Seeking Truth with a Sword
Chapter 60 - 56 Heartbreak_3

Chapter 60: Chapter 56 Heartbreak_3

But at this moment, they were just an anxious and uneasy couple.

"I have seen Your Majesties, the Emperor and the Empress."

The elder nodded nonchalantly, not even bothering to bow—it was the Mountain Master’s prerogative not to bow before the sovereign, especially since the Emperor himself had been his student from a young age.

"Mountain Master, please come and see. Le Ling, her heart condition has flared up again."

The Emperor sighed deeply, looking sorrowfully at the pale-faced young girl on the bed.

Li Leqing, the eldest legitimate daughter of the Emperor and Empress Xue, possessed natural, exceptional beauty and was skilled in painting and poetry. She was most cherished by the Emperor and Empress. Her only affliction was a congenital heart condition, preventing her from standing or moving about for extended periods.

The elder quietly walked forward and placed his fingers on the girl’s wrist to take her pulse. After a moment, he opened his eyes. From within his robes, he took out a sheet of yellow paper and, using his finger as a pen, inscribed a talisman on it with swift, elegant strokes. He then gently affixed the talisman to the girl’s wrist.

Only then did he stand up, step back slightly, and say in a low voice to the Emperor and Empress, "The Princess has a congenital heart defect. The condition progressively worsens as her blood circulates. It has grown more severe since I last examined her.

I have used a Turtle Breath Talisman to slow the Princess’s heartbeat and retard the progression of her heart condition. Henceforth, Your Majesty should send someone to the Academic Palace every three months to collect the Turtle Breath Talismans I prepare.

However, it remains... merely a palliative, not a cure."

The Mountain Master was the most powerful Cultivator in Yu Country, and his words were practically sacrosanct.

Empress Xue’s face was deathly pale. She swayed, barely managing to steady herself by clutching a bedpost, entirely devoid of the composure and dignity she typically displayed while presiding over the Six Palaces. "Those damned Imperial Physicians, those damned Medical Officers! All the medicines they’ve prescribed, all the treatments—not a single one is effective!"

The Empress cursed through gritted teeth, her composure lost, though she knew it was futile—a congenital heart condition was difficult to treat with medicine.

Indeed, Li Leqing had survived this long only because the Emperor and Empress spared no expense, sourcing rare medicinal herbs and treasures to forcibly sustain her life.

"Enough, say no more."

The Emperor waved his hand wearily, speaking in a low voice, "Mountain Master, is there no other solution?

Such as... an Alien..."

The elder’s eyes suddenly snapped open, his gaze meeting the Emperor’s calm and resolute stare.

"There are countless types of Aliens, unpredictable and mysterious. When two or three different kinds interact, unforeseeable and bizarre reactions can occur. The Heavenly Mechanism Tower in the Imperial Palace holds no Alien capable of curing Le Ling’s congenital heart condition. However, perhaps the Dongjun Tower of the Academic Palace, or the Wan Hua Pavilion of Haotian Temple, might offer a solution..."

The Emperor said in a low voice, while the Imperial Guards stationed outside the room stood silent as statues, desperately wishing they could block their ears.

Aliens were the common enemy of all people under Haotian’s rule. The Academic Palace and the garrison could contain and study Aliens, even utilize them as weapons. But to use an Alien for medical treatment, let alone transplant one... that was tantamount to demonic practice, an act intolerable to Haotian.

For the Emperor and Empress to discuss such matters in a private chamber—if word of this spread, it would unleash unimaginable panic across the land.

"Mom, Father, don’t..."

Li Leqing, her complexion slightly improved after the Turtle Breath Talisman was applied, managed to sit up. She grasped her parents’ hands as they were about to speak further, pleading, "Don’t..."

The elder sighed softly and lowered his gaze once more. "Your Majesty, let the Princess enroll in the Academic Palace this year. She is of age. In the tranquility of the Academic Palace, through quiet Cultivation and nourishing her Qi Sea, her heart condition might heal on its own. As for the Dongjun Tower, I will find a way."

"Then we must trouble you, Mountain Master."

Relieved, the Emperor and Empress respectfully saw the elder off.

The full moon hung high. Accompanied by a yellow-robed eunuch, the elder silently departed the Forbidden Garden, boarded his carriage, and rode out of the Imperial City.

RUMBLE RUMBLE—

The carriage wheels rumbled over the stone-paved streets of Chang’an in the night. As the imposing Imperial Palace receded, the clamor of the bustling city grew louder.

Heart condition...

The elder seemed to recall something. He lifted his head slightly, his gaze appearing to pierce the carriage roof and fix upon the vast Milky Way, as he murmured to himself, A shattered heart... can one still live...?

BLEH—

Li Ang, having drunk too much fruit wine, stood by the roadside retching sour bile while Chai Cuiqiao patted his back.

Who would’ve thought... Chang’an’s fruit wine... actually has quite a kick!

The drunken Li Ang paid no heed to the carriage receding in the distance and disappearing around a corner. He stood there, steadying himself for a moment, then let out a belch and muttered as if in a dream, A shattered heart? Just patch it up. Extracorporeal cross-circulation, get it? BURP. Of course, I get it...