Chapter Fifty-Eight: Through Death, Into Life

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“Young physician? Are you saying that treatment with medicines alone is no longer of any use?”

The tall man immediately asked Li Zisheng about the proposed treatment.

Li Zisheng studied him.

He found the man’s reaction rather strange. Why was he so shocked merely because Li Zisheng had said that acupuncture would have to be added to the treatment? It did not seem to make sense.

“Indeed. Given the patient’s present condition, his body is simply unable to digest medicinal remedies on their own. Acupuncture is necessary to open the blocked meridians and improve the body’s ability to absorb the medicine. Only then can the remedies be absorbed fully and the treatment achieve its purpose.”

Li Zisheng patiently explained the necessity and benefits of acupuncture, emphasizing that it would help the patient absorb the medicinal effects.

On this point, the tall man clearly agreed. After hearing Li Zisheng’s explanation, he nodded slightly, his expression showing that he accepted the young physician’s reasoning.

Yet it was evident that the man wanted more than this.

“Young physician, are you skilled in acupuncture?” the tall man pressed.

Li Zisheng was put in an awkward position. Although he knew where the needles needed to be placed and understood what medicines should be used, he himself had no experience in actually performing acupuncture.

After all, observing something was one matter; personally carrying it out was another.

“Sir, although I know where the needles should be inserted and where the medicines should be applied, I truly have no experience in administering acupuncture myself.”

For the sake of the patient’s safety, Li Zisheng naturally had no intention of acting recklessly and inserting the needles himself. He hoped instead to find a physician skilled in acupuncture and guide him from the side. That would be the proper approach and the best way to save the patient’s life.

However, Li Zisheng had overlooked one important fact: this was the Great Tang, an ancient age. A family’s method of acupuncture was considered extraordinarily precious, valued even more highly than life itself, and would never be passed on to outsiders.

If Li Zisheng were to guide someone from the side, he would effectively be revealing the entire method of treatment to that person. It would be tantamount to allowing the acupuncture technique handed down by his ancestors to be lost forever.

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For other physicians, this would naturally have been a source of great joy. Yet the person who revealed such a method would also earn the contempt of the entire medical community.

Moreover, no physician would willingly associate with someone who had disclosed a secret method of treatment.

Even when the village physicians had asked Li Zisheng repeatedly about treating childhood convulsions, he had only finally told one of them the prescription by claiming that he had once read it in an ancient medical formula. Otherwise, even if Li Zisheng had been willing to share it, they would not have dared to listen.

Thus, after hearing Li Zisheng’s words, the tall man’s expression darkened slightly. He merely frowned for a moment, however, and soon relaxed again.

“That cannot be held against you. You are still young, after all, and the fact that you know this much is already extraordinary. But you said that you would find someone to perform the acupuncture while you assisted from the side. Can you truly guarantee that?”

Although regret flickered between the tall man’s brows, his eyes still shone with anticipation.

“Zhang Ying, bring the young physician inside.”

A淡 voice came from behind the gauze curtains. It sounded somewhat weary, but more than that, it carried the frailty of old age, as though its owner were already nearing the end of his life.

Li Zisheng immediately realized that the speaker was the man suffering from pulmonary heart disease. His voice was weak and breathless. Judging by his condition, even if he were treated, he might not survive another year. Li Zisheng could not help feeling a deep sense of pity.

The tall man was named Zhang Ying. At the sound of that name, the first person Li Zisheng thought of was Governor Zhang.

In ancient times, people who shared a surname were often considered to have some kinship. Zhang Ying was also a member of the Imperial Guard, so his identity was certainly connected in some way to Governor Zhang.

Deng Qing’s inexplicable absence from the tent might well have had something to do with the old man and Zhang Ying.

In fact, Li Zisheng had noticed something unusual as soon as he entered. Deng Qing and his trusted attendants were nowhere to be seen, something he had not anticipated at all.

Following Zhang Ying, Li Zisheng entered behind the gauze curtains. From outside, the place had appeared to contain nothing more than a small bed. Only after entering with Zhang Ying did Li Zisheng discover a thick woven partition behind the curtains. The old man’s quarters lay beyond it, and the space there was surprisingly broad.

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Inside were the maidservant Li Zisheng had just seen, as well as an old man seated in a chair. His hair had turned entirely gray and white, his face was deeply wrinkled, and the skin on his arms and elsewhere had drawn tightly over his bones. He looked extremely old.

Li Zisheng also noticed a number of military texts and other books placed beside the old man. There were fewer medicines here than outside, which made Li Zisheng admire the old man’s spirit all the more.

“Sir, reading is taxing on the mind. It would be better for you to rest and preserve your strength.”

Li Zisheng felt a trace of compassion and offered the reminder.

Before the old man could respond, Zhang Ying turned and glanced at Li Zisheng. He said nothing, however, and turned his head forward again.

Li Zisheng did not say anything more.

The old man put away the book in his hands and looked at Li Zisheng, who stood before him. The suffering etched across his features had left his complexion ashen, but after hearing Li Zisheng’s words, a faint spark returned to his eyes. He was clearly pleased.

“Young physician, you are truly warm-hearted. I am merely an old ruin waiting for the grave. People are born beneath the shadow of death. In the end, death comes for everyone. Since I have not yet died, I may as well read a little more and learn a little more.”

The old man spoke the short sentence slowly, pausing several times to rest.

After he finished, Zhang Ying immediately stepped forward to help regulate his breathing.

“Sir, although your breath is weak when you speak, I can still sense vitality within it. If you care for yourself properly, it may not be impossible for you to recover some of your strength.”

Li Zisheng was not an especially optimistic man, so he chose his words carefully. Pulmonary heart disease in its final stage was extremely difficult to cure under the conditions of the Great Tang, without the medical equipment of the modern world.

Li Zisheng did not ask about Deng Qing or the old man’s identity. He had been intensely curious about the old man before; after all, even a commander of the Imperial Guard appeared willing to obey him. But once he saw the old man’s condition, all his questions vanished.

This was a pillar of the realm. Whatever his identity, he was someone worthy of a commander’s protection.

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