Boom! Boom!
Thunder cracked.
It was already the hour of the ox.
Ping'an County lay pitch-black, and the thunderstorm only made it seem quieter.
Rain fell like strings of pearls, striking the rooftops and dripping from the corners of the eaves.
Yet just then.
A figure appeared in the silent street.
He walked at an unhurried pace, wearing a bamboo hat, and approached a residence.
It was none other than Xu Qingxiao.
Learning that he had less than twenty-four hours to live had left Xu Qingxiao heavyhearted and helpless.
But once he learned there was still a way to save himself, Xu Qingxiao refused to give up, no matter what.
Although he did not know why Constable Chen had stopped him from learning about the remedy, Xu Qingxiao had no intention of abandoning himself to despair.
He had come through the rain with a clear purpose: to find Physician Zhao.
Whatever it took, he had to ask how to save himself.
Boom.
Another clap of thunder rang out.
Xu Qingxiao reached Doctor Zhao's door, knocked softly, and stood beneath the doorway, waiting quietly.
"Who is it?"
After a while.
A young voice sounded, tinged with wariness.
"I'm from the county office. Tell your master I have urgent business."
Xu Qingxiao announced who he was, getting straight to the point.
"Please wait a moment, sir."
Hearing that he was from the county office, the person inside immediately called out.
About thirty breaths passed.
Doctor Zhao's voice sounded, but the door remained closed.
"May I ask which officer you are?"
It was the dead of night, and there was no knowing whether this sudden visitor really was an officer. Although Ping'an Commandery and its counties were peaceful, taking precautions certainly could not hurt.
"Doctor Zhao, it's me."
Xu Qingxiao spoke.
Doctor Zhao hesitated no longer and immediately had someone remove the door boards.
"Young Qingxiao, come inside, quickly. You're ill, and cold has already invaded your body. If you catch another chill, things will be even worse."
"Erming, hurry and prepare a brazier. Go, quickly."
Once he saw that it really was Xu Qingxiao, Doctor Zhao hurriedly pulled him inside, speaking with some urgency while telling his apprentice to prepare a brazier.
"Doctor Zhao, sorry to intrude so late at night. There's no need for a brazier."
Xu Qingxiao waved a hand. The cold inside him did indeed pierce to the bone, but he could still endure it for now. He did not need a brazier.
"It's no trouble, just a small matter. Come, sit down."
Doctor Zhao took the bamboo hat off Xu Qingxiao's head, then removed his own coat, intending to drape it over him.
Though grateful, Xu Qingxiao waved a hand and declined.
"Doctor Zhao, I imagine you know why I've come so suddenly. Please, with a healer's compassionate heart, take pity on me and show me a path through this maze."
Xu Qingxiao went straight to the point, then bowed deeply to Doctor Zhao.
With life and death hanging in the balance, Xu Qingxiao had no patience for anything else and did not want to drag things through mud and water. Better to speak plainly.
Indeed.
The moment he heard Xu Qingxiao's voice, Doctor Zhao had already understood why he had come.
The dispensary fell rather quiet.
The oil lamp hissed. Doctor Zhao remained silent, regretting his earlier loose tongue.
"Master, here's the brazier."
Just then, the apprentice brought over a brazier. It was a stove used to decoct medicine, though occasionally it also served as a brazier to warm oneself.
"All right, go upstairs and rest."
Doctor Zhao nodded, took the brazier, and set it before Xu Qingxiao.
The deep-red coal briquettes radiated heat, but Xu Qingxiao felt not the slightest warmth. The cold within him left him feeling nothing but ice.
"Doctor Zhao, I'm a dying man. I don't have much time left. Please take pity on me."
Xu Qingxiao spoke again, though his gaze was rather calm.
Though a plea, those words carried another meaning.
I'm about to die, and there's nothing I won't do. But I hope you'll take pity on me and point me toward a way forward. Whether I live or die afterward, I won't blame you.
Xu Qingxiao did not want to do this.
But he had no other choice. Doctor Zhao seemed deeply wary of something and kept refusing to speak, leaving Xu Qingxiao no option but this last resort.
Sure enough.
Doctor Zhao's expression shifted slightly at those words. He looked at Xu Qingxiao with anger in his eyes. At sixty years old, how could he fail to hear what Xu Qingxiao meant?
But he soon calmed his anger. Finally, he drew a deep breath, shook his head, and sighed.
"Fine, fine, fine. Since my loose words were the cause, I'll bear their consequences as well."
After weighing things up, he made his choice.
Doctor Zhao's gaze settled on Xu Qingxiao, and he spoke.
"I know how desperately you want to live. But this third method may be no easier than the first two-or it may be far simpler than either."
"Young Qingxiao, have you heard of aberrant arts?"
Doctor Zhao spoke, revealing the third method.
"Aberrant arts?"
Xu Qingxiao raised his head, his brow furrowing slightly.
He kept searching his memories for the term.
Soon, something came back to Xu Qingxiao.
"Do you mean the aberrant arts strictly forbidden by the imperial court?"
Xu Qingxiao asked, somewhat puzzled.
"Yes."
Physician Zhao nodded, confirming his guess.
At that moment, Xu Qingxiao fully understood why Constable Chen had cut Doctor Zhao off earlier when he mentioned the third method.
Aberrant arts.
They were not merely forbidden by the imperial court, but also strictly prohibited by every renowned orthodox school.
In this world, there were immortals, monsters, demons, sinister beings, Buddhists, and martial artists.
Immortals had immortal methods, and martial artists had the Martial Dao.
But whether one followed the Immortal Dao or the Martial Dao, cultivation was extraordinarily difficult, and only grew harder the further one advanced.
Yet there was something that could rapidly make a person stronger.
That something was "aberrant arts."
Once practiced, these aberrant arts could instantly make one particular ability immensely powerful.
For example, immortal cultivators primarily cultivated their primordial spirit. But strengthening it required not only daily tempering, but also experience in the mortal world and insight into the Way and life.
Martial Dao cultivation, meanwhile, strengthened one's blood vitality and physique, requiring daily physical tempering and martial practice.
But with aberrant arts, one could strengthen the primordial spirit or enhance one's blood vitality and physique in an instant.
In a single stroke, they could save decades, even a century, of arduous cultivation.
Yet these aberrant arts had utterly terrifying side effects. They could easily cause people to lose their minds, and some especially frightening arts could even turn people into monsters or demons that wreaked havoc upon the world.
The odds were as high as eight or nine in ten.
In other words, out of ten people who practiced aberrant arts, eight or nine would become monsters or demons and bring calamity to the world.
Naturally, all the renowned orthodox schools under heaven-and even the monstrous and demonic paths-prohibited their practice.
That alone was enough to show how terrifying these arts were.
At that moment, Xu Qingxiao truly froze.
He had never imagined that Doctor Zhao's third method would actually be aberrant arts.
But once he recovered.
Xu Qingxiao still asked directly.
"Doctor Zhao, can aberrant arts save my life?"
His gaze burned like a torch as he looked at Doctor Zhao.
"It depends on the art. The nether yin qi afflicting you is a poison of extreme yin. If you can find a Pure Yang Unorthodox Art, you could save yourself."
Doctor Zhao explained.
"There are utmost-yang methods among aberrant arts?"
Xu Qingxiao was rather surprised. Aren't these crooked, evil techniques?
"Of course. Aberrant arts come in many varieties. In their beginnings, they were indeed meant to aid cultivation. It was only later that all manner of ill-intentioned people corrupted them."
"Human nature is greedy, after all. But young Qingxiao, I still advise you not to attempt this path. Of those who practice aberrant arts, eight or nine in ten lose their minds or turn into demons and monsters that wreak havoc upon the world."
Doctor Zhao could not help urging him against it.
Aberrant arts were hardly a secret. Doctor Zhao knew the dangers involved, which was why he offered this warning.
"A Pure Yang Unorthodox Art?"
Xu Qingxiao paid no heed to Doctor Zhao's warning.
He was about to die.
Why worry about danger now? Even with only a one-percent chance, Xu Qingxiao would try. After all, not trying meant death.
"Doctor Zhao, where can I obtain an aberrant art?"
Xu Qingxiao continued asking.
"That, I do not know."
Doctor Zhao shook his head outright. He knew something about aberrant arts because they were hardly a secret, and because, having lived to sixty, he had accumulated considerable experience.
But where to find an aberrant art? How would he know that?
"Do you truly not know?"
Xu Qingxiao could not help asking again.
Physician Zhao gave a wry smile.
He looked at Xu Qingxiao and said.
"Young Qingxiao, I'm only a physician. Talk of aberrant arts is no secret, so I can tell you a little. But if you ask where to find them, how could I possibly know?"
Doctor Zhao did not know whether to laugh or cry.
Texts on aberrant arts were forbidden throughout the realm. Whether discovered by the imperial court or a renowned orthodox sect, anyone caught secretly keeping one would have their entire family beheaded. There was not the slightest room for leniency.
Naturally, ordinary folk knew nothing about where to find them.
Half of what Doctor Zhao knew came from hearsay, and the other half from his profession. A physician naturally had a wide circle of acquaintances and knew somewhat more than most people.
Hearing Doctor Zhao's answer, Xu Qingxiao also felt he had gone a little too far.
"Doctor Zhao, my visit today was an intrusion, whatever the circumstances. I'm not a bad man. I'll engrave today's kindness upon my heart. If I'm fortunate enough to survive, I will repay you for clearing up my doubts."
Xu Qingxiao nodded, clasped his hands, and bowed deeply to Doctor Zhao.
"It's all right, it's all right."
Doctor Zhao nodded. He understood that Xu Qingxiao had been driven into a corner, so their earlier friction hardly amounted to anything.
Xu Qingxiao said no more. He was practically a dying man and had no mood for idle conversation, so he intended to leave.
But just as Xu Qingxiao was about to go, Doctor Zhao's voice suddenly sounded again.
"Young Qingxiao, wait a moment."
He called out to stop Xu Qingxiao.
Xu Qingxiao grew curious, unsure what the physician intended.
Doctor Zhao rose, went to the medicine cabinet, and rummaged through its drawers. After a while, he returned with a wooden box.
"Young Qingxiao, this box contains a superior Blood-Replenishing Pill. With Netherworld Qi inside you, taking this pill will invigorate your blood and strengthen your body. At the very least, it can spare you some suffering and help you move more freely. Consider it a small token of my goodwill."
Doctor Zhao handed the box to Xu Qingxiao.
"This..."
Xu Qingxiao was touched. He looked at the box being offered to him, rather surprised, but he had no time to stand on ceremony. He truly needed something like this.
"Doctor Zhao, thank you."
Xu Qingxiao offered his sincere thanks once more, accepted the box, then turned and left.
At that moment.
A light rain fell steadily, and the sky remained black as ink.
Before you continue