ACultivator'sCampusLife

Chapter 49 Living Dead Water

"Lu Yao, why are you here? Didn't you move to Chaoyang Garden?" Just as Lu Yao was walking into the alley, a familiar voice came to his ears.

"Aunt Wang, what's wrong with you?" Lu Yao asked when he turned around and found that Aunt Wang, his former neighbor, looked drawn.

"Alas..." Aunt Wang started crying before she finished her sentence.

"Aunt Wang, speak calmly. In so far as my ability, I will try my best to help you!" Lu Yao actually felt a little guilty about not helping Aunt Wang's son, Ma Jingxue, last time. Seeing Aunt Wang crying like this, Lu Yao decided that he should help her if he could.

Lu Yao was a very kind person. Otherwise, he wouldn't have helped strangers such as Huang Ruoyun and this middle-aged woman again and again.

After thinking for a while, Aunt Wang spilled out the unfortunate things that had happened to her recently to Lu Yao.

It turned out that after Ma Jingxue, Aunt Wang's son, was expelled from the No. 1 High School in Shuangta City, no school was willing to admit him.

Therefore, Ma Jingxue, who couldn't go to school, had gone even further and often returned home at midnight.

And he used to come home drunk. Once, Aunt Wang even found that his clothes were stained with blood.

Aunt Wang was afraid that he might get into trouble, so she intended to ask him what had happened to him. However, Ma Jingxue just flung her to the ground. And since then Ma Jingxue had always hung around with his cronies and never returned home again.

Later, Aunt Wang had no choice but to call her husband, Ma Qingwen, who had left the province to work. She hoped that her son's severe father could take her son home.

Unexpectedly, Ma Qingwen made some inquiries and discovered Ma Jingxue had joined a criminal organization called "g**g of the South" and become a real gangster.

And he was working guard duty at some pubs and clubs.

Ma Jingxue refused to come back no matter how hard his parents tried to persuade him. In the end, he even let several gangsters punch and kick his father.

Although Ma Qingwen was not seriously injured, he fell ill after returning home because he was angry and embarrassed.

The family had spent their long-term hard-earned savings, which were meant for Ma Jingxue's wedding, on Ma Qingwen's medical fee. They almost spent all their money, but Ma Qingwen's condition was not improving. In fact, his illness had taken a turn for the worse.

There was no way out. Today, Aunt Wang went to Night Bar where Ma Jingxue worked. She hoped that she could persuade her son to go home and visit his father. She also hoped that her husband would get better after seeing their son.

Unexpectedly, Ma Jingxue not only didn't come back but also wanted to cut all ties with his family.

After Aunt Wang was driven out of the bar, she had planned to commit suicide. But she hesitated because she couldn't help thinking of Ma Qingwen, who was still lying at home.

She had no choice but to go home. She comforted herself with the thought that she must arrange everything first and hold on until her husband died.

When she walked to the alley, she saw Lu Yao, so she greeted him. However, Lu Yao found that she looked drawn and asked her again and again. So she finally spilled out her family affairs to him.

When people didn't care about their lives, they wouldn't care what others thought. Lu Yao believed that was just what Aunt Wang was thinking about.

Hearing Aunt Wang's words, Lu Yao had strongly mixed feelings. He hated Aunt Wang's unfilial son Ma Jingxue so much that he even wanted to kill him cruelly. He felt pity for the old couple and even felt a little guilty.

He thought that if he had helped Aunt Wang and vouched for Ma Jingxue at school, these things might not have happened.

But there was no use crying over spilled milk.

Since he had made that choice, he had to accept it. All he wanted to do was helping the poor old couple.

Looking at Aunt Wang's haggard face, Lu Yao felt as if he had seen Lu Yiqian, who had been waiting for him to wake up after the operation. This made him feel uncomfortable.

"Aunt Wang, is Uncle Ma at home or in the hospital now?" Lu Yao asked softly.

"We were in the hospital at first. But his condition didn't improve after we had lived in the hospital for several days. And the cost of hospital care was too high to afford. So we completed the discharge forms and returned home."

"Shortly after we returned home, a roving doctor told us that there was a newly opened clinic nearby and there was an old herbalist doctor who used to work in a big city and could cure all kinds of diseases. So we went to the clinic several times. His condition improved at first. So we lived in the clinic. However, when we spent more money, my husband took a turn for the worse. Later, we spent all the money and his condition still didn't improve. We were driven out of the clinic. Finally, we had no choice but to go home." As Aunt Wang talked, she became even sadder.

"Shall I go and see Uncle Ma with you?" Lu Yao said sincerely.

"Well..."

Aunt Wang once hated Lu Yao because he refused to help her. But when she thought that although they were neighbors, she had never helped Lu Yao and Lu Yiqian, she no longer hated him.

So she was a little embarrassed after hearing what Lu Yao said.

Lu Yao knew what Aunt Wang was thinking about, so he said sincerely, "A distant relative is not as helpful as a near neighbor. Although we have moved away, I should visit Uncle Ma because we were neighbors."

"Well, you are such a sensible good boy. No wonder you study well. Alas, if Ma Jingxue were as sensible as you, his father and I could die in peace!" Hearing Lu Yao's words, Aunt Wang took Lu Yao's hand and walked slowly towards her home.

Aunt Wang's family had lived in this place for more than 40 years. This house was also left by their ancestors. So they were indigenous people.

However, several people of the family did not register their residence because of the original policy. Therefore, the government didn't give them too much land. This large family couldn't live off the farmland. So Aunt Wang stayed at home and farmed their land with her father-in-law and mother-in-law, while her husband had to go out to work to support the family.

A few years ago, Aunt Wang's father-in-law and mother-in-law passed away. However, her husband insisted on going out to work because of Ma Jingxue. So she had been farming their land alone.

The family was also better off.

However, Lu Yao was shocked by the scene when he entered the yard.

The household appliances, which were once piled in the yard, had disappeared. Even the side-by-side refrigerator, which she used to show off in front of her neighbors, was gone. Some leftovers were placed in the shady corner of the yard. Several flies were hovering above them.

"What's going on?" Lu Yao thought that was unbelievable. Medical expenses shouldn't have led the family to this. So he asked in surprise.

"We've sold all the valuables. We asked other people for help because of Ma Jingxue. But we didn't get things done even though we spent a lot of money. And we also paid 70,000 to 80,000 yuan for your Uncle Ma's medical expenses!" Aunt Wang said helplessly.

Lu Yao thought Aunt Wang's husband was so depressed that he became ill because their son was unfilial and asked others to hit him. So he didn't think this would make them spend so much money. However, he realized that he was too naive when he came to their yard.

Lu Yao immediately followed Aunt Wang into the room without thinking much.

Although Lu Yao had anticipated what might happen after seeing their yard, he couldn't help feeling sad when he saw the empty room.

If Lu Yao had to choose the best word to describe exactly what he saw, it would be "destitute".

In addition to a bed and some cooking utensils, there were only some old photos hanging on the wall in this room. One of them was a photo of the whole family. The youthful couple was taking Ma Jingxue, who was still a child, in their arms.

Although Lu Yao had never seen Ma Qingwen before, the photo on the wall showed that he was a strong man and looked handsome in the green military uniform.

When Lu Yao looked at the old man who was lying in bed, he couldn't believe that this wrinkled man, who looked green, was Ma Qingwen because he didn't even look like his photo.

"Aunt Wang, I also learned some medical knowledge because I was ill. Can I feel the pulse condition of Uncle Ma?" Lu Yao made contact with Li Jiang when he saw Ma Qingwen. He hoped that Li Jiang could help him find out what was wrong with Ma Qingwen.

"Well, you can have a try. I really have no other choice. If he can't become well again, I'm going to sell this house and leave Ma Jingxue some money. And then I can die with his father." Obviously, Aunt Wang had prepared for the worst.

Lu Yao walked forward and sat by the bed without saying a word. He carefully rolled up Ma Qingwen's sleeves and kept his fingers on his pulse.

About five or six minutes later, Lu Yao got up and rolled down Ma Qingwen's sleeves. And then he carefully observed his eyes and throat.

"Aunt Wang, Uncle Ma has a rare disease. I need to go home and look for the information to find a cure!" After observing the physical conditions of Ma Qingwen, Lu Yao thought for a moment and said to Aunt Wang.

"Well, it's OK, Lu Yao. Even if his disease can't be cured, we are extremely grateful to you. We've been neighbors for just about ten months. I didn't expect that it is you who come to see us in the end. Thank you very much!" Lu Yao's words extinguished Aunt Wang's hopes. But she still thanked Lu Yao sincerely.

"Aunt Wang, you must have misunderstood. I'm sure that I can cure Uncle Ma's disease. I just need to go back and prepare some stuff. And I'll come back soon!" Hearing Aunt Wang's words, Lu Yao realized that she had misinterpreted his intentions. So he quickly explained to her.

"Really? Lu Yao, are you serious?" Aunt Wang was very happy.

...

...

"Master, do you know what's wrong with Uncle Ma?" When Lu Yao returned home, he immediately closed the door and asked Li Jiang.

"His pulse was disordered and very weak. His eyes were black-ringed and his pupils were dilated. And he had got bad breath. So I guess he was poisoned," said Li Jiang.

"He was poisoned? Didn't he fall ill because of severe depression?" Lu Yao asked in shock.

"There is no doubt that he was poisoned. And it seems that he was poisoned by a cultivator," Li Jiang said confidently, "If I am right, he was poisoned by Living Dead Water, which is highly poisonous."

"Living Dead Water? What is that?" Lu Yao had never heard of such a thing. And it was not even mentioned in the medical books, which he had read a few days ago. So he asked curiously.

"The so-called Living Dead Water, also known as Zombie Water, is poisonous water extracted from some mummies, which were preserved long ago. It's a bit like corpse poison, but Living Dead Water is far more poisonous than it. In my memory, only some devil cultivators would use it to help them practice evil skills. Why does an ordinary person have such a thing in his body?" Li Jiang also felt a little surprised.

Lu Yao once read about corpse poison in a book called The Analects of Shuzhai. It was said that a tomb raider surnamed Zhu was very powerful. One night, he stole into the tomb of Emperor Taizu of Song Dynasty to steal the funeral objects. He pried open the coffin and jumped into it with a lantern in his mouth. After picking up all the treasures around the corpse of the dead emperor, he found that the body was wearing a gilded jade belt with the pattern of a legendary dragon around his waist. The jade belt looked extremely valuable and the carvings were exquisite. So the tomb raider wanted to unleash the jade belt.

However, the corpse of the dead emperor was so heavy that he couldn't move it no matter how hard he tried. Therefore, he put a rope under the corpse and sat on the corpse. He tied the rope around his neck and moved it with all his strength. The corpse sat up slowly. Suddenly, a gush of dark brown liquid came out of the mouth of the body. The tomb raider was sprayed in the face.

The tomb raider surnamed Zhu found that his face was sprayed with corpse fluids. So he hurried home to wash his face but couldn't clean the mark off. The poisonous liquid penetrated his skin and left a dark brown mark on his face. Later, people all called him "Painted Face Zhu".

"Some people actually cultivate with this stuff these days," Lu Yao said.

"You've just started to cultivate. You will encounter more strange things in the future. It's just a low-down trick!" Li Jiang explained after hearing Lu Yao's words.

"Master, what will happen if an ordinary person drinks Living Dead Water?" Lu Yao thought that the most important thing at the moment was to cure Ma Qingwen. And he could consult Li Jiang about other things later.

"If an ordinary patient drinks Living Dead Water, the patient's condition will seem to improve at first. But as the patient drinks more Living Dead Water, his internal organs will slowly rot. When his wounds start festering, nobody can cure him. Therefore, it is a very evil means," Li Jiang said.

"Master, can we cure the patient who has drunk Living Dead Water?" Lu Yao asked again.

"It should be easy for a cultivator to remove this poison from the patient's body. But you are not capable enough to do it now. Well, there is another way to cure the patient, but it's a little complicated!" Li Jiang said slowly, "First, you should find the corpse from which Living Dead Water was extracted. That is the body, which was embalmed long ago. And then you can cut the flesh from its Guanyuan acupoint. Finally, let the patient eat it with the first urine of a baby boy born around the Dragon Boat Festival. In this way, the patient will recover soon!"

"Why does it work?" Lu Yao wondered why the flesh cut from the Guanyuan acupoint and the urine of a baby boy born around the Dragon Boat Festival could be the antidote to Living Dead Water, so he asked curiously.

"Living Dead Water contains extremely yin. But Guanyuan acupoint, which is also known as 'Haven of Yang-qi', can help enhance the body resistance and enrich the primordial qi of the human body. And the baby boy born around the Dragon Boat Festival has the heaviest yang-qi in his body. So we can utilize the yang-qi of these two things to attack the yin poison of Living Dead Water. In other words, yang can overcome yin," Li Jiang explained to Lu Yao patiently.