Chapter 153: Young Master Yun, Pills!

You Tiexin lowered his head solemnly; he actually dared not return the gaze of his old friend, Old Marshal Qiu.

He did not speak but his reaction had conveyed more than words ever could.

"Perhaps you can't remedy it, but what about others?" The old marshal refused to give up hope.

"Based on what I know about this poison, there is no one in this world who can cure it. Even... the person who poisoned His Majesty himself may not have the antidote!" You Tiexin spoke with conviction, utterly certain about his analysis.

This was the self-confidence that Saintly Physician You had built from his years of practicing medicine.

However, it was also this self-confidence that dealt a devastating blow to the old marshal.

Amidst the silence, You Tiexin thought of something and spoke with some hesitation, "There's still one more thing. Your Majesty, please do not be unduly upset."

"What is it?" His Majesty's voice was calm.

"Your Majesty has been poisoned for over ten years. The poison has merged with the bloodstream, flowing along the meridians and mystical Qi. In other words, this poison has become part of your body as well." You Tiexin stammered, slightly apprehensive to continue; he finally sucked in a breath and continued, "Within these ten years, if there were any heirs born... princes or princesses..."

The emperor's expression changed in a flash. "What about them?"

You Tiexin lowered his head; he spoke softly but his words were clear. "They... may be affected as well."

Wham!

The emperor's palm struck an offending table, smashing it to smithereens.

His Majesty shook violently as he swayed on his feet.

The hard blow had finally roused the hopelessness within His Majesty's being.

He had known the pleasure of so many consorts in these past ten years. As a healthy man in his prime, one that had base needs and excellent mystical skills, how could the emperor's heirs be in short supply?

There were approximately twenty princes and princesses who had been born during this period of time.

If these children were all...

His Majesty dared not entertain the inevitable thought, his face turning pale from just the suggestion of it.

...

Qiu Jianhan stared mutely for a moment before he suddenly sprung up to his feet.

"Go! Ask for Young Master Yun!"

"I don't give two hoots about whatever he is doing, send him over immediately!"

The old marshal was panting harshly, his eyes bloodshot; he was near to breaking down in a state of hysteria.

Yun Yang's information had been proven to be true yet this knowledge had come, leaving them utterly defenseless!

When Yun Yang had said the emperor's physical state was bad, the old marshal acknowledged the severity of it but did not think of it as incurable. He thought that he could still depend on his sworn brother - the top-tier saintly physician of the times, You Tiexin!

Yun Yang was a young man after all. Despite his experience and capability, his overall ability was still weak. Even if he had not been exaggerating, the situation might not be as hopeless as he had painted. Once the diagnosis confirmed that the emperor was poisoned and the type of poison was determined, how could there be a poison in this world that You Tiexin could not remedy?

However, the truth was that You Tiexin was unable to do so.

What was worse was that there might be no one else in the world who could.

The old marshal's only hope now was Yun Yang.

For now, he was the last life-saving straw!

...

When Yun Yang arrived, he saw the emperor standing before the window with his arms against his back.

Qiu Jianhan and another individual were sitting in the room looking like they had lost their parents.

"What has happened?" Yun Yang smiled. "Old sir must have had something on to summon me here..."

"What fool are you trying to play?" Old Marshal Qiu Jianhan pulled him over and slapped the back of his head, as his scolding scalded the young man's ears, "How can you not know why I called you here? Quickly, speak of what methods you have! If you beat around the bush, I swear I'll kill you right here."

Yun Yang braced the back of his head speechlessly.

It was the first time that the young master had encountered someone pleading for help with open hostility.

For a brief moment, Yun Yang was tempted to turn and leave, or at least assume an arrogant attitude. If he delayed the old marshal's efforts for a few days, the old man would know why he should not simply slap Yun Yang's head. However, the person in question was the emperor. Even if the issue had nothing to do with the Empire of Yutang, the emperor was still his big brother Supreme Earth's father. He could not avoid trying to save him; not only did he have to heal him, he had to do it quickly and wholeheartedly!

Why was the feeling so contradictory?

"He has a way?" You Tiexin was peering doubtfully at Yun Yang.

What could this young man before him do about such a venomous bane that he, the preeminent physician in the entire world, was helpless against?

Yun Yang sat down and said collectedly, "Old Marshal, impatience won't solve anything. I need to know what's the result all of you have obtained through these past few days?"

Result?

The verdict was that it was Incurable. Only death waited at the end.

The old marshal flushed, unable to speak for quite some time.

The old marshal should not be blamed for being tactless in this entire affair. Yun Yang was just a child in the old marshal's eyes, one that had just recently turned into an adult at best. He had placed more of his hope on Saintly Physician You; after all, the one poisoned was His Majesty. The most guaranteed method had to be prioritized, of course.

He could tell this to anyone, but Yun Yang would never hear him admit this.

This is just great! I told you about His Majesty's condition and have given you the healing method but you forgot all about me immediately, finding someone else to treat him. The treatment didn't work and now you have the affront to think of me again?

You Tiexin was clueless about all of these, so he naturally told of all he knew in great detail seeing as to how Yun Yang had asked. Old sir had been practicing medicine all his life; he was not one to abbreviate. His explanation was extremely detailed and meticulous.

"That... Ling..."

The old marshal was highly excited.

The pills Ling Xiaozui had given were still with Yun Yang. Before the old marshal had gotten the green light from his old friend, the top-tier saintly physician, how would he dare let the emperor simply consume the medication?

"Don't worry, I've brought the pills. They are here." Yun Yang took out a jade bottle carefully. contained within it were three lustrous emerald pills.

Each of them was the size of a lotus seed.

The old marshal's eyes darted around, feeling that something was amiss. The last time he saw it, they had only been the size of soya beans. Why did they seem to have grown? Could it be that the old man had been mistaken?

You Tiexin accepted the bottle and just as he opened the cap, a rich scent of spiritual Qi could be detected. He took a deep whiff without a second word and capped the jade bottle immediately.

He closed his eyes.

"Good pills! Great pills!" You Tiexin exhaled deeply after a long while and looked at the three pills rather enviously, "May I ask young brother where did these three pills come from? Instead of calling them three medicinal pills, they should just be called three lives!"

"Three lives?" The old marshal perked up. "What do you mean?"

"These three pills aren't really medicine, they don't even contain any medicinal properties." You Tiexin said with a sigh, "These are pills with the most refined air of vitality!"

"Any one of these pills can revive anybody, even one who is about to die from grave injuries!" You Tiexin said.

"Then... give these three pills to His Majesty..." the old marshal asked anxiously.

You Tiexin answered, "These three pills are, without a doubt, very useful and can rescue people from death's door but its core effect is to increase the person's vitality. This means that they can only add to His Majesty's life force... strengthening him all over... but they are not an antidote to the poison. I don't know if Old Qiu can understand my explanation."

The old marshal coughed and looked a little stumped. "I don't really get it."

"These pills can't remedy the poison but can increase His Majesty's immunity towards it." You Tiexin continued, "Which also means that... if His Majesty can hold out to a maximum of two months right now, these three pills can make him hold on for at least another three years."

"Three years?"

Qiu Jianhan looked disappointed.

Could it only postpone death for three years?

"Old Qiu, what reaction is that? Do you know how terrible His Majesty's condition is right now? Panning across the world's most precious treasured gems, there's barely enough rare materials that can prolong His Majesty's life. It's immensely invaluable that these three pills can prolong His Majesty's life for three years..."

"Actually, if Your Majesty didn't toil so hard, it wouldn' be difficult to maintain Your Majesty's life for another five to ten years. But since your Majesty works so hard every day. the maintenance for these years of turmoil will be tricky even with the assistance of spiritual medicine; what's more, there's such a vile poison contained within the body and will endanger Your Majesty any given moment."

You Tiexin sighed softly.

The emperor and Old Marshal Qiu were both somber.

The empire's affairs were hectic, as issues cropped up, both internally and externally. Even when the emperor had worked so hard, the effort was still like stepping on eggshells - any careless mistake would sink the entire boat.

How could His Majesty not toil hard under such circumstances? How could he let go of his work and recuperate in peace?

Anyone in the nation could let their job go whenever they wanted to, but this was a privilege that the emperor would never enjoy.

"Well, about that..." Yun Yang coughed.

These three men have just turned away to study the effects of the medicine. Is it really okay to toss this older brother aside?

Could it be that this older brother is not the most important person here?

This older brother's existence is far more significant than those pills...

His Majesty smiled softly and said good-naturedly, "Not only would I be thankful for the blessings of heaven to be able to have another three years, it's a blessing in defiance of nature. I will be content with what I have."

His smile was peaceful and wise, without a tinge of fear.

As an emperor of an empire, the monarch of Yutang, he who should cherish life and fear death the most were so accepting of it; since they were out of his hands, he had long placed issues of life and death beyond his consideration.

It was also in that same smile that something else that had not been there earlier began to show itself - it was a bite, a savage bite that came from within.

"Well, I believe..." Even as Yun Yang spoke, he was shocked watching the conversation of these three people unfold. They looked like they were about to speak of the funeral three years later and were preparing right now to seek vengeance.

Are they really ignoring this older brother's existence?