Chapter 908 - 910: Can Only Plan Slowly_1
Chu Hai swallowed the pill, glanced at Diao Yao, and said indifferently, "I’m fine."
His speech was also very slow, seemingly unflustered and calm, but Bai Ruozhu knew he was unable to speak quickly. He couldn’t control the muscles in his face, and even his tongue was stiff. If this continued, it really wouldn’t be good.
She began to feel regret, having not taken Chu Hai’s situation seriously before, and being preoccupied with the competition. She had agreed to help Chu Hai with the detoxification but had yet to come up with a solution.
Chu Hai didn’t have any disagreeable traits, it was just that at the beginning he had suddenly asked to become her disciple. Because of the distinction between men and women, plus the extreme jealousy of her own household, she had been very avoidant of Chu Hai. But later on, Chu Hai had helped them, and to continue not treating him as a friend in need of help, she felt quite guilty.
"Let’s try the Classical Steaming Detox Method first. Even if it can’t completely remove the poison, it should at least suppress the spread of the toxins," Bai Ruozhu told Chu Hai, then instructed the manservant in the mansion to find a large bathing tub and prepare more hot water.
She got up to find the medicinal materials and personally went to the kitchen to prepare the decoction. By nightfall, the medicine soup was finally ready.
"Morning Breeze, pour the medicine soup into the bath, fill it up with hot water, stack stones around it, light a small flame underneath, and keep it boiling on top. Let Chu Hai sit in it," Bai Ruozhu, feeling that Morning Breeze was meticulous, was more reassured entrusting this task to him than to Muyu.
"Also, if the fire gets too big, lower it a bit, and if the water cools, increase it. If he shows any signs of distress, inform me immediately," Bai Ruozhu ordered, and then returned to her room to put her son to bed.
She had once used this method to save Du Zhongshu, who had almost died from poisoning. As a result, she was criticized by Du Fuling for not behaving properly as a woman, and the Du Family even used this to blackmail her into marrying into their family. A burnt child dreads the fire, so it was better to stay away while using this method.
Before long, Little Dengdeng fell asleep. He could already stand up by leaning against the wall or the headboard. Bai Ruozhu did not like to force growth, so she didn’t let Nanny Zhang help him walk, instead suggesting to let nature take its course, and he would eventually walk on his own.
Helping a child learn to walk too early could accidentally harm their bones.
But Little Dengdeng truly had good genetic inheritance; he had stood against the wall during the day and refused to sit back down, probably finding that standing gave him a different perspective on things, making it more interesting.
Therefore, Little Dengdeng, tired out from playing during the day, fell asleep quickly and especially soundly.
Now that everything had calmed down, Bai Ruozhu couldn’t help thinking of Jiang Yichun, wondering where he was, whether his journey was smooth, and what dangers he might face. With those thoughts, she found it hard to fall asleep, especially because she was used to sleeping in his arms, and now she felt uncomfortable without him.
Just as Bai Ruozhu indulged in her restless thoughts, footsteps came from outside the room, followed by Jianqi stopping someone and asking in a low voice, "What are you doing so late?"
"You must call Sister Ruozhu quickly, my senior brother is vomiting blood!" Diao Yao said anxiously, but still evidently intimidated by Jianqi, her voice was much lowered. Yet in the quietness of the night, it sounded particularly jarring.
Bai Ruozhu hurriedly got out of bed, put on her outer garment, and went outside.
"I’ll come with you to take a look."
Diao Yao gratefully grabbed Bai Ruozhu’s hand: "Sister Ruozhu, I’m sorry to disturb you."
"It must be done." Bai Ruozhu’s expression was somewhat grave. Spitting blood at this time, could it be that the Classical Steaming Detox Method is ineffective against Chu Hai?
Jianqi hurriedly followed Bai Ruozhu and reminded Nanny Zhang to keep a close eye on the young master.
Upon arrival at the place where Chu Hai was staying, they indeed found him vomiting blood, his chin stained red with it, which he hadn’t even wiped away.
Bai Ruozhu quickly went over to check his pulse and then said to Chenfeng and Jianqi, "You each take a side and hold him; I need to use the needles. No matter what happens, don’t let him move."
Having said that, she didn’t delay any longer. She took out her silver needles and started the acupuncture, while Chenfeng and Jianqi held Chu Hai’s shoulders to ensure he couldn’t move an inch. Diao Yao, seeing this situation, was so scared that she tightly covered her mouth, fearing that she might accidentally make a sound and disturb Bai Ruozhu’s needlework.
Bai Ruozhu’s needles were inserted into the back of Chu Hai’s neck and the top of his head. Soon, a look of pain showed on Chu Hai’s face, and eventually, he even started to whimper in pain, which showed just how much it hurt.
"Madam, perhaps we should seal his acupoints to prevent him from moving?" Chenfeng worried that Bai Ruozhu might not know acupoint sealing, having forgotten this method, but Bai Ruozhu said, "No, sealing the acupoints will affect the effectiveness of the needling. It’s almost done, don’t let your guard down. The last three needles are the most painful."
As Bai Ruozhu spoke, her hands kept moving swiftly. Soon, she came to the last three needles. Chu Hai cried out in pain, but at least he kept his senses and didn’t start yelling and screaming, which Bai Ruozhu greatly admired.
Diao Yao saw Chu Hai’s head instinctively moving and hurriedly rushed over to hold it from the front, tears streaming down as she watched him, making sure he didn’t move at all.
Bai Ruozhu quickly inserted the last three needles, and with the final needle, Chu Hai let out the loudest cry, but also spat out a mouthful of black blood. Bai Ruozhu pulled Diao Yao away quickly to dodge the blood.
"Don’t get any of his vomited blood on you; it’s highly poisonous," Bai Ruozhu reminded.
Diao Yao was terrified by the scene. If not for Bai Ruolan pulling her away, she too might have been poisoned.
On Chu Hai’s side, things slowly calmed down. Bai Ruozhu began to carefully remove the needles one by one, but Chu Hai still occasionally vomited blood. Although the candlelight in the room was dim, all three of them could see that the blood Chu Hai spit out was black.
"Sister Ruozhu, why is my brother still vomiting blood? Could it be life-threatening?" Diao Yao asked anxiously.
"No, I didn’t expect this method to be so effective against his poison, like administering a strong medicine. I used the needles to stimulate the medicinal effects, allowing him to expel the poisonous blood from his body. Even if his qi and blood are somewhat depleted over the next few days, the poison in his body will have been reduced. His body won’t be as stiff, and he won’t be in too much pain anymore," Bai Ruozhu explained.
Diao Yao’s face lit up with surprise. "So the method is effective, and my brother’s poison can be cured?"
"It’s not that easy, otherwise wouldn’t your Bihai Sect be out of options?" Bai Ruozhu said, shaking her head. "As of now, we’ve only solved a bit of it. This method is like giving him a strong medicine, it can’t be used often; it depends on his bodily condition. I estimate the next detoxification would have to wait twenty days or even a month, and I can’t be certain of how many times he will need to fully detoxify. Moreover, during the detoxification period, he can’t use his inner strength at all."
"Even if it takes one or two years, as long as my brother can recover, that’s all that matters. He can’t use his inner strength, but I will protect him. Without my brother saving my life back then, Diao Yao would not be here today," Diao Yao said earnestly.
Bai Ruozhu nodded; they could only proceed slowly from now on. The acupuncture session had exhausted her as well. She instructed Diao Yao and Chenfeng to clean Chu Hai in a quarter of an hour and put him back to bed to rest, then she also went to her own room to rest.