The world is truly going downhill, and people's hearts are no longer as they used to be. To think that a wretched old man in his seventies would be so disgusting.
Ji Mo couldn't stand such a shameless elder. He slapped away the grey-robed elder's dirty hand and shielded the woman behind him.
The little girl, A Li, clapped her hands and cheered, "Hit him, big brother, hit him! Beat this perverted old man to death!"
The woman, however, was full of apprehension. She looked up at Ji Mo, who was blocking her path, and felt an inexplicable sense of peace. Yet, she was afraid of offending Master Bian, which might lead to dire consequences.
The surrounding townsfolk gathered around, all condemning the elder.
But many also watched with cold eyes. After all, the world was this cruel; if you needed something from someone, you had to pay the price.
It was like many poor families who fell ill and couldn't even afford to see a physician. If not for Ji Mo's free treatment, they would likely have to endure suffering until death.
"Insolent brat, how dare you ruin my good deed! You're seeking death!"
The grey-robed elder completely ignored the accusations from the crowd. In his eyes, these people were all ants.
Why would a venomous snake care about the opinions of ants?
But towards Ji Mo, he harbored murderous intent.
A mere mortal dared to disrupt his affairs, it was like lighting a candle in a latrine, seeking death!
Without a word, the elder flicked his index finger, and a wisp of dark light silently drifted towards the back of Ji Mo's hand.
This was a potent poison that could cause the body to fester and erupt with pustules. While not fatal, it was a hundred times more agonizing than death.
"You shameless old thing! If it weren't for your age, I'd beat you every time I saw you."
Ji Mo pointed at the elder and cursed loudly. Then, he felt a slight itch on the back of his hand and scratched it.
The elder sneered, waiting for Ji Mo to succumb to the poison.
But he found that the young man seemed unaffected, showing no signs of poisoning.
"He's got something. He could resolve the potent poison without leaving a trace. No wonder he dares to provoke me."
"Boy, don't meddle in my affairs. Do you know who I am? I am Bian Wei, the Wicked Hand Poison Doctor, from the Ten Thousand Poisons Valley."
The elder stood up, looking down at Ji Mo from a condescending height.
He firmly believed that as soon as he revealed his name, this brat would be scared out of his wits and might even kneel and beg for mercy on the spot.
"Wicked Hand Poison Doctor? Just by the name, you're clearly no good. And you have the audacity to say it so shamelessly. Do you know who I am?"
Ji Mo scoffed, then cleared his throat and said, "Listen carefully. I am the legendary, handsome as Pan An, a single pear blossom atop a peony, the barefoot young physician, Ji Mo."
Seeing that the grey-robed elder was resorting to the same cliché tactic of intimidating others with his reputation, as if a fearsome name alone could awe people.
Ji Mo showed no fear and immediately gave himself a name that was both cool and fitting.
Among the onlookers, there were also some cultivators. Upon hearing the name "Wicked Hand Poison Doctor," their faces changed drastically, filled with terror.
Subsequently, they looked at Ji Mo with pity.
"It's over. This young fellow has actually provoked Bian Wei, the Wicked Hand Poison Doctor. His fate will surely be miserable."
When the woman heard Ji Mo dare to speak to Bian Wei like that, her face turned pale. She quietly urged him to leave quickly.
Bian Wei was ruthless and vindictive; anyone who offended him would face retribution and a tragic end.
"Barefoot young physician? A mere barefoot doctor who can't even get on stage dares to speak to me like this?"
Bian Wei had initially thought Ji Mo was someone of consequence.
But he never expected that the young man seemed not to have heard his name and was merely a barefoot doctor. All his reservations vanished.
Since this ant had no eyes, he would send him to his demise.
Seeing the intense killing intent in Bian Wei's eyes, the woman hurriedly said, "Master Bian, this young man is ignorant. Please be magnanimous and don't hold it against him."
Bian Wei glared fiercely at the woman. "Ye Yao, if you still want this short-lived little girl to be saved by me, then shut up!"
Ye Yao's delicate body trembled. She glanced at the little girl and dared not speak further.
Meanwhile, Bian Wei had already extended his palm, with several hidden poison needles between his fingers, and flicked them towards Ji Mo's shoulder.
These poison needles were deadly upon contact with blood. A mere prick of the skin would result in immediate death.
"If your dirty hand dares to touch me again, I'll chop it off and feed it to the dogs."
Ji Mo sidestepped, dodging the attacking palm, goosebumps rising all over him.
This Bian Wei was truly disgusting, being so handsy with him.
"Chop it off, chop it off! Feed it to the dogs, feed it to the dogs!"
A Li excitedly clapped her little hands, her eyes full of admiration for Ji Mo.
Beside her, Ye Yao quickly covered her mouth in fright. This unruly child, wasn't she afraid of inviting disaster through her words?
His attack having failed, Bian Wei's gaze towards Ji Mo became more serious.
"This young man is not simple; he is definitely not a mortal."
Not only could he easily neutralize his poison, but he could also effortlessly dodge his full-force palm strike, and he hadn't shown the slightest hint of fear from beginning to end.
Bian Wei couldn't gauge Ji Mo's depth and dared not attack rashly again.
However, he was unwilling to let the duck he had caught fly away. He turned to Ye Yao and said, "What I said earlier still stands. Come with me."
To save A Li, Ye Yao had no other choice. She took A Li's hand, preparing to leave with Bian Wei.
She was truly desperate. As long as A Li was safe, she was willing to pay any price.
"Are you foolish? Still going with this old thing? If anyone's leaving, it's with me." Ji Mo spoke up.
It was just treating an illness; he could do that too.
Ye Yao was stunned. Initially, she thought Ji Mo was a good person, but she didn't expect him to be the same sort, coveting her body.
Indeed, men were all bad!
"Hah, so you're not a good bird either. And you have the nerve to criticize me? Pfft."
Bian Wei glanced at Ji Mo dismissively and said, "Do you even know what illness this little girl has, that you think you can cure it? Do you think by showing off and playing the hero to save the beauty, you can win the beauty's heart? If you don't have real skills, don't put on a show here!"
These words were not only for Ji Mo but also for Ye Yao.
He was reminding Ye Yao that he was the one who could save A Li.
"My medical skills are quite strong!"
As long as the person hadn't breathed their last, Ji Mo had a few chances to snatch them back from death.
And A Li was still lively and kicking, so it probably wasn't a major problem, and treatment shouldn't be difficult.
"That's right, Doctor Ji is a miracle doctor with superb medical skills."
"I've lived for most of my life, and I've never seen anyone with better medical skills than Doctor Ji."
"Yes, yes, last time my Ah Hua had a difficult birth, and it was almost a case of thirteen lives lost with one birth, it was Doctor Ji who saved them."
...
The townsfolk who had benefited from Ji Mo's kindness and had been saved by him spoke up, giving him thumbs-up praise.
They had all personally experienced Ji Mo's astonishing medical skills and praised him from the bottom of their hearts.
But gradually, things started to feel a bit off.
What was this "thirteen lives lost with one birth" nonsense?
A sow?
Once the connection to veterinary medicine was made, the villagers' praise lost all its credibility.
Ye Yao's eyes had initially shown a glimmer of hope, thinking Ji Mo's medical skills were indeed extraordinary. But after hearing the latter part, the light in her eyes instantly faded.
How skilled could a doctor who treated livestock be?
She picked up A Li and decided to go with Bian Wei.