At that moment, Xiao Tian Cheng, roused from a deep sleep, moved his hand. He felt someone holding it. He opened his eyes, looked at his mother, then shifted his gaze to Niu You Dao:
"How much longer do I have to live?"
Niu You Dao smiled faintly:
"Well, until you die!"
He was speaking to this already mature child. He couldn't very well tell him he might die soon.
"Really?" Xiao Tian Cheng asked.
Niu You Dao casually waved his hand. Hai Ru Yue looked at him hopefully.
Niu You Dao smiled and nodded at Xiao Tian Cheng. Then, he removed his finger from the boy's hand.
He smiled, but inwardly he was perplexed. His smile was only out of sympathy for the boy. After all, he had been ill with this since childhood. What had the boy done to deserve such a punishment?
Although, Niu You Dao had come here because of Shang Chao Zong, to help him seize Qingshan County. It wasn't to cure the boy. He had a decent grasp of traditional Chinese medicine and some knowledge of Western medicine. One could even say his understanding of certain things was deeper than that of an ordinary Chinese traditional physician. After all, when excavating ancient sites, what couldn't one find? However, Niu You Dao didn't know everything about medicine; his knowledge was limited.
Of course, he hoped to save Xiao Tian Cheng. A healthy Xiao Tian Cheng was far better. It was just that Niu You Dao didn't yet know how to cure him. Moreover, he didn't know the cause of his illness.
When Niu You Dao returned the Qian Qi, he felt that he had dispelled the cold from Xiao Tian Cheng's meridians. But it was only temporary. Niu You Dao didn't know where the cold returned from. Therefore, he filled him with warm Qi. However, Niu You Dao understood that the warm Qi wouldn't last long anyway. The cold would return and continue to erode Xiao Tian Cheng's body.
A truly astonishing illness! Without understanding the logical sequence, Niu You Dao, of course, couldn't find a cure.
He placed Xiao Tian Cheng's hand back under the blanket, then stood up and headed outside.
Hai Ru Yue stood and followed him, while Zhu Shun instructed the attendants to care for Xiao Tian Cheng here.
The group exited the house, and Zhu Shun asked:
"Master, have you studied the Yang Nature Method technique?"
Niu You Dao calmly asked:
"Why do you ask?"
Zhu Shun: "We once invited a man to save the young master. That cultivator practiced Yang nature techniques, and the reaction was similar to what we just saw."
Niu You Dao grunted, but did not reply.
When the group returned to the hall, Hai Ru Yue finally couldn't hold back and asked:
"Master. What have you discovered?"
Niu You Dao shook his head:
"The illness is quite intriguing. For now, I cannot cure his disease."
As soon as he uttered this, Yuan Fang's heart pounded. He muttered to himself, "Lord Dao, Lord Dao. Why did you say that? Do you want to ruin us!"
Indeed, Zhu Shun's expression immediately darkened, and he stared intently at Niu You Dao.
Hai Ru Yue's face also changed:
"Niu You Dao, do you dare to play games with me?"
Niu You Dao replied with a smile:
"Princess, please don't worry. I only said I cannot cure him for now. That does not mean I cannot cure him at all. Right now, I only want to know one thing. Can the Red Yang Fruit truly cure him?"
Hai Ru Yue paused for a moment. She stared intently at Niu You Dao. This man always irritated people.
Zhu Shun, standing nearby, replied:
"There should be no mistake. Many learned individuals have come. And all of them said that only the Red Yang Fruit can cure the young master of his Cloud Sky Slow Pulse. Even the head of the Wandong Heavenly Palace sect personally came. There can be no error in this!"
The so-called Wandong Heavenly Palace was precisely the school backing Qingzhou. And in the Zhao Kingdom, it was considered one of the few powerful schools.
Niu You Dao: "So, can it be said that once I obtain the Red Yang Fruit and give it to the Princess, I will have kept my word? And whether it can cure him or not will no longer concern me?"
Hearing his words, many felt a spark of hope!
Hai Ru Yue resolutely said:
"That's right, you only need to obtain it. Then it can be said you've kept your word. The rest doesn't matter. I will immediately send troops to support Shang Chao Zong!"
"This isn't a matter of just two words, shouldn't we sit down and discuss everything calmly?" Niu You Dao suddenly suggested.
Hai Ru Yue almost spat in his face at such antics. However, she was curious about what else he was planning!
She knew that because he had killed the Yan Kingdom's envoy, she could now kill him as well. Nothing would happen to her for it.
However, she forcibly suppressed her anger, and, extending a hand, invited him to sit at the table.
Zhu Shun waved his hand towards the outside, signaling for tea to be brought.
Everyone immediately fixed their gaze on Niu You Dao. Yuan Fang and Fang Zhe were frightened. However, Niu You Dao looked quite relaxed. When the tea was brought, he took a cup, slowly sipped some tea, and then said:
"Princess, I wonder. Have you considered the consequences if the Red Yang Fruit does not cure your son?"
Hai Ru Yue said in a cold tone:
"That is no longer your concern. You only need to obtain the Red Yang Fruit!"
Niu You Dao calmly replied:
"What if the Red Yang Fruit fails to cure him?"
Hai Ru Yue said angrily:
"Do you wish for my son's death?"
Niu You Dao: "Princess, why speak such words? I bear no enmity towards your son. Moreover, I am not that shameless. I am merely guided by common sense."
Hai Ru Yue: "I care nothing for your common sense. Are you trying to trick your way out of obtaining the Red Yang Fruit again? I warn you, I have already compromised with you once, but I will not do so again. If you don't fulfill your promise, then even the Song Family won't need to lay a hand on you!"
Niu You Dao said seriously:
"Since I made a promise to the Princess, I will not break it. I said that if I couldn't cure your son, I would obtain the Red Yang Fruit. And I will keep that promise. However, I also said earlier that I would resolve the Princess's anxieties. And I will keep that word too! These two matters, I intend to resolve for the Princess!"
Hai Ru Yue froze. She remembered that Niu You Dao had indeed said that earlier. He had said he would resolve the Princess's anxieties. But didn't he mean her son's illness? Yet, just now, Niu You Dao seemed to be referring to two different matters. But what was the second matter?
She looked suspiciously at Niu You Dao. Zhu Shun also didn't understand what Niu You Dao meant.
The Princess asked: "My anxiety is my son's illness. Once he is cured, everything will be resolved!"
Niu You Dao asked: "So, the Princess believes that everything depends on the Red Yang Fruit?"
Hai Ru Yue: "Is it not so?"
Niu You Dao: "Princess, are you certain the Red Yang Fruit can cure your son? What if something unexpected happens and it doesn't cure him?" He suddenly stood up and walked over to Zhu Shun. He asked him:
"It seems the Wandong Heavenly Palace has already chosen someone to govern Qingzhou? If the Princess cannot cure her son, won't they have a backup plan?"
He turned and walked towards Hai Ru Yue. As he approached her, he said:
"As I understand it, after Xiao Huang died, he left behind a weak son, Xiao Be Shang. But Xiao Be Shang couldn't command troops. And the Wandong Heavenly Palace doesn't need an unstable Qingzhou. That's why they had already prepared someone to govern Qingzhou back then. It was only because the Princess demonstrated her abilities, coupled with the Wandong Heavenly Palace's good relations with the Xiao family, that it played to the Princess's advantage. Thanks to this, the provincial governor hasn't changed for so many years."
He stood before Hai Ru Yue, observing her somber face.
"After Xiao Be Shang died, he left behind an even weaker son. The Wandong Heavenly Palace has once again begun preparing to replace the governor, and when Xiao Tian Cheng is no longer here, the Heavenly Palace will dispose of the Princess and install a new ruler."
"If the Red Yang Fruit doesn't save Xiao Tian Cheng, then without his name and the Xiao family's long-standing friendship with the Heavenly Palace, how long can the Princess maintain peace among the people of Qingzhou? Will Qingzhou truly remain in the Princess's iron grip for so long? If the Wandong Heavenly Palace decisively severs all ties, what will the Princess do? Does this not trouble the Princess?"
Having said this, Niu You Dao returned to his original seat and sat down.
Niu You Dao had learned all of this as soon as he arrived in Qingzhou. Fang Zhe had told him everything.
After these words, Hai Ru Yue fell silent, but then she sneered and said:
"You worry too much. I, the Princess, am the Emperor's daughter, and the current Emperor is my brother. The Dowager Empress is my mother. If I don't want to be in Qingzhou, I can immediately return to the capital and live surrounded by blessings."
"Then why doesn't the Princess return to the capital and abandon all these difficulties? Why refuse these blessings?"
Niu You Dao immediately added with a laugh:
"What's more, would the Wandong Heavenly Palace truly allow the Princess to leave Qingzhou with so many secrets? Even if you return to the capital, you will live surrounded by luxury. But you yourself once opposed the imperial house, and for many years. Do you think you can return and everything will be as it once was? And can the Emperor look on calmly at this?"
State affairs, the Princess knows better than most how they are resolved. And would the Emperor not want to extract all answers from the Princess? Even the Empress couldn't protect you then. The Princess is a high-ranking person; she knows the true faces of such people, knows what they are capable of. Will the Princess return to the capital? No, living through wind and rain is much better than in the capital, isn't it?
Hai Ru Yue lost her temper and asked angrily:
"What business is it of yours?"
Niu You Dao calmly said:
"I said I came to resolve the Princess's anxieties!"
Hai Ru Yue said sarcastically:
"You can't even handle Song Lun and you're asking for my help. And you think you can handle the capital of the Zhao Kingdom too?"
Niu You Dao replied with a smile:
"I don't even know where the gates of the Zhao Kingdom's capital are. It's far beyond me. However, to help the Princess remain peacefully in power in Qingzhou? No problem!"