WangXian Forever 7

Chapter 34 Medicine

On their way to the library, Wei Ying saw the infirmary and pulled Lan Zhan along, excitedly.

"I bet Li XiWang is having fun trying to find a cure. Let's see what she's up to."

"Mn." Lan Zhan loved seeing Wei Ying like this, full of boyish exuberance. Even if they were in a place that neither cared for, he was making the best of the situation and would do his best to help. It didn't matter to him whether a person was deserving or not; if they needed help, he was there.

They pushed open the door to find Li XiWang sitting on the floor making notes while the healers were giving her a wide berth. It was almost as if they couldn't see her, or were doing their best to ignore her presence.

Wei Ying crouched down next to her.

"What's up, Little rabbit?"

She looked up at him, and then the healers and rolled her eyes.

"Aren't they listening to you?" He whispered.

She shook her head.

"I know why: they think I'm a little kid who doesn't know anything. But father, they're not listening at all!"

"Alright. Do you want me to have a word with them?" Wei Ying refrained from taking her into his lap, or trying to comfort her in any way, because if the healers were to respect Li XiWang in any way for her skills, it would not do for them to show her in a less than professional light. But he patted her back anyway.

"No, I think we have to show them that my cure is more effective." She replied, showing him her notes. "But this would be better if I had a sample of the pink gunk. If we can show real results, that would be conclusive proof, right? Then they'd have to listen."

"We do have a sample!" Wei Ying thought back to the first day they were here. "Jin Ling, can you please go and fetch the puzzle box? The one that had the pink slime in it?"

Jin Ling hurried off while Wei Ying turned to her notes.

"We should cure him fast, right father?"

"Definitely. I can't imagine how he's feeling. When we get colds it's horrible, and we don't even have that gunk stuffing up our sinuses."

"My point too, plus father, what does he eat? And what are we going to do if he gets hungry?" Li XiWang pointed to her formula. "My recipe has a higher concentration of menthol in it, because that will help to clear his airways, and whatever we're planning has to be times by twenty. But I also think, given the severity of his condition, maybe the medicine has to be given to him two or three times a day."

"And what's the difference between your cure and theirs?" Wei Ying looked up at their massive cauldron. It was bubbling away on the stove with a weird smell coming from it. There was even a layer of blue smoke resting above the surface.

It looked odd.

"Where's yours?" Wei Ying asked her.

"They won't let me cook at the same time." She made a face. "I thought we were helping them?"

"We are, even if they're kicking and screaming about it." Wei Ying grinned at her. "Can you make enough just to use on the sample? Once we prove our point, we can get them to make the bigger batch." He stood up and held out his hand. "Come on. Let's find our ingredients and make a portion."

She beamed at him and followed him around the kitchen part of the infirmary. The healers didn't want to help them and it showed on their faces, but they had to be polite so it was grudgingly given. Wei Ying did not let their reluctance hinder what he wanted to accomplish, and he knew Li XiWang would have felt overwhelmed by their negative attitude.

Jin Ling came back then and handed him the box, while Li XiWang added the finishing touches to her potion. Then Wei Ying called the healers over to the table in the centre of the room.

"Please bring your sample too." He told them in a friendly voice, trying not to lose patience with them. "This is what we're going to do." He explained his idea, and before they could reject it, he sent his resentment energy to open the box again. The healers visibly shrunk back from the pink slime once it was uncovered, and Wei Ying was immensely proud of Li XiWang that she did not.

They sliced the sludge in half using the same dark energy, something the healers were already frightened about, and then Li XiWang applied the healers cure first to one half. To their surprise, the pink sludge halved in size, and the healers began to congratulate themselves.

Then Li XiWang added hers to the other half. These results were conclusively shocking, because the pink slime began retreating immediately but the medicine behaved as if it had teeth and was not going to let go. Within seconds, there was nothing left on the petri dish.

The healers murmured between themselves, and then one stepped forward.

"We concede. Your cure is more effective...and please would you share the recipe?"

Li XiWang grinned broadly and gave it to them.

"Do you want to stay here or come with us to the library, Little rabbit?" Wei Ying asked her.

They no longer needed to stay because humble pie had been served.

"Can I come with you? Maybe I can help?"

"Mn." Lan Zhan helped her gather her things.

One of the healers came towards them.

"If you wanted to stay...we would welcome your presence. And perhaps we underestimated your skill. We apologise for that."

"That's okay." Li XiWang took Wei Ying's hand.

"Would you like to return after we have made the potion? We would be honoured if you could check whether it's correct or not."

"Just send word to the library." Wei Ying told them.

And they left for the library together.