10 The Treatmen (2/2)

XieRong nodded.

”More friends.”

XieRong handed her sister to Hui Nuo and made her way to her master.

”Master, here's the ginseng,” she said handing the pouch over.

Her master inspected the ginseng.

”These are better than I thought. We'll begin your and FeiHong's treatment. I have everything I need here, but I warn you, it will be very painful.”

”I understand, master. I didn't come so far to give up now. I want to fulfill my promise to mother.”

”Good.”

”Master, why are there people in the forest? It's just full of poison.”

”That is exactly why they are here, child, poison. The schemes of the nobility are treacherous. They've come here to look for a poison that cannot be cured.”

”They're heading towards the Shen mountains?”

The old lady nodded.

”Don't go hunting, XieRong. In these five days, you will concentrate completely on your treatment.”

”But master, the food?”

”Your master isn't so useless, XieRong, that she cannot provide her disciple and the rest of her horde with food for five days. You will concentrate on your treatment, learning, and teaching FeiHong. You will not worry about the rest, understood?”

XieRong bowed at her waist, ”This disciple understands.”

XieRong and FeiHong wore only pants, as they sat looking towards the waterfall, their backs exposed to the Old Poison Lady.

”In these five days, the two of you are not to leave the cave. You will have to bear extreme pain through out the process. I will open five of your meridians daily until the fourth day, and on the fifth, I will remove the poison from your Dantian after which the treatment will be complete.”

The hour of the snake (9AM to 11AM) was coming to a close.

The Old lady had stuffed cloth in XieRong's mouth.

”XieRong, it will be more painful for you. You were born first so you have more poison in you, which has been cultivating for a longer time.”

XieRong wasn't afraid of pain.

She nodded for her master to start with a determined look in her eyes. If she could make it through this then she had a chance to cultivate.

The Poison Master's eyes shone with pride.

Her young disciple was already facing so many hardships in life yet she remained undeterred from her path. The master knew this experience would make her disciple even more stronger both in heart and in mind. With this thought steeling her heart, the old lady began to treat XieRong.

XieRong felt nothing at first. Then she felt a small sensation, as if a needle were being poked through her skin and slowly but surely the sensation began to grow. It went from a million needles piercing her back to a million daggers being stabbed, twisted and removed over and over again.

XieRong clamped her mouth shut on the cloth in her mouth. She had clenched her eyes shut and allowed tears to fall from the side of her eyes.

She could hear FeiHong, Hui Nuo and Hui Zhen encouraging her to stay strong, but they sounded so far off, as though they were on the other side of the waterfall than right next to her.

XieRong stubbornly refused to faint from the pain. She wanted to remember it, the scorching pain of feeling something being wrenched out from the very depths of your bones, so that one day she could return the favour ten times over to the Fa Family.

XieRong could feel a disgusting feeling creep over her heart. She could feel it try to consume her being. It writhed and crawled and clawed at her heart, asking her to give in to the roaring anger she felt.

It had been a tempting offer, to let the darkest of her emotions guide her. To not be able to feel the immense pain and grief anymore, to become a lifeless doll set on revenge.

However, XieRong refused, remembering her vow to her mother that she would be happy no matter what she did and she knew this wouldn't make her happy, just angry, angry at the Fa family, angry at herself, angry at the world. She then remembered the Auntie's words from the inn: To keep kindness in her heart. She remembered the joy she felt when she successfully saved three people. She remembered all the times her mother had shown done small acts of kindness to someone despite being in a desperate situation herself, and how proud XieRong had felt to have a mother like her.

XieRong promised the heavens above to whichever gods were listening, that she, XieRong would not spare her enemies, but at the same time she would not let revenge and hatred consume her, that she would always remain the kind girl her mother had raised.

When the treatment for the day was finally over, XieRong opened her eyes.

She felt as though she had been in that soul twisting pain for at least three Shi Chen, when in reality only one had passed.

”You did well,” her master said, starting to apply something cool and soothing to her back.

Hui Nuo took out the cloth from her mistress's mouth and wiped the sweat from her forehead and was awarded a grateful smile from XieRong.

”XieRong, you must stay in that position until I finish FeiHong's treatment.”

XieRong looked at her little sister who looked absolutely terrified.

”Hong Hong, Jie is right here. Besides, didn't master say it would hurt you less?”

Hui Zhen put a cloth in FeiHong's mouth and rubbed her hand in consolation.

FeiHong put on a brave face as the old poison master began her treatment.