Chapter 73: The Snow Lotus of the Heavenly Mountains

“Tianshan Snow Lotus?”

As the words left his lips, Xiao Wu walked in, peering closely at the object in his foster father’s hand, his face full of disbelief.

“That’s right. This snow lotus is extremely difficult to preserve—once picked, it must be consumed immediately. Only a jade box made from this kind of icy jade can keep it for about three months. Now, the time is up. Jiang Li, you should take it now. I will stand guard for you.”

Jiang Li was not from the martial world and didn’t know the true worth of the Tianshan Snow Lotus, but from the look in Xiao Wu’s eyes, he could tell that the gift from his master was no ordinary thing. He hesitated. What did he do to deserve such kindness from his master? Even Xiao Wu, who was his master’s adopted son, had never received such a treasure. This… this…

Mu Qing saw Jiang Li’s hesitation and smiled. “No matter how precious something is, it only has value if put to proper use. This snow lotus is perfect for you. If I gave it to Xiao Wu, it would have little effect. Now that I’ve taken you as my disciple, I want to teach you well. But before your body recovers, you won’t be able to study advanced martial arts at all. That’s why I’m giving you the snow lotus—it’s for your sake, and mine as well.”

Hearing his master’s words, Jiang Li no longer hesitated. He bowed deeply to Mu Qing, then accepted the snow lotus from his hands. One by one, he plucked the petals and placed them in his mouth. They melted instantly, turning into a cool, silky liquid that slid down his throat. When all the petals were gone, he consumed the heart of the flower as well. Only then did he slump to the ground, cross his legs, and close his eyes, breathing and circulating his energy as Butcher Zhang had taught him.

With each breath, Jiang Li felt the cool liquid seep down into his abdomen, where it tangled with the burning heat that had long tormented him. Cold and heat collided, as if gunpowder exploded in the snow, sending up clouds of smoke—his abdomen convulsed with pain, a pain beyond words. Sweat beaded on his brow, but he gritted his teeth, uttered not a sound, and bore the waves of agony as best he could.

A large hand pressed gently against his back, and a steady current of inner strength flowed into him. Under its influence, the cold and heat gradually harmonized, eventually melding into a single stream of energy that, guided by the inner power, slowly coursed through Jiang Li’s meridians. After several cycles, the energy sank down and gathered in his dantian.

At that moment, the deadly pallor faded from Jiang Li’s face. He opened his mouth and spat out a mouthful of black blood. Only then did Mu Qing withdraw his hand, smiling. “It’s done. The poisonous blood has been expelled.”

Seeing Jiang Li’s confusion, he pointed to the black blood and explained, “You were born weak, with congenital toxins inherited from your mother. These toxins lay hidden in your abdomen and meridians. You’ve resolved part of it with your inner exercises, and now, after taking the snow lotus, most of it has been expelled. The medicinal effects of the snow lotus are still present in your meridians and will gradually clear away the remaining poison. Once all the toxins are gone, your body will be fully healed.”

Jiang Li stood up, swung his arm, and took a few breaths. He felt an unprecedented ease and freedom in his body. Joy filled his heart. He thought of his mother, who had worried about him all his life, who, even on her deathbed, was still concerned that his health had not recovered. Now, at last, all was well. If her spirit lingered above, surely she could smile in peace.

“Thank you, Master.” Jiang Li knelt once more. “This gift of new life, I can never repay. Please accept my bow.”

Mu Qing did not stop him. After Jiang Li had finished his bow, he did not let him rise immediately, but instead spoke with gravity: “Jiang Li, now that I have taken you as my disciple, I will never demand you risk life and limb for me, nor do I expect you to repay me in the future. But there is one thing you must promise me.”

“Please speak, Master. I will obey.”

Mu Qing’s expression grew ever more solemn, his voice slow and resonant, each word seeming to rise from deep within his chest. “I have journeyed across the land, lived as I pleased in the martial world, and yes, these hands are stained with blood. But I can face my conscience—I have never done anything that goes against chivalry or justice. So I ask you to swear, with your own blood, never to use the martial arts I teach you to bully the weak or oppress the innocent, to kill wantonly, to serve evil, or to bring harm to the common people. If you violate this oath, may heaven punish you, and know that I will not forgive you either. Do you accept?”

“Master, rest assured. I will never act against my conscience or what is right.” Jiang Li knelt and swore solemnly: “Heaven above, let Jiang Li swear: if one day I master martial arts, I will never use my strength to oppress others, to take lives lightly, or to bring disaster upon the innocent. If I break this vow, let my skills be lost, my blood run dry, and let me die without peace.”

With that, he kowtowed three times to the heavens. Only then did Mu Qing’s face break into a smile. He helped Jiang Li up and said repeatedly, “Good, good.”

Then he pointed to Xiao Wu. “Xiao Wu is my adopted son and my youngest disciple. You are now brothers—pay your respects to each other.”

The two exchanged bows. By age, Jiang Li was older, but since Xiao Wu entered apprenticeship first, Jiang Li had to address him as senior brother.

At last, Xiao Wu found a chance to ask the question that had been burning in his heart. “Father, when did you go to Tianshan?”

Tianshan lay in the northwest, a journey so distant that few could make it easily. That was why Xiao Wu was so puzzled. Mu Qing shook his head. “Tianshan is so far that even if I could fly, I couldn’t make a round trip in a month. I heard that Doctor Hua was in the south, so I spent this past month searching for him everywhere. I finally found him and obtained this Tianshan Snow Lotus from his hands.”

Xiao Wu opened his mouth, but said nothing more. Though his father spoke lightly, Xiao Wu knew it could not have been so simple. Doctor Hua was famous in the martial world for his eccentric temper—obtaining a divine medicine from him must have been a costly ordeal. But since his father did not wish to elaborate, Xiao Wu did not press.

Meanwhile, Liu Qin, seeing Master Mu call Jiang Li away with no sign of his return—and then even Xiao Wu disappearing—could not help feeling curious. What was Master Mu saying to Jiang Li? Was there some special apprenticeship ceremony happening in the room?

The more she thought about it, the less she could sit still. Without alerting anyone, she crept into the courtyard and, at the doorway, happened to overhear Master Mu’s words: Doctor Hua, Tianshan Snow Lotus—heavens, this sounded just like a martial arts novel! Could such miraculous, life-saving medicines really exist in this world?

“Master, what is this Tianshan Snow Lotus?”

Liu Qin bounced in, blurting out her question, but no one seemed surprised. In fact, Xiao Wu even gave her a look that plainly said, “You’re late.”

Jiang Li drew her over and explained how Master had given him the snow lotus, curing his long-standing illness. Liu Qin was both happy for Jiang Li and deeply regretful. Why had she not come in sooner? She could have seen what the legendary Tianshan Snow Lotus looked like! Now she could only imagine it—what a pity.

Feeling sorry, she picked up the jade box on the table—the one said to be made of icy jade. The moment she touched it, she felt a cold that pierced to the bone. Even in such hot weather, her hand felt almost frozen. Her eyes sparkled—what a treasure! Even the box for the miracle medicine was a rare item. Her eyes darted, and she flashed Master Mu a sweet smile, “Master, you gave Brother Ali a welcome gift. I’m your disciple too—what will you give me as a welcome gift?”