Chapter 1

Luzhou is an ancient city with a thousand-year history. A thousand years ago, the prefect Li Bin imitated the capital Xianheng and built the city here. He also constructed water conservancy projects to quell floods, enrich the soil, encourage agriculture, and promote grain storage.

Today, Luzhou has become the wealthiest city in the southern region. During the previous dynasty, the Shu King Meng Chang ordered hibiscus to be planted all over the city walls of Luzhou to demonstrate its prosperity, hence Luzhou's nickname, "City of Hibiscus."

In Yongle Ward of Luzhou, there was a merchant named Wang Bu. He ran a silk business and had amassed a considerable fortune in his early years.

Moreover, he was well-read, full of learning, charitable, and approachable, so he had many friends in Luzhou.

He had a happy family and wealth beyond compare, envied by others.

Only one thing had troubled Wang Bu for ten years.

That was his daughter.

Ten years ago, his daughter, still wearing her hair in childish tufts, suddenly complained that her nose was sore and blocked.

Wang Bu thought it was just a common cold that children often get and didn't pay much attention. After asking a doctor to come and take a look, he discovered that two small polyps had grown in his daughter's nostrils, one in each.

No matter what medicine she took or what powder she applied, these two polyps did not disappear. Instead, as time went by, they grew larger and larger, even hanging out of her nostrils like two soap pods dangling in front of her lips.

Not only were they extremely unsightly,

but touching them would also cause severe pain.

She was clearly a young girl at the prime of her youth, but she was tormented by this strange disease, unable to sleep or eat, and hid in her boudoir day and night, weeping.

As a father, Wang Bu was equally distressed. He spent a lot of money hiring famous doctors to treat the strange disease, and even personally visited famous mountains and rivers, hoping to find an enlightened master to cure his daughter's stubborn ailment.

But all to no avail.

At noon, Wang Bu sat in the courtyard, drowning his sorrows in alcohol. Suddenly, he heard the gatekeeper report that an Indian monk had come to beg for alms.

Wang Bu was annoyed and told the gatekeeper to give the monk some silver and send him away. But the gatekeeper said that the Indian monk claimed to be skilled in medicine and might have a solution to the stubborn polyps.

Wang Bu's heart stirred, and he told the gatekeeper to bring the Indian monk to the main hall and treat him well.

He saw that the monk was dark-skinned, thin, with deep blue eyes in sunken sockets, a long goatee, and a gentle smile on his lips, truly looking like a hermit.

Wang Bu greeted him warmly and, during the conversation, used the strange symptoms he had heard of to test the monk. The other party answered fluently, and the treatment methods he described seemed quite plausible.

Since he's here, might as well let him try.

Wang Bu called out his daughter, and the monk's face lit up when he saw the young woman, nodding repeatedly. "This disease, this poor monk has also seen in India. It is not difficult to remove."

Wang Bu was overjoyed and quickly asked the monk to treat her.

The monk took out a packet of white powder, stepped forward, and gently blew it on the young woman's nose.

The white powder adhered to the polyps hanging from her nostrils.

The two long polyps instantly withered and fell off, dropping to the ground.

The young woman was still stunned and did not notice.

The stubborn ailment that had plagued the Wang family for ten years vanished. Wang Bu and his wife were overjoyed and hurriedly ordered their servants to prepare generous gifts to thank the benefactor.

However, the monk waved his hand and smiled, "Benefactor, there is no need to do this. It is my duty to practice medicine and save people. Moreover, this powder is commonly found in India and is not worth much money.

If the benefactor insists on thanking me, perhaps you could give these two polyps to this poor monk,

so that I can use them as examples when teaching my disciples medicine."

These polyps had always been a source of worry for Wang Bu, and he didn't want to see them again. He immediately agreed and gave the polyps to the monk.

The Indian monk carefully wrapped the polyps in cloth, bid farewell,

Wang Bu saw him off at the door, but before he could thank him again, he saw the monk stride away like he was running away, disappearing into the crowd a hundred steps away.

Well, after all, he is an extraordinary person, so strange behavior is not surprising.

Wang Bu shook his head, turned around and went back to his mansion to share the joy with his family.

A moment later, the gatekeeper came to report again, saying that this time it was a young man riding a white horse who was seeking an audience.

Wang Bu went out to greet him. The young man frowned, his face full of sorrow, and he cupped his fist and said, "I heard that your daughter is suffering from a stubborn ailment. May I see her? I may have a prescription to cure the polyps."

Wang Bu was stunned for a moment. "I'm afraid I'll have to disappoint you, young master. Just now, an Indian monk came and cured my daughter's old illness and left."

The young man was struck by lightning and asked unwillingly, "Those two polyps..."

"Were also taken by the monk, who said he would use them to teach his disciples medicine."

"Damn monk, I was one step late..."

The young man's face was ashen, and he couldn't help but curse, startling Wang Bu.

Seeing the expression on Wang Bu's face, the scholar explained, "You don't know, sir, those two nasal polyps are called Dragon Whiskers.

Although they seem like a stubborn ailment, they are actually a gift from heaven.

When the Dragon Whiskers grow to fifteen years, they will naturally fall off.

Those who have grown Dragon Whiskers will be free from worries about food and clothing, peace and happiness, and longevity in this life.

If the Dragon Whiskers are taken away before they have grown for fifteen years, the person who has grown the Dragon Whiskers will become an ordinary person.

And the Dragon Whiskers can be used in medicine to make elixirs, adding ten years of cultivation to a cultivator."

"Ah?"

Wang Bu was dumbfounded. He never expected that the polyps in his daughter's nostrils would have such a history. He wanted to ask the scholar for more details, but he saw the young man ride his white horse and chase after the monk in the same direction.

The monk, who was being missed by the young man, was now sitting in a厢房 of a restaurant, drinking wine and watching the two withered polyps on the table with great satisfaction.

"I have long heard that Luzhou City is a famous city in the world, with many extraordinary people and talented scholars. Seeing it today is nothing more than that. They actually turned a blind eye to the Dragon Whiskers right under their noses, allowing this Indian monk to take the lead."

The monk named Qiyu tapped his fingers on the wooden table, muttering to himself, his eyebrows dancing, overjoyed, and he couldn't help but take another big sip of wine.

"If the cultivators in Luzhou City are just a bunch of wine bags and rice sacks,

then there may be an opportunity to seize the auspicious sign..."

Monk Qiyu pondered silently,

ignoring the loud noises of the diners in the next 厢房.

"Have you heard? A wandering cultivator who travels around and helps the poor has recently appeared in the martial world. His name is Daoist Ximen Zi..."