Emeralds and Enemies

Chapter Seventy-five

           

          Two hours into the ride Xuiyang began to sway in his saddle. Chenhui noticed and switched over to double with him. An hour further and Xuiyang started shaking uncontrollably. Spit ran from the corner of his lip and dripped off his chin. Chenhui called to Junseo.

"Can you do anything?" he asked.

"When we get to the rest-stop I will look but I am not sure. We didn't get all the poison cleared but I don't know what to do now," Junseo didn't want to admit his true fear as he looked over at the way Il-don slumped in his saddle. San Jin also looked half-asleep. They had all gone beyond their endurance and needed to cleanse and re-tune their stones.

At the rest stop Junseo checked Xuiyang's pulse and tried to activate key meridians. He could feel blockages, especially for the liver. When he checked Xuiyang's mouth he was shocked to see a tooth had turned the same bluish-black as the poison they had removed two days earlier. He had a sinking feeling if they did not remove it, the poison would take hold in Xuiyang's jawbone and beyond. He went to Manager Doak with his concern.

"Are you certain? Pulling a tooth is not all that easy and you won't be able to put it back if it turns out you were wrong."

"I know but I don't think he will make it to the city the way things are going." Junseo tried to imagine how they would manage the procedure. "Maybe Song-hee brought some tools," he paused the said, "Oh, and I'm going to need lots of fresh water."

"Something to contain the poison as well, I would think," Manager Doak went to explain the situation to the group leaders.

San Jin came over to see how he might help. The guards bristled as tried to dissuade him. Junseo wanted to turn him down but San Jin insisted on anchoring a cleansing barrier. Nobody was keen to prolong the rest stop but the cadets were united in trying to save Xuiyang. Four of them came to help hold him in place while Junseo went to work with some pliers.

The first attempt resulted in some bruises for both healer and patient when the pliers slipped. The second attempt went better with a crack then a crunch and an extremely foul-smelling tooth coming free with its roots intact. The hole first just oozed a thick black liquid that Junseo rinsed away as quickly as he could. Then it started to bleed more freely. With no warning Xuiyang vomited blood and black ooze which instantly killed all the plants it landed on.

"Stay back," Manager Doak warned as he tried to clean up what he could with a plate and a small jar. San Jin adjusted the barrier to protect everyone during the clean-up but the green shimmer between the jade pillars soon winked out. One of the family guards guided San Jin back to his horse and the passed him some watered-down spirits. San Jin took a large swig then coughed and sputtered.

"What is this?" he wheezed and lifted the flask.

"A cure for anything that ails you," the guard replied with a broad wink.

"And what is the cure for this?" San Jin coughed again but the men around him all started to laugh.

Junseo gave Xuiyang a small cloth to bite down on. When he checked Xuiyang's pulse it was much more regular so he suggested they could get underway again. "The sooner we see a regular healer, the better," he said as they all mounted up.

As soon as they made it through the city gates the Go family guards tried to split off and take San Jin directly home. His loud complaints about their tactics drew an audience making it easier for the team to slip into place and cut off his guards. This left no other choice than proceeding to General Tan's training yard where a contingent of senior officers waited. San Jin was happy to see Knight-Master Lie was accompanied by palace guards but was more relieved to see Professor Yip and another healer waiting for their group.