Ant Hell (9)
"Treatment...?"
"Well, I wouldn't call it treatment or anything that grandiose."
In response to Sun Quan's question, I began to speak with my usual kind smile.
"Though it may be presumptuous of me, your failures, Lady Sun Quan, stem from a lack of age and experience. And since those two cannot be replenished overnight, they are things the current you has no way to address. I imagine Lady Sun Ce took that into account and assigned the experienced Ju Tae and her subordinates to you. The problem, however, is that because you have taken on far too much burden over matters beyond your control, you've become unable to even do the things you are capable of."
Unlike Sun Ce, who had been able to accumulate military experience under their father Sun Jian, Sun Quan had been too young at the time for that to be possible. Even afterward (based on what I knew of the Sun family), the window for Sun Quan to gain military experience after Sun Ce's independence had been extremely brief. With the swift conquest of Yangzhou south of the Yangtze River, there simply hadn't been time to let her build up that experience. Moreover, Sun Ce—who fought with the desperation of someone who had already laid down her life—had kept her sister in the rear, thinking, 'If I die, the only one left to carry on Father's legacy is Sun Quan.' As a result, it was fair to say Sun Quan had virtually no real opportunities to gain military experience.
Therefore, it was truly difficult for her to command an army with any skill. If she had possessed the innate genius of Huo Qubing, who had mercilessly crushed the Xiongnu during Emperor Wu of Han's reign, things might have been different. But after observing her for several days, her command style, unfortunately, seemed no different from that of an ordinary person. There was no sign of any extraordinary military insight. In short, lacking both age and experience, and without any heaven-sent military talent, it was only natural that she would struggle against seasoned enemy commanders. Yet Sun Quan had compared herself to Sun Jian and Sun Ce, falling into the trap of self-reproach. This created a vicious cycle: every defeat drove her to push even harder to make up for it.
With that kind of mindset, even what little she could do was bound to fail. My words were pointing directly at this issue.
"Then what should I do to make it right?"
"Long ago, when Cao Shen succeeded Xiao He as chancellor, he openly admitted that he fell short of his predecessor. Yet he governed the state without deficiency. This was possible because Cao Shen himself acknowledged the current reality and focused on doing what the present him could do. If you, Lady Sun Quan, can accept your current shortcomings and begin by handling what you can, you will eventually reach the goals you seek. Fortunately, just as Cao Shen brought peace to the nation by following in Xiao He's footsteps, you have Ju Tae—skilled in combat and unmatched in personal valor. By observing and following her example to overcome this crisis, while you focus on what you can do now: publicly supporting Ju Tae's suggestions to solidify her position, displaying a composed demeanor to boost the soldiers' morale, and caring for them as if they were family to earn their gratitude. This way, you can inspire them to fight with all their strength, heedless of their own lives. Even if Ye Gwan's forces surround us three or four layers deep, how could you fail to achieve your aims?"
"Doing what I can..."
Sun Quan seemed to have taken something from my words. More than anything, the suggestion—based on the honest premise that her abilities were lacking—to grow gradually by doing what she could right now seemed to strike a chord with her far more than Ju Tae's unconditional protection.
She closed her eyes briefly, as if pondering something, then opened them and nodded at me.
"You're right. I can't just sit around lamenting my shortcomings. I'll do what I can and grow bit by bit. If I can be a little better today than I was yesterday, and better tomorrow than today, then at least I'll have some dignity to show those who trusted me and risked their lives."
"A wise perspective. With that in mind, I'd like to do what I can as well."
"......?"
"Returning to the topic of treatment, would it be acceptable if I offered some medicinal ingredients and prescriptions to help ease the burden on your heart, even if only slightly? If this seems impertinent, I apologize profusely, but this is the extent of what I can do to help."
"No, I'm grateful. Honestly admitting where I'm lacking and accepting help is the correct path."
She spoke with a faint smile.
"I'm glad you understand. Then this way..."
With her permission secured, I led her to a nearby dilapidated hut. It looked as though no one had inhabited it for quite some time; there were hardly any signs of human presence, only a few bowls containing suspicious-looking powders and a pile of straw that appeared to have served as bedding.
"This place...?"
"It's where an immortal acquaintance of mine once resided."
Of course, that was a complete lie—I had never met the owner. Ser had simply identified this particular house for me. If the real owner showed up, it would be incredibly awkward, but fortunately, there was no sign of them. According to Ser, the owner had been here until she lost her powers, so they must have left sometime in between. Given the recent influx of soldiers to the area, it made sense that an immortal wouldn't want to linger in such a noisy place.
I gave Sun Quan a suitably fabricated answer while gathering the bowls to prepare what I needed. Then, in a low voice, I asked Ser:
"Will this be enough?"
According to Ser, the original process required complex refinement of five different minerals, demanding significant time and effort. But the powders in the bowls I had gathered were already nearly processed, so only a little finishing work was needed.
"But how did you even know about this? Do you really know everything?"
As Ser said, I asked while mixing the powders, and he answered with a strange smile. It was called Five Stone Powder or something like that. According to Ser, it wouldn't become truly popular until much later, so there was no need to be curious about its identity right now. What mattered more was getting this medicine into Sun Quan quickly. She was standing there like a useless sack of barley, and answering her increasingly curious questions was becoming difficult.
"Here, it's complete."
There hadn't been much material left, so I could only prepare about five packets. One of them was opened immediately and handed to Sun Quan.
"I just eat this?"
"Yes. Pour it into your mouth and wash it down with this water."
I offered her water I had kept close to my chest, warm from my body heat. As she took it, I noticed her face flush slightly, but the moment passed quickly. She tipped the powder into her mouth and swallowed it with the water.
Would it really work? While I was wondering that, I could see her face growing even redder than before.
It definitely seemed to be working. According to Ser, a typical symptom upon ingestion was heightened excitement, and that was precisely what Sun Quan's current state reflected.
"It seems so. Then what comes after this?"
"Why?"
I thought to myself that Ser was the same as always, casually uttering something so extreme. She definitely didn't seem to lie, but she hid about thirty percent of the truth every time she spoke. From now on, I'd have to listen to her very carefully.... Anyway, if that was the case, time was of the essence. I supported Sun Quan, whose face was beginning to slacken, and led her out of the hut to walk.
"The moonlight is so bright."
"Mmm...? Yeah, it is. Hehe..."
When I brought her outside, she naturally leaned against me. The beginning was promising. I had brought her out but had nothing particular to say, so I ended up uttering a clichéd remark. Her reaction, however, was better than expected. When I turned to look, she was already grinning foolishly, as if she had blown all her worries beyond the horizon, unable to control her own body.
"So this is the medicine's effect..."
As I watched her closely, the symptoms were unfolding exactly as Ser had described and I had relayed: fatigue vanishing, the mind becoming refreshed. She wore a loose, relaxed expression. As a side effect, however, she also displayed a rather eerie side—staring off into space with glazed, unfocused eyes.
Her gaze was no longer anchored in reality. Of course... to forget reality, the surest way was to leave it behind entirely. Then, in the middle of it all, she must have found something pleasant within the hallucination. Giggling, she burrowed deeper into my arms.
Seeing her look so blissfully happy that it was hard to believe she was the same person who had worn a face full of despair at reality only moments ago, I scratched my head and asked Ser:
"This has an addictive effect too, doesn't it?"
Ser spoke in a meaningful tone and quickly added:
True enough. I was hardly in any position to worry about someone else. My own problems were pressing enough. Besides, if we were keeping score, the fact that I had ended up in this situation was largely Sun Quan's fault. The price might be a little steep, but I could just write it off as overdue interest. Muttering to myself, I reached out toward her, whose entire body had gone languidly limp.