Seeking medicine
"Report! A letter from the border." The cavalrymen marched unimpeded into the Chu army camp and knelt before Chu Chanyin's tent. "Your Highness, a letter from the Zhao family army on the border."
Chu Chanyin lifted the curtain and stepped out of the tent, his expression serious. Zhao Youyi had only been gone for a day, so why would he suddenly send someone to deliver a message? It must be something important.
Chu Chanyin took the envelope and eagerly opened it, confirming that the handwriting was unfamiliar, but the contents of the letter were shocking.
Chu Chanyin's gaze lingered on the words "General Zhao Xiao fell into a coma due to poisoning," his fingers almost trembling. Su Chaoyang behind him quickly stepped forward to support him, "Huai Cong, what's wrong? Has something happened to your wife?"
Chu Chanyin was slightly stunned by the sudden news, and only snapped out of it when she heard Su Chaoyang's voice. She grabbed his hand with great force, "Ziyang, Awan... she's been poisoned and has fallen into a coma."
"What?" Su Chaoyang exclaimed in disbelief, and quickly helped him back to the tent. "This matter must not be made public. Did the letter mention what kind of poison your sister-in-law was poisoned with?"
Chu Chanyin bit his lower lip until he tasted blood before calming down: "No, but I guess it's probably the Heart-Soothing Poison. Ziyang, I have to go to the border. I'll leave the army here to you."
Su Chaoyang nodded quickly, and seeing his expression, said with concern, "You can't go alone. At least take Yin Jiu and the others with you."
"There's no time to gather them. I'll go alone first, and then you can tell them to follow me." Chu Chanyin hurriedly ordered his men to prepare a horse, packed up his treasured medicinal herbs and medical books, mounted his horse, and rode away.
Watching his receding figure in the sunset, Su Chaoyang couldn't help but feel worried for him. Zhao Youyi held such an important place in Chu Chanyin's heart, and now that Zhao Youyi was poisoned and unconscious, he wondered what Chu Chanyin would do.
"Go to the manor quickly and summon Yin Jiu and the others. Tell them to follow the prince to the border region," Su Chaoyang said to the soldier behind him.
The soldier quickly agreed.
Chu Chanyin rode at full speed and finally arrived at the border region at midnight.
The Zhao family army camp was brightly lit, and when they saw it was him, they were greeted with their luggage and allowed to leave.
Zhou Huaiyuan had met Chu Chanyin before, so when he saw him arrive looking travel-worn, he was overjoyed. "Your Highness, King Chu, you've finally arrived."
Chu Chanyin tossed the bundle into his arms, his expression anxious, and asked, "How is A-Wan?"
Zhou Huaiyuan quickly took the bundle and replied, "The military doctor has administered acupuncture to temporarily suppress the poison in the lord's body, but the lord has not yet woken up."
"Take me to see A-Wan immediately," Chu Chanyin said without hesitation.
Only when he saw the dying girl Chu Chanyin lying on the bed did his heart slowly settle down. Her face was pale, and her forehead was covered in cold sweat. Liu Zhiming and Zhou Yaqing sat by the bedside wiping her sweat, while the military doctor frantically searched through medical books. When he saw him arrive, he quickly stood up and bowed, saying, "Greetings, Your Highness, Prince Chu! Your Highness, please save our lord!"
Chu Chanyin quickly stepped forward and sat on the edge of the bed, placing his fingers on her slender wrist to take her pulse. The pulse was weak and unstable, sometimes strong and sometimes weak, which was exactly the symptoms of the heart poison taking effect.
Chu Chanyin's brows furrowed deeper and deeper, while the military doctor beside him sweated profusely with anxiety: "Your Highness, how is our lord?"
“It’s the Heart-Breaking Poison she was born with that’s acting up.” Chu Chanyin sighed deeply and closed his eyes helplessly. “Over the years, I’ve been researching an antidote for Heart-Breaking Poison, but I’ve never succeeded in developing one. Recently, I’ve made a breakthrough, but I’m still missing one ingredient.”
"What kind of medicinal herbs?" Liu Zhiming asked hurriedly. "Your Highness, please tell us, and we'll see if we can find them in the border regions."
"Nine-Spirit Sky-Piercing Grass." Chu Chanyin withdrew his hand, his fingers almost trembling.
Zhou Yaqing quickly asked, "Where can I buy this herb?"
"You can't buy it." The military doctor standing nearby said this. "This kind of herb only grows in the Valley of Divine Healers, and it's extremely rare and precious. The Nine-Spirit Heaven-Reaching Grass takes ten years to grow, and it's priceless even if it's available!"
“I’ve seen this herb in ancient books before.” Liu Zhiming was bewildered upon hearing this. “I thought this herb was just a legend, but I didn’t expect it to actually exist.”
The military doctor turned his hopeful gaze to Chu Chanyin, "Your Highness, I've heard that you are the descendant of the Medicine King of Divine Medicine Valley. Perhaps you can obtain this herb."
Chu Chanyin reached out and grasped Zhao Youyi's hand tightly, only to find that the temperature of his hand was extremely cold. "My master also mentioned the miraculous effects of this herb back then. However, this herb is a treasure of the Divine Doctor Valley, and I have to make a trip to the Divine Doctor Valley."
“This…the border region is not close to the Valley of Divine Healers. I’m afraid our lord won’t be able to hold out for that many days.” The military doctor frowned. “Besides, the Valley of Divine Healers has been in seclusion for many years. I’ve heard that getting there requires passing through many checkpoints. Your Highness, is there any other medicinal herb that can be used as a substitute?”
Chu Chanyin shook his head heavily. "Only the Nine-Spirit Heavenly Grass can cure this poison. I will give Awan acupuncture to stabilize her condition later. I brought many precious medicinal herbs. Doctor, please prepare them accordingly. Her condition must be stabilized within ten days."
After Chu Chanyin finished speaking, he gestured with his eyes to the bundle in Zhou Huaiyuan's hand. Upon receiving the look, Zhou Huaiyuan helped hand the bundle to the military doctor. The military doctor's eyes lit up when he saw the precious medicinal herbs inside: "Your Highness actually has so many precious medicinal herbs. If we have these, stabilizing the lord's condition for ten days will not be a problem."
"You all go out first, I'll give her acupuncture," Chu Chanyin said.
Zhou Yaqing was a little uneasy and subconsciously asked, "Why do we need to go out?"
Liu Zhiming quickly tugged at her sleeve, "Just listen to His Highness."
After the group left the tent, Chu Chanyin carefully examined her face by candlelight, his gaze lingering on her pale lips. "Cousin, I apologize for my intrusion."
Chu Chanyin's hands trembled as he untied her belt. He was shocked when he saw her chest. Dark purple bloodstains spread from her chest to her limbs, which were particularly noticeable against her fair skin.
Chu Chanyin took a few deep breaths to calm himself down, then took out a silver needle and inserted it into her acupoint. The candle flame burned out, and Chu Chanyin's forehead was covered with beads of sweat.
It wasn't until daylight that the dark purple bloodstains on Zhao Youyi's chest diminished slightly.
Chu Chanyin lowered his hand weakly, sat on the edge of the bed and looked at her weak face. He leaned down and left a kiss on her pale lips. "Awan, I will definitely save you. Wait for me."
After saying that, he didn't even bother to rest. He prepared some dry food and water, mounted his horse, and headed straight for the Valley of Divine Healers.
Zhao Youyi's maternal grandmother was the Medicine Queen of Divine Medicine Valley. However, she was expelled from Divine Medicine Valley for insisting on marrying Zhao Youyi's maternal grandfather. Over the years, the people of Divine Medicine Valley have never recognized him as a disciple of Divine Medicine Valley. It is feared that his trip to seek medicine will not be very successful.
But... Chu Chanyin couldn't help but tighten his grip on the reins. Zhao Youyi was still waiting for him to save her life; he couldn't give up.
The journey was fraught with wind and rain, and Chu Chanyin had no time to rest. Two horses died in three days, and he finally arrived at the Valley of Divine Healers on the fourth day.
The Valley of Divine Healers is secluded in the towering mountains, with hidden weapons on the outside to prevent outsiders from invading. No matter how skilled Chu Chanyin was in martial arts, he could not escape unscathed in this world of swords and shadows. His left arm was wounded by an arrow, and the wound that almost went through could not stop bleeding. He could only give it a quick and hasty bandage.
After spending half a day on the outskirts, he finally arrived at the gate of the Valley of Divine Healers. The person who came saw him immediately drew his sword, "Who goes there!"
Chu Chanyin bit his lip hard, trying to force himself to stay focused. "I am the personal disciple of the twelfth generation Medicine King. I request an audience with Elder of the Divine Physician Valley!"
The guard was visibly bewildered when he saw the twelfth generation Medicine King, until the guard next to him reminded him who the twelfth generation Medicine King was, and then he realized, "You are Shi Shui's disciple? She was expelled from the Valley of Divine Healers long ago, you are not welcome here!"
Upon hearing this, Chu Chanyin felt dizzy and collapsed to the ground, utterly exhausted.
"Hey!" The guard rushed forward. "It really is! He collapsed in front of our Divine Healer Valley. We have no choice but to help him."
Healing the sick and saving lives is the sacred duty of the Divine Healer Valley. They could not bear to watch someone collapse in front of the Divine Healer Valley and refuse to help. Therefore, they had no choice but to carry Chu Chanyin into the Divine Healer Valley.
"Elder! There's someone outside claiming to be a disciple of Senior Shi Shui who wants to see you, but he's fainted. We've carried him into the valley to await your orders!" the guard reported, bowing.
The white-haired, white-faced old man opened his eyes. Although he was over sixty years old, his eyes were still clear. "Shi Shui's disciple? Go and see him."
"Yes, Elder!"
Chu Chanyin felt himself sinking into endless nothingness. Zhao Youyi's face appeared and disappeared in his mind. Every time he reached out to touch her, she would vanish in the blink of an eye.
"A-Wan!" Chu Chanyin suddenly sat up, and when he opened his eyes, he saw an old man with white hair and a white face sitting in front of him.
Chu Chanyin immediately got out of bed and knelt down. "Elder! This junior is a disciple of the Medicine King Shi Shui. I have come to beg you to save my life!"
"Help me?" The elder was very puzzled. "You only fainted because you were exhausted from the journey. What do you mean by 'help me'?"
"It's not about saving me, it's about saving my wife." Chu Chanyin stared intently at him, her eyes full of pleading. "She is the granddaughter of the Medicine King Shi Shui. She was poisoned in the womb and is now unconscious from the poison. Only the elder can save her life!"
"Young man, get up first." The elder helped him up. "You just woke up and your body hasn't fully recovered yet. Since you are Shi Shui's personal disciple, you should be able to treat her strange poison, right? Why go to the Valley of Divine Healers, which is so far away?"
Chu Chanyin coughed a few times, "I have indeed figured out a way to cure this strange poison, but... I'm still missing one herb."
"Hmph! So you've come here because you're eyeing our Divine Doctor Valley's treasure!" The elder was so angry that he stood up and flicked his sleeves. "Didn't Shi Shui tell you that once you leave Divine Doctor Valley, it will have nothing to do with her anymore?"
"Yes, Master once told me about this," Chu Chanyin knelt down again, "but Elder, this is a matter of life and death, I beg you to have mercy and save my wife's life!"
The elder turned around and saw him kneeling again, and stomped his feet in anger: "You reckless brat! I've already told you your body hasn't recovered yet, can't you sit properly?"
Left with no other choice, Chu Chanyin sat down. The elder's expression softened slightly: "Tell me, what kind of herbs do you need?"
"Nine-Spirit Heaven-Reaching Grass," Chu Chanyin said.
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