The disciples around the room looked at each other and muttered softly whispered to each other. Xui'er turned her eyes to Chun Yi and she could sense the confusion in the girl's face.
"What the hell is that, and how is that different from an antidote or a cure?" The same Master who told her to speak pointed out.
Xiu'er took one smile with a twinkle in her eyes.
"Let me ask you this, what is the definition of an antidote or a cure? It is a medicine that uses the guiding herb that was originally used in the poison to make a concoction that drives away the poison when administered to the host. An antidote or a cure is something that works for every single person, no matter who it is. Now, in order to find an antidote or a cure, the person must first suffer from a poison. After studying how the poison works from the Holy Cursed Lady on Kun Shang and a small child…" Xiu'er paused and her face dropped. Talking about Yaoyao still hurt her. She bit her bottom lip and forced everything back: the image of Yaoyao, the feeling of playing with the little girl, the girl's fingers on her hair. Everything. She must be strong for Yaoyao.
"After studying how the poison works, I found that it did not initially act as how normal poisons should. It attacks the internal energy of the host as if the host had been struck in a battle. When it attacks, it only attacks the exact meridian the host uses to replenish their qi and also the weakest qi point in their body. With the circulation of the meridian blocked, the host cannot summon qi to heal the body from the inside. After the circulation is blocked, the poison will then start to act like poison and seep into the major organs, causing the blood to freeze, resulting in the shut down of organs, followed by a seizure, then a heart attack, then finally they die.
"Depending on the person's internal energy, that person has 10 minutes up to 18 hours to live. I've seen both. The curse strikes fast, and the curse is incurable. The only reason I could save Kun Shang was because each individual must be treated differently based on the weakest qi point in their body. Because of this fact, it is impossible to find an antidote or a cure that works for everyone, but it is possible to find a permanent treatment based on their weakest qi point and save their lives.
"Since Kun Shang's spiritual nature was fire based, his weakest qi point was the spring points of the large intestine meridian. In other cases, water. In order to save Kun Shang, his body must be submerged in ice cold water using the Heart Cleansing Spring. The Spring slows down the spread of the poison from reaching his heart, and the spiritual energy of the Spring was able to open up his meridian and qi points to once again start to naturally heal the body."
There was a long silence in the guest hall that harbored a heavy aura. Everything that Xiu'er just said was still confusing and very dense for most of them to unravel. Not many were equipped with the background knowledge to fully understand her medical explanation so the silence was for them to take in all the information.
No one had ever thought that after 18 long years, the incurable curse from Hidden Butterfly Valley had finally been broken and it took place in their Sect. For the longest time, famous physicians don't dare to venture out on such a dangerous task as to risk their own lives to find the cure for a poison that worked so well it was deemed a curse.
"Impressive." The Grandmaster finally spoke. "And you did all of this as a farmer growing medical herbs who doesn't have a Master, but learns from occasional physicians?" The Grandmaster's tone was absolutely sarcastic. She did not believe Xiu'er's family background one bit.
"I did all of this with the help of a little friend, who unfortunately lost her life for me to discover this." Xiu'er didn't bat an eye from the Grandmaster's face, but she could tell that Chun Yi was remorseful.
At least she still had a bit of humanity in her, Xiu'er thought.
"You have put every single physician in martial arts to shame. Do you honestly think I believe you are a simple farmer?"
"I don't expect you to believe anything. Yanwei has many people who study the art of medicine and grow herbs instead of foraging from the mountains. I think we both know that very well. Yes, I do not have a Master but I did grow up in an environment where every other person was a skilled physician. So either you believe me or not, it's up to you." Xiu'er never left her gaze from the Grandmaster. She lifted her chin slightly to emphasize how calm and confident she was.
It worked because the Grandmaster dropped this topic and asked something else.
"I do have another question," the Grandmaster said. "A Sect as secluded as ours we barely step foot down the mountain for worldly affairs. Nor do we welcome frequent visitors, as you can already tell. How is it that you know about the Heart Cleansing Spring?"