Inside the commander's tent, gloom hung thick as storm clouds. The immortals were at their wits' end, their low discussions filled with anxiety and helplessness. Jiang Ziya forced his ailing body to sit upright in the commander's seat. The Plague Poison inside him battered at him again and again, and his complexion grew ever darker.
At that deathly still and unbearably tense moment, a figure in plain Buddhist robes slowly stepped out from the crowd. His bearing was solemn and dignified, his steps steady, and a faint, detached Zen aura lingered around him. In an instant, every gaze in the tent was drawn to him.
The Buddhist disciple pressed his palms together and bowed slightly to the Chan Sect immortals in the tent. His voice was clear and calm, breaking through the heavy silence.
"May I ask you fellow Daoists of the Chan Sect—rumor has it that among the Twelve Golden Immortals, True Man Yuding is proficient in the Dao of pills and skilled at refining immortal pills from a hundred herbs. Is this true?"
Everyone was startled when they heard this and looked toward the speaker. Jiang Ziya forced down the sharp pain in his chest and abdomen, raised his eyes to the Buddhist disciple, and spoke in a hoarse voice.
"What you say is true, fellow Daoist. True Man Yuding's pill arts are exquisite, his skill enough to bring spring back to withered hands. He has always enjoyed great renown within the Chan Sect."
Receiving a definite answer, the Buddhist disciple nodded slightly.
"In that case, with the plague raging through Xiqi and all living beings plunged into misery, why do we not immediately go to True Man Yuding's Dao Field and request an Immortal Pill to neutralize the poison, thereby resolving the Plague Poison throughout the city?