Chapter 51

Last time, we talked about how Sun Simiao was coaxing Li Lizhi, examining the little girl's body. Despite being a Taoist priest without children of his own, Sun Simiao was quite adept at dealing with children. Li Lizhi quickly trusted this white-bearded old man, extending her little hand for Sun Simiao to take her pulse. Her big eyes still revealed a hint of fear, worried that this old man might hit her hand.

Seeing Li Lizhi's timid appearance, Li Kuan suddenly felt a deep resentment towards the descendant of Confucius: How could he bear to hit such a cute girl? Could it be that he had been so foolish from reading too many books? Li Kuan couldn't help but want to give him a lesson.

"Hmm, the pulse is weak and lacks strength. The young princess is frail, and her complexion is pale with little blood color. Her breathing is rapid. It seems the young princess has the same illness as Empress Wang, a respiratory disease. This is not easy to treat. We can only gradually nourish her. The young princess is small and weak, so we cannot use strong medicine. We can only proceed slowly. I will prescribe a formula that can temporarily control the condition and prevent it from worsening. As for a cure, we need to do more research!" Sun Simiao stroked his beard, his face somewhat troubled. He liked this little girl very much, for her innocence and purity, unlike another child. Although they were about the same age, Sun Simiao always felt that Li Kuan, standing beside Empress Wang, had a maturity far beyond his years, as if an adult's soul was in a child's body. Those seemingly innocent eyes would occasionally flash with a deep light.

Although he was a bit wary of Li Kuan, now that Li Kuan was his patient, Sun Simiao treated everyone who needed his help equally: "Come, Second Young Master, let me take your pulse!" He released Li Lizhi and said to Li Kuan.

"Thank you, Grandpa Sun!" Li Kuan bowed deeply.

"Second Young Master, there's no need for such formalities. As a doctor, it's my duty to treat patients. Your father has already paid me, so I feel unworthy of your bow!" Sun Simiao stepped aside and said to Li Kuan.

"The payment from Father is his gesture, and this bow is my own. They cannot be lumped together!" Li Kuan replied.

"Ha ha... You're still so polite with me!" Sun Simiao laughed heartily. Although he initially thought Li Kuan was deeply calculating, he now saw him as a well-mannered child. What's the harm in being a bit more calculating, as long as it doesn't harm others? It can help protect oneself. So he put aside his prejudice and carefully examined Li Kuan.

Over the past two months, Li Kuan had been practicing the Heart-Mind Fist every day, and he had been eating three meals a day, along with the tonics he had exchanged. Now, Li Kuan's complexion was much better than before, thanks to the good genes he inherited from Li Er and Yin Shaohua. Even though he was still young, he already had a certain charm.

"Although your complexion is pale, there is a hint of redness. Your breath is long and steady. Has Second Young Master been practicing some kind of health-preserving technique?" Sun Simiao asked casually.

"Grandpa Sun, you are truly a divine doctor. I have indeed been practicing a kind of fist technique." Li Kuan knew he couldn't hide it and didn't want to.

"Second Brother practices every morning, sometimes even as if he's about to fly! Second Brother will definitely fly into the sky one day!" The little girl stood beside them, tugging at Sun Simiao's sleeve and interjected.

"Is that so? It seems Second Young Master has already reached a high level in this fist technique. But I wonder which school it comes from? Let me take your pulse!" Sun Simiao extended his hand and held Li Kuan's wrist. At his level of medical skill, he could grasp a person's pulse just by holding their hand.

"Strange! Truly strange!" Sun Simiao frowned, clearly puzzled. "Second Young Master's pulse seems strong, but it is actually weak inside, probably due to a congenital deficiency. However, there is a strange force driving the blood flow, making Second Young Master appear almost normal. It seems the fist technique Second Young Master practices is extraordinary, and its health-preserving effects may even surpass the techniques I practice! Can this health-preserving fist technique be passed on to others?" Sun Simiao was intrigued. But as soon as he asked, he realized his request was a bit presumptuous: "Such a technique cannot be easily passed on; it must be a closely guarded secret of some hidden school! I was too presumptuous!"

Li Er had never heard that Li Kuan practiced any fist technique, let alone a health-preserving one. Although both Buddhism and Taoism have health-preserving techniques, like the ones Sun Simiao practices, these techniques are never taught to outsiders, even to royal families. So the royal family and nobles could only look on enviously as these schools occasionally produced elderly monks and Taoists who lived to a ripe old age. Now, with this opportunity, Li Er was also very excited.

"Regarding this, I need to consult my teacher. I don't have the authority to decide!" Li Kuan refused. The Heart-Mind Six Harmonies Fist was something he brought from the future, the foundation of his survival in the Tang Dynasty. He needed it to treat his body and possibly to fight in the future, so he tried to control its spread, only teaching it to those he truly trusted.

"Indeed, these hidden schools guard their knowledge closely and never easily pass it on to others. It's probably..." Sun Simiao, knowing some of the inner workings of Taoism, was not very optimistic.

"Regardless, we must try. If it doesn't work, I will personally talk to your teacher. Whatever the cost, I will pay it!" Li Er said firmly.

"Then, I will contact my teacher when I return to the mansion!" Li Kuan had no choice but to agree.

"Ha ha... I will wait for the news from Second Young Master. Princess Pingyang still needs me, so I won't go to the mansion. As long as her condition doesn't worsen tonight, it will be fine! Also, about that alcohol, Second Young Master should help me inquire about it. This is a great thing for the world, and we should not keep it to ourselves. Remember, human life is more valuable than a thousand pieces of gold. I hope your teacher will consider the welfare of all people and not refuse this request!" Sun Simiao bowed deeply to Li Kuan, scaring him into jumping aside.

"Grandpa Sun, how can I accept such a bow! This is really too much for me. My teacher's school has few rules, but respecting teachers and following the way of filial piety and propriety is the first rule. If my teacher knew that such a respected elder bowed to me, I would be in big trouble." Li Kuan genuinely couldn't bear the bow from this selfless elder who cared for the world. He was just a speculator trying to make a profit, so he made up an excuse to avoid it.

"This is a bow for the benefit of all people, not for Second Young Master! You can accept it, you can accept it!" Sun Simiao laughed, and seeing Li Kuan's reaction, he knew the miraculous alcohol would be a success. Many people would avoid infections and disabilities because of it, a great deed indeed.

Since the examination was over, Li Kuan wanted to leave, but Li Er and Empress Wang didn't want to go, so he couldn't leave either. He could only take his sister to play on the side, letting the three adults talk.

"Second Brother, do you think Aunt Bian will have a brother or a sister?" The little girl asked, blinking her eyes.

"How would I know! We'll have to wait until Aunt Bian gives birth to find out." Li Kuan replied. Aunt Bian was one of Li Er's concubines, and it was unknown which one. She was found to be pregnant in early spring, shortly before Li Er went to war. The timing confirmed that the child was Li Er's, and it was now almost nine months, almost time to be born.

"Oh!" The little girl was a bit disappointed. In her mind, Second Brother was all-powerful, even more so than Father. How could he not know whether Aunt Bian would have a brother or a sister?

"Then, Lizhi, do you want a brother or a sister?" Li Kuan asked. It was a strange thing, but children often predicted the gender of a baby more accurately than adults. Li Kuan remembered when he was a child, a neighbor's young wife was about to give birth, and the whole family hoped for a son. Only a three-year-old girl said she wanted a sister, and it turned out to be a girl. The little girl who spoke was even beaten for it.

"Lizhi wants a sister, a very obedient sister. Lizhi can play with her and teach her embroidery and music, as Empress Wang taught me." The little girl counted on her fingers what she would teach her sister. These were things she was learning, and her older sisters had already learned, but not directly from Empress Wang.

PS: Thank you, Ye Hongxue, for the tip again!

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