Mythical Three Kingdoms-Chapter 1816 - 1683: Return to Action (Part 2)

"What about being a prisoner? I haven’t lost my strength. I can still fight. I can still fight for my lord!" Zhou Tai spoke with a mix of sorrow and determination, then solemnly bowed to Hua Tuo and Zhang Zhongjing, "Thank you both for healing me. I shall now head north to guard the frontier for our country."

Zhou Tai dared not think about Sun Ce’s situation after his defeat. The proud youth, the man who pacified Eastern Wu and governed the Jingchu region, must be living in agony now.

And as for the heroic and ever-confident Zhou Yu, he probably fared no better. Of their former comrades in arms, how many still walked the mortal world? Zhou Tai suddenly realized, in a daze, that he awoke too late and missed too much.

"Cough, cough, I was just teasing you just now," Zhang Jii poked his head out again and said, "Sun Bofu is indeed in the north fighting the Huns, but he’s completely fine."

At this moment, Zhang Jii clearly saw Zhou Tai’s facial muscles twitch, and couldn’t help but laugh heartily, "Congratulations on your recovery, Youping! Find a place to sit, and I’ll tell you what happened in these years before you make a decision."

Zhang Jii’s storytelling was average, but he conveyed what needed to be said. Zhou Tai looked at his hands and murmured, "Did my lord personally send me here?"

"Yes, Sun Bofu personally sent you over, so we all knew you’d surely return to him once you awoke. That we couldn’t stop," Zhang Jii said, looking at Zhou Tai.

Hua Tuo and Zhang Jii had kept Zhou Tai suppressed for this reason; the awakened Zhou Tai would rather die here than idly watch Liu Bei unify the land, simply because among Liu Bei’s opponents was Sun Ce, who risked his life to save him. For a man like Zhou Tai, repaying such a debt could only be done with his own life.

Initially, Hua Tuo and Zhang Jii were prepared to suppress Zhou Tai until the world was unified, seeing that with Liu Bei’s ambition, Sun Ce might be spared, at which time releasing Zhou Tai would cause no problems.

Unfortunately, things didn’t go as planned. When Zhao Yun’s dominant aura declared his presence, it also awakened Zhou Tai, who was touching the critical point. The instinctually returned Zhou Tai was now hard to suppress with just medication.

After all, Zhou Tai now was vastly different from most with Inner Qi Manifestation; he reached the peak of his path, and his formidable physique gave him great resistance to any negative drugs.

One could say, even if Hua Tuo and Zhang Jii continually suppressed him with their superb medical skills, Zhou Tai, with his instinctual return, would eventually awaken.

"Is that so?" Zhou Tai fell silent, "I understand, but since my lord risked his life for me, how can I not be willing to die for him? So if you intend to stop me from seeing my lord, I will charge north even if it means being unrighteous."

"Who would stop you? We also want to go north, but while Jizhou and its surrounding areas are relatively stable, chaos reigns in Northern Youzhou and beyond, so I need you to escort us two to the north," Hua Tuo said, looking at Zhou Tai.

"No problem at all," Zhou Tai said solemnly, "As long as it doesn’t defy my lord’s orders, I will obey your instructions freely."

"Such promises aren’t necessary." At that moment, Li You’s voice came in, as Ji Xiang had brought Li You over.

"And who are you?" Zhou Tai asked, looking at Li You, though he hadn’t seen him before, he realized from his endowment akin to Zhou Yu’s that this man was likely a core Civil Official under Liu Bei.

"Li You, or Li Wenru; the name isn’t important. Here’s a temporary residency permit and a road guide. With this, you can head north. Here’s a map, and the warhorses and carriage are ready. You can set off if you wish," Li You said, handing a pile of items from his sleeve to Zhou Tai.

"You’re not keeping me here? I should be considered your enemy from a certain standpoint," Zhou Tai said, looking at Li You, puzzled, as he received the items.

"That’s for later; right now, you’re a Han Official," Li You casually said, "This is enough to give Sun Bofu, consider it the medical fee."

Zhou Tai hesitated slightly, then chose to accept Li You’s letter after a pause, "Indeed, a Han Official!"

"Physician Hua, Dr. Zhang, be careful on your journey. I know what you aim to do, but you must remember that your safety is very important," Li You said earnestly.

"Don’t worry, we are prepared." Zhang Jii smiled, taking out a thickened test tube from a nearby box, its shimmering greenery radiating with the radiance of life, though Li You knew this was a source of typhoid fever.

Its highly infectious nature and lethality meant even a drop could cause a disaster.

Li You shook his head, "It’s best to destroy such things; after all, there’s a window for its spread, and the danger is too high. I’ve deployed five hundred elite veteran soldiers as escorts."

"Oh," Zhang Jii thought the same, even if the thing was nurtured to grow using Inner Qi as an energy source, it still took time, which was somewhat impractical.

"Indeed, here you go. Boil it in a pot of rolling water to destroy it, or if you’re uneasy, you can bring it to a boil later. Though it tastes a little sweet, if you drink this little, it’ll keep you full for half a day," Hua Tuo suggested, taking out a similar item from his box and handing it to Li You alongside Zhang Jii’s.

Li You expressed that he’d rather die than drink such stuff, and wondered what Hua Tuo had done to know it was sweet. Surely he didn’t actually drink it?

In fact, Li You guessed correctly. Hua Tuo had indeed drunk it, and not just Hua Tuo, Zhang Jii did too. With the resolve of Shennong tasting a hundred herbs, they tried every kind of medicine, toxic or not.

Incidentally, Zhang Jii’s medical talent paired with Hua Tuo’s allowed them to ingest various poisons, and just before they became fatal, Zhang Jii would halt cellular data transmission, and Hua Tuo would reverse the situation, after which both would hastily document their experiences.

This was also a major reason for the rapid advancement in current medicine and pharmacology. Of course, they occasionally consumed slow-acting poisons, and some even harmed their inner treasury, but for Zhang Jii and Hua Tuo, as long as the poison didn’t kill them on the spot, it was not an issue.

After sending off Zhou Tai, Li You remained expressionless. Honestly, it wouldn’t have been difficult for him to eliminate Zhou Tai in Ye City, but there really was no need.

[I never thought someone like me could place hope in others. Sun Bofu, it’s up to your decision now.] Li You gazed at the departing carriage, feeling a touch natural. In the past, he was known for his decisiveness, never imagining he would be so agreeable now.

[Li Wenru? Looks like a good conversationalist.] Zhou Tai thought silently, driving his high-speed carriage down the main road while carefully examining his internal changes, trying as much as possible to control his power.

From the moment he awoke, Zhou Tai sensed the astonishing changes in his body. It had grown tremendously stronger, with an endless surge of power. However, the inner Qi that used to flow ceaselessly within him had entirely vanished!

[Limitless power surging from my form, and I feel as if my body can swiftly heal from any injury inflicted by an enemy. But have I grown stronger or weaker? Without my inner Qi, can I still fight?] Zhou Tai harbored doubts, but quickly regained his confidence, vowing that even if he couldn’t fight, he would protect Sun Ce!

"Elai, what’s wrong with you?" Cao Cao asked the somewhat troubled Dian Wei. "You’ve trained the soldiers well, but their formations are terrible. However, the soldiers themselves are quite good. I’ll have Zixiao help you train the formations; your soldiers look really good."

Cao Cao glanced past the seven-and-a-half-foot, even eight-foot Tiger Guard Army before him. Each was a mound of muscle, armor stretched to the brim, looking immensely powerful. Frankly, given the poor diet of this era, being able to train to such an extent was truly an extraordinary talent.