Chapter 1423 — Yu Xiaoke Is Poisoned; Tianlei Zhu Is Instantly Moved
The Blossom Guardian · Page 1 of 2
Actually, General Weiwu had told it earlier that Wei Zhao was a physician too, and a cultivator as well, and that he had obtained Zhang Lifeng's medical notes — which made him, in a sense, an heir to Zhang Lifeng's medical art. So it would not be out of the question for Tianlei Zhu to go out with him!
After all, when Zhang Lifeng lay dying he had instructed Tianlei Zhu that if other physicians ever came upon it, it might go with them and help them practice medicine — that too had been Zhang Lifeng's wish.
In all his life Zhang Lifeng had never found a suitable disciple. A good teacher is hard to find, they say — but a disciple of outstanding talent is hardly easier to come by. Zhang Lifeng was a rigorous man, and by the principle of preferring nothing at all to something second-rate, he ended up never finding a fitting disciple in his whole life, and could only carry all he had learned regretfully into his grave, waiting for some fated person to visit the tomb in the years to come and inherit his life's work.
That was why Zhang Lifeng's tomb had been designed so strangely and so ingeniously; only after Wei Zhao had worked everything out did he feel such boundless admiration for the man.
First of all, to enter the ancient tomb and carry Tianlei Zhu away, one had to be someone capable of communicating with spirit beasts. Wei Zhao could not yet do so freely, but General Weiwu could — which was why Wei Zhao and the others had made it into the underground palace so smoothly. Otherwise they would have been stopped at the very first gate by that four-not-alike tomb-guarding spirit beast and unable to go a step further.
That was Zhang Lifeng's first test. If you could communicate with spirit beasts, you might enter the ancient tomb; but if you were not a physician, only an ordinary tomb robber, then the poisonous mist and poisoned arrows that followed would be enough to kill any visitor to the tomb. If you were a physician, of course, you could neutralize the poison yourself — and such a person was precisely the inheritor of his medical art that Zhang Lifeng sought. As for character and other such matters, those were beyond Zhang Lifeng's consideration; there was no help for it. Good man or bad, so long as his medical skill was superb and he could speak with spirit beasts, he could just barely count as his successor.
Besides, though Zhang Lifeng had saved countless lives in his day, he was himself a man of both light and shadow, not so rigidly bound by doctrine. In that respect he was rather like Wei Zhao.
Having gained a benefit even greater than gorging on medicinal herbs, Tianlei Zhu at once came scampering over in delight, dancing and waving its little limbs at Wei Zhao.
Wei Zhao was somewhat speechless. This little creature was a bit too much of a snob, wasn't it? Earlier no amount of coaxing would make it leave, and now that he had thrown it a little sweetness, it was fawning on him!
"Little Wei, tell it that if it wants to level up, it should come with me!" Wei Zhao said to General Weiwu, asking him to convey his meaning.
But before General Weiwu could even open his mouth, Tianlei Zhu leaped into the air and latched onto Wei Zhao, refusing to let go — as if afraid Wei Zhao might change his mind and leave it behind!
"Woof, woof..." General Weiwu pointed at Tianlei Zhu, then at Wei Zhao's mouth. His meaning was plain: the little thing could understand what Wei Zhao said.
"Oh?" Wei Zhao was taken aback, but then he nodded. If Zhang Lifeng had been able to converse with Tianlei Zhu in words, then it followed that Tianlei Zhu could understand human speech. So the creature had understood Wei Zhao all along — which was rather irritating! So all that time he had been having General Weiwu relay his words, this little thing had been laughing at him?
"Dead pig, you can understand what I say?" Wei Zhao glared at Tianlei Zhu and asked.