The pile of medicinal herbs that Lin Yi brought back from the county town looked quite large, but when it came to distributing them according to the prescription, it was not enough.

He squatted beside the table, his brows furrowed in a knot.

He pointed at the list of medicinal materials, checking them over and over again, sighing constantly.

Fortunately, Gu Jiayue looked at the prescription twice and remembered that some of the herbs she had bought before to make preventive medicine happened to overlap with the treatment prescription.

She and Lin Yi picked and chose together, carefully putting the usable herbs together.

I hope these can last through the most critical moments.

After careful screening for a long time, we were able to barely gather enough medicine for the critically ill patients.

Something is better than nothing, right?

"But at least half of the people in Taohua Village have been infected with the plague. This little medicine is still not enough! How about I go back to the county town and ask the county magistrate for some more?"

"If there were extra, would the magistrate only let you take this much? Maybe they wouldn't have enough."

After all, Zheng Qinghe needs to take care of not only the people in the county town, but also other villages in the countryside. He can't just ignore them, right?

"Let's boil these herbs first, and then give them to the seriously ill patients. Although we need to add water and boil them several times, some effect is better than no medicine."

Even a small mosquito is meat, and the water used to wash the pot also smells like oil.

"That's all we can do."

It took two hours, and the first pot of medicine was finally boiled.

After watching them take the medicine, the two of them finally breathed a sigh of relief.

The remaining villagers with milder symptoms can only wait for two more days to see if Gu Jiayue can accumulate enough education points to buy some medicinal herbs.

The pain on the faces of those patients who had taken the medicine gradually faded, and their incessant coughing finally stopped for a while, giving them time to catch their breath.

The coughing has decreased and everyone feels a lot more relaxed. Some of the younger ones were able to speak again shortly after taking the medicine.

After about another hour, those seriously ill patients were finally able to sleep peacefully under the effect of the medicine.

Lin Yi watched from the side and suddenly asked softly: "During the days I was away, did anyone in the village... not make it?"

Gu Jiayue nodded, her voice low and hoarse. "There are five people: three elderly people, a child, and an aunt."

As she spoke of this, her throat felt as if it was blocked by something, becoming tight and dry.

The cries of those who lost their loved ones still seem to echo in my ears.

In fact, it was expected that the plague would take people away, but when it really happened, the feeling of powerlessness and grief was still unbearable.

She paused and added, "During the cremation, the spouse of an elderly man refused to be cremated. She refused to let him be burned no matter what. Several family members tried to stop her, but she rushed into the fire like crazy, trying to get the elderly man's body back."

"Is she... okay?" Lin Yi's voice was filled with obvious worry as he leaned forward.

"The person was pulled back, but his hands were burned and had several blisters. He is lying at home now." Gu Jiayue's fingertips unconsciously scratched the corner of the table, and her heart was heavy.

The conversation between the two was roughly heard by Xie Qingyun who was standing not far away.

He didn't say anything, just stood there quietly, his eyes fixed on Gu Jiayue, no emotion visible.

When Lin Yi turned around, he ran into him and quickly stood up. "Master, why are you here?"

Xie Qingyun's eyes still did not leave Gu Jiayue.

He had only been away for a few days, but this man's luck had become much stronger.

"Miss Gu, can I discuss academic matters with you now?"

Gu Jiayue raised her eyes to look at him, then turned her head and asked Lin Yi with her eyes: Is this the master who developed the prescription you mentioned?

Lin Yi nodded vigorously, his eyes full of conviction.

Gu Jiayue felt a surge of murmurs in her heart.

I didn't expect that the person I just casually said at that time actually developed a prescription to treat the plague. He is quite a character.

But why was he so persistent in wanting to "exchange knowledge" with me?

Is he really a person who loves to challenge others and can't stand others being better than him?

But excellence is not something she can control.

Well, the old saying is true: the tree that stands out in the forest will be destroyed by the wind.

She sighed softly and turned sideways to gesture "please." "Master, please come this way."

This place is filled with the groans of patients and the smell of medicine. It is really not a place for conversation.

Since he is so insistent, let's see what he wants to do.

Xie Qingyun followed her out, his steps slow and light, and suddenly said, "Just call me Qingyun."

It was already dark at this time, and Taohua Village was silent. Only the faint candlelight shone through the windows of a few houses, casting a small patch of warm yellow in the night.

The footsteps of the two people stepped on the dirt road, making a slight "rustling" sound.

As Gu Jiayue walked, she suddenly felt troubled.

For a moment I couldn't think of where to take him.

If it were in modern times, you could just find a food stall on the street, order a few dishes, and talk about whatever you want.

But in Taohua Village, let alone a snack stall, there is not even a shop where you can sit down and talk. There is really no decent place for entertainment.

She secretly thought that after this plague was over, she had to add some entertainment activities to Taohua Village, otherwise life would be too boring.

In the end, Gu Jiayue decided to take the person back home.

Anyway, the yard at home is big and my uncle and aunt are here.

There are so many people around, so it's easier to chat with strange men.

As soon as I reached the gate of the yard, I heard the gate creak open, and it was my uncle who opened the door.

My uncle was attacked by an unknown person before and was in a coma for more than half a month. Thanks to Lin Yi's rescue day and night, he finally woke up.

But after waking up, he never mentioned anything about what happened that day. Later, he simply pretended to have no memory. He would shake his head when asked and give random answers when asked urgently.

"What? Ma what Mei? I don't recognize her."

Seeing him like this, Gu Jiayue didn't ask anyone any further questions and only told Zheng Qinghe about it, hoping that he could find the murderer as soon as possible.

But several months have passed and there has been no progress in the case, and there has been no news at all.

At this moment, the uncle saw that it was getting late and Gu Jiayue had not returned yet, so he was a little worried and wanted to come out to pick her up.

Although the school is not far from the Gu family's yard, a girl walking at night will always make people worry about her.

As soon as he opened the door, he saw Gu Jiayue standing there. An honest smile immediately appeared on her face, and the wrinkles at the corners of her eyes relaxed. "Jiayue, you're back? Are you hungry? Your aunt is still cooking, waiting for you to come back. She can cook for you anytime."

Gu Jiayue felt warm in her heart when she saw her uncle's concerned eyes.

Isn’t this kind of solid family love what people strive for in their lives?

She shook her head. "I'm not hungry. I ate a lot for dinner." Then she leaned over and said, "Uncle, go get some rest. I have guests to entertain today."

As she spoke, she took two steps to the right, revealing Xie Qingyun behind her.

The uncle looked up with a smile, ready to say hello.

But as the words came to his lips, he was suddenly choked.

The smile on his face froze instantly, as if frozen. His pupils gradually dilated, and his eyes, which had originally held warmth, were instantly filled with extreme fear and terror, as if he had seen a ghost seeking his life.

The knuckles of the hand holding the door panel turned white due to the force. He gripped the wood tightly, but still couldn't control the trembling.

“Huh…huh…”

There was a sound like a broken bellows in his throat, he was breathing rapidly, and his chest was heaving violently, as if he would run out of breath at any moment.

He stretched out his hand tremblingly, trying to grab Gu Jiayue's arm, but after trying several times, his fingertips just brushed against her sleeve and slipped past, and he couldn't get a hold of it.

Seeing him like this, Gu Jiayue's heart suddenly tightened, thinking that he had some physical problem again. She quickly stepped forward to support him, her voice filled with anxiety. "Uncle, what's wrong with you? Are you feeling unwell?"

But the uncle suddenly exerted force and grabbed her hand with such force that it seemed as if he could crush her bones, shouting hoarsely: "Run... Run! Run!"

Why run?

Gu Jiayue was stunned by his sudden fear, but the despair was so strong that she subconsciously turned to look at Xie Qingyun. "Have you met my uncle before?"

Xie Qingyun looked at the crazy man in front of him, frowned slightly, and searched carefully in his mind, but had no memory of him.

But the fear in the other person's eyes was so real that it could not be faked or acted out.

"This is my first time in Taohua Village, and I've never met your uncle before."

He was very sure about this.

Gu Jiayue knew that people like Xie Qingyun simply disdain to lie.

"Uncle, did you recognize the wrong person?"

But the uncle couldn't hear their conversation at all. There was only one thought in his mind: run, he must make his family run!

The scenes of that day flooded into his mind like a tide.

He watched with his own eyes as his sister's family was wiped out by the man in front of him. He would never forget the cold light of the sword dripping with blood as it slashed across the necks of his sister and brother-in-law.

The three nephews who were usually noisy and fat didn't even have the chance to cry out. The man just raised his hand slightly, and the long sword that could cut through iron like mud pierced into their chests.

In just a moment, all ten members of my sister's family fell in a pool of blood.

He was so frightened that he turned around and fled in his carriage after he came to his senses.

But this man kept chasing him and followed him all the way to the ditch at the entrance of the village.

He still doesn't know what the other party used, he just felt a sharp pain in the back of his head, then he was knocked unconscious and thrown into a ditch.

In a daze, he seemed to hear someone shouting "Murder". The man was probably afraid of being seen, so he was busy running for his life, which saved his life.

It was him who killed my sister's family and attacked me!

Now he comes again, does he want to kill me?

No! We can't let him hurt his family!

The uncle shoved Gu Jiayue into the yard, while he clutched the door tightly, blocking the entrance. He roared at Xie Qingyun, "Good man! I haven't told anyone a word about what happened that day! If you're here to silence us, just come after me! My family is innocent!"