CHAPTER 196: CHAPTER 165 LIGHT

In the hierarchical system of nobility in Yu Country, Imperial Brothers and Imperial Princes were all enfeoffed with a fiefdom as Princes;

The son of the Crown Prince was a Commandery Prince;

The son of a Prince, if the heir, was termed Heir Prince. Other sons were Commandery Dukes, while those granted special favors were enfeoffed as Commandery Princes;

Those who inherited the title of Commandery Prince or Heir Prince were enfeoffed as Dukes of the State.

Prince Changxiang, Li Chenghe, was the second son of the previous Emperor’s third younger brother and originally held the title of Commandery Duke. Because he had once indirectly saved Emperor Yu, Li Shun, during his youth, he was promoted by one rank and enfeoffed as a Commandery Prince.

This Prince Changxiang, Li Chenghe, generally resided in Xingning Square and had no previous connection with Li Ang.

If they had indeed met, it would have been during the Lantern Festival. On that occasion, representatives of the Imperial Family and newly elevated nobles jointly visited Emperor Yu at the Great Ming Palace.

The reason for Li Chenghe’s abrupt visit was simple: to seek medical treatment.

"Li Leqing has grown up too," said Li Chenghe, clad in a purple robe, frail and sallow-faced. Supported by guards, he barely managed to sit on a chair and showed Li Ang a feeble, ingratiating smile. "Please forgive this old man for the sudden visit, young master Li."

"It’s no trouble."

Li Ang was unaccustomed to conversing with royal nobles, so he spoke bluntly, "Shall we first take a look at your condition?"

Li Ang was already recognized throughout Yu Country as the famed Little Medicine King God. If not for his status as a disciple of the Academic Palace and the Emperor’s edict that ’common folk must not disturb without cause,’ people would likely be lining up daily from the West Market to the East Market, seeking medical consultation.

Due to the still immature foundations of surgical practices, Li Ang indeed couldn’t perform any major surgical operations. So, every so often, he would secretly visit the Chang’an Clinic to see what he could do.

"Thank you, young master Li."

Prince Changxiang, Li Chenghe, nodded and accepted Li Ang’s examination.

His condition was indeed not optimistic. It could even be said to be critically dire.

Jaundice, ascites, emaciation...

After a thorough examination, Li Ang’s expression gradually grew grave as he pinpointed the illness to the liver.

Using percussion, palpation, and auscultation, he listened for clear and turbid sounds to determine the upper and lower boundaries of the liver and measure its dimensions. Then, pointing below Li Chenghe’s right ribs, he asked, "Does it hurt here usually?"

"It does. Sometimes it hurts, sometimes it doesn’t. It’s a recent development. When it hurts, my entire right shoulder and back are agonizing."

Li Chenghe noticed the expression on Li Ang’s face and squeezed out a smile with difficulty. "Young master Li, this illness..."

"First, lie down on the table."

Li Ang had the guards bring a long table. He helped Li Chenghe lie down on it, his legs slightly bent, and instructed him to take deep breaths while he himself palpated the lower edge of Li Chenghe’s right ribs.

A tumor.

The touch transmitted a clear sensation of a hard mass.

Li Ang’s expression shifted slightly as various data flashed through his mind. Mild liver enlargement is seen in viral hepatitis or toxic hepatitis. Moderate enlargement can indicate congestive hepatomegaly, extrahepatic biliary obstruction, bacterial liver abscess, or Blood-sucking Worm disease, among others. Severe enlargement is found in cases of primary or metastatic liver cancer, polycystic liver, etc. Considering the hard texture of the liver, the uneven nodules on its surface, the tenderness to touch and percussion, the conducted pulsation in the liver area, along with jaundice, spider nevi, liver palms, ascites, and rapid significant weight loss...

Li Ang stepped back half a step and shook his head gravely. "I’m sorry."

Liver cirrhosis, liver cancer. Liver cirrhosis is caused by disorganized tissue structure leading to liver dysfunction. Even in the Otherworld, with its highly advanced medicine, there’s no cure for it. The only hope is early detection and halting the disease’s progression. But this had already advanced to late-stage liver cancer, the tumor too large to be excised...

"Is that so..." Prince Changxiang, Li Chenghe, slowly lowered his eyelids, his voice barely audible as if coming from another world. "Dr. Li, what caused this disease? How much time do I have left?"

"The most likely cause is excessive drinking," Li Ang said. "It could also be from consuming unclean water or exposure to toxins, among other things. As for how long... it could be three months, or perhaps half a year."

"I see." A pallid smile appeared on Li Chenghe’s face as he slowly got up from the long table. "I understand. Thank you, young master Li. Three months is still quite some time. I can still arrange some matters."

Supported by his guards, he stepped down to the ground, bowed to Li Ang, then tidied his clothes and slowly exited.

Li Leqing walked him to his carriage. Watching the carriage drift further away, her expression complex, she softly said, "Father once mentioned that Uncle Chenghe was the most robust and apt for body refinement and martial practice among their generation of Li Family members. It’s just that his father made some mistakes in his youth, barring him from pursuing the path of cultivation."

Li Chenghe’s father was the previous Emperor’s third younger brother. After participating in the coup to overthrow the Holy Empress, some inappropriate ambitions arose, eventually affecting his descendants and depriving them of the opportunity to cultivate.

Li Ang remained silent. If this were the Otherworld, he would surely encourage the patient to be proactive and optimistic, to use every method to delay the illness and improve their quality of life. But here, there were no immune ribonucleic acids or interferons, no interleukin-2 or thymopeptides, and no radiation or chemical treatments. Saying such things would just be self-deception. It was better to be honest and allow the man to fulfill his wish of taking care of his family in the final stage of his life.

Li Ang waved his hand somewhat listlessly and returned home.

Li Leqing tidied up a bit and then hurried back to the Great Ming Palace to pass on the news to her parents.

The lively atmosphere of recent days dissipated, leaving only Chai Chai and Li Ang at dinner.

After eating, Chai Chai went off to study, while Li Ang sat by the bed in his room, lost in thought.

Prince Changxiang, Li Chenghe, would die from liver cirrhosis and liver cancer caused by excessive drinking. His age already far surpassed the average lifespan in Yu Country. More people in Yu Country died from various accidents and diseases before even reaching his age. Li Ang estimated that even if he graduated from the Academic Palace and became a Doctor, and even if he strategically mobilized manpower to advance Yu Country’s medicine, he could never bring its medical practice to the level of the Otherworld in his lifetime. Let alone the modern medical standards of the Otherworld; even reaching the standards of more recent modern times seemed unattainable.

"It’s too difficult," Li Ang murmured, gazing at the faint, flickering flame of the oil lamp, his voice bitter. Polio, filariasis, Blood-sucking Worm disease, Kaschin-Beck disease, leprosy...

As an Academic Palace Disciple, he enjoyed resources gathered from all over Yu Country. He lived in a mansion in Golden City Square, associating with Imperial Princesses, noble descendants, the offspring of wealthy merchants, or rising stars in the Ministry of War. In cold weather, he could write talismans for heating; when it was hot, he could use Cooling Wind Charms. Maids and servants handled household chores. If he occasionally wanted to cook or wash dishes himself, he could use telekinesis, without breaking a sweat. Unknowingly, he had already become a cultivator, literally "untouched by the dust of the world." But what about the others in the world? Perhaps only ten percent of Yu Country’s four hundred million common people lived in affluence. The rest either toiled relentlessly for their daily sustenance, lacking the time or means to change their situation, or they lived near the poverty line, struggling to survive, oppressed by bankruptcy, hunger, cold, illness, and corrupt officials. He remembered the little flower-selling girl he had seen during the day, who had rotten eggs thrown at her. How many others were enduring such hardship in unseen corners, hidden in the shadows beyond his sight?

SQUEAK—

The wooden door to the bedroom was gently pushed open. Chai Chai entered silently, stood beside Li Ang, and cradled his head in her arms, her palm gently caressing his hair.

The master and servant nestled against each other, as if they had returned to their days in Yizhou.

Time ticked by, and the Haotian Bell rang outside the window, signaling the arrival of night.

"Young Master," said Chai Chai, her voice coming from above his head. "Evil people don’t feel remorse; only good people do. You’ve already done well enough."

"...Hmm." Li Ang, smelling Chai Chai’s familiar scent, slowly exhaled in relief. He stood up and smiled at the young maid. "I’m alright now, thank you."

Chai Chai chuckled shyly. "How about we eat a bit more dinner? I feel like I didn’t eat enough just now."

"That’s fine. Oh, and take this."

Li Ang picked up a specially made paper and pen from the table, wrote a Flame Talisman, and handed it to Chai Chai.

Perhaps it was because Mo Si had evolved to the Fourth Stage. His control over spiritual energy had improved significantly. The Flame Talismans he wrote now were stronger; a single one could make the stove fire blaze to heat dinner.

"Mm."

Chai Chai took the Flame Talisman to the kitchen to heat dinner. Li Ang sat by the bed. After pondering for a moment, he took out the pitch-black Bitter Realm Lotus.

This lotus-shaped Mutated Object could detect future fortunes and misfortunes and, in theory, could also identify potentially fatal diseases. He wondered if there were similar, more broadly effective Mutated Objects in the Dongjun Tower of the Academic Palace that could aid him in advancing Yu Country’s medical practices...

As Li Ang pondered, the Bitter Realm Lotus he held in his hand suddenly closed its petals, like a sunflower turning toward the east.