Chapter 76

The poison of a transformed snake is the poison of the wind.
The poison of the wind belongs to the category of “wood poison.”

(But the transformed snake is a created poison. Medicine is complex, while poison is simple. The principle is that it is overturned for things that have been detoxified. Just neutralizing wood poison will not suffice.)

The act of concocting medicine is a battle. Through poison, Fei Ling faces off with Zhen.

I remember the spring feast. Back then, I did not know of Zhen, but now it is different. I can imagine how he creates poison, what he speaks, and the expression on his face.

He will likely laugh, narrowing his purple eyes.
“If it can be solved, try solving it,” he would say.

(Therefore, now is the time to calm the mind. Crush all rising anger and swallow it, even if it burns your throat.)

To challenge him is to either devour or be devoured.
After a breath, I sharpened my focus.

“I begin.”

I spoke to no one in particular.

(First, melt the gold.)

Gold melts when heated. But if the temperature drops, it will return to a solid form. If it cannot be consumed, it cannot be used as medicine.

Gold is a metal that does not corrode, unlike copper or silver, but only aqua regia, a powerful poison, can dissolve gold. I drop the ring into this powerful poison. After stirring, the ring melts completely. When the aqua regia, now containing pure gold, is boiled and mixed with toxins that kill microorganisms, only pure gold separates and settles. After washing it carefully, the pure, snow-like gold is ready.

(The transformed snake despises the sun and the moon. Gold is the strongest mineral imbued with the power of the sun. Now, I will prepare the antidote for the snake’s poison.)

I boil honey left behind by a honey badger in a pot.

Honey badgers are immune to venom, and in desert regions abundant with venomous snakes, their saliva mixed with honey was used as an antidote.

I added scorpion pepper, tortoiseshell, cinnamon bark, and dried skins of fire lizards, grinding them finely. When the honey began to thicken, I mixed in the pure gold.

(The fire lizard is a rare creature dwelling in distant lands, said to control fire. A very rare thing. This will use up all the skin my mother left me. Aqua regia is the same, but my mother always helped me.)

If the proportions are even slightly off, the honey will turn a rust color.

The tension felt like a standoff with Zhen and a sword pointed at each other. In the pot, I could see a venomous snake baring its fangs and a raging dragon in flames.

Would the snake devour the dragon? Or the dragon devour the snake?

(I will not lose.)

The light burst forth.

The honey in the pot sparkled, emitting a light reminiscent of the sun.

(…It’s my victory.)

I took a spoonful and placed it on a piece of paper, sprinkling it with special sea salt only obtainable at high tide. This salt contains the power of the moon.

Now it only needs to be hardened. On a frost-laden morning, the honey quickly crystallized.

“It’s ready. Golden candy.”

The Empress Li Sha, to whom the candy was handed, lowered her eyelashes, as though receiving a lamp. Her eyes narrowed, for the candy gleamed with a strong golden light. She exhaled in admiration and murmured.

“I remember an old legend. They say that in the ancient times, there were nine suns in the sky, and all the creatures on earth could not sleep. The expert archer shot down the unnecessary suns, leaving only the sun and the moon. – They say one of the fallen suns became this candy. I wouldn’t doubt it.”

She asked, “Is it sweet?”

“Unfortunately, it’s too bitter for those not poisoned, and you wouldn’t even be able to lick it with the tip of your tongue. But for those in need, it will feel as sweet as it melts on your cheeks.”

Medicine must be palatable. But sometimes, medicine is only sweet for those who require it.

The Empress Li Sha took a piece of the candy and offered it to Gua Lang, who was leaning against the wall.

“It’s medicine. Please open your mouth, Gua Lang.”

But Gua Lang did not move.

“Gua Lang?”

Perhaps the poison had taken its toll, clouding his consciousness. Gua Lang’s gaze drifted aimlessly, and he did not move. Was he unable to hear me? Was his jaw no longer working?

“Gua Lang… please, take the medicine…”

The poison pattern had invaded his ribs.

Even though his pulse and breath still remained, it might already be too late.

“Please eat, Gua Lang… Don’t die.”

Empress Li Sha tried to feed him the candy, but even when she pressed it, it fell from his cracked lips.

(I was too late.)

I had imagined this outcome.

(He had given up. This was his punishment.)

A doctor cannot save a patient who has given up on life.

The poison spread like a stain. Soon, his pulse would stop.

“I will not let you die…”

Empress Li Sha clenched her jaw.

“I will save you again and again. You are mine.”

She broke his pale lips open and, without hesitation, pushed the candy into his mouth. Fei Ling instinctively thought, “It’s too bitter for the Empress to endure,” but swallowed his words at the strength in her gaze.

(There should be no danger. It’s not poison.)

It was simply unbearably spicy.

“Ugh, ugh.”

As expected, Empress Li Sha choked the moment the candy touched her mouth. She managed to hold back from spitting it out, but tears welled up in the corner of her eyes.

“Ah… Please…”

Struggling with the fiery pain, Empress Li Sha chewed the candy.

She pressed her lips to Gua Lang’s and, in a fleeting moment, passed the candy from her mouth to his. But he lacked the strength to even lick it.

Empress Li Sha twisted her tongue with his and melted the candy together.

“Ugh…”

It was a desperate act, more fervent than a kiss.

It was like a prayer through a passionate union.

Then, Gua Lang’s Adam’s apple moved. He had swallowed a piece of the candy.

One by one, Empress Li Sha crushed the candy and fed it to him. Gradually, Gua Lang’s breathing calmed, and the poison’s mark receded.

“…Hime.”

Gua Lang finally revived from the brink of death.

Empress Li Sha widened her eyes and tears fell freely.

“…I’ve made you cry again.”

He wiped away her tears and pulled her into an embrace.

“It’s okay.”

His voice was hoarse, as though his throat had been scorched, but he still smiled like a cherry blossom.

The poison of the wind was vanquished.

Love transforms poison into a medicine—Li Sha’s love, to be precise, had cut through the poison.

“…I am in awe.”

Fei Ling exhaled in admiration.

Before long, the evening dusk faded away, and a faintly white morning had arrived.