WJ Chapter 37

Deer’s Cry (4)

Duanmu Deng… the son of Duanmu Nanting and his legitimate wife Gu Duanxi, that very person whom Duanmu Nanting claimed had dull talent and was unfit for great responsibility—the current Young Manor Lord of Wanci Manor.

Looking at the brightly smiling young man before him, Guan Wujue felt a subtle sense of sympathy arise within him.

This Young Manor Lord hadn’t been liked by his father since childhood, was used as a shield for Young Master Lin, and who knew how much of the affection he received was genuine versus fake. After his younger brother was gone, his father still thought about that lost younger son day and night—such a situation must not have felt good.

Having endured to this age, just when he could have waited to inherit the manor lordship, Young Master Lin, who had been missing for eighteen years, suddenly reappeared.

…Looking at it this way, this eldest brother was truly too unlucky.

Of course, these thoughts merely passed through Guan Wujue’s mind. The Red-Robed Protector’s face remained impassive, and he returned the greeting gracefully, saying, “So it’s the Young Manor Lord. My apologies.”

Duanmu Deng immediately became flustered. “Oh my, Four Directions Protector, you’re too polite. Please don’t, please don’t.”

He scratched his head again, making several strands of hair stick up, his face also blushing somewhat shyly. “Actually… actually I came to seek instruction from Protector Guan. Please, please don’t take offense.”

Guan Wujue raised an eyebrow imperceptibly. “What does the Young Manor Lord mean by this?”

Generally speaking, following jianghu conventions, “seeking instruction” was a euphemistic expression for “challenging to a fight”—it meant coming to cause trouble.

However… looking at this Young Manor Lord’s honest and straightforward appearance, he really didn’t seem like that type.

Unexpectedly, this question made things worse. Upon hearing it, Duanmu Deng became uncontrollably excited again, his eyes sparkling. “I heard that Protector Guan is the adopted son of Zhuyin Sect’s Hundred Medicines Elder Guan Muyan, not only superb in martial arts, but also very accomplished in medical arts! I, I have truly admired you for a long time…”

Guan Wujue didn’t know whether to laugh or cry. He had made a name for himself in jianghu for several years now and had heard storytellers embellish the Four Directions Protector in their tales as if he were divine soldiers descending from heaven. However… it seemed he had never encountered anyone like Duanmu Deng who jumped out to stop him and personally spoke of “admiration.”

The Protector felt there must be a huge misunderstanding. He explained calmly, “Young Manor Lord, I truly don’t deserve such praise. Although Wujue acknowledged Guan Muyan as an adoptive father, I am from the Ghost Gate, not the Medicine Gate. Those claims are mostly jianghu rumors spread through distortion. I haven’t touched medical or pharmaceutical matters for a long time…”

“Furthermore…” Guan Wujue thought for a moment and questioned, “Isn’t it a rule of Wanci Manor that disciples within the manor are not permitted to discuss medical arts with outsiders?”

“Exactly!” Duanmu Deng exaggeratedly slapped his thigh and declared righteously, “That’s why I secretly ran outside the manor to seek your instruction! I’m hiding this from everyone!”

Guan Wujue couldn’t help but laugh. He then heard Duanmu Deng step forward and insist:

“Protector Guan, you absolutely must not be modest. My father has always considered himself unrivaled in the medical and pharmaceutical arts. In all my years, I’ve only heard him praise one person’s medical skills… and that was Hundred Medicines Elder Guan Muyan!”

“My brain is rather slow, and I have difficulty even understanding my family’s secret techniques, so I can only seek instruction from more people… Medical arts that even my father praises—I absolutely must see them for myself.”

Guan Wujue couldn’t be bothered to let him see anything. He had come out on this trip with only one purpose: to somehow obtain Wanci Manor’s sacred medicine for the Sect Leader. He certainly hadn’t come to teach the manor’s Young Manor Lord any medical arts!

However, no matter how he declined, Duanmu Deng’s attitude remained unwavering. He adopted the posture of a stubborn donkey, shamelessly refusing to leave.

Not only did he refuse to leave himself, he also blocked Guan Wujue from leaving, determined to seek instruction in medical arts from him no matter what.

Guan Wujue was pestered by this fellow to the point he couldn’t break free. As a guest, he couldn’t very well have a falling out with the young master of the host family. Moreover, Duanmu Deng’s posture became increasingly humble, pleading with every word. As the saying goes, one shouldn’t strike a smiling face… there really was no way around this.

The Protector looked around helplessly. To return to the sect early, Yun Changliu had chosen a small road with sparse human presence. Even though it was bright daylight, it was very quiet.

…Fine then.

Since there was nothing urgent at the moment anyway, there was no rush to return. He might as well keep this Young Manor Lord company for a while.

“What does the Young Manor Lord wish to ask?”

Hearing there was hope, Duanmu Deng was immediately overjoyed. He pulled out a small bundle from his chest, his movements practiced, clearly having prepared in advance.

The bundle was unwrapped layer by layer, revealing several creased old pieces of paper inside.

Removing the papers, beneath them were surprisingly four—steamed wheat buns.

…The kind you could buy a whole basket of at street stalls for a few copper coins.

Already dried and shriveled ones at that.

Guan Wujue: “…”

He suddenly understood why this Young Manor Lord was considered a fool by his father.

With Wanci Manor’s profound resources, you, a young master of noble birth… were actually eating steamed buns in front of an outsider!?

“Oh right, Protector Guan, have you eaten lunch yet? I seem to have brought too many…”

The frugal and simple Young Manor Lord Duanmu grabbed a steamed bun and grinned at the Four Directions Protector, “Oh, if you think it’s too dry, I also brought water. It might just be a bit cold.”

Guan Wujue immediately declined calmly. “No need, truly no need.”

If the Sect Leader found out that as soon as he left, Guan Wujue started eating plain steamed buns with cold water for lunch, the consequences would be unthinkable.

The Young Manor Lord completely ignored the increasingly peculiar look the Protector was giving him. He paid no mind to the overgrown weeds on this small road, sat cross-legged on the ground, stuffed wheat cakes into his mouth on his own, and unfolded the wrinkled, crumpled paper to hand to Guan Wujue.

“Mm-hmm, yes! It’s this prescription… I’d like you to take a look.”

Guan Wujue shook his head helplessly, also sat down beside Duanmu Deng, and took the paper to examine it.

Soft Peucedanum one qian, White Platycodon eight fen, Straight Saposhnikovia one qian, Sichuan Angelica Pubescens half fen, Capital Peony one qian, Fat Anemarrhena five fen.

Duanmu Deng explained, “This is a prescription recorded in the ‘Wanci Pharmacopoeia,’ primarily treating cataracts and vision obstruction.”

Those who would inherit the manor lordship of Wanci Manor needed to fulfill two conditions, which was not a secret in jianghu.

First, they must be able to recite from memory all prescriptions recorded in the “Wanci Pharmacopoeia”; second, they must master the Duanmu family’s ancestral secret technique, the “Twelve-Point Acupoint Technique.”

Back then, Duanmu Nanting had wanted Duanmu Lin to fulfill these two conditions before his elder son, and preferably practice that acupoint technique to perfection, so he could rightfully inherit the manor lordship.

“…And this one,” Duanmu Deng handed over another paper, “I found this folk remedy somewhere.”

Guan Wujue compared the two papers and saw that the latter had additional ingredients: Notopterygium five fen, Ligusticum Chuanxiong two fen, White Angelica Tip two fen.

“Eye diseases belong to fire, caused by internal fire rushing upward to the eye apertures, congealing heat and stagnating blood. Logically, one should dispel wind and scatter heat, supplement yin and extinguish yang.”

As soon as they began discussing prescriptions, Duanmu Deng immediately became serious and solemn. Even the steamed wheat bun he was waving seemed to transform into a white feather fan for discussing strategy.

“But look at this folk remedy—the additional medicinal ingredients all have the effect of releasing the exterior and dispersing cold, with warm properties.”

Guan Wujue pondered briefly and asked, “Is the Young Manor Lord saying this folk remedy is mistaken?”

“No, no,” Duanmu Deng quickly shook his head. “This prescription came from an old country doctor’s hand. I personally witnessed a patient that even a Wanci Manor disciple couldn’t cure being healed using this prescription. I just can’t understand the principle…”

Speaking thus, the Young Manor Lord smiled sheepishly, “I’ve asked all the elders and masters in the manor, including my father—not one paid me any attention. They all said the ‘Wanci Pharmacopoeia’ couldn’t be wrong, that it must have been that manor disciple whose learning was inadequate, and told me just to memorize it properly… I secretly felt that perhaps I should seek instruction from an outsider instead. Just as Protector Guan arrived, I really couldn’t help but come ask…”

Guan Wujue looked deeply at Duanmu Deng.

This Young Manor Lord was truly a remarkable person.

He appeared simple and forthright, yet he could be diligent and inquisitive in medical arts, persistent in his pursuit, not rigidly bound by texts, setting aside face to ask questions without shame… Duanmu Nanting’s so-called “dullness” seemed not entirely accurate.

With this thought, the Protector chuckled softly and turned his gaze back to the prescription. “The prescription recorded in the ‘Wanci Pharmacopoeia’ appears to have no problems. I just wonder what symptoms the patient treated by that country doctor had?”

Duanmu Deng began to recall carefully, recounting everything he had seen and heard at that time to Guan Wujue in detail.

While speaking, he chewed his steamed bun with relish, occasionally gulping down cold water.

His expression was extremely satisfied, as if he were eating rare delicacies and drinking fine nectar and jade dew.

After a long while.

Guan Wujue finally sighed deeply amidst Duanmu Deng’s chewing sounds, smiled bitterly, and extended his hand. “Young Manor Lord… why don’t you, cough… share one with me after all?”

….

Before they knew it, the sun was already setting in the west.

Several birds carried a touch of sunset glow as they flew into the deep forest.

“…That’s the principle.” Guan Wujue folded the two papers neatly and returned them to Duanmu Deng’s hands.

The small bundle on the ground lay open, and those four steamed wheat buns inside had long been eaten clean by the two of them.

“Illnesses have variations of deficiency and excess. According to what the Young Manor Lord described, this patient’s wind-cold was quite severe. If treated according to the original prescription, the wind pathogen’s poison would enter the meridians, cold qi would counterattack and obstruct, internal breath would be imbalanced, blood qi damaged—naturally it wouldn’t heal over time.”

“That country doctor added warm-natured medicinal ingredients, intending first to expel wind-cold to clear the meridians, then eliminate fire and reduce heat. Using medicine must conform to the principle of sovereign, minister, assistant, and courier; one must examine the crux of symptoms and adjust dosages accordingly, adding one ingredient or reducing one ingredient—these are all perfectly normal matters…”

“Just like the Hundred Medicines Elder you praise, from what I’ve seen of his prescription formulations, there’s never a fixed pattern.”

Speaking thus, Guan Wujue patted off the dust and stood up.

He truly hadn’t expected that he would actually spend most of the day with this Young Manor Lord discussing these medical principles.

Duanmu Deng’s thinking was bold and freewheeling; often while chatting, the topic would jump elsewhere. Initially it was question and answer, later it became mutual discussion, and sometimes they began debating and refuting. When they came to their senses, the sun had already set.

Only then did Guan Wujue realize that facing that old man Guan Muyan’s incessant nagging, he always insisted ‘won’t study medicine, won’t study medicine’… but his heart couldn’t deceive himself.

He actually still liked all this.

Duanmu Deng took a deep breath, stood up, and bowed to Guan Wujue/ “I’ve truly benefited immensely.”

Guan Wujue was about to help him up when the Young Manor Lord straightened himself immediately, his face glowing. “Protector Guan! Today’s enlightenment—I truly don’t know how to express my gratitude!”

Guan Wujue repeatedly demurred politely, afraid this elder brother might in a moment of impulse say something deadly like “a teacher for a day is a father for life.”

But Duanmu Deng suddenly grasped the Protector’s hand and shook it anxiously:

“Oh right, Protector, you absolutely must not tell my father… My father is already greatly disappointed in me. If he knew I sought instruction from an outsider, he’d be even more vexed. I… I still have many questions, and I was thinking of coming to find you again in the next day or two for instruction.”

Speaking thus, Duanmu Deng began habitually scratching his head and smiling again:

“Aiya, maybe I really am stupid… If only Brother Lin could truly return. Then Father wouldn’t have to worry about the next manor lord every day.”

….

That night, as night deepened into the second watch.

The Manor Lord of Wanci Manor stood before the Four Directions Protector of Zhuyin Sect, his brow tightly furrowed.

That face people laughingly called an “old blackwood face” was even darker and more wooden than usual.

“The Nine-Leaf Jade Clarity Lotus is Wanci Manor’s supreme treasure. The Duanmu family has, over hundreds of years, never used this one medicine no matter how many fortunes or misfortunes we’ve experienced. Though I cherish my youngest son, I dare not abandon public duty for private reasons…”

Duanmu Nanting sighed. “Please, Four Directions Protector, propose a different condition.”

Guan Wujue sat before the desk, his smile turning somewhat cold.

“Manor Lord Duanmu… is truly impartial and selfless. Wujue admires this. Young Master Lin surely won’t blame the Manor Lord either…”

Guan Wujue spoke in a low voice, a flash of icy darkness passing through his expression. His fingers resting on the desk gradually clenched until his joints made faint creaking sounds.

As expected… just as he had anticipated.

From Duanmu Nanting, it couldn’t be obtained.