Under meticulous care, Lou Jin’s physical condition actually began to show signs of improvement day by day.
Although he was still far from a full recovery, he experienced no further bouts of coughing up blood, and the frequency and severity of his coughing fits also decreased.
Even when the imperial physicians came to take his pulse, they clicked their tongues in wonder, attributing it solely to the period of rest taking effect and the relaxed state of the Prince’s mind.
Thinking that his own health-preservation formulas had taken effect, Ye Xunyang became even more determined in his resolve to seek out renowned doctors. The people he sent to various regions successively transmitted back some news, though most were unreliable wandering practitioners and folk remedies.
Yet he still did not abandon any hope, carefully screening everything and occasionally discussing seemingly reasonable formulas with the estate physician.
On this day, the weather was fine, and Lou Jin’s spirit was better than usual. He summoned Ye Xunyang.
“Xunyang, accompany this Prince to the Grand Preceptor’s Manor today.”
Having just finished practicing his boxing routine with a thin layer of sweat still glistening on his forehead, Ye Xunyang looked somewhat surprised upon hearing this: “Go to the Grand Preceptor’s Manor? Does the Prince feel unwell somewhere?”
Subconsciously, he stepped forward a pace, wanting to check Lou Jin’s pulse. Having followed the estate physician’s teachings over the past few days, he was already able to roughly determine what a pulse condition was like.
Lou Jin slightly raised his hand to evade him, explaining: “It concerns the matter of how you were poisoned previously yet remained unharmed. This Prince has always found it peculiar. The Grand Preceptor is well-versed and knowledgeable, and perhaps he knows the reason.”
He paused, looked at Ye Xunyang, and felt compelled to lay out the truth: “Perhaps this is also related to your ability to alleviate this Prince’s pain.”
Once Ye Xunyang heard that this concerned both his own constitution and Lou Jin’s illness, he immediately attached great importance to it: “Alright, I will accompany the Prince!”
The Grand Preceptor’s Manor remained secluded and quiet.
Upon seeing them arrive together, Xuan Yunzi did not seem surprised, leading them into a quiet chamber.
Lou Jin concisely and succinctly explained their purpose, focusing particularly on the anomaly of how Ye Xunyang had suppressed and even dissolved the poison purely through his own vital yang energy.
After listening, Xuan Yunzi signaled Ye Xunyang to step forward, placed three fingers upon his wrist pulse, closed his eyes, and concentrated deeply to examine him.
This time, his investigation was extremely meticulous. Ye Xunyang did not dare move at all, afraid of disturbing the Grand Preceptor.
After a long while, Xuan Yunzi opened his eyes. A brilliant light flashed within them, and the gaze he cast toward Ye Xunyang carried amazement: “Young Master Ye, have you practiced a cultivation technique of supreme yang and rigidity since your youth?”
Ye Xunyang was startled by the question and tried hard to recall: “I do not know if that counts. When I was about six or seven years old, I met a fortune-telling Taoist priest setting up a stall on the streets of Jiayuguan. He said I had some kind of pure yang physique, that I was good material for martial arts, and insisted on taking me as his disciple.”
Urging him to skip the irrelevant details, the Grand Preceptor prompted: “Tell me the main point. What was the name of that book?”
“Do not be impatient, let me think. What was it called? The Ten Ultimates Scripture. He told me to practice according to it, and also warned me not to tell anyone else.”
Xuan Yunzi stroked his beard: “So that is how it is! It is not merely a birth date of supreme yang, but rather that you acquired a special technique, which created Young Master Ye’s pure yang physique. Then, Young Master Ye, where is that book?”
Struggling to recall the situation at that time, Ye Xunyang said: “When he saw that I had learned almost everything, he wanted to take the book back. I did not agree at the time, thinking I would copy a version before returning it to him. Who could have known that by the next day he was nowhere to be seen, and I still cannot figure out why to this day.”
A spark of hope instantly ignited within Lou Jin’s heart, and he asked eagerly: “Grand Preceptor, if that book is found, can this Prince also practice this Ten Ultimates Scripture? If it can be mastered, would that eliminate the cold poison within my body?”
To Lou Jin, even if the book was lost, as a Prince, how convenient would it be to have someone find it, especially since Ye Xunyang surely still remembered how to practice it.
However, Xuan Yunzi slowly shook his head, shattering Lou Jin’s illusion: “Prince, absolutely not.”
“Young Master Ye possesses a one-in-ten-thousand pure yang birth date, and his meridians are naturally compatible with such an overbearing technique, which is why he can cultivate it without hindrance.”
“You have suffered from pernicious cold poison for many years, and your meridians have long since been eroded and damaged, resulting in a constitution leaning toward yin. If you forcibly practice this supreme yang mental technique, not only will it be of no benefit, but it will also cause yin and yang to collide, leading to internal energy disorder. At best, your martial arts will be completely ruined, and at worst, your meridians will shatter inch by inch, causing you to burst and die.”
Hope shattered like bubbles. Lou Jin’s gaze dimmed, and Ye Xunyang also let his shoulders droop in disappointment.
Yet Xuan Yunzi changed the subject, stroking his beard as he said: “The Prince need not be overly discouraged either. Although you cannot practice it directly, Young Master Ye’s pure yang energy is already a heaven-sent medicine for you.”
“Since the two of you are husband and wife, if you can often remain together, given time, borrowing the yang energy to imperceptibly disperse the cold poison and making the Prince’s health improve day by day is not entirely impossible.”
Pausing for a moment, he retrieved a rustic wooden box from his sleeve. Upon opening it, two pills the size of longan lay side by side inside: one glowing crimson like a flame, the other sparkling white like snow.
Pointing at the red pill, he said to Lou Jin: “When the poison in the Prince’s body has been cleared away for the most part and you are able to walk on your own like an ordinary person, you may take this Crimson Yang Pill.”
“At that time, Young Master Ye must simultaneously swallow this Snow Soul Pill.”
“The medicinal properties of the Crimson Yang Pill are extremely fierce, and it requires the gentle power of the Snow Soul Pill to harmonize within. Furthermore, it requires Young Master Ye to stand alongside and guide and protect you with his own pure yang internal energy so that the medicinal power can completely dissolve, eradicate the remaining poison, consolidate your foundation and nourish your origin, and enable the Prince to truly recover.”
“This process requires absolute quiet, without the slightest disturbance, and the breaths of the two people must be closely linked. This is of the utmost importance.”
Looking at those two pills, Lou Jin and Ye Xunyang felt hope ignite in their hearts once more, yet this hope bound the two of them together in an even deeper entanglement.
Accepting the wooden box, Lou Jin spoke solemnly: “Thank you, Grand Preceptor. This Prince will remember this.”
Inside the carriage returning to the Prince’s Manor, each harbored their own thoughts.
Ye Xunyang was thinking that he would have to keep a closer eye on Lou Jin from now on so that he could get better quickly and take his medicine.
Meanwhile, Lou Jin stroked the wooden box in his hand, gazing at the flashing street scenes outside the window with a profound look in his eyes.
Upon returning to the Prince’s Manor, Ye Xunyang skillfully pushed the wheelchair, yet rather than heading toward their chambers, he strolled slowly along the covered veranda.
The manor garden covered quite an extensive area, complete with pavilions and towers, small bridges and flowing streams, offering pleasant scenery.
Lou Jin rarely had the mental energy to admire it, and the garden inevitably exuded a sense of desolation. Now, being pushed by Ye Xunyang and listening to him point out which begonia blossoms were blooming best or which pond of koi carp looked plumper, coupled with the pills provided by the Grand Preceptor, his mind inevitably felt much more open.
The pavilion stood in the center of the lake, well-ventilated on all four sides with beautiful scenery. The maidservants had already prepared soft cushions, thin blankets, and hot tea with pastries.
Ye Xunyang lifted Lou Jin and placed him on the stone stool paved with thick cushions, while he himself sat down boldly opposite him, poured a cup of tea, handed it to Lou Jin, poured another for himself, and drank it all in one gulp.
“Prince, let me tell you, with the Grand Preceptor’s medicine, you will definitely recover completely, and I will cooperate fully.”
Ye Xunyang pointed to a patch of open ground not far away.
“Once you are a bit better, how about we set up a martial arts training ground over there? It does not need to be too large, just enough to stretch our muscles and bones. I will teach you a few sets of boxing forms for strengthening the body, which is far better than sitting around all day.”
Lou Jin looked in the direction he pointed: “Do not forget, I was also skilled in both scholarship and martial arts previously. When the time comes, who will teach whom is not yet certain.”
Sunlight filtered through the gaps in the pavilion’s corners, casting a pale golden sheen over Lou Jin’s pale skin.
Watching Lou Jin’s quiet profile, Ye Xunyang suddenly felt that when this sickly beauty of a Prince was not talking, he was actually quite good-looking.
“Prince,” Ye Xunyang leaned closer, lowering his voice.
“Regarding that embroidered pouch, is there any news from Shan Lan’s side?”