Chapter 646: Not Too Bright

Mao Li Nobusuke suddenly fell ill; over the past few years he had spent more time in a coma than awake, and the transfer of power had never been completed.

Over three years, Mao Li Xiulang had not only failed to win the trust of the clan, but had allowed the maternal relatives to grow powerful, and the authority in his own hands had been steadily eroding.

Therefore, upon receiving the critical-illness notice from Treasure Sea Chan Master, Mao Li Xiulang had staked everything, and together with his father's most trusted retainer Yoshikawa Hirono, had searched the whole world over for famous physicians.

How hard did he try, to save his father?

He nearly carried gold to the Ōuchi clan, hoping to borrow their ships to go out to sea and invite famous physicians from the great realm across the ocean.

Great Ming was the Celestial Empire; he had never been there, yet he had grown up listening to its legends.

He had already searched every physician and shaman in all of Japan — Shinto priests, monks… everyone he could invite had been invited, and every one of them was helpless.

He thought, if there were any way in this world to save his father, it must be across the sea — in Great Ming.

Just as he had the gold prepared, a rumor was circulating among the common folk.

A pair of divine men from the great realm had come across the ocean to take revenge on the Kikuchi clan, and had successively challenged and defeated several of the Kikuchi clan's great shrines.

The moment he heard the news, something inside Mao Li Xiulang told him: the people you've been waiting for have come!

So he did not go to the Ōuchi clan to hire a ship, but instead led his men to scour the whole world for this pair of divine men.

And Xuanmiao and Tao Ji — who had been chasing the Kikuchi clan all over Kyushu, and in turn being chased by the Kikuchi clan all over Kyushu — heard the wind of it, and after resting to recover from their wounds, decisively turned around and came to Honshu.

Because the two of them had been the ones to draw these people in, Mao Li Xiulang trusted them quite a bit, but when they brought along four people who looked obviously very young, his trust was discounted.

I entrust my father's life to your hands, and you use my father to let some youngsters practice on?

He was very displeased, so he also gave Pan Yun and the others' questions a cold shoulder.

Pan Yun looked up at him.

Mao Li Xiulang met her gaze with an innocent face.

Pan Yun looked at him, then turned her head to look at Mao Li Nobusuke on the couch; she had been about to discuss the illness, but was suddenly overcome by curiosity, and asked, "You two are father and son?"

Mao Li Xiulang frowned and asked unhappily, "We are father and son — what's the problem?"

"No, it's just that this…"

She looked at Mao Li Xiulang's face, could not help herself, pinched Mao Li Nobusuke's arm, and said hesitantly, "The age difference between you father and son is a little small."

Mao Li Xiulang, hearing this, proudly raised his chin and said, "My father had me when he was twelve; I am the legitimate eldest son!"

Pan Yun's mouth fell open.

Not only Pan Yun — Wang Cong and Miao Zhen, who had been discussing the illness in low voices, also looked up, staring at him in shock.

Pan Yun closed her mouth and murmured, "No wonder…"

Xuanmiao, at the side, gave a light cough.

Pan Yun came back to herself; seeing Mao Li Xiulang frowning at her, she immediately changed the subject: "I felt your father's pulse — in my opinion, your father is not ill, he has been hexed."

"Hexed?" Mao Li Xiulang immediately looked toward Tao Ji.

Tao Ji's expression was as usual; seeing him look over, he nodded: "It should be called a complex syndrome triggered by the hex. To cure him there are two methods: one is to find the object used for the hex, remove it, and then focus on clearing the lesion; the other is to forcibly drive out the hex while also clearing the lesion."

Mao Li Xiulang demanded, "Why didn't you say so yesterday?"

Tao Ji glanced at him and said bluntly, "Yesterday it was so late — giving him acupuncture to expel the evil qi that had invaded his heart and brain drained all the strength from my whole body. I was so tired I couldn't even eat, where would I have had the strength to talk?"

Mao Li Xiulang was still unconvinced.

Tao Ji added, "Besides, would telling you have done any good? Do you have a choice?"

"How could I not?"

Tao Ji raised an eyebrow: "Could you choose the first method? Do you know what object was used to hex him?"

Mao Li Xiulang opened and closed his mouth, then asked, "What object used for the hex?"

Tao Ji said coldly with a smile, "How would I know? It might be his hair, fingernails, or blood, combined with his birth characters to make a cursed object — but from when he fell ill until now it's been three years, and he's even moved residences. Could you find anything unusual?"

Mao Li Xiulang could not find any, and so fell silent.

Tao Ji could tell with his little toe that he could not find it.

If he had only just fallen ill and had not yet moved his residence, then one could still have a look.

But he had not only been ill for three years, he had also moved from his own home to Ichihata Temple.

Before he performed the acupuncture last night, he had looked all over the room, and even walked around the courtyard, and had not detected a trace of mixed qi — this meant the object was not here, Ichihata Temple was very clean.

This might also be the reason he had been able to survive until now after being hexed.

His coming to Ichihata Temple was a lucky accident.

However, this also meant that finding the object used for the hex would be like fishing for a needle in the ocean.

So Tao Ji did not even ask the family, and directly adopted the second method.

But the primal force consumed by the second method was enormous.

Tao Ji was tired and sleepy, and even less inclined to talk, so Mao Li Xiulang had known nothing before Pan Yun opened her mouth.

Mao Li Xiulang was so angry he spun in circles on the spot, raging, "Who — who exactly is trying to harm my father?"

As for this question, Pan Yun and the others truly did not know; Yoshikawa Hirono beside them might have had his guesses, but in front of everyone he did not speak.

So Mao Li Xiulang raged around the room for a long while, and no one paid him any attention.

Pan Yun was embarrassed for him, but Mao Li Xiulang did not feel it; after raging for a long while and finding no one paying him attention, he stopped on his own, and told Tao Ji and the others to spare no expense in driving out the hex for his father — no matter the cost, he would pay!

Xuanmiao said coolly, "What we want is not money."

"I know — you want to make peace with the Kikuchi clan. Don't worry, once my father is well, I'll ask my father to step in and make peace between your two families. How about it?"

Xuanmiao gave a cold laugh.

Yoshikawa Hirono glanced at the somewhat bewildered Mao Li Xiulang, sighed inwardly, but showed nothing on his face. He stepped forward two paces, bowed, and said, "Reverend, rest assured — you have done my Mao Li family the kindness of saving a life. So long as the Kikuchi clan comes to Izumo Province, no matter what grievance you have, the Mao Li family will stand unconditionally behind the reverend."

The corner of Xuanmiao's mouth lifted slightly; she indeed preferred to work with clever people — she loathed fools, especially those who were foolish without knowing it.

Xuanmiao: "Can you decide for the Mao Li family?"

Yoshikawa Hirono bowed and said, "I am not only a retainer of the Mao Li clan; I once bore the surname Mao Li as well — I am the head of the family's younger cousin."

Everyone looked at him curiously.

Kikkawa Hirono paused before explaining, "When I was young, I was adopted into my maternal grandfather's Kikkawa family, so my word can speak not only for the Mōri clan but also for the Kikkawa family."

Oh, the Kikkawa family~~

Pan Yun gave Master Xuanmiao a slight nod. She knew the Kikkawa family—Yi Jianren had said they were one of the local powerful clans. She hadn't expected that such a powerful clan would have no sons. Wait, why didn't they adopt a child from someone of the same surname instead of going to the Mōri family to adopt one?

But no matter the reason, as long as Kikkawa Hirono had a clear idea in his mind, it was even better that he could give a promise on behalf of the Mōri family.

Pan Yun rose and gave her seat to Wang Cong and Seeing Miao Zhen, letting them give him acupuncture to drive out the evil. (End of chapter)