Chapter 25: Unexpectedly, the patient condition’s changed (1/2)
Murong Wanru’s words provoked General Mu into a cold smile. “She definitely wouldn’t be reckless, heheh! Someone, take Han Yunxi away!”
Han Yunxi was already willing to go with him, so there was no need for people to force her. Before she could explain, Murong Wanru pulled her back again, speaking sternly. “General Mu, even though Grand Concubine Yi and the Duke of Qin aren’t here, don’t think you can do as you please!”
These words helpfully reminded the general that the two authorities of the estate were both gone, leaving him to do just as he wanted. He took a step forward and pulled Murong Wanru aside to snatch Han Yunxi’s hand. Han Yunxi violently wrenched herself free, voice harsh.
“Enough! I said I’m coming along, so let’s go! What are we dawdling for?”
Although surprised, General Mu was quick to recover. “Then we’ll go!”
Before departing, Han Yunxi gave Murong Wanru a penetrating look, but the girl actually chased them all the way to the gates with her last words. “Sister-in-law, I don’t know when mufei or his lordship will come back, but don’t worry! I’ll speak on your behalf when they do!” Hearing this, General Mu was confident that no one would be able to save Han Yunxi now!
Heheh, Han Yunxi. You’ll have to take responsibility for this to the end!
Han Yunxi didn’t want to hear any more of Murong Wanru’s voice because it made her ears hurt. If there was a chance, the first thing she’d do was to poison her and her white lotus mouth mute!
—
They reached the general’s estate soon enough. The whole way there, Han Yunxi kept thinking, but couldn’t discern where the problem came from. Even after they arrived, she was still certain that her diagnosis had been correct.
Inside the room, Mu Qingwu’s face was completely flushed, his lips an unnatural shade of red. Han Yunxi took one glance and knew that his fever hadn’t disappeared. She sat by the bed to take his pulse, her pretty brows scrunched so seriously that no one dared approach her. By one side, Gu Beiyue stood watch, not daring to making a sound. After testing the pulse and checking the wound, Han Yunxi asked, “Has he taken the medicine according to my instructions?”
“Esteemed wangfei, even the water was boiled personally by your servant here. There were no mistakes,” Gu Beiyue was very certain as he brought over the leftovers of today’s decoction for Han Yunxi’s inspection. Han Yunxi ascertained it with a glance. Nothing was wrong, and the poison in Mu Qingwu’s body had indeed lessened quite a bit. Though remnants still lingered, they weren’t enough to affect him much. The wound wasn’t inflamed either, but the fever was still there, leaving him delirious…
She lowered her eyes and checked his pulse again. There was nothing out of the ordinary, so why was this happening? For a long time she didn’t speak until General Mu grew angry.
“Han Yunxi, say something!”
She honestly shook her head. “I can’t be certain, but I can verify that most of the young general’s poison has been dissolved. It’s not because of excessive toxins…”
“I don’t care how much there is, I just wake him to wake up! Right now! Immediately!” General Mu was unusually irascible today. If not for the fact that all his hopes rested on Han Yunxi, he really might’ve killed her.
And yet, Han Yunxi was even more ferocious as she returned his howls. “I can’t diagnose him when you’re like this! You be quiet!”
Though he was astonished, General Mu soon clenched his hands into fists. Luckily, Gu Beiyue was able to block him in time. “General Mu, please keep calm. It’s not too late to wait until esteemed wangfei’s spoken her piece.”
General Mu still trusted Gu Beiyue, so he exhaled once before relaxing his fists and backing away.
“Esteemed wangfei, if it’s not an issue of too much poison, then there must be another cause?” Gu Beiyue queried thoughtfully.
No wonder he’s the Head Imperial Physician, he is definitely experienced. Han Yunxi looked at him before nodding resolutely. “Correct. I don’t have the means to figure out what kind of cause it is, but it’s probably existed for a long time.”
A cause that’s existed for a long time?
Gu Beiyue nodded. “Your servant and esteemed wangfei have the same conclusion. Esteemed wangfei, this cause must have been hidden for a long time without ever revealing itself. The young general’s weak health these two days may have been unable to suppress it. Or perhaps, the poison drew it to the surface.”
When she heard those words, Han Yunxi’s eyes brightened. She gave a close look to Gu Beiyue as she came to a realization. “Could it be that there’s a second type of poison in his body…a slow-acting poison?!”
If it was just another illness, she might able to tell by the pulse thanks to his high fever. Han Yunxi could treat poisons but was weak in other areas. Gu Beiyue, however, was skilled enough to determine such differences and had found no such sickness. The only possibility was that Mu Qingwu had contracted a slow-acting poison that was hidden so deep that it was never detected. As a result, the detox system hadn’t picked it up in her scans. Han Yunxi started up the system again, but found no results. It seemed that the levels of this second poison had yet to reach the lowest thresholds of her toxin sensors.
Even a low level of a poison like that could cause a high fever. If it was allowed to break out completely, how horrific would it be?
What exactly was this poison?
She worried over it quietly. Although there was no way to know now, it was certain that this second poison was a slow-acting agent that caused strong reactions. This was her first time seeing such a toxin in all her years of treating poisons. Faced with such a situation, the only way left was to keep a constant watch over the patient until the poison showed itself. Then, treat the proper acupoints to expel the toxins. If it grew any worse than that, she won’t be able to predict the outcome.
“Slow-acting poison…” Gu Beiyue turned towards General Mu, as if to see what he thought. These types of poisons were very sensitive. Being a victim to one meant that someone had been poisoning Mu Qingwu long-term, perhaps even someone by his side. General Mu’s furious expression suddenly turned severe. Who would dare try such a thing on his treasured son?
But this wasn’t the time to investigate the culprit. He hurriedly asked, “Han Yunxi, what do we do now?”
“Wait,” she said with resolution. “The poison can only be treated after it shows itself.”
General Mu was half convinced, half skeptical. He glanced towards Gu Beiyue, who nodded his head. “I’ll listen to what esteemed wangfei says.”