Crossing the Mountains

Chapter 100: Mistaken Recognition
Ling Chuan led the two furtive men into the clinic. "Oh, you thought of climbing over the wall? Do you think we, the Zhenxi Army, are just eating dry food?" He glanced at Shen Tu Zhuo. "Tsk tsk, it seems you are too reckless. If your brother wanted to sneak in secretly, he would have subdued me first."

"Tsk tsk, you're clearly too naive. If my brother were still alive, would it be your turn to escort the marriage party?" Shen Tu Zhuo retorted, "If you had gone to rescue them the night the valley was attacked, what chances would we have had of success?"

"You... forget it, I won't argue with you." Ling Chuan had originally just been making a casual joke, but who would have thought that he would be speechless after being blocked by him. Thinking back to the tragic scene he saw when he went to collect the bodies, he couldn't help but feel sympathetic.

Ling Chuan sent them to the door of the inner room where Aisha was, and did not follow them in, saying it was too troublesome.

Just as he was about to ask what the trouble was, the apprentice who had brought the news came over with two sets of linen clothes and said, "Doctor Fufeng has instructed that if you want to visit a patient, you must change clothes first."

Shen Tu Zhuo looked at the white sackcloth and was horrified: "He's dying? And this makes us wear sackcloth and mourn?"

The apprentice hurriedly said, "Don't misunderstand. These clothes have been carefully washed and fumigated. Doctor Fufeng said that the patient's wounds are slow to heal and cannot tolerate any dirt. They must change into clean clothes, wash their hands and face, take off their shoes, cover their faces, and wrap their hair before entering."

Shen Tuzhuo now understood and said to Ling Chuan, "No wonder you said it was troublesome."

The two men dressed as the apprentices asked, entered the inner room, and passed through two screens before they saw Aisha lying on the couch.

His face was pale, and he had several sword wounds so deep that the bone was visible. His condition looked much worse than that of the Third Prince. A faint, fishy odor filled the room, the smell of rotting flesh from the wounds.

In such a situation, he is seriously injured and his life is in danger.

Tan Huaike asked with concern: "How is he?"

Fu Feng put down the tool he was using to apply medicine to the wound, shook his head and sighed, "It's not good. If it weren't for Doctor Qiu's strong medication to keep him alive, he would have collapsed long ago."

Doctor Qiu said, "He was seriously injured. These external injuries alone could have killed him. At first, he had a high fever that wouldn't go away, and then the wounds started to fester. The medicine I gave him was slow to work and almost couldn't suppress it.

"Luckily, someone sent me a bottle of medicine from outside the city for testing. I found it to be very effective in treating external injuries, so I gave it to the patient after cleaning the wound, and it helped stabilize his condition. However, he was suffering from both Qi and blood deficiency, and was too weak. He has been getting more and more drowsy these days. I wanted to go out of the city to ask the doctor who made the ointment to help us find a solution, but he couldn't leave anyone alone, and I was afraid he would die if I left, so I had to send someone to wait at the gate of the county magistrate's mansion to intercept him."

Facing this situation, Fu Feng was also a little embarrassed: "Actually, the wound has been treated almost completely. His biggest problem is excessive blood loss. Relying on ginseng and elixirs like you guys can no longer replenish it. We still have to use the fastest and most direct means."

Doctor Qiu objected, "Blood exchange is too evil. How can a doctor exchange his own life for another's?"

Fu Feng spread his hands: "Well, that's where it's stuck. I said I wanted to find someone to transfer someone else's blood to his body, but your old doctor refused to allow it."

"Blood exchange?" Shen Tu Zhuo questioned. "This method of blood exchange is unheard of. Will it really work? Doctor Qiu is right. If we use other people's lives to exchange for his own, that would be against the will of heaven. It's better not to save him."

"Mohe does have a blood-crossing technique. The great physician Generu once used it to save a palace guard," Tan Huaike explained, assuming the princess's identity. "However, it's very dangerous. Someone else tried to save their life using it, but died before the blood-crossing was complete. It's said the death was horrible and extremely painful. Therefore, some people also say that this method will anger the god Monroe and bring down divine punishment."

"That's because they used the wrong method," Fu Feng said. "My master has tested it on rabbits. Not all blood can be transferred. For example, transferring blood from one rabbit to another may work, but it won't work on the other rabbit. The rabbit being transferred will convulse and die. And you can't transfer too much blood at once, otherwise the rabbit that's donating the blood will also die."

"Look, two lives were lost due to a slight mistake! This is because this method goes against the will of heaven. In your Mohe language, it is a punishment from the gods!" said Doctor Qiu. "I will never agree to such a thing that is against heaven and morality!"

"Did the great doctor ever tell us how to tell which rabbits can be bled and which cannot?"

"Well, he himself couldn't figure it out. The guard was already dying, and he was lucky enough to survive by trying to save his life. My master himself wouldn't dare try the blood method easily," Fu Feng said. Shen Tu Zhuo: "Then you dare to use this method on your eldest prince?"

Fu Feng: "Then what should we do? Just let him die? No more marriage? No more alliance? Everyone go back to their own homes?"

Tan Huaike tried to smooth things over: "Think about it again. Is there any other way?"

Fu Feng said, "Just listen to me. The great doctor didn't figure out what kind of blood could pass through, but I tried it myself later and found some patterns."

Although he strongly objected, Doctor Qiu couldn't hide his curiosity: "What's the pattern?"

Fu Feng: "I also used rabbits for the experiment. I took a drop of blood from each rabbit to see if they could be mixed. If they could be mixed, I could use the blood from the rabbits."

"Isn't this... a blood test?" Doctor Qiu said, "So, the patient's closest relatives can donate their blood? Well, that makes sense. After all, closest relatives are usually willing."

"Ah? Do you use this method to test paternity in Daxuan? But I used two litters of rabbits, not from the same family at all. Wouldn't this be an accurate test? Besides, I've tried it myself. It doesn't always work if you use the parents' blood to bleed the baby rabbits. The blood may not mix, and even if it does, the baby rabbits may die."

"In that case, the risk is still too great." Shentu Zhuo pondered.

"You all refuse to agree? What then? Are you just going to sit here and watch him die?"

"This..." Doctor Qiu hesitated again and again, looking at Tan Huaike, "Since the princess is here, and this patient is your brother, you should make the decision."
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Tan Huaike was also very conflicted. This issue concerned Aisha's life and death, as well as the success or failure of the marriage. As a fake princess, she did not dare to act on her own.

She thought for a moment and said, "I need to think about it. If possible, I'd like to let my brother make the decision himself."

Fu Feng was helpless: "I can't do anything about this. He was in a deep sleep and I didn't see him wake up the whole day."

Doctor Qiu said, "I can give him acupuncture, maybe it can help him wake up for a while."

Tan Huaike nodded: "Thank you for your help."

After an incense stick of time, Aisha woke up.

Fu Feng was very surprised and secretly pulled the old man and said, "This is amazing. Can you teach me this unique skill?"

Because there were outsiders present, Tan Huaike still remembered his role. He knelt in front of the couch and said to Aisha in Mohe language: "Brother Wang, I am here."

She covered her head with linen, leaving only her eyebrows and eyes exposed.

But the moment Aisha saw her, his wandering gaze suddenly fixed, and then he held her hand tightly, his tone full of guilt and reluctance: "Alan, I'm sorry for you..."

　Next chapter: So you don’t want me to leave?

　　(End of this chapter)