The Five Corpse Heart Sutra

Under the cover of night, the town physician had just finished his house call.

A wooden case slung over his shoulder, he grumbled under his breath, a pained expression on his face, as he prepared to leave the residence.

At the doorway, however, he collided with four figures moving with evident haste.

“My apologies,” one of them immediately said, their voice clear and pleasant to the ear.

“Ah, ah, it’s nothing,” the physician replied instinctively.

Suddenly regaining his senses, he turned to look at the group about to step inside.

“What is your relationship with this household, esteemed sirs?”

This time, a male voice retorted, “That is none of your concern.”

The physician, rebuffed, wisely held his tongue.

After a moment’s thought, he still offered a warning.

“This family has also fallen ill with a strange disease. I couldn’t discern its nature, nor if it’s contagious. I advise you to proceed with caution…”

No one heeded him; they had already vanished into the house in a flash.

These four were none other than Mister Xiao and her escorts.

Earlier, Mister Xiao had made the decisive call.

She declared her intention to investigate the strange illness plaguing the town, and her guards, not daring to disobey, led her to the nearest afflicted household.

Upon entering, they found hardly anyone standing upright.

Everyone was either lying down, prostrate, or writhing in discomfort.

Noticing the strangers, a sickly middle-aged man slumped on a stool in the main hall immediately fixed them with wide, warning eyes, as if issuing a silent threat.

Mister Xiao offered a gentle smile.

“Do not worry. We are the masters of the physician you just saw. He admitted he was powerless, and only with my personal intervention can a miraculous recovery be achieved.”

Behind her, the three guards’ lips twitched involuntarily.

‘Our Pavilion Master truly tells lies without a blush or a racing heart,’ they thought to themselves.

The man seemed to believe Mister Xiao’s words.

The threatening glint in his eyes receded, and he resumed his groans of misery.

Mister Xiao surveyed her surroundings, noting a woman and a child also present in the home.

She promptly instructed, “I will take their pulses first. You three, see if you can fetch some water. Patients with fever are prone to dehydration.”

Upon receiving their orders, the three guards immediately dispersed to attend to their tasks.

Mister Xiao took the pulse of each of the three in turn.

Finally, she held the child’s weak pulse, pondering deeply for a long moment.

Elder Liu had already returned, having drawn two buckets of water from the town well.

Her stride was robust and agile, entirely unlike that of a seventy-year-old woman.

She carried a bucket of well water high in one hand, much like a white crane spreading its wings, the full contents sloshing within, splashing a few drops occasionally.

Mister Xiao rose from the bedside, gesturing for Elder Liu to place the water aside.

Noticing the deep concern etched between the Pavilion Master’s brows, Elder Liu couldn’t help but ask, “Could it be that even you could not diagnose the cause?”

From a young age, Mister Xiao had been studious, intelligent, and nimble-witted.

She had not only read countless renowned classics but also numerous miscellaneous texts.

When disciples within the Pavilion suffered minor ailments or injuries, they often sought her for a diagnosis, a pulse reading, and a prescription.

She carried no airs as the Pavilion Master’s daughter, and everyone was pleased to consult her, not least to behold Mister Xiao’s peerlessly beautiful and elegant countenance.

Elder Liu had initially presumed it to be some intractable and complex illness.

To her surprise, Mister Xiao slowly shook her head, her voice tinged with bitterness.

“It is precisely because I have diagnosed this strange disease that my heart aches with reluctance.”

Elder Liu questioned, “Could it be an incurable illness…”

Mister Xiao nodded almost imperceptibly.

“Let us step outside first.”

The two stood outside the household’s door.

The other two guards had also returned, carrying water, one even balancing a bucket on his head.

Despite his swift, almost wind-like steps, the bucket remained perfectly still.

Seeing this, Mister Xiao said, “My thanks to Protectors Han and Yi for your hard work.”

“Do not rush inside yet; listen to what I have to say.”

The two men immediately halted, placing the water buckets casually by the threshold.

Mister Xiao glanced back, seeing no movement from inside the room, assuming the occupants had fallen asleep.

She then stated, “These symptoms resemble those afflicted by the *Five Corpse Heart Sutra*, a technique once practiced by Elder Kong, who betrayed our Pavilion.”

Upon hearing this, the three guards immediately grew solemn.

The *Five Corpse Heart Sutra* was a top-tier poison art within the Zhaixing Pavilion.

However, its cultivation method was excessively sinister and peculiar, leading the Old Pavilion Master to list it as a forbidden text, prohibiting anyone within the Pavilion from reading or practicing it.

Mister Xiao explained, “In the past, Kong Xiuwen, in his desire to refine corpse puppets, secretly infiltrated our forbidden chamber to steal and learn this secret manual, hoping to cultivate an unparalleled poison art.”

“Though my father discovered him later, he managed to flee overnight, taking the *Five Corpse Heart Sutra* with him.”

Elder Liu whispered, “Are you suggesting that Kong Xiuwen is not only alive but has truly mastered the *Five Corpse Heart Sutra*?”

Mister Xiao’s eyes darted, and she suddenly chuckled.

“Oh, I called you foolish, and it seems you truly aren’t very bright. If I can recognize the symptoms of the *Five Corpse Heart Sutra*, doesn’t that prove I, too, secretly visited the forbidden chamber to read this book?”

The guards had indeed not considered this point.

They froze on the spot, standing dumbfounded for a long while, under the smiling gaze of their young Pavilion Master.

“Alright, I’ll stop teasing you,” Mister Xiao said.

“My father has passed away, so I am not afraid of you reporting me to him.”

“To be frank, there isn’t a single forbidden book in the Pavilion that I haven’t read.”

Though the three guards knew of her audacious nature, they were still utterly stunned, as if struck by lightning.

Mister Xiao lowered her voice.

“However, I only know how to read it, not how to practice it, so I cannot use cultivation to detoxify…”

“There is, however, another method, though it is almost impossible.”

Elder Liu could not help but ask curiously, “What method is that?”

Mister Xiao clasped her hands behind her back, pacing before the door for several moments.

She slowly raised her head, her tightly furrowed brows still unrelaxed.

“The *Five Corpse Heart Sutra* is used to refine living people into corpse puppets. Therefore, it must first refine away the living person’s vital essence, which is then transformed into poisonous blood for the practitioner to command.”

Protector Yi, who specialized in the path of poisons within the Pavilion, reacted quickly.

He immediately interjected, “May I ask, Mister Xiao, how many days does this refining process typically last?”

“Hmm…” Mister Xiao pursed her lips, then lowered her head, seemingly lost in deep thought.

She let out an “Ah,” as if finally recalling, and said, “Refining and transformation—these two steps occur simultaneously.”

“It takes approximately five to seven days.”

Protector Yi’s expression turned grave.

“In other words, no deity could save them after seven days at the latest.”

Mister Xiao nodded.

“Precisely.”

To be rigorous, she added, “It’s not entirely hopeless.”

“As I mentioned before, there is an almost impossible method.”

“The *Five Corpse Heart Sutra* is said to have no effect on a particular type of blood; those poisoned would at most only experience feverish symptoms.”

“The forbidden text refers to this type of blood as ‘pure blood.'”

Protector Yi nodded.

“Indeed, it’s akin to exchanging blood for blood. However, not everyone’s blood can be mutually exchanged or supplemented.”

Mister Xiao said, “Let those who understand medical principles ponder this further.”

“In short, if someone possesses profound cultivation and also has pure blood, they could transfer their blood to others, thus saving their lives.”

Protector Yi, succumbing to his professional habit, instinctively countered, “But as we just discussed, blood types differ.”

“Pure blood can often only be transfused to those who also possess pure blood.”

Mister Xiao replied, “Exactly, which is why I called it an impossible method.”

“The *Five Corpse Heart Sutra* has no effect on pure blood, so to detoxify and save someone, only pure blood can be transfused.”

“However, those with pure blood would never be afflicted by the *Five Corpse Heart Sutra* in the first place, making this a dead end.”

Still not satisfied, Protector Yi continued to speak volubly.

“Furthermore, excessive blood loss often puts a person’s life at risk. After seven days, the corpse puppet’s entire body would be filled with poisonous blood, requiring an immense quantity of pure blood.”

“Even if a pure-blood individual wished to save them, their strength would be insufficient to meet the demand.”

Mister Xiao chuckled.

“Protector Yi, I always thought you were a quiet person, yet when it comes to a topic you excel in, you become quite the chatterbox.”

Protector Yi was startled and quickly bowed his head.

“The Pavilion Master makes light of me…”

Elder Liu then said, “Since we are powerless against these symptoms here, should we not return to rest and depart early tomorrow to continue tracking Lin Qingyi?”

“That is the only course of action,” Mister Xiao nodded.

“What is the situation with Elder Zhai? Have you established contact?”

Protector Han, who had been attempting to establish contact with the other side, replied, “Reporting to the Pavilion Master, there is no news yet.”

“However, they have been informed not to linger in battle after seizing [Tangxi], but to lead it to Wangjiang Tower.”

“Good,” Mister Xiao said.

“Also, inform them that an unknown plague seems to have appeared in the Quzhou region, which appears to be the work of Kong Xiuwen, the traitor who betrayed our Pavilion years ago.”

“He vanished without a trace for so many years, but now he can no longer resist revealing his true colors.”

“Instruct them to dispatch several experts of the [Golden Blade] and [Sword Saint] realms to come here and cleanse this stain upon our sect.”

“We shall obey the Pavilion Master’s esteemed decree!”

Under the cover of night, the three guards bowed in unison.