Chapter 66: The Mysterious Recluse

  Yang Fan stood up and looked at the hunchbacked old man with a mixture of curiosity and concern.

  His opponent's turbid gaze swept over him, his eyes dull and dim, as if lacking light.

  But Yang Fan had a strange feeling in his heart, just as he was about to speak, he heard the hunchbacked old man burst out laughing: "So you're a fellow practitioner... Young brother, please sit down."

  "A fellow practitioner?" Yang Fan was slightly startled, but quickly understood and asked: "May I ask, senior, how did you discern my identity?"

  The fellow practitioner referred to by this hunchbacked old man is naturally referring to the two of them being pharmacists, which was also mentioned by his granddaughter Luoshui earlier.

  The old man with a hump on his back sat down casually, and Luo Shui poured him a cup of tea. Standing beside him, he listened carefully and curiously asked: "Grandfather, how did you see it? Why couldn't I see it?"

  At a glance, he saw through Yang Fan's identity as a pharmacist, and it was clear that the village chief's eyes were sharp, forming a stark contrast with his dull eyes.

  This hunchbacked old man is absolutely not simple.

  Yang Fan was secretly shocked, but on the surface he remained calm and composed.

  "Heh heh, I'm relying on intuition... and this intuition has never been wrong. If it's a fake, no matter how they dress up or disguise themselves, I can see through them at a glance."

  The hunchbacked old man looked at Yang Fan with a seemingly smiling yet not quite smiling expression, picked up his tea cup and took a light sip, the action was surprisingly elegant.

  "Feeling?"

  Yang Fan was half-believing and half-doubting.

  Luoshui didn't believe him at all, gave him a glance and coquettishly said: "Grandfather, you're bragging again, did you eavesdrop on my conversation with Yang Gongzi just now?"

  "You may not believe it... " The old man with a hump on his back said with a bitter smile, and then asked Yang Fan: "Young brother, what do you think?"

  Yang Fan thought for a moment, his face calm and composed, "If what you said is true, then it would be the king of medicine, the saint of doctors, and the art of medicine has reached an unimaginable state of perfection."

  "Young brother, you're quite interesting to talk to and I find you rather pleasing to the eye. At just 18 years old, you have such great accomplishments and vision, your future prospects are not small. If you're interested, you can stay in this deep mountain retreat for a few days and we can explore the art of medicine together."

  The hunchbacked old man chuckled and said, in his originally dull eyes, a glimmer of light suddenly appeared, but it was fleeting.

  Yang Fan was shocked in his heart and secretly thought: How did the other party find out his specific age?

  He had exerted his utmost effort in concealing his aura to the extreme, making it difficult for even divine senses to gauge his exact age.

  "What's on your mind, young brother?" asked the hunchbacked old man.

  "Yang Gongzi, since it's like this, you might as well stay in our 'Yihe Village' for a few more days."

  The Luoshui little girl said with a hint of expectation.

  "Thank you, senior."

  Yang Fan hastily got up to thank him, the hunchbacked old man in front of him, in terms of medical skills, absolutely has an extraordinary level of attainment, saying that they would jointly explore, not to mention passing on his experience to himself.

  "Yang brothers, you're being polite. Our meeting is a kind of fate. I slightly understand the art of observing people and know that your life has had great ups and downs. Currently, you are in a low valley, but the blessings in store for you in the future are immeasurable."

  The old man with a humpbacked back slowly said.

  Yang Fan's heart surged with even more shock and astonishment upon hearing these words.

  The rise and fall of life, isn't it about oneself losing all their abilities overnight, from being a highly talented cultivator to becoming a useless person?

  Currently in a slump, also refers to Yang Fan's current situation, low-key actions, and being hunted down by others.

  However, Yang Fan had an unusual encounter and obtained the "Xianhong Ring". As long as he endured hardships and kept a low profile for some time, his future rise to prominence would be a matter of course.

  "May I ask your honorable surname and great name?"

  Yang Fan stood up solemnly and respectfully, feeling a sense of awe at the old man's divine powers.

  It is also a rare opportunity for oneself to meet such an extraordinary person in this deep mountain wilderness.

  Cultivators pursue the path of immortality, and must go through countless hardships and trials. To achieve success, innate talent, great perseverance, and favorable opportunities are crucial.

  Among them, the chance encounter is the most elusive and unpredictable.

  Yang Fan felt that he had now encountered the second great opportunity in his life, meeting a strange person.

  "Hehe, I'm just a nobody, no one knows me, young brother can just call me senior and that's it, don't worry about it."

  The hunchbacked old man apparently had no intention of revealing his true name.

  Yang Fan didn't think it was strange either, and started talking with the hunchbacked old man.

  "Are you and Luoshui the only ones at home?"

  Yang Fan curiously asked.

  "Yes, actually this granddaughter of mine is a native of this village. She lost her parents at a young age, and I saw that she was exceptionally talented, so I took her in as my own granddaughter. This year she's only sixteen years old."

  The old man with a hump on his back smiled and replied, his eyes gazing at the Luo River, shining with a few threads of kindness.

  Yang Fan then asked the hunchbacked old man some questions about medical skills, many of which were extremely obscure and profound.

  However, no matter what Yang Fan asked, the hunchbacked old man could answer one by one, and he was calm and unhurried, raising one and refuting three, analyzing the essence of the problem thoroughly.

  Yang Fan was even more respectful and admiring of the old man with a hump on his back.

  As time went on, Yang Fan's problems were no longer limited to medicine, but extended to alchemy and plants.

  Alchemy and knowledge of plants are also closely linked with medicine.

  As a result, Yang Fan was surprised to find that this hunchbacked old man also had extraordinary skills in these two aspects, and he answered all of Yang Fan's questions.

  Asking and asking, Yang Fan simply brought up some doubts he had encountered in "Lian Dan Pian" and "Cao Mu Pian".

  These questions, however, were a bit difficult. The old man with a hump on his back furrowed his brow and thought for a moment before using his vast knowledge and experience to help Yang Fan analyze the essence of the problem.

  High person, absolutely high person!

  Yang Fan was overjoyed and even forgot about returning home, really planning to stay in this place for a few more days.

  Before long, it was getting late, and Luoshui had already prepared a simple rural dish.

  Yang Fan found that many of these foods were also medicinal herbs, and when placed on the dinner table, they became medicinal dishes.

  Normally, ordinary medicinal dishes don't taste very good and are hard to swallow.

  However, Luoshui's culinary skills were exceptional, and it was unclear what methods she used, but the dishes on the table were fragrant, sweet, and savory, with a perfect balance of color, fragrance, and flavor.

  Moreover, after eating medicinal dishes, I feel that my internal organs are warm and moist, as if they have been cleansed by something.

  Yang Fan only ate a few bites and was somewhat addicted, so he couldn't help but eat some more. He involuntarily praised: "Luo Niang's culinary skills are great."

  Luoshui smiled and said: "If you like it, young master, I can make it for you every day."

  Yang Fan felt a warmth in his heart and thought that life in Yih River Village was indeed leisurely.

  If an ordinary person were to marry such a woman in this secluded paradise, live a peaceful life without war, what kind of bliss would that be?

  Yang Fan couldn't help but look at the old man with a hunchback with envious eyes, enjoying such delicious food every day.

  But he saw the hunchbacked old man glance at Luo Shui and hum: "How come you don't usually make such delicious dishes, always playing with new tricks, making your old grandfather a god farmer..."

  There was a hint of sourness in the old man's tone, which made Yang Fan stunned.

  This grandfather and grandson duo is really interesting.

  Luoshui listened and a sly glint flashed in her eyes. She secretly glanced at Yang Fan again, then lowered her head and remained silent.

  After having enough wine and food, Yang Fan began to ask the hunchbacked old man for advice again.

  At that moment, his gaze fell on the other's crippled leg, and he couldn't help but ask: "Senior, since you possess unparalleled medical skills, why don't you treat your own illness?"

  He had already seen that the old man with a hump on his back not only had injuries on his legs but also had an illness inside his body.

  "Of course it can't be cured, if it could be cured, I wouldn't still be stuck in this place?"

  The disabled old man actually rolled his eyes.

  "Can't be cured?"

  Yang Fan's face was filled with a mixture of weirdness and skepticism. How could this crippled old man, who was well-versed in both ancient and modern medical techniques, fail to cure even such a minor injury?

  "Would I deceive you?"

  Yang Fan hesitated for a moment, still disbelieving in his heart, and said: "Even so, Senior might as well let me try."

  In his eyes, diseases such as fractures and dislocations are nothing at all.

  The old cripple burst out laughing: "This illness of mine, you can't possibly cure it. If you have such great abilities, I'll pass on all my lifelong knowledge to you... and even this precious granddaughter of mine can be married off to you..."

  This crippled old man actually had a confident face and did not believe that Yang Fan could cure his own illness.

  (It's updated again. The entire chapter is just a setup, which shows how grand the book is going to be. Everyone please vote and nurture this little sprout.)