That being said, this is an order from the government, and it cannot be avoided by arguing a few words.

Lu Qiqi said, "The plague in Heshun Prefecture is urgent. It has not been well controlled for so long, so the situation must be many times more serious than we had heard before."

"Furthermore, Heshun Prefecture is only two days' journey from Luzhou Prefecture. If Heshun Prefecture is not brought under control, we will not be able to stay safe in Luzhou Prefecture for long either. We understand the principle of 'if the lips are gone, the teeth will be cold'."

"I can cure the dysentery in Yi'an Village, so maybe I can find a way to deal with this plague as well."

Lu Qiqi wasn't just acting on a whim; the main reason was that she had a spiritual spring space. With the spiritual spring as a medicinal ingredient, even the most difficult ailments could be alleviated to some extent.

The fact that the villagers of Yi'an Village recovered so quickly just proves what Lu Qiqi was thinking!

Although Lu Dahai and the others were worried, they did not stop Lu Qiqi from going to Heshun Prefecture.

After persuading her family, Lu Qiqi turned to the tall soldier and said, "I hope you can give me a little more time to pack my bags and go with you."

The tall soldier, annoyed by their dawdling, couldn't help but urge them on, "Hurry up!"

"Thank you," Lu Qiqi said, then went back to her room to pack her things.

She only packed a few clothes as a token gesture; everything else she could take with her was stored in her spatial storage.

After Lu Qiqi left the room, she gave Li Shi two hundred taels of silver notes for safekeeping.

"So much money!" Mrs. Li was shocked and declined to accept it.

Lu Qiqi didn't give Li a chance and stuffed the money directly into Li's pocket. "There are too many times when the family needs money. The wages for managing the fruit trees and tea trees, the children's school fees, and the family's food and drink expenses."

If two hundred taels isn't enough, the money from selling the mushrooms can help support the family. We can't let our quality of life drop while I'm away.

Upon hearing this, Li nodded repeatedly, her eyes brimming with tears.

Lu Qiqi slung the bundle over her back, as if she were carrying a military pack.

Lu Dahai and the others escorted Lu Qiqi all the way to the entrance of the veterans' village before Lu Qiqi said, "Go back now. Tell Ayao that I'm going on a long trip and will be back soon."

Lu Qiqi followed the soldiers into the city and finally stopped at an inn. The tall soldier opened a room for Lu Qiqi.

The tall soldier said, "We'll rest at the inn for the day, and then we'll head to Heshun Prefecture tomorrow. If you dare to escape, we'll kill you without mercy."

After issuing a warning, the tall soldier led his men to a room on the second floor of the inn.

Holding the room pass, Lu Qiqi entered the room with the help of a servant.

...

The next day, just as the rooster crowed, someone knocked on Lu Qiqi's door.

Being away from home with no one to keep watch, and with everything uncertain, she slept fully clothed last night.

After getting out of bed and quickly washing up in her space, Lu Qiqi went downstairs.

As soon as she reached the stairs, Lu Qiqi saw a room full of men sitting in the lobby on the first floor, roughly twenty or so.

Each of them had a wooden box beside them, indicating that they were all doctors recruited by the government.

After going downstairs, Lu Qiqi stood out from the group of men.

The male doctors, who were having breakfast, clearly noticed this as well.

One of the middle-aged male doctors sneered, "This government even arrests young girls to practice medicine; they really don't discriminate!"

He only dared to mutter these words to himself in a low voice, and if Lu Qiqi hadn't been so close, she wouldn't have been able to hear them very clearly.

However, Lu Qiqi did not refute it, but instead found an empty seat and ate a hearty breakfast.

People need food to survive, and she never imagined that her next meal would be as lavish as the one prepared at the inn.

"Let's go!" With the tall soldier's order, everyone put down their bowls and chopsticks. Those who ate slowly grabbed a few flatbreads to eat on the way.

Fortunately, the officials of Luzhou Prefecture did not lose heart and make this large group of doctors walk, but arranged for them to travel by carriage.

Lu Qiqi boarded a carriage first, and as soon as she lifted the curtain, she saw a familiar face.

It was in Yi'an Village, where Dr. Huang was treating dysentery together!

"Miss Lu!" Doctor Huang exclaimed in surprise upon seeing Lu Qiqi.

Before Lu Qiqi could speak, she heard Doctor Huang say, "Miss Lu, come up quickly. I just checked, there aren't many carriages left. We'll have to walk to Heshun Prefecture after this!"

Since Doctor Huang was an acquaintance, Lu Qiqi didn't hesitate any longer and got into the carriage.

However, there was an elderly man in the carriage. He was very thin and dressed in black, as if he were wearing a sack. His hair was disheveled but not dirty.

The old man glanced at Lu Qiqi indifferently, then turned his head away and continued sleeping.

Lu Qiqi didn't pay attention to the strange old man and whispered, "Was Doctor Huang also conscripted by the government to go to Heshun Prefecture?"

"Sigh," Dr. Huang said with a face full of resentment, "This is not a requisition, this is clearly coercion!"

"The other night I was at home, having just finished washing up and getting ready to rest, when these bandit-like soldiers broke down the door, scaring my wife so much she almost fainted!"

Compared to Doctor Huang's situation, Lu Qiqi was treated with great courtesy.

Lu Qiqi asked, "How is your wife now?"

Doctor Huang said, "There is a young child at home who has received my true teachings and is taking care of his mother at home. He should be fine."

Lu Qiqi couldn't offer any words of comfort, so she could only nod and say, "That's good."

Sitting in the carriage, swaying and rocking all the way, Lu Qiqi felt like her whole body was about to fall apart.

Finally, noon arrived, and Lu Qiqi was the first to rush off the carriage to stretch her muscles.

Lunch consisted of flatbreads distributed by the officers and soldiers.

Lu Qiqi took the flatbread and took a bite, almost breaking her jaw.

If they were on the road fleeing famine, Lu Qiqi would have eaten the flatbread without a second thought, but her palate had long been spoiled after settling down, so she could no longer stomach this flatbread that looked like it had been smashed to death.

Lu Qiqi glanced at the others and noticed that all the doctors were holding flatbreads and had bitter expressions on their faces.

She completely let go of the slight self-loathing she felt for the difficulty of going from luxury to frugality.

Afterwards, Lu Qiqi secretly took the flatbread she had taken from the inn that morning from her spatial storage. The flatbread made at the inn was soft and chewy, and even when it was cold, it was several times tastier than the flatbread given by the soldiers.

After eating her fill, Lu Qiqi drank a few sips of spiritual spring water to soothe her stomach.

Treat this trip as a long journey, or a day trip!

Just as Lu Qiqi had finished eating and drinking and was about to return to the carriage...

Suddenly, several angry shouts rang out, "Who goes there!"

"If it's official business, take a detour immediately!"

Judging from the direction the sound came from, it was coming from where the officers and soldiers were resting.

Immediately afterwards, Lu Qiqi saw several soldiers in the distance, drawing their swords and pointing them forward.

Before Lu Qiqi could figure out what was going on, she saw a tall, powerful, long-haired animal running straight toward her.

Upon seeing the long-haired animal, the officers and soldiers' expressions changed, and they shouted, "It's a wolf!"

"Hide! Hide right now!"

The soldiers shouted loudly, and the doctors who were eating pancakes were also disturbed by the commotion, so they all got up and hid.

People scattered by the wolves ran around in all directions, causing chaos and disorder!