They didn't have to be in such a hurry, but they all knew that Lin Gou Dan's condition couldn't be delayed.

Lin Youcai felt sorry for the young men, whose hands were raw and bleeding from the rope. He said, "Let's rest for a while before we go on."

"Uncle, what are you resting for? How can we rest? Hurry up and stop dawdling."

"Uncle, please don't say anything. If you can't hold on, sit on the cart. Don't delay our journey!"

It was just a hard afternoon. How much trouble did Lin Youcai usually worry about for everyone?

Other people become village chiefs or village officials to make money, but Lin Youcai, as village chief, did his best and helped them a lot along the way.

As long as they don't die from exhaustion or break their legs, they must reach the next town before the city gates close.

Lin Youcai's eyes were red; everyone was doing this for his only son.

After walking for more than two hours, the group arrived at Yunmeng Town before sunset.

However, the city gate was surrounded, not by city guards, but by an army.

They all wore face masks and carried bladed knives, always on guard against anyone coming out of the city.

Lin Jinyue's heart skipped a beat. It was all over. It seemed the epidemic was serious and the city had already begun to be locked down. The two key medicinal herbs for treating Lin Gou Dan were probably doomed.

The most critical issue is that Lin Gou Dan alone cannot save him.

There is a plague ahead. If it is not cured, the disease will continue to spread. This place is not too far from Shawan Town, and it is possible that it will be affected.

Even if it doesn't affect Shawan Town, their journey to Shawan Town has been extremely difficult.

The river water cannot be drunk casually, and we will face the problem of water shortage again.

Moreover, those insects are practically impossible to guard against, and there's also a chance they might contract the plague.

Medicine is hard to come by now, and it may not be available in other towns as well.

In short, things will only get harder for them from now on.

Alas, no matter how much we planned, we never expected them to be so unlucky as to be caught in the plague.

At this moment, everyone turned to look at Lin Jinyue.

Whenever they were unsure of what to do, they would look to Lin Jinyue, clearly regarding her as their pillar of support.

Lin Jinyue thought for a moment, then said, "Send one person to scout ahead. Remember to take the side paths, not too far off the beaten path, lest you fall into the mud. Also..."

Lin Jinyue explained the precautions one by one.

The Lingnan region is full of primeval forests, which are often filled with mud pits and swamps, so one must be extremely careful.

Lin Fugui volunteered: "I'll go ahead and scout ahead. If I accidentally expose myself, don't rush out. With so many weapons, leather armor, and crossbows, if those soldiers find us, we'll all be in big trouble."

After Lin Fugui finished speaking, he secretly followed along.

He not only had to avoid stepping into the mud, but also had to avoid being discovered by the soldiers, and he also had to constantly free his hands to prevent the thorns of the branches from scratching him.

As Lin Fugui approached, he heard the soldiers say, "Boss, are we really going to set it on fire?"

The leader was a young general, who, in Lin Shucheng's words, was not yet an adult.

To everyone's surprise, despite his young age, he acted decisively, merely frowning and saying, "Burn, burn them all."

Lin Fugui felt a chill run down his spine from those words and accidentally broke a tree branch. Since they were nearby and the general had said that everything should be burned, everyone quieted down.

The sound of a branch snapping underfoot was all the more noticeable.

Soon, soldiers arrived. Seeing Lin Fugui dressed in tattered clothes, having walked such a long way, and wrapped up strangely for epidemic prevention, he didn't look like a good person at all.

They immediately subdued Lin Fugui.

Lin Jinyue and the others, watching from afar, sensed something was wrong.

They couldn't hear what the other was saying from a distance, but they saw a soldier take out a knife from his waist, point it at Lin Fugui, and look like he was about to chop him down at any moment.

Lin Jinyue moved a little closer.

Hearing those people interrogating Lin Fugui, he remained completely silent.

Lin Jinyue sensed something was wrong. Seeing that a soldier was about to stab Lin Fugui with a knife, she quickly stepped forward.

Seeing her walk forward, how could Lin Shucheng and Lin Xueqing sit still any longer?

Lin Shucheng bowed to the soldiers and said, "I'm really sorry, my brother is honest and kind, and he has offended you all."

The soldiers looked at Lin Shucheng's attire. Although his clothes might be a bit tattered, his overall demeanor was undeniable. He possessed the kind of scholarly air that made him stand out in a crowd.

And that little girl, though she looked young, showed no fear whatsoever.

The leading general, named Gu Shao, frowned and said to Lin Jinyue, "Hurry up and leave, don't linger here."

He then ordered his men to release Lin Fugui as well.

The best course of action now is for them to go back first, to get away from the epidemic area, and then try to go to other towns to see if they can get lucky and buy medicine for Lin Gou Dan.

Ke Lin Gou Dan can't wait any longer!

Jiang Yun didn't have enough medicine, so she only used acupuncture and a few herbs to suppress the illness and prevent him from dying immediately. This plague came fiercely, and even if she had the strongest skills, she couldn't save Lin Gou Dan's life.

Unfortunately, the two missing herbs were not rare; Atractylodes lancea and Aconitum carmichaelii were herbs commonly found in pharmacies.

Lin Shucheng was somewhat unwilling.

There was clearly hope of rescuing them; all they needed to do was get into the city.

Lin Shucheng recalled Lin Gou Dan's silly, blank voice calling "Third Uncle" behind him. Usually, when he picked wild fruits and hunted wild rabbits, he would give them to Lin Gou Dan, either to his parents or to Lin Shucheng.

Lin Gou Dan also said that he would study and learn to read with Lin Xue Qing in the future, and when he passed the imperial examinations, he would recognize Lin Xue Qing as his godfather, so that he would have a lot of face when he went out.

The more Lin Shucheng thought about it, the more uneasy he felt.

He didn't move.

Lin Jinyue was also thinking of a solution. Gou Dan was clearly not going to make it; the plague was just too ferocious.

Lin Jinyue smiled at the young soldier, her two dimples quite adorable, "Big brother, we are..."

At this moment, Gu Shao shouted, "Hurry up and leave!"

Lin Jinyue:? ?

Oh no, why are you being so fierce?

Lin Shucheng couldn't bear to see his daughter suffer like this. He gritted his teeth, stamped his foot, and impulsively asked, "Can we go in? We can just buy some herbs at the pharmacy. We have people there..."

He paused, worried about getting into trouble, and then changed his excuse: "I caught a cold."

Gu Shao said coldly, "No, go back now. If you don't leave, I'll burn you and those refugees to death. There's a plague outbreak in the town ahead. If you don't want to die, get out of here!"

Although he reprimanded them, he didn't make things too difficult for Lin Jinyue and the others. Gu Shao was even worried about their safety.

It was through this point that Lin Jinyue concluded that Gu Shao was cold-faced but soft-hearted, and that she did not want Lin Gou Dan to die.