on a horse, with Jasmine and Hongye riding together and leading mine by the reins.

“How far is it from here to Ruyi Town?” I asked.

“About three hundred kilometers,” Jasmine replied.

Good grief. I’d traveled that far in seven days.

“Do you get many travelers out here?” I asked again.

“Almost none. Our tribe is in a dangerous part of the desert, full of wild beasts. Ordinary travelers wouldn’t dare come this way,” Jasmine answered.

Night had fallen completely by the time we reached the Yue Clan’s settlement.

The entire tribe was surrounded by tall wooden palisades, with watchtowers every fifty or sixty meters, each manned by guards, giving it an ancient and formidable appearance.