strictlysupreme Chapter 20 Snow Leopard
Chapter 20 Snow Leopard
Li Changchun knew the snow leopard's ferocity and agility. He took a deep breath and circulated his internal energy to its peak, exuding a calm and powerful aura.
The snow leopards seemed to sense this intimidating force, and their offensive momentum paused slightly.
He was the first to attack, shouting as he drew his sword, its blade gleaming coldly in the sunlight.
Despite his advanced age, Li Changchun moved with lightning speed, charging towards the snow leopard pack and unleashing a set of fierce sword techniques. The sword flashed, each strike accompanied by a whistling sound, forcing the snow leopards to retreat repeatedly.
A snow leopard seized the opportunity and pounced from the side. Li Changchun dodged to the side, and with a backhand slash, precisely cut a bloody gash on the snow leopard's paw.
Xu Xiaoxiao was not idle either. Although her injuries had not healed, she still mustered her spirits, brandishing her sword and shouting to cheer for her master, while also preventing any snow leopards from sneaking up behind her to attack.
After a fierce battle, the snow leopards, seeing that they could not gain the upper hand, gradually retreated.
Li Changchun sheathed his sword, let out a long sigh, and turned to continue his journey with Xu Xiaoxiao.
As darkness fell, they finally reached the foot of the snow-capped mountain.
They were exhausted and their steps were unsteady.
But seeing the lights twinkling in the distant village filled me with hope and warmth.
They quickened their pace toward the village, hoping to rest and recuperate there.
The master and apprentice dragged their weary bodies to the edge of the village. Li Changchun straightened his clothes and gently knocked on the door of the first house.
A moment later, an old man slowly opened the door, his eyes filled with a mixture of doubt and wariness.
Li Changchun quickly clasped his hands in greeting, speaking in a humble and gentle tone: "Old man, I apologize for disturbing you. My master and I encountered an accident in the snow mountain and are now exhausted. We would like to ask for lodging in your village for the night. Is that alright?"
The old man looked them up and down, and seeing their disheveled appearance and injuries, the wariness in his eyes gradually turned into sympathy.
At this moment, Xu Xiaoxiao also stepped forward and said obediently, "Grandpa, we won't cause you any trouble. We just need a place to rest. My master also knows some medical skills and can treat the villagers' minor illnesses as a small token of our gratitude."
The old man smiled upon hearing this, stepped aside to let them into the house, and said, "Come in, you two look rather pitiful."
Upon entering the house, Li Changchun once again expressed his gratitude to the old man.
Xu Xiaoxiao helped tidy up the simple lodgings. Although the conditions were tough, the master and apprentice were content.
After a short rest, Li Changchun kept his promise and treated the child in his family who was unwell.
He took the pulse, examined the tongue coating, and carefully inquired about the symptoms.
The child's face was as pale as paper, his lips were bloodless and tinged with a bluish-purple hue.
He was thin and frail, as if a gust of wind could blow him over. He lay weakly on the bed, his eyes half-open and half-closed, devoid of any spirit.
He also coughed frequently, and the cough sounded very deep, as if it came from the depths of his chest. Each cough made his small body tremble violently, as if he was coughing up his heart and lungs.
The child's parents said with worried expressions that the illness had lasted for several months.
The old man sighed and said, "The doctors we consulted before said that some said it was due to cold pathogens entering the body, while others said it was due to congenital deficiency. He has taken a lot of medicine, but there has been no improvement. The child's appetite is also extremely poor. He will vomit after eating just a little bit, and he is getting weaker and weaker. My poor grandson."
Li Changchun carefully took the child's pulse; the pulse was weak and disordered, like a thin thread swaying in the wind and rain.
He then examined the child's tongue coating, which was thick and greasy with a slightly red tip. After some diagnosis, Li Changchun determined that the child had been poisoned by a kind of cold and damp toxin, which had been accumulating in the body and eroding the child's internal organs.
Li Changchun first took out a precious Warm Jade Pill from the package. This pill was made by him before and had the effects of dispelling cold, detoxifying, and warming and nourishing the internal organs.
He gave the child the medicine, and then used his internal energy to help the child neutralize its effects.
Then, he instructed Xu Xiaoxiao to prepare some common herbs, such as mugwort, dried ginger, and atractylodes macrocephala.
He mixed the herbs together and boiled them in a pot.
After the medicine is boiled, let the child drink it while it's hot.
At the same time, Li Changchun used a special massage technique to gently press and rub acupoints on the child's chest, abdomen, and back to help the child unblock meridians and dispel cold toxins.
During the treatment, Li Changchun told the child's parents that the cold poison might have been caused by the child accidentally ingesting some kind of poisonous herb in the mountains, or by staying in a place with excessive yin energy for too long.
In the next few days, the child will need to continue taking the detoxifying medicine he prepared, and it is important to keep the child warm to prevent the cold from invading again.
After several days of careful treatment, the child's condition will gradually improve.
These past few days, Li Changchun has been busy providing free medical consultations in the village, and many families who cannot afford medical care have come to queue up for treatment.
The old man pulled his son, daughter-in-law, and grandson to kowtow to Li Changchun, saying, "Miracle doctor, thank you so much. If it weren't for your treatment of my poor grandson, he might have passed away." He then led his son and daughter-in-law to kowtow three more times.
Li Changchun quickly helped the old man up, saying, "You don't deserve such a formality. It's just something I'm good at. There's no need for such a big gesture."
When the villagers heard that Li Changchun had cured their child's illness, they rushed over and surrounded Li Changchun and his apprentice.
The village chief stepped forward, his face full of gratitude, and said, “Benefactors, you have done us a great favor! We are a poor and remote village, and we have nothing good to offer you in return. If you don’t mind, please stay in the village for a few more days so that we can treat you well.”
The surrounding villagers echoed their sentiments and warmly invited the master and apprentice to stay.
Looking at the villagers' simple and sincere faces, Li Changchun was deeply moved and said, "We appreciate the kindness of our fellow villagers, but we have important matters to attend to and need to get on our way as soon as possible."
Seeing that he couldn't persuade them to stay, the village chief had the villagers bring the best food and some dry rations from the village, as well as some homemade medicine for their injuries, and gave them to the master and apprentice.
Li Changchun couldn't refuse, so he had no choice but to accept it.
Surrounded by the villagers, the master and apprentice left the village.
Carrying the villagers' gratitude and blessings, they set off into the distance, knowing full well that in this world, with kindness and medical expertise, they could find precious friendship and hope wherever they went. Their next journey might still be full of unknowns and challenges, but at this moment they were full of strength and courage to continue.
After bidding farewell to the village, the master and apprentice embarked on their journey back to Jicheng.
At first, the road was relatively smooth, so they quickened their pace.
However, when they reached a desolate wilderness, a group of bandits suddenly appeared in front of them.
The bandits, each wielding a sharp blade and with menacing expressions, blocked their path.
The bandit leader shouted, "This road is mine, these trees are mine, if you want to pass, leave your toll!"
Li Changchun frowned, shielded Xu Xiaoxiao behind him, and said, "We are people of the martial world, and we don't have much wealth. Please do us a favor."
The robbers laughed, clearly not believing it.
One of the robbers charged forward, brandishing a knife.
Li Changchun had no choice but to draw his sword to fight back. His swordsmanship was superb, and he defeated the bandit in just a few moves.
But the bandits outnumbered them and swarmed forward. Li Changchun dealt with them while instructing Xu Xiaoxiao to find a chance to escape.
Although Xu Xiaoxiao wanted to help, she knew that her injuries had not yet healed and she might be a burden to her master.
So she seized an opportunity, circled around to the side, and tried to attack the robbers from the side to distract them.
During the fierce battle, Li Changchun discovered that this gang of bandits was no ordinary thieves; they worked together seamlessly and seemed to have received some training.
He dared not be careless in the slightest, and used all his skills, his sword moving like a dragon, weaving through the bandits.
Li Changchun's eyes instantly sharpened like an eagle's. He took a step forward, his aura suddenly unfolding, exuding an imposing presence without anger.
He whispered to Xu Xiaoxiao, "Disciple, you should wait for an opportunity to act from the side. Do not force yourself to join the battle. Everything is up to your master."
Having said that, he moved like lightning, charging towards the bandits. Li Changchun's swordsmanship was fierce, each thrust accompanied by a whooshing sound, and the flashing sword shadows seemed to resemble a dragon soaring into the sky.
He skillfully weaved through the bandits, and wherever he went, their attacks missed their mark. His sword, however, could precisely tap, flick, or deflect the bandits' weapons, disrupting their rhythm of attack.
Although Xu Xiaoxiao stepped aside, she kept her eyes fixed on the battle.
Knowing that her master was under immense pressure fighting against multiple enemies, she disregarded her own unhealed injuries, quietly picked up a stone from the ground, and, seizing the opportunity, threw it at the bandits.
With skillful force, she used the stones to strike the bandits' wrists or ankles, causing them pain and creating openings in their attacks.
Taking advantage of the opportunity, Li Changchun shouted loudly, and his sword technique suddenly changed, pouring down like a storm.
His sword gleamed coldly in the sunlight, dazzling the bandits.
The bandits began to feel fear and their formation fell into disarray.
However, the leader of the bandits was still unwilling to accept defeat and attempted to ambush Li Changchun from behind.
Xu Xiaoxiao reacted quickly and shouted, "Master, watch out behind you!"
Li Changchun, listening to the sound, pinpointed the location, lightly touched the ground with his toes, turned around, and with a backhand slash, pointed the sword tip directly at the leader of the bandits' throats.
Seeing that things were going badly, the bandits dropped their weapons and knelt down to beg for mercy.