Yun Ye hadn’t expected the entire pavilion to be so large. It was completely constructed from logs as thick as arms, covered with camel hide. The windows on all four sides were covered with some unknown thin, transparent skin. The whole pavilion was magnificent and resplendent, with colorful drapes everywhere. Various precious vessels inlaid with gold and silver lay scattered on the floor. Yun Ye picked up a wine pot with a dancing horse holding a cup, examining it carefully before his eyes. Both sides of the pot were decorated with gilt dancing horses, the patterns hammered out. The fine horses danced gracefully, manes flowing, ribbons flying – the scene of dancing horses presenting longevity leaped vividly before his eyes.
Just as he was clicking his tongue in admiration, a hoarse voice came over: “Why does Marquis Yun value objects over people?”
“From the moment I entered the pavilion, ignoring you would have been impossible. To ensure we can converse pleasantly, I first praised the vessels here – isn’t that what a guest should do?” Yun Ye still didn’t put down the silver pot in his hands, continuing to admire it, while Xu Jingzong broke out in sweat.
“Oh? Does Marquis Yun perhaps disdain Yetuo as a barbarian from beyond civilization, unworthy of conversation?”
“Your Chinese is even better than mine. Before you, I feel more like a wild barbarian from beyond civilization myself. How could there be any grounds for disdain?” Yun Ye said while searching the floor for cups matching the silver pot.
Xu Jingzong seemed somewhat hot, his eyes looking at the ground, sweat streaming down.
“You won’t find any cups – I crushed them all flat.”
“What a waste of heaven’s gifts. Not knowing to cherish such treasures of the human world is truly lamentable. Such precious objects permanently reduced to fragments – truly a human tragedy.”
“Why does Marquis Yun not dare look at me? My current appearance has much to do with Marquis Yun. I wonder what instruction Marquis Yun has for me?”
For some reason, the hoarse voice actually became less hoarse, gaining several notes of charm. The tone was strange, carrying a somewhat mocking meaning.
“It’s not that I don’t dare look at you, but that I’m wondering what exactly you experienced to become such a ghostly sight.”
“Marquis Yun doesn’t know?”
“From that painting, I know you went to the Queen Mother of the West’s place. Is Heaven Lake beautiful?”
Yetuo’s voice seemed to squeeze out from his belly, muffled as if separated by cowhide: “For your so-called Heaven Lake, sixteen of my most loyal subordinates perished in the wilderness. Won’t Marquis Yun give this old man an explanation?” Hearing this, Xu Jingzong immediately knelt on the floor, his body trembling.
“Fortune and misfortune have no gates – people bring them upon themselves. First, I didn’t make you go to such a place. Second, I didn’t invite you to go to such a place. You heard rumors and rushed there hastily – whom do you blame? Yetuo, I’ve traveled all day and am both thirsty and tired. Can’t you have them bring up some food and wine? Making guests stand – is this your way of receiving visitors?”
Yun Ye completely understood. Yetuo was a thorough and utter fool, not knowing who had bewitched him into running off to find an immortal land, only to be punished by nature and end up in such a miserable state. Yet he still held great hope for longevity. Such a stubborn fool – no matter how great his power or how strong his abilities, was nothing to fear. Once his mind was at ease, his old attitude sprouted.
“By the way, why did you hang yourself up and pierce your flesh with silver rings? Whose idea was that?” Only now did Yun Ye discover that this fellow was a pure pervert. He’d made many holes in his back, threading silver rings through the skin on his back, then connecting them with leather cords to suspend himself. He coughed in pain constantly, continuously coughing up dark-colored phlegm.
“Hehe, Marquis Yun, this too is thanks to you. Why is it that when you went to Heaven Lake you returned without a scratch, while I merely led my brothers through hardship to see it once and encountered such demonic tribulation? First an avalanche, then earthfire. Poor sixteen brothers – either swallowed by snow or reduced to ashes by earthfire. I could only survive through the terrifying methods of a Tianzhu demon monk. What justice is this?”
In later generations, such masochists were plentiful. In India and Southeast Asia, many ascetic monks tried to reduce mental trauma through physical suffering – supposedly very effective. Who’d have thought he’d encounter one here, especially a passive one. Seeing Yetuo’s agonized appearance, Yun Ye wanted to laugh. Climbing snow mountains in winter, encountering avalanches was all too common. In later generations, one or two people were still frequently buried. Now with such good environmental conditions, the snow on the mountains was probably much more abundant than in later times. The commotion they created must have been considerable – it would be strange if they didn’t trigger an avalanche. Touring the Tianshan Mountains without cable cars – it would be strange if people didn’t die. As for the volcano, that was a matter of character – Yun Ye made no comment.
Seeing Yun Ye’s schadenfreude expression, Yetuo’s fury erupted. He swayed his body back and forth but couldn’t make up his mind to kill Yun Ye. With a light clap of his palms, serving girls immediately flooded in. In moments, they had the messy pavilion cleaned spotlessly. Then some women wearing conical hats entered, carrying various foods into the pavilion. In no time, the long table was filled – mostly meat dishes, with several types of storable melons and fruits. Yun Ye unceremoniously grabbed a piece of melon, bit into it – extremely refreshing.
“Seeing Marquis Yun not at all worried about your situation – could it be that Marquis Yun has everything under control? The five hundred Great Tang cavalry behind you have already returned to Shuofang according to military orders. I wonder what you still rely on to chat and laugh so freely in my lair.” As soon as he finished speaking, he began coughing again. The volcanic ash in his lungs clearly tormented him terribly.
Disgusted by the sight, Yun Ye pulled over a gauze curtain to avoid flying spittle.
“Yetuo, do you want to drink wine? The grape wine here is quite good, much better than what’s in Chang’an city.” After drinking the fine wine in his golden cup, Yun Ye tucked the cup into his bosom and drank straight from the wine pot.
The more discourteous Yun Ye was, the more peaceful Yetuo became. He seemed not to see Yun Ye’s humiliation, his tone becoming increasingly gentle. “In my current ghostly state, can I even drink wine? Since Marquis Yun likes it, you might as well drink more.”
“As the host of a banquet, if you don’t even drink wine, how can I feel comfortable? Remove those ridiculous rings, I’ll give you a pill, then find a radish, squeeze it into juice, drink it down and you’ll be able to drink wine. Drinking alone is boring. If you want to be even more comfortable, open a small hole in your throat and insert a tube – then we can drink to our hearts’ content. What do you think?” Yun Ye offered a solution.
Xu Jingzong’s eyes widened like brass bells. Holding his breath with a piece of mutton still in his mouth, he looked at Yun Ye as if seeing a ghost.
Yetuo, however, let out a hoarse laugh. With a pull of his hand, he stood on the ground. Serving girls quickly removed the silver rings from his back one by one.
Wearing a large cloak, barefoot Yetuo stood on the wooden floor – fully two meters tall, his bronze-colored skin gleaming as if oiled. Days of illness hadn’t crushed such a man; instead, his brow carried a heroic spirit.
Yun Ye sighed inwardly. His lungs had undoubtedly been scalded by volcanic ash. With breathing difficulties, he’d thought of using the ascetic monk method of slowing breathing for self-recovery. Over time, he might actually cure himself. Though this method was painful and seemed perverted, it was the best approach under current conditions.
Since six people from his own caravan had died, Yun Ye never intended to let the murderer continue living in this world. Blood debts must be repaid with blood – perfectly justified. Especially after witnessing those poor slaves die so miserably and helplessly, a flame burned in his chest. This flame nearly made his blood boil. If the murderer didn’t die, his fury couldn’t be calmed.
Killing one person was too simple, especially for a famous physician. Sun Simiao had said that even for his father’s murderer, he would never use medical arts to kill. He wouldn’t, but Yun Ye would. Facing such a murderous demon, he didn’t mind using all his skills to kill silently and invisibly. Yun Ye had tested it – one golden pill made by Li Chunfeng could poison a chicken to death. He’d given Yun Ye a bottle of so-called “Bone-Dissolving Pills” he’d refined himself. After being scolded by Yuan Tiangang and having the pills confiscated, he’d increased the dosage again – supposedly eating them would grant immediate ascension.
Yun Ye believed this completely, because when Li Chunfeng made new Bone-Dissolving Pills in Sun Simiao’s pharmacy, he’d specifically added realgar – triple the amount. When heated, realgar became arsenic. According to Sun Simiao, seeing this stuff made him want to ascend – why would he need to eat it? A normal person taking it continuously for a month who didn’t die must not be an ordinary person, but an immortal.
The small purple bottle contained an anti-inflammatory pill. The steward brought a large bowl of radish juice. Yetuo drank the radish juice in one gulp, then carefully took the anti-inflammatory pill, sitting upright for a long while before opening his eyes. He said to Yun Ye: “I feel much more comfortable now, even more than hanging there. The burning sensation in my chest has dissipated considerably. It must be Marquis Yun’s medicine taking effect.”
“It can’t be that fast. Your lung’s fire was just temporarily suppressed by the radish juice. The medicine I gave you needs a day to take effect – that’s when you’ll feel comfortable.”
Yetuo laughed heartily, clapping his hands twice. Immediately several veiled dancers emerged from behind the drapes, holding not musical instruments but sharp daggers. Behind the drapes came urgent drumbeats. The dancers twisted and swayed, beginning to dance. Flame-shaped decorations on their navels actually transformed into blooming lotus flowers as they moved rapidly.
Just as he was watching entranced, someone kept poking him from behind. Looking back, it was the shepherd girl. She wore full Persian maiden attire, her slightly dark complexion, two eyes still round as ever. Whether she was missing a screw in her brain or naturally thick-skinned, she’d been scared to death just moments ago, nearly made into a cup, but now was drooling while looking at the food on the table.
He gave her a piece of melon, but she wasn’t satisfied. After eating it in two or three bites, she poked Yun Ye again for more food, her eyes constantly glancing at the oily fat chicken, nearly sticking out her tongue. No choice – he gave her the whole plate. Finally, she quieted down.
Yun Ye watched the song and dance while drinking wine, ignoring Yetuo who was circulating his energy there. Yetuo also said nothing, head bowed in thought. He probably wanted to think through the whole story from beginning to end. He still had too many questions to verify with Yun Ye. Little did he know that Yun Ye, holding his empty cup, was thinking about how to persuade Yetuo to swallow Li Chunfeng’s deadly Bone-Dissolving Pill.