The Poison That Feeds on the Cure
[After a brief silence, Akasha began her analysis in a calm voice.] From the enemy's standpoint, the ideal scenario would be to produce the result that 'the Life-and-Death Divine Doctor's treatment failed and the Princess died.' But there are several ways they could go about it, Doctor.]
Ouyang Qiangang's eyes deepened.
'Go on.'
[The first possibility is the use of something like the formless poison recorded in the Life-and-Death Realm — a toxin difficult to detect. It would almost certainly not be the instantly lethal type. It would be hard to establish a correlation with your treatment, and there's always the chance the poison itself could be discovered.]
'And the second?'
[Direct interference with the treatment itself. Sending an assassin, or physically halting the procedure.]
'I can't imagine that happening inside Myeonghwa Palace. Even those bastards wouldn't take on a risk that enormous.'
[I was merely stating the possibility, Doctor.]
'The third?'
[Political pressure. Mobilizing the court physicians and ministers to forbid the treatment outright.]
'Half a month of treatment has already improved the Princess's condition dramatically. For the imperial physicians or the ministers to obstruct me now would be political suicide. That one doesn't seem very likely either.'
[I agree. But we should still prepare for it.]
'Of course.'
[Against a physical attack, you have your martial arts, Doctor. Against political pressure, the dragon tablet His Majesty granted you will serve.]
'But the most likely scenario is still….'
[A trap laid with poison.]
'That's what I'd bet on.'
Ouyang Qiangang nodded as he spoke.
'If that scheme succeeds, I become the traitor who harmed the Princess in front of the Emperor and every one of his ministers — and the chance to treat the Crown Prince vanishes forever.'
[Worse still, it would endanger not only your life but the very existence of the Ouyang Clan. The Emperor's wrath would shake the heavens.]
'Are the preparations in place?'
Confidence tinged Akasha's voice.
[Naturally. Over the past half month, while treating the Princess, I have also been engraving a Nano Meridian Defense Formation along her major meridians and the inner walls of her blood vessels.]
'Nano Meridian Defense Formation?'
[Yes. The formation lies dormant under normal conditions, activating the instant it detects any foreign toxic substance or malicious qi not present in my database. Once activated, it temporarily hardens the blood vessels in the affected region, halting the spread of the poison.]
A smile crept across Ouyang Qiangang's lips.
'How long can it hold?'
[Even in the event of formless poisoning, it can buy a minimum of six si — roughly twelve hours — before the toxin spreads through her entire body.]
'If we have that much time, we can respond adequately.'
[Indeed. Moreover, the moment the poison activates, I can instantly analyze its composition and mechanism of action. Whatever trap our enemies have prepared, we may well be able to turn it against them.]
'Good work.'
[Doctor, however, there is one unfortunate limitation.]
'Which is?'
[My nanobot control range is limited to one hundred meters. When you are at the warehouse, I cannot monitor events inside Myeonghwa Palace in real time.]
'Hmm….'
[Which means that even if poison is administered to the Princess, we would have no way of knowing immediately.]
'Nothing to be done about it.'
[But the Nano Meridian Defense Formation is already engraved, and when you are at the Princess's side, we can respond at once.]
'That's enough. I have to go to her in person whenever it's time for treatment anyway.'
Ouyang Qiangang fell deep into thought.
'Still, we'll need to identify who planted the poison at the scene.'
[Agreed. But since I can analyze the poison's composition and mechanism the instant it activates, that alone should yield the clues we need to trace it back to whoever is behind this.]
Ouyang Qiangang burst out laughing.
'Hahaha. I like it. I'm genuinely curious who ends up falling into whose trap this time.'
[They will be quite certain that their plan is flawless.]
Ouyang Qiangang murmured as he gazed at the moon beyond the window.
'But they chose the wrong opponent.'
Ouyang Qiangang entered the palace to treat Princess Myeonghwa.
Half a month of treatment had improved her condition remarkably, and with just half a month more, he would be able to declare her fully cured.
"How are you feeling today, Your Highness?"
"So much better, my lord. Yesterday I was even able to walk through the rear garden."
A healthy flush now glowed in Princess Myeonghwa's cheeks. Ouyang Qiangang smiled with satisfaction and began the treatment.
While his nanobots regenerated the cells of her bone marrow, he circulated the Chaoyeon Museang Divine Art, infusing pure yang qi into her meridians.
It was the same procedure as always.
But something was wrong.
The instant the pure yang qi entered her body, Ouyang Qiangang felt a viciously cold and malevolent energy awakening from the deepest reaches of the Princess's meridians.
It was as if oil had been poured over ice — the moment it met his qi, it flared up in violent resistance and began to burn.
[Doctor, wait! I'm detecting a highly anomalous energy pattern in the Princess's meridians!]
'I feel it too, Akasha.'
And then it happened.
"Ughhh…."
Princess Myeonghwa suddenly groaned, her face contorting in pain.
"Your Highness!"
Ouyang Qiangang hastily halted the treatment, but it was already too late.
The color drained from the Princess's face in an instant.
"I… I feel dizzy… I can't… breathe…."
[An unknown toxic substance inside the Princess's body is combining with your qi and activating explosively! This poison is using the incoming qi as its energy source, turning it back against her and destroying her meridians!]
At Akasha's warning, Ouyang Qiangang's gaze sharpened in a flash.
He did not panic.
He had already anticipated that something like this might happen, and he and Akasha had prepared for it down to the last detail.
"Your Highness, stay calm. You'll be all right very soon."
But Princess Myeonghwa's condition was deteriorating by the minute.
Not only did every symptom that had faded into retreat come roaring back — each one now burned fiercer than before.
Just then, frantic shouts rang out from outside.
"Your Highness! What is happening in there!"
"Physician! What was that sound—!"
Along with the sound of hands trying to force the door open, the hurried footsteps of eunuchs and palace maids were rushing closer.
Ouyang Qiangang found himself in the worst possible position: on one hand he had to save the Princess as she worsened, and on the other he had to calm the panicked crowd outside.
'Akasha, you said we could buy half a day?'
[Yes. The Nano Meridian Defense Formation is active and slowing the poison's spread.]
Ouyang Qiangang swiftly traced the Princess's blood vessels and began emergency measures.
"No one enters this room!"
His commanding voice rolled out beyond the door.
"A critical treatment is in progress. No one is to interfere!"
But the commotion outside only grew louder.
"The Princess is in agony!"
"Open the door at once!"
[Doctor, the situation is getting complicated. I need time to analyze the poison, and if they keep interfering from out there—]
'I know. Stabilize the Princess first.'
Ouyang Qiangang abandoned the Chaoyeon Museang Divine Art and tried a completely different approach.
If the poison reacted to yang energy, then he would neutralize it with yin.
It would do nothing for the leukemia — but in this moment, there was no other choice.
At the very least, it wouldn't kill her.
The moment he carefully infused the pure yin qi of the Chaoyeon Museang Divine Art into the Princess's meridians, the violently convulsing toxic substance began, little by little, to settle.
"Whew…."
Princess Myeonghwa's ragged breathing slowly evened out.
'Thank heavens. The method works.'
[Doctor, the poison analysis is complete. It's cunning.]
'Why?'
[Under ordinary circumstances, this poison lies completely dormant. It activates only when it encounters strong yang energy or vital life force.]
'Hmm….'
[It absorbs pure yang qi and converts it into the poison's own power. In other words, the harder you strive to heal the Princess, the more rapidly her condition deteriorates. It was designed so precisely for this purpose that it might as well have been crafted specifically to target your treatment.]
Ouyang Qiangang's face turned to cold steel.
'Those vicious bastards….'
The uproar outside continued unabated.
"We must inform the Grand Director at once!"
"Send word to the Imperial Physician's Office too!"
Ouyang Qiangang was now truly locked in a race against time.
Not only did he have to save the Princess — he had to resolve this situation swiftly, or risk being branded the traitor who had harmed her.
'Akasha, can you detoxify her?'
[It's possible, but it will take time. And….]
'And?'
[To treat her faster, we will need an antidote. For that, we must determine who administered this poison to the Princess, and when, and how.]
Ouyang Qiangang's eyes turned grim.
One hour later, the Emperor's study.
Before Ouyang Qiangang stood a line of imperial physicians from the Office of Medicine and high ministers of the court.
Every gaze fixed on him was openly hostile.
The imperial physician Hong Sa-jin stepped forward, his voice taut with agitation.
"Your Majesty, from my examination of Her Highness's pulse, her condition is now far worse than before the treatment began. This is without question the result of a flawed course of medicine!"
Left Chancellor Jo Mun-gyeong also stepped forward a pace.
Anger was written across his face, yet for an instant something else — something distinctly different — flickered in his eyes as they fixed on Ouyang Qiangang.
"Your Majesty, the identity of this so-called Life-and-Death Divine Doctor is suspect enough, but judging by what has transpired, one cannot help but wonder whether he intended to harm Her Highness from the very start!"
Emperor Changsung let out a heavy breath.
In the depths of his eyes, complicated emotions crossed and tangled with one another. The fear of a father who might lose his beloved daughter, the doubt of a sovereign who might have misjudged, and beneath it all a desperate longing to place one final hope in this young physician — all of it was knotted together in his gaze.
"Hahu Gang. Explain to me what has happened."
Ouyang Qiangang met the Emperor's eyes squarely, his voice ringing with conviction.
"Your Majesty, grant me two si — four hours. I will uncover the truth."
"Two si?"
Emperor Changsung furrowed his brow.
"Yes. Within that time, I will save Her Highness and lay bare the truth of this entire conspiracy."
Hong Sa-jin reacted violently.
"Conspiracy? Absurd! Her Highness's very life hangs in the balance!"
"Which is precisely why I asked for time."
As he spoke, Ouyang Qiangang's gaze hardened like tempered steel.
"If we truly wish to save Her Highness, we must find the real cause. Punishing me can come afterward — it will not be too late."
Deep furrows carved themselves across Emperor Changsung's brow.
For a long moment he studied Ouyang Qiangang in silence.
"Two si… and if you fail to save her within that time?"
Ouyang Qiangang answered without hesitation.
"I will answer for it with my life."
"Your life's worth can never equal my daughter's."
"Just as Your Majesty says — my life alone could never stand in place of Her Highness's."
Ouyang Qiangang lifted his head, looked the Emperor full in the eyes, and pressed on.
"But Your Majesty, even at this very moment, the true culprit hides safely somewhere, believing the plan has succeeded. If this incident ends with my punishment, they will never be exposed — and they will be free to strike at the imperial house again, whenever it suits them."
The Emperor's eyes wavered.
There was undeniable force in Ouyang Qiangang's words.
"Two si… you truly believe you can resolve all of it within that time?"
"I do, Your Majesty. It will be enough."
There was not the slightest tremor in Ouyang Qiangang's voice.