My sister is Luna

"How is it, Doctor Sun?" Shangguan Wan'er asked anxiously, looking at Sun Simiao's unwell expression.

"It's truly astonishing, Cain. Your body is gradually weakening, your life force is slipping away bit by bit, and all your functions are declining at a rate several times faster than normal. Yet, there is also a vigorous life force rapidly recovering. The two are maintaining a delicate balance. Have you ever been poisoned?" Sun Simiao exclaimed in surprise.

"I haven't been poisoned..."

Cain stopped mid-sentence, his mind flashing back to the blue energy hidden within his body. He had thought it was no longer a threat, but to his surprise, its fangs showed no sign of abating.

But isn't it energy? It's always been attached to the golden energy, never showing any sign of dissipation. Except for the mental rage it brings when it's in operation, it's already insignificant to me who possesses both illusory and real spaces. So why...?

No, no one ever said it only had one harmful effect. I only cleared away the mental erosion it caused. The blue poison has always been attached to the golden energy and still flows in my body. It has other harmful effects that I overlooked. I don't know much about it at all, and I don't even know much about the golden energy itself.

Cain looked at his palm.

"Based on my deduction, the toxins started to infiltrate about six months ago, and I failed to notice it at the time. I was negligent."

Cain introspectively observed the golden energy flowing within his body and suddenly noticed that the blue energy that had seemed to be an imperfection attached to the golden power had disappeared, leaving only pure gold circulating within him. This should have been a good thing—

However, he also noticed a shimmering blue hue flashing in his flowing blood, mixing with it as it circulated throughout his body.

Recalling what Sun Simiao had just said, Cain immediately understood and said:

"I understand now. The poison started spreading the moment I fired the arrow with all my might. At that time, my body was already severely damaged, and my body tissues urgently needed to recover. They would desperately absorb energy from my body. Originally, it would have been firmly bound to the golden energy in my body, but because the need for recovery was so great, the golden energy circulating in my body spread out in large quantities. Perhaps it was at that moment that the poison was absorbed and separated day and night and entered my body."

“With current methods, the toxins can no longer be removed. They have been silently eroding your body without your knowledge, and now they have probably penetrated even deeper. This is also my responsibility; I apologize for not discovering it in time.” Sun Simiao said apologetically, lowering his hand from taking your pulse.

"No, I'm already very grateful to Dr. Sun for saving my life. How can you be so harsh? So what symptoms will I experience now?" Cain wanted to know the consequences of the current erosion.

"Normally, you'll have no major problems living a normal life, but once you get into a fight, the balance will be broken, and you'll clearly feel a sense of instability and lack of stamina. The more intense the fight, the more obvious it will be. I've heard that your martial arts energy can manifest as armor. You can try it and see how it feels now."

The demonic armor flashed as Cain thought of it, silently covering his body.

"Wow, what a unique suit of armor! The hard, smooth texture and the imposing yet exquisite design—no wonder the Empress wanted you to be a general. Your sharp and assertive appearance will definitely boost morale." Sun Simiao was somewhat surprised as he lightly touched the magic armor with his finger.

"And this powerful sense of oppression will also damage the morale of the enemy army. The army needs people like you the most, it's a pity you didn't go." Sun Simiao said regretfully.

"My heart isn't in this; forcing myself to go might just be sending the enemy to their deaths and gain merit." Cain smiled bitterly, then began to carefully consider his surroundings.

"How could this be?" Cain was surprised as he felt the power within his body.

Using the magic armor requires a lot of energy, so Cain could clearly feel the depletion of his body's energy. This time, he found that the energy consumption was much greater than before. He used to be able to keep the magic armor on for three days, but now he felt that he could only keep it on for less than a day. His body was indeed having problems. The energy required to maintain his body's functions was actually greater than the energy consumed by attaching the magic armor.

"What should we do about this poison? Is there any medicine that can cure it?"

"Give me a month. I've never seen such a poison in my life. It takes time. If there are no results, then I can't do anything more."

"How much longer can I live?" Cain asked solemnly. He had already prepared himself mentally. Shangguan Wan'er also looked at Sun Simiao, waiting for his answer.

"You will not die. With your current strength, you can maintain a normal lifespan of 80 years. However, your strength level will stop there and will gradually decline. It will be very difficult to improve."

"What's the principle?"

"Because your body is weakened by the toxins, it needs a lot of energy to fight back. The absorption rate is faster than the recovery rate. When you reach the critical point, your strength will drop by one level. This cycle repeats itself, which is why it is said that it will be difficult for you to improve your strength. You are strong, so you will not die. However, if there is another Great Wall battle, your strength will be halved."

"Oh, thank goodness. I thought I was going to die, but it turns out it's just a drop in strength. It's alright now."

Cain breathed a sigh of relief. Having just escaped death, he felt lucky to have survived even a few more days; as long as he was alive, there was hope.

"This is no small matter, you know. You are one of only two people who refused Her Majesty the Empress's offer of recruitment. You're quite a celebrity in Chang'an now. With great success comes great scrutiny, and some people are eager to test your strength. If your power declines too much, you'll definitely be bullied," Shangguan Wan'er said irritably.

"What's there to be afraid of? I'll wait for them. I'll make them kneel down and call me 'Dad.' It'll be a good opportunity to vent my negative emotions. I can't refuse a free human punching bag." Cain didn't care at all; he welcomed this kind of open approach.

"Although you are a great hero who saved the Great Wall and are indeed very strong, you should not be careless. There are many hidden masters in Chang'an. Be careful not to suffer losses." Shangguan Wan'er pouted.

"Don't worry, I will." Seeing Shangguan Wan'er's somewhat displeased look, Cain chuckled and patted her head.

"Don't touch my head, hmph!" Shangguan Wan'er slapped his hand away.

"Haha, Cain, your relationship with Shangguan Zhao is so close and friendly. Although I'm an outsider and have no right to interfere in your affairs, as a doctor, I still have to advise you that men should pay attention to hygiene, otherwise it's easy to get infected, especially when you're deeply in love." Sun Simiao smiled and then said in a serious tone as a doctor.

"No..." Shangguan Wan'er blushed instantly, lowered her head and was speechless. She couldn't reveal her identity as a woman.

"Um, Dr. Sun, we're not in the kind of relationship you're thinking of, please don't misunderstand. Also, um... I'm straight, don't joke around." Cain looked at Shangguan Wan'er, scratched his head, and didn't know whether to laugh or cry.

"Oh, alright, alright, I won't go around telling everyone. This is a secret between the three of us, don't worry." Sun Simiao, having been a doctor for so long, had seen it all. He smiled meaningfully and stroked his beard.

"..." It seemed like he hadn't listened to a word he said.

……