Chapter Fifteen: The Death of Xue Dan

“The method of treatment is actually quite simple, but not everyone can accomplish it, for it requires an iron will, a will as strong as steel. The detailed record of this method is a secret that my Ghost Physician Sect never passes on, and now I shall impart it to you…” Xue Dan paused slightly as he spoke, as if waiting for something.

Since it’s a secret, yet you’re going to teach me? Lei Yan immediately understood Xue Dan’s intention, but he never planned to join any sect, and his heart wavered with hesitation.

“This boy can’t be so dense, can he? I’ve spelled it out so clearly!” Xue Dan looked at Lei Yan’s uncertain expression, thinking to himself.

“No, I don’t have much time left to waste. If this boy still doesn’t get it, then wouldn’t I have died in vain? I must remind him again…” With this thought, Xue Dan spoke once more, “This method, after all, is a secret of my Ghost Physician Sect, so you must have the proper identity…”

“Well then, there’s no such thing as a free lunch in this world! If one wishes to gain, one must pay the price!” With this in mind, Lei Yan immediately knelt down, saying, “Master, please accept your disciple’s obeisance!”

“Good! Good!” Xue Dan finally revealed a slight smile, enduring the pain as he helped Lei Yan up. Then, he withdrew a jade pendant of vibrant green from his bosom and handed it over. “This is the fruit of my medical research, and within it are some of my insights on alchemy. Let it serve as your ceremony of apprenticeship! The method to treat you is stored in the sect’s secret chamber; with this jade pendant, someone will guide you.”

He then took out a piece of cloth from his robe, pointed to the map drawn upon it, and laughed at himself. “I prepared this map specifically for this journey, and to think it’s actually come in handy!”

Lei Yan took the jade pendant and map from Xue Dan, put the map away, and turned the jade pendant over in his hands. This was the first time he’d ever heard of someone storing information in a jade pendant, but after scrutinizing it for a long time, he could not discern anything unusual.

“When you possess spiritual sense, you can channel it into the jade pendant and see the words recorded within,” Xue Dan smiled upon seeing Lei Yan’s actions.

“Spiritual sense? Another cultivator!” Lei Yan put away his curiosity, feeling helpless.

Noticing Lei Yan’s disappointed expression, Xue Dan comforted him. “The spiritual sense of cultivators is merely the transformation of the ‘mind’. Of course, this transformation doesn’t necessarily require cultivation. The method to heal your atrophied meridians is itself a training of the ‘mind’. Soon, you will have the ability to probe the contents of this jade pendant.”

“Training of the ‘mind’?” Lei Yan did not fully comprehend yet, so he committed Xue Dan’s words firmly to memory.

“Child, now that you are my disciple, there are things you ought to know.” Xue Dan organized his thoughts before continuing. “The Ghost Physician Sect was created by me after leaving my own sect. I have always claimed the title, but my true sect is the Ghost Poison Sect, so you must know that you are now under the Ghost Poison Sect.”

At this, Xue Dan seemed to recall the past and fell silent for a moment. After a while, he continued slowly, “Back then, my master Ghost Poison had two disciples: myself and my senior brother. Although our relationship was not intimate, it was quite amicable. Until one day, our master summoned us and imparted to us the ‘Medical Poison Scripture’.

“Strangely, in our eyes, the ‘Medical Poison Scripture’ manifested with great differences. What I saw was medicine; what my senior brother saw was poison. Our diverging views led to worsening relations, until neither would yield to the other. Soon, word of this reached our master. Oddly enough, he did not rebuke us, but instead said, ‘Fifty years from now, you two shall compete. Whoever wins shall inherit the position of sect leader.’ But, given our understanding of the scripture, during the competition, my senior brother could not harm me, and since I only practiced medicine, I could not harm him. Thus, the contest persists to this day. Now, this competition has shifted from between my senior brother and me to between our disciples.”

“What must come will always come!” Lei Yan thought to himself.

By now, Lei Yan understood what Xue Dan was about to say next, and realized why he had been accepted as a disciple. Xue Dan intended for Lei Yan to help him seize the sect leader’s position.

“Child, I hope you can represent me in this contest!” Xue Dan felt his strength rapidly fading and had to speak directly from his heart.

From the moment Lei Yan agreed to become Xue Dan’s disciple, he knew he would have to repay Xue Dan’s kindness. So, he nodded, saying, “I promise you, but I cannot guarantee victory.”

“Victory or defeat no longer matters to me.” Xue Dan's words were meant for Lei Yan, but also for himself. Though his heart was filled with regret, life was nearing its end.

Lei Yan was taken aback, not understanding what Xue Dan meant. Xue Dan did not explain, simply leaning against the tree, his eyes gazing at the ink-black sky.

The rain continued to fall, and neither spoke again. Xue Dan remained silent because his strength was rapidly draining. Lei Yan kept quiet because he was pondering how to deal with the new memories in his mind. These memories belonged to the demon cultivator, and Lei Yan dared not dwell upon them. Whenever he recalled those scenes, the memories felt as if they were his own lived experiences. Lei Yan knew that if he digested them all, he could no longer guarantee he would remain himself.

His approach was to avoid touching these memories and focus on other matters, believing that, given time, those memories would eventually fade away.

In the blink of an eye, a night passed. At dawn, the rain finally ceased.

A crystal-clear drop of water slid from the edge of a leaf and fell onto Lei Yan’s face.

“Achoo—”

The cold sensation jolted Lei Yan awake from his sleep. Last night, he had drifted off while pondering. When he opened his eyes, he instinctively nudged Xue Dan, who was leaning against the tree. “Master…”

With a crash, Xue Dan’s body collapsed to the side. Lei Yan was now fully awake. He examined Xue Dan closely: his face was pale, devoid of any trace of blood, and his eyes were tightly closed. Lei Yan checked his pulse and found that Xue Dan had already died. Only then did he recall Xue Dan’s words from the previous night, “Victory or defeat no longer matters to me!”—so this was why he had already known his time was near.

Lei Yan spent most of the day burying Xue Dan’s body. He knelt before the grave and knocked his head against the earth several times, saying, “Master, rest assured. I will fulfill my promise to you!”