They were almost at the confluence of the canal and the Miao River. There was a small town nearby, and the fleet stopped at the town's dock to replenish supplies. Chen Zhaoci got bored on the ship, so he went ashore with Bai Wei, Bai Mi, and two guards.

The town wasn't big; it wouldn't take more than half an hour to walk from one end to the other. Since he had plenty of time, Chen Zhaoci strolled slowly along the cobblestone path.

As a doctor, Chen Zhaoci habitually follows the scent of medicine to find clinics or pharmacies. He saw a clinic in the distance and walked toward it with great interest. Before he even reached the clinic's entrance, he saw two people being pushed out of the clinic.

After the two people were pushed out, they fell heavily to the ground. Chen Zhaoci, the divine physician, examined them closely and found that they were both women. One of them quickly got up from the ground and cried as she helped the other up. Unfortunately, the one still lying on the ground kept her eyes closed and did not move. Chen Zhaoci carefully examined the person's face and found that her face was flushed and her breathing was rapid, indicating that she was running a high fever.

Saving lives is like putting out a fire. Chen Zhaoci had this saying ingrained in his bones. He immediately squatted down, touched his forehead with his left hand, and felt his pulse on his wrist with his right hand.

Bai Wei and Bai Mi watched Chen Zhaoci's actions. One of them helped Chen Zhaoci unbutton the buttons around the neck of the unconscious woman, while the other took out a pair of silver needles from the bag at her waist, preparing for Chen Zhaoci to use them later.

After a brief examination, Chen Zhaoci said to the woman who was standing to the side crying, "Where do you live? This lady needs to have her fever brought down. If her body temperature doesn't come down, it might develop into other illnesses."

The woman cried and said, "Madam, my sister and I were on our way to the capital to visit relatives. When we passed through that nearby town, our luggage was stolen. We had to pawn our jewelry. When we got here, my sister fell ill, so we stayed at the inn ahead. We've been seeking medical treatment for the past few days, but her illness hasn't improved. Today, we ran out of money, and the clinic kicked us out."

After the woman finished speaking, Chen Zhaoci pondered for a long time before saying, "Take us to the inn first. I'll write you a prescription so you can get the medicine for your sister. Your sister has been ill for a long time and needs to be recuperated slowly."

The woman nodded repeatedly and led Chen Zhaoci to the inn where they were staying. Fortunately, the inn had initially asked for a large sum of money, saying that they would get a refund or make up the difference when they checked out. The two sisters still had a place to stay, but they didn't have money for food or medicine.

Bai Wei and Bai Mi helped take the woman to her room at the inn. Chen Zhaoci had warm water prepared and used a cloth dampened with warm water to wipe her down. He also wrote two prescriptions for her. The woman looked at the written prescriptions, opened her mouth, but didn't say anything. Chen Zhaoci nodded to Bai Wei, who took out a purse from her bosom and handed it to the woman, saying gently, "Take this and use it first. Take your medicine carefully, and once your sister recovers, go to the capital to visit relatives."

The woman suddenly knelt down in front of Chen Zhaoci, startling him. Bai Mi quickly helped her up. Chen Zhaoci said, "It's tough being away from home. You sisters are all women, so it's especially difficult. It's fate that we met like this. I'll help you as much as I can."

The woman nodded to Chen Zhaoci through her tears. Seeing that it was getting late, Chen Zhaoci led Bai Wei and Bai Mi toward the dock. The woman said from behind, "May I ask which family you are from, madam? Once we sisters are settled, we will definitely pay a visit to express our gratitude for saving our lives."

Chen Zhaoci waved his hand without saying anything and hurriedly headed towards the dock. The woman went back and touched her sister lying on the bed, finding that she was no longer as hot as before. After thinking for a moment, she put her purse in her bosom and hurriedly ran towards the dock.

Seeing several large ships slowly sailing out of the dock in the distance, the woman asked a porter standing next to her with curiosity, "Those ships are so big, I wonder whose they are."

The porter said proudly, "This boat belongs to our shipping guild. Our boats not only transport goods, but we also rent them out to people who need boats. We have more than a dozen boats like this in our guild."

The woman complimented, "I never expected your gang to have so many large ships."

The porter nodded happily. The woman stood on tiptoe and looked into the distance, where she could still see Chen Zhaoci and the others standing on the deck. She said casually, "So this is the lady. I saw her helping a girl who had been kicked out of the clinic on the street just now."

The porters along the river were all from impoverished backgrounds. The owner of the town's clinic was not a kind man; medical fees were never delayed. Therefore, many people disliked the clinic's staff. Hearing the woman say that the lady had just helped someone kicked out of the clinic, the porter said with great admiration, "If you ask others, nine out of ten wouldn't know whose family it is. I overheard it last night. They said the Yongning Marquis's family, who are sworn brothers with our gang's young lady, are passing through here today. Just now, I saw our manager talking to the manager on this boat. The people on this boat must be from the Yongning Marquis's family." The porter's face showed a hint of smugness as he finished speaking. Not just anyone in the gang knew such secrets. It was because the porter had a good relationship with the manager, and the two came from the same village. The porter usually fawned over the manager, and the manager only mentioned it after they had drunk too much. The manager had repeatedly told him not to tell anyone outside.

Having learned what she wanted to know, the woman hurried to a pharmacy on the street. Although the pharmacy could also dispense medicine, the woman really didn't want to go there again.

Finding a secluded corner on the street, the woman took out her purse, opened it, and found two solid golden cakes shaped like melons and fruits inside. She had seen them before; they were gifts made by wealthy families during festivals and given to the children of acquaintances.

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