[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"origin-the-grain-of-mountains-and-rivers":3,"chapter-the-grain-of-mountains-and-rivers-the-grain-of-mountains-and-rivers-chapter-130":6},{"origin":4,"title":5},"chinese","Mountains and Rivers of the Imperial Granary",{"chapter":7,"nextChapterSlug":20,"prevChapterSlug":21,"totalChapters":22,"novelImage":23},{"id":8,"novel_id":9,"title":10,"slug":11,"index":12,"content":13,"wordcount":14,"created_at":15,"updated_at":16,"volume":17,"translator":18,"content_hash":19},2231546,4184,"Chapter 130: Blood Ulcer","the-grain-of-mountains-and-rivers-chapter-130",130,"\u003Cp>\"Knock, knock.\" The door was rapped. A-Nuo opened her eyes from her meditation and poked her head out in confusion, only to find a group of examiners standing there with a gaunt patient in tow.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A-Nuo’s chubby face was filled with bewilderment. \"Grandpa Examiners, do you all go from room to room in such a massive crowd? Will you even have enough time to finish in three days?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The group felt a bit awkward; they couldn't very well admit that they had arrived early before the exam even officially started just to watch her. Meng Li coughed dryly. \"Well, first of all, meals will be delivered at the proper times, so don't eat anything else. Even the oil paper from your snacks isn't appropriate to leave lying around... Secondly, this is the exam paper prepared for the book-boy. We forgot to give it to you earlier. Do it yourself, and don't let your master guide you.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A-Nuo had been bored, so she was delighted. \"Okay, okay! Anyway, my master is in meditation.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The examiners exchanged glances and left the room. A-Nuo tore open the seal of the paper, and her brow furrowed at the very first glance.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>What should she write for the name... Lu Riceball?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A-Nuo bit her pen for a long time, remembered what she had said to Sheng Yuanyao, and wrote \"Lu Nuonuo\" stroke by stroke.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In the main examination hall, a group of examiners crowded around the \"big screen,\" watching the little girl scribbling away on her paper. She was writing just as fast as her master. The only place she paused to think was for her name...\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Emperor Gu Zhanting couldn't help but ask, \"They aren't taking the same set of questions, are they?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The examiners looked at each other. \"Your Majesty, they truly are not.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Of course, they weren't. To prepare for contingencies, two sets of papers were always prepared. This was the backup set, which lacked the targeted questions the Emperor had written himself, though the overall difficulty was comparable.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This little girl was only seven! Even if she had started learning in the womb, she shouldn't be this strong!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After a long, awkward silence, Meng Li finally broke the tension. \"The child doesn't understand; she might just be scribbling away. We'll know once we grade it. It's possible it's all nonsense.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The others could only accept this answer, falling into silence.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>…………\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>When the papers were collected, they were sealed with names, but for A-Nuo, this was meaningless; her paper was unique, recognizable at a glance.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A group of examiners, including the Emperor himself, worked overtime through the night to grade the papers. Everyone wanted to snatch A-Nuo's paper first, but they couldn't beat the Emperor. Gu Zhanting leaned back in his chair and read it leisurely, his expression changing as he went.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He didn't originally practice alchemy, but after years of chronic illness, he had become quite an expert. He could tell almost at a glance that A-Nuo's answers were methodical and definitely not the scribblings of a child.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Well... if one had to call it scribbling, perhaps her ugly handwriting counted.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Being methodical was one thing—that was expected of Lu Xingzhou's disciple—but how was it possible that everything was correct? How old was this child?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Imperial Physician Qin, come take a look.\" Gu Zhanting, losing confidence in his own judgment, handed the paper to Qin Zhiyu, the head of the Alchemy Academy and a top-tier alchemist of the Great Qian.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Qin Zhiyu took the paper, and as he read, he stood up involuntarily. \"This...\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Well?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"It's... it's all correct!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The examiners were in an uproar, crowding around. \"Head Physician Qin, please don't be lenient just because she's a child. It wouldn't be right if she just guessed half of it correctly.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Qin Zhiyu’s beard bristled with anger. \"Look for yourselves! It's not just all correct; some of these lines of thought are already at the level of the Upper Three Realms!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>When this was said, Meng Li fell silent, and Gu Zhanting nodded slightly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The paper Lu Xingzhou had answered at Meng Li's house had made Meng Li feel that some of the logic was at the First Grade level, looking down from a high vantage point. At the time, the National Preceptor had been present and suggested that it was because Meng Li only knew the First Grade... implying that Lu Xingzhou's logic was beyond the First Grade, or at least his heritage was.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A-Nuo was Lu Xingzhou's disciple. Gu Zhanting could sense that A-Nuo's strength seemed to defy common sense, being higher than Lu Xingzhou's... If their master-disciple relationship was based on alchemy, then this answer sheet could be understood.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But it was still shocking. The child was said to be only seven!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"This year's examination is interesting.\" Gu Zhanting stood up in a good mood. \"I hope tomorrow's treatment examination will bring me more surprises.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Meng Li asked, \"Does Your Majesty mean to let this... uh... child officially participate in the examination?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Gu Zhanting smiled. \"Isn't she already officially participating? Are there many others better than her? As for her full name, just unseal it and look. It's a unique paper; why bother with the pretense?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Meng Li carefully unsealed it and took a look: Lu Nuonuo.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Qin Zhiyu added her name to the list of examinees on the spot. The Emperor and the Empire's highest alchemy institution tacitly opened a back door for this solemn exam, yet everyone felt it was only natural.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In an exam of this caliber, a seven-year-old scoring full marks... who would be foolish enough to cling to rules and turn away a genius?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>…………\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The next morning, there was another knock. A-Nuo rubbed her eyes and opened the door to find the same group of examiners, this time bringing a gaunt patient with them.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A-Nuo’s chubby face finally filled with confusion. \"Grandpa Examiners, do you all go from room to room in such a massive crowd? Will you even have enough time to finish in three days?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The group felt a bit awkward; they couldn't very well admit that they had arrived early before the exam even officially started just to watch her.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Even the Emperor had been hiding in the main examination hall since dawn, watching the big screen.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Cough.\" Meng Li coughed dryly. \"That's none of your concern. Is your master in?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lu Xingzhou's voice came from inside. \"Please, come in.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>They brought the patient inside. Lu Xingzhou reached out to take the pulse, a faint smile appearing on his face after a moment.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This patient had a \"blood ulcer.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This condition was very similar to the Emperor's injury. The \"demonic energy\" in the Emperor's body could not be fully eradicated and was constantly interfering with his blood—wasn't that very close to cancer? Cancer cells could only be suppressed, not eradicated.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He was about to speak when Qin Zhiyu suddenly stopped him. \"Why don't you let this little girl take a look at the patient as well?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lu Xingzhou’s smile deepened. He had known they were testing A-Nuo yesterday; he had been meditating, but how could he not have known? He thought it would be fun for master and disciple to be classmates, so he said nothing.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A-Nuo's medical knowledge was indeed learned entirely from him, and she had been his assistant for all his treatments and alchemy over the years. She had almost perfectly replicated his level. It was only after obtaining the *Maha Notes* that she had begun to diverge, as he hadn't fully grasped the new knowledge himself and had little to teach.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But for this exam, A-Nuo was more than capable.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A-Nuo, however, thought a group of old men were just teasing a child, so she stepped forward, took the pulse, checked the patient's eyes, and exchanged a look with Lu Xingzhou.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Master and disciple smiled in perfect synchronization and said in unison, \"Blood Ulcer.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Qin Zhiyu said, \"It is generally called a blood disorder. Why do you two call it an ulcer?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A-Nuo said, \"It's like having an ulcer in the blood. Just calling it a blood disorder is too vague.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Qin Zhiyu nodded and asked, \"Since you know the symptoms, do you have a cure?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Cancer was difficult to cure in the modern world, but in this world of cultivation, there were many powerful pills that could treat it. However, this wasn't the level of question intended for this exam; correctly diagnosing the condition was enough to pass. Qin Zhiyu and the others didn't expect Lu Xingzhou's master-disciple pair to provide a direct cure; they were just asking out of curiosity, as the Emperor wanted to hear.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A-Nuo said, \"There are a few pills that could treat it... um, but I can't refine them. If we don't rely on pills, there's a heavenly treasure called the Thousand-Square Blood Ganoderma; taking it directly seems to work too.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Qin Zhiyu nodded. These cures worked for this blood ulcer, but unfortunately, they weren't the right treatment for the Emperor's condition and couldn't resolve the damage caused by the demonic energy.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After all, it was only similar, not the same disease.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But then Lu Xingzhou said, \"For this patient's specific condition, a bone marrow transplant could work. However, finding a match is very difficult, so it's not very reliable. I answered this in the exam paper; those with sufficient resources can attempt to use treasures to perform a marrow transplant.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Qin Zhiyu narrowed his eyes slightly, and Gu Zhanting stood up abruptly in the main examination hall.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Meng Li hurriedly said, \"You can't just talk nonsense. Are you sure it works?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lu Xingzhou said, \"For this patient's condition, it certainly works. You are all top-tier experts; I'm sure you have your own deductions, and you can verify it. But I'm sure you also understand that just because it works for this patient doesn't mean it works for everyone.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Gu Zhanting sat back down in the main hall, pondering for a long time before whispering to his attendants, \"Head Physician Qin once proposed a similar plan, and Lu Xingzhou says the same... Let Head Physician Qin begin the verification. He should know how to refine the treasures needed for the transplant.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Yes.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Gu Zhanting's gaze fell back onto the \"big screen,\" his expression unreadable.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The diagnostic exam wasn't just for one patient. Throughout the day, Lu Xingzhou and A-Nuo saw twenty or thirty different difficult and miscellaneous cases. Some required on-site treatment, some required prescriptions, and some required special pills—that would be the task for tomorrow's exam: alchemy.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>For the people of the capital, being chosen as subjects for this exam was a stroke of incredible luck; the level of the examinees here was a hundred times better than a general free clinic.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A-Nuo was busy all day and finally wiped the sweat from her brow, feeling very speechless. \"Master, is something wrong? I'm just a book-boy; why do they want me to treat them?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lu Xingzhou smiled. \"You should try practical work. What's the point of always being an assistant? There will come a day when you have to stand on your own.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A-Nuo’s face changed. \"No! That day will never come!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Fine, fine, it won't come.\" Lu Xingzhou patted her head. \"But you still need practical experience. What if Master has to see many patients in the future, like today, and can't handle it all? You'll have to help out, won't you?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A-Nuo sighed, smiling. \"When would Master ever have an occasion to treat so many people at once? Are you going to open a clinic in the future?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Maybe. When Master finishes what he needs to do, we'll go back to the county, change our names, open a clinic, and become an urban medical immortal who slaps faces and acts cool. How does that sound?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Stop lying to yourself, Master. Someone as restless as you... hiding your name...\" A-Nuo teased. \"I hope you don't turn the Alchemy Academy upside down before you even pass the exam.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Look at you, we aren't even sure if we'll pass.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"But Master, thirty patients, and we've cured twenty-eight... only two left that need extra pills, but those pills... I think they're so easy...\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lu Xingzhou sighed. \"Alchemy isn't like the last two days. Tomorrow isn't an exam; it's a competition.\"\u003C\u002Fp>",2054,"2026-06-18T01:46:09.112Z","2026-06-18T03:18:02.290Z",1,"Gemini 3.1 Flash Lite","7f61e6a4eaf42027ad0bf6dc7874df10a4ee7791ef3568c7a1eec656a9c4ae54","the-grain-of-mountains-and-rivers-chapter-131","the-grain-of-mountains-and-rivers-chapter-129",325,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Fmountains-and-rivers-of-the-imperial-granary-cover.jpg"]