Beholden to the Hand That Feeds

The third piece of good news that Zhang Xuezhou acknowledged was that Yi Shuo came to the Zhang residence to check on Li Shaojun's injuries.

Yi Shuo appeared quiet and reserved, but she did quite a few things like squatting on the wall.

Whether intentional or unintentional, this led to Zhang Xuezhou and Yi Shuo having prior contact.

He waved hello, and Yi Shuo, who was giving acupuncture to Sun Grass, jumped down immediately.

"Brother Dongfang!"

"Brother Dongfang?"

Yi Shuo glanced at the Zhang residence, then greeted them quietly.

Her greeting to Li Shaojun was like a knife twisting in his heart.

He didn't know when Zhang Xuezhou had acquired another acquaintance, but connections make things easier.

As long as things are easy to do, it means that the beating he received was completely unjustified.

Li Shaojun made many guesses, but he never guessed that this court physician was related to Zhang Xuezhou.

Listening to Zhang Xuezhou and Yi Shuo's conversation, Li Shaojun felt that if he continued like this, he would be doomed.

"I need to find a fortune teller to read my fortune and see if Chang'an City or this Dongfang Shuo. If I don't get anything this time, I won't stay here, and I definitely won't stay in Chang'an City either!"

Li Shaojun's face was full of dejection, her heart filled with sorrow and grief.

"Shi Niang, open the door! We're back carrying people!"

Zhang Xuezhou and Yi Shuo's conversation was very brief; when they reached the crucial point, they had already used their Law Power to transmit their voices.

After exchanging only a few words, Zhang Xuezhou went to knock on the door.

The door opened with a bang, and Cai Ma poked his head out from the doorway, glancing at Li Shaojun, who was being carried by Zhang Xuezhou and the others.

She opened her mouth, but this time she didn't say anything.

In short, the holy son of Kunlun Sacred Land did something absurd, bringing back a young man whose appearance had changed.

The other person was in excellent health before leaving home, but returned feeling utterly dejected and on the verge of death.

If Cai Ma hadn't been an expert in Fate Technique and known that Li Shaojun had a long lifespan, he would have been fooled by this realistic performance.

Knowing that these people were putting on an act, Cai Ma stopped causing trouble.

"I need a tael or two of Tongxin grass," Cai Ma said through gritted teeth to Zhang Xuezhou, "Otherwise I won't be able to resist."

"I'll give it to you as soon as I get it!"

Zhang Xuezhou knew without a doubt that no matter what Li Shaojun did, Cai Ma would see through it.

No matter how serious the injury or how life-or-death the threat, it couldn't overcome the fact that Li Shaojun's lifespan was what it was.

As long as his lifespan remains unchanged, Li Shaojun cannot die.

This made Zhang Xuezhou feel a little wistful.

He couldn't help but grab Cai Ma, who was demanding benefits from him, and then pointed at Li Shaojun.

"Help me check on the people in the palace, see if they practice fate-determining Fate Technique!" Zhang Xuezhou said.

"That red-robed one who can only live for another two years at most?"

"Died so quickly?"

Zhang Xuezhou asked a couple of questions in a low voice, and then he saw the old eunuch get up and walk away not far away.

He thought for a moment and remembered the other person's old face.

What brings Lord Cui here?

Zhang Xuezhou called out, and Cui Yan jogged forward.

"I, Cui, have come under orders to see Shaojun Li. And this person?" Cui Yan asked nervously, looking at the person being carried by Zhang Xuezhou and the others.

"That's Li Shaojun!" Zhang Xuezhou replied.

"It was perfectly fine when I went out this morning," Cui Yan asked incredulously.

"He fell ill and collapsed halfway through the journey," Zhang Xuezhou said with a sigh. "The world is going to the dogs. Those inns wouldn't let Master Li stay, afraid he'd die in their inns. We had no choice but to bring him back!"

"This is truly a sign of the world going to the dogs!"

Cui Yan echoed this sentiment and then urged Yi Shuo Yi Shuo to quickly diagnose Li Shaojun.

"He has multiple bruises on his body, indicating severe internal and external injuries, and his heartbeat is fluctuating extremely strongly, suggesting he has suffered a major shock," Yi Shuo said.

"And then?" Cui Yan pressed.

"Then, he's quite old, so strong treatments aren't suitable for him. We can only see if there's any way to temporarily suppress his injuries," Yi Shuo said. "Only by suppressing his injuries can he slowly recover!"

"Master Li has some skills in this area; he needs to rest and recuperate to recover!"

If it were any other physician, Zhang Xuezhou would have let them touch him a few times and then sent Li Shaojun back to his room.

However, after communicating with Yi Shuo, Yi Shuo Zhang Xuezhou had her check the items repeatedly.

Only after Yi Shuo had finished her examination did Zhang Xuezhou carry Li Shaojun into the room.

"Master Li's physical condition is very bad. He can only catch his breath and try to calm himself down," Zhang Xuezhou said after leaving the room. "His injuries are so severe that even the Supreme Purity True Technique can't withstand them. Even slightly strong pills would be too stimulating for him. Only mild medicines are suitable for him!"

"Lord Dongfang is right," Yi Shuo echoed.

"This is terrible!" Cui Yan said regretfully. "I was ordered by the Empress Dowager to invite Daoist Li to Palace of Peace and Happiness as a guest!"

"We'll have to wait until Master Li's condition stabilizes, lest he die on the way," Zhang Xuezhou said.

"To die halfway... sigh, to die halfway is truly tragic!"

Cui Yan glanced at the room where Li Shaojun was, and then at Zhang Xuezhou.

He almost killed Zhang Xuezhou on the way back then. After Zhang Xuezhou woke up, he went crazy and caused a lot of trouble, which also resulted in him getting a beating.

This made Cui Yan more cautious in his actions, and the Empress Dowager did not order him to bring Li Shaojun back to Palace of Peace and Happiness today. Otherwise, he would not have come out to handle matters alone.

Cui Yan paced back and forth in the courtyard, glancing at the few foolish women peeking in with pig intestines, who were even considering pushing open the door to send Li Shaojun a bowl to try. This only made his head ache more.

"When will Master Li's injuries be fully treated and suppressed?" Cui Yan asked.

"He's poor and old, and it's completely unclear when he can be subdued," Zhang Xuezhou said. "Right now, I can only wait for the court to pay his salary, and then see if I can buy him some aged ginseng, tongxin grass, astragalus, cinnabar, black bear bile, gallnut, raspberry, and arisaema to brew medicine to regulate his body!"

"Shuo'er, what kind of elixirs are these medicines used to make? Does our Imperial Medical Hall have any?" Cui Yan asked.

"Lord Cui, this should be a Daoist School health-preserving soup," Yi Shuo thought for a moment and then said with a forced smile, "There are thousands of different prescriptions for elixirs, and each family has its own. It's very difficult for our Imperial Medical Hall to have any overlap. I guess we can't provide the elixir he needs, so we'll have to have them brew it on their own."

"This... this... sigh... this..."

Cui Yan shrugged.

But he could only shrug and sigh deeply.

Cui Yan has now figured out many things.

He not only knew that Li Shaojun was seriously ill, but also knew what medications he needed for initial treatment.

Only after Li Shaojun has properly treated him will he be able to accept the invitation to visit Palace of Peace and Happiness.

That's the sequence of events; he can now return to Palace of Peace and Happiness to report.

Cui Yan sighed deeply, his voice filled with sympathy, but he made no promises.

He talked with Zhang Xuezhou and the others for fifteen minutes, until Zhang Xuezhou wanted Cui Yan to stay and eat pig intestines, at which point he quickly declined and left.

"Physician, please stay and have a bowl before you leave," Zhang Xuezhou said, gesturing for him.

"OK!"

Cui Yan wanted to pull Yi Shuo away from this disgusting table, but Yi Shuo responded too quickly.

Just as she had accepted his invitation to come for a diagnosis, Yi Shuo once again accepted invitations from other people.

This made Cui Yan feel that these palace physicians had absolutely no social experience and would suffer a great loss if they went out to handle affairs like this.

Yi Shuo was not Cui Yan's subordinate, and he had no way to manage Yi Shuo. So he could only quickly leave Zhang's residence, call a carriage, and leave the house with its unique atmosphere.

"The Holy Son wants to cure that Li Shaojun's illness, so why is he asking them for medicine for the first stage of the Longevity Cultivation Technique?"

In the courtyard, Zhang Xuezhou and Yi Shuo reunited and invited each other to the dining table.

Meanwhile, Cai Ma, who was gathered at the dining table, was filled with confusion, feeling that Zhang Xuezhou hadn't given Li Shaojun any medicine to heal his injuries at all.

Of course, there was a good thing: when Zhang Xuezhou was getting his medicine, he didn't forget her and included her request for the herb in the prescription.

This made Cai Ma feel indebted to him, and he knew the truth but didn't reveal a word, only pondering it in his heart.