The Sage Who Transcended Samsara

However, that was just a thought. Meng Qi pointed at Duan Rui and said, “Doctor Zhong, this is Duan Rui with the Soul-dissociating Syndrome.”

“Isn’t it Duan Fusheng…” Feng Yuanjing blurted out.

Meng Qi had already figured out what had happened. He stifled his laughter and said, “You can also call him that.”

As a Half-step Exterior Scenery, Zhong Taiping had sensed that there was someone with his acupoints sealed lying on the bed even before he had walked into the room. He knew that Duan Rui was ill at first glance. He stood beside the bed and lifted Duan Rui’s left hand, then he put his forefinger and middle finger on Duan Rui’s wrist in a weird position. As he became calm and focused, Meng Qi and the others stopped talking and waited quietly.

After a while, Zhong Taiping withdrew his fingers and took out a dozen of silver pins. Then he stuck them into Duan Rui’s different acupoints. After the pin positions nine times, Duan Rui’s face twisted and soon his eyes turned dark, as if his pupils had disappeared.

“I’m gonna kill you!” He let out a shrill scream.

As Doctor Zhong did acupuncture on him, some of his acupoints were unlocked and he regained the ability to speak. He opened his mouth and seemed to be about to spit out saliva.

As a Half-step Exterior Scenery and with the silver pins stuck on Duan Rui’s body, how could Zhang Taiping not know what was about to happen? He immediately used his genuine Qi to make Duan Rui “shut his mouth”. He then pulled out the silver pin. Seeing Duan Rui’s eyes gradually becoming normal, he seemed to have realized something.

The series of changes made Meng Qi think highly of him. Although “Nine-nos Doctor” was an extremely eccentric old man, his medical skills were absolutely amazing. He had truly earned his reputation.

Before the words could leave Meng Qi’s mouth, Feng Yuanjing could not help but ask, “Uncle Zhong, is it the Soul-dissociating Syndrome?”

Her actions drew Feng Bin’s attention, but she did not say anything else, which left Meng Qi a little confused.

Zhong Taiping answered in a leisurely manner as he stroked his goatee. “Indeed it’s the Soul-dissociating Syndrome. Young Master Su, please tell us the whole story because there’re various kinds of Soul-dissociating Syndrome.”

This was the questioning portion of the four-part diagnosis including looking, listening, asking and the feeling of the pulse.

Meng Qi told him what he saw and what he heard from Duan Rui, except the cause of Zhen Chang’s theft and the possibility that Duan Rui cultivated “Muscle-bone Strengthening Scripture”.

In truth, he felt slightly confused. “Muscle-bone Strengthening Scripture” was a Peerless Godly Kung Fu which could ameliorate one’s body potentials and elevate his kung fu and movements. However, it was mainly regarded as the means to improve one’s genuine Qi which would never resemble Duan Rui’s Devil Path genuine Qi. Had he lied about something? His adopted father had once taught him an excellent demonic art. Had he elevated it by “Muscle-bone Strengthening Scripture”?

Feng Yuanjing knew Duan Rui’s background and his source of kung fu for the first time. She felt sorry for him and believed that Duan Rui’s crazy adopted father was to blame. She did not think his nine postures was the root of his Soul-dissociating Syndrome.

Feng Bin nodded his head. If the Soul-dissociating Syndrome was caused by kung fu, there would be no need to worry if Duan Rui stopped practicing. With such good body potential, he could still progress quickly by practicing other arts.

Zhong Taiping nodded his head with his hand on his goatee. Then he said, “One type of Soul-dissociating Syndrome is having two spirits in one body. It has existed since ancient times. Some are born with it, and some are invaded by another spirit who wants to revive. If someone was in a relevant condition, he would need to find a master specializing in Vital Spirits to help him oppress the other spirit. Then he could be cured once and for all with the help of talismans or medicine. However, the process could be risky. The original spirit could easily be hurt if a mistake occurred, which would leave an incurable trauma. I once cured a patient who had the Soul-dissociating Syndrome of two spirits in one body.”

“But after hearing Young Master Su’s description, I checked Young Master Duan’s pulse. That type of Soul-dissociating can be excluded.”

Feng Yuanjing was extremely nervous at first, but she felt relieved after Zhong Taiping had excluded that possibility. She complained inwardly, “Why is Uncle Zhong so wordy. Can’t he just tell us the reason so that I don’t have to worry about anything!”

Meng Qi thought about himself while listening calmly. ” If the original Su Ziyuan’s spirit didn’t disappear after I transcended, then I would have two spirits in one body which would make me another schizophrenic. I wonder what type is the demoness Gu Xiaosang …”

Seeing Duan Rui lying on the bed, Zhong Wei felt jealous but also sympathetic. Duan Rui practiced such a superior kung fu which made him able to defeat a Seven Acupores master. It was such a shame that he had become such a mess that he could not even control his own body.

“…Young Master Duan’s Soul-dissociating Syndrome is primarily…” Zhong Taiping eased into the subject after having spouted much nonsense like other doctors. “He was a kind and earnest man, but practicing demonic art changed his disposition and the way he behaved. In other words, the demonic art stimulated his dark side which contradicted his true nature. Over the course of time, the contradiction became so strong that he decided the now empowered dark side wasn’t a part of him. So, he pushed it out. Therefore, the two were split in half and became this so-called Soul-dissociating Syndrome .”

Tears filled Duan Rui’s eyes. “I see now. I wasn’t born evil!”

“This is legitimate schizophrenia…” Meng Qi concluded.

Feng Bin and Feng Yuanjing agreed that there were tons of demonic arts which could stimulate people’s desire to kill.

Qi Zhengyan listened carefully and pursed his lips as if he was thinking of something.

“Doctor Zhong, are you sure that the nine postures is a demonic art? Duan Rui’s adopted father doesn’t seem to have been a good man. Practicing a demonic art shouldn’t have made him contradict himself. Why did he go mad as well?” Meng Qi presented his questions.

Zhong Taiping shook his head and said, “It doesn’t have to be the nine postures. In any case, there’re traces of demonic art.”

Duan Rui suddenly tried to say something.

Meng Qi flicked his fingers and unlocked Duan Rui’s vocal acupoint. At the same time, he reminded Feng Yuanjing and the others of his saliva’s properties.

“I- No, the evil spirit told me the reason why my father went mad was that he lied about the real problem during cultivation, which led him to change the orders of the nine postures…” Duan Rui said in such a hurry. Based on his conversation with the evil spirit, he was 100 percent sure that the nine postures was a demonic art!

Meng Qi took a short breath. “Was it not the ‘Muscle-bone Strengthening Scripture’? Or was it like in The Demi-God’s and Semi-Devil’s sophisticated Buddhism kung fu, where Teachings of Buddhism were required to mediate, otherwise there would be problems? But I didn’t have any potential problems when practicing Golden Bell Shield…” 

It was common sense that changing the practicing orders would lead to problems, but it was unusual that Duan Rui still had problems when he had practiced correctly. Most of these arts were demonic art, quick to progress, powerful and prone to trouble.

After hearing what Duan Rui said, Zhong Taiping nodded his head and said, ” It’s easy to cure since I know the cause.”

“Doctor Zhong, can I really be cured?” Duan Rui was ecstatic. So was Feng Yuanjing.

Zhong Taiping snorted and said, “If I say it’s curable, then it is curable!”

Such a bad attitude made Duan Rui completely believe Doctor Zhong was an incredibly skilled doctor!

“First of all, you have to stop practicing that nine postures.” Zhong Taiping directly said, “then with the help of acupuncture to oppress and assimilate the split part, you and it will become one again. Of course, the premise is that you cannot resist and regard it as an evil spirit.”

Stunned, Duan Rui said:” I, I’ll still have it in my head?”

“What, what kind of treatment is this…”

Looking very serious, Zhong Taiping said: “You are him and he is you. You cannot eliminate him unless you are killed. However, you can erase his consciousness and control him.”

Meng Qi followed up, “Young Master Duan, who doesn’t have their own dark side? The key is to oppress it and treat it rationally.”

“Didn’t you ever think of making a fortune, taking on a concubine and getting a little vengeance on the sect members who treated you badly? It’s quite normal. You just have to know it is only a fantasy and forget it. That way, you remain a good man.”

“Everyone has their own ‘evil spirit’. The trick is in how they deal with it. Forcing yourself to cut it is the worst choice.”

Duan Rui’s astonishment was slightly subsided, and he nodded his head thoughtfully. It was still difficult for him to fully understand.

Meng Qi pondered and said, “How about this, regard yourself as yang and the evil spirit as yin. Then tell me if my saber is yin or yang.”

Seeing that Killing Blade was about to demonstrate his bladesmanship, Feng Yuanjing and Zhong Weixing held their breath and waited. Feng Bin and Zhong Taiping also turned their attention to Meng Qi.

As the silver snake was withdrawn, Meng Qi swung his saber towards the void. Containing yin and yang, the Knife Momentum was exerted by a combination of inflexibility and yielding. It seemed to be ever-changing as the yin and yang mingled within.

Trio Combination with Yin and Yang? Which was Yin and which was Yang?

“Whoa…” Feng Bin and Zhong Taiping both knew how mysterious the move was and nodded their heads. They both believed that they had to confront it if they encountered such bladesmanship.

As the saber was coming down, at the last moment the Knife Momentum switched to yang from yin, which soon made the house begin to tremble, and a lot of dust fall from the roof.

“Yin and yang are rooted in one another. One cannot exist without the other, and that’s a portrayal of you and your evil spirit. But you’ll still be yourself if you can control it. Do you understand now?” Meng Qi taught Duan Rui a more straightforward lesson with his swordplay.

Duan Rui finally understood and said, “Thank you for making it clear.”

Zhong Wei was still absorbed in the bladesmanship. He believed that it was extremely sophisticated and close to both Dharma and Logos.

“He needs at least three months of acupuncture. Take him to my mansion.” Zhong Tai stood up with his hands clasped behind his back, then he looked at the roof.

Meng Qi immediately said, “Okay.”

Then he asked again, “Doctor Zhong, is there a simplified version of that acupuncture method you just used to awaken the evil spirit?”

“There’s no short cut for the art of healing!” Zhong Taiping snorted.

Although Meng Qi remembered the nine changes of acupoint, and sensed the flow of genuine Qi, he could only smile wryly and give up. Would the demoness, Gu Xiaosang, let him stick so many pins on her body?

Zhong Taiping returned home with his hand clasped behind his back and waited for Meng Qi and Qi Zhengyan to send Duan Rui to his mansion. Feng Yuanjing and Feng Bin followed him to offer their help.

“Senior Brother Qi, can you guard the house for me? I have something to say to Duanrui.” He said to Qi Zhengyan after seeing them leave.

“A-ha…” Qi Zhengyan looked like he had woke up suddenly, “Okay!”

Meng Qi went to the bedside and looked at Duan Rui. “Young Master Duan, I have one question you have to answer with honesty. How did your adopted father know the right order of the nine postures?”

“He told me that he encountered an old monk who told him the right order when he got the nine pages of scattered script, but the ‘evil spirit’ said that he didn’t believe that and asked me to practice it first.” Duan Rui answered honestly.

“An old monk…” Meng Qi was shocked. “Did he tell you the appearance of the old monk?”

“He didn’t.” There was sincerity in his eyes.

Meng Qi frowned. To find “Muscle-bone Strengthening Scripture” and other hand-written scripts, many Elders and Presidents had been to the depths of the black mountain. It was difficult to identify. It was even possible that someone sneaked into the black mountain…

However, there was definitely someone behind Zhen Chang. There was a spy among the Elders of Shaolin Temple!

But why would he let Duan Rui’s adopted father practice this nine page art which seemed to be demonic. Did he regard Duan Rui’s adopted father as an experimental subject as well? And where had the nine paged demonic art come from? What Zhen Chang had copied were all Shaolin Temple’s supreme arts…

These judgments were based on Duan Rui’s honesty, so Meng Qi decided to do more observation.

After sending Duan Rui to Zhong Taiping’s mansion, Meng Qi went to Six Fan School and decided to tell them what happened to Duan Rui. After all, he could not stay there forever, and they would still be responsible for the guard.

When walking on the long street, Meng Qi sensed something and looked back, then he saw a young Taoist who had a tall nose and thin lips. Wearing a feathered robe and an antique crown. Five Emperors’ Knife Qing Yu stood near him.

“Benefactor Su, you walked so fast that I barely could catch you.” Qing Yu smiled, cupped his hands and bowed.

Meng Qi was surprised. “What is it?”

“It’s mainly my desire. The reason I came to Maoling is to engage in combat and learn from it, but I was involved in an accident and had to return to my sect. The first person I wanted to battle after I came down the mountain again is benefactor Su. After all, the promise made that day hasn’t been kept yet.” Qing Yu spoke the words with fervor and assurance. His momentum was so grand that the surrounding crowd began to unconsciously step backward.

“Though he’s such a cunning little Taoist, he’s indeed the perfect match for me.” Meng Qi laughed enthusiastically and said,

“I daren’t ask, since it’s also my wish.”

As he spoke, his momentum burst out like an unsheathed saber which caused the crowd nearby to retreat in succession.

After a while, the long street was clear, with only those two facing each other.