Serena Feng's premonition proved true: the Master of Mystic Healer Valley had indeed come for Dominic Zhai's illness. Not only him, but even Divine Doctor Redwater and Poison Doctor Marcus Guile had arrived as well.
Seeing these three, Serena jolted awake—any trace of sleep vanished. She strode forward, exchanged simple greetings, and asked their purpose. When she heard they had come for Dominic Zhai's illness, a chill ran through her heart. "Is it really that serious?" she asked.
Divine Doctor Redwater arched a seductive brow and snapped irritably, "If it weren't serious, do you think we'd be happy to come here?"
"Where is the patient? We want to examine him ourselves," Poison Doctor Marcus Guile, always more reliable than Dr. Redwater, said.
Seeing the three so serious, Serena knew this couldn't wait. She quickly explained and went to find Dominic Zhai.
She knew Dominic Zhai didn't want outsiders to know about this, and she hadn't mentioned his name before. But now, that wasn't possible—his problem was clearly serious, and it couldn't be left untreated just because it was hard to talk about.
Dominic Zhai was already at Feng Manor, so Serena could easily find him. After sending away the others, she clearly explained the intentions of the three masters to Dominic, then added, "Young Lord Dominic, the choice is yours. I haven't revealed your name to them, but I strongly advise you to let them examine you. Your condition seems very complicated—otherwise, they wouldn't have come together."
Dominic Zhai heard Serena's words and felt his heart turn cold. When she added that last sentence, his hands and feet went icy. "Is my body really that serious?" he asked.
He couldn't accept it at all—this was absolutely devastating news. He'd thought it was just a minor problem, but now...
Serena nodded seriously. "You need to be mentally prepared, but also trust those three—they're the very peak of the medical world. If you can get a joint consultation from them, your chances of recovery are actually quite high."
Very few people in this world can receive a joint consultation from those three—even emperors may not be able to summon them.
Dominic Zhai certainly understood, but his heart was uneasy. Without a diagnosis from the three masters, he could still cling to a sliver of hope. But if they declared that he had lost the ability to father children, what would he do?
The Zhai family only had him left. If he couldn't leave descendants, wouldn't that mean...
Just thinking of that possibility, Dominic felt as if he were trapped in an ice cellar—he was freezing all over.
Serena secretly sighed and patted Dominic Zhai's shoulder. "There's no diagnosis yet—don't scare yourself. Young Lord, have you decided? Do you want to be examined?"
Dominic was completely dazed; he had no idea what to do. He just nodded instinctively, then added, "Don't tell my grandfather about this."
If his grandfather knew the Zhai family might end with him, how devastated would he be?
"Don't worry, the three masters are trustworthy—they won't talk. Go explain things briefly to your people; I'll arrange a place for you," Serena said. She knew how serious this was and wouldn't be careless.
If word got out that Dominic Zhai was infertile, it would be a huge blow to the Zhai family. Even those loyal to them would start to reconsider.
Right now, Dominic was like a wandering soul. After speaking a few words to his subordinates, he drifted back to Serena's side. Seeing how pitiful he looked, Serena couldn't bring herself to be stern—she could only comfort him gently.
Serena arranged for Dominic in her study, then sent Jada Tang and Mira Tang to invite the three masters over, ordering the shadow guards to keep everyone else away.
When the Master of Mystic Healer Valley, Divine Doctor Redwater, and Poison Doctor Marcus Guile saw Dominic Zhai, they weren’t surprised. Divine Doctor Redwater and Marcus Guile didn’t know who he was, but the Valley Master did—he just didn’t reveal Dominic’s identity.
The Valley Master may not always be reliable, but when it comes to serious matters, he has principles—he would never leak a patient’s information, especially about such a sensitive condition.
Of the three, the Valley Master commanded the greatest respect, so he examined Dominic first. He didn’t take his pulse, but instead carefully inspected Dominic’s entire body, even pricking a drop of blood at the end.
Divine Doctor Redwater and Poison Doctor Marcus Guile did much the same. In the end, all three asked Dominic to provide a sample of semen for examination. Serena tactfully left the room, giving the four men privacy.
Among men, discussing this kind of illness is easier—Serena's presence would only embarrass Dominic. But Serena is nothing if not cunning. Wanting her apprentice Simon Sun to learn more, she left, and soon after, Simon came in.
The three masters welcomed Simon Sun. They liked him and didn’t hesitate to teach him. Simon was humble and eager to learn—though he knew little of this field, he listened intently. As for Dominic...
Ever since Dominic entered, his mind had been blank. He wasn’t really conscious—he just looked hopefully at the three masters, wishing for a glimmer of hope.
After an hour, the three finished their discussion and reached a diagnosis: "You were drugged as a child. It wasn’t poison, but it destroyed your essence as a man. You’ll never have heirs."
"Drugged?" Dominic jolted—now he was fully awake, his eyes wide as a tiger's.
"That's right. We've checked—you show no signs of poisoning, but your essence is cloudy and has a strange odor. Your health is otherwise good, and you haven't lost vitality prematurely. Our final conclusion is that someone drugged you long ago. But after so much time, we can't identify exactly what drug it was." Poison Doctor Marcus Guile announced the result.
It wasn't that their skills were lacking—there was simply no trace of the drug left in Dominic's body. To find out, they'd have to do a lot more work.
"Then... can it be cured?" This was Dominic's greatest fear.
Poison Doctor Marcus Guile frowned slightly. "It's hard to say. The three of us are skilled, but this isn't our specialty."
In fact, aside from a few imperial physicians kept by the Emperor, almost no doctors specialize in this field. Cases like these are rare, and even when they occur, most people would rather keep quiet than seek treatment.
"Then what should I do? Am I doomed to be childless?" Dominic was on the verge of tears. The blow was too much for him to bear.
The three masters looked at Dominic in unison, their faces blank.
They weren't Serena Feng—they had no personal stake in whether Dominic had heirs or not. They were simply curious about Serena's findings and had come together out of idle interest.
Simon Sun was the kindest. Seeing Dominic looking ready to die, he kindly suggested, "Why not ask my master? Maybe she has a solution."
"You're right—Serena will surely think of something for me!" Dominic finally perked up and rushed out.
He didn't care about anything else now—he just wanted to leave an heir for the Zhai family. Even one child would be enough...
Serena Feng, you have to help me!