Chapter 146: Blood Ulcer

"Knock, knock~" The door was knocked. A'nuo opened her eyes from cultivation, curiously opened the door, and poked her head out. Before her stood a group of examiners: "Grandpas, is eating inside the room not allowed? We won't eat anymore..."

"Um, first, meals will be delivered when it's time, so don't eat anymore later. Even that oil-paper wrapper of yours isn't proper if we get serious..." Meng Li coughed twice, handed over another sealed exam paper: "Second, this is the paper prepared for the scribe. We forgot to give it to you before. Do it yourself, don't ask your master for help."

A'nuo, bored and worried, was quite delighted: "Great, great. Anyway, my master is in deep meditation."

The examiners exchanged glances and left the room. A'nuo opened the paper, and the very first thing she did was scratch her head.

What should I write for this name... Lu Nuotuanzi?

A'nuo bit the pen tip and thought for a long time. Remembering what she had told Sheng Yuanyao that day, she wrote "Lu Nuonuo" stroke by stroke.

In the main examination room, a group surrounded the large screen, watching the little girl scribbling furiously on the paper, just as fast as her master. The only place she paused to think was actually the name...

Gu Zhanting couldn't help but ask: "You didn't give them the same set of questions, did you?"

The examiners looked at each other: "Your Majesty, truly not."

Of course not the same set. For such exams, to prepare for contingencies, two sets of questions are always prepared. This is the other backup set. It simply lacks the targeted questions the Emperor himself created; overall, the difficulty of the two sets is comparable.

How old is this little girl? Even if she started learning from the womb, she shouldn't be this strong!

Come to think of it, even if it were the same set of questions, if this little girl could recite the whole thing from memory just by watching her master finish, then she's definitely a genius, right?

After a long awkward silence, Meng Li finally awkwardly broke the ice: "Children don't understand. She looks like she's answering quickly, but she might just be scribbling randomly. It will be clear once the papers are graded; maybe it's all nonsense."

Everyone could only temporarily accept this answer, falling silent once more.

When collecting the papers, the names were sealed just the same, but this meant nothing for A'nuo. Her paper was different from everyone else's; one look would tell.

A group of examiners, including the Emperor himself, did not return to rest that night and worked overtime grading papers directly. Everyone wanted to grab A'nuo's paper to see first, but no one could beat the Emperor. Gu Zhanting calmly took the paper, leaned back in his chair, and as he read, his expression changed.

He himself did not originally practice alchemy, but having been ill for years, he had become quite an expert. He could tell almost at a glance that A'nuo's answers were very methodical, absolutely not a child's random scribbles.

Hmm... if we must call it scribbling, maybe the ugly handwriting that's unbearable to look at counts?

Being methodical was one thing; after all, she is Lu Xingzhou's disciple, with a clear lineage. But why does it look like everything is correct? How old is this child?

"Dean Qin, take a look." Gu Zhanting, starting to lose confidence in his own judgment, handed the paper to Qin Zhiyu, the Dean of the Alchemy Academy and a top-tier alchemist famous in Great Qian.

Qin Zhiyu took the paper, and as he read, he unconsciously stood up: "This..."

"How is it?"

"All... all correct!"

The examiners erupted in shock, gathering around: "Dean Qin, don't go easy just because she's a child. Counting half-guesses as correct wouldn't be right."

Qin Zhiyu was so angry his beard stood up: "Look for yourselves! Not only is it all correct, but some of the thought processes are already at the third-grade level or higher!"

Upon hearing this, Meng Li fell silent, and Gu Zhanting nodded slightly.

Previously, the paper Lu Xingzhou answered at Meng Li's home made Meng Li feel that some thought processes were in the first-grade category, looking down from a higher perspective. At that time, the Imperial Preceptor was nearby, believing it was because Meng Li only knew the first grade... meaning Lu Xingzhou's thought processes had a meaning beyond the grade, at least his lineage was beyond the grade.

A'nuo is Lu Xingzhou's disciple; the so-called disciple likely isn't in terms of martial power. Gu Zhanting could feel A'nuo's strength seemed to reverse the heavens, higher than Lu Xingzhou's... then the so-called master-disciple relationship must be in alchemy? Then this exam paper makes sense.

But this is equally shocking. This child is said to be only seven years old!

"This year's assessment is interesting." Gu Zhanting stood up in good spirits: "I hope the treatment assessment tomorrow will bring me even more surprises."

Meng Li then said: "Does Your Majesty mean to have this... uh... this child formally participate in the assessment as well?"

Gu Zhanting smiled: "Hasn't she already formally participated in the assessment? How many people are stronger than her? As for her full name, just open the seal and look. It's a unique paper; what's there to hide? It's all just formality."

Meng Li carefully opened the seal and took a look. Lu Nuonuo.

Qin Zhiyu added her name to the assessment list on the spot. The Emperor and the Empire's highest alchemy academy tacitly allowed a backdoor into this solemn and dignified exam, yet everyone found it perfectly reasonable.

In an exam at such a highest academy, a seven-year-old scoring full marks... which broken-brained person would cling stubbornly to rules and reject a genius at the door?

Early the next morning, the door rang again. A'nuo rubbed her eyes and went to open it. Before her eyes was another group of examiners, accompanied by a withered, thin patient.

Confusion finally appeared on A'nuo's chubby face: "Grandpas, is it like this for every room, with everyone coming in a huge group? Do you have enough time for three days?"

Everyone felt a bit awkward. How could they admit they hadn't even reached the start time for the second day's exam? The group had come specially early just to watch her.

Even the Emperor had hidden in the main examination room early in the morning to watch the big screen.

"Ahem." Meng Li coughed dryly: "You don't need to worry about that. Is the master present?"

Lu Xingzhou's voice came from inside the room: "Please, everyone, come in."

The group brought the patient into the room. Lu Xingzhou reached out to take the pulse. Not long after, a slight smile appeared.

This patient has blood cancer.

This symptom is very similar to the Emperor's injury. The "demonic power" in the Emperor's body cannot be completely eliminated and constantly interferes with the blood. Isn't that very close to cancer? Cancer cells can only be suppressed but not eradicated.

Just as he was about to speak, Qin Zhiyu suddenly stopped him: "Let this young lady take a look at the patient as well?"

Lu Xingzhou's smile grew even deeper. Yesterday, when they gave A'nuo the exam, although he appeared to be in deep meditation, how could he not know? Thinking it would be quite fun for master and disciple to be classmates, he said nothing.

A'nuo's medical knowledge was indeed all learned from him, and she was his assistant during all his treatments and alchemy sessions. Over so many years, her skill level was almost a one-to-one replica. Only after obtaining the Maha Notes did a slight difference emerge, because he himself hadn't fully grasped the new knowledge, so there was much less he could confidently teach others.

But for handling this assessment, A'nuo was more than sufficient.

A'nuo, however, only thought a bunch of old folks were teasing a child. So she stepped forward, took the pulse, flipped open the patient's eyeballs to look for a while, and then exchanged a glance with Lu Xingzhou.

Master and disciple smiled showing their teeth in perfect synchronization and said in unison: "Blood Ulcer."

Qin Zhiyu said: "Generally called blood syndrome, why do you two call it an ulcer?"

A'nuo said: "It's like there's an ulcer in the blood. Just saying blood syndrome is too vague."

Qin Zhiyu nodded, then asked: "Since you know the symptoms, is there a solution?"

Cancer is very difficult to cure in modern times, but in this world of cultivation, there happen to be many powerful pills that can solve it. However, this does not belong to the level of questions for this assessment; actually, correctly diagnosing the illness is enough to pass. Qin Zhiyu and others didn't expect Lu Xingzhou and his disciple to give a direct solution; they just asked casually with some expectation, after all, the Emperor wanted to hear.

A'nuo said: "There are several pills that can cure it... hmm, but I can't refine them. Without relying on alchemy, there is a heavenly treasure called Thousand-Direction Blood Lingzhi; taking it directly seems like it could cure it too."

Qin Zhiyu nodded. These solutions work for this blood syndrome, but unfortunately, they are not the right treatment for the Emperor's illness and cannot cure the damage caused by the demonic power.

After all, it is only similar, not the same illness.

But Lu Xingzhou said: "Speaking solely of this patient's condition, bone marrow replacement can cure it. However, matching donors are hard to find, so it's not very reliable. I answered this in the exam paper. Those with sufficient conditions can try using treasures to replace the marrow."

Qin Zhiyu squinted slightly, and Gu Zhanting rose abruptly in the main examination room.

Meng Li hurriedly said, "You can't speak recklessly— are you certain you can?"

Lu Xingzhou said, "For this patient's condition alone, it is indeed possible. All of you are top-tier figures; you surely have your own deductions and can verify it. But you should also know that just because it works for this patient doesn't mean it will work for others."

Gu Zhanting silently sat back down in the main examination room, pondering for a long while, then whispered to those beside him, "Qin Yuanzheng once proposed something similar, and Lu Xingzhou says the same… Have Qin Yuanzheng begin verification. He should know how to refine the Bone-Replacement Treasure."

"Yes."

Gu Zhanting's gaze fell again on the "large screen," his expression unreadable.

The diagnosis examination was not limited to one patient; over the entire day, Lu Xingzhou and his apprentice had examined at least twenty to thirty different complex cases, some requiring immediate cure, some requiring prescriptions, and others requiring special pills—those would be tomorrow's examination topic: pill refining.

For the people of the capital, being selected as a subject for this examination was considered a stroke of extraordinary luck, as the candidates' skill far surpassed that of ordinary charity clinics by a hundredfold.

An Nuo wiped sweat from her brow, utterly baffled: "Master, isn't something wrong? I'm just a little Daoist, why are they asking me to treat them?"

Lu Xingzhou smiled faintly: "You should try hands-on practice too. What's the point of always being an assistant? One day you'll have to graduate and stand on your own."

An Nuo paled: "No! There won't be such a day!"

"Alright, alright, there won't be such a day." Lu Xingzhou ruffled her hair: "But you still need hands-on practice. What if one day I have too many patients to handle, like today—won't you need to step in and help?"

An Nuo exhaled, smiling: "How could there ever be a situation where Master treats so many people at once? Are you planning to open a clinic someday?"

"Maybe. When I finish what I want to do, I'll return to the county, hide my name, open a clinic, and play the urban Immortal Doctor, showing off and humiliating my rivals—what do you think?"

"You're just fooling yourself, Master." An Nuo retorted: "Someone as restless as you, hiding your identity? The Capital Pill Academy should pray first—just hoping you don't turn their halls upside down."

"You make it sound like we're not even sure we'll pass the examination."

"But Master, thirty people, twenty-eight cured already… only two need extra pills, and those pills seem so easy to me…"

Lu Xingzhou sighed: "Pill refining isn't like these past two days. Tomorrow isn't an examination—it's a competition."

(End of Chapter)