CHAPTER 74: CHAPTER 68 RETEST_2

If what afflicted Yan Yundang was atrophic gastritis, characterized by the lack of intrinsic factor in gastric juice leading to Vitamin B12 absorption disorder and resulting in pernicious anemia...

Then, there was absolutely nothing to be done.

Vitamin B12 is a red, cobalt-containing compound. Its atomic structure is extremely complex, consisting of 181 atoms arranged in space in a sprawling, carpet-like pattern.

To synthetically produce Vitamin B12, one would first need to synthesize its various segments and then join them together.

With the current conditions, it was simply impossible to achieve.

"Yan Jiu, please go to the storeroom. Afterward, see Dr. Li out for me."

Yan Yundang sighed deeply and gestured to his equally choked-up old servant butler to see Li Ang out.

The old butler first went to the storeroom. After returning to the great hall, he led Li Ang towards the side door of the rear courtyard. Qiu Jing accompanied them as well.

As they reached the doorway, the old butler suddenly halted and bowed deeply to Li Ang. "Thank you very much, Dr. Li."

"Not at all..."

Li Ang sighed softly and returned the bow. Hesitating, he said, "If the Duke Mansion plans to experiment with pigeons using my method, it would be wise to set up several groups. For instance, feed one group only bran, another bran mixed with a small amount of sugar, a third bran mixed with a small amount of salt, and another group only sugar, and so on. Once any pigeons show signs of discomfort, then feed them brown rice. This will verify whether my theory is correct. As for the Duke’s illness, I will go back, consult the Medical Books again, and try to think of a solution."

"Thank you for your trouble, Dr. Li."

The old butler nodded gratefully, pulled out five one-thousand-string banknotes from Liu Guang Bank from his breast pocket, and tried to hand them to Li Ang.

"Elder, what is this for?"

Li Ang tried to refuse, but the old butler said, "This is the Duke’s wish, Mr. Li. Please accept it. The Duke Mansion has already declared in notices posted throughout Chang’an that any physician whose prescription alleviates the symptoms will be rewarded with one thousand strings of coins. And if a cure is found, the reward is five thousand strings."

After repeatedly refusing to no avail, Li Ang could only accept one one-thousand-string banknote under the pretext of ’alleviating symptoms’ and boarded the Duke Mansion’s carriage to return to Huai De Square.

「 」

Night had deepened. Li Ang lay on his bed in his room, gazing at the starlit sky through the muslin window, his lips slightly pursed.

In the evening, a servant from Duke Yan Mansion made another trip, bringing over the Red Horse that had been stabled in the Academic Palace’s pasture.

The Red Horse was a warhorse. The Yan Family had simply pulled some strings to have it discharged from military service and gifted it to Li Ang. It was currently being kept in the stables of an inn.

This further complicated Li Ang’s emotions. The treatment for pernicious anemia involved daily oral intake or intramuscular injections of Vitamin B12—a lifetime of medication.

Whether through artificial synthesis, or extraction from the fermentation waste-liquor of antibiotics like streptomycin, neomycin, or chloramphenicol, all these methods required mature biochemical techniques and a modern chemical industrial system.

How incredibly difficult it was.

The era...

Li Ang continually sifted through the myriad materials in his Memory Palace. He still found the task as challenging as ascending to Heaven and couldn’t help but sigh softly.

On a bed on the other side of the room, Chai Cuiqiao, already asleep, turned over. Muttering something in her dream, she mumbled in response, "The era is calling..."

Hey, this girl, is she mimicking how I usually talk?

Li Ang glanced at Chai Cuiqiao, who was curled up in a bundle, chuckled wryly, and shook his head.

The ’era’ he referred to meant not only the lack of a foundation in biochemistry and chemical industry but also... the prevailing mindset.

Blood transfusion treatment could theoretically alleviate a small portion of the symptoms of pernicious anemia temporarily, but it cannot fundamentally cure megaloblastic anemia. Additionally, whether it would be effective for Grandmaster Realm Martial Artists to receive blood from ordinary people is questionable, not to mention the risk of blood agglutination. Most importantly, in Yu Country, people believe that ’the body, hair, and skin are inherited from one’s parents.’ Would drawing blood from others and transfusing it into one’s own body be considered an evil practice, akin to those of the Demon Path sects from the Pre-Sui Period? Those Demon Path sects also enjoyed manipulating blood.

Li Ang silently thought, This concerns a human, not a warhorse or a pig. If news of effective blood transfusion therapy were to spread, especially in those remote, backward areas where information travels slowly, who knows how it would be distorted? There might even be fools who equate drawing blood with extracting lifespan, believing that by taking another’s blood, they could prolong their own life, thus actively harming others...

Li Ang didn’t hold much hope for the general medical knowledge of the Yu Country people—after all, there were still fools who believed that eating the flesh from a relative’s thigh could cure diseases like tuberculosis.

The Academic Palace—only the Academic Palace—could possibly develop the chemical industry Li Ang desired swiftly. And only with the Academic Palace’s authority and resources could the potential harm from the spread of misinformation be minimized while promoting medical knowledge.

Counting the days, the Academic Palace’s re-examination... isn’t far off now...

「 」

Time flew by, and soon it was mid-July—the day of the Academic Palace’s re-examination.

Since only five thousand students were participating in this re-examination, the examination sites were adjusted to Honglu Temple, the Ministry of Rites, and Sinong Temple, all located within the Imperial City walls.

Li Ang stood in the shadow of the Imperial City Wall, waiting to enter.

As before, the candidates’ seating arrangements were randomized.

Not far away, Song Shaoyuan wore a solemn expression, murmuring as if reciting something.

Zhai Yiming nervously tapped his foot against the curb while chatting with an equally anxious Yang Yu.

Even the usually composed Ji Linglang had pulled out a book, snatching a few moments to glance over it.

Looking around, the only students who appeared completely unruffled were himself and He Fanshuang. She stood alone in a corner, her aloof demeanor practically screaming ’stay away’.

It was strange. Given the enthusiastic, or rather, gossipy nature of Chang’an citizens,