Chapter 1329: The Most Suitable Candidate (10-Chapter Burst)
"Who is Guiguzi?" Handsome Fatty Wang asked quietly beside him. This guy still didn't know who Guiguzi was.
"Your ancestor!" Ye Qing replied directly.
"Hey, now you're insulting people!" Handsome Fatty Wang immediately flared up and said, "What kind of manners is that!"
Ye Qing ignored him and looked at Shen Tianjun, saying, "So, does that mean no one can break this formation? But why has Medicine King Mountain been unsealed recently?"
"I don't know, perhaps it was deliberately arranged by Divine Doctor An Shiping," Shen Tianjun said. "Maybe when he set up this formation, he planned for this situation. On this particular day, some part of the formation eye would change or shift due to time, leading to the inability of the great formation to form, reopening Medicine King Mountain."
"Is that possible?" Ye Qing said in surprise.
"It's not hard. Ancient formation masters commonly used such methods," Shen Tianjun said. "To give a simple example, let's say I want to set up a timed formation. I could plant some small trees at the location of the formation eye. With these small trees as the formation eye, a great formation is established. But as time passes, these small trees gradually grow into large trees. When the trees' height breaks a certain limit, they can no longer maintain the original great formation, and the original formation will automatically disassemble. I think the great formation on Medicine King Mountain was arranged this way; that's why it opens periodically!"
Handsome Fatty Wang said, "According to what you said, why not just burn the trees on the mountain, then you can go directly in?"
"It's not that simple," Shen Tianjun shook his head and said. "First, you don't know which tree is the formation eye. Secondly, to burn the trees, you'd have to enter the formation, and once inside, you'd get lost. By then, you might not find the trees before you're trapped inside. No one wants to take that risk."
"Isn't it just a formation? How could it be so difficult?" Handsome Fatty Wang said, "Don't you know there's something called Polaris? If nothing else, you can at least determine directions, right? Let me tell you, finding directions in the woods is the easiest. Look at the tree rings or the bark, and you can tell. If that doesn't work, just look up at the sky to see where the sun is; how could you get lost?"
Shen Tianjun: "Shen Da, take him for a walk inside the Stone Formation."
"What Stone Formation?" Handsome Fatty Wang still had no idea what was happening.
"It's just an ordinary formation, quite fun inside. I'll take you there," Shen Da said. "If you can walk out smoothly, there's a reward."
"What reward? Do I care about such trivial things?" Handsome Fatty Wang stood up confidently and said, "I just want to prove to you all that these so-called great formations are fake, just used to deceive people. Let's go, where's the Stone Formation? I'll see it and walk out in minutes to show you."
Handsome Fatty Wang followed Shen Da out with a swagger, and watching his back, Ye Qing could only silently pray for him in his heart. Of course, he also made up his mind that before lunch, he wouldn't rescue him no matter what, or no one would have any peace.
"Uncle Shen, what kind of medicine do you need? How about I go to Medicine King Mountain to pick it for you?" Ye Qing said. "You've already announced to the world that you won't leave Xi Hang. If you break your vow this time, wouldn't it give people something to talk about?"
"No need!" Shen Tianjun shook his head decisively and said, "I've been traveling the world for twenty years just to gather these medicines. This time, Medicine King Mountain is finally opening, and there can be no mistakes. No matter what, I want Ling Wei to see the light. Even if I am denounced by the world, so be it!"
Seeing Shen Tianjun's resolute attitude, Ye Qing knew it was impossible to persuade him otherwise. He could only sigh and said, "Uncle Shen, then I'll go with you. I can help you find the medicine."
"You certainly have to go, as you're holding the Divine Doctor's Order," Shen Tianjun said. "And Lin Tianyou, there are two Divine Doctor's Orders; one should be yours, and the other his. Let him come along too."
Only then did Ye Qing remember Lin Tianyou. Indeed, at that time, there were two Divine Doctor's Orders, one under his feet and the other under Lin Tianyou's. It seemed that Bai Li Xi had left one for each of them, intending for both to go to Medicine King Mountain.
Honestly, Ye Qing wasn't too interested in inheriting Divine Doctor An Shiping's legacy. But thinking of Lin Tianyou, a thought suddenly stirred in his heart. If anyone should inherit An Shiping's legacy, Lin Tianyou was definitely the best candidate. Lin Tianyou was already deeply interested in medicine, and he had a kind heart and a righteous nature, quite similar to Divine Doctor An Shiping. If he could inherit the legacy, it would be a blessing to the world.
"I'll contact him tomorrow and have him go to Medicine King Mountain with us," Ye Qing said.
"Good!" Shen Tianjun nodded slowly and said, "However, you must not underestimate this matter. I suspect Ning Qianshu will personally come this time. The discord between Ning Qianshu and Bai Li Xi is due to An Shiping's legacy. Ning Qianshu wants to obtain it, while Bai Li Xi insists on An Shiping's last wishes, causing their ongoing argument. This time, with Medicine King Mountain opening and the reappearance of the Divine Doctor's Order, it's a chance Ning Qianshu has waited nearly fifty years for, and he will undoubtedly try desperately to seize it."
Ye Qing frowned slightly; he was not unfamiliar with the name Ning Qianshu. This person was not only skilled in medicine and poison but also extremely tactful in his actions. Twenty years ago, it was Ning Qianshu who eliminated several families of the Seven Rudders of the Hong Alliance. Then he had schemed for so many years, almost wiping out the Sha Men and the Shen Family. Although he eventually failed, one had to admit his tactics were really high-level, truly playing others in the palm of his hand, an extremely terrifying figure.
Ye Qing had only heard of his doings before, but now he didn't expect to face him personally, which made Ye Qing a bit worried. Considering Ning Qianshu's methods and strength, a confrontation this time would indeed be troublesome.
Seeing Ye Qing's expression, Shen Tianjun smiled and said, "Of course, you don't need to worry too much. If Ning Qianshu comes, Bai Li Xi will certainly be there too. Moreover, I expect many experts will gather at Medicine King Mountain this time, with many waiting for this opportunity. After fifty years, Medicine King Mountain finally opens, surely attracting a lot of people. By then, even if Ning Qianshu tries something, he won't be able to stir up too much trouble!"
Ye Qing nodded and said, "No matter what, this time we must collect those few herbs to cure Ling Wei's eyes. Everything else is not as important!"
Shen Tianjun didn't speak. He gently stroked his beard, but his eyes sparkled with determination. This trip to Medicine King Mountain was imperative for him as well.
After discussing Medicine King Mountain and the Divine Doctor's Order, Shen Tianjun casually inquired about how Ye Qing and Handsome Fatty Wang ended up together again.
Shen Tianjun's inquiry reminded Ye Qing of the whole affair, instantly fueling the fire in him, and he recounted how Old Wang Ba tricked him into rescuing Handsome Fatty Wang.
"Hahaha..." After hearing Ye Qing's words, Shen Tianjun couldn't help but laugh and said, "That truly is characteristic of Old Wang Ba, not wrong at all, harming others without benefiting himself!"
"That old guy is totally harming others without benefiting himself!" Ye Qing said angrily. "The key is, this time going there, I almost lost my life. Fortunately, I encountered Great General Helian Tiehua; otherwise, I might not have returned!"
"Oh?" Shen Tianjun said curiously, "What happened?"
Ye Qing then recounted the Northern Martial Zen incident, and of course, he didn't keep secret about Helian Tiehua's complete defeat of Northern Martial Zen. He even mentioned how Helian Tiehua defeated the Red Snake Yin Fairy and scared off One-Eyed Ding Lianshun.
Shen Tianjun listened intently, especially attentive to Helian Tiehua's combat stories, occasionally asking questions. After hearing the entire process, he took a deep breath and said in a low voice, "I didn't expect Helian Tiehua to have such an encounter, learning such martial arts!"
"What kind of martial arts is his 'A Stone's Throw Away'?" Ye Qing wondered. At that time, from a distance, Helian Tiehua's move really startled him. 'A Stone's Throw Away,' by the end, its speed was truly astonishing.
"I don't know what martial arts it is specifically, but I know that this set of martial arts was created by a monk who came from Tianzhu in those years," Shen Tianjun paused and said, "This monk was named Bodhidharma."
"Bodhidharma!?" Ye Qing was taken aback and said, "Patriarch Bodhidharma?"
"The later generations indeed called him that," Shen Tianjun nodded and said. "It's said that most of Xiaolin Temple's martial arts were created by him. 'A Stone's Throw Away' was one of the moves in a set of boxing techniques he created during seven years of seclusion, with remarkable power. However, after Patriarch Bodhidharma passed away, the martial arts were lost. I didn't expect Helian Tiehua to obtain this set of martial arts, no wonder he dared to intercept the Red Snake Yin Fairy and One-Eyed Ding Lianshun by himself!"
Ye Qing was utterly astonished, not having imagined that the martial arts of 'A Stone's Throw Away' would be related to Patriarch Bodhidharma.
"Was Patriarch Bodhidharma really a real person?" Ye Qing asked in wonder.
"Of course he was!" Shen Tianjun gave Ye Qing a surprised look and said, "Otherwise, how do you think Xiaolin Temple's martial arts came about?"
"Wasn't he a fictional character?" Ye Qing said, "Wasn't he made up by people?"
"Nonsense, what do you mean made up by people," Shen Tianjun said. "He was indeed a real person, and before coming to Huaxia, he was part of Tianzhu Brahmanism. Therefore, his Buddhist doctrine had some subtle differences compared to orthodox Buddhism."