CHAPTER 192: CHAPTER 162 EVOLUTION

Due to an agreement with the Academic Palace, the court of Yu Country allowed the State Mansions to independently produce Allicin.

However, the most critical equipment, such as the condensers and vacuum pumps, had to be manufactured in the Construction Supervision within the Inner City of the Imperial City and then transported to each State Mansion for assembly into complete instruments.

The goal was to ensure that the heads of each State Mansion only knew how to use the instruments, without understanding how to manufacture them or the principles behind their effectiveness.

At the same time, the Yu Kingdom’s Court also issued a decree: anyone who attempted to probe into the internal information of the Construction Supervision or intercept the transport teams of the instruments would be executed without mercy.

However, no wall is without a crack. As long as the benefits are substantial enough, there will always be those who would risk danger to delve into secrets, and even assist enemy spies in stealing them.

What the harsh laws and penalties of the Former Sui did not solve, the present age was equally unable to eradicate completely.

"Let the garrison handle the investigation."

Emperor Yu tossed the letter onto the table. The Turkic territory was vast; their tribes roamed following water and grass, and all the young tribals grew up on horseback, with over a million skilled in archery.

Although Yu Country was richer and stronger, if countries like Turkic, West Jing, and Nanzhou all mastered the production of Allicin, their soldiers would not have to worry about contracting Blood Sores from their wounds...

The war situation could be about to change.

While the garrison was busy tracing clues and catching internal spies, Li Ang continued his unhurried, leisurely daily routine.

Princess Guanghua’s teaching ability was impeccable. In a certain sense, this princess, who appeared endearingly clumsy on the outside but was somehow a bit sly on the inside, could be called a master of pedagogy.

To improve the success rate of Chai Chai’s enrollment, she specially developed a cramming method of teaching, compiling the most likely questions from the preliminary exams into booklets for Chai Chai to memorize by rote.

At the same time, she also brought in a bunch of purported "mind-refreshing" tonics from the palace. Both she and Chai Chai took turns consuming them, while she oversaw and encouraged learning, brainwashing Chai Chai with various slogans.

"Strive for a hundred days, and don’t waste your best years."

"As long as learning doesn’t kill you, keep studying as hard as you can."

"Life offers few chances to go all out; if not now, then when?"

"Three months from now, you’ll definitely thank yourself for your hard work and effort today."

The infectious power, rivaling that of pyramid schemes, made even Li Ang feel a bit daunted.

Is... is this how the art of the emperor’s mind is supposed to be used?

After giving it considerable thought, Li Ang finally decided not to interfere with Li Leqing’s teaching methods and headed to the Academic Palace instead, where he requested a laboratory from Dr. Su Feng.

"Risheng should be here, right?"

Li Wei held a map of the Academic Palace, making his way along a path through the dense forest.

Yang Yu walked beside him, shaking his head. "The first-year exams are over, and it’s vacation time. Risheng is still in the Academic Palace."

"Otherwise, how could he be the top scorer?"

Yang Yu paused to get his bearings. The paths in the Academic Palace’s back hills were a complex maze, and a map was essential to avoid getting lost. Then, they continued forward.

The two were here to invite Li Ang to join them for vacation activities, as it was the summer break at the Academic Palace, and some familiar students had already planned to go out and have fun.

However, since Li Ang was elusive and his home in Golden City Square was also guarded by Imperial Palace Guards, they dared not disturb him and had no choice but to look for him at the Academic Palace.

Li Wei casually asked, "Dr. Su Feng mentioned that Risheng is conducting some sort of experiment again? It’s not something of the same level as Allicin, is it?"

Yang Yu replied, "No, it shouldn’t be, otherwise Dr. Su Feng wouldn’t have allowed us to look for Risheng. By the way, don’t talk when we get there."

"Hmm? Why not?"

"It’s because you always blurt out nonsense."

Yang Yu rolled his eyes at his friend. "You told me there was a place with very ’spicy’ girls, asking me to go check it out. But when I went, I found out they were literally selling very, very spicy duck heads."

Li Wei looked innocent. "What’s the problem? Sister-in-law Song’s duck heads indeed numbed both of us with spiciness, didn’t they?"

"The problem is huge..."

Yang Yu rubbed his temples, not bothering to explain any further, and walked on.

Passing through the serene bamboo forest, a pavilion suddenly appeared, situated next to a mountain stream.

THUD! THUD! THUD!

A rich scent of blood wafted on the breeze, and from behind the pavilion came a regular, dull sound, like a Chopper cleaving flesh.

Li Wei and Yang Yu’s expressions changed, and without hesitation, they laid their hands on the hilts of their swords.

The sound of chopping fell silent. From behind the pavilion’s courtyard emerged a figure clad in bloodstained clothes and a mask, holding a Chopper in the right hand and a mangled piece of... pig’s trotter in the left?

"Hey."

Li Ang placed the Chopper and the pig’s trotter into a bucket by the stream, scooped some water to wash his hands, removed his mask, and then greeted Li Wei and Yang Yu.

"Risheng?"

Yang Yu and Li Wei opened their mouths in astonishment. "What are you doing..."

"Butchering pigs."

Li Ang waved his hand, took off his waterproof cloak, threw it into the bucket, and gestured for the two men to come inside to talk.

Li Wei and Yang Yu hesitated as they stepped forward. Behind the pavilion, they saw a row of wooden sheds. Beneath them, eviscerated pig carcasses lay on waterproof cloths.

"I’ve been writing a paper on pigs recently."

Li Ang knew what they were about to ask and handed over a stack of manuscript papers.

Yang Yu and Li Wei took them and saw that the first few pages were detailed drawings of pig innards and skeletons. The following dozen or so papers detailed common pig diseases—swine fever, gastric ailments, bloating, ascites, roundworms, diarrhea, and more.

"The manifestations of swine fever include excessive eye discharge in pigs, rice-sized red spots on the tips of their ears, heads, bellies, and inner sides of their limbs that don’t fade when pressed. Sometimes, the ear tips, lips, and lower parts of their legs turn a dark purple. Upon dissection, it was found that their colons were diseased, often with bean-sized blackish-purple spots. It’s suspected to be related to skin lacerations, similar to human Blood Sores..."

"For piglet typhoid, it’s common in piglets weighing between ten to thirty pounds, especially after weaning. It’s characterized by the growth of black teeth in the mouth, intermittent coughing, and typically death after half a month to twenty days. Dissection reveals thickening and hardening of the colon, with general ulceration inside..."

Li Wei was dumbfounded as he read, while Yang Yu’s eyes brightened, and he blurted out, "Understanding the principles of swine diseases could greatly benefit the Yu Country’s citizens."

"Yes, which is why the Academic Palace granted me full use of this pavilion."

Li Ang said, "Understanding the principles of the diseases is the first step, followed by finding ways to prevent and, if possible, cure them."

In fact, Yu Country had veterinarians and veterinary books. The "Si Mu Anji Collection" recorded treatments for animal diseases using methods such as acupuncture, branding, bloodletting, and packing medicine (mixing sal ammoniac and arsenic with glutinous rice to make pills, which were then buried in abscesses).

However, such medical treatment was usually reserved for the prized military horses of the Pasture Supervisory Office and not for the livestock of common families—there weren’t even enough doctors to treat humans, let alone professional veterinarians for the common people.

"It seems that setting up the living temples throughout the regions was the right decision; your reputation, Risheng, is set to grow yet again."

Yang Yu sincerely expressed his admiration.

The principle of the Academic Palace was to apply knowledge for practical purposes. While his new classmates had yet to leave the campus, Li Ang was already far ahead on this path, striding confidently.

"What reputation? Protector of poultry and livestock?"

Li Ang laughed and waved his hand. He was writing these papers, which were to be published in a Natural Science journal, in part to improve the lives of the vast number of farmers—farmers were always one of the groups that struggled most to survive in Yu Country.

For a farming family, the death of a cow or their pigs from illness could mean bankruptcy and a return to poverty.

On the other hand, he was also quietly promoting the principles of dissection.

First, dissections of pigs, then cows, horses, sheep, chickens, ducks, geese...

And finally, naturally, humans.

Dissection is one of the foundational disciplines of medical science. To identify causes of illnesses and provide effective treatment, one should first understand and be familiar with the normal human anatomy. Knowing the distribution and function of bones, muscles, blood vessels, and nerves, as well as the principles of how diseases develop, is essential. Li Ang silently mused. The Former Sui’s Sects had delved into taboo knowledge too eagerly, leading Yu Country and the Academic Palace to be, as the saying goes, once bitten, twice shy about researching the human body.

Only by subtly transitioning from livestock to humans could he gradually change people’s perspectives.

Li Ang asked, "So, you came to find me because..."

Yang Yu remembered his purpose. "Oh, some classmates and I have pooled together some funds, planning to leave the city for a hunting trip during the holiday."

"Is Zhang Yuyan going as well?"

Li Ang asked with a smile. Seeing Yang Yu’s embarrassed expression, he waved his hand and said, "I won’t join you then. You go ahead, have a good time."

"Hmm."

After Yang Yu and Li Wei left, Li Ang went to the courtyard where he used Telekinesis to lift the dissected diseased pigs, placing them into a large furnace similar to the Golden Vault Forging Furnace, incinerating and carbonizing them, before he then cleaned the entire area.

Li Ang had previously extracted Allicin in this very pavilion. He planned to set up an operating room here as professional as possible—ideally, one that could also eliminate germs and dust, akin to a laminar flow operating room.

A laminar flow room requires creating a positive pressure environment in the room, making air flow from the highly clean surgical area to areas with lower cleanliness. A thin, uniform flow of air should be directed along a single path to carry away and expel dust and bacteria in the airflow. Hmm... the stability of the airflow can be achieved with a Wind Talisman, but the issue is how to create an efficient filter.

Li Ang, having cleaned up the scene, sat down and surveyed the layout of the pavilion, contemplating the renovation plan. Absent-mindedly, he pulled open a drawer, picked out a small piece of Fine Gold ingot, and fed it to Mo Si.

The Academic Palace was prompt in handling matters. Once the pavilion was approved, Li Ang had the right to remodel it without worrying about oversight—buildings like this weren’t considered valuable to the Academic Palace. Even if destroyed, it didn’t matter, as a Telekinesis Master could rebuild it in just an afternoon.

As Li Ang was lost in thought, THUD!

A strong heartbeat echoed in his chest, and a mass of Mo Si emerged from his limbs, falling to the ground.

What’s going on?!

Li Ang stood up in surprise, only to see the Mo Si at his feet, seemingly alive, automatically contracting and coalescing into a mass, trembling slowly.

Separation? No, it didn’t seem like separation.

He still could sense the mass of Mo Si and control its shape.

This seemed more like... another evolution.