“That Yun Ye has gone to Duke Yiguo’s residence. I hear he’s going to perform his blood extraction to extend life technique again.” His Majesty Li Er idly toyed with a piece of emerald jade, speaking to the Empress who was combing his hair.

“Is Your Majesty thinking of observing?”

“The world is full of countless strange tricks and deceptive arts, often using mysterious fraudulent methods to conceal unspeakable purposes. Blood extraction to extend life? Hmph…”

“This is different. In the Longyou army, Marquis Lantian performed miraculous techniques and saved lives—this is an ironclad fact. I hear his current bodyguard was saved by him, and his martial abilities are no different from a normal person. Cheng Qian told me it’s absolutely true—more than just one or two people in the army witnessed it with their own eyes.” The Empress spoke unhurriedly.

“In that case, I shall go take a look. In any case, I haven’t seen Uncle Bao for many days—I’ll visit him as well.”

Can’t understand it! Old Yuchi the fool just loved capturing enemy generals. Like grabbing a chicken, he caught Yun Ye and tucked him under his armpit, striding with great steps to the rear hall. The strong scent secreted by his underarm glands drilled straight into Yun Ye’s brain. Good heavens! If you have body odor, please don’t randomly tuck people under your armpit! He strongly suspected that the enemy generals captured alive by him weren’t crushed to death but rather fumigated to death. Upon arriving at the destination, he dumped the person on the ground. His feet had gone numb from being carried.

Four dukes sat on the bed platform, gathered around a small table drinking wine. Qin Qiong wore a full fur coat even indoors, with three braziers lit on the floor. The whole room reeked of smoke and fire. Never mind someone with his sickly constitution—even a healthy person couldn’t stand it. His weak constitution made him fear the cold, which created a vicious cycle: the colder he felt, the more braziers he added for warmth; the more braziers he added, the more carbon monoxide filled the room. His blood quality was already poor at transporting oxygen, and now he was inhaling even more coal gas. Wonderful, just wonderful—drinking his little wine, eating his meat—surviving until the tenth year of Zhenguan would be a miracle.

With a stern face, Yun Ye finished paying respects to the several elders, then turned around and ordered Qin Huaiyu to remove all the braziers from the room and open the doors and windows for ventilation. Seeing Qin Huaiyu’s troubled expression, he pushed him aside, opened the doors and windows, threw the three braziers outside, then threw out the wine flasks and meat dishes belonging to the old brothers as well. Young Qin watched dumbstruck, at a loss. Those old brothers, worthy of having fought their way through mountains of blades and seas of fire, faced this sudden change without changing expression or missing a heartbeat, smiling as they watched Yun Ye’s actions, neither speaking nor obstructing.

“Huaiyu, please ask your mother to come out. This younger brother has some medical instructions that need to be conveyed.” Ignoring these old scoundrels—damn it, they were purely bad friends. Could it be they were afraid Old Qin wasn’t dying fast enough? Outside, servants and maids were in chaos, busy cleaning up the overturned braziers and shattered wine flasks and dishes, unable to understand why there was such an audacious fellow who dared to cause such a scene in front of five dukes. Even the Emperor probably wouldn’t dare do this to these lords.

Old Cheng winked at Li Ji: “How about that? The lad Old Cheng has his eye on has quite a temper, doesn’t he?”

“He’s got temper all right. In a moment, if he can’t explain himself properly, watch how this old man deals with him. Daring to disrupt our brothers’ gathering—he’s tired of living.”

Li Jing smiled without speaking. Old Yuchi the fool looked gleefully anticipating trouble. Old Qin seemed lost in thought.

Before long, Madam Qin hurried over. Seeing the mess all over the floor, she didn’t know what had happened. Yun Ye stepped forward to pay his respects.

“Aunt Qin, this nephew came to examine Uncle’s illness, but unexpectedly witnessed the scene I least wanted to see. Several things most harmful to Uncle’s health were all present just now. Uncle’s body cannot tolerate smoke and fire, yet there were three braziers in this room. Wine and meat will increase the body’s burden. Uncle’s body is weak and can no longer endure these things. Please remember this, Aunt.”

Madam Qin had long heard of Yun Ye’s medical skills. Hearing this, she quickly nodded. Then looking at Qin Qiong’s several troublemaking friends, her gaze held some resentment.

Old Qin touched his nose: “This old man’s body has only a slight ailment. Lad, aren’t you exaggerating?”

“A few days ago, this nephew discovered that Uncle should be suffering from aplastic anemia. Weak constitution, dizziness and head swelling, the slightest headache or fever leaves you bedridden and not easily recovered. In spring when all things flourish, your spirits improve considerably. In the scorching summer you’re drowsy all day. In autumn it lessens again. Winter is the most difficult time to endure—food has no taste, sleep brings no rest, your chest feels like it’s pressed by a stone, even breathing is laborious. Yet you burn braziers, drink strong liquor, and eat meat in large mouthfuls—isn’t this treating life as child’s play?” With each sentence Yun Ye spoke, Madam Qin nodded once. By the end, her face had turned pale with fright. What Yun Ye said was exactly right.

“My lord.” She had only called out once before tears fell. This left Old Qin at a loss, and the several troublemaking friends also looked somewhat embarrassed.

“We called you here to treat my old brother. Tell me, does that whatever-anemia have a treatment or not?” Old Cheng changed the subject and asked Yun Ye.

“Let this nephew examine him carefully first before saying.”

He asked Old Qin to lie on the platform. Taking out his phone to check the time, he felt the pulse—very rapid, possibly just after drinking wine. The pulse was one hundred twenty beats per minute, clearly insufficient blood supply to the heart. The spleen also bore a heavy burden. This basic knowledge didn’t stump him.

Using the stethoscope to listen to Old Qin’s heart and lungs—unfortunately there was no blood pressure monitor, or else it would reveal his blood pressure was very low and his heart and lungs were weak.

This was troublesome. It really was anemia. He instructed Qin Huaiyu to elevate Old Qin’s feet and lightly pricked the sole with a silver needle. The blood was dark—insufficient oxygen supply.

“Uncle drank wine today, causing pulse irregularities, but this nephew can already determine that Uncle has severe anemia. This is related to too many injuries in earlier years. The body’s blood production function has weakened, leading to deficiency in both qi and blood. You need long-term rest and recuperation. Today’s behaviors must never be repeated, otherwise even if this nephew were an immortal, he would be helpless.”

He solemnly warned Old Qin that his body couldn’t allow him to act recklessly. The bandit habits formed in earlier years of drinking wine by the bowl and eating meat by the mouthful must be resolutely eliminated.

Old Cheng was delighted and grabbed Yun Ye’s hand, saying: “So you’re saying my old brother’s illness can be treated?”

“Uncle Cheng, how can the deficiencies from earlier years be so easily replenished? This nephew can only use dietary supplements and medicinal supplements to first regulate Uncle’s body, then discuss treatment. Here are two dietary supplement prescriptions. Huaiyu, write them down. First: Red Date and Lotus Seed Soup—take ten red dates, soak in hot water, take two liang of lotus seeds and remove the cores, red lotus is best. Simmer over low heat, add a little rock sugar, cook three bowls of water down to one bowl. Drink the soup, eat the red dates and lotus seeds, once every evening. Second: Immortal Porridge—take one liang of prepared Polygonum multiflorum, boil to concentrated soup, strain out the residue and cook together with one liang of non-glutinous rice and five red dates. When the rice is soft and dates are cooked, it’s ready. Can be eaten for breakfast daily. I’ll wait until I find suitable ginseng to prepare pills.”

“Lad, from what you’re saying, isn’t it just that my old brother’s body lacks blood?” Old Cheng asked.

“Indeed so.”

“Why not just draw blood and give it to my old brother directly? Why so troublesome? Zhuang Santing had barbarian blood drawn into him and isn’t he living just fine?”

There was no way to explain to Old Cheng. Zhuang Santing had blood transfused out of desperation. Old Qin had his own problems—his body couldn’t produce enough blood on its own. Blood transfusion wouldn’t solve the problem.

“Lad, don’t worry about not having blood to draw for Second Brother. There are plenty of death row prisoners in jail—getting a few out isn’t a problem!” Yun Ye always felt that the eager Old Yuchi the fool didn’t want to treat Qin Qiong, but rather wanted to see how to draw human blood.

“Uncles, blood transfusion is indeed the fastest and most effective method. But right now Uncle Qin is different from Zhuang Santing. Uncle Qin’s own blood production function has declined. After one transfusion, there will be a second, a third—this is the last resort. Unless absolutely necessary, it cannot be used lightly.”

“Just tell this old man, after one blood transfusion, how many days of relief can I get?” Old Qin was truly fed up with his illness. He didn’t want to be sickly for even one more day. And indeed—a general invincible on the battlefield, if you make him unable to stand steady, unable to walk fast, unable to drink wine, unable to eat meat, unable to touch weapons, trembling through his remaining years like an octogenarian—it would be better to kill him outright.

“Half a year, perhaps even less.”