Chapter 87: A Wandering Healer of the Martial World

With mountains on every side, Zhang Chi and Dao Xuan traveled on, yet saw no town or county along the way. Dao Xuan had been struck by an arrow, and the blood would not stop flowing. Zhang Chi was frantic with worry over the wound. Dao Xuan tried to comfort him. “Brother Zhang, do not fret. It is only a small wound. Truly, it is nothing serious.”

The more Dao Xuan said this, the more anxious Zhang Chi became. Though the injury was not severe, if it went on without any medicine or disinfection, it would be no laughing matter. “How can that be all right? If it festers, it will become a real problem.”

“What is festers?” Dao Xuan had never heard the term before.

Zhang Chi rubbed his forehead. As a modern man, he knew these things, but they were hard to explain in a sentence or two. So he said, “Listen to me. First we find a physician, have him remove the arrowhead and stop the bleeding. We have fast horses; we can still catch up with them.”

They hurried through the night, unable to make out the roads. For the whole night they searched for a path in the mountains, and it was not until daybreak the next day that Zhang Chi still did not know where they had come to. He wanted to find the main road, but kept turning in circles and could not get out of the mountains. Just as he was growing anxious, he spotted an elderly man in the distance, carrying a bamboo staff and straw sandals, with a basket strapped to his back, walking through the mountains.

Zhang Chi immediately urged his horse over and said, “Forgive the trouble, old sir. My brother and I have lost our way in the mountains. May I ask whether there is a town or county nearby? My brother is injured, and I wish to take him to a physician in town.”

The old man did not seem especially old, perhaps only in his fifties. He stopped, leaning on his staff, and looked back and forth at Dao Xuan on the horse and at Zhang Chi before smiling. “He was struck by an arrow, was he not?”

Zhang Chi nodded. The old man smiled. “I happen to be a physician myself. Since we have met here, it must be fate. Very well, come back to my home with me, and I shall treat his wound.”

Hearing this, Zhang Chi was overjoyed. He called for Dao Xuan to dismount, then took Dao Xuan’s horse by the reins and said, “The mountain paths are hard to travel. Old sir, please ride my horse. My brother and I can share one mount, and spare some of our strength.”

It was kindly meant, but the old man refused. “I will not ride. I am old and no longer know how. If you want the wound treated, just follow me.”

With that, the old man led the way. Seeing this, Zhang Chi could not very well mount, so he and Dao Xuan led the horses and followed close behind.

The land of Wu and Yue was not originally especially mountainous, but as they went on, the nearby peaks suddenly grew steep and sheer, utterly unlike the graceful hills and waters of Wu and Yue. Then, after rounding a mountain, the view opened wide: to the west rose faint, lofty mountains, and below them rolled a great river. Zhang Chi had not expected such perilous heights here, and asked, “What place is this?”

The old man smiled and replied, “The mountains to the west are the towering Siming Range, and the river beneath our feet is the Yao River. The mountain we are on is called City Mountain. Beyond the ferry ahead, some ten li farther on, lies Juzhang City, under the jurisdiction of Kuaiji Commandery.”

Juzhang was an ancient place name, in fact near present-day Ningbo. Zhang Chi did not know that, but he could tell that Kuaiji Commandery was vast. They had set out from Shanyin, the commandery seat of Kuaiji, yet after a whole night they had still not left the commandery’s boundaries. Worried about Dao Xuan’s injury, Zhang Chi asked again, “Old sir, do you live in Juzhang City?”

The old man seemed to see that Zhang Chi was concerned for Dao Xuan’s wound and smiled, shaking his head. “I live in a village below the mountain. Do not worry. We shall arrive in a moment.”

Sure enough, after descending the mountain and crossing no river, they came upon a village by the water. The old man’s house stood right by the riverbank, and from the outside it looked no more than a humble farm hut.

The old man pushed open the door and entered. Zhang Chi followed closely behind. Only once he stepped into the courtyard did he see that it was even more dilapidated than the outside, clearly neglected for a long time.

The old man called out, “Great White!”

Not long after, a large white dog squeezed through beneath the fence and ran straight to the old man’s side.

The old man smiled and crouched to stroke the white dog, his expression affectionate. Then he turned to Zhang Chi and Dao Xuan. “A man old and without a wife is a widower; old and without a husband, a widow; old and without children, alone; young and without a father, an orphan. In this world, those poor and wretched folk who have no one to depend on are only these four kinds. I am old and without wife, old and without children, so I have taken two of the four upon myself. Only Great White and I depend on each other.”

Zhang Chi could hear the self-mockery in the old man’s words and did not know what to say. The old man went on, “I usually gather herbs in the mountains and often treat the villagers nearby. When I am gone for months at a time, Great White can only go out and find something to eat on its own. It really does have a hard life.”

The white dog, of course, could not understand a word. After being petted for a while, it finally noticed Zhang Chi and Dao Xuan, and at once bared its teeth and barked furiously. The old man laughed heartily. “These two are not from my village. Great White is shy with strangers, so do not mind it.”

Zhang Chi would not quarrel with a dog, of course, and followed the old man into the house.

“Where have the two of you come from?” the old man asked casually.

“From Shanyin.”

“Shanyin is a big place,” the old man said with a smile. “You two have come a long way, so you must be hungry. Let me prepare something to eat first.”

In truth, Zhang Chi would rather he treated Dao Xuan and Bai Xue’s injuries at once, but then he thought better of it. The old man had just returned from gathering herbs in the mountains; he must be hungry as well, so it would be rude to press him. He could only wait quietly at the side.

Poor households had little to eat, only some wild greens gathered from the mountain, boiled into porridge. The greens were mashed and put in a pot to cook, and in no time steam rose from the stove. The old man brought out two bowls of green mush and set them before Zhang Chi and Dao Xuan. “Come now, you have traveled far. My house is poor and has nothing fine to offer. These two bowls of wild greens porridge will at least fill your stomachs. Please make do.”

Before crossing over, Zhang Chi had lived in a city and rarely had the chance to eat such green, natural food, so he was somewhat curious. But the moment he took a bite, he could not help but grimace. It was not merely flavorless; it was nearly impossible to swallow.

Yet in this age, many ordinary people survived on just this.

The old man was hospitable, and Zhang Chi did not want to embarrass him. He forced himself to finish the wild greens porridge as though taking medicine. Only then did the old man come over to examine Dao Xuan’s injury. He opened Dao Xuan’s clothes and looked carefully for a moment before saying, “Nothing serious. I will remove the arrowhead and apply some medicine.”

It was not until Zhang Chi saw the old man extract the arrowhead from Dao Xuan’s left shoulder that he finally relaxed. He asked, “Old sir, your skill in medicine is extraordinary. Might I ask your name?”

“My surname is Li. I am only a wandering doctor, a barefoot physician. How could I dare claim any extraordinary skill?” the old man said modestly. “The bleeding is stopped for now, but wounds from iron are prone to infection and gangrene. If you are not in a hurry, you may rest here for a while. At sunset, I will apply the medicine once more, and there will be no aftereffects.”

Zhang Chi was deeply grateful. Thinking of Bai Xue outside, he said, “Many thanks, old sir. But my white horse was also wounded by arrows. Could you trouble yourself to treat it as well?”

But the moment he said this, the old man’s face darkened. With a sudden sweep of his sleeve, his attitude changed completely. Coldly he said, “I may be a physician, but I treat only people, not beasts. Find someone else.”

Zhang Chi had not expected such a violent reaction. He was instantly embarrassed, standing there not knowing what to do. Before he could speak, the old man cut him off. “Either I treat only people, or you may leave now.”

Seeing the old man angry, Zhang Chi guessed that asking him to treat a horse had insulted him. He hurriedly apologized. “Please do not be upset, old sir. Since you have said so, then please treat only the person and not the animal.”

Zhang Chi did care for Bai Xue, but since the old man was of such a temperament, he could not force the matter. Better to heal Dao Xuan first.

Only then did the old man’s face soften again. “That is more like it. Rest a while. To prevent gangrene, I still lack one herb. It is common enough, and there is some on the back mountain. I shall go and gather it now.”

Zhang Chi found the old man rather amusing and said, “You have truly gone to a great deal of trouble, sir. How much is the consultation fee?”

“No need, no need. In all my years treating people, I have never once taken a fee,” the old man said, waving his hand. With a sigh, he added, “The world is in chaos, and the people suffer. I can only do what little I can for them. Better than nothing, at least.”

With that, the old man pushed open the door and went off toward the back mountain to gather herbs. Zhang Chi sat in the house, deeply moved. This old man treated the sick and injured and asked for not a single coin in return. No wonder he lived in such poverty. To seek only to do something for the people—such breadth of heart was truly worthy of admiration and respect.

A short while after the old man left, Zhang Chi and Dao Xuan suddenly heard outside a burst of neighing and shouting, followed by the sound of hooves and then barking, as though many people had arrived.

“You damn dog! You dare bite me?” one person cried out.

Then another voice was heard entering the courtyard. “There is even a big white dog here. We’ll stew it for a proper meal later.”

“Exactly, exactly. Such a vicious dog should be butchered to nourish the Taoist master.” The first voice, which had been crying out in pain, now turned sycophantic.

The first speaker then said, “Is this really the home of the miracle doctor Li, the one the villagers say saves lives and helps the world? Why is it in such a miserable state?”

“If the villagers said so, then this must be the place,” another voice replied.

The first speaker clearly had noticed Bai Xue standing in the courtyard. “There’s a horse here, so this must be right. Ordinary people could never afford a horse. It seems this miracle doctor has earned quite a bit from treating the villagers. Quickly, carry me into the house.”

Hearing the voices, Zhang Chi hurried out to look, only to see four or five men carrying a person on a makeshift stretcher made of bamboo poles. Beyond the gate stood many more people and horses.

The man on the stretcher sat up. Zhang Chi had not expected to see an acquaintance here: it was none other than Taoist Master Shouyin. Yet Shouyin did not seem to recognize Zhang Chi. Pointing at him with a haughty air, he said, “Who are you? Does the miracle doctor Li live here?”

Zhang Chi could not believe that Shouyin did not recognize him. Back in the Health and Peace Daoist Temple, Zhang Chi had even mocked him before.

“I am speaking to you. Country bumpkin, never seen the world, why do you keep staring at me? Could it be that there are flowers on this Taoist master’s face?”

Only then did Zhang Chi come to his senses. “This is indeed the home of Miracle Doctor Li, but he has gone to the back mountain to gather herbs and will not be back for a while. If you seek treatment, please wait in the courtyard for a bit.”

“He’s old and still wandering all over the place every day. Is he not afraid the beasts in the mountains will eat him and leave him without a whole corpse?” Taoist Master Shouyin cursed, then ordered the men carrying him to set him down in the courtyard. Zhang Chi knew that Shouyin had probably come seeking medical treatment, and turned back into the house. Yet no matter how he thought about it, he could not understand why Shouyin had failed to recognize him. Had changing into these ragged refugee clothes really altered him so much?