Noble Physician's Canon

March, the third year of Divine Dragon.

Princess Taiping's Residence.

The eldest son's bedchamber had become no different from the court of the King of Hell.

Four or five corpses lay strewn across the floor, their official robes still intact, their heads twisted at grotesque angles as blood streamed freely.

The freshest corpse lay sprawled at the feet of Princess Taiping, Li Lingyue. The hem of her peony-patterned gown, densely embroidered with gold thread, had been stained crimson.

"Aargh-"

On the bed, the eldest son, Xue Chongyin, let out a brief, hoarse cry. His body abruptly arched, then collapsed like a puppet with its strings cut, his limbs twitching uncontrollably.

Before the bed, the last white-haired medical official shook like chaff in a sieve. His fingers rested on the young lord's wrist, but they trembled so badly he could barely find a pulse. Sweat rolled off his forehead and into his clouded eyes, yet he dared not even blink.

Princess Taiping stood beside him, looking down at him from above.

Her face, whose beauty eclipsed all of Chang'an, was now as cold as ancient black ice. Only her eyes held a flicker of scarlet flame, bordering on madness.

"Speak." That single word squeezed through her teeth, cold as clashing metal and stone.

"Y-Your Highness..." The medical official's throat rattled as he stammered, "The young lord's pulse is floating, erratic, and rootless. An evil wind has entered his marrow and o-offended the divine spirits... This is... this is a sign of possession!"

Shing!

A ribbon of sword light slashed down!

"Useless quack! What good are you alive?"

There was no lingering scream, only the dull sound of a sharp blade cutting through bone.

A head flew into the air, its face frozen in disbelief and terror. Blood splashed onto her hand.

Princess Taiping did not spare it a glance. She casually sheathed her sword, accepted the silk handkerchief a maid silently offered, and wiped her fingers with unhurried care.

"Next."

Outside the hall.

Lu Changfeng stood among a group of deathly pale physicians, listening to each exchange inside-and the final, teeth-grating sound of a beheading.

I'm done for...

His eyelid twitched violently, and his heart pounded!

Three days.

It had been three full days since he had transmigrated into this bizarre world.

This was the Great Tang, in the third year of Divine Dragon.

On the surface, the Divine Dragon Coup had just ended. Empress Wu Zetian had died, Emperor Zhongzong, Li Xian, had regained the throne, and the realm had returned to the Li dynasty.

Behind the scenes, however, Empress Wei and Princess Anle controlled the court, their ambition to emulate Wu Zetian plain to every passerby. Princess Taiping and Prince Xiang Li Dan appeared to lie low, but their claws already reached throughout the court and beyond. The empire's center of power was a volcanic crater on the verge of erupting.

Yet these vicious struggles at court were not the most frightening part.

What truly suffocated Lu Changfeng was that-this world's martial power was absurdly high!

Earthbound immortals rode swords through the skies, living buddhas possessed indestructible bodies, and demonic masters of the evil path brought calamity upon the people!

Powerful enemies prowled outside the borders, a wicked empress threw the government into chaos within, and demonic shadows swarmed through the martial world.

This Great Tang was rotten through and through, from top to bottom, inside and out!

And he, a mere doctor too weak to truss a chicken, had begun his life here by being dragged into this man-devouring Princess Taiping's Residence.

Only moments ago had he learned that this afternoon, Princess Taiping's lifeblood-her eldest son, Xue Chongyin-had suddenly developed a strange illness. His whole body convulsed, and he looked close to death.

Once word spread, every physician in Chang'an had been "invited" over.

Invited? Seized was more like it. The dozen or so guards at the entrance kept their hands on their sabers, their gazes colder than scalpels.

The first to enter had been Chief Physician Wang of the Imperial Medical Bureau, a man reputedly capable of restoring flesh to bare bones. Before even half a cup of tea's time had passed, a brief scream came from inside, followed by silence.

The second had been Chang'an's renowned Divine Physician Pei, a specialist in difficult and unusual ailments. He lasted a little longer, and his trembling explanations could still be faintly heard. "Your Highness... an evil wind has entered the young lord's body. This is beyond the reach of needles or medicinal stones..."

"Useless!"

Immediately afterward came the sharp whistle of a sword cutting through the air!

A graying head rolled straight out of the hall, only stopping when it reached Lu Changfeng's feet.

"Next!"

Princess Taiping's voice rang out again, now laden with undisguised murderous intent and a trace of... madness born of being driven into a corner.

Even the air outside the hall seemed to freeze. Of the few physicians remaining, some collapsed and others wept. The foul stench of urine spread.

Lu Changfeng drew a deep breath, forcibly suppressing the churning seas in his stomach.

He knew there was no escaping this.

This damned violence against doctors!

Lu Changfeng was utterly speechless. He did know medicine-he had been a top student at Capital Medical University, versed in both Chinese and Western medicine. But this world also had something called "true qi." How am I supposed to treat that when I don't even know martial arts?!

That fucking Princess Taiping...

A female official in crimson stepped out of the hall. Her gaze swept over them like a blade as she said coldly, "Her Highness commands: bring in the itinerant physician Lu Changfeng!"

Lu Changfeng took another breath, steadied himself, and entered the hall.

Ignoring the blood on the floor, he calmly bowed to Princess Taiping.

Inside the hall, Princess Taiping raised her eyes.

"You."

Her gaze pinned Lu Changfeng in place, her voice tinged with impatience. Murderous intent poured from her, and the pressure of a Great Grandmaster loomed like an abyss, like a hellish prison. "If you dare spout that nonsense about 'possession' too, lie down yourself and spare me the trouble of dirtying my hands!"

"This commoner would not dare speak recklessly."

Under that terrifying pressure, Lu Changfeng struggled to settle his nerves. "Please allow me to examine and treat him first."

Princess Taiping watched him coldly.

Candlelight flickered in the hall, illuminating the blood and corpses scattered across the floor. Every guard and maid held their breath, wishing they could shrink into a crack in the ground. Standing among these corpses, this man can keep his expression unchanged and his breathing steady. His composure is quite remarkable...

Unfortunately, if he can't cure Chongyin, he'll die all the same!

"...Granted."

Lu Changfeng turned and approached the bed, carefully examining Xue Chongyin. Once he had a clear look at the symptoms, his brow lifted. This doesn't seem to have anything to do with true qi...

"Well?"

Princess Taiping hastily asked.

Lu Changfeng looked at the maid standing beside the bed and asked in a serious tone, "Before the young lord fainted, was he turning his head quickly or getting up abruptly?"

Intimidated by the murderous atmosphere in the hall, the maid froze at his question, then answered instinctively, "Y-yes! Her Highness bestowed a cultivation manual upon him. The young lord was getting up to receive it when he suddenly collapsed."

At those words, Princess Taiping's expression darkened.

Giving her no time to dwell on it, Lu Changfeng immediately posed his second question. "When the young lord fainted, was his face pale and his lips bloodless, but his breathing still intact?"

"Exactly!"

Another personal attendant hurriedly added, "The young lord simply went limp all of a sudden. We couldn't wake him, and he kept convulsing, but his chest was still rising and falling! The next two episodes were the same. Sometimes he woke up, but it kept happening, each time worse than the last..."

Lu Changfeng nodded.

I see. Cervicogenic drop attacks!

This condition occurred when problems in the cervical spine compressed nerves and blood vessels, briefly depriving the brain of blood and causing sudden fainting. Between attacks, the patient appeared perfectly normal, so in ancient times it was easily mistaken for epilepsy, a stroke, or even "possession."

Thank goodness. My life is safe...

Lu Changfeng abruptly turned toward Princess Taiping, cupped his hands, and declared clearly, "Your Highness! The young lord is not possessed. He suffers from 'cervical syncope'! Misaligned bones and sinews in his neck are obstructing the flow of qi and blood, preventing clear yang from rising and depriving the brain of nourishment. That is why sudden movements cause him to faint."

Meeting the princess's scrutinizing gaze, he delivered his verdict with iron certainty. "I can cure this illness!"

As his words fell, several lines of text suddenly flashed across his vision:

[Noble Physician's Canon activated.]

[Target: Xue Chongyin. Identity: Princess Taiping's legitimate son. Overall value: three stars.]

[Condition: cervicogenic drop attacks (acute phase).]

[Success reward: max-level Nine Yin Manual.]

[Failure penalty: none.]