Yangzhi Stream Ancestral Temple Village

Ancestor-Willow Town at YangZhiXi is a small settlement on the route to the remote home of the physician Xue MuHua. Its narrative importance lies in the journey that brings XuanNan and his companions there seeking treatment for frost poison—and in the disquieting discovery that appears to make their intended remedy impossible.

Setting and Physician's Home

XuanNan identifies Ancestor-Willow Town as the place where Divine Physician Xue lives, describing it as not far away. His home, however, lies another thirty li north of the town, in a remote mountain location. The town is therefore a waystation rather than the final destination: reaching it leaves the travelers with a further leg through the surrounding terrain.

The physician's residence is marked by several large houses beside a river and an extensive medicinal garden in front. Those details allow XuanNan to recognize the estate after the party has followed the route Xue previously explained to him at Juxian Manor.

The Journey to the Town

The party sets out because the frost poison affecting Xuántòng and the injured Bao BuTong and Feng BoE cannot be suppressed with the remedies at hand. The Six Solar Energy Pills and the companions' internal energy offer no lasting relief, so XuanNan proposes seeking Xue, whom he knows as an accomplished physician.

Although the settlement is described as not far away, the route passes over rugged mountain paths and repeated delays impede the travelers. They hire three carriages so the injured men can rest, while Deng BaiChuan also buys horses for the Shaolin monks. During the journey the group must stop repeatedly to help Xuántòng and the others contend with the poison; XuanNan eventually uses Shaolin skills to assist Bao BuTong and Feng BoE. They reach the town at dusk on the fourth day.

Arrival and Apparent Funeral

At the physician's residence, XuanNan sees two large white lanterns and funeral notices at the entrance. The lanterns identify the deceased as Xue MuHua, aged fifty-five. Believing that the physician has died, XuanNan is shocked and grieves for the loss of an old friend; Deng BaiChuan and GongYe Gan, arriving behind him, react with alarm as well.

A woman's cries from within the house reinforce the impression that Xue has died. The arrival thus turns a medical journey into an apparent bereavement: the party has traversed difficult roads in search of a remedy, only to find signs that the physician himself is beyond help. At this point, the travelers' conclusion rests on what they see and hear at the entrance; the scene does not yet establish what lies behind the funeral display.