Chapter 60 — Why Aren't You Dead Yet?
The Blossom Guardian · Page 2 of 2
"Don't be so sentimental." Though Wei Zhao's words were light, his heart was growing heavier by the moment. Yang Huaijun's pulse was wretched. He could feel it plainly - though the outer wounds had healed, the internal injuries were severe. Multiple organs had not fully recovered, and there were even signs of continuing decline.
"Well? My body's still in decent shape, right?" Yang Huaijun noticed that Wei Zhao was genuinely taking his pulse and asked curiously.
"You've been using nothing but painkillers to manage your problems?" Wei Zhao's reply had nothing to do with the question.
"Yes - is something wrong?" Yang Huaijun asked.
"Then why aren't you dead yet?" Wei Zhao frowned.
"..." Yang Huaijun was momentarily speechless. "What the hell, you're cursing me to die?"
"I'm not cursing you. The fact is, your condition is very bad. The injuries from last time never fully healed - they've been deteriorating ever since. I don't know how you've managed to hold on this long on painkillers, but ordinarily, another man would have died of the agony long ago." Wei Zhao's expression was grave. He was not trying to scare anyone; he was simply stating a fact. And with a man like Yang Huaijun, there was no need to deceive him. Men who had been to the battlefield had long since set life and death aside. Even if Wei Zhao told him he would die tomorrow, Yang Huaijun would hardly bat an eye.
"An old Chinese medicine doctor told me the same thing once - said I wouldn't last half a year. And look at me, alive and well, aren't I?" Sure enough, Yang Huaijun's mood was unshaken by Wei Zhao's words. He stretched his arms and legs with an easy air.
"He was right. Half a year was flattering you," Wei Zhao said with a nod.
"Hawk, can you not jinx me? Do I look like a dying man?" Yang Huaijun glared at Wei Zhao, somewhat displeased.
"My name is Wei Zhao. Stop calling me Hawk." Wei Zhao glanced at Yang Huaijun and went on: "So you see, surviving to this day is a miracle - probably thanks to your tenacious willpower."
"And what's wrong with that?" Yang Huaijun pressed.
"For now you can still use painkillers to ease your physical suffering, but in the future... it will only get worse," Wei Zhao said. "You may have noticed already - the frequency and dosage of your medication are both higher than before."
"You... you really do know medicine?" Wei Zhao had hit the mark on his condition, and Yang Huaijun could not help but be astonished.
"What do you think?" Wei Zhao released Yang Huaijun's hand; he had by now gained a rough understanding of the man's condition. Yang Huaijun's case was highly complex. As the saying goes, every medicine is three parts poison - every herb does more or less damage to the organs. That is to say, if Wei Zhao prescribed medicine to treat the heart, it might affect Yang Huaijun's spleen or liver; but if he treated the liver, it might affect the heart or kidneys. In short, no matter which part he treated, there would be side effects on the other organs. In that case, treatment would be worse than none at all - it would only hasten his death.
Seeing Wei Zhao sink into thought, Yang Huaijun could not help asking, "What's wrong? What are you thinking about?"
"Your condition." Wei Zhao sighed softly. "It's very complex. With conventional Chinese herbal therapy, any treatment will affect the other organs. It might be effective for one organ in isolation, but it would accelerate the failure of the others. Treat them all at once, and it amounts to no treatment at all - or death by poisoning outright."