CHAPTER 68: CHAPTER 63 HUAI DE

At the same time, northeast of Chang’an City, Anxing Square, Duke Yan Mansion.

Originally, the courtyard was filled with vibrant floral patches that had been forcibly cleared, covered with soil, and piled high with mountains of herbal medicine.

On the bluestone ground, stoves were everywhere, with Sand Pots boiling medicinal decoctions placed atop them.

The scent of medicine persistently lingered over the Duke Yan Mansion. Under the direction of the doctors, the servants meticulously monitored the brewing time of each medicine pot, constantly removing the decoctions and replacing them with new herbs.

"...Duke Yan had once been the National Guardian General, a Martial Arts Grandmaster in the realm of Body Refinement, famed for his formidable vital energy.

However, just as the moon has its phases, Duke Yan had accumulated many old wounds over the years, both visible and hidden. These led to his vitality depleting faster and more fiercely in his old age than that of other elders..."

Inside the courtyard, Director Doctor Qiu Quan from the Pharmacy Bureau was quietly discussing with his brother, Medical Officer Qiu Jing from the Imperial Medical Bureau, "Abdominal distension, tongue inflammation, facial yellowness, and palpitations are merely superficial symptoms. The real cause is the rapid consumption of yin blood, leading to spleen deficiency and blood stasis."

"The complete dissipation of true yin?"

Qiu Jing said firmly, "For this past half month, we have been treating him with methods for rapid yin blood consumption, but Duke Yan’s blood condition has not recovered, the heat toxins continue to recur, and the deficiency fire has yet to be restored to its origin. Should we try a blood-activating agent? Only by removing stagnation can new [blood] be generated..."

Yan Yundang had been born seventy years ago, in the Second Year of Tianjian. As a youth, he joined the army, repeatedly fighting the Turkic to the north. He earned significant military achievements and was titled Duke Yan.

Due to old age, Yan Yundang was unable to suppress the various injuries sustained from fighting enemies and alien creatures. This led to a severe loss of his vital energy, causing him to fall from the Martial Arts Grandmaster Realm—a level akin to that of a Candle Cloud Realm cultivator—to an irreversible state. Despite this, the Emperor still held great concern and sympathy for Yan Yundang and dispatched Director Doctor Qiu Quan from the Pharmacy Bureau and Medical Officer Qiu Jing from the Imperial Medical Bureau to Duke Yan’s mansion for his treatment.

Furthermore, in an urgent move at court, the Emperor promoted Yan Lin, Duke Yan’s eldest legitimate son, to Right Jinwu General, signaling that the imperial favor towards the Yan Family remained undiminished.

One reason was indeed Yan Yundang’s significant military contributions.

Another was that, fifty years ago, in the First Year of Shenlong, Yan Yundang, then a Middle Lang General of the Imperial Guard serving in the Right Wing Middle Lang General Residence, had participated in the coup against the "Holy Empress" from the Wu Family, playing a crucial role. The favor shown to the Yan Family also served as a warning to certain old officials who still nostalgically recalled the era of the "Holy Empress" and the "Wu Family."

Qiu Quan shook his head, ceasing his speculation about the Emperor’s profound intentions and focusing solely on the medical case at hand.

During this period, the Yan Family had also consulted numerous reputable doctors from the populace, each offering different prescriptions.

One might say to use the cooling, detoxifying Rhinoceros Cornus Soup to purge heat and resolve stasis;

another, to use the Yellow Earth Decoction to clear the heat congestion of the five organs;

yet another would recommend the Purple Snow Pill for treating the delirium caused by febrile diseases.

With a plethora of prescriptions from renowned doctors, the Yan Family hesitated to administer them blindly. They primarily followed Qiu Quan’s and Qiu Jing’s advice, taking medicines for the rapid consumption of yin blood. Additionally, they administered some relatively mild and harmless blood-nourishing medicines, such as the Four Substances Soup made from prepared Rehmannia, Dong Quai, White Peony, and Szechwan Lovage.

However, none of these treatments proved effective, and Yan Yundang’s physical condition continued to deteriorate. He suffered from weakness, dizziness, palpitations, a pale face, tongue inflammation, and numbness in his hands and feet, looking nothing like the Martial Arts Grandmaster he once was.

Just as the two were deep in thought,

"Father, Uncle—"

A crisp female voice came from outside the courtyard, as Qiu Feng and her mother and sisters approached hand in hand.

"Has Feng’er come back?"

Qiu Quan rose guiltily to greet her. He had been staying at the separate courtyard in the Duke Mansion to constantly monitor Yan Yundang’s condition and hadn’t even accompanied his daughter to the preliminary tests at the Academic Palace. "How did it go today?"

"Not bad, I should pass the preliminary test."

Qiu Feng sat down at the table and shared some of what she had seen and heard that day.

Qiu Feng’s father, Qiu Quan, listened attentively, nodding continuously. When he heard that his daughter might not secure first place in the Herbal Medicine subject, he frowned slightly. "Is there someone else competing with you for the top rank in Herbal Medicine at the preliminary test?"

"Yes. A student from Yizhou."

Qiu Feng nodded. "It’s the one I mentioned before—the young Doctor from the Chang’an Inn who used a strange method to cure Yong Hongzhong, the son of the Governor of Xiangzhou."

Is it him?

Qiu Quan was somewhat surprised. The Qiu Family had practiced medicine for generations. Regarding Yong Hongzhong’s dizziness case, their subsequent analysis revealed that Qiu Feng had only used acupuncture on the Bai Hui, Touwei, Fenglong, and Xuanzhong acupoints at the time, missing the Taiyang and Fengchi acupoints. The Taiyang acupoint could regulate the qi and blood in the head, adjusting its qi mechanism, while the Fengchi acupoint could soothe the liver, extinguish wind, clear heat, expel pathogenic factors, and improve vision.

However, despite all discussion, it was still that young Doctor who had cured Yong Hongzhong’s dizziness—no matter how bizarre and incredible his so-called "Repositioning Method" sounded.

"His knowledge of Herbal Medicine is profound, not inferior to mine."

Qiu Feng replied, "He likely has a family legacy."

Is that so...

Qiu Quan nodded thoughtfully. "It seems curing the son of the Governor of Xiangzhou wasn’t just a stroke of luck then."

"Wait, he’s from Yizhou?"

Something seemed to dawn on Qiu Jing. He suddenly furrowed his brows and murmured, "A young Doctor from the south..."

"What is it? Did you think of something?"

Qiu Quan was quite surprised; his brother rarely showed such an expression.

"No, it’s nothing."

Qiu Jing hesitated. He recalled a student he encountered in a tavern half a month prior, one who had spoken of a connection between malaria and mosquitoes. The theory that mosquitoes caused malaria completely overturned the centuries-old doctrine of pathogenic external evils, delivering a considerable shock to Qiu Jing, a Medical Officer of the Imperial Medical Bureau. Yet, upon deeper reflection, it seemed to hold some truth. Historically, the Medical Family had implemented numerous measures to prevent malaria—such as warding off wind, cold, and dampness—but none had ever been completely effective. Perhaps eradicating mosquitoes truly was the key to unlocking a new door in medicine. Qiu Jing only knew that Tantai Leshan had recently secluded himself in the Academic Palace and was researching the direct link between malaria and mosquitoes, reportedly close to a breakthrough. As Tantai Leshan had not yet emerged from seclusion, Qiu Jing felt it wasn’t appropriate to discuss this matter even with his own family.

Instead, he asked Qiu Feng, "Where does that student from Yizhou live? What’s his name?"

"He’s staying in Huai De Square."

Qiu Feng thought for a moment and said, "His name seems to be... Li Risheng?"

"Huai De Square, Li Risheng..."

Qiu Jing committed the name to memory, his gaze turning towards the west of the city.

Should I go and meet him?