Imperial Physician Xue's words made the Three Little Ones' hearts race, afraid he would deliver some bad news.
Imperial Physician Xue glanced out the window, then silently picked up a pen and paper, writing a few words on the same paper where he had written the prescription.
Li Xuan also silently jumped down from the beam, standing on the table to watch the words Imperial Physician Xue wrote.
"Years ago, I diagnosed Her Highness, and at that time, this old man asserted that Her Highness could at most live to eighteen."
"But now, for some unknown reason, Her Highness's body has become much healthier than before..."
Writing this, Imperial Physician Xue couldn't help but look at Princess Ankang, then at Li Xuan.
He noticed that joy appeared on their faces, but Imperial Physician Xue's face held no smile; instead, he was frowning with worry.
Then, he continued to write:
"Her Highness is twelve this year, isn't she?"
Seeing this sentence, Princess Ankang silently nodded.
Receiving a confirmed answer, Imperial Physician Xue hesitated for a moment, but in the end, he still wrote down his conclusion.
"But this old man now believes that Her Highness's situation is probably not optimistic."
"It's even critical!"
Seeing the last four words written by Imperial Physician Xue, the Three Little Ones all widened their eyes in shock.
Especially Li Xuan, his face filled with disbelief, his body couldn't help but start trembling slightly.
"Did all my efforts actually harm Ankang?"
Li Xuan couldn't believe such a fact.
"Li Xuan, it's alright."
Princess Ankang suddenly said softly, gently stroking the somewhat agitated Li Xuan.
Seeing the expressions of the Three Little Ones, Imperial Physician Xue was unwilling to keep them in suspense and continued to write his judgment on the paper.
"Although I don't know how Her Highness's body became as healthy as it is now."
"But the threat within Her Highness's body has also grown stronger."
"According to Her Highness's original constitution, she shouldn't have been able to hold on until now."
"Therefore, this old man wants to ask Her Highness, have you not had your old ailment recently?"
"That is, the symptoms of chills, weakness, and blurred consciousness that Her Highness experienced as a child."
After Imperial Physician Xue finished writing, he put down his pen and quietly waited for Princess Ankang's reply.
How could the Three Little Ones not be clear about the ailment Imperial Physician Xue mentioned?
From childhood, Princess Ankang had been constantly plagued by these symptoms, making her body weaker day by day.
And Li Xuan knew even more clearly that this was actually the periodic outburst of the coldness within Princess Ankang's body.
At this moment, Li Xuan seemed to understand what Imperial Physician Xue meant earlier by saying that although Princess Ankang was healthy, her life was in critical danger.
Princess Ankang's body had indeed become healthier than before, but the coldness erupting within her had also grown stronger.
According to Imperial Physician Xue's judgment, Princess Ankang should have long since been unable to withstand such an intense outburst of coldness.
However, Imperial Physician Xue did not know that Li Xuan would absorb the coldness for Princess Ankang in advance every time, giving the coldness no chance to erupt on its own.
This suggests that Li Xuan's cultivation with Princess Ankang and his absorption of her internal coldness were effective.
As long as it could continue, Princess Ankang's body would inevitably become healthier and healthier.
But conversely, the coldness within Princess Ankang's body might also continuously strengthen as she recovered her health.
Having understood this, Li Xuan immediately took the pen and wrote on the paper:
"With her current body, can she withstand a single outburst of coldness?"
To this, Imperial Physician Xue firmly shook his head.
Imperial Physician Xue had also become serious at this point; he was now not merely fulfilling his agreement with Li Xuan, but also studying a case he had never seen before.
He wrote his judgment on the paper.
"Certain death!"
These four words sent a chill through the hearts of the Three Little Ones simultaneously; Yu'er even felt her vision blur and almost lost her footing, swaying.
Princess Ankang, quick-witted, immediately helped Yu'er up and then assisted her to sit down beside them.
Yu'er's hands trembled slightly, her face filled with fear.
She had thought that Princess Ankang had become increasingly vibrant recently, even able to walk freely, and thus believed that Princess Ankang's body was getting healthier and her old ailments were no longer a concern.
But she never expected that Princess Ankang's situation had reached such a critical point.
If it were someone else saying it, it might be one thing, but it was Imperial Physician Xue himself who gave them this diagnosis.
If one were to ask who had the highest medical skills in the Imperial Hospital, everyone would probably blurt out Imperial Physician Xue's name without hesitation.
It was precisely Imperial Physician Xue's reputation that caused Yu'er to fall into a state of panic and helplessness for a time.
"The threat within Her Highness's body has become unprecedentedly powerful."
"This is a problem of innate constitution; this old man is incompetent and helpless in this regard."
"Previously, this old man's approach was to reduce the threat within Her Highness's body and then completely eliminate it, but I struggled to find a suitable method."
"But judging from Her Highness's current situation, fortunately, this old man was incompetent back then, which is why I did not harm Her Highness's life."
Imperial Physician Xue was writing rapidly at this point, clearly having entered a state of excitement.
The Three Little Ones were utterly confused by this, not understanding what Imperial Physician Xue meant.
Imperial Physician Xue continued to write:
"If this old man had indeed completely removed the threat within Her Highness's body back then, Her Highness's physical condition would likely have deteriorated sharply, leading to certain death."
Li Xuan felt that the threat Imperial Physician Xue spoke of should refer to the coldness within Princess Ankang's body.
But this coldness was too strange; if it was weak, Princess Ankang's body would remain very weak, in a state of waiting for death.
If it was strong, it would actually directly threaten Princess Ankang's life through an outburst, even leading to a faster death.
It was simply a no-win situation!
"What exactly is Ankang's constitution?"
Li Xuan asked Imperial Physician Xue.
But to this, Imperial Physician Xue merely shook his head silently, unable to answer.
That was right, if Imperial Physician Xue knew what Princess Ankang's constitution was, with his medical skills, he wouldn't be so helpless.
However, Imperial Physician Xue's medical expertise also provided the Three Little Ones with much useful information.
If they hadn't known Princess Ankang's current state, they might have done something they would deeply regret.
Not long ago, Princess Ankang had even suggested postponing Li Xuan's absorption of the coldness within her body, depending on the situation, to ensure Li Xuan's safety.
But now it seemed that this was absolutely not permissible.
If the coldness within Princess Ankang's body were to erupt even once during that time, everything would be over.
This was a price Li Xuan absolutely could not bear.
"How often does the coldness within Ankang's body erupt?"
Li Xuan then asked.
To this question, Imperial Physician Xue did not answer immediately, but thought for a long time before giving a rough guess.
"Based on the previous threat level and frequency of attacks, it should now erupt at least once a month."
But then, Imperial Physician Xue continued to add on the paper:
"But this is merely this old man's guess; Her Highness's life is only one, and we cannot gamble."
The Three Little Ones were all silent; Imperial Physician Xue spoke an undeniable truth.
It was also fortunate that Li Xuan had not been negligent before, otherwise, if he had been late by a few days at any point, allowing the coldness within Princess Ankang's body to erupt on its own, Li Xuan dared not imagine the consequences.
However, Li Xuan also had his own guess in his heart: if the coldness within Princess Ankang's body were to erupt and he happened to be nearby, he should still be able to suppress it.
The fear was that the coldness within Princess Ankang's body would erupt when Li Xuan was not present.
The atmosphere in the room immediately became heavy, and everyone remained silent.
Seeing that Li Xuan no longer asked questions, Imperial Physician Xue proactively asked:
"Her Highness, could you tell this old man how your body recovered?"
Imperial Physician Xue's eyes were filled with a thirst for knowledge.
Princess Ankang did not answer, merely glancing at Li Xuan; seeing no reaction from him, she lowered her head and remained silent.
But Imperial Physician Xue, having lived for so many years, did not miss the movement of Princess Ankang's gaze.
Imperial Physician Xue immediately looked at Li Xuan and wrote another line.
"You must promise me, otherwise, the agreement between you and me, I cannot fulfill!"
Li Xuan frowned, not expecting Imperial Physician Xue's attitude to become so firm.
Then, Imperial Physician Xue also gave his explanation.
"If you borrow my name, then whenever Her Highness has an incident in the future, I will also have to bear responsibility, and it's not impossible for me to be buried with Her Highness at that time."
"But I am still willing to cooperate with you, as long as you can tell me how you made Her Highness's body recover."
This was something none of the Three Little Ones had considered.
After all, they had only just learned about Princess Ankang's current situation.
Indeed, Imperial Physician Xue was not wrong; if Imperial Physician Xue's name were used as the reason for Princess Ankang's body becoming increasingly healthier in the future.
When the day came that something happened to Princess Ankang, Imperial Physician Xue would certainly have to bear the primary responsibility.
This was also something Li Xuan had not considered before.
Princess Ankang and Yu'er both silently looked at Li Xuan; this matter could only be decided by him.
The two maids were willing to unconditionally support Li Xuan's decision.
Li Xuan's face showed hesitation, then he paced back and forth on the table, but his gaze remained fixed on Imperial Physician Xue.
Suddenly, Li Xuan's tail lightly brushed Imperial Physician Xue's neck. By the time Imperial Physician Xue reacted, Li Xuan had already retracted his tail.
Imperial Physician Xue belatedly touched his slightly itchy neck, but immediately understood Li Xuan's meaning.
"Don't worry, I know it's easy for you to kill me."
Imperial Physician Xue wrote this sentence on the paper, then quickly showed it to Li Xuan.
"This old man."
Li Xuan could tell that Imperial Physician Xue only cared about the answer to that question and wasn't so concerned about other things.
After confirming that Imperial Physician Xue understood his threat, Li Xuan also told him the secret of Princess Ankang's recovery.
Li Xuan had originally intended this matter to be a secret known only to the Three Little Ones.
However, through Imperial Physician Xue's diagnosis today, Li Xuan had to admit that for Princess Ankang to have a greater chance of a complete recovery in the future, they needed Imperial Physician Xue's help.
If not for Imperial Physician Xue's professional diagnosis today, the Three Little Ones would still be immersed in the joy of Princess Ankang becoming healthy, completely unaware that Princess Ankang's body had reached such a dangerous state.
Moreover, Imperial Physician Xue's medical skills truly had something to them.
Although he wasn't entirely clear about the existence of the cold energy, he could describe the cold energy in Princess Ankang's body as a "threat" and diagnose it as the main reason threatening Princess Ankang's life.
If everything had gone smoothly, Li Xuan naturally wouldn't have shared such a secret with Imperial Physician Xue, but now they needed Imperial Physician Xue's help.
The room was so quiet that a pin could be heard dropping. Imperial Physician Xue carefully read the characters Li Xuan wrote, constantly stroking his beard with one hand, clearly not as calm as he appeared at the moment.
After Li Xuan wrote the last character, explaining how he helped Princess Ankang absorb the cold energy in her body, Imperial Physician Xue immediately closed his eyes and began to ponder.
After a while, he raised a hand and silently waved it, then eagerly took the brush and began communicating with Li Xuan.
"You said that by having Her Highness cultivate, you stimulate the cold energy in Her Highness's body to erupt, and then you lie on her Dantian to absorb the erupting cold energy."
"After this cold energy is absorbed by you, it will consume the Ice-Cold Breath in your body, making you extremely weak, but it will also make the Ice-Cold Breath purer after it recovers. When the cold energy is strong, there is even a possibility of it being life-threatening."
"Moreover, as Her Highness's body continues to recover, the cold energy in Her Highness's body is also strengthening. If your cultivation cannot keep up with the cold energy, both you and Her Highness will face a certain death."
Imperial Physician Xue briefly summarized the content Li Xuan had written earlier.
It must be said that Imperial Physician Xue was indeed professional, quickly grasping the key points in Li Xuan's explanation.
But then, Imperial Physician Xue shook his head repeatedly and continued to write furiously:
"There must be a key element that you have overlooked."
"When Her Highness was young, she once suffered a serious illness, and this old man also treated Her Highness, but was completely helpless."
"At that time, His Majesty also summoned many Great Inner Experts, but nothing worked."
"And the Ice-Cold Breath you mentioned, as far as I know, is not a rare thing."
"The Zhao Feng lineage basically all cultivate it, and he and Chief Steward Shang are both top experts. If you can use Ice-Cold Breath to absorb the cold energy for Princess Ankang, they certainly can too."
"And the Zhao Feng lineage is absolutely loyal to His Majesty and would never feign compliance with His Majesty's orders."
"That is to say, the key here is definitely not the Ice-Cold Breath that is completely consumed each time you absorb cold energy for Her Highness."
"At least, it's certainly not just that!"
Writing this, Imperial Physician Xue excitedly stood up, pacing back and forth in the room, his mind racing at full speed, pondering the current problem.
The Three Little Ones could all see that although Imperial Physician Xue was perplexed, he was extremely excited, as if the problem that stumped him had ignited his passion for inquiry.
After walking for a while, Imperial Physician Xue allowed his excitement to cool down slightly.
He quickly plopped down in front of Li Xuan, then excitedly wrote:
"Think carefully."
"There must be a crucial factor."
"That makes you different from Zhao Feng and others who also cultivate Ice-Cold Breath, allowing you to absorb the cold energy in Princess Ankang's body, and also allowing the Ice-Cold Breath to become purer after absorbing the cold energy in Princess Ankang's body."
"All power does not form without reason, nor does it disappear without reason!"
This sentence was also the core of Imperial Physician Xue's medical philosophy.
He viewed all illnesses as an imbalance of some kind of power; as long as the balance point was restored, the illness would naturally disappear.
Imperial Physician Xue had been compiling medical books for many years, and only in recent years had the core of his philosophy gradually become clear.
And now, Imperial Physician Xue could feel that Princess Ankang's current condition was crucial to the medical book he was compiling.
But what vexed Imperial Physician Xue was that this crucial point still remained a mystery to him, making it impossible for him to see clearly, only a hazy blur.
But he trusted his intuition, believing that when he could see through this fog, it would be the day his medical philosophy reached its culmination.
At that time, the medical book that had been delayed for so many years and remained unfinished might finally be completed within his lifetime.
The importance of this matter to Imperial Physician Xue was self-evident, and it was no wonder he was so excited.
If Zhao Feng hadn't still been outside, he would have long since given in to his excitement and dragged Princess Ankang and Li Xuan to his Imperial Hospital for thorough research.
And Li Xuan, prompted by Imperial Physician Xue's question, couldn't help but ponder carefully.
He had never really thought deeply about this matter before, only happy that Princess Ankang could slowly recover with his help.
"What makes me different from other Ice-Cold Breath cultivators?"
"Isn't the most obvious point that I am a cat, and the others are humans?"
"Besides that, it's my extraordinary talent."
"And then…"
Thinking about this question wasn't difficult for Li Xuan.
Because Deng Weixian, who started martial arts at the same time as him, could serve as a reference.
Li Xuan and Deng Weixian progressed at a similar pace at the beginning, and they cultivated the same techniques, so they had considerable comparability.
But no matter how he thought about it, aside from his inherent race and talent, he seemed to have no other differences in his cultivation.
One thing Li Xuan could be certain of.
Being able to help Princess Ankang absorb cold energy definitely happened after he began cultivating.
In the past, Princess Ankang often had very uncomfortable times.
Thinking about it now, these were all active eruptions of the cold energy in her body after it had fully accumulated.
Li Xuan had also accompanied Princess Ankang during such times, even climbing into her bed to warm her, but never before had he been able to absorb the cold energy from Princess Ankang's body.
"It was cultivation that brought the opportunity to help Ankang absorb cold energy."
"But what exactly makes me special compared to others? Is it really an innate difference?"
Li Xuan thought for a long time but couldn't find an answer.
Because with Deng Weixian, a normal human martial artist, as a reference, Li Xuan could clearly compare the differences between himself and others who cultivated Ice-Cold Breath during the cultivation process.
Li Xuan lay on the table, deep in thought, while Princess Ankang and Yu'er gently stroked Li Xuan.
They could both feel how anxious Li Xuan was at that moment.
Imperial Physician Xue, however, was not anxious; his eyes glowed green as he stared at Li Xuan, awaiting his answer.
But just then, Princess Ankang and Yu'er suddenly felt Li Xuan's body move, and he immediately got up from the table.
Li Xuan's eyes widened as he thought of a crucial point he had always overlooked.
Imperial Physician Xue saw his reaction and knew that Li Xuan had thought of something, so he quickly pointed to the paper on the table, eagerly anticipating the answer he was about to write.
Li Xuan didn't hesitate; he immediately wrapped his tail around the brush and quickly wrote four large characters on the paper:
"Linhu Essence Blood!"