Chapter 8

Over the years, in order to restore his virility and to have a child, Huang Jingsheng tried every possible method, spending countless amounts of money and inviting many so-called famous doctors, shamans, monks, and female mediums to help treat his condition.

Bitter medicine, leaf water, yellow talisman water, incense ash water, and child's urine—these were no longer mentioned, as they had become a regular part of his life.

He even drank horse urine for several months. Despite all the suffering, over the years, Huang Jingsheng's erectile dysfunction showed no signs of improvement.

"Brother... Brother, is there a way..." Huang Jingsheng clenched his fists tightly, the veins on his knuckles standing out prominently. He stared anxiously at Li Zhongyi's delicate face.

Huang Jingsheng saw hope but was also afraid of falling back into despair. His heart was almost in his throat.

"My younger brother has a family-secret prescription. Combined with acupuncture, there is about a 90% chance of a cure," Li Zhongyi gave a relatively conservative assessment to avoid setting Huang Jingsheng's expectations too high, which could lead to trouble.

If Huang Jingsheng's erectile dysfunction was not organic but rather psychological, the effectiveness of the prescription and acupuncture would be significantly reduced.

"Brother, quickly write the prescription and help me with the acupuncture," Huang Jingsheng, his eyes wide open, grabbed Li Zhongyi's hand, refusing to let go.

Li Zhongyi endured the intense pain in his wrist and smiled, comforting him, "Brother, there's no need to rush. I'll write the prescription right away."

As Li Zhongyi was writing the prescription, "Thump, thump, thump..." Huang Jingsheng dashed out of the cell to find Wang Dahu, not even noticing that the cell door was left open.

Wang Dahu's running skills were truly impressive. He quickly fetched the medicine according to the prescription, boiled it, and brought the bowl to Huang Jingsheng.

Huang Jingsheng, ignoring the scalding hot medicine, closed his eyes, pinched his nose, and drank it all in one go.

Seeing Huang Jingsheng's anxious demeanor, Li Zhongyi thought to himself, "That's right!"

In Li Zhongyi's view, although Huang Jingsheng's gallstones and inflammation were life-threatening, relying on these alone to make him work hard was probably insufficient.

Fortunately, after discovering Huang Jingsheng's erectile dysfunction, Li Zhongyi felt very confident. He had finally found the key to completely turning Huang Jingsheng around.

Li Zhongyi, being a man, understood the immense torment Huang Jingsheng endured, despite having power and beauty, but being unable to perform sexually.

The potential benefits of joining the Zhao family, the life-saving treatment for his gallstones, and the restoration of his virility through the cure for erectile dysfunction—these three factors combined would ensure Huang Jingsheng's compliance.

After Huang Jingsheng drank the herbal medicine, about half an incense stick's time later, Li Zhongyi heated the silver needles over a candle for about three minutes.

After sterilizing the needles, Li Zhongyi, while talking to Huang Jingsheng to distract him, quietly inserted the needle into his Mingmen point, gently twisting it and asking, "Does it feel numb?"

"Very numb..." Huang Jingsheng's mouth twitched, and he groaned.

Li Zhongyi nodded, clearly Huang Jingsheng had been indulging in excessive sexual activity for a long time, depleting his body, leading to a decline in his Mingmen fire and kidney yang.

After a series of insertions and twists, Li Zhongyi moved to the Guanyuan point, continuing the acupuncture, "Does it feel sore?"

"Sore..." Huang Jingsheng sucked in a cold breath, his face contorted in pain, and his body shivered.

Li Zhongyi then inserted needles into the Shenshu, Taixi, Zhongji, Sanyinjiao, Jiaoyin, Lingquan, and Zusanli points.

Based on Huang Jingsheng's reactions, Li Zhongyi confirmed that his erectile dysfunction was caused by a combination of factors: psychological stress leading to impotence, long-term excessive sexual activity leading to kidney deficiency, and the resulting decline in central nervous system function, causing liver qi stagnation.

According to Li Zhongyi's experience, to treat the root cause, one must start with the liver qi stagnation, not by immediately boosting yang. If the order was reversed or confused, the treatment might have the opposite effect.

In general, in this era, traditional Chinese medicine's methods for treating neurological diseases were relatively limited, and the effectiveness was relatively poor.

Li Zhongyi waited for about a quarter of an hour, estimating that the herbal medicine had fully taken effect, and then quickly inserted needles into the Qugu, Guanyuan, and Zhibian points.

"It, it, it... is hard... actually hard... hard..." Huang Jingsheng pointed at his erect "little brother," tears streaming down his face in joy.

Li Zhongyi smiled faintly; he had expected Huang Jingsheng's "little brother" to stand up.

In the prescription, Li Zhongyi had added some extra ingredients, making the medicine more potent. Additionally, the force of the insertions and twists during the acupuncture was stronger than usual.

Based on his experience treating high-ranking officials in his previous life, if the patient did not see significant results quickly, thus developing absolute trust, even if the treatment plan was correct, the effectiveness would be greatly reduced.

"If there were electro-acupuncture, Huang Jingsheng's 'little brother' would probably stay hard," Li Zhongyi thought to himself, his smile slightly mischievous.

Gossip is a universal human trait, and Li Zhongyi was no exception.

"Brother, as long as we continue the treatment, within half a year, there will surely be..." Li Zhongyi didn't finish his sentence, but Huang Jingsheng suddenly supported himself on the bed, prostrating himself, "From now on, my life belongs to you, my lord."

Li Zhongyi nodded inwardly; this time, even if Huang Jingsheng had wings, he couldn't escape his grasp.

"Brother, don't be too anxious. Remember, haste makes waste!" Li Zhongyi reminded Huang Jingsheng not to let the hope lead to extreme emotions, which could affect his mental state and make the treatment more difficult.

After a while, Huang Jingsheng returned to his normal state from his ecstatic state.

Huang Jingsheng pondered for a long time and said hesitantly, "I am now very worried that even if I meet the old man Zhao, I might not be able to persuade him."

That was right! Li Zhongyi could see that Huang Jingsheng was genuinely trying to help him.

One's position determines one's thoughts, a universal truth!

The current situation had shifted from Li Zhongyi needing Huang Jingsheng's help to both needing each other's support.

Given their intertwined interests, as long as Huang Jingsheng wanted to escape the living hell of erectile dysfunction, he would not allow anything to happen to Li Zhongyi.

Now, they were in the same boat, and it was impossible to separate their fates.

"Brother, do you know where Brother Dahu is?" Li Zhongyi asked about Wang Dahu's whereabouts, as there was no news from Huang Qing, which was not a good sign.

"I've already sent Dahu to find Huang Si," Huang Jingsheng stroked his chin, "If he's quick, we should have news in about an hour."

Li Zhongyi nodded, "I trust Brother Dahu."

Huang Jingsheng smiled proudly, "Dahu is a trusted brother who is efficient and capable."

As noon approached, Wang Dahu returned, but the news he brought was not optimistic: Huang Si had left Chengdu, and his whereabouts were unknown.

Li Zhongyi thought for a moment. If there was news from the palace, Huang Si would have sent someone to inform Huang Jingsheng.

Clearly, the line to Huang Qing was cut off, and he could not be relied upon.

Huang Jingsheng also realized this and frowned, "Since Huang Si has left Chengdu, my uncle probably didn't leave any messages."

"My father mentioned that the old man Zhao has a peculiar personality and enjoys discussing poetry and literature," Li Zhongyi had a special idea but couldn't say it directly, so he tried to guide Huang Jingsheng.

Huang Jingsheng sighed, "I am completely ignorant of poetry, otherwise, I wouldn't be stuck here as a jailer."

"Let's think of another way," Li Zhongyi lowered his head, frowning in thought.

Huang Jingsheng sighed deeply. Now, Li Zhongyi's problem was his problem. What could he do?

Although the current emperor was benevolent, rumors often spread in the palace about ministers being wrongfully executed for minor offenses.

"If the Li family is sentenced to death..." Huang Jingsheng shuddered at the thought. His life would be ruined, worse than death.

At this moment, Huang Jingsheng suddenly remembered an incident from about three years ago, and his heart raced.

A noble's son had not only forcibly taken a woman on the street but also killed someone. Chengdu was not a small place, and due to the bad influence, the son was sentenced to death in the autumn.

However, to save their only son, the noble's family secretly paid a large sum of money and approached Huang Qing.

Under Huang Qing's threats and inducements, Huang Jingsheng, unable to withstand the immense pressure, had to secretly assist the noble's family by bringing in a poor man who looked similar to take the blame, allowing the criminal son to escape.

This matter was extremely secret, and very few people knew about it besides Huang Jingsheng, who handled it.

"Brother, I might have a way to let you meet the old man Zhao personally," Huang Jingsheng, after much deliberation and hesitation, finally, under the immense pressure and desire from his "crotch," came up with a good plan for Li Zhongyi.

Li Zhongyi's heart raced, but he controlled his excitement and asked in feigned confusion, "I... I meet the old man Zhao personally?"

"It's too late tonight, but tomorrow morning, I'll stay in the prison, and Dahu will accompany you to meet the old man Zhao," Huang Jingsheng, having spoken, no longer hid his plan.

Li Zhongyi looked at Huang Jingsheng in feigned surprise and hesitated, "How can I do that? What if... Brother, you..."

"Don't worry, as long as it doesn't exceed half a day, there won't be any problems," Huang Jingsheng was not indecisive. Once he made up his mind, he didn't hesitate, "I'll also have someone take care of Uncle."

Li Zhongyi understood Huang Jingsheng's subtle hint. Li Dahe was in the prison, and his mother, Lady Xue, was in Huang Qing's hands. These two were both Li Zhongyi's loved ones and hostages.

Moreover, Wang Dahu not only had exceptional running skills but was also tall and muscular, clearly a trained fighter.