Chapter 17: Mercy, General! Severed Tendons and Bones... You Can Only Be Paralyzed

Wu Shanggui regained consciousness, surrounded by Lady Wu and a group of people at his bedside. Lady Wu’s tears flowed once more, her pent-up grievances finally finding someone to bear them. "Master! You’ve finally woken up!" she cried. "If you hadn’t, we, your orphaned wife and son, would have been bullied by others."

Lady Wu wept uncontrollably, causing the imperial physicians present to stiffen instantly, their faces darkening with displeasure. This shrew was deliberately embarrassing them.

At that moment, a maid brought a cup of water. After drinking, Wu Shanggui’s throat felt much better. His eyes lifted, scanning the faces of everyone in the room before settling on his concubine. "What’s going on?!" he demanded.

Emboldened by his presence, Lady Wu recounted what the physicians had said earlier, embellishing the story. "Master, you wouldn’t believe it! Those imperial physicians were so arrogant just now, completely disregarding me and the eldest young master." She added, "They even used the Emperor to threaten me! If anyone else heard, they’d think these doctors looked down on us because you’re injured and can no longer command the troops, and so they changed their attitude to bully our Wu family!"

"Master, you have to stand up for me!" Lady Wu continued to fan the flames. The physicians’ faces paled, and they quickly knelt down in apology. "General Wu, we’re innocent! We would never dare to bully your wife or eldest son," they pleaded. "Please see reason, General Wu. The Emperor has commanded us to use all our skills to cure you. How could we possibly be negligent?"

"Lady Wu is a woman of the inner quarters; it’s natural she’s emotional and misunderstood us," they added. "Yes, General, please understand! We are wronged here, please see reason!"

As the saying goes, a dying camel is still bigger than a horse. No matter what, Wu Shanggui was still a first-rank general. If Lady Wu accused them falsely, and he reported it to the Emperor, it might cost the physicians their lives, given the Emperor’s anger towards Wu Shanggui.

Thankfully, Wu Shanggui had earned the favor of the ministers from the previous reign, known as a loyal and meritorious minister. For now, the physicians had no choice but to bow their heads and beg for mercy. If Wu Shanggui truly fell in the future, they would repay this grievance in double.

Listening to the physicians, Wu Shanggui didn’t fully trust them but knew his wife’s temperament well—she was more hindrance than help. He took half of what both the physicians and Lady Wu said at face value.

Now that he was in such a state, did he believe his court colleagues had no ulterior motives? Absolutely not. These physicians were sent by the treacherous Emperor. For the time being, Wu Shanggui had to endure the humiliation as he still needed the Emperor’s support.

Suppressing his anger, he asked coldly, "Can my wounds be healed?"

"Well... we—" the physicians hesitated.

Wu Shanggui suddenly roared, "Speak the truth!"

"General Wu, your lower body... the flesh is severed... we truly... have no way—" The physician stopped mid-sentence, unwilling to continue.

Wu Shanggui’s eyes burned red, chilling fury gleaming within. His teeth ground audibly. "What about the tendons and bones in my limbs? How are they?"

The physicians trembled again, cautiously answering, "General, your tendons and bones are broken. According to our medical knowledge..." One glanced up at Wu Shanggui, who bore a fierce glare, then quickly lowered his eyes in fear.

"We... can only do our best to ease your pain... but beyond that... we are powerless."

With a loud crash, Wu Shanggui hurled the cup to the floor, shattering it. "Li Mu Chen!" he snarled, his face twisted with rage, his temple throbbing, molars grinding to shards. "I will kill you!"

His outburst terrified everyone present. Even his wife and son dared not approach him. The physicians, doctors, and servants cowered in the corners, barely daring to breathe.

In his excessive fury, Wu Shanggui’s wound tore open again. Blood gushed forth, and he fainted once more.

As Wu Shanggui lost consciousness, the physicians and doctors finally breathed a sigh of relief. They hurried to staunch the bleeding, dress the wound, and treat him. Once done, they all dared not linger at the Wu residence.

Citing the need to return to the palace to report, the physicians left, and the doctors followed suit. Lady Wu, exhausted from the day’s turmoil, could barely stand and retreated to her quarters to rest.

The Wu estate, after a day of chaos, fell into silence as Wu Shanggui slept.

...

Several days later, in the imperial palace of Datan Kingdom.

Today marked the sixth day since Li Mu Chen and his mother and sister took the Immortal Bone Elixir. Li Mu Chen’s body had yet to show any significant changes.

"System, come out quickly."

[Host, what’s the matter?]

"I’ve been taking the Immortal Bone Elixir for six days now. Why haven’t I undergone any transformation?"

"My mother and sister haven’t shown any noticeable changes either."

Li Mu Chen felt increasingly uneasy. He asked, "Could it be that this Immortal Bone Elixir is a fake?"

[Nonsense!]

[System products are always premium.]

"Well, I don’t understand. If it’s genuine, why haven’t any of us experienced even a single effect?"

"System—I’m telling you!"

"Don’t tell me! You’re just fooling me? You gave me a counterfeit instead of the real Immortal Bone Elixir?!"

Li Mu Chen’s words made the system silently roll its eyes.

[Rest assured, host.]

[I guarantee: the Immortal Bone Elixir is authentic.]

Li Mu Chen gave a skeptical look, still half in doubt.

"Then explain—why haven’t we seen any results?"

[Ahem!]

[My guess is that you three siblings are too weak to start with.]

[The elixir needs time to be absorbed and transformed inside your bodies.]

Li Mu Chen gently rubbed his chin, hesitating, "Oh? Is that really so?"

[Ahem!]

[That’s definitely it.]

Just as Li Mu Chen was about to ask more, a eunuch suddenly rushed into the Xuanzheng Hall, dropping to his knees in the center.

"Your Majesty—bad news!"

"Princess Pingyang has suddenly begun vomiting uncontrollably, and she’s vomiting blood..."