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Suppress the emotions.
Revive reason.
The person lying in front of him isnt the emperor. Hes just a patient. First, save him. Focus only on that thought.
Raciel cracked his eyes open a bit. His head felt cool, his touch remained calm. The skill he had perfected wasnt a matter of contemplation, but a refined instinct.
Thud! Thud! Thud!
He inserted the needle. The first point he targeted was the emperors Shengn point.
Ah!
The surprised sound of the attendant echoed. It made sense. The Shengn point is just below the eye. Its located by feeling the bony edge beneath the center of the eyeball. He had inserted a large needle into it.
First, I need to regulate the movent of Qi in this area.
This point, known as Shengn, serves as the starting point of the Stomach ridian of the Foot-Yangming channel, also called Wei Zu Yang Ming Zhi Mai. In simpler terms, its a landmark that indicates the beginning of a ridian.
So, it must be managed from this point, especially in critical patients. He was about to deliberately alter the Qi flow. The rest of the ridian needed to be prepared by signaling the Qi from the starting point. If not, and if you manipulate the most crucial ridian of a weak patient right away?
Itd be a disaster, like sprinting a 100-ter race and downing a bowl of ran with pork belly right after waking up, or slamming the gas pedal to the red zone imdiately after starting a car in the middle of winter, damaging the engine.
Ultimately, the entire ridian gets disturbed. The Qi flow within the ridian becos erratic and unstable. What happens next?
Its chaos. No matter how accurately you position the needles, its pointless. Once Qi becos disrupted, its impossible to artificially control it until it naturally stabilizes.
In other words, the intended impact of acupuncture, which artificially governs ridian flow, is nullified. It rely turns into tornt, needling a patient whos already unwell. Raciel took a deliberate breath, steadying himself.
Slowly, deeply.
Inhale five tis.
Exhale five tis.
He waited until the Qi shift through Shengn propagated along the Stomach ridian of the Foot-Yangming, preparing the entire ridian. Then he began the actual needling. Next, he aid for a point a fingers width beneath Shengn, called Sibai.
Thud!
Beneath the eyeball. Where the protruding bone slightly recedes. The needle went 2 fen deep into the infraorbital foran of the emperor. Raciels hand didnt halt there.
Thud! Thud!
He also needled the Juli on the outer corner of the eye wrinkle, the Dikuang beside the mouth, and the Daying and Jialiao on the lower jaw. With pinpoint precision, he inserted the needles precisely. His sole objective was to regulate the blood flow to the site of the clot in the emperors brain, the anterior inferior cerebellar artery.
I must regulate the blood flow heading there.
Too much blood flow all at once must be avoided. If the clot were to suddenly dissolve, an excessive amount of blood would rush into the already injured stroke area.
Then youd get reperfusion injury. It could even worsen the situation. The blood-brain barrier is already severely damaged due to the prolonged lack of blood supply. If the blood suddenly surges in, that area will definitely rupture, spreading uncontrollably like a dam breaking.
That would be the end.
The concern wouldnt be about after-effects. It would be about preserving life. Raciel absolutely didnt want to confront this worst-case scenario.
So this process must be ticulous.
Thud! Thud!
Mind focused.
Eyes relaxed.
Fingertips precise.
He needled the Xia Guan below the cheekbones edge. And the Tou Wei right above the hairline on the forehead. He observed the changes using the ridian scanning option.
Thanks to that, he saw it.
Zzzzzz!
The mana of the stimulated ridian responded. It reacted, pulsed, creating a small ripple.
The ripple flowed along the Stomach ridian of Foot-Yangming, reaching the Ren Ying point near the carotid artery in the neck. The ripple that entered Ren Ying hit the carotid artery, interfering with the blood flow.
The blood flow slowed a bit.
The heartbeat followed suit.
Ive achieved it.
Raciel clenched his fist. The blood flow seed to have decreased by around 20%.
Good. Zanetics freezing magic is just right. Hypothermia is maintained at a safe level. Ive successfully managed the blood flow too. Theres hope.
He had done what he could. He had tried his best. Maybe theres a glimr of hope now.
So be it.
He wished sincerely. He had done everything he could. To avoid reperfusion injury, he employed hypothermia treatnt and acupuncture, and administered Minotaur Clear Heart Pill to dissolve the clot. The rest was up to fate and the emperors vitality.
Just like the monts of that day he wished to forget.
Raciel forcibly pushed down the resurfacing fragnts of mories. Since that ti, he had been at the emperors side.
From morning to afternoon. Until the sun waned and the moon ascended. In the quiet space where everyone was kept at bay, he vigilantly monitored the emperors condition.
To ensure the blood flow didnt beco excessive. To prevent bedsores from forming on the emperors body. In case any signs of change appeared or a critical situation erged. With a worried heart and an anxious mind, he strained to not miss a single breath.
And so, at midnight, it rained. In the early dawn, thunder and lightning roared. He dozed in the soft morning light, jolting awake suddenly, looking swiftly at the emperor and releasing a sigh of relief. It had been a lengthy and silent struggle and battle.
But Raciel didnt give up. Even when fatigue numbed him, he vowed to endure a little longer.
Every ti, old mories resurfaced, like his fathers face lying in the ICU. Back then, he had stayed up all night, hoping his father might wake up and smile as if nothing had happened. Then, he would ask for his allowance, just like always.
He had wished for that, watching and praying. Yet, it was in vain. Eventually, his father didnt open his eyes, nor smile, nor crack a silly joke.
Initially, he was too shocked to cry. That feeling lingered throughout the three-day mourning period. It all felt surreal. Then, after the cremation, when he received the wooden box containing his fathers ashes.
The box felt warm, surprisingly so. He hadnt prepared himself for that mont. Suddenly, like a child, he broke down into tears.
He despised that. He never wanted to experience it again. Every ti fatigue gripped his body, sleepiness tried to engulf him, or consciousness threatened to fade, he made a vow to himself, a harsh promise.
He brushed off his bodys signals of distress and ignored the concerns and admonitions of those around him. He simply endured, and endured so more.
Finally, morning arrived.
Once more, the sun ascended.
Illuminating the noon brilliantly.
Until it dipped beneath the western horizon.
The first sign of the emperors recovery beca apparent as the crescent moon danced with unfamiliar constellations in the early dawn.
Uhm
Suddenly, a peculiar sound reached his ears. Raciel, who had been napping, jolted awake. Initially, he thought he might have misheard. But he hadnt.
Uh, uhm
What?
Raciel snapped to full attention. He swiftly sat up. At that mont, he could see it.
Its done.
Through ridian scanning, he witnessed the world of blood vessels. The clot that had obstructed the emperors brain was gone. The surrounding tissues? No additional damage was evident. He had managed to prevent reperfusion injury nearly entirely.
As if confirming it, the emperors visage began to transform. The face that had contorted due to paralyzed muscles. The crumpled expression. The pallor. They were reverting to their original state.
Slowly, assuredly.
Like a glimr of hope breaking through.
Unfolding step by step.
Much like the smile he once bore. Like the laughter he once elicited. Gradually, it transford into a peaceful countenance. Soon, his eyes began to crack open faintly.
For a brief mont, the emperor pondered.
Where am I? Why do I feel so drained? The questions suddenly floated into his mind. However, simultaneously, he sensed the answers. Through the Core technique, he could vaguely grasp what had transpired.
It was indeed an odd sensation. A hazy consciousness and blurred vision. A world enshrouded in mist. People around him re silhouettes. Yet among them, one figure stood out vividly.
The person who held his hand with both of his. A delicate child who seed as if the worlds weight could crumble him at any instant. His son, the one who had caused him concern all his life.
It was Raciel.
It was him.
He saved him today.
He knew it when he felt his touch and warmth. He realized it when their gazes t. Until the mont he opened his eyes, he had been ensnared in a nightmare.
It had all been a dark snowfield.
Lost within that snowfield.
It was overpowering.
It was terror-inducing.
And then, there was a mont.
Soone stood beside him. They had approached through the dark snowfield, silently, gently, guarding him.
Throughout morning, afternoon, sunsets, moonrises, midnight rains, thunder at dawn, clear light of dawn, and sunsets once again, they stood beside him.
Thanks to their unwavering presence, he hadnt surrendered. He managed to break free from the suffocating despair of that snowfield. Ultimately, he opened his eyes and arrived at this very mont. He finally understood. The person beside him was Raciel. His eldest son, who had often been a source of concern, extended his hand and pulled him up.
He didnt know the how, but he felt that sothing had transpired.
Hence, he felt gratitude.
Regret.
And a sense of sha.
He could faintly grasp what his son had done for him. It was both astonishing and humbling. He had evolved into a much better person than he had believed, yet he seed to be the only one unaware of that fact.
Such a realization was painfully humbling.
Thank you
Looking at his son with barely opened eyes, he added strength to their joined hands. It was a weak gesture, but it was his way of conveying his emotions.
Its alright. Dont strain yourself. Just rest.
Raciels gentle voice. Upon hearing it, his heart eased, and at last, the emperor felt a tranquil sense of relief. Gradually, he succumbed to a peaceful slumber.
Huu.
A sigh of relief escaped Raciels lips. He released the emperors hand and brushed away the goosebumps that had ford.
Im not your son.
But the expression in his eyes and the curve of his smile seed to regard him as the dearest person in the world. Thats what triggered the goosebumps. He forced a smile.
I feel inexplicably guilty. But the tender smile of the old man lying on the sickbed. I detest it, I detest it. Eeek.
Dont dwell on it; it might haunt your dreams. Focus on the satisfaction of successfully rescuing the emperor.
With a renewed determination, Raciel rose to his feet and beckoned the attendant with a dry voice. He conveyed that the crisis was over and the emperor needed rest, then swiftly departed. Truthfully, he wished to escape that place as soon as possible.
Still tingling with goosebumps and shivers, haunted by the decade-old remorse.
If only he had rushed a bit faster that day. If only he had picked up the call slightly sooner that day. If only he had arrived on schedule that day. If only he hadnt been delayed in reaching out to grasp his fathers hand. If only he could have bid him farewell on his final journey.
.Ha.
He couldnt bear it any longer.
He dashed into the corridor.
He looked upward, glaring at the ceiling for an extended while. Strangely, the tip of his nose began to sting. In a hallway adorned with ceiling and walls, oddly enough, raindrops descended.
Undoubtedly, it was a peculiar occurrence.
(To be Continued)
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