"I am poorly educated in medicine," Qi Yan admits. She hesitates, wondering if it is safe to admit the details of her health. If he is not a doctor, he may not recognize the discrepancy in her story—that surviving a plague would cause a "fire condition," whereas what she has is a "water condition." "The condition I have is aggravated by cold and damp. If any of your medicines encourage heat or dryness within the body, they should be suitable." And she will have to think of something else for when those herbs run out.