Phoenix Rising

062

Zi-ning stood anxiously by the bedside, waiting as the last of the imperial physicians came to take Zhenghuan's pulse and assess his condition. When he was done, the elderly man stood up and sighed, shaking his head. He exchanged a worried glance with his compatriots, who all wore similar grave expression on their faces. The jubilation from a while ago had completely disappeared.

Hesitantly, Zi-ning pressed her index and middle fingers against Zhenghuan's wrist, if only to confirm what she already knew.

His pulse was barely detectable now. A mere wisp that felt as if it could vanish at any moment.

"But why?" she murmured.

Zhenghuan had purged all of the gu-du out of his body, that much she was certain of. There were no remnants of the insidious worms remaining inside him. Why then had he vomited blood and then fallen unconscious? Was it a side effect of her prescription?

Turning to the imperial physicians, she asked, "What can we do to help him? There must be some way. How about a prescription to boost vitality?"

"It's too risky. The Shadow Lord's body is in an extremely weakened state at the moment, so any sort of herbal prescription could trigger a negative reaction in him. If we are not absolutely certain of the cause of his condition, then I would suggest not to administer any sort of prescription. We can use a needle technique to protect his heart, and hopefully that will buy him enough time for his own body to recover. But if he still doesn't wake after three days..." The physician's voice trailed off, leaving the rest of his assessment unsaid.

Mingshen walked over to the physician, grabbing the old man by the collar. "Do whatever it takes to keep the general alive, am I clear?" he demanded. He dropped the terrified fellow and turned his attentions towards the mayor of Zhuiya and the rest of the imperial physicians. Pulling out a folded parchment from his sleeve, he said, "Before this, the Shadow Lord had already issued the order to administer the prescription to all the infected residents of the city, assuming that it was effective in purging the gu-du from the body. I think you've made it clear that the gu-du has been removed, so regardless of the Shadow Lord's condition, you are to follow his instruction and prepare the medicine accordingly."

"But why? If the side effects from the prescription is so severe, then we cannot administer it to anyone else," Zi-ning protested. She reached out and took the parchment from Mingshen's hand, reading the instructions for herself. When she realised that it was indeed as Mingshen had conveyed, she shook her head and said, "I won't do it. I will not put another life at risk. We'll try to find an alternative solution, work on improving the remedy."

"It is not up to you to decide what you will or will not do," Mingshen replied, his tone hardening. He took the parchment back from her and held it high, pointing at the red seal that sat at the bottom right corner of the page. "This is the seal of the king. If you should go against it, then that will be tantamount to treason, and I shall not hesitate to execute anyone who dares do such a thing."

The mayor and the imperial physicians immediately dropped to their knees in a kowtow. "We will abide by His Majesty's command," they said.

"Good. Mayor Lin, make the arrangements to set up a medical hall to administer the medicine to any resident suffering from the illness. The physicians are to proceed with brewing the medicine immediately. I have other orders to attend to, but I shall be back by the morning. If there are any changes to the Shadow Lord's condition, send me a message via carrier pigeon." Mingshen said. He moved to walk past Zi-ning, pausing briefly when they were shoulder to shoulder. Then, he lowered his voice and said, "Even if you don't believe in your own remedy, you should believe in Zhenghuan."

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Zi-ning spent the better part of the day helping the imperial physicians brew the medicine that they would need to distribute to the ill. As she watched the liquid bubble in the dozens of clay pots that had been set up, an uneasiness stirred within her gut. Very soon, the first patients of Zhuiya would receive their dose of the medicine, and she dared not imagine what the outcome would be like. Mingshen had asked her to trust Zhenghuan's judgement, but how could she, when Zhenghuan still remained unconscious, his life hanging by a mere thread?