Wu Santong said, âBrother Yang, you canât say that. Even if your poison is incurable, a normal person would still want to live as long as possible.â
Yang Guo smiled and asked, âHow long have we been in Xiangyang?â
Wu Santong said, âToday is the seventh day.â
Yang Guo had a look of confusion on his face and said, âLogically, I should be dead by now, how come Iâm still alive, thatâs strange.â
Wu Santong said with joy, âMy martial uncle is a great Indian sage; when it comes to healing wounds and curing poison, heâs probably the worldâs best. Years ago when my Master mistakenly took a poison that Mrs. Guo sent, it was he who cured my Master. Iâll go and get him.â He hurriedly left the room.
Joy filled Yang Guoâs heart as he thought, âCould it be that while I was unconscious, that great Indian sage gave me a miracle panacea that purged even my Passion Flower poison? I wonder where Gu Gu is now? If she finds out I donât have to die, sheâll be filled with joy!â As the sentimental thoughts filled his mind, his head ached and his chest felt as if a hammer had smashed against him, the pain was unbearable and he couldnât stop himself from crying out. He hasnât felt such pain since he took half of Qiu Qianchiâs antidote, it must be that the effects of the antidote have now passed while the poison remained; he clutched his chest and clenched his teeth. His head was covered with sweat.
Just as the pain was becoming excruciating, the door suddenly opened and a voice said, âNanwu Amituofo.â The Indian monkâs arms were folded as he entered. Wu Santong followed and when he saw Yang Guo in distress, he was shocked and asked, âBrother Yang, how are you feeling?â He turned to the Indian monk and said, âMartial uncle, his poison is flaring up, give him the antidote quickly!â The Indian monk did not understand what he was saying and went over to Yang Guo and checked his pulse.
Wu Santong said, âOh yes!â He quickly went to get Zhu Ziliu. Zhu Ziliu was well versed in Sanskrit and he was the only person who could communicate with the Indian monk. Zhu Ziliu arrived to translate.
Yang Guo gathered his wits and as the pain lessened, he explained to the Indian monk how he contracted this poison.
The Indian monk asked in great detail as to what the Passion Flower looked like and was shocked with what he heard. He said, âThe Passion Flower is a species that has been extinct for a long time. According to the scriptures, the Passion Flower once ravaged the lives of many people; the Buddha Wenshu Shili eradicated the flower with his great wisdom. Who would know that some still existed in the central plains? I have never seen this flower before; I really donât know how to cure this poison.â His face was filled with pity.
After Wu Santong heard Zhu Ziliuâs translation, he kept on calling out, âHave mercy Martial Uncle; have mercy!â
The Indian monk folded his arms and recited, âAmitoufu.â He closed his eyes and went into deep thought. Silence filled the room; no one dared to make a noise.
After a while, the Indian monk opened his eyes and said, âWhen Master Yang sucked the poison from my Martial Grandsons, the poison from the âSoul Freezing Needlesâ should have killed you. But Master Yang has survived until now. The date for the Passion Flowerâs poison to activate has passed, yet you are still alive. Could it be that the poisons are fighting each other and allowed Master Yang to reap his rewards for his deeds?â
Zhu Ziliu nodded his head and after translating, Yang Guo too felt that this was a reasonable explanation.
The Indian monk continued, âPeople say what comes around goes around, Master Yang has saved the lives of others while risking his own, if this saying is true, an antidote will surely exist.â
After hearing Zhu Ziliuâs translation, Wu Santong leapt with joy and said, âI implore Martial Uncle to come up with an antidote as soon as possible.â
The Indian monk said, âI need to visit the Passionless valley.â
Yang Guo and the others were shocked. The journey to Passionless Valley was not a short one, getting there and getting back will take a long time.
The Indian monk said, âI need to see the Passionless Valley with my own eyes and test the poison before I can make an antidote. Before I return, Master Yang must refrain from sentimental thoughts; otherwise, the pain will get stronger and stronger each time. If you damage your life line then there will be no return.â
Before Yang Guo could reply, Wu Santong said loudly, âApprentice brother, letâs go to the Passionless Valley together and force that old hag to hand over the antidote.â
After being poisoned by Huo Dou, Zhu Ziliu was able to receive the antidote thanks to Yang Guo; he had wanted to repay him a long time and said, âYes, weâll escort Martial Uncle and whether weâll take the antidote by force or whether Martial Uncle can make one himself, weâll get the antidote one way or the other.â
The apprentice brothers spoke spiritedly but the Indian monk was looking at Yang Guo with worry on his brows.