Chapter 440: M Reformation Plan

Ye Wenxin moved a little closer, trying to hear what Abbess Jiunan was muttering to herself, but as she looked down, she spotted a mutated lizard. As the three-eyed creature stared at her, Ye Wenxin stared back, hoping it would stay still. However, the lizard had no intention of cooperating—it suddenly kicked its legs and darted away quickly.

The slight noise caught Abbess Jiunan’s attention. Ye Wenxin then heard her voice.

“If you don’t show yourself, don’t blame this nun for not holding back,” Abbess Jiunan’s said with a cold voice. She was slender and elegant, possessing intelligence that ordinary women could not compare to. Ye Wenxin had no desire to reveal herself, but she saw that Abbess Jiunan was already moving swiftly to attack.

Dressed in flowing white robes that moved without wind, Abbess Jiunan unleashed the Southern Dipper Temple’s unique technique, Dragon Elephant Prajna Power¹. Holy light surrounded her, resembling the burning rays of the sun, capable of scorching the skin. Ye Wenxin didn’t dare underestimate the attack. In one swift turn, she drew the umbrella sword to block the strike.

The surrounding area began to blaze wildly due to the immense shockwave, but this fire seemed to come from within the body, making Ye Wenxin feel extremely uncomfortable.

However, Abbess Jiunan withdrew her magic horsetail whisk upon seeing the umbrella sword, and paused for a moment, before addressing, “Benefactor Wenxin.”

Ye Wenxin had intended to flee immediately without responding, but when Abbess Jiunan called her name, she had no choice but to step out, smiling at Abbess Jiunan. “It’s been a while, Abbess Jiunan.”

In truth, it hadn’t been long since their last encounter at the Southern Dipper Temple, but to Ye Wenxin, this meeting felt far more drawn out. Abbess Jiunan didn’t seem to mind and turned around to put on a thin monastic robe before continuing, “When did you return, Benefactor?”

Seeing the abbess’s relaxed demeanor without any reproach for her peeping, Ye Wenxin quickly replied, “Not long ago.”

Abbess Jiunan nodded, her hair still damp, with water droplets slowly trickling down, making her appear as pure and ethereal as a blossoming lotus. She seemed completely unaware of her slightly disheveled appearance and continued, “It’s good that you’ve returned. Everyone has been quite busy lately.”

After these words, they both fell into a brief silence, suddenly unsure of how to continue the conversation. Ye Wenxin, thinking she had interrupted Abbess Jiunan’s bath, spoke up, “I thought I saw someone earlier, so I came over out of concern. Since you’re bathing, Abbess, this junior will patrol the area to make sure no troublemakers are lurking around.”

Realizing she couldn’t stay here much longer, Ye Wenxin chose to excuse herself. Abbess Jiunan smiled and said, “That would be helpful. This nun is still a woman, after all; I shall trouble you to keep watch, Benefactor Wenxin.”

Abbess Jiunan turned and walked toward the stream, resuming her bath. Ye Wenxin didn’t dare to linger and began wandering the nearby area. She didn’t spot any other people, but there were a few wandering jiangshi.

Ghost Mother, having lost her Yin Pearl, could only watch helplessly as Sword Ghost energetically killed the jiangshi, her eyes full of resentment.

“Don’t worry, I’ll find a way,” Ye Wenxin reassured her, but Ghost Mother remained in a foul mood, and she left after the jiangshi were decimated. Ye Wenxin continued to wander the area with the umbrella sword until she suddenly heard Abbess Jiunan calling for her.

Ye Wenxin was startled, and thought someone might have attacked the abbess, but when she ran back, she found Abbess Jiunan with her back exposed, looking troubled.

Her back was covered in whip marks that looked fresh, but Abbess Jiunan was no ordinary person; who could have injured her like this?

Questions filled Ye Wenxin’s mind, but she asked calmly, “Abbess, did you see something?”

Abbess Jiunan pointed to the whip marks on her back that refused to fade and said, “Could I trouble you to apply some medicine for me, Benefactor Wenxin?”

The sight of her beautiful back momentarily stunned Ye Wenxin, and when she didn’t say anything, Abbess Jiunan handed her a bottle of ointment. Ye Wenxin took a light sniff of it and furrowed her brows slightly. “This is a mild ointment; it won’t be effective for the type of injuries on your back.”

The whip marks had been inflicted with extremely dominant qi. Only those with at least ten years of cultivation would be capable. Despite being one of the esteemed leaders of the Southern Dipper Temple, Abbess Jiunan lacked the medical knowledge that Ye Wenxin had. Abbess Jiunan didn’t doubt Ye Wenxin’s assessment and frowned slightly.

“What should be done, then?”

“I noticed there are plenty of medicinal herbs in the woods. Please wait a moment, Abbess. I’ll go gather the proper herbs to treat your wounds.” Ye Wenxin knew the necessary herbs could be commonly found, and planned to collect them from the nearby woods.

Abbess Jiunan agreed and intended to go with her, but Ye Wenxin eventually persuaded her to stay behind. Ye Wenxin quickly set out to search the area, found several medicinal herbs, and promptly returned to Abbess Jiunan’s side.

Sweat lightly covered her forehead, and seeing this, Abbess Jiunan felt a bit guilty. She took out her silk handkerchief and said, “Benefactor Wenxin, there’s really no need to rush like this.”

Ye Wenxin was aware that Celestial Master Zhong’s memories had slightly influenced her character. She just smiled and replied, “Hehe, a healer’s heart is like that of a parent.”

She began grinding the herbs together and mixed them into a paste. Unlike mild, cultivated herbs, wild herbs were overwhelmingly potent, but had a guaranteed healing effect.

Ye Wenxin lightly sniffed the medicinal paste and noted its rich medicinal smell, which confirmed its effectiveness. While an external application would work well, the process could be somewhat painful. Although Abbess Jiunan had lived for a long time, Ye Wenxin was unsure if she could endure the potency of the medicine, so she cautioned, “Abbess, this will sting a bit. Please bear with it.”

Abbess Jiunan dismissed the warning and voluntarily exposed her back. It was only then that Ye Wenxin noticed how severe the wounds were. They were still bleeding slightly, and had reached the bone. Ye Wenxin tried to be as gentle as possible, using a stirring stick to lightly apply the herbal mixture onto the wounds.

But at the first application, Abbess Jiunan sucked in a sharp breath. The pain was akin to cooling oil seeping into the wound. She tried to maintain a pretense of calmness, but ultimately struggled to stay upright. Abbess Jiunan felt awkward, unable to speak out or express her current complicated feelings.

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Footnotes:

1. 1. This move actually came from Jin Yong’s Condor Heroes series. ↩︎