Come out of the mountain

  At this time, Lin Xu, who was standing calmly in front of the old man, transformed into a figure holding a white banner with the eight-character mantra "Miao Shou Hui Chun, Bao Zhi Bai Bing" (Wonderful Hands Revive Spring, Curing All Diseases).

  It was determined that the person in front of him was just a wandering doctor, not a bandit or a demon's temptation. The old charcoal burner felt slightly relieved, and with a trembling hand, he pointed forward with a wooden expression, saying:

  "Hey young man, just keep walking along this road and you'll reach Jiangjia Village. Oh, where are you from?"

  Lin Xuhua's disguise as a wandering doctor was an identity he had carefully selected after consulting with his two deputies.

  It is often said that people who eat all kinds of grains and crops will inevitably get sick, and once they do, they must see a doctor. This is why even the most ruthless bandits are reluctant to kill doctors. Who knows when they themselves might fall ill and need to seek out a doctor? This profession is one that you can't afford to offend. If you were to take pleasure in killing someone now, only to find yourself unable to find a suitable doctor to treat your own illness or injury in the future, then you would truly be reaping what you have sown and would not be able to live with yourself!

  In short, no matter how chaotic the world is, doctors who treat illnesses and save lives are still a very popular profession. As a result, Lin Xu's risk of being forced to take self-defense measures and expose his true identity was greatly reduced.

  Hearing the charcoal old man's question, Lin Xu, who looked like a middle-aged man with a weathered face, bowed his head and said:

  "My humble name is Tang Sanzang. The other day, I entered Mount Hua to gather herbs and lost my way. Fortunately, a woodcutter pointed out the path to me, which is how I arrived at this place."

  The majestic and towering Mount Huo stretches for thousands of miles, and has long been famous for producing all kinds of precious medicinal herbs.

  In the early years, the mountain people living in Huo Mountain also made a living by picking herbs and logging, hunting, but nowadays who dares to venture into the deep mountains and old forests! One mistake, either feed the tigers and wolves, or become the wine dishes of the monsters.

  The old charcoal maker listened to Lin Xu's words and immediately shook his head, saying:

  "Oh, Doctor Tang, the sun is about to set, you'd better hurry up and go to Jiangjia Village. Lanruo Temple is not far from here, but the mountain roads nearby are unfamiliar to you, if you take a wrong turn, it could be fatal."

  Upon hearing this, Lin Xu bowed again and thanked him, saying:

  "Thank you for your guidance, I have a packet of Notopterygium incisum powder here, it can't cure any major illness, but it's still effective for headaches and fever, take it as a gift in case of need!"

  In a chaotic world, human life is as cheap as grass, and the lives of the poor are even more worthless. When someone in an ordinary family dies from illness, they can only get a straw mat and a roll of cloth, and then be casually thrown into a mass burial ground. Many times, they don't even have the energy to dig a hole for burial, leaving the corpse to be torn apart and devoured by wild dogs and crows.

  Generally, poor families have no extra money, and when they get sick, they can't afford to see a doctor. If they catch a minor illness, they can only tough it out themselves. If they contract a serious disease, they can only go around seeking divine intervention, at most going to temples and Taoist monasteries to ask monks and Taoist priests for incense ash, talismans, and holy water, hoping that the gods will bless them with a speedy recovery from their illness. The government extorts money from the people like sucking marrow from bones, imposing numerous taxes and levies that leave the people without money to treat illnesses, forcing them to seek help from charlatans. Even if the illness is not cured, ordinary people can still find some psychological comfort in this.

  Instead, at times like these, the government would put on an even more righteous and stern attitude, loudly scolding with grandiose words, gathering a group of white-paper fan-bearing officials to lecture that you common people are ignorant and foolish by nature, uneducated and superstitious, not believing in medicine.

  It's really admirable, no wonder it's said that officials have two tongues, you can make any argument sound reasonable!

  The charcoal old man who was stopped by Lin Xu to ask for directions, obviously did not belong to a wealthy family that could afford a proper medical clinic. At this moment, he took the package of medicine with his trembling hands, and his eyes clearly showed complex emotions that others couldn't understand.

  The old man who sold charcoal thanked Lin Xu repeatedly after receiving the package of paper money, and then he said:

  "Thank you, Doctor, I'm afraid I've been greedy, I've been greedy."

  After bidding farewell to the charcoal-burning old man with gray temples and black fingers, Lin Xu walked for about an incense stick on the rugged and uneven earth road, which was full of mud pits and gullies. When he stopped his footsteps and looked into the distance with his hands shading his eyes, the outline of a town could be vaguely seen not far ahead.

  At the city gate, Lin Xiang paid the gate money, foot tax, and pacification fee, as well as various other fees such as the lijin and jinhuamoney, before he was finally allowed to pass through and enter this remote small town surrounded by a six or seven meter high rammed earth wall that seemed impenetrable.

  As he walked into the town, Lin Xu took strides forward while shaking the bell in his hand.

  Similar to the routine used by quack doctors to drum up business, Lin Xu didn't understand a thing, but he couldn't resist the two experienced old ghosts in the Mountain God Temple. As the saying goes: Having an elder at home is like having a treasure. Under their guidance, it was easy for Lin Xu to pretend to be a quack doctor, and if given more time to train, becoming an official with the demeanor of a court official would not be difficult either.

  Walking slowly on the streets of Jiangjiaji, every time when the Wang dynasty is in its final days, it's inevitable to repeat the thrilling scenes that make people feel frightened and nervous.

  Bodies hung up like white-striped pigs, openly sold by the catty on the street. For the sale of such flesh, whether it's the buyer, seller or passersby, people here all have a calm and collected expression as if this is how things should be.

  Those refugees who casually stick a grass stem on their heads to show they are selling themselves, kneel in disorder on both sides of the street. As soon as they see a passerby wearing slightly cleaner and more tidy clothes, they immediately crawl forward to beg the other party to buy themselves, with a very low price for selling themselves, not even enough to buy a pancake in today's market.

  When a country is about to perish, monsters will appear. This year, the southern provinces of Huainan suffered from severe drought, while the northern provinces of Huai were plagued by locusts, and the provinces south of the Yangtze River experienced two major floods in both spring and autumn. Epidemics swept across various regions, claiming countless lives. However, the government did not reduce a single copper coin of its harsh taxes and miscellaneous levies. Nowadays, ordinary people are indeed living in dire straits, as if they were trapped between water and fire. It is no wonder that selling oneself into slavery to make ends meet might be the only way for someone to survive. Under such circumstances, becoming a slave is hardly humiliating; after all, the dead have no right to indulge in idle talk about dignity and self-respect.

  Just as Lin Xu was worried about the scene in front of him, which he thought would only appear in his midnight nightmare, he suddenly felt that he should do something. Although his power was limited, Lin Xu couldn't save everyone, but he could at least try to save one person!

  Deep in his heart, he decided to donate medicine to these poor people and alleviate their suffering. Thus, Lin Xu immediately began shouting loudly in the bustling streets that he would provide free medical treatment and medication for everyone.

  Alas, Lin Xu's transformed body carried a limited amount of medicine, and even the cleverest housewife can't cook without rice. As he treated these homeless refugees, he was soon surrounded by crowds three layers deep. In just a short while, Lin Xu's supply of medicine was exhausted, and there were still many patients waiting in line around him. When Lin Xu looked up at those faces, some swollen beyond recognition, others gaunt like living skulls, their eyes filled with a longing for life, he really couldn't bear to abandon them.

  Lin Xu had no choice but to use a rather undignified method of treatment, drawing talismans on the street and burning them into ashes, then mixing the ashes with water to distribute to those patients for drinking to cure their illnesses.

  It's unbearable, this kind of treatment is almost the standard way for a heretic cult to buy people's hearts, which has always been the most taboo thing for the ruling class. If it were in a peaceful time, the local government would have used harsh punishment methods to make these heart-buying demons want to die. The standard procedure was to splash dog blood and feces on them, parade them through the streets, then behead them with one knife, finally putting their severed heads in small wooden cages, hanging them on the city gate for three months, allowing passersby to observe and take warning.

  "Halt! What evil spirit dares to wreak havoc here?!"

  Just as Lin Xu was busy and enjoying himself, a sudden shout rang out in his ear, he turned his head to look at the person who came, and began to speculate about their intentions.

  The earth god guarding the place does not have the magnificent demeanor and divine light of a heavenly deity, but is more similar to the yin spirits of the underworld in essence. Moreover, Lin Xuan's incarnation lacks the extraordinary aura that comes from the interaction of divine power and the wishes of all living beings, so even if someone with the ability to see through yin and yang cannot tell where Lin Xuan's incarnation came from, they can at least determine that he is not an ordinary person.

  Smiling at this chivalrous man, Lin Xu said with an extremely calm expression:

  "Please wait a moment, fellow Taoist, I still have many patients to diagnose and treat here."

  Although the refugees gathered around Lin Xu, those stiff and wooden faces, many of which had long since lost their ability to show any change in expression, this brother who was about to exorcise demons and protect the way clearly felt that he was being rejected by the crowd of people surrounding Lin Xu asking for medical treatment. He thought for a moment with a dark face and said:

  "Hmph! Let's see what tricks you have up your sleeve, I'm waiting for you."

  With the help of Xǐu Shuǐ's cheating medical skills, they quickly dispatched the patients who came to seek medical treatment. Lín Xù gathered his things and followed behind this seemingly powerful person, one in front of the other, arriving at a secluded corner of the town.

  At this time, the two parties stood facing each other. Lin Xu looked up and down at the man in front of him. This high-ranking person who suddenly appeared halfway, looked to be around thirty years old, wearing a coarse linen garment that had not been washed or dyed, with countless patches sewn on from top to bottom. However, his clothes were very clean, without any dirt or stains. His long hair was untied and scattered in the wind. The sword at his waist was very old-fashioned and seemed to have some age to it. The straw sandals on his feet were covered in mud, and the original color of the straw could no longer be seen.

  What was most striking about the man were his ancient bronze-colored, calloused hands and a pair of bright eyes on an ordinary face. If one looked closely, they would find that his eyes seemed to reveal a hint of sharpness, which was far from being as ordinary as his appearance suggested.

  Judging from these superficial phenomena, it would be more appropriate to say that this brother is a simple and honest rural farmer rather than a transcendent being.

  Sensing that there were no bystanders nearby, Lin Xu decided to lay his cards on the table. With a hint of a smile, he spoke in a calm and unhurried tone:

  "This humble deity is the newly appointed God of Mount Huo, may I ask which esteemed deity you are?"

  The man opposite him, who had been posing with a stern and just demeanor, suddenly heard Lin Xu's words and couldn't help but let out a shocked cry:

  "Ah! What did you say? Hoshan God!"

  Seeing this scene, Lin Xu's smile on his face became even more radiant. He reached into his bosom and took out a document, unfolded it calmly and handed it over for the other party to review, saying:

  "Talk is cheap, but this thing can prove my identity!"