Chapter 13: Having a Path to Walk Is a Good Thing

“That’s not just a drop in the bucket… wait!” Feng Xue’s mind raced instantly—he realized it at once, his eyes blazing.

“You mean, after the curse is lifted, my lifespan can increase? For example… through cultivation?”

“Clever!” The Doctor Lan’s eyes brightened with amusement as she clapped her hands.

“It won’t be easy, but if you become a Martial Dao Master within nine years, living another sixty or seventy years won’t be a problem—how you cultivate is entirely up to you! That’s all I’ll say; whether you want the curse lifted is your choice. I’m leaving!”

No sooner had the words left her mouth than, from Feng Xue’s over-the-shoulder view, the glow around Doctor Lan vanished in an instant, and her previously ethereal eyes turned utterly ordinary.

“Cough, cough!” She cleared her throat softly, then fell silent. Those now dull eyes, in Feng Xue’s gaze, suddenly carried the innocent stupidity of a college student.

After a brief awkward pause, as if finally finding the right words, Doctor Lan spoke at last:

“The situation is simply this: I called Yue Fang Taigu to help because you were truly cursed—I normally treat patients and prescribe medicine using modern medical science!”

“I understand, I understand.” Feng Xue offered a polite but awkward smile before asking:

“How much is the fee?”

“Two rootless curses—two thousand wen. Not because I’m charging you twice, but because if you lift them together and the longer one breaks first, you’ll lose even more lifespan.” Doctor Lan named the price casually, but Feng Xue’s brow twitched.

After all, was this price… too cheap?

True, the purchasing power of the wen here was two or three times stronger than the yuan back in his homeland, but…

When did curse-breaking ever cost just a few thousand yuan?

But then Feng Xue realized he’d been thinking wrong—unlike his homeland or the cursed world he’d crossed into, here the supernatural was mainstream. In this small county alone, there were three or four openly operating shops. Under such conditions, ordinary problems likely wouldn’t be expensive at all.

It was like the price difference between a handgun in Huazhong and in America.

Without further thought, Feng Xue pulled out two strings of cash and placed them on the table.

“Do I need to fast or bathe first?”

“No such formalities. Most of those shamanistic rituals are meaningless—plainly put, they’re just staged to make you feel we earned our money the hard way. After all, if I just waved my hand and said ‘done,’ you wouldn’t feel reassured, would you? Hmm, the money’s fine. Wait a moment!”

Doctor Lan verified the bills, casually placed a cup over the two notes on the table, then turned to the herbal cabinet and began rummaging. Despite her delicate appearance, her movements climbing and climbing were remarkably agile. Within seconds, she retrieved a handful of herbs, weighed them precisely on a small scale, clapped her hands together—and the herbs instantly ground into fine powder as if passed through a mill.

“I’ll lift the shorter curse first. It might be a bit irritating—drink plenty of water afterward, don’t hold your breath! And don’t inhale deeply—it’s not some miraculous elixir!”

As she spoke, Doctor Lan lit a stick of incense to ignite the powder. The smoky herbal scent spread beside the consultation table, and once again, Feng Xue’s over-the-shoulder view caught the faint, gauze-like glow rising around her.

As she murmured incantations, the glow subtly merged with the smoke, like a gauzy robe settling over Feng Xue.

Whether from psychological suggestion or not, Feng Xue suddenly felt something quietly vanish—he felt clearer, lighter, refreshed.

“There. Hmph. What kind of cruel, self-damaging curse is this? Who in their right mind would cast something so vile?” Doctor Lan muttered casually, but Feng Xue suspected this was just another part of the trade—after all, it effectively convinced the “patient” she truly understood these curses, and wasn’t just some charlatan dancing around.

Just as Doctor Lan tossed the burnt herbal ash into a basin to fully extinguish it, Feng Xue, after a moment of thought, suddenly spoke:

“Doctor Lan, if I wanted to learn to become a Chuma Xian, where should I go?”

“This…” Doctor Lan paused mid-grinding a new batch of herbs, then resumed quickly, sweeping the powder into a small mound as she said:

“If you’re hoping to use this for cultivation and extend your lifespan, I strongly advise you to give it up. Chuma Xian belongs to the shaman class—the focus isn’t on the person, but on the ancestral spirits. Without long-term veneration of an ancestral spirit, even knowing the incantations is useless.”

“And there’s another unspoken issue: Yue Fang Taigu has been venerated by my family for nearly three hundred years—I’ve grown up with her. A newly summoned ancestral spirit? Forget extending your life—you might even lose lifespan from spiritual-physical conflict!”

“I’m not exaggerating. Of all the people I know who first welcomed an ancestral spirit, few lived past forty. Your lifespan is already so short—I’m afraid you won’t even make it through training!” Oh, done!”

Doctor Lan’s tone had been serious earlier, but the moment she said “Payment due,” her authority vanished instantly.

But Feng Xue’s attention wasn’t on that—he wasn’t afraid of losing lifespan. With [Ding Tian Ming], his life couldn’t be reduced by unnatural means. As for ancestral spirits—he held a tiny white snake that could become one with a single word. Perfectly equipped!

As for the martial cultivation Yue Fang Taigu mentioned…

Please. Even this body was already over twenty. With no cultivation technique, no master, no connections—become a Martial Dao Master in nine years? Even a low-tier novel wouldn’t dare write such a plot!

He didn’t even know how martial cultivation worked in this world!

Unwilling to give up, Feng Xue took a breath. Though this doctor didn’t seem money-driven, he still pulled a gold bar from his inner coat pocket and placed it on the table.

Seeing the gold bar, Doctor Lan, who had just been putting the money into the drawer, immediately shook her head:

“I already told you—it’s not about money, it’s your lifespan! Xuan cultivation relies on nourishing the soul with vital energy. With your condition, you’d die before your soul could even begin to feed back! As Yue Fang Taigu said, train in martial arts—even if you don’t become a Master—you’ll live two more years. Don’t take this dead-end path!”

Seeing Doctor Lan’s firm stance, Feng Xue could only sigh—but he felt no despair. In fact, he felt hopeful.

After all, this world wasn’t short of other “immortal beings” besides Doctor Lan.

He tucked the gold bar back against his skin, stood, and bowed slightly:

“Then I’ll take my leave. Thank you, Doctor Lan, for saving me. Until we meet again.”

“No need, no need—it’s just normal doctor-patient business.”

Here, Doctor Lan suddenly grew serious:

“By the way, if anyone asks, remember to say you came here for medical treatment! Understood?!”

(End of Chapter)