Chapter 205 — A Tree Full of Yellow Pears

Old Master Huo and the Lame Elder exchanged glances. The Lame Elder murmured, "I have seen Granny Zhu use the Creation Earth-Origin Art. Old Woman Si used that art to refine her Yang Spirit — at high noon, with the five hearts turned upward, gathering the sun's essence fire, and clouds of fire came rolling in from all across the sky, a fearsome sight, plainly a top-tier art of the demonic path. Old Woman Si burned many people to death with that art — it does not seem to be used the way you use it..."

Shen Mu started. "Did I refine it wrongly?"

Old Master Huo said, "You did not refine it wrongly. You have refined it very purely. I imagine Old Woman Si took a crooked path. The Yang Spirit nourishes all things; this ought to be its proper use."

Shen Mu picked several more yellow pears, broke them in half, and put them into the medicinal broth. "I use the Vermilion Countenance Gu to remove the parts of the arm and leg that have already gone dead. Once they are gone, I will drive the gu worms out of the body with medicine; the worms will not harm your limbs. These yellow pears are a medicine too — an enhancing medicine, which rouses the potency of the others. Eaten alone, though, they taste excellent, and carry little medicinal property."

His attainments in the medical path even surpassed Physician You's. Physician You poisoned the Vermilion Countenance Gu to death with the Insect-Expelling Pill, and once the gu died it remained within the body of the one who had used it, gradually being expelled.

Shen Mu, by contrast, used medicine to make the gu worms swim out of the body on their own, leaving behind not the slightest trace.

And in the broth he had refined there were also blood-invigorating ingredients, able to rouse the vitality of Old Master Huo's arm and the Lame Elder's leg, reviving their life force. Once properly nursed back, he could reattach their limbs.

Shen Mu picked the rest of the pears from the tree — a full basket of yellow pears — then pulled the little pear tree up by the roots and set it in the courtyard.

Shen Mu then called over Snow Fox and the Dragon Qilin and shared the pears with them. Snow Fox tasted one and was full of praise; the Dragon Qilin ate a good many too. Though they were no Scarlet Fire Spirit Pills, the Dragon Qilin still ate with great relish.

"This fellow ought to go on a diet," Shen Mu thought, eyeing the Dragon Qilin. "If he keeps eating like this, I doubt he will still be able to tread fire clouds and fly."

The Lame Elder could not sit still. Having stayed half a day at Shen Mu's place, he was soon clamoring to go out and stretch his legs. Old Master Huo, worried he might run into Imperial Preceptor Jingping, went out with him at once.

The Lame Elder had always admired Old Master Huo above all others, respecting and fearing him in equal measure, and so could not refuse. The two went out again, and Shen Mu was not worried for their safety.

Imperial Preceptor Jingping's injuries were rather grave as well; if he ran into the Lame Elder, it was not certain the Lame Elder would be the one to come off the worse.

Moreover, Old Master Huo was the steadiest man in the village. With him along, the Lame Elder would not act recklessly.

A few days later, the Imperial Academy students who had gone to the front returned. On this training expedition they had encountered, at the Yong River in Li Prefecture and at Lu County, the Hongshan Sect's summoning of demons, the Nine Nether Sect's returning of souls, and the Corpse Immortal Cult's control of corpses.

After that they had met the sudden raid of the rebel army led by General Xiaoyi. In that battle, three-tenths of the Academy students who had gone to train were lost — and those three-tenths were the elite of the elite, a grievous loss indeed.

The Academy students on the expedition had nearly been wiped out whole in the darkness. Fortunately, the follow-up armies of Jingping Kingdom, under the leadership of Imperial Preceptor Jingping, swept across the Yong River, and General Yuyuan Chuyun, gathering the strength of all the commanders, slew the summoned demon god and thrust the gate to the underworld into the river.

Yuyuan Chuyu, Assistant Governor of Li Prefecture, led his troops across the river and staunchly blocked General Xiaoyi, checking his momentum. The two armies fought a bloody battle upon the water. Yuyuan Chuyu and Yuyuan Chuyun joined their twin swords, and the sun set over the Yong River; at that moment a single sword-sun hung half-sunken at the river's heart, and from that setting sun countless sword lights burst forth across the water, slaying untold rebels. Tower ships plunged one after another from the sky, corpses raining down like drops.

General Xiaoyi had no choice but to withdraw, and fled.

Only after the armies of Yuyuan Chuyu and Yuyuan Chuyun had crossed the river was the great chaos of Li Prefecture quelled.

When the Academy students were counted afterward, the losses were found to be grievous — several Directors had even fallen in battle against the demon god while shielding the students.

After that, many students followed the Directors across the river to quell the rebellion, and only when Imperial Preceptor Jingping returned to court did these students end their training and return to the Imperial Academy, arriving a few days later than Shen Mu and the others.

With so many Academy students lost, Pei Wujiu could not escape blame, and so he submitted a memorial to the emperor confessing his guilt. The emperor fined him half a year's salary and demoted his office to the lower fourth rank, but he still oversaw the Imperial Academy and was not removed from his post.

Pei Wujiu had the casualty list drawn up, hoping to see Shen Mu's name upon the roll of the fallen. Sadly, it was not there.

No sooner had he finished compiling the list of fallen students than he went into the palace to seek audience with the emperor. He came face to face with a eunuch carrying an imperial edict toward the Imperial Academy. Pei Wujiu said hurriedly, "Eunuch, are you bound for the Academy to proclaim an edict?"

The eunuch smiled. "Congratulations, Lord Gu. The Erudite of your Imperial Academy distinguished himself in quelling the rebellion this time and preserved the students under his command. His Majesty has sent this old servant with an edict to promote him!"

Pei Wujiu's face stiffened. He said sullenly, "This was merely his duty. Why must he be rewarded?"

"His Majesty said that some people cannot even manage their duty. This time he means to kill a few chickens to frighten the monkeys."