After working through the night, Serena had done everything she could—everything that could be done. Yet Lance Quinn still hadn’t woken up. Every thirty minutes, Serena would check Lance’s temperature and pulse.
All the readings showed normal, but there was no sign of him waking. It made Serena start doubting her Smart Med‑Pack again—was this high‑tech thing really trustworthy?
But even if high-tech wasn’t reliable, at least her clinical experience was. Her own examination gave the same results as the Smart Med‑Pack: Lance Quinn was fine. All his vital signs were as normal as any healthy person.
Of course, except for that damned nervous system abnormality.
As time passed, Vincent Su had gone from trusting to doubting, and now to outright anxiety. With dawn approaching and Lance Quinn still showing no signs of waking, Vincent was on the verge of losing his mind—no longer able to maintain his usual gentlemanly composure.
Do you know what day it is today?
Today is the Emperor’s Heaven‑Sacrifice Ceremony. Even if they weren’t planning to sabotage it, Lance Quinn had to wake up—otherwise... the consequences would be dire.
"Serena, when will Lance wake up?" Vincent Su finally couldn’t hold back and asked Serena. He knew she’d done her best and didn’t want to pressure her, but the weight on his shoulders was enormous.
Serena shook her head. "I don’t know when Lance will wake up. His body is fine. Even if I wanted to treat him, there’s nothing I can do. All we can do now is wait." Wait for Lance Quinn’s nervous system abnormality to resolve—then he’d wake up.
As for when Lance’s nervous system abnormality would disappear, she had no idea. She was a heart and brain surgeon, not a general practitioner. Even a GP only knows a little about everything, not everything in depth—let alone being an expert in neurology.
A person's energy is limited. Sure, she had talent in medicine, but she wasn’t some freakish prodigy—no one could master everything just by touching it. She didn’t know much about the nervous system. If her Smart Med-Pack could give a precise result, maybe she’d have a way. But it only spat out a vague diagnosis: nervous system abnormality. She honestly didn’t know where to start.
Lance couldn’t bear to let Vincent, that elegant merchant-scholar, go bald. So he tried his hardest to move, just a little, to show he was conscious.
Awake. Yes, he was awake…
Serena hadn’t been in the room long before Lance’s mind cleared. He realized he hadn’t been poisoned—the black blood was just a trick. His body wasn’t badly hurt, but for some reason, he still couldn’t wake up.
Thinking it through, if he’d really been poisoned—if the stuff turned blood black on contact—he wouldn’t have lasted long enough to escape the palace, let alone put on a show for Terrence and Damien. That mouthful of blood must’ve just been trapped congestion.
Felix Fuller really was a master manipulator. One so-called ‘poisoned dart’—and everyone instantly believed it was deadly. Seal the acupoints, swallow antidote pills… Lucky for him, the chaos and his unique constitution kept him from taking any antidote, or else…
He probably wouldn’t have woken up at all.
Sensing Vincent’s desperation, Lance didn’t want him to keep worrying. He moved his finger, hoping Vincent or Serena would notice and find a way to break this paralysis.
Paralyzed—that’s what it was. He was awake, but his whole body was stiff and unmoving. The feeling was torture.
His finger trembled ever so slightly—that was his limit. Lance could only hope Vincent or Serena would notice.
Lance wasn’t disappointed. Serena might still be lost in thought, but Vincent was staring at Lance, not missing a single twitch. When Lance’s finger moved, Vincent thought he was seeing things, rubbed his eyes, then saw it move again. Overjoyed, he shouted, “He’s awake! He’s awake! Lance is waking up!”
Vincent’s eyes lit up like he’d just won the lottery. He spun around, grabbed Serena, and pointed at Lance’s finger, shouting excitedly, “Serena, look! Look! Lance moved—his finger moved! Is he waking up?”
“Let me check.” Serena wasn’t as worked up as Vincent. She calmly stepped forward to examine Lance. But… his finger stopped moving. Just as she started to doubt Vincent’s imagination, Lance’s finger twitched again.
He’s really waking up?
Serena quickly grabbed her stethoscope. All the readings were perfectly normal—no physical problems at all. That left only one possibility: his brain?
She stared at Lance’s head, debating whether to pull out a brainwave analyzer. She suspected Lance was already ‘awake’—his brain was conscious, but he couldn’t respond.
This was a real headache.
“Well? How is he?” Vincent couldn’t stand Serena’s silence and pressed her again.
“Everything’s normal.” Same answer as before—the only one Serena could honestly give.
“Everything’s normal? If everything’s normal, why isn’t Lance waking up?” Vincent refused to accept that answer. It was infuriating.
Quack doctor, quack doctor! If this wasn’t Serena Feng, he’d have ordered her dragged out already.
Serena glanced at Lance, who was still trying to move his finger to prove he was awake. After a moment’s thought, she said, “Lance is probably in a brain-awake state. He’s conscious and aware of everything, but he can’t fully wake up.”
She was explaining to Vincent, but also to Lance himself. Serena believed Lance could hear her.
“What does that mean?” Vincent was totally confused, and even Lance didn’t understand.
Serena folded her arms, putting on her professional face: “The simple way to put it is sleep paralysis. Lance is already conscious, but all we can do is wait. Whether he wakes up or not depends entirely on him—we can’t help.”
The Smart Med-Pack gave a diagnosis of ‘abnormality.’ The safest treatment was to let him recover on his own. After all, if you can’t pinpoint the problem, random medication could kill.
“We can’t help? Even as a doctor?” Vincent started doubting Serena’s skills.
“Doctors aren’t omnipotent. A lot of times, we have to rely on the patient’s own willpower. Some illnesses just can’t be treated directly. Do you know what a medical miracle is?” Serena wasn’t angry—she explained patiently.
Vincent shook his head. He honestly didn’t understand what a ‘medical miracle’ was. He knew the words, but not the meaning.
“A medical miracle is when a doctor says there’s no hope, or a patient is supposed to never wake up—and yet, somehow, they recover. That’s not the doctor’s achievement, but the patient’s own willpower. They fight through with sheer determination. I believe Lance can do it too.” With that, Serena stopped talking to Vincent and started packing up her medicine chest.
Dawn was approaching. Lance’s body was stable now—there was no point in her staying. She needed to head back.
“Vincent, it’s almost morning. Send someone to take me home. If Lance still hasn’t woken up by sunrise, send for me at Feng Manor.” Once it was daylight, she could visit the Su residence openly—no need to sneak around and risk a scandal.
“Is Lance really okay?” Vincent knew Serena couldn’t stay, and sending her off was necessary. But even if he doubted her skills, he felt less secure with her gone. Having Serena around was at least a bit of comfort.
Serena glanced at Lance. She couldn’t see his complexion, but her professional judgment said his condition was excellent. That minor injury was nothing to him.
Still, Serena didn’t want to promise too much. “I can guarantee Lance’s physical body is just fine.”
“Alright, I’ll take you out.” With Serena’s words, Vincent couldn’t argue. Keeping her here wouldn’t help anyone.
They walked out of the secret chamber, one after the other, not noticing…
Willpower!
I can do this!
“A medical miracle is when a doctor says there’s no hope, or a patient is supposed to never wake up—and yet, somehow, they recover. That’s not the doctor’s achievement, but the patient’s own willpower. They fight through with sheer determination. I believe Lance can do it too.” With that, Serena stopped talking to Vincent and started packing up her medicine chest.
Dawn was approaching. Lance’s body was stable now—there was no point in her staying. She needed to head back.
“Vincent, it’s almost morning. Send someone to take me home. If Lance still hasn’t woken up by sunrise, send for me at Feng Manor.” Once it was daylight, she could visit the Su residence openly—no need to sneak around and risk a scandal.
“Is Lance really okay?” Vincent knew Serena couldn’t stay, and sending her off was necessary. But even if he doubted her skills, he felt less secure with her gone. Having Serena around was at least a bit of comfort.
Serena glanced at Lance. She couldn’t see his complexion, but her professional judgment said his condition was excellent. That minor injury was nothing to him.
Still, Serena didn’t want to promise too much. “I can guarantee Lance’s physical body is just fine.”
“Alright, I’ll take you out.” With Serena’s words, Vincent couldn’t argue. Keeping her here wouldn’t help anyone.
They walked out of the secret chamber, one after the other, not noticing…
Willpower!
I can do this!