Desolate Devouring Art

Chapter 244 - Treating

Liu Wuxie’s words caused a hint of joy in the Emperor’s eyes.

Chen Yusheng and the other officials on the Emperor’s side were anxious. After all, there were many rumors that the Emperor didn’t pick an heir because the two princes were mentally challenged.

The Emperor had been suppressing this issue for years until it exploded.

“Liu Wuxie, you can’t change reality no matter what you say. I’m intrigued to see how the two princes can articulate the way of governing the nation,” Xue Chunyu mocked. This couldn’t be resolved with medical skills and martial arts.

Intelligence is an innate trait, not something that can be altered by external influences.

“This is why I say you two are frogs in a well,” Liu Wuxie mocked. This drove Xue Chunyu to the brink of madness, and he would have challenged Liu Wuxie if he stood any chance against him.

“Liu Wuxie, stop beating around the bush. Since you claim that the two princes are wise despite appearing foolish, prove it to us,” the Minister of War demanded evidence.

“That’s right. If you can’t present evidence, you’ll deceive the Emperor!” the Minister of Justice echoed, urging Liu Wuxie to stop wasting time and prove it.

“Since you all are anxious to die, let me fulfill all your wishes.” Liu Wuxie’s eyes flashed with disdain. He continued, “You all must be aware of my background, right? I was publicly regarded as trash half a year ago, but what about now?”

Xue Chunyu trembled upon hearing Liu Wuxie’s words. There wasn’t a single person who didn’t know about Liu Wuxie’s background. He was a piece of trash half a year ago. However in just six months, he had made swift progress in his cultivation. Could it be that the two princes were the same as him?

Xu Lingxue was curious and wanted to know what made Liu Wuxie change.

“Liu Wuxie, we’re not interested in your story. If you can’t make the two princes articulate how to govern the nation, shut your mouth!” Xue Chunyu reprimanded.

“Let’s set aside my situation for a moment and consider the case of Senior Huangfu Yi. In his youth, he was seen as nothing more than a profligate, a good-for-nothing in the eyes of all, incapable of even writing a single character. He was considered mentally impaired, yet who would have predicted that he would rise to become the first scholar of the Great Yan Dynasty in ten years? I’m sure everyone present is familiar with the tale of Senior Huangfu Yi, correct?”

A hundred years ago, Huangfu Yi was a genius in the Great Yan Dynasty, versed in astronomy and geography. It was rumored that he was often called a fool when he was younger. But who could’ve thought that he would suddenly become a martial arts and astronomy grandmaster?

Half a century ago, Huangfu Yi embarked on a global journey and disappeared, yet his tale continued to inspire subsequent generations. When children misbehaved, their parents would warn them that they might become the next Huangfu Yi, and numerous instances bore a resemblance to Huangfu Yi’s story.

A glimmer of hope appeared in the Emperor’s eyes. If the two princes could restore their intelligence, Liu Wuxie would be the greatest benefactor of the royal clan.

“Liu Wuxie, all those are things of the past, regardless of what you say. The focus now is on the two princes!” Xue Chunyu scoffed, asserting that Liu Wuxie’s words wouldn’t alter the outcome.

All eyes turned to Liu Wuxie, eager to see how he would navigate this predicament.

“Grant me an hour, and I will introduce you to a completely transformed prince,” Liu Wuxie declared. Before entering the palace, he had examined the two princes and found that several meridians in their brains were blocked, leading to their intellectual impairment.

The two princes had a vast brain capacity, and as long as the meridians were cleared, they could surpass half of the people here.

“Liu Wuxie, are you merely attempting to delay? Do you genuinely believe that will resolve the issue?” Xue Chunyu, feeling cornered, accused Liu Wuxie of procrastination.

“Do you lack confidence so much that you don’t dare to wait for an hour? Do you want to rebel to this extent? It looks like I have thought too highly of you people by calling you all frogs in a well,” Liu Wuxie’s vicious words also made Prince Yongxian furious.

If Prince Yongxian refused to wait for an hour, this would mean that they were guilty. With this breadth of mind, how could he be worthy of becoming the next monarch?

All eyes turned to Prince Yongxian, the one who had orchestrated everything. Irrespective of whether they were from the Ministry of War, Justice, or Personnel, all officials had pledged their loyalty to him.

In the end, Prince Yongxian nodded, indicating that he would give Liu Wuxie an hour.

“Liu Wuxie, do your words carry the Emperor’s authority? If the two princes fail to demonstrate their understanding of governance, does that imply the need for a new heir?” If there were no consequences, wouldn’t that simply mean allowing Liu Wuxie to squander an hour?

“What Young Master Liu says represents the royal clan!” The Emperor said he would accept everything, regardless of whether it was good or bad. After all, he no longer had a path of retreat.

“Curtains!” commanded Liu Wuxie, as a group of maids and eunuchs brought forth curtains, creating a barrier that secluded everyone in the hall.

The two princes, who had been obliviously eating, rose from their seats upon realizing there was nothing left to observe.

“Sister, why did the fight stop?” The eldest prince grabbed Chen Ruoyan by the sleeve and shook her hand.

“Wuxie, can you treat them?” The Emperor came over with a grave expression. He didn’t care about his position as the monarch, but he didn’t want to see countless people suffer because of it.

Xu Lingxue also came over curiously. After all, intelligence is something we are born with, and how could it change? However, when she recalled everything that had happened to Liu Wuxie, it seemed like his intelligence could have been altered.

“Who was present at the birth of the two princes?” Instead of answering the previous question, Liu Wuxie posed this question to the Emperor. Since they were isolated in the hall, their conversation was audible only to each other.

“The imperial physician and palace midwife!” the emperor replied without any hesitation.

“The two princes were tampered with. Their soul sea was stimulated externally when they were born, resulting in the clogging of their meridians. This is why they became mentally challenged,” Liu Wuxie revealed. His reply made the Emperor tremble with murderous intent seeping out of him.

“I understand now... I never anticipated that the planning began three thousand years ago,” the Emperor said, a bitter smile on his face. He had only recently taken the throne back then and was caught off guard by Prince Yongxian’s early machinations against his rule, which had resulted in the mental impairment of the two princes.

Chen Ruoyan and Chen Leyao only escaped the same fate because they were girls.

“Big Brother Liu, can you treat my two brothers?” Chen Ruoyan asked with hope and anticipation in her eyes. The royal clan couldn’t afford any more turmoil.

“I can!” Liu Wuxie had to make the most of his time since he only had an hour. When he reached out and tapped at the necks of the two princes, the two princes slowly closed their eyes and lay flat on the carpet.

“No mishaps are allowed in the next hour, and you must guard this place no matter what. Don’t let anyone disturb me,” Liu Wuxie said with a grave expression.

Treating the soul sea was no joke, and the slightest mistake might cost the two princes their lives and a backlash against him.

“Don’t worry. I have already arranged for two elders to guard this place. If anyone dares to attack, they will be immediately eliminated,” the Emperor clenched his fists. To ensure that nothing went wrong, he had even mobilized two elders.

Liu Wuxie approached the eldest prince and executed Ghost Eye using his silver needles. A network of meridians soon appeared before Liu Wuxie, looking like cobwebs.

If there were a slight mistake, he would fail to treat the two princes, and they might even become mentally disabled.

Lifting a silver needle, Liu Wuxie inserted it into the eldest prince’s eye, paired with his true essence. Aside from the emperor, everyone turned their heads away.

Wood attributed energy was perfect for treating wounds, and Liu Wuxie could inject it into the eldest prince’s soul sea through the needle and clear the blood clot.

This was a lengthy process because too many impurities were clogged in the two princes’ soul sea, and they were tampered with when they were young. Thus, the blood clots were tough to clean up.

Everyone gradually became anxious because an hour was neither long nor short.

Beads of sweat rolled down Liu Wuxie’s forehead because treating the soul sea was a great test on his soul energy. Then again, his golden soul sea was mighty, surpassing ordinary True Core Realm cultivators.

Xu Lingxue took a handkerchief and gently wiped the sweat off Liu Wuxie’s forehead. Because they stood close together, Liu Wuxie could smell Xu Lingxue's fragrance.

Fifteen minutes later, the second needle was inserted into the top of the eldest prince’s head. When the needle was inserted, the prince trembled and nearly collapsed as the acupoint at the top of the head was a lethal acupoint.

However, all hopes rested on Liu Wuxie, and there was no room for regret. Even if Liu Wuxie accidentally killed the two princes, the Emperor would still protect Liu Wuxie no matter what.

Liu Wuxie’s golden soul energy formed into a gust pouring into the eldest prince’s meridians, speeding up the unclogging process. More meridians were cleared, and the eldest prince’s soul sea was awakened. A surge of energy poured out from the depths of the eldest prince’s soul sea and began clearing up the blood clots in the meridians with Liu Wuxie.

“It depends on the eldest prince’s fate now!” Liu Wuxie removed the two needles. As for those fine meridians, the eldest prince would have to clear them himself.

Liu Wuxie walked over to the second prince and repeated the process. He only dared to attempt the treatment because of Ghost Eye. This was because the slightest mistake would paralyze the patient’s brain.

There were only ten minutes left to an hour. Chen Ruoyan and Chen Leyao were hugging each other because the fate of the royal clan rested on Liu Wuxie.

“It’s done. They should be waking up soon!” Liu Wuxie was so exhausted that he fell to the ground. The treatment was even more dangerous than fighting the Qi brothers.

He had consumed ninety percent of his soul energy, and he required ten days to half a month to recover it. This meant that he couldn’t fight in this period.

As the hour neared its end, with only five minutes remaining, the eldest prince opened his eyes. His eyes sparkled brightly, and his gaze was piercing.

All the knowledge the Emperor had forced them to memorize over the years was stored in their soul sea. After their meridians were unclogged, their soul energy surged like a dragon returning to the ocean, undergoing a drastic transformation.

“I pay my respects to father!” The eldest prince went down on his knees. All the memories had returned to him.

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