Qin Dynasty: Who offended my frail and sickly minister?

"Zicheng...Zicheng..."

"Sir, please wake up..."

"Sir, can you hear me...?"

I can hear you, I can hear you.

Zhou Wenqing didn't remember how many times he climbed up, nor how much time had passed.

Each time he climbed up, he would run out of strength and fall heavily back to the bottom of the well.

He dared not stop, nor did he want to stop.

Until that ancient yet steady voice, carrying the force of a thunderbolt, completely shattered the chaos—

"Inject acupuncture again at Jueyinshu, Tanzhong, and Neiguan points simultaneously!"

It's Physician Lü!

Zhou Wenqing's heart trembled, as if a powerful external force suddenly grabbed his soul and forcibly pulled him out of that bottomless dry well.

The surrounding darkness suddenly shattered, and as the world spun around him, his body sank heavily back into solid ground, no longer adrift and struggling in the void.

The air was filled with the strong smell of bitter medicine, mixed with the faint aroma of burnt mugwort, and a warm feeling spread through my body, a stark contrast to the icy cold at the bottom of the well.

Immediately afterwards, Zhou Wenqing felt a bitter taste rise in his throat, which slid down into his stomach.

During the acupuncture treatment, Xia Wuqie, following his master's orders, pried open his jaw and slowly poured down the prepared medicinal soup.

Oh no, it's that familiar taste! No wonder he's Physician Lü. I'm still no match for him. It's so bitter I want to smash the bowl!

His brows furrowed slightly, and his fingertips trembled slightly.

"teacher!"

Fusu was the first to notice, his voice suddenly trembling with surprise and disbelief.

He leaned closer to the bed, and the anxiety in his eyes finally subsided a little, replaced by a glimmer of hope.

"Sir, are you awake? Please wake up!"

"Young Master, don't be impatient. Don't disturb Physician Lü's acupuncture treatment," Li Yi whispered a reminder from the side, his voice also revealing barely concealed excitement.

Despite his surprise, he managed to maintain his composure, clasping his hands together in front of him and breathing very softly, as if even the slightest pressure would disrupt the healing process before him.

"Ah, yes! I was being presumptuous!"

Fusu snapped back to his senses, nodded repeatedly, and hurriedly took several steps back, but his gaze remained fixed on the bed, even his blinks were cautious.

"Physician Lü, please continue. Thank you for your trouble!"

Physician Lü remained undisturbed, his acupuncture technique flowing smoothly, his fingertips gently adjusting the depth of the needle with perfect precision.

He led his team from Xianyang to this place, which took two days and one night. They didn't even have a proper meal in between. As soon as he got off his horse, he was surrounded by people and rushed into the inner room. He was busy for a full hour, administering acupuncture, medicine, and moxibustion. The sweat on his forehead never dried.

Even so, Physician Lü's fingers, holding the three-inch silver needle, remained as steady as a rock, demonstrating his profound skill.

"Wuqie, hold the moxa stick and warm the Baihui acupoint to guide the Qi back to its origin." He didn't even raise his head, his voice as steady as ever.

"promise."

Xia Wuqie responded immediately, quickly bringing over a lit moxa stick and skillfully applying it to Zhou Wenqing's Baihui acupoint on the top of his head.

The heat slowly seeped in, working in conjunction with the medicinal power of the silver needles to gradually dispel the cold evil and nightmare aura within his body.

The master and apprentice worked together seamlessly, one controlling the force of the needle, the other assisting with the qi through moxibustion. There were no superfluous movements, and the room was so quiet that only the faint crackling of the burning moxa sticks and the soft sound of the silver needles being twisted could be heard.

Before long, Physician Lü's gaze darkened slightly. He took out an even longer silver needle from his needle pouch, raised his hand, and quickly ran the candle flame over the needle, the high temperature making the needle tip glow slightly.

He pressed his fingertips against Zhou Wenqing's acupoints, precisely rubbing and positioning them with his fingertips. The next moment, he lightly lowered his wrist, and the needle tip steadily pierced into the muscle.

Each time the needle entered his veins and his fingertips twisted the needle, Zhou Wenqing's brows twitched violently. A sharp, needle-like pain surged through his meridians, mixed with the burning sensation of moxibustion, spreading throughout his limbs and bones. His whole body felt as if it were being meticulously crushed, a mixture of soreness and intense pain. The discomfort made his fingertips curl up tightly, and his finger bones trembled uncontrollably.

"Continue, fumigate Zusanli," Physician Lü instructed.

We have to keep going...

In his dazed state, every muscle in Zhou Wenqing's body was spasming in silent protest, as if he wanted to jump up and tell them, "That's enough, let me wake up on my own!"

His brows furrowed even more unconsciously, and a low, suppressed groan escaped his throat.

Immediately afterwards, Zhou Wenqing's eyelashes trembled slightly, and he slowly opened a crack. Feeling the blinding light of the candlelight, he subconsciously squinted.

He blinked, his vision blurry as if through a layer of fog. He blinked again, and the fog gradually dissipated, revealing Physician Lü's solemn face.

"That's enough..."

Zhou Wenqing shuddered, and with a voice as if it had been blocked by sand and gravel, the first two words that came out were surprisingly these two.

Her voice was so weak and muffled that it was almost inaudible, but the resentment in the words "enough" was clear.

Lu Yiling's hand paused slightly. She looked up at him. His wrinkled face was expressionless, but the wrinkles between his brows had clearly smoothed out a bit.

He slowly withdrew the needles, placed three fingers on Zhou Wenqing's wrist, concentrated for a moment, and then released them.

"His pulse has stabilized. Although he is still weak, with careful rest and recuperation, his life is no longer in danger."

As soon as those few words were spoken, the tense atmosphere in the hall, which had been on the verge of collapse for several days, suddenly relaxed.

Like a tightly stretched string finally released, everyone in the room exhaled a breath of pent-up air, the tension in their shoulders dissipated, and even the medicinal fragrance and mugwort smoke in the air felt lighter.

As always, Li Yi was the first to step forward.

"Sir, please have some water to soothe your throat."

His eyes were slightly red as he helped Zhou Wenqing up, carefully carried the warm water from the table, picked up a wooden spoon, scooped up a small half spoonful, and gently brought it to Zhou Wenqing's lips.

Zhou Wenqing took a few sips from his hand, and the warm liquid slid down his throat, as if the sand stuck in his throat had been washed away.

He caught his breath, slowly raised his eyes, and his gaze swept across the hall.

Everywhere you looked, there were pairs of bloodshot eyes filled with lingering fear and relief. Fu Su, Han Fei, Xia Wuqie... On everyone's face was the relief of finally being able to put an end to the anxiety that had been hanging over them for days.

Seeing the worried expressions on everyone's faces, Zhou Wenqing's lips curled into a weak yet gentle smile. Her eyes were clear, filled with a touch of apology and warmth, as she spoke softly:

"Everyone, Zicheng is alright. Thank you all for your concern and care this time."

As soon as the words were spoken, the long-suppressed joy and relief exploded in the hall.

"Great! Sir, you're finally awake!"

"Zicheng slept for a really long time, making Feihao wait quite a while."

"Zhou, congratulations! You've escaped this calamity; good fortune is sure to follow!"

Zhou Wenqing leaned against the soft pillows, and with Li Yi's gentle support, he nodded slightly, gesturing weakly, before he could say anything more.

A faint voice suddenly came from behind, carrying a hint of suppressed anger.

"Nothing wrong? I don't recall ever saying those two words..."

Ah! Physician Lü hasn't left yet.

His previously gentle expression froze completely, and a hint of helplessness and panic flashed in Zhou Wenqing's eyes.

He clearly remembered that before setting off from Xianyang, he was afraid that the elderly man might suffer a tiring journey or encounter misfortune, causing this pillar of Qin's medical skills to fall on the road. Therefore, he persuaded him three times to stay in Xianyang to take care of the king and preside over the medical affairs of the academy.

Before leaving, he patted his chest and assured Lü Yiling that he would take good care of himself on this trip, never be reckless or do anything reckless, and would definitely protect himself.

To be honest, he had been as cautious as possible on this trip, and he had brought Xia Wuqie and a group of highly skilled doctors with him.

But... who could have imagined it?

In the end, it was this old man who, carrying a medicine box, rode at breakneck speed from Xianyang, day and night, to this place, and with all his might, pulled him back from the nightmare.

I feel a little guilty.

Zhou Wenqing shrank his neck and leaned against the soft pillow, trying to make himself appear more vulnerable and to evoke the compassion of a doctor.

He lowered his eyes and softly called out, "Physician Lü..."

"Hmph." The old man wasn't buying it and let out a heavy snort, causing his white beard to tremble slightly.

Despite this, Physician Lü did not reprimand him further. Instead, he turned to Xia Wuqie, who was standing to the side, and said in a deep voice:

"The patient has just woken up and cannot be bothered by talking too much. Go and fetch the medicine that is warming on the stove, let him drink it quickly, and let him rest and sleep peacefully. No one should disturb his mind."

"promise!"

Zhou Wenqing felt a warmth in his heart upon hearing this.

It was still Physician Lü, who, though sharp-tongued, always managed to protect him.

------

There won't be an extra update today, so don't wait. The previous chapters will be moved tomorrow morning, if they pass the review.

I'll update the main text tomorrow morning, and then again in the evening, which might be quite late. Don't wait, I'm defending my thesis tomorrow afternoon.

Why can't the defense be conducted using an exam paper? I'm so nervous about speaking in front of an exam paper, sob sob~ Please pass on the first try!

Also, the comments section is a bit sad. I can't bear to see Wenqing die young; I still want him to witness Fusu's wedding. ๐·°(৹˃̵﹏˂̵৹)°·๐

Go, Physician Lü! You're so powerful that everyone feels no surprises with you around!