Chapter 39: Finding Fault Where There Is None
Chapter 39: Finding Fault Where There Is None
In just ten minutes, Li Zian finished with one egg. Then he moved to another, carefully inserting the embroidery needle into the right spot.
It was still the method of using an embroidery needle to crush stones, while his Zhenqi dissolved the thickened tube walls and extra tissue.
Throughout the process, Li Zian concentrated fully, afraid of making any mistake. Luckily, his Zhenqi constantly gave him feedback, letting him know the real-time situation inside the egg: how big the stone was, which parts were easier to crush with the needle, how many fragments there were, and so on. Everything was under his control. Science could not explain it, but with the Great Sluggish Cauldron, this “Fangshi Secondary Brain,” his Zhenqi became like his eyes, an extension of his hands.
However, this kind of Zhenqi surgery used up a lot of energy. When operating on the second egg, Li Zian clearly felt that he had used too much Zhenqi. His arms felt weak and sore, and his legs trembled slightly. He had to try very hard to keep his arm steady and stop it from shaking.
“Husband, the tea is ready.” Dashan’s voice came from outside the door.
Kaqianda Jielong suddenly became nervous. “Don’t come in. Doctor Li is operating on me.”
“You can still talk during an operation?” Dashan asked curiously.
The door was pushed open a crack. Dashan’s head peeked in, took a look, then pulled back. After that, she did not speak again.
After another two or three minutes, Li Zian pulled out the embroidery needle. He let out a long sigh of relief. His forehead was covered in sweat. It felt like he had just finished running a marathon.
“Doctor Li, is the operation done?” Kaqianda Jielong asked.
Li Zian said, “It’s done. Go get some alcohol to rinse the wound, and that will be enough.”
“Don’t you need stitches or bandages?” Kaqianda Jielong asked again.
Li Zian smiled. “It’s just two needle hole wounds. What stitches? You can use it normally tonight.”
Kaqianda Jielong scrambled up from the bed excitedly. “I can use it tonight? Will I be able to?”
“I think so, but you’ll have to try it yourself to know for sure.” Li Zian glanced at the door. He was worried that Dashan, who was waiting outside, might hear this.
Kaqianda Jielong chuckled. He couldn’t wait and said, “Wife, go get me the leftover liquor from last night.”
“Okay,” Dashan replied.
Li Zian said, “I’ll wait for you outside.”
He stuck the embroidery needle that had done a great job into the pincushion, then left the room. On his way out, he ran into Dashan, who was bringing over a half-empty bottle of liquor.
“Doctor Li, how did the operation go?” Dashan asked anxiously.
Li Zian said, “It was very successful. There should be no problem.”
“Then can I get pregnant?”
Li Zian felt a little awkward, but he still replied, “Well… you’ll have to try to know. I can only tell you that your husband’s problem is fixed now.”
“Oh, thank you so much. I’ll take the liquor to my man first.” Dashan hurried into the room.
Li Zian went out to the hallway, washed his hands at the faucet, then sat down on a bamboo chair in the yard to rest. Even now, his legs and arms still felt very sore.
“If only I had some sandalwood incense. Lighting it to stimulate the Great Sluggish Cauldron would help me recover faster.” Li Zian thought to himself.
The value of an incense burner lies in burning incense. The Great Sluggish Cauldron was, at its core, an incense burner, so it was no exception.
Last night, he had lit a sandalwood incense stick before sleeping. The effect of practicing the Great Slumber Qi Refining Art was several times better than without incense. Similarly, if he lit a stick of incense to recover his condition, the effect would be quicker and better. Unfortunately, he had left in a hurry in the morning, and he hadn’t seen any sandalwood incense for sale at the airport. Otherwise, he would definitely light one and take a couple of whiffs right now.
Voices of Kaqianda Jielong and Dashan came from the room.
“What do you want to do?” Kaqianda Jielong’s voice.
“What do you think I want to do?” Dashan’s voice.
“Woman, why are you in such a hurry? If we’re going to do it, it should be at night.”
“Doctor Li has cured you. I just want to test it out.”
“Test what? I just had surgery, and you want to come at me now? Do you want to break it?”
“You’re right…”
Li Zian couldn’t help but burst out laughing.
A little while later, Kaqianda Jielong and Dashan came out of the room. Kaqianda Jielong was holding a sharp knife. It gleamed in the sunlight and looked very sharp.
Li Zian looked at the sharp knife in Kaqianda Jielong’s hand, wondering why he was holding a knife.
“Doctor Li, I’m going to slaughter a sheep. Tonight, we’ll have a whole roast lamb, and we’ll drink a few cups together.” Kaqianda Jielong said cheerfully.
So he was taking the knife to kill a sheep.
Li Zian smiled and said, “Brother Jielong, there’s no need to go to such trouble. A couple of simple dishes are enough. Killing a sheep is too much work.”
He also wanted to have a few drinks with Kaqianda Jielong. Most friendships are built over drinks.
It was still for the Housekeeper’s copper mine. If it weren’t for Yu Meilin, why would he come here to treat Kaqianda Jielong?
“That won’t do. You are an honored guest in our home. Not slaughtering a sheep wouldn’t be right. I’m going to kill the sheep now. You sit for a while and have some tea.” Kaqianda Jielong walked toward the backyard with the knife.
Li Zian felt it wouldn’t be right to keep refusing. He had done them such a big favor; being too polite would seem fake.
Dashan came over with a cup of tea and a thermos. Her round face was full of smiles. “Doctor Li, have some tea. I grew this tea myself.”
Li Zian stood up and took the teacup. Smiling, he said, “Sister Dashan, please don’t call me Doctor Li. I need to keep treating Brother Jielong a secret, right? Just call me Zian.”
“Oh, I almost forgot about keeping it secret. Alright, my husband and I will call you Zian from now on.” Dashan was straightforward.
Ring-ring, ring-ring…
His mobile phone suddenly rang with an incoming call.
Li Zian took out his mobile phone and looked at it. It was a call from Yu Meilin. He swiped to answer. “Meilin, what’s up?”
“Where did you go? I finished the meeting and couldn’t find you.”
“I’m in Jingua Village.”
“Why did you go to Jingua Village?”
“I made a friend. I’m drinking tea at his place.”
“You’re in an unfamiliar place; what friend are you making? Come back quickly. There’s something going on here.”
“What is it?” Li Zian asked.
“It’s hard to explain over the phone. Come back, and we’ll talk.” Yu Meilin hung up.
She didn’t even say what it was. Li Zian felt a bit upset. He put away his mobile phone and saw Dashan looking at him. He said, “Sister Dashan, something happened at the mine. I need to go back and deal with it right away.”
“What’s so urgent?”
Li Zian said, “My wife just said it’s urgent and told me to come back. I have to go. Please go tell Brother Jielong not to kill the sheep.”
Dashan looked troubled. “But…”
“I’m leaving. Keep the sheep for next time.” Li Zian turned and left.
He had already given them a big favor. Whether he ate the sheep or not didn’t really matter.
As soon as he stepped out the door, Kaqianda Jielong chased after him, holding the sharp knife in one hand and his mobile phone in the other. He walked in an awkward manner.
“Li… Why are you leaving already?” Kaqianda Jielong forcefully cut off the word “Doctor.”
Li Zian glanced at the mobile phone in his hand. “There’s trouble at the mine. I have to go back and handle it. What’s your mobile phone number? I’ll call you so we can save it and stay in touch.”
“I came out to ask for your number.” Kaqianda Jielong said, then told Li Zian his mobile phone number.
Li Zian saved it in his contacts, then called Kaqianda Jielong.
Kaqianda Jielong hung up and said, “Then you must come tomorrow. I’ll be unhappy if you don’t.”
Li Zian smiled. “I’ll definitely come. I’m leaving now. Goodbye.”
When he came, he had taken the small path with Dashan. That was the way downhill. To return to the mine, he had to take the main road near the village.
Li Zian was worried that the girls from the Caotian Tribe would stop him again to sing folk songs. So when passing through the village, he tried to take paths where there were no people.
While passing through a small alley, he saw an old Caotian woman kneeling under a large rock with a red cloth tied around it. She held her palms together and muttered something softly. Three incense sticks were stuck under the rock, with thin wisps of smoke rising from them.
Li Zian thought to himself, “That old woman is probably worshiping some mountain god. The incense she’s burning is ordinary incense, not sandalwood incense. I wonder if it will stimulate the Great Sluggish Cauldron?”
After this thought, more questions arose in his mind.
Why was the effect of cultivation with incense several times better than without?
Why did he hear faint sounds he normally couldn’t after smelling incense?
He had no way of knowing.
Ever since the Great Sluggish Cauldron became part of him, his worldview had been moving further and further down the path of confusion.
Li Zian walked softly toward the old woman. As he got closer, a wisp of smoke drifted into his nostrils.
Boom!
The feeling at that moment was like a smoker taking a deep drag, instantly affecting his head, and making his whole body feel comfortable.
Burning incense would stimulate the Great Sluggish Cauldron. Ordinary incense worked too.
Suddenly, countless faint sounds flooded into his ears.
The sound of the wind moving through the air. The old woman’s mumbled chanting—he could hear every syllable clearly.
The sound of insects crawling in the grass. Those unseen insects seemed to be crawling right inside his ears.
And the sounds of people talking within a range of several dozen meters around him. Even whispers, he could hear them clearly.
A voice that sounded familiar suddenly entered his ears.
“I took the people there. We made a fuss for a long time. They said they’ll pay tomorrow. What else could I do to them?”
Li Zian’s heart stirred. “That’s San Jiuxiang’s voice. Who is he talking to?”
He shifted his gaze toward the direction the voice came from.
“You took my Boss’s money, and you’re still reasoning with the people from the copper mine?” This was an unfamiliar voice.
After hearing this, Li Zian pinpointed the source of the voice. He quickly walked over. As he passed the old woman, he took a few deep breaths.
The old woman noticed Li Zian then. She looked up at him, her eyes full of surprise and confusion.
Li Zian walked out of the alley and came to the gate of a courtyard.
The courtyard gate was closed, so he couldn’t see the people inside.
Li Zian leaned his head close to the door crack. He saw San Jiuxiang and a man in a black suit—a stranger he had never seen before.
“Then what do you want me to do?” San Jiuxiang looked displeased.
The man in the suit said, “Gather your people and keep causing trouble. Don’t hesitate to use force if needed. If anyone gets injured, my Boss will cover the medical expenses. If you manage to shut down the mining site, my Boss will reward you heavily.”
“Do you mean it?”
“Our Boss is not an ordinary person. Would he be short on what he promised you?”
“Alright, I’ll go gather people now.” San Jiuxiang started walking toward the gate.
Li Zian quickly left.