In early March, the Baiyu Sect held its Apricot Forest Gathering. Every physician of any renown among the common folk made their way to attend. Yang Lianting paused his practice at the clinic and set out for the assembly at Mount Gusha.
The Baiyu Sect was the state religion of Great Yan, and its headquarters on Mount Gusha were protected by the Yan army. Ordinarily, it was no easy feat for commoners to ascend the mountain. When Yang Lianting first arrived at the foot of the peak, before he could even present his invitation, someone came out to greet him. "Might the traveler be Physician Yang Lianting?"
Yang Lianting quickly cupped his hands in greeting. "Indeed, it is I. I was fortunate enough to receive an invitation from your esteemed sect late last year, and I have come to attend the gathering."
The other man returned the bow hastily. "Physician Yang is too polite. Please, follow me."
As Yang Lianting followed him up the mountain, he felt a surge of curiosity. He had long heard rumors that the Saintess of the Baiyu Sect possessed immortal arts. During their previous meeting at the royal palace, she had not seemed like the type to play at ghosts or indulge in mystification.
The terrain of Mount Gusha was treacherous. At the summit stood a statue of Shennong, the Divine Farmer; spring water flowed directly down from Shennong’s right hand. Even before drawing near, one could hear the sound of the rushing stream. The disciple leading the way brought him to the Hall of Shennong halfway up the mountain. "Physician Yang, please wait a moment. I shall go and invite the Sect Leader."
Yang Lianting was secretly amazed. He had always heard that the Saintess possessed heaven-reaching abilities, but the Sect Leader rarely showed his face. He wondered what kind of person he would be.
Just as this thought crossed his mind, the beaded curtain was lifted, and a man entered. Yang Lianting turned to look; the man was over fifty years old with a grey-white beard, yet he was full of vitality, his eyes flashing with a divine light. Yang Lianting stood up immediately. "Is this senior the Sect Leader of the Baiyu Sect? Junior Yang Lianting offers his respects."
The long-bearded elder stepped forward slowly, his gaze sharp as lightning as he scrutinized Yang from head to toe. After a long silence, he finally spoke. "Physician Yang, there is no need for such formality. Please, sit." Once Yang Lianting was seated, the elder added, "All those attending the Apricot Forest Gathering must submit a medical case study. I wonder, where is yours?"
Yang Lianting was slightly stunned. Because he had been specifically invited by the Saintess, no one had informed him of this requirement. Just as he was about to speak, the curtain rustled again, and the Saintess, A-Fei, walked in.
"Adoptive Father!" Her voice carried a hint of both anger and playfulness. "Physician Yang is a guest I invited. How can you demand a case study from him?"
The elder shot her a glare. "Every profession has its rules. Since the rules were established at the beginning, how can they be lightly cast aside?"
A-Fei took a few steps to Yang Lianting’s side. "He’ll write it now, alright?" She turned to Yang Lianting and gave him a mischievous smile. "This is my adoptive father, Mu Qingxie."
Yang Lianting bowed again. "Senior Mu, I truly did not know of this regulation. Please, Senior, grant me a moment to prepare a case study now."
A-Fei tugged at his sleeve. "Don't mind him, he's just a grumpy old man!"
Mu Qingxie was fuming, but Yang Lianting actually opened his medical chest, took out brush and paper, and began writing the case study right there in the hall.
Mu Qingxie glanced at him, then glared at A-Fei again. "A young woman like you, showing your face in public... you have no sense of shame."
A-Fei grew angry, her eyes widening. "You’re bullying my guest, and you won't even let me speak?!"
Yang Lianting didn't know how to mediate. He had spent very little time with elders; what he had learned in his limited years was mostly respect and deference. However, the bickering between A-Fei and Mu Qingxie felt intimate, giving off the genuine feeling of a family.
Perhaps fearing that Mu Qingxie would say something else to embarrass Yang Lianting, A-Fei did not leave. She stood right beside him. She wore no perfume, yet she carried the scent of a young girl, like spring grass under the sun.
Yang Lianting’s brush moved like driving rain, and he soon finished a case study. A-Fei had been talking to Mu Qingxie at first, but her attention was gradually drawn to the content of the paper. Finally, she let out a soft "Eh?" of surprise. "You aren't writing about the plague in Daji City?"
Mu Qingxie was also quite surprised.
Submitting a case study for the Apricot Forest Gathering was, without question, the most direct way for a physician to demonstrate their experience and skill. Without exception, every submitted case was a record of the most famous and sensational illnesses the doctor had treated. Yang Lianting was currently a celebrity, undoubtedly because of that plague in Daji City.
Yet, he had not brought forth his most brilliant achievement. Instead, he wrote about another patient—one suffering from chronic, recurring toxic ulcers.
Mu Qingxie took the case study, the scent of ink still fresh, and looked it over for a while. "Why write about this?"
Yang Lianting replied, "While the plague in Daji City was terrifying, it was not actually a typical case. Even without me, I believe the imperial physicians would have eventually developed a formula. I was merely fortunate enough to produce one earlier. This lady’s toxic ulcers, though less known, affect many people. I reviewed the prescriptions used by her previous physicians and, after synthesizing them, developed this treatment. In the world of medicine, conquering rare and difficult diseases can bring fame and fortune, but the vast majority of people are troubled by common, lingering ailments. I felt this case... might help more patients suffer less."
He spoke these words calmly in the hall, without boasting or exaggeration. Mu Qingxie asked softly, "How old are you?"
Yang Lianting was momentarily dazed, then realized the question. "To answer the Sect Leader, I am fifteen this year."
Mu Qingxie nodded. "It is getting late, and you must be tired from your journey. Go and rest." With that, he ordered someone to lead Yang Lianting to a prepared quiet room. Once Yang Lianting had left, A-Fei leaned over to look at the case study. She was somewhat disappointed. "I wanted to see the one about the Daji City plague."
Mu Qingxie’s expression turned solemn. "Though this man is young, the heart of a healer should be exactly like this."
A-Fei rolled her eyes. "Then why did you make things difficult for him?"
Mu Qingxie turned to look at her. A-Fei, displeased, lifted her chin defiantly. Mu Qingxie sighed. "Listen to your father. Do not associate with this man in the future. Once the Apricot Forest Gathering is over, see him off the mountain properly."
A-Fei was confused. "Why? Don't you like him?"
Mu Qingxie spread the case study neatly on the desk. "A-Fei, this man is only fifteen, but look at this case study!"
A-Fei leaned in, reading as she spoke. "I think it’s quite good. The use of medicine is rigorous, the dosages are precise..." After finishing, she said, "You practically can't find a single flaw!"
Mu Qingxie said, "Exactly. A fifteen-year-old child in an ordinary family would still be at an age of ignorance. But look at his bearing, his knowledge... A-Fei, in Jinyang City, has anyone been able to discover this man’s family history or origins?"
A-Fei began to understand. "Father, do you suspect he is a spy who intentionally infiltrated the Baiyu Sect? But we were the ones who invited him!"
Mu Qingxie said, "Regardless, you are not permitted to see him again!"
A-Fei huffed and walked away in a fit of pique.
Yang Lianting settled into the quiet room, where disciples served him fruit and fragrant tea. He stood by the window and saw the bright moon hanging high, the early spring blossoms looking like moonlight graffiti. In the distance, the silhouette of the Shennong statue was faintly visible. He reached his hand out the window, and the moonlight bloomed in his palm.
On his first night at Mount Gusha, he suffered from insomnia.
The next day was the official start of the Apricot Forest Gathering. Nearly every physician of repute in Great Yan had gathered here. Even the Imperial Academy of Medicine had sent its most venerable physicians to participate.
It was the height of spring. Low tables were set beneath the peach trees of Mount Gusha, with mats woven from reeds spread upon the ground. The physicians, dressed in long robes and scholar’s caps, sat together in a circle. The tables were laden with abundant food and wine, but no one touched their chopsticks. The Baiyu Sect would select nearly a hundred case studies for discussion and research.
A physician’s case study was like a scholar’s calligraphy or painting. Once the investigation began, it could go on endlessly. Thus, beneath the peach trees where fallen petals layered the ground, the physicians sitting around the tables would sometimes click their tongues in admiration and sometimes argue incessantly.
Mu Qingxie’s gaze swept over the crowd. He noticed Yang Lianting sitting in a corner, always wearing a faint smile, listening intently as his companions critiqued a case study. He did not speak, behaving like a humble and earnest junior.
By the time the evaluation ended, three of the most outstanding case studies had been unanimously chosen. Yang Lianting’s was not among them. An ailment like toxic ulcers was, after all, too common and too insignificant. Most of the time, it wasn't even fatal. Consequently, while some felt his case study was exquisite, it clearly lacked the weight to be chosen as the champion of the Apricot Forest Gathering.
Some felt it was a pity, saying he shouldn't have submitted that particular case. Yang Lianting’s expression remained calm throughout. He simply said, "I am but a junior with shallow medical knowledge. I still have much to learn and experience; it is not merely a matter of choosing the wrong case."
Mu Qingxie sighed. He suddenly turned to the Protector beside him and said, "Send someone to Jinyang to investigate this Physician Yang’s background."
The Protector nodded. As the state religion for many years, the Baiyu Sect was deeply rooted in Great Yan; investigating a single person was no difficult task.
On the second day of the gathering, the Baiyu Sect followed tradition by selecting several patients for the physicians to diagnose and treat. Afterward, the top ten physicians would be chosen to remain at the Baiyu Sect. It was said that those who stayed would gain access to the sect’s truly profound medical arts.
This was considered a lifelong honor for any physician.
Yang Lianting selected a patient. From the acupuncture to the prescription, he believed his performance was perfect. However, he was not among the ten physicians the Baiyu Sect chose to keep.
As soon as the gathering concluded, Mu Qingxie ordered the disciples to escort him and the other unselected physicians down Mount Gusha. As Yang Lianting was packing his things, Mu Qingxie walked in. Yang Lianting knew Mu Qingxie was wary of him, but since things had reached this point and he didn't know how to earn his trust for the time being, he could only say, "I have long heard that the medical arts of the Baiyu Sect are peerless. Alas, despite exhausting my skills, I was unable to witness them. I have made a fool of myself before Sect Leader Mu."
Mu Qingxie said, "No. If we speak only of medical skill, you are stronger than many of those the Baiyu Sect has kept in the past."
Yang Lianting hadn't expected him to be so blunt and was momentarily stunned. Mu Qingxie pulled a small jade box from his robe and held it out to him. "This is a sacred object of the Baiyu Sect. We call it the Nine-Needle."
Yang Lianting looked at him, not understanding the intent. Mu Qingxie said, "Take it. It will be very useful to you."
Only then did Yang Lianting accept it. He carefully opened the box to find a worm thinner than a strand of hair. It was surrounded by sand that looked like jade shavings; nestled in the sand, its full length was hidden. Mu Qingxie explained, "The Nine-Needle consumes necrotic flesh from wounds, and its saliva can stop bleeding. If it enters the blood vessels, it can suppress internal hemorrhaging. Any wound treated by the Nine-Needle will never become infected."
Yang Lianting was shocked. "Why would Senior gift such a precious item to me?"
Mu Qingxie replied, "Everyone who stays to study medicine at the Baiyu Sect eventually receives a Nine-Needle. You should have one."
Yang Lianting said, "But..."
Mu Qingxie interrupted, "But if I am giving you the Nine-Needle, why not keep you in the sect to learn, is that it?" Yang Lianting fell silent. Mu Qingxie sighed. "Physician Yang, if a starling can recite poetry and mimic human speech perfectly, what does that suggest?"
Yang Lianting thought for a moment and said, "It suggests that it was raised by someone."
As soon as the words left his mouth, he froze.
Mu Qingxie said, "It is getting late. Go down the mountain."
***
| Chinese | English | Notes/Explanation |
| :--- | :--- | :--- |
| 杏林会 | Apricot Forest Gathering | A prestigious medical conference; "Apricot Forest" is a traditional metaphor for the medical community. |
| 拜玉教 | Baiyu Sect | The state religion of Great Yan; literally "Jade Worship Sect." |
| 姑射山 | Mount Gusha | The location of the Baiyu Sect's headquarters. |
| 沐青邪 | Mu Qingxie | The Sect Leader of the Baiyu Sect and A-Fei's adoptive father. |
| 神农 | Shennong | The Divine Farmer, a mythological figure in Chinese medicine and agriculture. |
| 九针 | Nine-Needle | A rare, hair-thin medicinal worm used for cleaning wounds and stopping blood. |
| 净室 | Quiet room | A clean, simple room often used for meditation or guests in a religious/sect setting. |
