Chapter 38: Does It Really Have That Much Destructive Power?

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Liu Ji’s sudden cardiac arrest was most likely caused by a traumatic shock leading to sudden death. Xu Mu had no idea this young man was so fragile. Xu Shuangyi hadn’t even taken off his clothes yet when he suddenly passed away.

In a world lacking advanced medical care, there was only one way to save Liu Ji: his body required an extraordinarily powerful shock to have any hope of restoring its functions.

“A thirtyfold medicinal bath? Do you believe if you throw him in there, the medicine’s force will tear his meridians apart and kill him instantly?” Xu Shuangyi had already prepared the medicinal bath and was skeptical about Xu Mu’s approach.

The tempering elixir forcibly breaks through the human body’s defenses and clears the meridians. For a weakling like Liu Ji, it was an immensely powerful shock—undoubtedly the best chance to save him.

“Desperate times call for desperate measures!” Xu Mu admitted to himself he wasn’t confident. Liu Ji’s body was extremely deficient; theoretically, it couldn’t withstand thirty times the usual concentration of the medicine. Even before reaching the entry level of cultivation, very few could tolerate tenfold strength. Beyond tenfold, every additional increase doubled the impact of the medicine’s effect.

But what Xu Mu needed was an extremely strong shock. Whether Liu Ji would survive rested entirely on fate.

Without hesitation, Xu Mu threw Liu Ji into the bath. The moment he entered, his once pale skin instantly flushed red. Thick steam began to rise, enveloping the entire bathhouse in a misty haze.

The servants standing nearby grew increasingly anxious. They didn’t know what kind of medicine Xu Mu had used, but seeing the thick steam, they found it extraordinary. Perhaps Xu Mu could really revive Liu Ji.

“He can’t stay in there for more than thirty breaths with such a weak body,” Xu Shuangyi said.

Xu Mu ignored her, holding Liu Ji’s hand and continuously checking his pulse.

After less than ten breaths, Liu Ji’s faint pulse disappeared completely. He slumped to the side, eyes wide open, mouth agape—like a corpse.

Xu Mu’s expression grew grave.

There was nothing else he could do now but wait silently.

Fifteen breaths, twenty breaths...

Soon, thirty breaths passed.

“If we don’t pull him out soon, the medicinal force will tear his internal organs apart,” Xu Mu thought anxiously as Liu Ji showed no signs of response and his body began to stiffen.

Thirtyfold strength was indeed too much for Liu Ji. The fierce medicinal power could easily shred his innards.

Yet, Xu Mu did not take him out.

Because at this moment, he faintly detected signs of revival in Liu Ji’s pulse.

Forty breaths, fifty breaths, sixty breaths...

Time passed like a cup of tea.

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Steam from the bath suddenly began to dissipate.

Liu Ji’s pulse became much stronger than before.

He must have come back to life.

A quarter of an hour later, at a certain moment, Liu Ji’s pulse suddenly surged back.

It grew strong and vigorous but was wildly irregular.

At that moment, the servant who had fainted earlier slowly regained consciousness.

“Your Highness, has he woken up yet?” The servant got up, only to see Liu Ji’s mouth still agape, eyes wide, and head tilted. The servant’s vision darkened again, and he fainted once more.

“Master Xu, how is he?” The other servants had long felt a sense of foreboding. So much time had passed with no sign from the heir; perhaps he was already dead.

Suddenly, Liu Ji emitted a painfully labored inhalation.

His corpse-like face flickered with renewed life.

He seemed as if he hadn’t breathed for a long time, gasping with ragged breaths like a broken bellows.

The servants collapsed to the ground in relief.

They had thought the heir was beyond saving—yet he had miraculously come back!

Xu Mu and Xu Shuangyi both breathed a sigh of relief.

Xu Shuangyi had to admire Xu Mu’s bold skill. Only he would dare use thirtyfold tempering medicine to save someone who had just died—and succeed.

Xu Mu didn’t pull Liu Ji out for another fifteen minutes to allow the medicine to be fully absorbed; otherwise, interrupting the bath now would leave residual medicine inside, which could still kill him.

Liu Ji was no longer dead, but the pain he endured was worse than death.

Such a frail, deficient body risked becoming a cripple after this medicinal bath.

“Your Highness, how do you feel? Any better?” “Speak to us, Your Highness!” “Are you mute now?”

Liu Ji slightly parted his lips, but the slightest movement unleashed a tearing pain from within.

His face, once flushed by the medicine, turned deathly pale.

“Pain, pain, pain...” Liu Ji’s gaze suddenly fixed on Xu Shuangyi, who wore a look of deep concern.

Was she worried about him?

No, as a man, the heir couldn’t let his beloved see him falter.

“This pain is nothing! I, the heir, can endure it!”

Could he really still speak?

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When Xu Mu first endured a medicinal bath, the pain nearly rendered him speechless.

But this useless heir’s spirit was far tougher than Xu Mu had imagined.

Once lucid, Liu Ji understood exactly what he was undergoing.

This was a tempering medicinal bath.

When his father first prepared this bath for him, he was only ten years old.

He remembered clearly that the moment his foot touched the water, the agony was so intense it seemed to pierce the roof.

From then on, he lost all interest in martial arts.

Training was too harsh; better to be a playboy.

In front of his beloved, he was determined to endure no matter what.

Half an hour passed like this. Several times Liu Ji nearly fainted again, but he gritted his teeth and persevered.

When Xu Mu finally pulled him out, the bath water was thick and viscous beyond belief.

Liu Ji’s legs trembled wildly, but he still feigned strength.

Remarkably, he wasn’t crippled—a medical miracle.

“No need to support me. I can walk back to the mansion myself!” Liu Ji said, lifting a leg before collapsing face-first onto the ground.

“Your Highness, you’ve already done great. No need to push yourself further,” Xu Mu told the servants.

“You all take good care of the heir these coming days. Let him stay in the mansion until he recovers somewhat, then send him home. It’s best not to tell the prince what happened today—to avoid worrying him,” Xu Mu instructed.

“We understand,” they replied. They dared not inform the prince, lest they be reprimanded.

Having the heir stay at Xu’s mansion for a few days was no problem anyway, as it was normal for him to be absent frequently.

The servants lifted Liu Ji and left.

Xu Mu wiped sweat from his brow and glanced at Xu Shuangyi.

“Indeed quite charming, especially those long legs.”

Xu Shuangyi did not get angry but whispered, “Is it really that exaggerated?”

Was her allure too overwhelming for men?

“Liu Ji is a case of blessing in disguise. After this medicinal bath, his body should be several times stronger,” Xu Mu said, waving his hand and turning away. The intense tension had left him fatigued.

Xu Shuangyi lowered her head, looking at herself.

Only then did she realize that looking down directly, her view was blocked by her chest; she had to tilt her head slightly to see her lower body.

“Is it really that powerful?” she murmured, then turned and walked away.